radiothebook Chapter 309 - 302: [The Fledgling King is About to Ascend the Throne!!!]
Chapter 309 - 302: [The Fledgling King is About to Ascend the Throne!!!]
When it came to the Mount Everest expedition, Shi Ming was without a doubt the one who had gained the most.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d killed six birds with one stone.
Beyond the Jianmu Seedling, the Snow-Capped Verdure, the Holy Hall Remnant Branch, the Arm of Conquest, and his contribution from Da Yu, the three secret manuals recorded on the great stele were the greatest spoils of his journey: *Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower*, *Burning Soul Poem*, and *Nameless*.
Unlike the skills gained from bathing in Sea Beast Blood, cultivating these three secret manuals granted something called "Civilization Esoterica."
They weren’t skills, but legacies in essence.
Only beings capable of founding an entire civilization could create such mysterious and unfathomable Civilization Esoterica. Learning these legacies required not only meeting strict conditions but also using the esoterica itself as a guide. Furthermore, their power wasn’t static; it could be continuously strengthened and enhanced through the recorded cultivation methods.
Take *Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower*, for example. It was a defense-type esoterica.
After cultivating it, one could condense a Heaven-Reaching Tower within their Sea of Spirit. The tower was built in sections of twenty floors. Only when one’s Spiritual Power reached 100, 300, 500, 1,000, and 3,000 points, respectively, could they learn to condense the next twenty-floor section to guard their Sea of Spirit. Once the Heaven-Reaching Tower reached one hundred floors, one’s Spiritual Power would become perfectly unified and flawless in both control and defense.
It was said that with it, one man could hold the line against ten thousand, capable of defending against all spiritual attacks from any being less than a god!
The second secret manual was *Burning Soul Poem*.
Also known as the *Blazing Burning Soul Poem*.
This was a do-or-die esoterica. Its effect was somewhat similar to "respeccing" in *Elden Ring*, a game Shi Ming had played in his past life.
It allowed one to reallocate their stats:
When trapped in a desperate situation, the user could burn their maximum Physical Strength, Endurance, and Defense Power to permanently increase their maximum Attack Power or Spiritual Power—the choice was theirs.
In an extreme case, one could completely respec a "tank" into a "glass cannon" to experience the incredible thrill of dishing out maximum damage.
However, it was crucial to note that both the sacrificed stats and the gained stats were permanent. The change could not be undone; it was irreversible.
Once you chose to become a glass cannon, you had to accept the risk of being fragile. The thrill was temporary, but the consequences were permanent.
The final secret manual was titled *Nameless*.
It appeared to be the most ordinary of the esoterica, yet its origins were the most mysterious. It was said to have been left behind by a god. The requirements to cultivate it were absurdly high; no one had ever truly succeeded. One needed all five of their core stats to exceed 1,000 points just to be qualified to *begin* to understand it, and even that didn’t guarantee they could learn it.
Using it wasn’t flashy either.
True to its name, it was simple. There were no preparatory movements. The user only had to raise their hand and snap their fingers to reset everything in their line of sight, returning it to a desired point in time. It was said that at the peak of its cultivation, one could even rewind time back to the origin of the universe.
In reality, however, no being had ever truly achieved such a feat.
These were the three powerful secret manuals recorded on the great stele.
’Right now, I can only cultivate *Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower* and *Burning Soul Poem*. The first is a defensive esoterica; learning it is a good precaution to have, just in case.’
’The latter allows for respeccing. While I’m quite satisfied with my five core stats right now, there might come a day when I need higher Attack Power for an emergency. When that time comes, *Burning Soul Poem* will be a lifesaver! What’s more, when combined with Tenfold Power, the value of *Burning Soul Poem* increases tenfold!’
’Totally worth it!’
’As for *Nameless*, the requirements are just too high. With my current stats, I’m not even qualified to begin. Even with the guidance from the great stele’s manual, there’s no way I can cultivate it.’
’I can only say it’s something to look forward to in the future!’
...
...
...
