Chapter 8 The Conditions required for the Eighth Level Awakening laid themselves out before him, line by line.
The main items were expanded, revealing fine-print sub-items, but within the words of these conditions, Mentor Fang could only discern one thing: expense.
Exorbitantly expensive!
Setting aside Destiny Points and Enigma Crystals, and not even mentioning the scattered auxiliary materials, the main materials alone for the Eighth Awakening ritual were 'Divine Crystals x20', 'Spirit Nurturing Items x5', and 'Legendary Materials x5', requiring at least 30 Legendary grade materials as a base.
No wonder they said the mysterious path, fraught with thorns and unknowns, demanded not just life, but also gold!
Unbearably expensive.
Of course, he could choose a simplified ritual, or even bypass the ritual entirely and proceed directly with 'Guidance: Awakening'.
This was achievable.
However, the probability of awakening would be greatly reduced, and Liu Feng would not be able to achieve a perfect awakening.
One step behind, and every step would be behind.
The reason Liu Feng gradually lost his indomitable fighting spirit back then was because his foundation was not solidified to the utmost perfection, and he drifted further and further from being invincible among his peers.
In this current life, he had finally managed to condense the sixth wisp of divinity. Fang You certainly wouldn't allow him to take the lower-tier awakening route!
He stared at the panel, pondering the resource deficit.
Divine Crystals: Their "Xin Huo" had mined a large hoard from the Shattered Sea, so they weren't lacking for now.
Compatible Legendary Materials: They weren't lacking. However, compatible Spirit Nurturing Items were short by one.
"It's because too many people have been attempting to reach Mythical status recently. Spirit Nurturing Items have been consumed heavily, and the reserves of Legendary Materials are also insufficient."
According to the organization's strategic needs, Liu Feng had to be prioritized. Mentor Fang could only take the compatible Spirit Nurturing Items off the market. He also instructed Xiao Huan to hold onto any she found.
Given Xin Huo's current scale and strength, their efficiency in finding treasures was very high; they could acquire over a dozen items each month.
Though expenses were also high.
Of course, the vast majority of Xin Huo's top Awakened, those at the Sixth Level, had advanced to Mythical status through loans.
"These materials can be gathered soon enough, but items containing 'Sword' rule fragments are a bit difficult to find."
After supplementing a vast amount of data during dungeon explorations, Mentor Fang was no longer a novice.
Typically, only those at the high Ninth Order were eligible to touch upon rules and authorities, which corresponded to Crimson-grade items.
'Idora's Tree of Life' involved authorities such as 'Life', 'Harvest', and 'Nature'. If a branch were broken off from Idora's Tree of Life, it would be a treasure containing a rule fragment.
Fang You estimated that Liu Shang and Yin Ling could use a branch as a main material when they advanced to the Eighth Level... Xi Tina and Xing Jing Lei might also be able to.
But Sword...
He searched his mind, but there was nothing.
Treasures containing rule fragments like these might still be 'Legendary grade' in terms of rank, but their rarity and value were definitely dozens of times that of ordinary Legendary materials.
Indeed, the Eighth Level was all about spending money.
"With your current strength, hunting some evil spirits should make accumulating 10 million Mystery Points not difficult. The organization's 'Secret Cause Spheres' have also absorbed and stored a considerable amount of Mystery Points... In short, you just focus on your cultivation and fulfill all the conditions for the Eighth Level awakening as soon as possible. I will find other solutions."
"Teacher..."
Liu Feng opened his mouth.
Did he not understand the cost of the Eighth Level awakening ritual?
Back then, if he hadn't displayed his talent and attracted the attention of the Empire's high officials, earned a lot of treasures in the trial grounds, and received help from old veterans like demigod Chen Miao, he wouldn't have been able to gather the resources needed for an Eighth Level demigod.
He believed his teacher possessed great power.
But...
After his revival, he had discreetly inquired with a few colleagues and discovered that the Xin Huo organization had not been re-established for long, perhaps only two or three years.
