With the Liquefied Earth Vein Essence safely contained and the Superconducting Nebula-Alloyed Copper Wire secured, the time for consolidation was over. Lin Xuan and Li Mo were alone in the apartment, which now felt less like a mundane dwelling and more like a fortress, stabilized by the hum of the Minor Qi Condensing Formation. The table between them was covered in the spoils of the night: the glowing, silver-green Minor Spiritual Storage Talisman holding the raw Essence, and the heavy, intricately wound spool of the Nebula-Alloyed Copper Wire.
"The Earth Vein Essence is volatile, but it contains the very foundation of this Earth's lost spirituality," Lin Xuan explained to Li Mo, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "The Nebula-Alloyed Copper will act as a stabilizer and conduit, channeling the raw energy into a functional spiritual structure. The goal is a Rank C Synthesis—a foundational technique to finally reveal the other hidden ants in this city."
Lin Xuan did not need a physical item this time; he needed a fundamental ability that transcended the limitations of his physical senses. He needed the ability to perceive spiritual energy itself—the essence of a cultivator's sixth sense.
He positioned the two powerful materials before the Synthesis System interface. The system, detecting the high-grade, compatible resources, immediately presented its grand catalog. Lin Xuan bypassed the usual array of Talismans and Artifacts, focusing on the higher-order Innate Techniques.
[Synthesis Query: Liquefied Earth Vein Essence (C) + Nebula-Alloyed Copper Wire (C) = ?][Result 1: Minor Realm Anchor Talisman (C). Description: Creates a 10-minute stable portal to the nearest Minor Realm. High risk of instability. Cost: 4 Synthesis Points.][Result 2: Elementary Spirit Sense Technique (C). Description: Grants full, three-dimensional perception of ambient spiritual Qi, detecting anomalies, hidden formations, and cultivators within a 15-kilometer radius. Requires permanent assimilation into the Sea of Consciousness. Cost: 5 Synthesis Points.]
Lin Xuan instantly locked onto the second option. The Minor Realm Anchor Talisman was tempting—a gateway to faster cultivation and true spiritual resources—but it was a high-risk gamble. The Elementary Spirit Sense Technique, however, was a permanent, internal upgrade that would allow him to map the spiritual topography of the entire city. It was the weapon he needed to secure his sovereignty and eliminate hidden threats, such as the injured Foundation Establishment cultivator, Elder Jing, before they could recover.
The cost, however, was significant.
"Five Synthesis Points," Lin Xuan murmured, feeling the weight of the demand. "That consumes every point I currently possess, draining the system to zero. The price for this foundational sense is steep."
Li Mo watched, silent but riveted, sensing the gravity of the decision. She knew Lin Xuan prioritized security and information above all else.
Lin Xuan nodded, resolute. "Execute Synthesis: Elementary Spirit Sense Technique."
[WARNING: Synthesis is Rank C. Process requires absolute stability. All available Synthesis Points (5) will be consumed. Foundation must be maintained at Qi Condensation Stage Three throughout the 3-hour process. FAILURE WILL RESULT IN DANTIAN DAMAGE.]
The warning was severe, but Lin Xuan was an Emperor. He ignored the threat of failure, channeling his Divine Will into the process. "Execute."
The two C-Rank materials instantly dissolved into a swirling vortex of energy. The silver-green Essence merged with the shimmering Nebula-Alloyed Copper, forming a radiant, unstable sphere of pure spiritual light. This light did not coalesce into an object; it was pure, unformed spiritual data.
Lin Xuan entered a deep, meditative trance. This was not a physical forging; it was a spiritual infusion. He had to guide the volatile energy of the Earth Vein Essence through the stabilizing matrix of the Nebula Copper, then anchor the resulting structure directly into his Sea of Consciousness—the spiritual epicenter of his mind.
