Chapter 27: Spirit Artifact Space
There was no special feeling as the soul crossed the World Gate.
With a blink of an eye, he found himself on an altar formation. Looking up, the long-lost World Tree’s crown covered the sky and obscured the sun.
The skeletal white dragon raised its majestic head, its bony torso embedded in the center of the trunk. Amidst the eternally burning Azure Flame, the dragon girl in the starry skirt with cloud-grey soft hair remained half-closed eyes, asleep on the divine throne.
“Gulp—”
Xia Feng subconsciously swallowed, and the long-extinguished hunger surged again.
[Remaining Activity: 5 Days 6 Hours]
A First-stage Spirit Master’s single devouring limit was seven days. After seven days, they would feel full and unable to eat any more. The cooldown period was one day, meaning he could eat once every other day.
*Swish—*
Noticing the stir, the black crow above the branches suddenly opened its eyes, its beak emitting a mature, sisterly voice with a hint of amusement,
“Little human brat, I didn’t expect you to come so quickly~”
*Thump! Thump-thump!* His rapidly beating heart pounded like a runaway wild horse. Xia Feng clutched his chest, gazing at the woman on the divine throne, his breathing shallow.
It seemed that after tasting a delicious meal once, his craving had intensified, a hint of knowing the pleasure.
Thinking this, he took a step forward.
Seeing Xia Feng’s excitement, the black crow said helplessly, “It seems you are truly eager for Spirit Energy Unsealing. Very well, come forward, and this Seat will teach you how to communicate with Spirit Energy.”
“…” Xia Feng halted his steps, forcibly shifting his gaze from Miss Evil Dragon. He looked up at the black crow, the corner of his eye twitching.
*Damn it! Can’t you let me eat until I’m full before teaching me?*
Considering it unwise to reveal too much eagerness for Calamity Force, he suppressed his desire and nodded resignedly. *Let’s unseal first, then learn.*
Spirit Unsealing, full name Soul Unsealing, also known as Spirit Energy Unsealing.
It refers to the fact that everyone’s soul contains mysterious Spirit Energy. Only by liberating it through special methods and converging it to form a ‘Spirit Artifact’ can one use this Spirit Energy from the depths of the soul.
This is why even ordinary people have the potential to awaken a Spirit Artifact, although the probability is quite low.
If an ordinary person can awaken a Spirit Artifact, and its function is good, they might even be able to defeat an Apprentice Spirit Master, or even a First-stage Spirit Master!
Therefore, Spirit Artifacts are very important to a Spirit Master, providing a tangible way to increase combat power without having to diligently study Spirit Particle Structure.
Of course, Spirit Robes have levels, and Spirit Artifacts also have different levels.
And like Spirit Robes, they are divided into six levels from lowest to highest: N, D, C, B, A, and S.
N-level is the most trashy, but it might be very powerful in certain areas.
For example, the ‘Gourmet God’s Gloves,’ which make any food made with them taste like chocolate, even if it were excrement.
It is said that this Gourmet God first appeared on a variety show and became an internet sensation with his signature dish, ‘Pig Intestine Retaining Original Flavor.’
Another example is the ‘Never Sleep Glasses,’ which, when worn, allow one to never sleep while remaining mentally alert. The ‘Weight Loss Belt’ ensures one never gains weight and can only lose it.
At D-class, some Spirit Artifacts useful for combat will start to appear, but they are merely useful and cannot determine the course of a battle.
Only Spirit Artifacts of C-class and above will exhibit strange Spirit Artifacts that can directly overturn the situation, allowing low-level Spirit Masters to kill high-level Spirit Masters across different ranks.
“Under normal circumstances, there are two situations in which a Spirit Artifact can be awakened,”
The black crow explained, standing on the branch. “First, during intense emotional fluctuations. Second, at the moment of impending death. Both situations can potentially allow one to sense a ‘Spirit Artifact’ and unseal it, but it is heavily dependent on luck.
