No sooner said than done.
Lin Qing first picked up that cluster of golden light.
[Innate Spirit Ability · Stasis Gaze] He released his Heavenly Eye Martial Soul, and the vertical pupil at the center of his brow opened.
Then, the golden light cluster automatically fused into his Spirit.
“Buzz—!” The light cluster merged into the Heavenly Eye, and a cool aura spread from between his brows, flowing through his entire body.
Lin Qing felt his vision change.
His sight became clearer, and the World seemed to slow down.
He looked at the water cup on the table.
He reached out and gave it a gentle push; the cup tipped over.
In his Stasis Gaze, the speed at which the cup fell had clearly slowed down.
Every detail was clearly visible.
The curvature of the cup’s wall, the ripples on the water’s surface, even the drifting trajectory of dust in the air…
everything had slowed down.
No.
It wasn’t that they had slowed down.
It was that Lin Qing’s visual information processing speed had drastically increased!
“So this is Stasis Gaze?” Lin Qing muttered to himself.
He tried to maintain this state.
After a short while.
A slight stinging pain came from between his brows; his Mental Energy was being rapidly consumed, and his Soul Power was also draining quickly.
“The consumption is immense…” Lin Qing deactivated Stasis Gaze.
The World returned to its normal speed.
He made an estimate; with his current Mental Energy and Soul Power, he could maintain Stasis Gaze for about ten minutes at most.
Exceeding ten minutes would lead to overexertion.
“But ten minutes is enough.” At a critical moment, this time could be the difference between life and death.
Furthermore, as his Mental Energy increased, the lagging effect would also improve.
Lin Qing’s eyes flickered.
He even speculated that if his Mental Energy became strong enough, would an effect similar to time being frozen appear?
Even if it were only for 0.1 seconds, it would be enough to change everything in battle.
…
Next, Lin Qing picked up the light blue cluster.
[spirit tool Knowledge] He pressed the light cluster against his forehead.
“Buzz—!” A massive amount of information flooded into his mind.
The history of spirit tool development, basic principles of Spirit Tool Circuits, introduction to materials science, energy conversion theory, basics of spirit tool design, detailed explanations of engraving techniques…
Countless words, blueprints, and formulas surged in his mind.
Lin Qing felt his head swelling, as if an entire library had been stuffed in all at once.
It took a full ten minutes before the influx of information gradually stopped.
He opened his eyes, his gaze somewhat vacant; it took quite a while before he could slowly focus.
“So…
that’s how it is…” He muttered to himself.
A corner of the mysteries of spirit tools had been unveiled before him.
But…
“I have the knowledge now, but experience still needs to be accumulated by myself.” Lin Qing shook his head helplessly.
He couldn’t instantly become a Fourth-Rank Soul Tool Master like Sun Moon Lin Qing.
This knowledge was merely theoretical.
To truly master it required a great deal of practice.
Engraving Spirit Tool Circuits by hand, assembling spirit tools by hand, debugging Soul Power output by hand.
All of this, he had to do himself.
“However, at least this knowledge is ten thousand years ahead of this era.” A ten-thousand-year technological gap—how massive an advantage was that?
“This is enough.” Lin Qing smiled.
He had the information to learn how to manufacture spirit tools well.
…
For the next half month, Lin Qing’s life became exceptionally regular.
During the day, he studied spirit tool knowledge and practiced engraving techniques.
At night, he secretly observed Viscount Priest’s movements.
(Note: It is Viscount Priest; it was mistakenly written as Duke earlier and has been corrected.) He used his First Spirit Ability to transform into various appearances.
Sometimes he was a farmer selling vegetables, sometimes a beggar pleading for alms, sometimes a passing pedestrian.
All just to blend into the crowd and shadow him quietly.
He recorded Priest’s itinerary habits, frequently visited places, the number of accompanying guards, and information on the guards’ strength.
Intelligence was gathered bit by bit.
