Chapter Forty-One: Power and Realm

“I heard there’s a level seven magical beast egg at this year’s egg gambling festival.”
“A level seven magical beast egg? I’ve never even seen a level seven magical beast before!”
“Even if they gave us a level seven magical beast egg, we’d never manage to raise it!”
“That’s right. Imagine how many magic crystals a level seven magical beast would need to reach that level!”
…
Watching the crowds flowing toward Nicholas City and listening to their chatter, Wang Luo recalled that the attendant had mentioned a so-called egg gambling festival tonight. Wang Luo immediately decided that after selling his magic crystals, he would go see this event for himself.

Egg gambling—Wang Luo had read about it in books. It involved gathering a multitude of unidentified magical beast eggs, allowing people to pick one at will. As for what kind of magical beast lay inside, sometimes even the sellers had no idea. The eggs were acquired from adventurers and mercenary groups, with sources as varied and mysterious as the beasts themselves. You might get lucky and stumble upon an egg of a high-level magical beast, but most people only ended up with eggs of level two or three beasts.

Mages and warriors could infuse their magic or battle energy into the magical beast eggs. Once the egg accumulated enough energy, the beast would break out, and a human could then sign a master-servant contract with it. Of course, humans could also choose to sign the contract directly with the egg, but since the contract could only be made once, nearly everyone waited until the beast successfully hatched and its nature was confirmed before sealing the bond, though this made the contract much harder to establish.

“So the magical beasts of the Profound Sky Continent all burst forth from eggs. I wonder how those in the oceans are born—if they lay eggs, does the sea become a vast field of drifting magical beast eggs…?”

With these idle musings, Wang Luo arrived at a shop that purchased magic crystals. Inside, he saw many varieties of crystals on display and only a single elderly man, about fifty or sixty years old. Remembering the egg gambling festival, Wang Luo felt at ease.

“Heh heh, young fellow, are you here to buy magic crystals?” the old man asked cheerfully as Wang Luo browsed.

“No, I’m here to sell some magic crystals.”

“Oh? Let me have a look!” The old man’s eyes brightened with interest. Wang Luo tipped the contents of a cloth bag onto the table—magic crystals clattered out in a cascade.

“Hmm, not bad. Thirty level one magic crystals, twenty-five level two, ten level three, and one level four,” the old man observed, surprise flickering in his gaze. “Some of these crystals have already had part of their magical element refined. Two thousand five hundred gold coins—how does that sound?” After a brief calculation, he named his price.

Wang Luo knew the market rates: a level one magic crystal was around three gold coins, a level two about ten, a level three a hundred, and a level four a thousand gold coins. He’d estimated the value before coming, and the old man’s offer was very close. Since most of these crystals weren’t even ones Wang Luo had harvested himself—they’d been gathered from the belongings of some unlucky souls—he nodded without argument.

“Add these two crystals as well, and make it two thousand gold coins,” Wang Luo said, reaching into the box strapped to his back and pulling out two glowing red crystals, handing them to the old man.

“One from a peak level four magical beast, and one from a mid-stage level five beast!”

The old man examined the crystals, then glanced at Wang Luo’s very ordinary-looking box, feeling somewhat frustrated: Was he really getting old? He hadn’t sensed the energy fluctuations from the crystals at all. Was there something unusual about that box…?

“Two thousand gold coins is fine. If you have any more crystals, we’ll buy them all—our prices are always fair!” Unable to detect anything from the box, the old man offered.

“That’s all I have,” Wang Luo replied crisply. He was not surprised the old man could instantly identify the crystals’ levels, since Wang Luo himself could see through the old man’s strength: peak level six, and on the verge of breaking through to level seven.

Wang Luo’s ability to perceive these things stemmed from his powerful spiritual sense. As a transmigrant, his soul and spiritual power were already strong, and his cultivation in both nameless internal arts and body-forging techniques had further honed his perception. Controlling the Heartfire and condensing the Blood Pearl also trained his senses, making them exceptionally potent.

Though Wang Luo’s own cultivation was at level five, his spiritual sense had reached level six. Since the old man was not concealing his strength, Wang Luo could see straight through him. Had the old man masked his aura, Wang Luo might not have noticed.

After easily obtaining two thousand gold coins, Wang Luo slung his box over his shoulder, bought some tasty snacks to toss inside, and made his way to Nicholas Square, eager to witness the egg gambling festival.

Through extensive reading, Wang Luo had examined his own cultivation and realized that, while living with his lion parents, he’d consumed high-level magical beasts daily and absorbed tremendous energy. His cultivation had soared quickly, but his spiritual realm had not kept pace. This imbalance was dangerous and would hinder his progress in the future.

Though the concept of ‘spiritual realm’ was elusive, he’d found explanations and methods for improvement in the books stored in his spatial ring. In essence, one’s spiritual realm is a matter of insight—a person’s understanding of life, and their grasp of the power they possess. After weathering trials and tribulations, the spiritual realm rises, and cultivation naturally follows.

Of course, not everyone who experiences hardship will improve; it depends on one’s comprehension. Early on, talent is vital, but later, comprehension becomes paramount. The cultivation notes of predecessors stored in his spatial ring all emphasized the importance of insight, especially for those seeking to advance beyond level seven. Ancestors of the Golden Grid family had specifically warned against forcibly raising cultivation by swallowing vast amounts of pills, as it would severely impede future growth.

When the cultivation and spiritual realms of two individuals are similar, the one with the higher realm will always have the advantage, assuming equal external conditions. Those who rely solely on pills to boost their strength are often at the bottom of their tier. Except for those who are desperate or reckless, few ignore their spiritual realm for mere power, though some prodigies do rapidly advance both energy and insight—but such geniuses are rare.

Wang Luo’s body also contained a vast reservoir of blood energy. If he unleashed it all at once, the effect would be astonishing. After nearly ten years of accumulation, Wang Luo still didn’t know exactly how much blood energy he possessed—it might well be enough to support his cultivation up to the Nascent Soul stage.

However, since this blood energy had been refined through his body-forging techniques, it lay dormant within him, and the techniques themselves ensured he didn’t use much at a time.

Azure Dragon of Another World, Chapter 41: Strength and Realm—now updated!