Some ordinary people can awaken C-class Spirit Artifacts, while some Spirit Masters who have reached Third-stage or even higher cannot sense their own Spirit Artifact.”
“Ms. Black Crow, I understand what you’re saying. Can you get straight to the point? Why did you say you could help me unseal with 100% success rate before?”
The black crow chuckled, “Naturally, it’s because of my Spirit Artifact—’Spirit Artifact Space.’ Its function is to help people awaken the Spirit Energy hidden deep within their true selves.”
“Ah, this…”
Using a Spirit Artifact to awaken a Spirit Artifact, this is absolutely divine!
“May I be so bold as to ask, what is your Spirit Artifact Level?”
“A-class.”
Xia Feng’s eyes lit up. “Is it easy to awaken an A-class?”
“…What do you think?” The black crow rolled her eyes in a very human-like manner.
“Little human brat, this Seat advises you not to have too high hopes. Based on my experience helping so many humans awaken Spirit Artifacts, even if you were incredibly lucky, you’d be C-class at most. B-class is a dream, and as for A-class, don’t even think about it!”
“Do you have to be so discouraging…” Xia Feng muttered, then daringly asked, “Then—S-class?”
“?” A question mark seemed to light up on the black crow’s forehead. Her confused, dark eyes seemed to ask, *Are you joking? You dare to dream that big.*
“Let me put it this way, this Seat has helped countless humans and even other races. There have indeed been a few A-classes, but S-class? Still zero.”
“Alright.”
Xia Feng roughly understood. A-class was equivalent to an SSR card in a card game, and S-class was a UR card. There were only a few UR cards in the entire game, and obtaining one would likely cost hundreds of thousands of years of lifespan.
Given his past as an unlucky non-gambler who never drew SSR cards in games, he only hoped to awaken at least a B-class Spirit Artifact.
*No, wait, C-class!* Xia Feng clasped his hands together in prayer. “A C-class Spirit Artifact would be fine!”
“Do you understand now? If you do, look up and meet my eyes.”
Xia Feng obeyed and looked up. He saw the black crow’s deep grey eyes shining with flecks of golden stardust. She parted her beak and said,
“After entering the Spirit Artifact Space, you must defeat your Spirit Artifact Avatar to obtain Spirit Energy.”
“What?” Xia Feng was shocked, completely dumbfounded. “Didn’t you say you could help me awaken it with 100% certainty?”
The black crow’s grey eyes seemed to smile. “If you can’t defeat your Spirit Artifact Avatar, you won’t be able to leave the Spirit Artifact Space. And if you win, you’ll naturally awaken it with 100% certainty~”
“Hiss!! Why didn’t you say so sooner, you stinky crow—” His voice cut off abruptly.
“Heh~~~” The mature, sisterly laughter held a hint of smug satisfaction from a successful prank.
As the world spun, Xia Feng felt her teasing voice fade further away. “Don’t worry, dying in the Spirit Artifact Space means resurrection. Also, for every ten hours in the Spirit Artifact Space, only one hour passes outside. Go ahead, though the trials for different people’s Spirit Artifact Avatars vary, this Seat believes you won’t take hundreds of years to awaken your Spirit Artifact. Good luck~~”
*Swish—*
Blinding light surged into his pupils and quickly receded. Xia Feng squinted his eyes.
The world was a vast expanse of white.
Only a shallow layer of clear water, less than half a finger deep, extended infinitely in all directions, its end unseen.
*Pat, pat—*
Xia Feng stepped into the water and walked a few steps. The clear reflection in the water distorted and then dissipated.
He looked around. This Spirit Artifact Space seemed boundless, eerily quiet.
Ms. Black Crow, the stinky crow, had said he needed to defeat his Spirit Artifact Avatar, but where was it?
“Hey, is anyone there?” he shouted.
As his voice fell, ripples suddenly spread across the water beneath his feet. Xia Feng sensed something was wrong and instinctively took a step back, only to find that his reflection in the water had remained in place and not moved with him.
Before he could react, a two-square-meter area of the water surface flipped up ninety degrees, forming a crystal-clear water mirror that stood silently before Xia Feng.
