On the evening of the third day, the "Life Leaf" melted completely, and the water in the black vat transformed into concentrated "Life Potion."
These past few days, Luo Feng had been busy with other matters and hadn't yet come to call on him with Babata. Shi Fen continued to keep a low profile out of habit, completely indifferent to all the news and upheavals on Earth.
Shi Fen had more important things to do.
Using the "Life Potion" he had just obtained, Shi Fen raised the Life Gene Level of his original body and all nine Main Clones to their current limits.
His original body's Gene Level was currently 110 times that of an ordinary human.
The nine Main Clones had a Gene Level 10 times that of an ordinary human.
Because his original body had received a special reward from the "Qualification Trial," its Gene Level was a full 100 times higher than that of the nine Main Clones.
Shi Fen hadn't been idle while waiting for the "Life Potion" to take shape. He had been doing his utmost to digest the information in the Library Hall's manuals. With the mechanical Naiwa's help, Shi Fen had completed a preliminary effort to sort and categorize all the information.
The machine had needed less than a day to store all the books and materials in the Library Hall in its memory. While receiving the information, it had also organized everything into a clear and orderly system.
After obtaining the Origin Core, Shi Fen's mental processing ability had grown countless times stronger, yet it still lagged far behind the machine.
That was the Machine Race's natural talent, something Shi Fen couldn't learn.
With the machine's assistance, Shi Fen didn't need to read through every last piece of information. He could select the key parts and proceed directly to the next stage of the "Treasure Refining Trial," learning the rest whenever he needed it.
The Library Hall contained a great many manuals.
There were complete series of books such as Treasure Refining, Ten Laws Essence Secret Patterns, Ten Laws Essence Secret Techniques, Ten Laws Combat Secret Techniques, Immortal Foundation, Soul Secret Techniques, Amplification Secret Techniques, and Tools.
There were also standalone books such as Reincarnation, Soul Fusion Technique, and Talent Detection.
Among them, the Treasure Refining series had the most books. It occupied more than 99 percent of the shelves in the Library Hall. Almost the entire hall was filled with this one series.
Treasure Refining was the most complicated part of the next stage of Shi Fen's trial.
This series recorded an enormous number of materials that could be used to refine treasures.
Treasure-refining materials could be divided into two categories: natural treasure-refining materials and lifeform treasure-refining materials.
The treasure-refining materials recorded in Treasure Refining...
The natural materials covered nearly every useful substance below the level of a precious treasure. The lifeform materials covered substances produced by every lifeform below True God Level in the current Primordial Universe.
Perhaps because Shi Fen needed to nurture clones, Yi had given him extremely comprehensive information on lifeform treasure-refining materials. The information not only described the effects of the materials themselves, but also recorded the various abilities of the lifeforms in detail.
In the future, relying on the records of Special Lifeforms in Treasure Refining, Shi Fen could raise a whole group of the most powerful clones in the Primordial Universe.
Although Treasure Refining seemed considerate, in truth, it filled Shi Fen with despair.
Treasure Refining recorded 10 billion Planetary Level treasures, 1 billion Star Level treasures, 100 million Universe Level treasures, 10 million Domain Lord Level treasures, and 1 million World Lord Level treasures.
Shi Fen had to refine every single one by hand to complete the Treasure Refining portion of the trial.
Only after seeing this requirement did Shi Fen understand why he had started at such a high level, with ten clones right from the outset. He had thought he was invincible, but now it seemed that ten clones weren't enough!
He had to refine more than 11.1 billion treasures, with the final million being Tier 5 treasures. Even if he split his consciousness and refined treasures in the Image World and the Treasure Refining World at the same time, with twenty versions of himself working without rest, how many years would it take to finish refining all those treasures?
A hundred thousand years? A million?
Worst of all, if he failed to meet this requirement, he wouldn't be able to become an Immortal in the future.
Treasure Refining had dumped a bucket of cold water over Shi Fen's head. He had been feeling rather pleased with himself before, but now he was as wilted as an eggplant after a frost.
"More than 11.1 billion treasures—that means more than 11.1 billion Secret Pattern Diagrams. Good grief..." Shi Fen genuinely had no idea how long it would take him to complete this requirement.
Shi Fen didn't want to waste a single opportunity to nurture a clone. That meant he would have to rely solely on his current ten clones for who knew how many years.
Now it seemed that ten clones were far too few.
On top of that, Shi Fen still had to spend time comprehending the other manuals. At this stage, the "Treasure Refining Trial" required not only treasure-refining skills, but also an exceptional comprehension of the Universe Origin and tremendous personal strength.
All of this was laid out in the manuals. It was the most difficult part of the "Treasure Refining Trial."
Ten Laws Essence Secret Patterns
This secret technique analyzed the ten Universe Origin Laws from the perspective of Secret Patterns. It divided the higher laws into 10,081 fundamental Secret Patterns and the lower laws into 3,000 fundamental Secret Patterns.
Shi Fen had to master them completely.
That was equivalent to fully mastering the Law Essence of all ten Universe Origin Laws.
Ten Laws Essence Secret Techniques
This secret technique served as a stepping-stone to Ten Laws Essence Secret Patterns, helping one comprehend the Law Essence of the ten Universe Origin Laws.
It analyzed the complete Universe Origin Laws from the perspective of their essence. The higher laws contained 108 types of Law Essence, while the lower laws contained 18.
