Dungeon Labyrinth, Elemental Palace.
In the center of the hall, a Storm Lord formed from wind elements was emitting an ear-splitting roar, surrounded by violent cyan cyclones that sent surrounding rubble and dust flying in all directions.
[Mud Pellet Sword Crafting]
[Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation]
"Whoosh—!"
A cold light pierced the air, tracing an elegant arc, directly passing through the violent wind wall and accurately striking the elemental core.
The cyan gales swirling around the Storm Lord suddenly halted as if a pause button had been pressed. Its blurry form trembled violently, emitting a soundless, unwilling shriek.
The elemental core rapidly lost its glow, becoming dull and lifeless like an ordinary gray stone, and fell onto the cold stone floor with a *plop*.
The Storm Lord, having lost its core, rapidly disintegrated, transforming into countless scattered cyan light points that dissipated into the air.
The Flying Sword trembled as it was withdrawn, nimbly turning a corner in the air, flying back to Chen Yu's side. Like a loyal guard, it slowly orbited his round, gelatinous body, exuding a cold gleam unique to metal.
Chen Yu slowly opened his small, round eyes. An invisible command was rapidly transmitted through the Gel Network.
The Magical Creature Legion, which had long been waiting at the entrance of the Elemental Palace, charged forward with a roar, rushing into the dungeon labyrinth to conduct the final harvest and cleanup of the various remaining Elemental Creatures inside.
Just yesterday, Chen Yu had successfully practiced one of the three true inheritances, the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation*, to Lv.1.
He personally led the Magical Creature Legion into the elemental labyrinth deep within the dungeon, intending to push forward in one go and completely clear out this last threatening area within the kingdom's territory.
Although this true inheritance was only just beginning to be mastered, its enhancement effects on techniques and spells were already starting to show.
"Mud Pellet Sword Crafting" originally could only mold ordinary mud pellets into mud swords and stone swords, with limited power and susceptibility to damage.
But under the enhancement of the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation*, it could now even mold steel at will, forging true iron weapons, greatly increasing the Flying Sword's hardness, sharpness, and sustained combat capability.
However, these Flying Swords forged from steel, while advantageous for being made from readily available materials and quickly produced, truly couldn't compare to meticulously forged Enchanted weapons in terms of hardness and sharpness.
He recently planned to take a piece of Black Dragon scale to forge a true magical artifact, but Anvil was still studying the Artifact Refining knowledge he brought from Xu Xuan Heaven, so there was no result yet.
Of course, the wonders of the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation* weren't limited to enhancing Dao techniques.
What surprised Chen Yu even more was discovering that this true inheritance could also enhance magic.
Yes, the pure magic of Zeyarila.
Chen Yu withdrew his attention from the labyrinth battlefield being cleared and focused inwardly.
[Pea Shot]
[Mana Explosion]
[Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation]
Behind him, a Gel Orb had just squeezed out of his gelatinous body, emitting a faint Spiritual Glow. In the blink of an eye, it swelled to the size of a fireball and shot towards the center of the Elemental Palace as if teleporting.
"BOOM!!!"
A violent Mana shockwave mixed with detonated elemental energy formed a visible ring of air that crazily expanded in all directions.
The entire Elemental Palace shook violently, dust and rubble falling from the ceiling. The ground at the explosion's epicenter was blasted into a charred, several-meter-wide crater.
This terrifying commotion caused the Elemental Creatures fighting the Magical Creature Legion in the distance to scatter in panic.
Under the enhancement of the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation*, the originally average-powered "Mana Explosion" had increased to an incredible level.
This made Chen Yu increasingly suspect that Ancestor Cloud Cliff, who left the three true inheritances, was likely that Golden Core Earth Immortal who accidentally wandered into Zeyarila.
The "ten thousand methods" mentioned in the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation* included magic, which could increase his Mana cap and recovery speed, as well as spellcasting speed, and so on.
It's important to know that practicing the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation* was more about comprehending the Dao principles contained within, not truly memorizing some fixed cultivation path by rote.
In other words, theoretically, even mages in Zeyarila who had never been exposed to any Dao techniques could cultivate the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation* if their wisdom and comprehension were sufficient.
When he first discovered this, even Chen Yu couldn't help but exclaim, "So 'ten thousand methods' refers to *this* ten thousand methods."
However, the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation* was considered difficult and profound scripture even for Foundation Establishment cultivators in Xu Xuan Heaven, obscure and abstruse.
The possibility of finding a mage in Zeyarila capable of comprehending Dao principles was minuscule.
Chen Yu, however, held another idea.
Within the Slime Kingdom, there were now many Slime Scholars who had transitioned into Slime Mages. Moreover, thanks to the kingdom's unique mage education, many of these little ones practiced both Dao techniques and spells.