Xia Feng frowned and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Their eyes met.
In the vast expanse, Xia Feng stared at himself for a full three minutes. Suddenly, the him in the mirror sinisterly curled his lips. “You’re so interesting~”
Xia Feng blinked and nodded with satisfaction. “Right? I think so too.”
“Mmm, you’re not only interesting, you’re also handsome~”
“Mmm, mmm, mmm!” Xia Feng nodded repeatedly and gave a thumbs-up. “As expected of me, I have good taste!”
The person in the mirror paused, then also gave a thumbs-up, grinning. “As expected of me, I’m so narcissistic~”
“Who are you calling names?” Xia Feng couldn’t help but frown.
“I’m calling myself names, do you have a problem?” The person in the mirror lifted his chin, looking arrogant and seeking a beating. “I’m an idiot!”
“You mother—” Xia Feng suddenly drew his saber and unleashed three terrifying waves of blood towards the person in the mirror. *BOOM!!*
The mirror shattered, turning into water droplets that splashed and rippled across the water’s surface.
“Is this me? Truly lacking in martial virtue.”
A cold snort came from behind him. Xia Feng turned around and saw another water mirror, which had appeared out of nowhere five meters away. “Is this me? Truly lacking in martial virtue.”
Another cold snort. Xia Feng turned again, and a similar water mirror stood five meters away.
“Is this me? Truly lacking in martial virtue.”
To the right.
“Lacking in martial virtue.”
To the left.
“Lacking in martial virtue.”
“Lacking in martial virtue!”
“Lacking in martial virtue!!” More and more water mirrors sprung up from all directions, extending infinitely into the distance in an orderly fashion. The Xia Fengs in the mirrors wore the same annoying expressions and said the same words.
“Lacking in martial virtue, lacking in martial virtue, lacking in martial virtue—”
Chirping incessantly, their voices could never synchronize, surrounding Xia Feng like a Tang Monk chanting scriptures. The corner of Xia Feng’s eye twitched. He was numb.
!
He had never realized he could be so annoying.
Xia Feng sighed helplessly. “Alright, hurry up. Am I supposed to kill you all?”
They finally stopped their chanting and, after a moment of silence, their voices now reached a perfect unison, like a great bell, deafening and resonant. “We are you, and you are us. Why would you want to kill yourself?”
“What’s it to you? If I want to kill myself, I will!” Xia Feng raised his saber again, not wanting to listen to these fools babble.
*Scrape—*
He stomped hard on the water.
Xia Feng charged towards the water mirror directly in front of him, holding his great saber.
But the water mirror suddenly rippled, and the person in the mirror also raised a great saber and stepped forward, breaking out of the mirror!
Two figures clad in white martial arts uniforms shot out like arrows from a bow.
*Clang—* The saber lights clashed on the water’s surface with a crisp sound. After half a second of collision, they both flew backward in the same posture.
The moment they landed, both figures disappeared.
“Where did they go?”
“Where did they go?”
“Where did they go, where did they go, where did they go…”
The encircling water mirrors once again emitted a chanting, questioning sound, noisy and chaotic.
But before five seconds passed, three terrifying waves of blood erupted from the left and right sides of the battlefield simultaneously, *Boom, boom, boom!!* The shockwave from the collision directly blasted the clear water surface into the sky, causing a downpour.
Two semi-transparent figures flickered in and out of visibility amidst the falling rain. They stood on top of two water mirrors, twenty meters apart.
Xia Feng shook his saber and emerged from his concealed state, his brows furrowed as he looked at his counterpart.
“Now you understand, don’t you?” The opposite Xia Feng also exited stealth and said earnestly, “I am you, and you are me. So, even if you are the strongest in the world, you cannot defeat yourself.”
Xia Feng’s brows furrowed even tighter.
The stinky crow had said that defeating the Spirit Artifact Avatar meant passing the trial and achieving Spirit Energy Unsealing.
