Spirit Sea

"You have a very money-saving idea you want to sell me?"

Old Sam pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. His beard had been freshly shaved, and the bluish-gray skin on his face was already creased. He looked at Duke with a half-smile.

Duke, at just the right moment, showed a trace of nervousness and pride. "Yes, Boss."

Old Sam was the owner of Little Sam's Card Shop. He had opened this card repair shop back when he was still called Little Sam. After decades of operation, he had become Old Sam.

"Tell me about it, what's the idea?"

"An idea that can save you a lot of sealing boxes," Duke said, adopting the tone of his predecessor. "I've calculated that one 1-silver dragon sealing box can seal twenty spirit cards. The shop uses two or three sealing boxes every day. In a month, it could be tens of silver dragons, or even one gold dragon. My idea can save you at least half of the silver dragons."

"Haha, save so many silver dragons? Then what exactly is your idea?" Old Sam said with a chuckle, not believing a fifteen-year-old apprentice could have any good ideas.

Duke also laughed. "This idea requires payment, Boss."

Old Sam was a good boss. For decades, he had run Little Sam's Card Shop with an excellent reputation in both business and character. This was why Duke chose to sell to him.

"How much do you think is a reasonable price?" Old Sam asked casually.

"How about five gold dragons?" Duke named a price.

"Five gold dragons!" Old Sam's eyes widened.

"It's not expensive. With my idea, you'll save fifty silver dragons in a month, and in a year, you'll earn back the five gold dragons for the knowledge payment," Duke analyzed seriously. "Moreover, you can sell it to other card repair shops, or even register a patent at the Tower of Erudition. This will bring you more wealth!"

"Listen, Little Duke, I'm busy..."

"Are you sure you don't want to hear my idea before making a decision? Just listening incurs no loss. Whether or not you're willing to pay five gold dragons is still your choice."

Seeing that Duke had a point, Old Sam couldn't help but stop. "Alright, tell me."

"Then you first promise that after hearing my idea, if you recognize its value, you'll pay 5 gold dragons."

"Hmm, if it's worth that much."

"Of course!"

Duke said with certainty.

Old Sam then nodded somewhat seriously and agreed, "Then, I, Old Sam, vouch with my reputation, if your idea is truly good, I will buy it for 5 gold dragons."

"This idea is a technology. I call it Continuous Sealing Paste Technology..." Duke spoke eloquently.

At first, Old Sam was somewhat dismissive. However, after Duke explained the principle of the technology, Old Sam's eyes quickly lit up. He visualized it in his mind and was certain that this technology was feasible.

Moreover, the technical difficulty was almost nonexistent.

All that was needed was to connect a tube to the disposable sealing box, with the other end connected to a larger sealing paste storage tank, allowing for continuous supply of sealing paste without contact with air.

There would be no need to frequently replace sealing boxes in the sealing machine.

"A genius idea!" Old Sam exclaimed from the bottom of his heart. Then, he cautiously looked around, pulled Duke into the warehouse, and said, "This idea is brilliant, Little Duke. I haven't fully grasped its potential yet. But, undoubtedly, it's absolutely worth five gold dragons... No, I'll give you ten gold dragons!"

Ten gold dragons?

It exceeded Duke's expectations.

He deliberately put on an excited act, after all, he was just a fifteen-year-old boy. "Thank you, thank you, Boss!"

"This is what you deserve. Also, Little Duke, if you're willing, I plan to make you a formal employee. You can follow me and learn the techniques," Old Sam suddenly reached out and patted Duke's head, saying with emotion, "I know you're in a hurry to make money because you want to Open Spirit Sea, but talent is always elusive."

Duke showed a confused expression.

Old Sam continued, "Even if you can't Open Spirit Sea, I believe you are an extraordinary child. Perhaps, with your wisdom, you can walk the path of an Erudite as an ordinary person."

"Thank you for your encouragement, but I want to try opening Spirit Sea first," Duke smiled.

"Then go ahead and try."

"Uh... you haven't given me the ten gold dragons yet."

Old Sam was an honest and trustworthy boss. Ten gold dragons was not a small sum, but he quickly gathered it and gave it to Duke, officially buying the Continuous Sealing Paste Technology.

He also drew up a contract, in duplicate.

Duke signed his name on it and pressed his handprint.

"I see you can't wait. Go on, I'll give you three days off. After you return, I'll arrange for your formal employee benefits," Old Sam put away the contract, smiling brilliantly.

This idea was enough to make him a fortune.

"I'll be back soon."

Duke walked out of Little Sam's Card Shop, clutching ten gold dragons.

Looking back at the shop's sign, he also felt many emotions. As Old Sam had said, even if he couldn't Open Spirit Sea, perhaps he could still walk the path of an Erudite.

The Continuous Sealing Paste Technology was the best proof of that.

"However, compared to an Erudite, I'd rather be an Arcane Mage!" Putting away his thoughts, Duke walked onto the street without looking back, heading straight for the town's potion shop.

The 23-silver dragon Spirit Awakening Potion was successfully obtained.

When he returned to the bungalow he rented, he closed the doors and windows, and then impatiently sat cross-legged on the bed. After several deep breaths, he managed to calm his excited emotions.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He tilted his head back and downed the potion in the glass tube. Then, he poured clean water into the glass tube he had prepared earlier and drank that clean too, ensuring not a single drop of residue was left.

While waiting for the potion's effects to kick in.

He opened a dog-eared book on his bedside table titled Opening the Spiritual Arcana. It was a popular science book that mainly elaborated on the Spiritual Arcana system.

It recorded methods for opening the Qi Sea, Blood Sea, and Spirit Sea.

The Spirit Sea had the lowest chance of being opened. As for the method, the book introduced two.

One was the genius's method of opening it: through daily meditation, emptying the mind, and following the guidance of Spirituality, one could spontaneously open the Spirit Sea. This usually happened most easily between the ages of ten and fifteen.

After fifteen, one had to rely on the second method: using the Spirit Awakening Potion to forcibly increase compatibility with Spirituality, then using meditation to find and break into the Spirit Sea.

The success rate of this method was not high.

In reality, whether it was the Qi Sea, Blood Sea, or Spirit Sea, if a potion was needed to open them, the success rate was very low, and future achievements would also be far inferior to opening them oneself.

"I have a golden finger, I can definitely open the Spirit Sea!"

Duke, holding a belief of absolute certainty, felt a cool sensation rising in his abdomen. He decisively put down the book in his hand, adjusted his posture, and began to meditate.

Empty the mind, tame the soul.

Then one can accept the guidance of Spirituality.

This was also why people named extraordinary power Spirituality. This mysterious power possessed unparalleled Spirituality, like a small beast, a little flower, a small river. It could guide all things to grow, and it could also be tamed by all things to grow.

"Empty!"

"Empty!"

"Empty!"

The cool sensation of the Spirit Awakening Potion made it easier for Duke to clear the distracting thoughts from his mind, then empty himself wholeheartedly.

When all distracting thoughts were cleared, he could no longer feel his own thoughts, and time seemed to fade away, no longer having any concept of up, down, left, or right.

At this moment.

A ray of light bloomed in the void, followed closely by a sky full of stars, as if he had fallen into an ocean made of starlight.

Boom!

His consciousness returned to his body, and Duke "saw" his Spirit Sea.