These Slime Mages had all completed the basic Dao technique education at the Slime Academy. Compared to ordinary human mages, their threshold for reading and comprehending true inheritances was even lower.
Slime Mages had always suffered from the racial flaw of low Intelligence and Perception attributes, which also led to their low mental energy cap. The spells they cast were generally average in damage, and they could only rely on various Elemental Affinity talents to compensate.
If they could comprehend the Dao principles of the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation*, even just a smattering, it would be enough to compensate for their innate flaws.
Perhaps the Slime Kingdom could genuinely cultivate remarkable Slime Archmages in the future.
"Then let's add the *Primordial Chaos Qi Absorption True Explanation* to the advanced education of the Mage Academy," Chen Yu thought happily, his gelatinous body seeming to sway lightly.
Good, happily decided.
...
The dungeon labyrinth was quickly cleared out by the Magical Creature Legion. A large number of elemental cores, Magic Organs, and corpse remnants were devoured by Chen Yu, converted into life cap and magical creature talents.
Most of these talents were types that enhanced mental energy, Elemental Affinity, or energy perception, which could indirectly affect Intelligence and Perception attributes.
Among them, a talent named "Mental Resonance" caught Chen Yu's attention.
Simply put, this thing was equivalent to a mental vocal cord. It allowed a magical creature's mental fluctuations to be directly transmitted into the consciousness of an intelligent being through resonance, achieving the effect of "telepathic communication."
While it couldn't transmit overly complex images or emotions, it was perfectly fine for basic language communication.
Chen Yu personally tested it and found that, in practical use, Mental Resonance was indeed much more convenient than the Sound Transmission Technique and crystal magic artifacts, with almost no delay in communication.
As long as the Slime Kingdom continued to develop, it would inevitably come into contact with other races, engaging in communication, trade, and even diplomacy.
Slimes couldn't speak, making communication the biggest obstacle.
Although enlightened Slimes weren't bad at learning the Common Tongue, communication couldn't rely on writing character by character or casually connecting people outside the kingdom into the Gel Network.
Thus, the role of Mental Resonance became evident.
And so, a bold idea arose in Chen Yu's mind—to let all Slime citizens be able to speak.
Perhaps this would truly mark the dividing line between kingdom Slimes and wild Slimes, completely shedding their identity as low-level magical creatures and becoming intelligent beings recognized by the other intelligent races of the continent.
Achieving this idea wasn't difficult. It only required cultivating a large number of Moss Monsters with the Mental Resonance talent to continuously harvest them into Talent Orbs, distributing them to every corner of the kingdom to complete basic talent popularization.
In fact, the kingdom had already constructed quite a few Moss Monster breeding farms, though currently, they were cultivating Moss Monsters with basic talents like Elemental Affinity and Energy Storage.
Count Bran had complained more than once that when he went to the breeding farms to "visit" these little things, he was almost burned by the flames spat by Fire Moss Monsters or shivered from the cold of Frost Moss Monsters.
Looking at the ground full of Moss Monsters, he could only stare enviously.
After all, he really might not be able to beat these little bugs.
In just half a day, the entire dungeon was completely cleared and fully controlled by the kingdom.
Finally, Chen Yu discovered a Fissure door at the deepest part of the labyrinth—the door frame was made of some pitch-black unknown metal, its surface covered in twisted Abyssal Runes. Inside the door was a constantly swirling dark red vortex.
This entire elemental labyrinth occupied seven floors of the dungeon. Combined with the six spacious floors before it, behind this Fissure door should be the unexplored fourteenth floor of this dungeon, or even deeper regions.
Chen Yu sent a blob of gel clone to carefully investigate inside the Fissure door. Inside, he found some scorching lava rivers filled with the smell of sulfur, twisted and deformed Abyssal terrain, and also spotted a few low-level Demons lurking.
Chen Yu didn't plan to proceed further. Currently, the kingdom's focus was still on development. Actively delving into the Abyss was unwise.
He simply set up sturdy Outposts and monitoring Magic Formations around the Fissure door, stationed an elite magical creature squad to guard it, and planned to leave this newly discovered dungeon for the kingdom's future Slime Adventurers as a place for their training and adventures.
After returning to the surface, for the next few days, Chen Yu stayed in the Slime Palace, focusing on cultivating the three true inheritances. Occasionally, he chatted with Alders, who was lingering in Slime City, about the ancient secrets of the Elf race and the continent's history. His days were quite fulfilling.
During this period, Yano finally returned from the White Horse Kingdom, bringing back his wife and children who had stayed in Jade City, along with the latest intelligence on the situation in the north of the White Horse Kingdom.
Since Gore, where the Belmont Family resided, was deep within the Dark Realm, with no light year-round and a dark, oppressive environment, Yano didn't plan to bring his wife and children back to Gore. Instead, he settled them in the better-equipped Slime City, finally having his own warm little home.
