How Do We Play If This Boss Isn't Nerfed?

Chapter 274 - 151: Unleashing Potential, Spiritual Factors

Lin Ye’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, and he gladly accepted, heading out the door with him.

The two walked side-by-side, chatting happily. Their conversation drew envious stares from the other students emerging from the regular dormitory area.

Of course, the one they envied was Lin Ye.

Everyone knew Dongfang Zhen came from a formidable background. His family held a pivotal position in the Great Xia, and befriending someone like him would undoubtedly make one’s future path much smoother.

Upon entering the cafeteria, Lin Ye and Dongfang Zhen paid 10 academic credits to go directly to the third floor, which had the fewest people and the most lavish food.

Lin Ye discovered that the evening meal was a notch above what they had for lunch.

Operating on the principle of getting his credits’ worth, he soon had a small mountain of food piled on his plate.

Dongfang Zhen himself was also a glutton.

Seeing Lin Ye’s gusto, an inexplicable competitive spirit was stirred within him as well.

Finally, when the table before them was piled high with animal bones and scraps, they let out satisfied burps and left the cafeteria.

Dongfang Zhen led Lin Ye to a special building they had passed on their way up the mountain earlier.

The building was quaint and elegant. Two instructors stood before the entrance with their hands clasped behind their backs. A plaque above the door bore three large, calligraphed characters—Spirit Core Hall.

"You two students, please pay 100 academic credits for entry."

One of the instructors, his face devoid of expression, held out a hand to stop the pair.

Lin Ye was astounded.

’Just one visit costs 100 academic credits?’

He’d only earned a little over a hundred credits the entire day.

It seemed the machine Dongfang Zhen had mentioned, the one capable of stimulating a Martial Artist’s potential and inducing the awakening of their Martial Arts Spirituality, was rare indeed.

The two paid the credits and were allowed to enter.

The moment he stepped into the Spirit Core Hall, Lin Ye was taken aback.

The room wasn’t large, and they had to take off their shoes to enter barefoot.

He couldn’t tell what material the floor was made of. It was covered in a vast number of complex patterns that resembled both ancient runes and intricate integrated circuits, and it emitted a faint, soft glow.

But the most eye-catching feature, in the center of the room under the high ceiling, was a set of three concentric metal rings, suspended side-by-side.

The rings, each over ten meters in diameter, were slowly rotating at different speeds.

Beneath the three rings, a tangible energy field was visible to the naked eye.

Seated cross-legged within the field was a figure—it was none other than Zhang Daoxuan.

Dongfang Zhen led Lin Ye to a meditation cushion to the side and began to explain in a low voice.

"This is the All-Seeing Instrument."

"It’s a high-precision Spirit Awakening Device. There are fewer than twenty of them in all of Great Xia."

"The All-Seeing Instrument is expensive to build, and its maintenance costs are astronomical. What’s more, its core materials can only be sourced from the exceedingly dangerous Celestial Abyss Third World, so there aren’t many opportunities to use it."

"During the training camp, we can only come in once a day, and for only thirty minutes at a time."

Lin Ye nodded, his gaze falling upon Zhang Daoxuan, who was sitting beneath the machine.

Zhang Daoxuan’s brow was furrowed, as if he were enduring immense pressure.

Some ten minutes later, Zhang Daoxuan opened his eyes from within the energy field.

The three glowing rings gradually slowed to a stop, and the energy field dissipated.

He stood up, his Daoist robe drenched in sweat.

HUMMM—

Lin Ye clearly heard a faint hum from the ancient iron sword on Zhang Daoxuan’s back.

"Daoxuan, how did it go?" Dongfang Zhen asked with a smile. "Any gains from this session?"

A smile touched Zhang Daoxuan’s lips as well. "I made some gains, though I’m still a long way from awakening another spirituality."

"But the Martial Arts Spirituality I’ve already mastered has been refined a bit."

Dongfang Zhen congratulated him.

He then turned to Lin Ye, extending his right hand in a welcoming gesture.

"Mr. Lin, you first."

Lin Ye didn’t stand on ceremony.

He took a deep breath, a powerful sense of anticipation welling up inside him.

’He’d long been curious about what kind of Martial Arts Spirituality he possessed.’

’If he could successfully achieve an awakening today, his combat power should skyrocket.’

"Thank you."

Lin Ye thanked Dongfang Zhen.

Dongfang Zhen waved his hand, the smile never leaving his face.

"I’m still a long way from my next Martial Arts Spirituality awakening, too."

"I probably won’t get the chance until I reach the Divine Realm."

"Besides, I’d just be strengthening my existing spiritualities, same as Daoxuan. I’m not in a rush."

He paused, his expression growing more serious as he began to explain things to Lin Ye.

"Mr. Lin, before you activate the All-Seeing Instrument, there are a few things you need to know."

"First, regarding Martial Arts Spirituality, you need to understand its fundamental nature."

"According to my family’s elders, the awakening of a Martial Arts Spirituality is essentially a Resonance between our souls and Spirits and the invisible, intangible laws of the Great Dao that permeate the world."

"At the same time, it’s also related to the evolutionary level of each individual’s life form."

"Research has shown that all human bodies contain something called Spiritual Factors. The higher a person’s Life Index, the more numerous and higher-quality the Spiritual Factors that naturally accumulate in their body."

It all made sense to Lin Ye now.

No wonder Chen Meng had told him before that the awakening of Martial Arts Spirituality was related to one’s Life Index and Spiritual Power.

Now, all the clues were finally falling into place.

Dongfang Zhen continued, "Every person’s soul and Spiritual Factors have a specific tendency toward Resonance. For example, some people have a natural affinity for fire, while others are exceptionally sensitive to spatial fluctuations."

"And this All-Seeing Instrument works by burning its core material, Asking Dust, to emit a special energy field that precisely scans your body for these resonant tendencies."

"Then, it uses gravity, along with sound and electromagnetic waves at special frequencies, to guide you. This helps you proactively pursue those tendencies, activate your dormant Spiritual Factors, and ultimately awaken your very own Martial Arts Spirituality."

"But you need to be careful."

"The awakening process is when the Spiritual Factors are at their most active and unstable. If you lose mental focus, it could cause your spirituality to run rampant. You’ll be protected by the All-Seeing Instrument, so nothing catastrophic will happen, but it can still cause significant trauma to your soul."

Lin Ye nodded, committing every key point to memory.

Without further hesitation, he strode forward and stepped under the three slowly rotating concentric rings.

The moment he entered the field’s range, Lin Ye felt the surrounding air instantly turn viscous, and an invisible pressure began to squeeze him from all sides.

At the same time, the gravity within the field began to increase at a steady rate.

Lin Ye did as Dongfang Zhen had instructed, sitting down cross-legged and closing his eyes.

After identifying and confirming Lin Ye’s identity, the All-Seeing Instrument slowly activated.

HUMMM—

The three metal rings above him began to spin faster, their humming growing higher in pitch.

Lin Ye felt a strange wave emanate from the rings. It was like the most precise of probes, continuously scanning and penetrating deep into his body, down to every last cell.

He focused his mind, looking inward.

Soon, he discovered an illusory substance he had never seen before gradually separating from his meridians and his very cells.

The substance resembled golden sand or perhaps liquid mercury, shimmering with a faint light, like the very primal spark of life itself.

’This must be what Dongfang Zhen called "Spiritual Factors."’