Chapter 397: Divine Rings

Refining the Spirit-Essence Orbs was no easy task. Previously, Li Pin had spent an entire month refining six of them. This time, he had fourteen orbs to refine. Even though he had accelerated the process and slightly reduced the magnetic field intensity, it still took him two and a half months.

He had expected to experience diminishing returns from the first time he refined Spirit-Essence Orbs. However, the situation turned out to be much more severe than he had anticipated.

The six Spirit-Essence Orbs he refined before had boosted his mental spirit attribute by 41.03 points. Then, after he experienced that battle in the alternate dimension, his mind underwent significant tempering, allowing his mental spirit to rise to 146.81 points.

This time, however, the fourteen Spirit-Essence Orbs only barely pushed his mental spirit attribute into the Legendary realm. To top it off, when he completed their refinement, his mental spirit was still slightly below the threshold.

It took an additional half month of seclusion, during which he continuously comprehended and optimized the Innate Primal Chaos Technique, for his mental spirit attribute to finally take that critical step into the Legendary domain.

Li Pin exhaled slowly and mumbled, "It took me over half a month longer than expected."

As his mental spirit grew, his sensitivity to his internal changes sharpened. Focusing slightly, his attribute panel materialized in his mind.

[Qi and Blood: 421.75], [Mental Spirit: 200.01], [Magnetic Field: 39.44]

200 points—that signified the Legendary realm.

As for his qi and blood, repeated optimization at the genetic level had brought continuous improvements. Even casually performing a few rounds of the Celestial Body-Tempering Fist, much like a simple post-meal routine, had helped his qi and blood to rise steadily. He had already reached the standard of a Master Astral Cultivator in that regard.

In other words, even without the Celestial Magnetic Field or the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor, he could use his body and spirit alone to confront a Master Astral Cultivator head-on.

Of course, this was limited to direct combat. With the protection of the Starlight Body, killing such an opponent remained out of reach.

Nevertheless, his current physical strength would allow him to endure cannon fire and treat storms of bullets as inconsequential. On a conventional battlefield without specialized weapons, this kind of physique would render him a true god of war.

Li Pin thought,

If I combine the Celestial Magnetic Field with my physique, very few modern weapons would be able to threaten me.

If he were to return to Blue Planet now, dominating the world would be effortless. Outside of nuclear strikes, there would be almost no way to contend with him. In addition, he was no stationary target waiting to be hit. With his heightened sensory abilities, he would detect a nuclear missile long before it struck and move miles away in advance.

Suppressing the world wasn't about destroying it. All it required was the overwhelming power to decide the life and death of the ruling elite. As for those unwilling to submit, the world never lacked capable replacements. In the presence of a true living god, there would always be those ready to step forward and take their place.

Li Pin mused, "Still, Blue Planet is a world without a future. Compared to it, Gaia—and the universe it inhabits, filled with Astral Gods—is brimming with infinite possibilities."

Li Pin stood up and stretched a little.

The growth of his mental spirit attributes had made controlling the Celestial Magnetic Field much easier. The strain he used to experience when his mental spirit was below a hundred points was no more.

"Now that my mental spirit has increased drastically, the next step is to rapidly increase the intensity of the Celestial Magnetic Field. I'll first raise it to the standard of a Supreme Martial God," Li Pin said to himself.

Once he reached the level of a Supreme Martial God, it would be time to pause and prepare for the "Celestial Breaker" phase. Before that, however, he needed to adapt to the recent surge in mental spirit and qi and blood attributes through high-intensity battles.

He acknowledged that cultivation was important, but he also understood that dedicating all his time and effort solely to it wasn't the way. Balancing work and rest was key to progress.

"Next, I'll head to Dark Moon Island to loosen up and stretch my muscles."

***

Before heading to Dark Moon, Li Pin made his way to another peak of Hualong Mountain. Inside a grand hall on this peak, Lin Baichi, Lin Langya, and several others were busy with preparations, their expressions filled with urgency.

There were intricate guiding patterns, unique molds, and an array of precious materials, including Astral Crystals, adorning every corner of the hall.

As Li Pin stepped inside, Lin Langya and Lin Baichi immediately set aside what they were working on.

"Hall Master," they called out in unison.

"How's the preparation coming along?" Li Pin asked.

"We've conducted three trial forges, all of which were flawless successes," Lin Baichi replied confidently. "The forging process for this treasure is not particularly complicated. The essence lies in the core material, while the other components function primarily as stabilizers to enhance the effective use of its abilities."

"Good," commented Li Pin.

Then, under the expectant and fervent gazes of Lin Baichi, Lin Langya, and the others, he took out a box and placed it before them. "Let's begin."

Lin Baichi gazed at the treasure inside and couldn't help but draw a deep breath. "The Void Crystal...."

Lin Baichi was a royal from the Great Moon Dynasty who had witnessed it in its most glorious era, yet even he found his hands trembling slightly at the sight of this material.

