Spiritual Energy Level

Spirit stones were crystallizations of heaven and earth spiritual energy, containing abundant spiritual energy within!

As everyone knew, spiritual energy was what cultivators relied on to cultivate and absorb and exhale. It could even be said that everything in cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao was built upon spiritual energy.

Spirit stones were roughly divided into four grades by quality: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and the legendary supreme-grade.

Lin Chen had originally believed that the distinction in quality existed because spirit stones of different grades contained different amounts of spiritual energy.

But later, he discovered that was not the case.

Moreover, through observation, Lin Chen discovered that the quality of spirit stones seemed to be tied to a cultivator's realm.

For instance, Qi Refining Stage Cultivators only used low-grade spirit stones for trade or cultivation. If a transaction involved a large amount, they instead used artificially created spirit-stone equivalents, such as the Azure Cloud Sect's Azure Cloud Spirit Leaves, the Myriad Corpse Sect's Corpse Soul Pills, the East Sea Rogue Cultivator Alliance's Azure Sea Spirit Pearls, and so on.

Once they reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, cultivators generally used mid-grade spirit stones for trade and cultivation, though they occasionally used low-grade spirit stones as well.

Although the market exchange rate between the two was one to a hundred, only cultivators who had reached the corresponding realm could exchange for spirit stones of the corresponding grade on the market.

It seemed that cultivators of different realms using spirit stones of different grades had become an unspoken custom in This Side World!

"There must be a reason behind the formation of such a custom. I refuse to believe no one ever thought of introducing mid-grade spirit stones into the Qi Refining Stage market to make transactions more convenient, yet in the end, no one did so..."

"Is it because mid-grade spirit stones are scarce? No, that's unlikely. Their numbers may indeed be low, but not so precious as to warrant this. Otherwise, the exchange ratio wouldn't be one to a hundred..."

Lin Chen sank into thought.

"Spirit stones are not only used for trade, but for cultivation as well. Mid-grade spirit stones aren't used in the Qi Refining Stage market probably not because people don't want to use them, but because most Qi Refining Stage Cultivators simply can't make use of the spiritual energy within them..."

With that thought, Lin Chen looked toward the mid-grade spirit stone on the experimental table.

It was a milky-white piece of jade the size of a teacup. Its whole body emitted a faint white glow, and it carried a slight warmth when held in the hand. Unlike ordinary jade-like low-grade spirit stones, it possessed an indescribable strangeness.

Lin Chen mobilized the true qi within his body, intending to draw a portion of the spirit stone's spiritual energy into himself, only to find that the operation was as difficult as lifting a massive boulder.

"Sure enough. Just as primitive barbarians in my previous life could only use fire, while modern people can harness electrical and nuclear energy, does utilizing different levels of energy require different realms?"

Lin Chen pondered thoughtfully.

As his research deepened over the years, Lin Chen gradually discovered that in this world composed of spiritual energy, not only was there a gap in realms when it came to cultivation itself, but all things under heaven also differed in level.

This was what divided the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that cultivators of different realms could use.

If one used them across realms without special processing, at best most of their effect would be wasted; at worst, one might explode and die!

Furthermore, Lin Chen guessed that perhaps the world was the same for mortals and Lower-level Cultivators, but for cultivators of higher levels, the world they saw was likely different.

For example, strange phenomena such as purple qi at dawn and Great Yin Moon Essence were merely ordinary morning glow and moonlight to mortals and Qi Refining Stage Cultivators. But to Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators, they were moon essence filling the skies and purple qi arriving from the east.

As for what caused all these differences, Lin Chen believed that the spiritual energy of This Side World, like particles in his previous life, should possess divisions in energy levels!

The differences between spiritual energy at different energy levels had thus created the fundamental differences in this world!

"Of course, all of this is merely speculation. I cannot be certain whether Qi Refining Cultivators find it difficult to mobilize the spiritual energy in mid-grade spirit stones because of energy levels, or for some other reason. So, experiments are still needed..."

"However, I can first assume that it exists, then use Existing phenomena to disprove it. If there are no issues, that would mean spiritual energy truly possesses energy levels."

"Yet based on the Existing intelligence, cultivators have divisions such as [Qi Refining], [Foundation Establishment], and [Golden Core]. It cannot simply be a matter of changing the already-refined spiritual energy in their bodies from a gaseous state to a solid state; it must also involve a qualitative elevation..."

"This may prove that spiritual energy has energy levels. Perhaps I can begin from this angle..."

"As long as I grasp the secret behind a cultivator's advancement, I can verify whether the spiritual energy of This Side World possesses energy levels..."

