novelraw Chapter 438: Training Program
Chapter 438: Training Program
“First, head back to the Infernal Sulfur plane.” Jie Ming planned out the next leg of his itinerary.
“The socialization improvements for the Black Giant Legion need to be adjusted based on the latest research data from the Sickle-Skull tribe. There’s still room to increase the energy conversion efficiency of the Incense Fire Divine Dao… Also, if my newly conceived training program succeeds, it might allow my cultivation speed to take another significant leap forward.”
He walked straight to the teleportation array on the other side, activated the spatial coordinates, and initiated plane transfer.
When Jie Ming stepped out of the teleportation array in the core laboratory of the Infernal Sulfur plane, the first thing he did was take a deep breath.
The familiar scent of sulfur filled the air, mixed with the faint spiritual fluctuations produced by the operation of the Incense Fire Divine Dao.
The dome of the reception chamber where the teleportation array was located was made of transparent crystal, allowing a clear view of the eternally dark-red sky outside.
“A hundred years…”
Entering the main laboratory, Jie Ming looked around. The interior remained exactly as he had left it.
The automatic maintenance system kept all instruments in standby mode. The floor was spotless, and even the few elemental crystals placed on the experimental bench for testing the stability of rune-seal wizard artifacts were still in their original positions from a century ago.
He took out his terminal. The device was continuously emitting faint vibrations, these were the hundred-year operational reports automatically submitted by every functional module of the Infernal Sulfur plane upon detecting their master’s return. Jie Ming didn’t check them immediately. Instead, he first walked to the control console on the west side of the laboratory.
“Initiate full-domain scan. Report accumulated affairs over the past century.”
【Command confirmed. Beginning scan of Infernal Sulfur plane and affiliated systems…】
Streams of data began scrolling across the light screen of the control console.
First was the status of the Black Giant Legion.
The several billion-strong Black Giant population within the Infernal Sulfur plane had, under the guidance of the Incense Fire Divine Dao and numerous Black Giant priests, finally stabilized their social structure. The yield of Incense Power from the faith network had increased threefold compared to a hundred years ago.
“The effect of granting social attributes is better than expected,” Jie Ming remarked as he skimmed the reports on Black Giant tribal sacrificial activities, resource distribution disputes, and the development of a rudimentary language system. “One might even say… a little too good. The infrastructure of the Infernal Sulfur plane is starting to fall behind.”
Next was the operational status of the Incense Fire Divine Dao.
The main framework remained stable, with energy conversion efficiency holding steady at an impressive 97.2%.
After more than a century of research by the Black Giant priests, the framework for cross-plane transmission technology had already undergone its seventh major optimization. It was not far from reaching the threshold for practical implementation.
“How is the load on the seventh-level large-scale elemental pool?” Jie Ming asked.
【Current load: 64%. Incense Fire Divine Dao core module occupies 42%, Black Giant population living environment maintenance occupies 11%, plane defense array occupies 8%, other functions occupy 3%. 36% of load capacity remains available for allocation.】
Jie Ming nodded.
This figure was well within the safe range, meaning he could now begin some of the more energy-intensive experimental projects he had in mind.
After that, he briefly went through the accumulated communications of recent years, nothing particularly noteworthy.
“Good. Everything has been handled.”
Jie Ming closed the report interface. Although the accumulated affairs of a century were numerous, most were routine matters automatically processed by the system.
There were very few issues that truly required his personal decision.
He walked to the rest area in the center of the laboratory, sat down in a chair, and casually activated the central terminal.
Jie Ming placed his palm on the identity verification zone. A ripple from the Ring of Truth swept over it, and the terminal lit up.
【Welcome back, Researcher Jie Ming.】
“Search keywords: time afterimage, training-type alchemical wizard artifact, sparring equipment.”
The essence of a time afterimage is to divert the current timeline and create an exact duplicate of the target individual.
This duplicate possessed identical rank, power, combat techniques, and consciousness. Even knowledge “not exceeding the level of conventional laws” could be perfectly replicated.
For the vast majority of wizards, the greatest value of this characteristic lay in setting traps against enemies.
But ever since Jie Ming had encountered it once in the Reincarnation Plane, the idea had taken root in his mind. After careful consideration, he realized that time afterimages could potentially serve as dedicated training “equipment” for himself.
The core of a wizard’s combat power lies in knowledge, not so-called combat experience — and wizards who have emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood are certainly not lacking in combat experience.
Therefore, for ordinary wizards, using time afterimages for sparring yielded little more than the discovery of tactical flaws in their own combat system.
For wizards with mature systems, there were far cheaper and more efficient methods to achieve the same goal.
But Jie Ming was different.
During that life-and-death battle against his own time afterimage in the Reincarnation Plane, despite the excruciating difficulty of the process, he had keenly noticed one crucial point: under the extreme pressure of an opponent of the same rank and identical abilities, the evolutionary speed of his body forging method became astonishingly fast.
It far surpassed any external damage stimulus training method he had previously designed.
When the body is subjected to relentless, perfectly understood attacks from “himself,” the experience of being pushed to the absolute limit and then forcibly breaking through caused the “adaptive evolution” characteristic to operate with unprecedented efficiency.
This was practically a tailor-made, perfect pressure environment for his body forging method.
