Chapter 180: Chapter 174: The Body Tempering Realm Is Fit to Test Spiritual Power?

"Why are so many people gathered over there?"

Su Yue suddenly said, pointing toward the southwest corner of the Trading Hall.

It was the liveliest spot in the entire Trading Hall, surrounded by a crowd several layers deep, making it impossible to get through.

Moreover, most of them were well-dressed elites from the various academies. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The words "Star Sea Technology" made Han Feng’s eyelids twitch.

It was one of the largest conglomerates in the Gaia Alliance.

They monopolized over sixty percent of the high-end Spiritual Energy Device supply in the entire East Sea Fortress City.

Even the military’s latest fighter jet engines were rumored to be a joint development between them and the Celestial Craft Group.

"Let’s go take a look."

Han Feng immediately changed direction and squeezed into the crowd.

After much effort, he squeezed to the front, and the scene before him was quite unexpected.

In the center of the area were three silvery-white, streamlined instruments.

They looked like some kind of extended dental chairs.

The head of each chair was connected to a fully-enclosed helmet covered in complex Runes and wires.

Beside them stood several precise monitoring terminals, their screens displaying jumping waveform data in various colors.

At that moment, three Martial Artists were lying on them, trying them out.

Two of them were trembling all over, their jaws clenched tight, sweat soaking the leather surface of the chairs beneath them.

The remaining one had his eyes rolled back and was letting out unconscious groans.

BEEP—

A piercing alarm sounded.

A staff member in a white Star Sea Technology uniform quickly stepped forward, cut the power, and removed the helmet from the Martial Artist whose eyes had rolled back.

"Spiritual overload. Take him away and give him a Type-C tranquilizer."

The staff member skillfully directed his assistants to carry the man away.

Then he turned to the crowd of onlookers, a professional smile on his face.

"Fellow students, friends."

"This is the ’Spiritual Will Refining System,’ the latest development from our Star Sea Technology."

"As we all know, when breaking through from the Enlightenment Realm to the Divine Containment Realm, the biggest bottleneck isn’t Qi Blood, but the transformation of one’s Spiritual Power."

"Many geniuses get stuck at this step, unable to perceive the world and condense their Divine Sense for the rest of their lives."

As soon as he said this, many of the older students in the Meridian Passage Realm unconsciously nodded, their expressions grim.

The staff member was very pleased with this reaction and continued speaking.

"To solve this problem, our company extracted the Life Domain fluctuations of a certain high-dimensional creature in our Subspace laboratory, deep within the Void Fog."

"This system can perfectly simulate the spiritual pressure of creatures from Tier Two to Tier Three Peak."

"Under safe and controllable conditions, you can efficiently refine your spiritual will by resisting this pressure, making it more condensed and tenacious."

"This was originally internal equipment for the military and High Tier Martial Artists. We have set up this experience point specifically to collect more practical combat data."

At this point, the staff member paused and held up a single finger.

"The trial price is fifty Spirit Coins per session, for a duration of ten minutes."

"It comes with a complimentary ’Spiritual Relaxation Potion,’ which can eliminate over ninety-five percent of the negative side effects."

"Fifty Spirit Coins?"

A collective gasp came from the crowd.

For that price, you could buy a decent piece of Tier One Middle Grade Protective Equipment from the stalls outside.

But here, you only get to sit in the "electric chair" for ten minutes?

"Is anyone really going to be a sucker for this?"

Wang Meng muttered quietly from the back.

"That price isn’t expensive."

Su Yue explained in a low voice.

"Spiritual Type cultivation resources are astronomically priced to begin with."

"Besides, look at that authorization letter from the council. This is an officially endorsed project, so its safety is guaranteed."

Han Feng squeezed through the crowd to the very front.

At this moment, a burly bald man was sitting on one of the devices.

Judging by his attire, he was a squad leader from the City Defense Army, with a Cultivation at the Meridian Passage Realm Second Layer.

He wore the silver helmet, his hands gripping the armrests so tightly that the veins on his arms bulged like tangled cords.

His teeth were grinding loudly, and sweat poured off him like rain.

"Hold on!"

