Mei Chao Bing slowly raised his brows. Honestly, ‘a bit of oomph’ sounded … not like much but then, this was Yan Hong Min so it might instead be something really crazy. “That bit of oomph, how sure are you that it’ll work?” This was probably the main risk. He already didn’t know how well the overall tool worked. Adding something on top … it might not be a good idea.

Yan Hong Min pursed his lips. “Well, here is the thing: The tool … Actually, I call this the magic box because, well, it looks like a box and it’s really magical what it can do.” He wriggled his brows but didn’t give Mei Chao Bing the chance to respond and simply continued his previous thought.

“Anyway, the magic box is pre-prepared. That is why there’s a seal on it. After you take it off and open it, the contained attack will be released. Now, that attack should work. In fact, I don’t doubt it much. It’s not that strong though.”

Mei Chao Bing rubbed his forehead. It would be awesome if Yan Hong Min could simply get everything out at once and in order instead of needing him to make sure of the important details all the time. “How strong are we talking?”

“Probably around the mid-stage of the nascent soul level.”

Mei Chao Bing closed his eyes. That was not enough to defeat his Master for sure. But then, it was at least one additional attack he could try so it wasn’t completely worthless either. He took a moment and then opened his eyes again, trying not to lose hope. “So that ‘bit of oomph’ you mentioned, is able to take this to a whole different realm?”

To be honest, that sounded … outlandish. The nascent soul level and the demigod stage were far apart. Most cultivators would never manage to bridge that gap. As for magical tools … it was already difficult enough to create one that was of a higher level than yourself. To create one of a higher level and then give it the option to go even further than that … he couldn’t see it. He simply couldn’t.

Yan Hong Min didn’t seem too worried about that though. He put the magic box down on the table again and pointed at the lid. “Do you see this carving? It probably looks like it’s just some pretty decoration but, in fact, it’s an array.”

Mei Chao Bing had indeed thought this was simply part of the look. Now that Yan Hong Min mentioned an array, he couldn’t help but lean closer and study the lines of the array. Unfortunately, his knowledge of arrays was limited and he couldn’t make out what it was. It seemed to have some resemblance to the spiritual energy gathering array he had just recently seen in the border region though.

He looked back up, his gaze inquisitive. “Is it for gathering energy?”

Yan Hong Min’s brows shot up in surprise. “You’re not bad. It is indeed for gathering energy. But, listen closely, I am calling it ‘energy’ not as a shorthand for spiritual energy but because I mean energy.”

Mei Chao Bing couldn’t follow and simply tilted his head.

Yan Hong Min hesitated for a moment, not sure how to say it. He had never needed to explain this invention. In fact, he hardly got the chance to explain half his inventions to a single person and especially not when it really counted. He couldn’t allow himself any mistakes.

“Basically, while we as cultivators interact with spiritual energy, there is other energy in the world. This array can gather that energy, compress it, and save it for later. When you open the magic box, that energy will be released alongside the originally prepared attack and add to it. That is why the magic box has such a high potential.”

Mei Chao Bing slowly nodded. “That is to say that the actual attack value of this magic tool depends on how much energy I gather ahead of time.”

Yan Hong Min pointed at him. “Exactly right! You really catch on fast.”

“Then … how far ahead of time can this energy be gathered? I mean, does it … stay in there forever if I were to not use it in the border region?” If he had to gather it shortly before releasing it, this wouldn’t be possible to do. If not though … there were a few options.

Yan Hong Min smiled wryly. “Well, that’s the thing: I never got to try it out. I mean, I could try it out but there is no energy here that is strong enough to make it worthwhile. For this kind of item, you’d want the strongest you can find. So … think of a raging inferno, lightning strikes able to split the earth, a mighty maelstrom in the ocean — that kind of thing.”

Mei Chao Bing nodded. “What is your best guess regarding the time? And is there a way to tell if it’s … filled?” He wasn’t sure how to call it. Surely, there should be a limit on how much energy this box could take.

“Ah, right! Good that you brought it up.” Yan Hong Min pushed the box closer to him and pointed at the lid. “Well, you can’t see it now but when you start to gather energy and it works, then the lines will change color corresponding to the energy you gathered.

“So, you can tell whether there is something in there. Should the lines all be filled out, then the box has reached its maximum capacity and you can’t add any more. You should really keep that in mind. Once some energy is in there, it’ll be stuck. You can’t release it without using the magic box and then rendering it useless for the time being. So choose wisely what kind of energy you load it with.”

Mei Chao Bing nodded, his brows furrowing. This magic tool … it might be the answer to all their questions and yet, there were just as many uncertainties about it as there were about the other side’s plans. It could really make you despair.