New information began refreshing on the light screen.
Hundreds of thousands of related entries popped up. Jie Ming quickly filtered out those that clearly did not meet his needs.
After screening, seventeen alchemical wizard artifacts remained that met the requirements.
Jie Ming opened the first one.
【Name: Corridor of Time Mirror (Sixth Generation Improved Model)】
【Type: Core component of large-scale facility】
【Rank: Sixth-rank alchemical wizard artifact】
【Function: Afterimage duration up to 72 hours, combat intelligence simulation accuracy 97.3%】
【Core Materials: Time-class plane origin × 12 strands, Void Star Marrow × 4.7 tons, Supercritical Stabilization Source Crystal × 83 kg…】
【Price: 1.14 billion low-level military merit】
【Remarks: This device features standard modular design with twenty-seven reserved expansion interfaces. Typically used as an auxiliary component for large base defensive facilities.】
Jie Ming raised an eyebrow.
The price was indeed shockingly high, but upon closer inspection of the material list, it became understandable.
Twelve strands of time-class plane origin alone were worth 156 million low-level military merit at market price — nearly one-seventh of the total cost.
Add in those rare materials only available at sixth rank and above, and the price was actually quite reasonable.
He continued browsing the other options.
【Name: Altar of Time Echo】
【Rank: Sixth-rank alchemical wizard artifact】
【Price: 980 million low-level military merit】
【Remarks: Afterimage generation stability slightly inferior, but supports simultaneous generation of multiple afterimages (maximum of three)】
【Name: Time Core】
【Rank: Seventh-rank alchemical wizard artifact】
【Price: 4.7 billion low-level military merit】
【Remarks: Can simulate multiple timelines at once. Restricted to wizards of seventh rank and above】
【Name: Hourglass of Self】
【Rank: Sixth-rank alchemical wizard artifact】
【Price: 1.02 billion low-level military merit】
【Remarks: Portable design. After activation, creates a time afterimage generation zone with a diameter of three kilometers. Can be used for on-the-go combat.】
After looking through them one by one, prices basically hovered around 1 billion low-level military merit.
The cheapest was 950 million, while the most expensive — that seventh-rank artifact — demanded a staggering 4.7 billion.
“The bad news is… they really are expensive,” Jie Ming muttered, rubbing his chin. “The good news is… they only require low-level military merit.”
Given Jie Ming’s current wealth, while these items were costly, they were completely within his means. There was no need to simply stare longingly.
His gaze swept across the training artifacts before finally settling on two models.
The first was the 【Corridor of Time Mirror (Sixth Generation Improved Model)】 — he purchased three sets.
The second was the 【Hourglass of Self】 — he purchased two sets.
Total expenditure: three Corridors of Time Mirror cost 3.42 billion, two Hourglasses of Self cost 2.04 billion, for a grand total of 5.46 billion low-level military merit.
When the payment was completed, his military merit balance instantly shrank by a third. Yet Jie Ming didn’t even blink.
【Order confirmed. Goods will be delivered via cross-plane express service. Estimated arrival: within 7 standard days. Please pay attention to receipt.】
After closing the purchase interface, Jie Ming leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.
Expensive?
Yes, very expensive.
5.46 billion low-level military merit was enough to fully equip a standard legion of three thousand fourth-rank wizards.
But for Jie Ming, this investment was worth every single point.
“In that battle in the Reincarnation Plane, the evolutionary speed of my body forging method reached thirty-seven times the normal rate,” Jie Ming calculated. “If I can have sustained time afterimage sparring sessions, combined with several supplementary medicinal baths and formations recorded in the Great Dao Book Pavilion… that speed might be raised to fifty times, or even a hundred times…”
What would that mean?
It would mean that in ten years, he could achieve the body forging realm that normally required a thousand years of bitter cultivation.
It would mean that his physical strength, resistance, and recovery ability would skyrocket in a short period, far surpassing wizards of the same rank.
It would mean that while others were still researching ways to defend against spells with magic, he would already be able to resist same-rank spells with his flesh body — and instantly evolve corresponding resistances.
“And it’s not just physical enhancement.”
A sharp glint flashed in Jie Ming’s eyes.
His Qi Refinement method connected the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit. Enhancement of the physical body would also accelerate the growth rate of his mental power and spiritual force.
In other words, this method could help him rapidly advance his overall cultivation progress.
“Theoretically, there should be no problem. It’s worth trying.”
Jie Ming stood up from the chair and walked toward the material storage area of the laboratory.
Since the training wizard artifacts had already been ordered, preparations needed to begin immediately.
First, he needed to set up a dedicated time afterimage training ground.
That part was simple — he could just use the laboratory’s spare spatial expansion devices to extend additional space.
Next, he had to prepare the supplementary cultivation resources.
The Great Dao Book Pavilion recorded several medicinal bath formulas designed for extreme body forging, but they couldn’t be applied directly in the wizard world and required targeted modifications.
The formations for stabilizing the mind and accelerating recovery would also need to be localized and modified before inscription.
Time afterimage training consumed enormous amounts of energy, so additional energy transmission channels would need to be established to provide stable power support.
At the same time, protective measures were required against the shockwaves that might be generated during training, to prevent damage to other facilities in the laboratory.
Jie Ming opened the storage racks and began sorting through various materials.