Similar to Drifting Snow, it could be used to comprehend the essence of the Universe Origin Laws. The Law Essence one comprehended could also be used to stir the Universe Origin Laws and directly increase one's combat strength.
Shi Fen had to master every aspect of the ten Universe Origin Laws' Law Essence.
Ten Laws Combat Secret Techniques
This secret technique was an advanced manual based on Ten Laws Essence Secret Techniques. It could not only be used to comprehend the ten complete Universe Origin Laws, but also to turn Law Comprehension into strength.
These were ten clear paths leading straight to Immortality and Venerable status.
Shi Fen's Law Comprehension had to reach the true limit of a World Lord, with only a sliver left to comprehend in each of the ten laws.
Immortal Foundation
This secret technique covered Force Amplitude methods for both the body and Spiritual Force. It included combat techniques for fists, blades, swords, spears, Spiritual Force weapons, and many other arms, and could enable the body or Spiritual Force to exert a hundredfold force.
Shi Fen had to perfectly master both his body and Spiritual Force, as well as these two hundredfold Force Application Techniques.
Soul Secret Techniques
This secret art included illusions, possession, enslavement, the Soul Domain, and other secret arts exclusive to Spiritual Masters.
Shi Fen had to master every one of them to a certain degree.
Amplification Secret Techniques
These were secret techniques for amplifying energy, divine power, and strength. Similar to World of the Original Body, they could amplify one's own strength by up to a hundredfold. Combined with Immortal Foundation, they could bring one's power to 10,000 times its original level, reaching the limit of Strength Amplitude in the Primordial Universe.
It was equivalent to reaching the end of the Demon Sound Divine General Inheritance, with one's Mental Power Amplitude reaching 10,000 times.
Shi Fen had to master at least a tenfold amplification of his strength. At Peak World Lord, without factoring in anything else, he needed to be able to unleash ten times the power of a Peak World Lord.
These numerous manuals, each of which could be considered top-tier in the Primordial Universe, now brought Shi Fen a great deal of trouble.
There was no way around it. Every time Shi Fen fully comprehended a manual, he had to undertake a "Palace Trial" in the Heaven-Reaching Hall. Only by passing the trial would he have completed that manual's requirement.
Law Essence Secret Patterns, Law Essence, Law Comprehension, bodily Force Application, Strength Amplitude, Soul Secret Techniques...
Shi Fen couldn't avoid a single one.
By comparison, the "Heaven-Reaching Bridge" tested only Law Comprehension and actual combat strength. It seemed incredibly simple. Other powerhouses only had to be tested on their comprehension of one law, while Shi Fen's Heaven-Reaching Hall tested him on ten...
An enormous collection of detailed treasure-refining methods, together with a large number of top-tier manuals, should have been a good thing.
But when they became exam requirements, they turned into something utterly despairing.
"Looking at the situation now, Luo Feng might become a Venerable while I'm still stuck at World Lord." That was Shi Fen's first reaction.
Faced with the despair-inducing new "Treasure Refining Trial," Shi Fen didn't give up. He became a "Mad Demon" once more, entering a frenzied, intensely focused state of research. Starting with the fundamentals, he launched himself at the "Treasure Refining Trial"!
"There's nothing I, Shi Fen, can't do!"
The defiant spirit in Shi Fen's blood—the refusal to accept defeat or fate, the determination not to fall behind, the courage to charge at hardship—awakened completely beneath the pressure of this desperate situation.
Shi Fen, the "Mad Demon," became even more of a "Mad Demon" than before.
The first secret techniques Shi Fen began cultivating had nothing to do with combat or laws. Instead, they were the two auxiliary secret techniques Reincarnation and Soul Fusion Technique.
Reincarnation could subtly alter one's body shape and appearance. It could also change one's life aura and soul aura, turning oneself into another person.
It was a disguise technique perfectly suited to Shi Fen. Once he learned it, his ten clones could become ten completely different people. With all ten Main Clones moving about outside, no one would discover Shi Fen's secret.
Soul Fusion Technique was a special auxiliary secret technique.
Through a special method of combining Spiritual Force and Genetic Origin Energy, these two powers could be transformed into a remarkable substance called "Fusion Soul Energy." At ordinary temperatures, Fusion Soul Energy could control certain substances and freely switch them between liquid and solid states.
Take the most common example.
With the Soul Fusion Technique, a piece of iron could be liquefied at room temperature, without heating it. The liquid iron could then be solidified into any shape one wanted. Without any other tools, one could shape a piece of iron into any tool, component, or other object.
The Soul Fusion Technique was known as a "Divine Forging Art."
The Soul Fusion Technique could be used directly in treasure refining. It also had many other uses, such as purifying ores, repairing objects made from the same material, and separating impurities. Between solid and liquid states, there was nothing it couldn't do—only things one hadn't thought of yet.
Using this secret art in forging was like adding wings to a tiger!
After learning the Soul Fusion Technique, Shi Fen could refine many of the treasures he needed without using any other treasure-refining tools. He only had to control the Soul Fusion Technique to refine the treasures directly and inscribe their Secret Patterns with ease.
After practicing diligently and fully mastering the Soul Fusion Technique, Shi Fen could "grind through" the exercises quickly, as long as he comprehended the Secret Pattern Diagrams fast enough. The 10 billion Planetary Level treasures would then be only a matter of time.
As for the even higher-tier treasures that came later, he would have to take his time and work through them bit by bit.
Before you continue