His teacher, having defeated the Shadow Lord in a severely wounded state, had clearly paid a tremendous price.
His teacher had likely only awakened two or three years ago and might not have even recovered from his injuries yet.
Considering all this, it was undoubtedly a very difficult task for the organization to provide the materials needed for the Eighth Level awakening ritual.
Liu Feng opened his mouth and finally said:
"I understand. This disciple will definitely seize this opportunity!"
He had always been a rational person.
At this moment, he could only suppress his unwillingness and guilt in his heart, and spare no effort to prepare for the advancement, absolutely not allowing himself to fail.
"Of course, the organization providing these materials is not free of charge. Once you advance to the Eighth Level, you will repay the debt by operating the Xin Huo Academy well."
...
Treasures containing 'Sword' rule fragments were difficult to find, but Xin Huo was no longer the small organization it once was.
Mission Guilds were spread throughout the Shattered Sea, and they often obtained secret information. This information, compiled and filtered by Xiao Huan, sometimes yielded valuable intelligence. He would then create related tasks and post them on the Xin Huo platform for eligible formal members to execute.
In this way, the organization gained income, employees found work, and the future looked very bright.
In the Yunhui Great Domain, Xin Huo had been operating for a short time, but its ability to acquire high-end intelligence might even surpass that of the Shattered Sea.
—The Xin Huo Academy now had many students with extraordinary backgrounds.
In contrast, the Mission Guild in the Shattered Sea, despite its large scale, only served ordinary Awakened individuals. The 'important figures' they could interact with were basically top mercenary group leaders at most.
The information obtainable by the Mission Guild was comprehensive but leaned towards the mid to low end.
With this thought, Fang You instructed Xiao Huan to post several tasks in the Mission Hall and display them prominently.
"Sword, Rock, Underworld... Wait, posting all these demanding tasks can help obscure the main objective, and it's also good to be prepared."
...
The Mission Hall of Xin Huo Academy was as bustling as ever, with many prospective students gazing intently at the rotating task listings on the surrounding screens.
It was rumored that the number of tasks executed and the evaluation of those tasks also affected whether a prospective student could become a formal member.
Therefore, many students took it very seriously.
This was also for the sake of cultivation.
The current prospective students had been screened through successive rounds of ordinary admissions. Compared to the first batch of visitors, their motives were more sincere; they came for cultivation and to become stronger, and many genuinely wished to join a powerful organization like Xin Huo Academy that offered generous benefits.
—Except for a very small number of spies mixed among the prospective students.
Princess Mia, despite her noble title, was no different from ordinary students. Within the academy, credits could not be traded, and royalty had to work diligently.
Of course, as a princess with the Super Oasis behind her, she still possessed some advantages that ordinary people lacked.
Whether it was sourcing task materials or finding clues, she could call for help. However, even with many experts at her disposal, she still had to personally undertake the missions, both due to the academy's regulations and as a form of training.
Yet, even with Mia's advantages far exceeding those of ordinary students, she still lamented that her credits were insufficient.
There were too many areas within Xin Huo Academy that required credits!
Outsiders might think that the most attractive aspect of the academy was its various inheritance grounds. But Mia knew that wasn't the case. As the princess of the Yuntu Kingdom, she possessed many extra abilities and wasn't lacking in ordinary inheritances. However, within the academy's exchange area, there were treasures that made it impossible for her to look away.
The Lotus Pond, the Serene Lake, the Trial Ladder – these inheritance grounds all possessed magical effects. Once she tried them, she couldn't tolerate her previous slow cultivation speed.
And then there were the courses taught by Mythical mentors and professors...
These were all rare opportunities outside.
At Xin Huo Academy, anything could be obtained, but it required credits.
"Credits, credits, credits..."
Muttering to herself, Mia arrived at the Mission Hall.
The moment she stepped inside, the noisy sounds were greatly muted. Most of the students in the hall were focused intently on the task screens, and any conversations were held in hushed tones.