The stinky crow had also said that the trials for different people’s Spirit Artifact Avatars were different.
It was clear that his Spirit Artifact trial was definitely strange and outrageous.
Defeat himself?
Yes, who in this world could defeat themselves?
“So, if you understand, then give up.”
“Yeah, give up.”
“Give up.”
The people in the mirrors started babbling again.
“Give up?” Xia Feng rolled his eyes. “Then how do I leave this godforsaken place?”
“Leave?”
“Why leave?”
“Yeah, isn’t it nice to have so many of yourself to talk to?”
*Oh, for crying out loud!* Xia Feng couldn’t help but put his hand to his forehead. He really didn’t want to talk anymore.
Seeing Xia Feng’s silence, the people in the mirrors simultaneously showed expressions of sudden understanding, as if they had realized something.
“Understood.”
“Mmm, we understand!”
As their voices faded, Xia Feng’s vision flickered. The surrounding scene twisted and changed, and he found himself lying on a large bed.
Looking around, he saw a dressing table, a wardrobe, and a nightstand, like the bedroom of a married couple.
On the large TV screen in front of him, a popular suspense drama was playing. On the blanket covering him, a folding table was placed, laden with fruits, snacks, and a bottle of sugary soda.
Just as he was feeling bewildered, a woman in a silk nightgown walked in from outside the door.
The woman’s face was blurred. She held a basin of water in her hands and placed it beside the bed.
But as Xia Feng focused his gaze, the woman’s face gradually changed to the cold, smiling visage of Mu Qingtong. She raised her beautiful eyes, her brows curved, and said softly, “Husband, shall I wash your feet for you~”
Xia Feng: “…”
Seeing his stunned expression, Mu Qingtong’s delicate brows furrowed slightly with concern. “What’s wrong, Husband? Are you tired from sitting?” As she spoke, she climbed onto the bed and came behind Xia Feng, biting her lip and whispering, “Let me give you a massage~”
Feeling the gentle kneading of her slender, white hands on his shoulders and neck, and hearing Mu Qingtong’s unprecedentedly soft whispers in his ear, Xia Feng was momentarily dazed, and two words expressing his shock and confusion blurted out: “Holy—”
“Ah? Now?” Mu Qingtong paused, her earlobes reddening as she turned her face away. “It’s… it’s not time yet~”
“…” Xia Feng’s eye twitched as he was about to say something.
*BOOM!!*
On the TV screen, a bus exploded on a bridge. Xia Feng’s attention was drawn, his mind momentarily dazed. He subconsciously picked up a bag of chips from the table, tore it open, and was about to start watching the drama while eating.
“Husband, how can you do such things yourself? Let me do it~” Mu Qingtong snatched the bag, picked up a chip, and held it to Xia Feng’s mouth. “Ahhh~~”
In a daze, Xia Feng ate the chip and felt a little thirsty. He picked up the cola and was about to unscrew it.
“Husband! How many times do I have to tell you, how can you do such things yourself?”
Mu Qingtong snatched the cola, unscrewed it, and carefully brought the bottle opening to Xia Feng’s mouth. “Ah~~~~”
Xia Feng opened his mouth, his black eyes blankly staring at another explosion on the bus on the TV screen. It was a suspense drama about a protagonist who repeatedly reincarnated on a bus and constantly tried to change the inevitable explosive fate of the bus.
The protagonist could never stop the explosion and could never escape the cycle. Xia Feng, leaning in Mu Qingtong’s embrace, automatically opened his mouth, his attention fully focused on the drama.
He could also never kill himself, nor could he ever leave the Spirit Artifact Space.
Perhaps, it was fine to just lie here like this, being fed and clothed, warm in the covers, soft behind him.
Yeah, it was pretty good.
Pretty good…
*As if!!* Xia Feng jolted, suddenly sitting up.
“Ah! Husband, what are you doing—”
Xia Feng, producing a great saber from who knows where, swung it backward. A beautiful head flew into the air, and blood spattered across the pristine white bed.
The headless body slowly toppled over.