"The current pressure level is equivalent to the Life Domain pressure of a Tier Two Late Stage Demon Beast!"

The researcher stared at the data on the screen and shouted excitedly.

"His spiritual fluctuations are still within the safe range! He can try to push his limits!"

"AHH—!"

The bald man suddenly let out a miserable scream, shot up as if electrocuted, and tore off the helmet.

He gasped for breath, his face as white as a sheet of paper.

"I can’t... It’s too terrifying..."

The bald man waved his hand, still shaken.

"One minute and forty-five seconds. Not bad, not bad at all."

The researcher handed him a light blue test tube.

"This is the complimentary ’Soothing and Repairing Liquid.’ Drink it, and your Spiritual Power will become a sliver more condensed than before."

The bald man took the Potion and downed it in one gulp, then closed his eyes to regulate his breathing for a moment.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze, which had been somewhat unfocused, was indeed a little sharper.

"Good stuff!"

The bald man praised, paid his money without hesitation, and left.

The crowd of onlookers immediately erupted in a commotion.

In this godforsaken place, the stronger your Spiritual Power, the stronger your ability to resist the corrosion of Spirit Bodies during the Gloom Period.

"I’ll give it a try too."

Zhang Hao was tempted.

As a captain, he knew full well that Spiritual Power was his weakness.

He stepped forward and handed over fifty Spirit Coins.

"Meridian Passage Realm Third Layer?"

The researcher glanced at Zhang Hao’s data.

"A good foundation."

"For safety, we’ll start the settings at the pressure of a Tier Two Middle Stage."

Zhang Hao put on the helmet.

The device activated with a low hum.

After just half a minute, Zhang Hao’s brows knitted together.

A minute later, cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

At the two-minute mark, his body began to tremble slightly.

"Stop."

Zhang Hao raised his hand.

The device stopped. Zhang Hao took off the helmet and let out a long breath.

"It really is intense."

"It feels like you’re being stared down by a Lord Level Demon Beast, its pressure constantly bearing down on your nerves."

"The process of resisting that pressure really does have a refining effect."

Seeing that even a tough guy like Zhang Hao could only last two minutes, the number of people in the crowd who wanted to try instantly dropped by half.

Han Feng had been observing quietly the whole time.

Through his Spiritual Vision, he could clearly see that the moment the helmet activated, it released a special frequency wave.

This wave wasn’t generated from nothing; it simulated the bio-magnetic field of some extremely high-dimensional creature.

The structure of that magnetic field was surprisingly similar to the Tier One Spirit Body he had encountered outside, but it was purer, and far vaster.

"I’d like to try."

Han Feng stepped forward and took out fifty Spirit Coins.

The researcher took the money, looked up at Han Feng, and frowned slightly.

"Student, judging by your clothes, you’re at the Body Tempering Realm?"

A few light chuckles came from the crowd.

Wasn’t a Body Tempering Realm cultivator joining in on this just asking for trouble?

"What’s wrong with the Body Tempering Realm?"

"So what if my brother has money to burn?"

Wang Meng shot back from behind, glaring.

"It’s not about the money."

The researcher waved his hand, a little impatiently.

"Even at its lowest setting, this machine produces the pressure of a Tier Two Early Stage."

"If your Sea of Consciousness isn’t stable enough, it could easily collapse and you’d become an idiot."

"We have to be responsible for our test subjects."

"I’ll take full responsibility if anything happens."

Han Feng’s tone was calm. He picked up the liability waiver from the table and signed his name with a few quick strokes.

"Let’s begin."

The name of that Star Sea Technology researcher was Zhao Hai.

He pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and glanced down at the flamboyant signature on the waiver.

Han Feng.

"Body Tempering Realm..."

Zhao Hai muttered, his fingers tapping quickly on the control console.

"Fine. If you’re determined to suffer, I can’t stop you."

"However, to avoid turning your brain to mush, I’ll lock the initial intensity at Tier Two Early Stage."

"Suit yourself."

Han Feng adjusted himself into a comfortable position, lay back, and closed his eyes.

An extremely faint humming sound came from within the helmet.

Immediately after, an invisible ripple enveloped his head.