"Little Fei, I haven't seen you for several days. What have you been learning lately?"
Weiyang wore the kindly smile of a neighborly old granny handing out candy to children.
"In my studies, I've been learning to design Consolidation Scrolls."
Qi Fei answered honestly.
"That's impressive. Here, take this Master-Level Consolidation Scroll blueprint and play with it."
Weiyang immediately took out a blueprint and offered it to Qi Fei.
Then Ye Ruichen grabbed her by the wrist.
"Weiyang, isn't that blueprint a little outdated? My disciple can design Master-Level Consolidation Scrolls on his own."
Ye Ruichen proudly showed off.
"He's that talented?"
Weiyang's first reaction was disbelief.
But there was no way the old geezer Ye Ruichen would lie about something so obvious.
Could it really be true?
Weiyang studied Qi Fei carefully, as if she could see talent spilling out from the top of his head.
"What are you staring at, you old woman?"
Ye Ruichen stepped in front of her, blocking her view.
"It's a shame for such a genius to have you as his master."
Weiyang sighed in lament.
How had the old geezer managed to find him?
"Say what you like. Little Fei is my disciple now."
Ye Ruichen said smugly.
"Little Fei, how about learning the art of a Consolidation Master from me? I have a Legendary Set, you know."
Weiyang gave a cold laugh, sidestepped Ye Ruichen, and tried to win Qi Fei over.
"Hah, a mere Legendary Set? I've already prepared one for my disciple."
Ye Ruichen swept his hand out and produced the blueprints for the Abyssal Boundless set he had designed.
"Take a good look, you two. This is a height you'll never reach in your lifetimes."
He excitedly laid out the nine-and-a-half blueprints in a row before him.
The two-handed greatsword, chest armor, back armor... The designs for every piece of the set were incredibly complex, far surpassing those of an ordinary Legendary Set.
The tenth blueprint, depicting the upper half of a pair of wings, was covered in writing.
From a distance, Qi Fei even found it strangely beautiful.
"The tenth piece... You really did take that step?"
Weiyang's voice trembled despite herself.
She wasn't the only one. Xing Tianyi, who was watching nearby, was equally stunned.
The three of them had designed Legendary Sets before, but they had never managed to break through the limit of nine pieces.
Yet Ye Ruichen had done it, and in such a short time.
For a moment, Xing Tianyi was at a loss for words.
"I suppose you could call it a breakthrough."
Ye Ruichen looked as if his tail were about to stick straight up in the air.
But Weiyang and Xing Tianyi were too preoccupied to care.
They carefully approached the blueprints for the Abyssal Boundless set, examining every line and symbol.
Ye Ruichen fell silent as well, waiting patiently while the two studied the designs.
After a long while, the two sighed. One after the other, they finally finished thinking it over.
"How did you do it?"
Xing Tianyi asked, his expression complicated.
Of the three of them, his skills had always been the best.
But now, while he was stuck on the ninth piece and couldn't even find a way forward, Ye Ruichen had taken that first step.
It was... hard to believe.
"I'm not entirely sure myself."
Ye Ruichen recalled his state of mind over the past three months.
"If I had to put it into words, I'd say I gave it my all."
"Gave it your all?"
Confusion filled both Xing Tianyi's and Weiyang's faces.
Consolidation Masters always gave their all when making scrolls. Otherwise, at best the process would fail, and at worst they'd suffer a backlash from the energy in the Forming Liquid.
Could that really be what had led to Ye Ruichen's breakthrough?
That couldn't be right, could it?
"I don't mean concentrating while making it. I mean putting my whole heart into it."
Ye Ruichen knew his answer sounded a little absurd, so he explained further.
"When I first started creating this blueprint, I treated it as a task, just like all the others."
He thought back on the past.
Designing a set for Qi Fei had been no different from making scrolls for strangers who could afford his price.
"Back then, forget completing a design for a nine-piece set—I couldn't even find a direction."
Ye Ruichen chuckled with a sigh, as if mocking his own foolishness back then.
"Then Little Fei gradually began showing his talent as a Consolidation Master, and he drew a Consolidation Scroll with his own hands for the first time. After that, my attitude slowly changed."
He looked at Qi Fei.
"It wasn't that I had to design a set for Little Fei. I wanted him to wear a Legendary Set I'd designed."
"After that, I found myself full of enthusiasm every day. It was as if endless inspiration filled my mind every moment."
"That's how I managed to finish this work in three months."
Ye Ruichen looked away and put all the blueprints away, his expression full of nostalgia.
