Chapter 219 - 145: The Building Atlas Has Lit Up 5 Max Level Buildings
An idea suddenly struck him.
The Immortal Celestial Master had mentioned in the Jade Scroll that he had two great regrets in his life. The first was failing to decipher the Celestial Pillar Building Blueprint, and the second was failing to defend Jiangbei.
This statement likely wasn’t just an expression of regret; it might also hide the key to Jiangbei.
The character stroke count for Jiangbei is 11.
And 1+1 equals 11, symbolizing that when people unite—one person plus another person—it might look like two people standing together, but they can actually unleash the power of eleven.
The next moment—
A red light flashed on the Storage Ring, and the text on its panel changed.
-
[Incorrect Answer]
[Four incorrect attempts. Lockout period increased to 30 days. You may attempt again after 30 days. After the fifth incorrect attempt, the Storage Ring will self-destruct.]
-
"Dumbass."
Chen Fan shoved the continuously flashing red Storage Ring into his pocket with a blank expression, unable to stop himself from cursing. He truly couldn’t figure out the answer.
’I give up.’
’Perhaps I could figure out the answer if I just carefully investigated the Immortal Celestial Master’s life story.’
’But it’s been 8,000 years since the Immortal Celestial Master died!’
’Forget his descendants; besides me, no one on the entire Eternal Night Continent probably even knows this Architect’s name anymore. Where am I supposed to find his life story?’
This Storage Ring was supposed to hold all of the Immortal Celestial Master’s accumulated wealth over the years. It was the final trial of his inheritance, after all. And he just couldn’t get it. It was infuriating.
’When I make it big in the future...’
’I’m going to buy 100 Storage Rings, set them with all sorts of ridiculous passwords, and then scatter them all over Jiangnan. I’ll make whoever finds them grind their teeth in frustration. They have to suffer the same rain that drenched me.’
’Whatever.’
He turned and walked down the City Wall, pushing the matter from his mind. He decided to get back to upgrading other buildings and see if he could get any more of them to Max Level.
He had discovered from upgrading the Yunling Pavilion that for some buildings, the requirement for Heavenly and Earthly Treasures was just a single hurdle.
For example, upgrading the Yunling Pavilion from Level 4 to Level 5 required a Sea Embryo, but the subsequent upgrades required no materials at all. This suggested that once you cleared that hurdle, the rest of the upgrade path would be much easier.
But that wasn’t a hard and fast rule.
Take the Wind Tower, for example.
This uncommon Green Level building required a Wind-Resistant Pearl or a similar Exotic Treasure just to be built, and upgrading it to Level 3 required three more.
Of course, the Wind Tower in his camp was still Level 2. That went without saying. Where was he supposed to get three Wind-Resistant Pearls? ’Are they supposed to just fall from the sky? Or get blown in by the wind?’
...
Chen Fan walked down the City Wall.
He arrived at the junction between the canyon and the Celestial Pit, stood on the ground, and looked at the new Level 2 Earth Spike he had just crafted.
Crafting a Beast Trap only cost two Ghost Stones, and it cost another ten Ghost Stones to upgrade that Beast Trap into a Level 2 Earth Spike.
Back at his old camp, the Earth Spike had helped him out quite a bit, but he rarely used it after that. In his more recent battles, the trap had become less and less effective.
A Ghost King could jump up and down on one, and if you asked what it was doing, you’d find out it was just using the spikes to scrape the calluses off its heels.
After spending 20 Ghost Stones, he upgraded the Earth Spike to Level 3.
-
[Earth Spike upgraded to Level 3. Must be placed in a fixed location and cannot be moved. Can be triggered multiple times.]
[Please choose an Upgrade Direction.]
[1: Increase Earth Spike’s power.]
[2: Blends almost perfectly with the surrounding terrain.]
[3: Increase the speed of the Earth Spike’s retraction.]
-
He casually chose the first option. For a cheap, disposable trap like the Earth Spike, it didn’t really matter what he picked. His main concern was whether it would require special materials before reaching Max Level.
If it didn’t, he would upgrade it all the way.
If it did, he would abandon it.
Soon, after spending 50 Ghost Stones to reach Level 4, he casually chose the first option again.
He then spent another 100 Ghost Stones to raise it to Level 5.
-
[Earth Spike has been upgraded to Level 5.]
[Now at Max Level. Cannot be upgraded further.]
[Acquired Max Level Effect ’Self-Imprisonment’: Emits an aura that mesmerizes Ghost Objects, causing them to approach of their own accord.]
-
"Hmm..."
Chen Fan was lost in thought. He hadn’t expected it to reach Max Level at just Level 5. ’Perhaps I can deploy some Level 5 Earth Spikes near Nameless Mountain.’
He had used this very method to hunt Ghost Objects just a few days ago.
But—
they were all gone.
He hadn’t killed many before he ran out of traps. He didn’t know if the Ghost Objects had gotten smarter or if he had simply cleared out the immediate area. ’Either way, they’re cheap. I’ll go lay down a new batch later.’
A Max Level Earth Spike only cost 182 Ghost Stones in total.
"Tsk."
He glanced at the now-illuminated "Earth Spike" icon in his Building Atlas and nodded in satisfaction. He loved this feeling—lighting up the grayed-out icons one by one.
He had now unlocked four Max Level Buildings.
’Just one more, and I’ll get another reward.’
’What other building can I get to Max Level?’
He scanned the various buildings around him.
’Arrow Tower?’
’No, that thing is a material sink.’
’The City Wall?’
’Even worse. That thing needs a Monkey Head Fruit to get to Level 7.’
’Farmland?’
’Hmm... that might work. It doesn’t have any Upgrade Directions to choose from, so it probably doesn’t require any special materials either.’
Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and boarded the nearby Nine-Five Dragon Carriage. He looked at the Mortal Realm Member sitting in the driver’s seat and said, "To Xiyang City."
...
「Xiyang City.」
This city, located next to Mortal City, had no merchant guilds passing through. The Dragon Carriage drove directly through the open gates and into the city proper. Covered in mud, Qi Chong came running out from the Farmland, panting heavily.