novelraw Chapter 453: Changes at the Junction Point and the Test
Chapter 453: Changes at the Junction Point and the Test
After accepting this weighty gift of knowledge, Jie Ming did not linger.
“Then, Mentor, Senior Sister, Senior Sister Starfall—I’ll take my leave first. I wish you smooth progress in your research.” Jie Ming gave one final bow, turned, and headed toward the warship’s teleportation array area.
“I should get going too…”
Viola had just started to rise when Clark’s hand clamped down on her head and pushed her back into her seat. “Where do you think you’re going? This is the warship you bought.”
With an expressionless face, Clark lifted Viola up by the head as though she were a chick and pulled her in front of him. “Besides, I need to have a good talk with you about that time you called me ‘old man’…”
Gulp!
Viola swallowed hard and forced out a difficult smile. “Can… can we just let bygones be bygones?”
Clark gave a “gentle” smile and dragged the struggling Viola out of the lounge.
Jie Ming wiped away the nonexistent cold sweat on his forehead, silently mourned for his senior sister for a moment, then decisively stepped onto the teleportation array.
Upon returning to the Infernal Sulfur Plane, the scorching sulfur breath that hit him head-on—mingled with the unique spiritual fluctuations produced by the operation of the Incense Fire Divine Dao—allowed the taut string in Jie Ming’s heart, drawn tight by external upheavals, to finally relax a little. He did not rush to handle other matters, nor did he immediately immerse himself in studying the newly acquired “Starfall Awakening Technique.” Instead, he flew straight toward the sixth energy convergence point.
That was the location of the final core node of the cross-spatial energy transmission system.
Although the dangerous interlude on Starfall’s side had not consumed much time, it had reminded Jie Ming of how precious and urgent time truly was.
Whether for the unavoidable wizard war looming eighty years from now, or for advancing his own path of cultivation, the complete perfection of the Incense Fire Divine Dao—especially the cross-spatial energy transmission system capable of realizing the function of a “mobile mage tower”—was foundational infrastructure that had to be finished as quickly as possible.
He reassembled the team of Black Giant Priests responsible for the project and poured his entire focus into the final stages of finishing, debugging, and integration.
Runes in the formation had to be engraved and calibrated one by one. The energy diversion network required full-domain pressure testing.
The interface with the main body of the Incense Fire Divine Dao—the seventh-rank large-scale elemental pool—needed repeated optimization to ensure stability and efficiency. Every redundant module and safety mechanism also had to be activated and verified one after another…
This was a monumental undertaking that allowed absolutely no carelessness.
Time passed with exceptional speed when one was fully concentrated.
In the blink of an eye, nearly ten years had gone by.
When the final set of composite verification runes lit up with stable emerald-green light at the core array eye, and all three hundred sixty secondary nodes scattered across the plane simultaneously sent “ready” signals to the central control console,
when the energy flow of the Incense Fire Divine Dao perfectly connected with the backbone network of the transmission system and circulated without obstruction—Jie Ming finally let out a long breath.
The main construction of the cross-spatial energy transmission system was, at last, complete.
Next came the most critical phase: actual testing.
To test its effectiveness, Jie Ming chose not to conduct the trials inside the Infernal Sulfur Plane.
The energy environment here was singular, and it was a domain completely under his own control—the test results might not be comprehensive enough.
In particular, it would be impossible to verify stability and penetration under complex, unfamiliar, or even interference-laden environments.
The interior of the Academy would have been a good choice.
However, the core regions of Noren Academy—and even Noren Workshop—were protected by extremely rigorous and advanced spatial shielding, energy isolation, and information filtration formations.
Those formations existed precisely to safeguard the privacy of wizards, their research, and the security of the Academy.
Jie Ming estimated that his current Incense Fire Divine Dao system—still essentially a “half-finished product” whose functions were primarily focused on energy transmission rather than violent breaching—lacked the capability to forcefully penetrate shielding of that caliber.
After much thought, one familiar location surfaced in his mind—the Junction Point.
That was the transit hub jointly constructed by the three great powers. While its defensive formations were also strict, they focused more on maintaining spatial stability and handling massive volumes of logistics and information flow.
For small-scale, non-malicious energy transmission probes, it was actually far less sensitive.
Moreover, the Junction Point saw enormous quantities of wizards, supplies, and energy passing through at every moment. Its energy environment was complex and ever-changing—making it the perfect venue to test the system’s adaptability.
Whatever small disturbances his tests might cause would be drowned out in the vast background noise and unlikely to attract much attention.
Decision made, Jie Ming traveled directly to the Junction Point via teleportation array.
Yet the moment he stepped out from the glow of the array and set foot on the streets of the Junction Point—paved with some ultra-high-strength alloy—Jie Ming keenly sensed that something was wrong.
The atmosphere had changed.
In his memory, the Junction Point had always been somewhat chaotic due to the diverse crowds, yet overall it had brimmed with vitality and life.
The streets had been constantly filled with wizards from all three powers, merchants of every race, constructs on various missions, and even some tamed or cooperative exotic creatures…
But now, the scene that met his eyes was one of bleak desolation.