"It was that simple?"
Weiyang asked in disbelief.
"It wasn't simple at all."
Xing Tianyi disagreed.
He understood what Ye Ruichen meant. A hint of respect crept into his gaze.
After so many years studying the art of Consolidation Masters, whatever enthusiasm he'd once had had long since been worn away.
Ye Ruichen's state of mind had been a rare stroke of fortune.
"Weiyang, how long has it been since you felt genuine joy at the creation of a Consolidation Scroll?"
Seeing that Weiyang still didn't quite understand, Xing Tianyi sighed.
"..."
Weiyang didn't answer. Or rather, her silence was an answer in itself.
"All right. I've shared what I learned from the breakthrough. Now, let's talk business."
Ye Ruichen spoke at the right moment.
"You want help making this scroll, right? No problem."
Xing Tianyi knew what Ye Ruichen's business was without even having to think.
"And help finishing the design for the tenth piece," Ye Ruichen added.
Now that he'd taken that step, he could slowly finish it on his own. But they'd been old friends for years, and he wanted to help Xing Tianyi and Weiyang too.
If all three of them managed to take that step, it would make a fine story.
"Really?"
Both Weiyang and Xing Tianyi looked pleasantly surprised.
"Of course. But whether we're making it or designing it, you'll have to follow my lead."
Ye Ruichen said smugly.
"No problem."
Xing Tianyi agreed without hesitation.
Taking part in completing the tenth piece would benefit him greatly, so there was no reason to hesitate.
"What about you, Weiyang?"
Ye Ruichen moved closer to Weiyang, who had been his rival for most of his life, his face brimming with smug delight.
"Fine."
Weiyang sighed.
After all, she really had lost to him this time.
"Hahaha! Since that's settled, what are we waiting for? Come on, let's make the scroll!"
Ye Ruichen called to everyone, brimming with confidence.
Six days later.
The first scroll was complete.
"How remarkable."
Qi Fei admired the Consolidation Scroll in his hand, which depicted a two-handed greatsword.
This was the first piece of the Abyssal Boundless set: the Qianlin Greatsword.
Its energy fluctuations far surpassed those of a Grandmaster-Level Consolidation Scroll. Its drawing curves were flawless, and it drew in and released the energy of heaven and earth on its own, like breathing...
Everything about it showed Qi Fei just how powerful the scroll was.
"Master, can I use this scroll now?"
Qi Fei looked at Ye Ruichen.
"I wouldn't recommend using it right away. Using Consolidation Scrolls one after another will help you better experience their power and make it easier to succeed."
Ye Ruichen understood his disciple's impatience, but still stopped him.
This scroll didn't guarantee absolute success.
If Qi Fei failed, he'd have to wait at least five days before he could try again with a second scroll.
Five days wasn't long, but it would break the continuity and lower his chances of success.
"But I feel like I can get it right on the first try."
He wasn't just saying that. Qi Fei really felt that way.
Besides, in the original story, Zhou Weiqing had achieved a hundred percent success in Consolidation by swallowing a jewel from a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. There was no reason he couldn't do the same after being strengthened by the Supreme God of Destruction.
"If you feel that way, give it a try."
Ye Ruichen was a little surprised, but when he thought of his disciple's talent, it no longer seemed strange.
If Qi Fei could design a Master-Level Consolidation Scroll on his own in three months, why couldn't he succeed at Consolidation with a single scroll?
"To use it, you need to activate your Physical Jewel and connect it to the scroll—"
Ye Ruichen hadn't even finished speaking when the scroll in Qi Fei's hand blazed with light.
Then it turned into a stream of light and merged into Qi Fei's first Physical Jewel.
"He really succeeded?"
Weiyang, who had been watching, couldn't help wondering.
"He succeeded."
As he spoke, Qi Fei's first Physical Jewel, formed from Ice Jadeite and Dragon Stone Jade, settled into his hand.
A dark golden radiance rose from it and enveloped Qi Fei like a protective shield.
This was a defining feature of divine-level Consolidation equipment: Consolidation Body-Protecting Divine Light.
Unless the difference in strength between the two sides was enormous, it was like granting the owner a single moment of invincibility.
In other words, it was like the transformation effect when a Kamen Rider changed form.
After the dark golden radiance faded, a two-handed greatsword appeared in Qi Fei's hand.
Since the set wasn't complete, it was dark gold all over, giving the sword the look of a decorative piece. The delicate patterns along its spine only added to that impression.