The plan was refined bit by bit.
Lin Qing was very patient.
He knew this sort of thing couldn’t be rushed.
A single failure could alert the enemy or even bring disaster upon himself.
Therefore, he had to wait.
Wait for an absolutely safe opportunity.
…
Finally.
Half a month later.
The opportunity came.
Early this morning, Lin Qing was “strolling” near Priest’s manor as usual.
Suddenly, he saw the manor gates open, and a luxurious carriage drove out.
Four guards followed beside the carriage.
Their clothing was uniform, and their auras were steady.
All of them had Spirit Ancestor cultivation.
“Leaving the city?” Lin Qing’s eyes lit up.
He quietly followed while maintaining his distance.
At the same time, he activated Stasis Gaze.
He observed the guards’ positioning, the carriage’s speed, and the surrounding environment.
Every detail was clearly presented in his eyes.
Hiding in the shadows, Lin Qing thought rapidly.
“Four Spirit Ancestor guards…
a bit troublesome.” A high-explosive bomb could take out a Spirit Ancestor, but four…
might not be enough.
Moreover, if the guards reacted fast enough, they might block the explosion and protect Priest.
“I need to find a way…” Lin Qing’s gaze flickered.
He looked at the clothes he was wearing, then looked at the distant carriage.
A plan took shape in his mind.
…
The carriage slowly drove out of Suotuo City.
Inside the cabin, Viscount Priest leaned against soft cushions, resting with his eyes closed.
He was in a good mood today.
Yesterday, a “friend” sent a letter saying they had recently acquired a batch of “good goods.” They were all cute little boys.
Young, handsome, and with tender skin—exactly his favorite type.
So, he specifically left the city today intending to personally “inspect the goods.” If the quality was good, he didn’t mind spending a bit more money.
Anyway, the thing he lacked least was money.
Just as he was happily fantasizing— “Ouch!” The carriage suddenly jolted.
The coachman’s scolding voice came from outside.
“Lowly peasant!
You blind old thing!
Didn’t you see the Viscount’s carriage?!” Priest frowned and lifted the window curtain to look out.
He saw an old woman in tattered clothes with graying hair fallen in front of the carriage.
The vegetable basket she was carrying had overturned, and the vegetables inside were scattered all over the ground.
The old woman clutched her leg, crying out in pain.
It looked as though she had been hit by the carriage.
“How unlucky.” Priest curled his lip in disdain.
He hated these filthy poor people the most; they were disgusting to look at.
“Dispose of her.” He ordered coldly.
“Yes.” A guard stepped forward, about to take action.
The old woman suddenly looked up and grinned, revealing a row of neat white teeth that didn’t look like an elderly person’s teeth at all.
Priest was taken aback.
Before he could react, the old woman suddenly pulled a dark red metal ball from the vegetable basket and threw it fiercely into the carriage window!
“What is that?!” Priest instinctively dodged.
The metal ball rolled into the cabin and landed by his feet.
On its surface, a red light flashed frantically.
“Beep beep beep—!” A rapid alarm sounded.
Priest’s pupils constricted violently.
A chill rushed from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
“Not good—!” He wanted to escape.
But it was already too late.
The old woman grinned at him once more.
“Art is Explosion!” “Buzz!” The old woman’s figure vanished into thin air just like that!
Immediately following!
“BOOM—!!!” A deafening explosion resounded at the city gate!
Dark red flames engulfed the entire carriage!
A terrifying shockwave expanded in all directions; the four guards were blown away by the air blast before they could even react!
As for the carriage…
it had completely vanished, turned into fragments along with Viscount Priest inside.
“Wh…
what happened?!” The guards at the city gate slumped to the ground in terror.
Looking at the cluster of flames and thick smoke that had yet to dissipate in the distance, their faces were full of horror.
“An explosion…” “A Spirit Master attack!” “Quick!
Quick, notify the City Defense Army!” The guards were in a state of chaos.