Rhett stared intently at Tylus, observing any changes. Tylus, feeling slightly uncomfortable under his father's gaze, awkwardly asked, "Father, why are you staring at me like this… huh?"
Mid-sentence, Tylus suddenly let out a small gasp of surprise and said uncertainly, "My spiritual power... it just increased a tiny bit out of nowhere! How is that possible? I wasn't meditating, nor did I take any alchemical potions, so how could it increase like this…?"
"Only spiritual power? Your body didn't get stronger?" Rhett's face showed an expression of realization, and he asked another question.
Tylus paused for a moment, flexing his arm. His muscles bulged, a clear sign of his third-level knight physique. He scratched his head and said, "Well, I think there's a slight improvement in my body too, but I was mainly focusing on my spiritual power, so I didn't really notice the physical side…"
"Finish eating and see." Rhett pointed at the steak.
"Could it be because of the steak?" Tylus widened his eyes in disbelief.
Looking at his father, then at the steak, Tylus licked his lips and devoured the rest of the steak with gusto. Closing his eyes, he concentrated and said, "Hmm, the steak seems to have a very faint energy that's flowing throughout my body, slightly boosting both my spiritual power and physical strength…"
"This is the result of the Blood Demon's essence being absorbed into the world," Rhett explained softly. "The Blood Demon specialized in devouring living beings and extracting power. Now that a sliver of its essence has merged into our transcendence system, it naturally has a similar effect."
"I see…" Tylus nodded in understanding. He pulled out a pack of dried meat from his spatial ring and stuffed a handful into his mouth. After chewing and swallowing, he smacked his lips in surprise and said, "Huh? The dried meat doesn't seem to have the same effect…"
"Perhaps the devouring power is too weak. It may only work with fresh blood and flesh," Rhett explained. "If more of the Blood Demon's essence were absorbed into the world, perfecting the rules, it might eventually allow for a much stronger, more direct boost."
"That makes sense…" Tylus nodded thoughtfully. "But that seems impossible in the short term. The Blood Demon already suffered a major loss. Even if it's unwilling, I doubt it would dare to invade again."
There was a hint of regret in Tylus' eyes as he shook his head. "What a shame… it would be great if there was more of it…"
Rhett's lips twitched. "If that essence were any stronger, the Blood Demon's avatar would've been much more powerful. I doubt you would've been born at all—by now, the entire world would have fallen."
"The Blood Demon was that strong? Didn't you already defeat it, Father?" Tylus asked with skepticism.
"There's always someone stronger. What I defeated was just an avatar, far from its main body, and it was weakened by fighting in another realm. If I fought the true Blood Demon in a fair duel, I probably wouldn't last a second…" Rhett analyzed objectively.
"Yikes!" Tylus gasped, his heart racing as he patted his chest. "In that case, I'll pass on that. But could you tell me more about the Netherworld?"
"We'll talk about it later. Time is short, and I have to leave now." Rhett patted Tylus on the shoulder and stood up, heading for the door.
"Alright then, please be careful!"
Rhett waved a hand. "Don't worry…"
After leaving the room, Rhett stepped onto the rooftop, letting the cold wind blow over him as he prepared to journey east in search of the Ice Empress.
Just then, a mist appeared, revealing Haipaster's figure. Excitement etched on his face, he approached Rhett eagerly and exclaimed, "Rhett, guess what I just discovered!"
Rhett glanced at Haipaster, sensing something intriguing, and feigned curiosity. "I was just about to find you. I had a steak earlier, and I'm guessing you're going to tell me… that consuming meat can provide more energy?"
"Exactly!" Haipaster rubbed his hands together, barely able to contain his excitement. His eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. "This is a monumental discovery! Do you know what this means?"
"Our world's living beings will continue to grow stronger?" Rhett shared his own insight.
"That's just part of it. This discovery has major implications for alchemy as well." Haipaster raised his head and spoke with conviction. "I conducted an urgent experiment just now. The meat of magical beasts contains far more energy than ordinary animals. I've named this energy 'Blood Source Power.' It's a unique force, one that we've never encountered before."