"Your Highness, which mission should we accept? I think the mission to transport resources from Mining Area 36 is good... This is a multiplayer mission, but with Your Highness's ample manpower, you could complete it all by yourself and claim all the credits."
"This mission to collect Tribulation Wave Lotuses is also good. We can directly retrieve some from the royal palace's warehouse."
"And this one... and this one..."
The maidservant chattered.
Mia glanced at them.
These missions were suitable for her, but they were all ordinary, daily tasks, and many similar ones were still posted in the Mission Hall.
And she knew that there were also a small number of special missions that could be posted here.
—These were tasks with extremely limited numbers, time constraints, specific objectives, but also exceptionally generous rewards.
Mia was looking for this kind of mission.
"However, perhaps only formal students can access more special missions. The few I've heard of before were snatched up by people in the Mission Hall the moment they appeared."
As she thought this, her gaze swept across and suddenly fixed on a certain spot.
A mission with an exceptionally eye-catching prefix.
「Mission: Seek 'Sword'」
「Mission Description: ...」
This was a special mission with super-generous rewards!
If she could produce the 'Sword', she wouldn't have to worry about credits for a long time. Even if she only provided a clue... as long as the clue was confirmed to be valid, she would receive a large sum of credits, equivalent to dozens or even hundreds of ordinary missions!
"The special mission 'Sword' seems to have been posted for a while, yet no one has accepted it?"
"No, this mission doesn't seem to limit the number of accepters, and besides..."
She read the mission description for a moment and understood why no one had accepted it.
The mission required finding a treasure related to the 'Sword' rule fragment. But what was a rule fragment? Most students would be bewildered after looking at it for a moment. Mia, being from a major royal family, was aware of such secrets.
"Princess, do you want to accept this mission?"
"I'm thinking. This mission is not easy."
Mia said.
She didn't know if her royal family possessed such a treasure, but even if they did, it wasn't something a mere princess like her could obtain.
Epic materials like Tribulation Wave Lotuses, as long as the quantity wasn't large, she could extract freely.
Legendary materials, she also had a chance to obtain.
But treasures with rule fragments...
She thought about it again and again, and it was completely impossible. No amount of pleading and cajoling would work.
"Wait..."
She didn't have the complete treasure, but she had a clue!
She had once followed a royal elder through the periphery of a dangerous area and seen a broken mountain peak in the distance.
It seemed to be...
She immediately exited the secret realm and sent a message to her elder. After some playful begging, she finally obtained a more complete clue and the right to use it.
"This clue was internally assessed as having low value."
"It seems to be because the dangerous area is too perilous, and the clue also has uncertainty... e"
"Reverend Luoxiu."
"Your Sixteenth Highness."
This Mythical figure, appearing to be in his thirties or forties, wore a red bandana on his forehead and exuded a sense of weathered experience. "Your Highness, I will guarantee your safety on this journey, but you must follow my arrangements."
Mia frowned. "My mission is only to guide and assist the academy's mentors."
"Of course, Your Highness's mission takes precedence, but if I judge the path ahead to be too dangerous, I cannot allow Your Highness to proceed further."
As they spoke, the surrounding guards dared not utter a word.
Their eyes on their noses, their noses on their mouths, their minds focused, they stood rigidly.
Soon, Princess Mia's bracelet vibrated. She glanced at it and said, "We should depart."
In the distance,
The top of the magnificent palace slowly opened, and a colossal airship, resembling a great white shark and hundreds of meters long, slowly ascended, casting a large shadow under the sunlight.
"It's a White Shark-class airship!"
"The famous airship of the Candela Empire!"
The mission destination was in the Yunhui Great Domain.
Traveling across domains was a long journey, so it was natural to take a vehicle to avoid wasting time on pointless travel. The Candela Empire's armed transport airships not only possessed offensive and defensive capabilities but also the ability to perform spatial jumps.