The number of wizards on the streets and plazas had plummeted by more than half, leaving them starkly empty.
The few figures still visible moved with hurried steps, their expressions carrying an unmistakable gravity and wariness.
Whenever the gazes of wizards from different factions happened to meet, Jie Ming could clearly see that the mutual understanding and calm of former cooperators had vanished—replaced by deep vigilance, and occasionally a flash of scrutiny or hostility.
More than seventy percent of the shops lining both sides of the streets had closed.
The once brightly lit display windows full of dazzling goods were now either dark and lifeless or sealed behind heavy metal shutters.
In the few shops still open for business, the alien clerks or owners all wore cautious, hushed expressions.
They shrank as far behind the counters as possible, even lowering their voices when greeting customers.
As though afraid that the slightest misstep might provoke some ill-tempered wizard and bring disaster upon themselves.
An invisible oppression and tension permeated the air, completely displacing the former clamor and vigor.
“It seems the news of the war… has already spread everywhere,” Jie Ming thought with understanding.
The rumor that the three great powers were about to go to war had clearly ceased to be a secret confined to the upper echelons.
The cold tide of war had silently seeped into every corner, utterly transforming the atmosphere of this place that had once symbolized cooperation.
The foundation of trust had already cracked. The tacit understanding of collaboration had evaporated. Only the suspicion and estrangement characteristic of the pre-war period remained.
Jie Ming walked silently along the somewhat deserted streets. He felt no great surprise at these changes—only a deeper weight settling over his heart regarding the future.
He did not linger long. He headed straight for a hotel in his memory that had good reviews and offered private rooms with excellent soundproofing.
The hotel lobby was equally deserted. The receptionist was a humanoid alien with a carapace on its back and multiple legs.
Seeing Jie Ming enter, it hurriedly came forward with obvious caution in its movements.
Jie Ming said little. He directly requested a private room equipped with basic protective and silencing barriers and ordered a few simple dishes.
Soon he was led to a quiet small room.
After the alien attendant withdrew and he activated the room’s protections, Jie Ming waved his hand to lay down several layers of his own formations before finally sitting down at the table.
He did not immediately touch the food that had been brought in. Instead, he first retrieved something from his inner cave-heaven.
It was a rectangular metal plate about the size of a palm and one finger thick.
The material was highly refined and rune-reinforced Adamantine, exuding a heavy golden luster.
The surface was etched with extremely intricate and dense patterns—too fine for the naked eye to fully resolve.
These patterns were not mere decoration; they formed the core of a miniaturized receiving and conversion formation.
This was a “Coordinate Reception Talisman Plate” that Jie Ming had personally refined—an endpoint receiving device for the cross-spatial energy transmission system within the Incense Fire Divine Dao framework.
By resonating with the core of the transmission system deep within the Infernal Sulfur Plane, it could—under the right conditions—achieve stable energy transmission across ultra-long distances.
Jie Ming placed the talisman plate flat in his palm, closed his eyes, and sank his mind into it, activating the preset reception protocol within.
At first, the plate merely warmed slightly. Faint, almost imperceptible streams of light flowed across its surface patterns.
But soon, a thread of gentle elemental power emerged from the core of the plate like a trickling stream, seemingly from nowhere.
It slowly circulated along the patterns and finally gathered in the air about an inch above the plate, forming a fist-sized halo of pale golden light.
Success!
Joy surged in Jie Ming’s heart. He opened his eyes wide. A faint spiritual light flashed deep in his pupils—the All-Purpose Eye activated.
In his enhanced vision, the essence of that pale golden halo was dissected layer by layer.
Energy purity, transmission stability, loss ratio during transit, interaction with ambient environmental energy, presence of latency or fluctuations… Countless streams of data cascaded through his consciousness like a waterfall.
Transmission stable. Loss rate 3.7% below the expected model. Energy purity meets standard. Exhibits good resistance to environmental interference. Response speed within acceptable range…
One test result after another came back.
Finally, a trace of satisfied smile curved the corners of Jie Ming’s mouth.
Decades of effort had not been in vain.
The cross-spatial energy transmission system of the Incense Fire Divine Dao had passed its initial real-world test!
This meant that, from now on—as long as he was not in one of those absolute forbidden zones deliberately sealed by top-tier isolation formations—he could obtain near-limitless energy support from the Infernal Sulfur Plane at virtually any time, in the vast majority of battlefield or mission environments!
This would undoubtedly greatly enhance his sustained combat capability, his upper limit for burst output, and his overall survivability.
He put away the talisman plate, allowing the test energy halo to naturally dissipate within the room’s protective barrier. Only then did he turn his attention to the food on the table, which had already cooled somewhat.
As he ate slowly and methodically, he gazed at the decorative mural on the wall of the private room—a scene depicting wizards from the three great powers in friendly exchange at the Junction Point in days past. His eyes grew deep and distant.
Nearly ten years had already passed of the eighty-year preparation period.
And he must become stronger—before this war arrived.