A week later.
Sitting on the bed covered in blood, I patched my wounds with the Heal element and cursed myself for sucking at school. Otherwise, I couldn't explain how, after reading specialized lit on seeds, I'd miscalculate so badly that I hit not the Spiritual rank phase, but the Soul rank!
At first, everything went fine. I pinned down the time period when the seed should peak at Spiritual rank. Then I zipped to a parallel reality and bought element detectors. It's a hot commodity—hunters use them to find natural treasures.
Next, I checked the approximate spatial coordinates of Luyashan and shifted to the parallel world at those coords and time. Snowy forest around me, snow-covered mountain ahead. It was a small peak with no notable resources back then, so no strong monsters expected. But I stayed alert.
Applying fourfold Speed Boost to myself, I scouted the area with Spirit Element and cautiously headed to one of four points. For ease, I'd divided the mountain into four sectors; scanning each would map elemental particle clusters.
I reached the first point without issue and started scanning. Since scanners draw monsters, a trio of Ice Dragon Horses charged me—mid-to-high Servant strength.
I hit them with Spirit Element and unleashed mid-Initial Tier spatial fourth step "Spatial Blade," but tweaked the spell so the blade split into three weaker ones, lopping off the three horses' heads. No need to conserve energy now—if needed, I'd return to my world, recover, and continue.
Finishing the first scan, I pressed on. After the second point, I returned home to refill my reserves. Shame my cultivation wasn't strong enough yet to recover via Law.
After scanning all four points and resting again, I headed to the big ice particle cluster—which turned out to be a cave.
As soon as I entered, I sensed two things: first, the seed had recently advanced to Soul level and was unstable, shown by the uneven magical field. Second, Spirit Element picked up a strong soul trace, and from the corner of my eye, I spotted a dead Ice Dragon Horse pack leader in the cave corner.
Gut screaming danger, I canceled the world-walking spell, but as it pushed me back to my world, an ice Vilyuk at Junior Commander level materialized from thin air and slashed me with its claws.
And here I am in my apartment, healing. Vilyuks are half-elemental beings, so they blend with their element's background. Without my spatial shield and artifact armor softening the blow, I'd be a corpse.
Apparently, the seed's Soul breakthrough drew the Vilyuk—before that, the cave was clearly held by the Ice Dragon Horse pack leader, who died less than a day ago judging by the corpse.
Once fully healed and rested, I first shifted to parallel Bo City during the catastrophe—to loot resources for sale. Because without better armor and shield backups, I wasn't doing runs like that anymore.
A couple days later, I re-entered the ice cave—but a week earlier chronologically. As expected, a live mid-pack-leader Ice Dragon Horse greeted me.
Same playbook: Spirit Element to its mind, then while it recovered, mid-Tier spatial first step "Compression" on its hind leg, shattering it. While it screamed in pain, under fourfold Speed Boost I pelted it with Spatial Blades.
When a full Warrior-level soul dropped into my pendant, I knew this mountain was my new soul farm spot. From Servant-level horses, I got three souls plus one from their leader—better profit/time/safety ratio than Bo City catastrophe runs.
Locking that in my mind as my new soul-hunting ground, I turned to the cave wall glowing blue. The Spiritual Seed's spot.
Blasting the wall with spatial element, I quickly absorbed it—doing something other mages would call stupid. Peak Spiritual Seeds are usually left to develop further for profitable sale, then buy a fitting one with the cash and pocket at least 180 million. But for someone who raids parallel worlds, money's dust.
After absorbing the Spiritual Seed, I bolted back to my world to play it safe—who knows if that Commander was lurking.
Now my ice element is boosted 3.99 times... rounding to four, since as we've established, I'm crap at math—no need for extra decimals.
Next on my boost list... I glanced at the Summon Element. Sorry buddy, after the next two plans, I'll get to you for sure.
First up, the easier one. In my past life, I nearly choked with envy seeing how Mo Fan's body changed after getting Demonization. Not his gym-rat build or that enhanced... part. But monster-level strength rivaling a rank higher.
I immediately tried learning if something similar was possible, purely for combat gains. Found only a much weaker historical mention.
In humanity's early magic days, pre-artifactоrics, mages sought body reinforcement to survive one monster hit.
I found refs to a Kunlun sect that developed and taught all comers their body reinforcement technique—Thunder Tyrant Calamity Body... Gods, those ancient names.
Essentially, only the name and lightning element use survived. Users had high mortality, so few dared learn it.
After artifactоrics and armor emerged, the technique was ditched and forgotten. Last mentions in ancient texts over 1800 years ago. But no issue for me.
No big danger expected. I knew the sect's old spot, and they'd have cleared monsters around their home—at least the strongest.
If they refused latecomers, I'd ask when the sect was founded and shift there. They'd take me at recruitment time... hopefully.