Afterward, he eagerly sought out Chen Yu.
"Boss. I seem to have discovered some rather astonishing news."
He recounted everything he had seen and heard in the north in detail.
After entering Jade City, he had inquired for information in several mage academies and Adventurer taverns and unexpectedly got a piece of hearsay—the Snowfield Orcs seemed to be massing on a large scale, preparing to march south.
And this time, it wasn't just simple raiding. These Orcs also seemed to have learned about the internal division and turbulent situation within the White Horse Kingdom. They wanted to take this opportunity to march south in force, completely conquer this fertile land, and establish a kingdom belonging to the Orcs.
Whether the Orcs joining the kingdom's strife was good or bad was unclear, but one thing was certain: the White Horse Kingdom's situation would likely become even more chaotic. At the very least, those Demons would have a headache for a while.
Of course, the news Yano brought back was far more than this. The most shocking piece of news was about the "Wesman Dynasty" established by the second prince, William, in the Northern Territory.
That "Wesman Dynasty," which the new king had placed high hopes on, attempting to use it as the foundation for the new dynasty, had collapsed like a castle built on sand in less than ten short days.
Reportedly, William's direct troops stationed in Luka Castle in the "Forge Region" seemed to have suffered "divine punishment." Overnight, a large number of soldiers died mysteriously or went insane. Even William himself was found hanged in his room in the fortress.
With William's sudden death, the Northern Alliance he had barely pieced together instantly fell apart. The nobles who originally supported him either quickly switched sides or retreated to their own territories, not daring to mention the name "Wesman" again.
Gradually, rumors spread throughout the north, calling that "Forge Region," especially Luka Castle and its surrounding areas, cursed by the gods, an "unholy land."
The major nobles already regarded that area as forbidden ground, speaking of it in hushed tones, not daring to approach or mention it lightly.
"Strange..." Chen Yu's gelatinous body swayed slightly, his mind filled with confusion.
He had also heard strange rumors about Luka Castle from Arthur.
This fortress was previously the central territory owned by the White Horse Kingdom's powerful Elk Duke, but this duke had inexplicably ended up on the guillotine, dying for unclear reasons.
Now, the second prince William, who took over his territory, didn't fare much better.
Chen Yu speculated that there might be some unknown secret hidden within, perhaps even related to the root cause of the White Horse Kingdom's turmoil.
However, the Northern Territory was too far from the Slime Kingdom, separated by the vast Golden Radiance Valley. It didn't involve the kingdom's core interests for now, so he didn't pay much attention, merely keeping this information in mind.
On the other hand, the news of the Snowfield Orcs preparing to march south sparked some concern in Chen Yu.
Sekashi and Semiaya were still deep in the snowfields, undergoing trials on some ancient snowy mountain.
Affected by the snowfield's harsh environment and distance, his connection with the gel clone had been intermittent and unstable. He didn't know how they were currently doing.
So he sent another gel clone rushing to the snowfields, hoping to get news from them as soon as possible to prevent them from running head-on into the southward-marching Orc army.
Incidentally, he had the gel clone scout the snowfields to investigate the Orcs' specific movements and scale, lest these guys, instead of attacking the White Horse Kingdom, got a sudden brainwave and marched south to attack the Slime Kingdom.
After chatting with Yano, Chen Yu also informed him that he would soon appoint him as the first Guild Leader of the kingdom's Adventurer's Guild.
Yano, this guy, had already been part of The Extraordinary, but hearing he could become the Adventurer's Guild Guild Leader still left him dazed for a moment before he excitedly left, probably to share the good news with his family.
Probably even he himself never imagined that in just half a year, he could go from a down-and-out noble to the Guild Leader of the Adventurer's Guild.
...
Days passed peacefully and fulfillingly. In the blink of an eye, two months went by.
During this time, besides news from the Fissure snowfields—that the Adventurer's Guild headquarters and the Slime Royal Academy had been successfully completed, and that the Queen Wasp had successfully given birth to the first batch of Dragon Beast Poison Wasp larvae—there were no other major movements within the kingdom.
Even the situation in the White Horse Kingdom maintained a superficial calm under the delicate balance and standoff of various forces, with no new large-scale conflicts erupting.
Casaric also didn't send anyone to harass the kingdom again, as if temporarily forgetting about the Slime Kingdom.
Chen Yu practiced the true inheritances daily, handled kingdom affairs, discussed knowledge with Alders, living a rather leisurely life.
But he always felt like he had forgotten something.
"What exactly did I forget?" His round body lay on the railing of the Slime Palace balcony, watching the falling snow in the distance, muttering inwardly.
He hopped down from the railing, preparing to go out and welcome the first winter since he arrived in Zeyarila.
But soon, an urgent message came through the Gel Network from that Great Slime Religion he had forgotten about, and he remembered that those Vampires who went to the Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance still hadn't returned.