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*****
In the common tongue of the Zhongtian Empire, these sixteen stone pillars were also referred to as the Heavenly Pillars.
Indeed, pillars that connected earth to sky and pierced straight into the firmament, coupled with the majestic aura of the natural energy they gathered, deserved such a title without the slightest exaggeration.
As he drew closer to Zhongtian City, Su Wen carefully observed the specific arrangement of these sixteen pillars. At that moment, it occurred to him that he had yet to formally organize a complete "Formation System," and his task for the Stone God remained unfinished.
However, he felt no need to rush. Especially after arriving on the Hallowed Vast Mainland and witnessing the raw power of the sixteen Heavenly Pillars, Su Wen felt even more patient. How could a simple derivation from core circuit diagrams be considered a true formation system?
Su Wen intended to continue his explorations of formations here. By combining the unique characteristics of both worlds, he planned to simplify the foundations of formations once more before constructing an entire systemic hierarchy. When that time came, the "faith" generated by the development of formations in both worlds would belong to him alone.
"The Hallowed Vast Mainland is larger than the Douluo Continent, with more complex terrain and even more grand spectacles. I should set aside some time to travel across this land."
Su Wen had once traversed the entire Douluo Continent and later the Douluo Star itself. Now that he had reached this new world, the urge to wander had returned. It wasn't that he simply enjoyed traveling for its own sake; rather, through travel, he could observe the veins of the mountains and the flow of the terrain. By sensing the shifts in the energy of heaven and earth and synthesizing that data, his gains were immense.
This was true, tangible growth—comprehensive in every sense. The construction of his "World within the Book" was perfected time and again through this process, and his Meditative World grew increasingly rich and profound as he journeyed.
Approaching Zhongtian City, Su Wen focused on sensing the flow of natural energy.
"As expected, these sixteen pillars aggregate the natural power of a vast region. It is this concentration that sustains a place like Heavenly Jewel Island, making it a Holy Land for Consolidating Equipment Masters."
During the journey, Su Wen had noted that as they approached the capital, the cities grew larger, and both the density of Jewel Masters and the concentration of natural energy increased. The other regions of the Zhongtian Empire had not become barren because of the sixteen pillars; on the contrary, because this spectacle gathered energy and the empire sat at the center of the continent, its overall energy levels far surpassed those of other nations.
As Shangguan Tianyue led the way, they flew toward the high heavens. Su Wen encountered no resistance.
Access to Heavenly Jewel Island was strictly regulated. There were generally three ways to enter:
Consolidating Equipment Masters: Once a Master reached the "Master Level," they could ascend the island and bring one follower. They received generous treatment and could exchange their scrolls for resources to further their craft. This was the most difficult path, as the entry barrier for Consolidating Equipment required the Space attribute—an element even rarer than Light or Darkness.
The Heavenly Jewel Tournament: This was the only way for low-level Jewel Masters to set foot on the island.
Special Permission: The rarest occurrence, usually reserved for Jewel Masters with a cultivation of at least the High-level Heavenly Zong stage.
Su Wen fell into the final category. Although he was re-cultivating and his Heavenly Energy was only at the Low-level Heavenly Shi stage, under the certification of Shangguan Tianyue and Tang Xian, he was a bona fide Heavenly Emperor! Besides, the rules were set by the Hallowed Vast Palace; with the Second Palace Master himself acting as a guide, who would dare to block his path?
Flying through the clouds, Su Wen finally saw the island suspended in mid-air, braced by the sixteen pillars. It wasn't overly large—certainly not as sprawling as Zhongtian City below—but it was roughly the size of the city's inner district.
"Senior, allow me to arrange a residence for you first."
Su Wen nodded.
There were three famous locations on the island: the Hallowed Vast Palace, the Consolidating Equipment Pavilion, and the Storing Palace. Among them, the Hallowed Vast Palace was not open to outsiders; most guests frequented the other two. Guided by Shangguan Tianyue, Su Wen was soon settled in a private villa.
"Senior, I shall head back to the Palace now to discuss our trade with the Palace Master. I will bring you an answer as soon as possible."
Su Wen nodded. After Shangguan Tianyue left, he didn't sit idle. He left the villa and made his way to the Storing Palace.
While he was curious about the Consolidating Equipment Pavilion, he suppressed his urge for now, deciding to check out the Storing Palace first. The variety and quality of Heavenly Beasts kept by the Hallowed Vast Palace were undoubtedly the best on the mainland. Aside from the Snow Spirit Mountain—where the rulers were Heavenly Beasts themselves—this was the most comprehensive and rare collection of captive beasts in existence.
"I'll copy them all. From now on, I will be a walking Storing Palace."
During his previous visit to Feituo City, Su Wen had already toured their Storing Palace, copying every captive beast into his Meditative World. Later, during his ten days in Feituo City, he had assisted Zhou Weiqing with skill storing. This confirmed that through his duplication ability, he could replicate Heavenly Beasts within his Meditative World and temporarily preserve their skills to assist Jewel Masters in storing.
Of course, the burden of such a task was not small. Replicating the skills of so many beasts required an enormous amount of mental capacity. However, these issues were not insurmountable for Su Wen.
In fact, he had solved this problem back on the Douluo Continent. After opening the "Scholastic Realm," he had used Soul Prints to copy the Martial Souls of nearly every Spirit Master on the continent, using the Scholastic Realm as a storage site for those replicas.
With such an intermediary storage bank, Su Wen could perfectly contain all duplicated souls and call upon them at will without worrying about the mental load. Currently, the soul bone carrying the Scholastic Realm remained on Douluo Star, so he couldn't sense it. While his Meditative World had recorded the primary abilities, it wasn't yet comprehensive.
His trip to Feituo City had been to enrich his skill library. This time, he would store these skills within his Meditative World. Fortunately, techniques are developed by people; flexibility is the most important trait.
While Su Wen lacked the Scholastic Realm's help to store these replicas, he did not lack soul bones.
[Spirit Illusion Eye]
Su Wen had long ago established the core of his Meditative World within his Spirit Illusion Eye bone. This not only stabilized the Meditative World but also continuously strengthened the bone itself. In essence, the Meditative World was a visualization technique, but it functioned as a secondary, miniaturized version of the Scholastic Realm.
He wasn't the one bearing the pressure; the "world" was.
(End of Chapter)