For three agonizing hours, the ambient Qi in the apartment surged and twisted. Li Mo, maintaining the Minor Qi Condensing Formation, watched as beads of sweat instantly vaporized on Lin Xuan's brow. His body was a conduit, momentarily hosting a massive, high-grade spiritual structure. She poured every ounce of her concentration into keeping the Formation steady, knowing that any lapse would compromise Lin Xuan's mental integrity.
Inside Lin Xuan's Sea of Consciousness, the synthesized spiritual light expanded. It felt like a blinding explosion of data—geological resonance, electromagnetic waves, and the faint, fluttering life signals of all living creatures in the vicinity. He fought the urge to resist, forcing his spiritual mind to accept the new sensory input. The Essence was telling him how the Earth breathed; the Nebula Copper was teaching him how energy flowed through structures.
When the light finally stabilized, it didn't disappear. It reformed into a vast, intricate, silent radar array anchored directly to his mind. The final spiritual data structure was successfully fused.
[Synthesis Complete: Elementary Spirit Sense Technique (Rank C) Acquired.][System Status: Synthesis Points: 0]
Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes. The world had fundamentally changed.
The apartment was no longer just four walls. He could see the faint, nourishing lines of Qi flowing from his Formation, bathing Li Mo in subtle energy. He could see the dense concentrations of dormant spiritual energy trapped within the concrete foundation of the building. Beyond the walls, the city was revealed not as a concrete jungle, but as a vast, living spiritual map.
He immediately extended his senses, pushing the Elementary Spirit Sense Technique to its 15-kilometer limit. The effect was immediate and overwhelming, like upgrading a black-and-white television to Ultra HD 4K resolution.
Detection Phase One: The Known Threat
Lin Xuan focused his spiritual gaze toward the city's highest-density residential sector—the luxurious, secretive mountain enclave where the city's true elite resided. There, deep within a heavily warded manor, he found what he was looking for: Elder Jing, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had been disgraced and injured by Lin Xuan's initial array.
Elder Jing was alive, but barely. His Qi was scattered and ragged, confined to a small, inefficient healing circle. He was not a threat yet, but his intent was clear: he was hoarding resources, waiting for his Qi to stabilize, and plotting his revenge against the 'mortal' who had humiliated him. Jing was completely unaware that he was now visible, his healing efforts laid bare to Lin Xuan's new sense.
You may heal, Lin Xuan thought, a cold smile touching his lips. But every resource you spend, and every move you make, I will know.
Detection Phase Two: The New Threat
Satisfied with the confirmed location of Jing, Lin Xuan allowed his Spirit Sense to sweep outward, searching for other anomalies—signs of any organized spiritual power on the planet.
His attention snagged on a single, faint, yet highly specific anomaly emanating from the bustling Old University District, several kilometers away.
It was not a cultivator, nor was it a natural resource vein. It was a complex, multi-layered spiritual distortion—a perfectly woven concealment Formation, so intricate and old that it was invisible to normal perception. The formation wasn't hostile; it was defensive, protecting something vast and spiritually significant.
A concealment formation of that complexity is at least Rank B, Lin Xuan calculated, his heart quickening with genuine intrigue. It is far beyond anything I could currently synthesize, and it speaks of either an ancient relic or a massive, hidden power established before the Exodus.
The formation was centered beneath the oldest, most dilapidated section of the City University Library.
The mortals have been living atop a spiritual treasury for decades, unaware, Lin Xuan realized. This is not a financial target; it is a relic of the past, protected by ancient law. It is my next great resource.
Lin Xuan withdrew his Spirit Sense, the information filed and prioritized. He had spent his last Synthesis Point and drained his resources, but in return, he had gained the absolute mastery of information within the city. The game was no longer blind.
"Li Mo," Lin Xuan said, rising from his meditative state, his energy completely refreshed. "We are done with scavenging scrap metal. We are now targeting spiritual relics. Prepare a full, detailed map of the City University Library's sub-levels and its current renovation schedule. Our focus has shifted from the underworld to the Archives."
The acquisition of the Elementary Spirit Sense Technique has revealed two major points of interest: the hidden Elder Jing and a massive, ancient Rank B concealment Formation beneath the City University Library.