But the fierce aura of the greatsword instantly dispelled it.
Anyone who saw it would think only one thing: this was a deadly weapon.
"Besides the enhancement from the Physical Jewel itself, the boosts to strength and agility are about twofold."
Qi Fei tried swinging the greatsword in his hand.
The multiplier was the same as Zhou Weiqing's, but Zhou Weiqing's set boosted pure strength, while his boosted both strength and agility. It also enhanced his Heavenly Power by roughly seventy percent.
So, in theory, the Abyssal Boundless set was definitely stronger than Zhou Weiqing's Hate Earth No Ring set.
That meant it ranked at least among the world's top five.
But in terms of versatility, Hate Earth No Ring was far superior to Abyssal Boundless. After all, not everyone had both strength and agility Physical Jewels.
Of course, both sets were custom-made for one person, so versatility didn't matter.
Still, it was terrifying that his master had designed such an absurdly powerful set.
"Wait, twofold?"
The three of them, who had just been marveling at Qi Fei's success on the first try, suddenly came to their senses.
"It's twofold. Is something wrong?"
Qi Fei checked the changes in his body again and confirmed the boost was twofold.
"We expected the boost to be 1.9 times."
The three of them exchanged glances.
After all, Abyssal Boundless was mainly designed to amplify Heavenly Power. Its boosts to strength and speed shouldn't have reached their limits.
"Huh?"
Qi Fei summoned the Qianlin Greatsword over and over.
At last, he confirmed it: the boosts were exactly doubled.
"Maybe your Physical Jewel is special, Little Fei, and that's what pushed the amplification effect to its limit."
Aside from that, Xing Tianyi couldn't think of any other explanation.
"If we'd known, we should've gone even further and given up on strength and speed entirely, putting all the amplification into Heavenly Power."
Ye Ruichen said regretfully.
After all, Qi Fei's own special Physical Jewel already boosted his strength and speed. If they'd put every point into Heavenly Power instead, just how terrifying would his set have been?
"That's enough."
Weiyang slapped Ye Ruichen on the back.
"What if Little Fei's Physical Jewel could only boost them by that much? What would you have done then?"
Going from 1 to 1.1 and from 1.9 to 2 both meant an increase of just 0.1, but the final results were worlds apart.
"Fair point."
Ye Ruichen reined in his thoughts a little.
He'd only been saying it, anyway.
"All right, let's keep making the scrolls."
Xing Tianyi beckoned to the other two.
"I have an idea."
Ye Ruichen raised a finger.
"Since Little Fei can make one in a single try, why don't we make the whole set at once?"
"Sounds good."
Weiyang agreed at once.
Though each successive set component would be more difficult, their ultimate goal was the tenth piece anyway. The increased difficulty didn't matter.
Xing Tianyi had no reason to refuse, either.
They could cut down on repetitive work and move ahead faster. This was much easier than they'd expected at the start.
While the three God Masters busied themselves with the second scroll, Qi Fei sent half of his thoughts into Shared Space.
Then he used the lingering mental connection to contact the other Qi Feis.
In an instant, three more figures appeared in the space.
"Here, here!"
Dou Po Qi Fei rubbed his hands together, looking excited.
Ever since Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei had told him six days ago that they were about to get their equipment, he'd been looking forward to this day.
"This is our first condensed-form equipment..."
Before Shen San Qi Fei could finish, Dou Po Qi Fei reached out and placed a hand on half of Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei's body.
"What were you saying just now?"
Dou Po Qi Fei turned to ask.
"...Never mind. Can it boost Dou Qi?"
After a moment's silence, Shen San Qi Fei asked.
"I'll try."
Dou Po Qi Fei vanished for a moment, then returned to the space.
"Yep. The amplification rate is the same as on Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei's side."
He sounded thrilled.
"As expected of something enhanced by the Supreme God of Destruction. It really is versatile."
Coiling Dragon Qi Fei sighed, then reached out and touched Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei.
He wasn't short on weapons, but he still wanted to take advantage of the amplification built into the greatsword.
As for whether it overlapped with the purpose of the divine weapons he already had?
Well, this wasn't some custom-made weapon just for him. If it worked, that was enough. What more could he ask for?
Besides, with a complete set of divine weapons like his, there was no way nothing would overlap.
"Exactly. It's different when a big shot lends a hand."
Shen San Qi Fei reached out to touch him, too.
He barely ever fought anyone, but how could he pass up a new toy?
There was plenty of room, anyway, so he used it.
Before you continue