The quiet efficiency of Lin Xuan's operation allowed for no rest. Following Zhang Wei's masterful execution at the black market, the two primary Rank C synthesis resources were secured: the raw, chaotic power of the Liquefied Earth Vein Essence and the stable, high-purity Superconducting Nebula-Alloyed Copper Wire. With these materials resting safely in his spiritual storage, Lin Xuan finally turned his attention inward, ready to forge the spiritual ability he needed to map the city's hidden forces.
The goal was not an item, but a Technique—a piece of spiritual code that would integrate directly into his soul, granting him the Elementary Spirit Sense.
Lin Xuan sat in the heart of the apartment, the Minor Qi Condensing Formation now humming at its peak efficiency, bathing him in purified, stable Qi. He retrieved the two primary synthesis components. The Liquefied Earth Vein Essence was a thick, mercury-like fluid, vibrating with suppressed natural power. The Nebula-Alloyed Copper Wire, retrieved from the dismantled drill, glowed with the faint, cold light of deep space metallurgy.
Synthesizing a technique was vastly more complex than forging an item. An artifact simply required the materials to merge; a technique required the Emperor's Divine Will to act as a compiler, dictating new rules into the fabric of his reality. The failure of such a synthesis could permanently damage his Dantian.
Lin Xuan initiated the query, his mind razor-sharp.
[Synthesis Query: Liquefied Earth Vein Essence (C) + Superconducting Nebula-Alloyed Copper Wire (C) = ?]
The System calculated instantly, presenting options for Rank C Artifacts (e.g., Flying Swords, Protective Rings), but Lin Xuan brushed them aside with his will. He forced the System to focus on the abstract.
[Forced Query: Synthesis of Spiritual Sensory Technique using C-Rank materials.Result: Elementary Spirit Sense Technique.Description: Grants the user a rudimentary, yet highly effective, spiritual radar. Can perceive all Qi fluctuations, concealed formations (up to Rank B), and hidden cultivators within a five-kilometer radius.Cost: 1 Synthesis Point.]
The cost was minimal, but the reward was immeasurable. Physical sight could be fooled by a simple mask or a dark room; spiritual sight could not be deceived by mortal means.
"Execute Synthesis: Elementary Spirit Sense Technique," Lin Xuan commanded.
The Spiritual Installation
The process was not instantaneous like item creation. The Liquefied Earth Vein Essence first vaporized, becoming a volatile cloud of pure Earth Qi. The Nebula-Alloyed Copper Wire then dissolved, its stable energy signature acting as an anchor point for the Earth Qi. The two forces merged into a dense, rapidly compiling spiritual program.
Under the control of Lin Xuan's Divine Will, this program was forcefully channeled upward, bypassing his meridians and Dantian entirely. It sought out his Spiritual Sea—the reservoir of his conscious thought and true identity.
The energy felt like ice and fire simultaneously as it slammed into the center of his forehead. The pain was acute but fleeting, instantly suppressed by his Emperor's mentality. Within moments, the spiritual energy integrated itself, not as an organ he used, but as an expansion of his consciousness.
[Synthesis Complete: Elementary Spirit Sense Technique Acquired.][Spiritual Sea Expansion: 10%]
Lin Xuan opened his eyes. The world had not physically changed, but his perception was utterly transformed. The mundane apartment vanished, replaced by a vibrant, three-dimensional energy grid.
He could see the latent heat signatures of the complex wiring behind the walls, the weak, scattered spiritual residue left by the delivery man who visited an hour ago, and the perfect, dense purity of Li Mo's cultivation as she practiced in the next room.
Testing the Perimeter: The City Revealed
Lin Xuan pushed the newly formed Spirit Sense outward, testing its range and power. It swept through the walls, across the street, and over the dense, sleeping city like an invisible, divine spotlight.
The five-kilometer radius instantly sprang to life in his mind. He saw the city not as steel and concrete, but as a complex map of spiritual flows.
Mortal Flow: Millions of tiny, weak, flickering lights—the souls of mortals—moving without order.
Geological Flow: The deep, slow pulse of the underlying Earth Qi, calm but for the distant, newly fractured area near the Industrial Zone, confirming his previous action.
The Hidden: These were the most crucial signatures. He instantly pinpointed five separate clusters of refined, intentional Qi cultivation scattered across the metropolitan area. Most were minor, barely moving, likely reclusive hermits or low-level practitioners.
But two signatures were powerful, dark, and highly dynamic.
The first dark signature pulsed aggressively from the wealthy uptown district—a powerful, hostile Qi Condensation Stage Four presence. Lin Xuan recognized the signature from the spiritual residue left on the discarded scout's corpse.
Feng Family Scout—or his master, Lin Xuan confirmed, his eyes hardening. Elder Jing is still contained, but his henchmen are now active and searching. The city is officially hostile.
The second dark signature was even more disturbing, radiating from the ancient stone structure of the City University Library. It wasn't the signature of a cultivator; it was the enormous, dense, and perfectly concealed hum of a colossal Rank B Formation—the ultimate prize he was searching for. The sheer scale of the energy concealed beneath the Library confirmed that this treasure was the key to his Foundation Establishment.
With the Elementary Spirit Sense Technique, Lin Xuan had instantly peeled back the veil of the world. He now knew every major threat and every major opportunity in the city. The game had changed from a blind scavenger hunt to a precise, tactical operation. The immediate next step was to deal with the most visible threat while simultaneously preparing to breach the Library's defenses.
He retracted his Spirit Sense, the normal world snapping back into focus. He looked at Li Mo, a faint, confident smile gracing his lips.
"We move now, Li Mo," he stated. "The martial artists believe they can hide in the shadows. The Emperor will show them that the shadows are now his to command.