"Blood Source Power?" Rhett's interest piqued. Although he had introduced the Blood Demon's essence into the world, Haipaster's research might outpace his own understanding of it.
"Yes, it's a power derived from blood and flesh, but it surpasses the energy we've known before." Haipaster explained, "Ordinary animals contain only trace amounts of Blood Source Power, while magical beasts have much more. In the past, we couldn't absorb this energy from flesh at all. We only consumed meat superficially. But now, with every bite of meat, we can easily extract this Blood Source Power! It will strengthen every part of our bodies, giving ordinary people the chance to become transcendents."
After finishing, Haipaster looked at Rhett with bright eyes. "Isn't that incredible?"
Rhett's pupils contracted slightly, and he pretended to be shocked, quickly responding, "But is that really possible? Ordinary people have poor aptitude. Even if they can absorb Blood Source Power to enhance their spiritual power and physique, how much meat would they have to eat to reach the standard of a transcendent?"
Haipaster smiled mysteriously. "Eating alone won't cut it. Even if they gorged themselves, the best they could hope for is becoming stronger but still far from a transcendent. But I've had an idea—what if we used alchemical methods to extract and compress the Blood Source Power? Imagine a single potion containing the Blood Source Power from dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of magical beasts."
"It would be a miracle potion for ordinary people!" Rhett's breath quickened at the thought.
"Exactly. With how easily this Blood Source Power can be broken down, I'm confident, as a Saint-level alchemist, that I can find a way to compress it into a highly concentrated form!" Haipaster declared confidently.
If this path could be fully developed, Rhett would certainly be thrilled. It would provide his descendants with a tool to gain great power, even if they lacked talent. And with Rhett's current resources and position, providing an abundance of materials would be no issue.
Rhett spoke earnestly, "I believe in you! I look forward to hearing your success soon!"
"Haha, thank you." Haipaster grinned from ear to ear, clearly in a fantastic mood. "It looks like you're heading out again? Where to?"
"To… save the world…" Rhett replied with a cryptic smile. "You can wait for my good news too…"
Haipaster blinked in surprise, then shook his head with a chuckle. As he watched Rhett's figure rapidly disappear into the distance, he muttered to himself, "How did Blood Source Power just suddenly appear out of nowhere? Strange… did the world undergo some kind of mutation?"
Leaving the Ring Tower behind, Rhett flew eastward, crossing thousands of miles over the boundless ocean. He passed through the thunderous and stormy seas, finally arriving at the Far East after three days of travel.
Few knew what lay at the far eastern edge of the world. While a vast continent formed the solid center of the world, it was surrounded by endless oceans, dotted with islands of varying sizes. For ordinary people, reaching the ends of the world was impossible. Even high-level transcendents would need the aid of space rings and ample supplies to theoretically reach the southern, northern, or western edges of the world.
But the Far East was guarded by the perilous Stormy Seas, and no one below Saint-level could even attempt the journey.
Now, flying close to the sea, Rhett observed the fields of broken ice below. Based on the Ice Empress's description from the simulation, it was clear that thousands of years ago, this area had been an icy plain, much like the other edges of the world.
"The Ice Empress mentioned that their kingdom was relocated due to the influence of the Mermen…"
Rhett muttered to himself as he scanned his surroundings for signs of the Ice Empress, knowing he needed to find her as quickly as possible.
As the cold wind whipped across his face, Rhett flew low over the sea. Suddenly, he felt a strange pull from within his robes, where the Merman artifact fragment lay.
A force tugged at him, making the fabric over his chest flutter. Rhett came to a halt, pulling out the shell artifact and holding it in his hand.
Before setting off, Rhett had deliberately removed the shell from his space ring, wanting to see if it would react on the way. After all, the simulation had described how the shell had responded when it approached the Merman remains.
"Could the Merman ruins be right below?" Rhett's thoughts stirred as he gazed down at the crashing waves below. After a brief moment of consideration, he surrounded himself with a layer of earthen-colored light and began descending rapidly.
Using his mastery of Consolidation Essence, Rhett formed a thick armor around his body, shielding him from the icy seawater and the immense pressure of the deep.