Their comprehensive value far surpassed that of the Cloud Kun airships.
Mia led her group onto the airship. However, the airship wasn't just carrying them; many students who had accepted missions would also be traveling to the Yunhui Great Domain via the airship.
This was Xin Huo Academy's own flight.
Upon boarding the airship, Mia proceeded to Cabin Three according to the mission instructions.
She would meet with the academy's mentors here.
"Teacher Anna?!"
A figure with beautiful golden hair appeared before her eyes.
This Mentor Anna was one of the several mentors at the academy who taught spellcasting experience and skill control techniques, and she was also one of the most popular mentors.
Mia's major was in the magic system. She not only attended all of Mentor Anna's public lectures but also spent credits to enroll in her specialized courses.
"Are you in charge of this mission?"
"No,"
Anna said. "Miss An... no, Professor An is the leader of this mission~"
She winked.
At this moment, Mia noticed another person in the cabin.
She had black hair cascading to her shoulders, a flawless, delicate face, and stood without any presence, as if she were an elf stepped out of a painting, slightly unreal, a bit... ethereal!
"Professor An."
Recovering her senses, Mia quickly offered a greeting in the Yuntu Kingdom's formal etiquette.
After all, she was a professor!
At the academy, professors held a higher status than mentors. However, Mia didn't seem to have seen this Professor An before.
...
Xin Huo had a safe route from the academy to the Yunhui Great Domain, and the airship possessed a certain spatial traversal capability.
In just three days, Mia arrived at the Yunhui Great Domain, the territory of the Yuntu Kingdom.
While it was referred to as their country's territory, it was still tens of thousands of miles away from the region truly controlled by the Yuntu Kingdom. The various great powers in the Yunhui Great Domain had divided the land among themselves, but most of these 'territories' were uninhabited zones, or even dangerous places that even Sixth Level Awakened dared not enter.
The place they were about to head to was a dangerous area named 'Valley of Silent Annihilation'.
"Professor, here is the map. There are three routes to choose from. The shortest route takes about two days, but it's more dangerous. The longest one takes about..."
The several Sixth Level guards Mia brought quickly secured their surroundings, killing the evil spirits emerging from the gray fog.
Mythical Reverend Luoxiu stood with his arms crossed, maintaining a cool demeanor.
However, his peripheral vision was observing the two strong individuals from Xin Huo Academy.
Mentor, Professor!
Their titles indicated they were both Mythical beings.
Given the foundation Xin Huo Academy had displayed so far, Luoxiu, no matter how cool, dared not underestimate these two Xin Huo Mythicals. It was just... they were too young, weren't they?
Mentor Anna might be a newly promoted Mythical, so her youth could be understood, but why did this Professor An appear to be... even younger!
Like a girl more youthful than the Sixteenth Princess.
Could they truly lead the princess through to the depths of the dangerous area?
"Understood. If you have no objections, let's prepare to depart,"
Professor An said.
As the leader of the guards, Luoxiu had to confirm, "Which path shall we take?"
The black-haired girl shook her head. "Do not resist."
Saying this, her black hair danced, and an endless darkness spread out, engulfing the sky and the earth.
Just as Mythical Luoxiu's heart tightened and he prepared to act, the darkness that had made him feel heart palpitations and dread suddenly receded.
Before his eyes was a gray fog much denser than before. He heard the continuous roars of evil spirits, vibrating the air.
In the distance, broken black mountain peaks were faintly visible in the thick fog.
"Where is this..."
Mythical Luoxiu felt a sense of familiarity.
When he received the mission, he had also glanced at the information briefly, but hadn't looked closely.
Princess Mia, who had traversed the periphery of a dangerous area before, almost jumped up, stammering, "This is... this is the Valley of Silent Annihilation!"
The Valley of Silent Annihilation!
The dangerous area, which was at least a two-day journey from the landing point, had been reached in the blink of an eye.
What kind of exaggerated ability was this!