Besides studying the secret manuals from the stele, Shi Ming also accomplished something major: he used his last Sailing Heart to upgrade the Da Yun to Level 5!
He could finally see the requirements for the Da Yun’s "ascension to King-level."
[Admiral-class Wandering Ship - Da Yun, ID# 23333]
[Level: 5]
[The young king is about to ascend the throne!!!]
[The light of the Admiral Trait "Crown Prince" has reached its peak, greatly increasing resistance to the King Traits of King-level Wandering Ships. When suppressed by a King Trait, it will gain 80% resistance. The Admiral Trait "Momentum Breaker" will be even more unstoppable, smashing through everything!]
[New Admiral Trait: General of the Hundred Generals]
[General of the Hundred Generals: When no King-level Wandering Ship is present, the Da Yun can forcibly borrow a King Trait (chosen randomly) one time from King-level Wandering Ships #001-007. Its power will be reduced to 60% of the original!]
[...]
[Advancement Requirements: Pure Dome Crystal x20,000, Flesh and Blood from any three types of Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts x10,000g, Sailing Star (or Energy Meteorite) x1]
Shi Ming scratched his head.
’The Da Yun... an Admiral-class Ship with three Admiral Traits!’
’Now it’s even gained an ultimate trait like [General of the Hundred Generals], which lets it borrow a King Trait from other King-level Wandering Ships! Even though its power is reduced, it’s an incredibly rare ability. Most importantly, the pool of ships it can borrow from includes the mysterious Ship #001!’
This also gave Shi Ming a chance to get a glimpse of Ship #001’s abilities.
But what surprised him most was that, thanks to his foresight, he had already gathered most of the materials needed for the Da Yun’s ascension to King-level!
’He hadn’t guessed wrong. Three types of Holy Hall-level Sea Beast Flesh and Blood.’
’He had them. He had them all!’
’The Abyss Lord, the Great Black Heaven Dragon, the Creation Celestial Pillar... more than enough!’
’He wasn’t short on Sailing Stars either. He had pried one off the Admiral-class Wandering Ship, the Moon Shadow, and fished another out of the Scorpion King’s Pyramid.’
’The only thing he was missing was some Pure Dome Crystals, but that wasn’t a problem.’
Most ships couldn’t possibly come up with 20,000 Pure Dome Crystals.
Including the Pure Dome Crystals from his trade with Da Yu for the Divine Revelation Stele (which hadn’t arrived yet), Shi Ming currently had 14,311 Pure Dome Crystals available. He was still short a little over 5,000 Crystal Stones from the 20,000 he needed.
’It wouldn’t be too difficult to gather that many Crystal Stones in a short amount of time.’
After all, Shi Ming had plenty of good stuff on hand.
’Why not hold a trade fair?’
’Just putting up a few things I don’t need or have in surplus would be enough to make the major factions feverish with greed. For example, the Sea Beast Flesh and Blood from the Deep Sea Titan, the Dusk Whale, and the Moonlight Ripple Beast, or the four Bodhi Fruits that are temporarily useless to me...’
’Oh, right! And the Abyss Lord’s vile tentacles!’
’That can be the grand finale!’
’I sliced off a dozen of those things last time. I’ve got plenty in storage!’
’Way more than I can use.’
’Hmm, I should probably make a list first. The items for sale can be expensive, but they have to be within reason. I can’t be too ostentatious. 100 grams of the Abyss Lord’s flesh and blood can be a show-stopping item. I’ll just say I found it by chance while exploring the Sea of Boiling. The flesh and blood from the three S-rank sea beasts can be sold as well...’
’As for artifacts... forget it.’
’There’s no such thing as a useless artifact, only an unsuitable situation. Even the Taunt Stone, which I haven’t used a single time since getting it, has potential. There’s no need to sell it off for a few Crystal Stones.’
’Fine, I’ll just sell the flesh and blood.’
’This will also let the various powers of the Endless Ocean, especially Ptolemy of the *Pharaoh*, learn a thing or two.’
’It’s time to show them what a true feast of sea beasts looks like!’