After descending ten thousand meters, Rhett released a burst of light energy, illuminating the ocean floor like a powerful spotlight.
He slowly drifted downward, paying no heed to the strange, blind deep-sea creatures around him. Instead, he sent out his spiritual power, scanning every inch of the seafloor for anything unusual.
Crossing over a large underwater ridge, Rhett came to a halt before a massive trench.
This was where the disturbance had come from. The earth below seemed slightly unstable, as though something was hidden beneath it.
A torrent of spiritual energy surged from Rhett's body, lifting the surrounding sediment with immense force, churning the seawater into chaos.
Looking down from above, a deep pit, nearly a hundred meters wide, appeared at the bottom of the trench. A golden reflection caught Rhett's eye, and he squinted slightly. Below lay a set of ancient ruins, resembling a palace in structure, but now dilapidated and in ruins.
At the center of the ruins sat a peculiar gold-plated object. Rhett's gaze turned curious. The device was rectangular and golden in color. Judging by its appearance alone, it looked very much like a… golden coffin.
Arriving at the ruined palace, Rhett circled around the golden coffin, studying the engravings on its surface.
With a thought, Rhett connected to his home world and transmitted a live image of the scene to the simulation space where Manu resided.
This was a new function he had recently discovered. Ever since his home had fused with the world, its openness had significantly increased. Rhett had recently realized he could transmit real-time images to the simulation space.
"Manu, take a look at these alchemical engravings. Are they anything special? What do they do?" Rhett relayed his request.
"I recognize these engravings. They're designed to mask auras, but their main function is actually to heal injuries…" Manu's voice echoed in Rhett's mind.
Rhett's expression changed as his interest grew. "I did sense a concealment effect from the alchemical array, but clearly, it's been damaged by time and is leaking energy, which is how I detected it. But when could an alchemical array heal injuries?"
"The archives at Goldblood Academy mention that this alchemical technique was created by the top alchemist of ten thousand years ago, Mark. He pioneered the combination of alchemical potions with alchemical arrays and equipment, paving a new path in alchemy. Sadly, his methods only lasted for a brief moment."
"Did they fall into obscurity?"
"Yes. It's said that Mark was a reclusive and eccentric individual who had no interest in establishing an alchemical faction. His abrasive personality earned him many enemies among the Saint-levels, and he was ultimately ostracized." Manu sighed, "It's such a shame. If his techniques had been passed down, alchemy today would be far more advanced."
"There's really a story like that?" Rhett was surprised. "Why have I never heard of him?"
"He made too many enemies, was ostracized, and vanished. I suspect he was assassinated. His legacy was sparse, and he had little contact with the outside world, so it's no wonder he's been forgotten by history."
"Well, that's easy enough to fix. We can go back ten thousand years, and you can have a chat with him!" Rhett chuckled lightly.
Manu's voice lit up with excitement. "That sounds fantastic! I've been hoping for such a chance. Thank you!"
After circling the area, Rhett found nothing else of value. The stones had endured the crushing pressure of the deep sea and the ravages of time for so long that they crumbled to dust at the slightest touch.
Returning to the golden coffin, it became clear that this was the only item of value in the ruins.
After Manu's analysis, it seemed that the golden coffin was in a partially worn state, with some functions degraded but not entirely lost.
Opening the lid, a foul stench filled the water.
Rhett quickly covered his nose and furrowed his brow. Clearly, the coffin's healing functions had long since failed, otherwise, such a powerful odor wouldn't be present.
That said, the fact that the corpse within hadn't completely decayed into bones or dust showed just how effective the coffin's preservation functions had been. Even alchemical potions couldn't achieve such a result.
This discovery only strengthened Rhett's resolve to travel back ten thousand years and meet this eccentric genius alchemist!
Inside the coffin lay a Merman's corpse. Its upper body remained intact, while its lower half had already begun to decay, revealing exposed bones.
Rhett couldn't discern the identity of the Merman from the corpse alone. He had already examined the walls, the floor, and the interior and exterior of the coffin, but there were no inscriptions or symbols to indicate who the Merman might have been.