Lin Chen pondered for a while, then picked up the [Spirit Condensing Liquid] he had purchased from Cloud Arrival Market.

[Spirit Condensing Liquid] could promote the liquefaction of true qi within a cultivator's body and was one of the three great treasures of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

But Lin Chen had discovered that simply liquefying spiritual energy only formed spirit liquid; it could not achieve an Energy Level Leap.

"So, do I still need some sort of primer, or perhaps a catalyst?"

Thinking this, Lin Chen pressed his hand against the table. At once, the formations throughout the entire Laboratory were activated!

One restriction after another, twisting and soaring like dragons and dancing phoenixes, radiated resplendent spiritual light. Under the formations' guidance, the spiritual energy from vast quantities of nearby low-grade spirit stones surged forth, directly forming a spiritual energy vortex within the room!

This was modeled after the Qi Vortex Realm of the Qi Refining Stage, using the rotation of spiritual energy to assist in liquefaction.

Lin Chen took out a portion of [Spirit Condensing Liquid] and tossed it straight into the spiritual energy vortex Without Hesitation.

This Scene was enough to drive rogue cultivators mad. To them, a Foundation Establishment Spirit Item that they might not obtain even after risking their lives was being casually thrown away and wasted!

But to Lin Chen, these So-called Foundation Establishment Spirit Items were merely aids. The evolution of life's essence still had to depend on oneself.

If one could not even clearly understand the direction of one's own evolution and only relied on pills and spirit items to force a breakthrough, then what difference was there between that and a brute with strength but no brains?

He sought the great Dao of the world; he sought to become a Longevity True Immortal—not to become a cultivator who could break through as long as there were enough pills and spirit items, one so easy that even a pig could do it!

After coming into contact with the spiritual energy vortex, the [Spirit Condensing Liquid] immediately dispersed. Within Lin Chen's [Spirit Observation Array], it formed a stream of milky-white spiritual energy that emitted a faint glow.

It drifted through the pale-white spiritual energy, then began to dim Speck by Speck.

"Hmm?" Lin Chen frowned slightly.

The liquefaction of spiritual energy had already begun, but the high-energy-level spiritual energy obtained from the [Spirit Condensing Liquid] instead seemed to be degrading!

"Not enough quantity? No, that's not it. This isn't a matter of quantity—the Energy Level Leap simply hasn't happened at all." Lin Chen glanced at the mid-grade spirit stone beside him and swept out his hand, causing a portion of its spiritual energy to pour into the formation.

But even so, the spiritual energy within the formation still showed no sign whatsoever of an Energy Level Leap!

The spiritual energy in a mid-grade spirit stone was originally inclined toward stability, yet under the influence of the low-grade spirit stone's spiritual energy, it has begun to slowly degrade. It seems that a decline in spiritual energy levels occurs even more easily than I imagined...

'Moreover, not only was it easier for Spiritual Energy Levels to fall than to rise, but the shift from active to inert was also the same. Though the two could be converted into each other, the difficulty involved was different...'

'But it makes sense when you think about it. Spiritual energy has to form all things and serve as the foundation of the world, so a drop in energy level—the transformation from active to inert—would naturally be several times easier than the reverse...'

This characteristic of spiritual energy could not help but remind Lin Chen of the theories of entropy increase and entropy decrease from his past life.

'Of course, none of that is the key right now. The key is, I modeled this after the conditions for a Foundation Establishment Realm breakthrough, so why hasn't the Spiritual Energy Level shown any sign of leaping yet?'

"Or... was my guess wrong? Perhaps spiritual energy has no energy levels at all, but possesses some other characteristic?"

Watching the milky-white spiritual energy within the [Spirit Observation Array], glowing faintly, gradually dim speck by speck, Lin Chen furrowed his brow deeply.

Where exactly had things gone wrong...

Suddenly, Lin Chen realized something. As far as he knew, breakthroughs into the Foundation Establishment Realm seemed to occur only among cultivators!

And all cultivators—whether humans cultivating immortality and longevity, demonic beasts undergoing Ancestral Return through their bloodlines, or those strange living beings cultivating—shared one thing in common: they possessed self-awareness and intelligence!

After all, Lin Chen had never Heard Of a stone or some other dead object being able to complete an evolution of its own essential life nature!

"So a Foundation Establishment Realm breakthrough—or rather, a leap in Spiritual Energy Level—Still Need the consciousness... or intelligence of living beings themselves?"

"So, do I Still Need to conduct experiments on cultivators?"

Under the bright lights, Lin Chen let out a soft sigh, yet his eyes grew ever deeper and more inscrutable.