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On the very first minute of the next day, the army was shaken by a surprising announcement from the system; even the High Marhals were greatly alarmed by this news.
Hell, even the Tech God himself, the same person who had made the biggest contribution to the system's birth, was shocked. It was obvious that he wasn't informed ahead of time, much like the rest.
The breaking news is all about something called a 'cultivation technique', which was said to not only allow someone to become stronger but could also extend their longevity.
If this was announced by some organization out there, they wouldn't have believed it easily. At most, they will investigate the legitimacy of such claims first before making a decision.
But the notice didn't come from any third-party organization. Instead, it came directly from the system—from Acala herself. Given who she is, how could they doubt her?
It's understandable that there would be some who wouldn't be convinced right away, even though the notice came from a trusted source. Being cautious is never a bad thing, especially in this line of work.
It is for this reason that Cedric decided to make the first chapters of these cultivation techniques free to purchase, with the condition that only those who are on active duty are eligible to view and practice them.
By sunrise, dozens of soldiers had already tried it out, and all of them unhesitatingly spent their hard-earned military merits to purchase the next chapters.
Just the first chapter alone boosted their overall strength by 15% and extended their longevity by 150 years. The effects were visible because the practitioners looked visibly energetic and younger after mastering the first chapter of their chosen cultivation technique.
These results sparked a wildfire amongst soldiers, and in no time, almost all of the soldiers purchased the cultivation techniques en masse.
As for the higher-ups in the army, they too were affected by these changes. Unlike ordinary soldiers and officers, they had access to more cultivation techniques.
Just the idea of increasing their strength explosively was already enough to make them crazy about it. Add the extended longevity these techniques bring, and their gazes become scorching hot.
It is fortunate that humanity's territory has been hidden by a formation right now because, with the craze brought by the cultivation technique, the walls were completely vulnerable. The order couldn't be restored in the meantime since everyone was crazily practicing their new techniques.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Acala herself was also changing.
Fusing with the Spiritual Dragon Veins was time-consuming and agonizing for her. The spiritual veins are quite literally her blood vessels, and fusing them with a new set of veins of higher quality would, of course, hurt a lot.
The changes happening to her were monumental. Without Cedric's help in isolating the chaos brought forth by this change, Prime Earth itself would be experiencing city-toppling earthquakes by now.
"You mean—!"
"Uh, huh." Cedric nodded. "I had an epiphany over this. I solved the problem of not being able to convert Demon Lord Souls directly. I also discovered a way to convert Demon King Souls directly as well."
"I know we devised a method to produce Greater Essence Souls, and we can still use that. Whether you scap the idea or not, I'll leave it up to you. As for what the Demon King level Essence Soul would be called, hmm, let's just call it King Essence Soul or whatever; it's just a name anyway."
"Wait—!"
"Also, I'll be relieving you guys from constructing the Sun Disc. I'm very sorry about this, and I appreciate your help so far, truly. But I received an advancement quest from Acala that required me to finish the Sun Disc on my own... so, yeah. Can you tell me where it is right now? I'd like to take it away now if possible so I can finish it soon."
"It's on the underground facility nearby; I'll take you there." Gabriel sighed, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
"Oh, cool!" Cedric cheered. "Ah, right. Here's the new array for the altars. Just like before, you just need to plaster it on the altar and wait until the light fades. Perform a couple of test runs just to make sure and tell me if something goes wrong. I'll keep my lines open, so feel free to message or call me."
Gabriel speechlessly received the array discs from Cedric as they walked towards the underground facility. With a single glance, Gabriel could immediately tell the sheer profundity of the array.
He tried analyzing them but immediately gave up after a minute, even feeling a slight throb on his head right after. The new installments for the altars were at least a hundred times more complicated than the previous ones combined. Looking at this, Gabriel wholeheartedly admits that, in terms of symbol knowledge and mastery, the Young Sage was unparalleled.
While he was still planning on how to handle this new task at hand, they already arrived at the underground facility where the Sun Disc was.
Cedric's eyes lit up. It was far from complete, but the frame for the whole thing was already built properly. From what he recalls, the House of Light commissioned blacksmiths to create the parts; assembling the frame falls under the responsibility of the members of the House of Light to keep it private.
"Incredible! You guys move fast. This helps me out a ton, thanks!" Cedric grinned at him. "Can I take it now?"
"Are you sure that you won't require our assistance for this?" Gabriel asked in return.
"I have no other choice." Cedric feigned helplessness as he replied. "Acala wants me to finish this by myself. Don't worry, I know what to do. I'm the one who designed it after all. I'm confident that I'll finish this soon."
'That'soon' might take you a couple of years, though.' Gabriel muttered inwardly. However, he could only shake his head.
"If that's the case, please take it. I'm looking forward to seeing it put into action," Gabriel stated.
"Oh, just you wait," Cedric chuckled. "The sun, the moon, and the stars—you will see them all very soon."