Driven by the need to resolve the lingering trouble and his craving for a new Nirvana-rank skill, Shi Ming piloted the [Sun-Piercer] deep underground once more.
This was Shi Ming’s second time venturing underground since advancing to the Nirvana rank.
Relying on the Sun-Piercer’s [Ten Thousand Realms Like a Sea] trait, the canoe moved like a high-speed probe, passing through solid matter as if it were nothing. It skimmed past liquid seawater and the loose seabed, heading straight for the pitch-black depths of the earth!
First, a chill approaching 0 degrees Celsius.
Then came a steadily rising heat and a near-eternal silence... Of course, none of this was a problem for Shi Ming. He simultaneously controlled the sealed Unceasing Water and used his Spiritual Power to probe his surroundings.
???
’Something’s wrong!’
’The deeper I go toward the Earth Core, the more wrong it feels!!!’
The last time he’d traveled to the Earth Core, Shi Ming had never been to the stars. Back then, the oppressive feeling and the suppression of his Spiritual Power felt instinctively normal. He had simply assumed this was how things were supposed to be within the Earth Core. It seemed only natural that Spiritual Power would be inhibited in the superheated solid matter, and that the unique environment would create a psychological sense of pressure. It all seemed perfectly normal.
But since returning from the cosmos, he had seen and experienced much more.
The Star Sea was vast and full of wonders. Even the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country had its share of bizarre locations, like the Cave of the Stars and the Unmoored Boat... These experiences had broadened his horizons. Now, with more points of comparison, he realized that the oppressive force and Spiritual Power suppression within the planet’s core were unnaturally strong!
’Without a frame of reference, I might never have noticed.’
Take the Cave of the Stars, for example. It served as a prison where Spatial Power was sealed and Spiritual Power was suppressed. Passing through its barrier was an almost suffocating experience, yet Shi Ming had never felt this particular kind of strange oppression and restraint there!
In the outer mantle, the feeling was negligible, but it grew much more pronounced as he neared the actual Earth Core! Even at the Nirvana rank, his Spiritual Power was restricted to a radius of just over ten kilometers, making a wide-area scan impossible.
"Not simple,"
"The [Purification] essence would rather abandon the highly incompatible Unceasing Water just to enter the Creation Star Core and resolve another incompatibility. The spatial and spiritual suppression here is stronger than in the depths of the Cave of the Stars. The anomaly here is likely on a whole other level than I initially imagined..."
"Fortunately, I’ve already obtained the Unceasing Water."
"No matter how big the trouble here is, once the infinite upgrade is complete, the Creation Star Core will reach a perfect state, free of all incompatibilities."
Soon, Shi Ming arrived at the outer edge of the Creation Star Core.
There was no magma here. All matter had been compressed by terrifying pressure into a solid, dense, crystalline metallic structure. The temperature and pressure were extreme. If he stayed here too long, even Shi Ming would be affected by the violent aura, becoming irritable and aggressive, just like the [Burning Abyss] he had once acquired.
This was the planet’s true "core."
The cornerstone of civilization.
The Creation Star Core had three traits.
[Trait 1: Creation Engine]
[Trait 2: Gravity Magnetic Field]
[Trait 3: Civilization Foundation]
The Creation Engine was the cornerstone for the existence of the planet and of life. The Gravity Magnetic Field was the essence that gave rise to the objective conditions for living beings. The Civilization Foundation was an indispensable part of what created intelligent life.
It was precisely because of these three traits that this world became the only planet in the entire vast Milky Way to naturally give birth to intelligent life. In a mere ten thousand years, its lifeforms evolved a level of technology and wisdom that might take other Star Domains hundreds of thousands or even millions of years to achieve. Even if their physical potential fell short of some alien races, their intellect surpassed that of beings from many advanced civilizations!
This wasn’t him flattering his own kind or boasting. It was a fact Shi Ming had concluded from his travels across the Star Sea.
Now that he had reached the heart of the Earth Core, it was time to get down to business. Although the Unceasing Water in his hand wasn’t leaking, controlling the cosmic specimen still consumed a great deal of his strength. He didn’t intend to delay, so he immediately activated the [Infinite Brain] and focused on the enormous, incredibly dense star core before him.
Although the [Infinite Brain] was only at its second stage, its deductive capabilities scaled with Shi Ming’s own power, allowing it to reveal more information.
The information it displayed this time contained a little more detail than what Shi Ming had seen before.
[Creation Star Core]
[Level: 10 (???)]
[A Rank 1 Wonder, 193 kilometers in diameter. It contains enough energy to either enrich a civilization or destroy it. Currently exhibits some flaws and hidden dangers.]
[Required for Repair or Infinite Upgrade:]
[Unceasing Water x1]
Compared to the information from his last scan, the details revealed this time were different. There were now question marks after the level, as if the Infinite Brain itself was questioning the core’s true rank. The description also had an added sentence: "Currently exhibits some flaws and hidden dangers." Finally, the last line had changed from "Required for Infinite Upgrade" to "Required for Repair or Infinite Upgrade."
Shi Ming thought for a moment.
He had always been cautious, especially with matters of great importance. He took out the Wishing Star of All Worlds and once again made a wish for everything to go smoothly.
The last of the Wishing Star’s stored power was consumed, and it gave a faint flash of light.
This signified that his wish had received a response.
’In that case... begin!’
He had a premonition that this upgrade would consume a massive amount of his Spiritual Power. He had taken his precautions, but to hesitate now for fear of the risks would be foolish. Indecisiveness was not an option.