After a long pause, he spoke in a firm tone, as if receiving a military order. "Rest assured, Hall Master. The Lin Clan will not let you down."

With a decisive wave of his hand, he signaled the start. Lin Langya and two other High-Class Astral Cultivators swiftly got to work.

Aside from the four, no one else from the Lin Clan knew about the Void Crystal. This was a highly confidential project. The significance of the Void Crystal—or rather, the Void Ring—was unparalleled. Until it was successfully crafted, it was best to keep the knowledge confined to as few people as possible.

Lin Baichi began the forging process.

In the meantime, Li Pin, having set aside all his affairs, stayed in the main hall and watched them work. He didn't practice or meditate. He simply focused on fully overseeing the creation of the divine ring.

The human heart was prone to temptation. With a treasure of such magnitude, his active presence ensured Lin Baichi and Lin Langya would devote themselves with unwavering diligence.

***

As Lin Baichi had said, the extraordinary nature of the Six Divine Rings was never due to the astral craftsman who forged them, but rather the inherent wonder of the core materials used as the basis to create them.

It was like how earning a million wasn't hard when a person had already received an initial investment capital of a hundred million. In this instance, diligence and hard work had nothing to do with earning that one million.

Lin Baichi was careful in crafting the Void Ring, striving for perfection. With his craftsmanship, it was completed in just two days. With a somewhat fervent look, he raised the ring high, his eyes filled with an indescribable satisfaction.

It seemed as though he was pleased to have had the fortune to craft such a remarkable item.

Lin Baichi offered the ring, cradled in both hands, to Li Pin. "Hall Master, I have fulfilled my duty."

Li Pin took the ring. He infused his mental spirit into the ring, and the surrounding space shifted instantly. The space itself thickened, like liquid, rippling with invisible waves.

Li Pin focused, recalling the Ginkgo Village near the Ancient Beastfolk Battlefield which the Skeleton Demons destroyed. In an instant, the liquid-like space seemed to respond to his mental pull, quickly "drawing" the space where Ginkgo Village once stood, presenting it before him.

With a step forward, the liquid-like space rippled open.

When the space returned to normal, Li Pin had already appeared outside Ginkgo Village.

"Incredible..." he murmured softly.

He had crossed space!

Although he had long dismissed this world purely as a martial arts world, the fact that a ring forged from a divine relic could transport him hundreds of kilometers—from Hualong Mountain to Ginkgo Village—in the blink of an eye still left him amazed.

Li Pin gazed at the milky-white ring in his hand. The Void Crystal, polished and set into the ring, resembled a world with many facets, giving it a peculiar appearance. Its function... truly lived up to the name of the Six Divine Rings.

"The Void Ring's teleportation consumes energy, but the Void Crystal restores that energy on its own, and the consumption is not substantial."

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Li Pin had reviewed the information on the Void Ring in Fu Qingtian's possession using his administrative rights.

The energy consumption of the Void Ring's teleportation was influenced by two key factors: distance and environmental conditions.

First, the greater the distance of the teleportation, the more energy was required.

Second, the presence of astral energy interference in the surrounding area significantly affected the process. Even minimal interference could drastically increase energy consumption, and as the intensity of the interference grew, the energy required rises exponentially. In cases of severe interference, the teleportation might fail entirely.

Fu Qingtian's ring could teleport him anywhere on Gaia. To him, crossing tens of thousands of kilometers in an instant was no challenge. However, such long-distance teleportation meant the Void Ring would be unusable for quite a while afterward.

In most cases, Fu Qingtian used the ring for reinforcements in critical battle zones or localized combat, keeping the teleportation distance under a thousand kilometers. This distance ensured the Void Crystal wouldn't be too depleted even if used frequently—as often as every few minutes.

Li Pin glanced at the ring in his hand but did not attempt to teleport back to Taibai Jiang Province. Instead, he tested it several more times, teleporting to surrounding areas. After verifying its effects with the one in Fu Qingtian's possession, he focused his mind and finally teleported back to the hall where the Void Ring had been crafted.

However, as Li Pin teleported back to the hall, he could clearly sense that the energy consumed this time was nearly equivalent to the total energy used in his previous dozen teleportations combined.

He quickly pinpointed the culprit for this anomaly—Lin Baichi. As a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator, the astral energy fluctuations emanating from him impacted the teleportation efficiency.

"At this rate of consumption, if I tried to teleport behind another legendary figure for a surprise attack, the Void Crystal's energy would likely be drained after just one or two uses..." Li Pin murmured.

Li Pin felt a pang of regret.

Although the Void Crystal could replenish its energy once depleted, the rapid rate of consumption significantly diminished the ring's practical value in combat.

Additionally, to ensure the ring's proper functioning, its bearer typically avoided carrying other astral equipment. At most, the user could equip their natal spirit weapon and armor.

"This ring enhances my ability to survive and provide reinforcements... but it doesn't significantly increase my combat power."

Nevertheless, its value as a supreme legendary astral equipment remained undisputable.