Chapter 87: The Arcane Art of Mind Refinement
Even if Janna discovered this hidden clause, it wouldn\'t lead to a life-and-death struggle between them.
Once the Divine Pact was signed, a brilliant light instantly appeared on the originally golden and radiant Divine Pact.
A flash of light blinded Jeremy momentarily, and before he could react, the radiant glow split into two parts—one surged towards Janna\'s forehead, and the other entered Jeremy\'s mind.
Jeremy shook his head, feeling no discomfort, and thus paid it no further attention.
Seeing that Jeremy, who had already signed the Divine Pact with her, was still standing there dumbfounded, Janna felt a bit annoyed.
Rolling her eyes at Jeremy, Janna said, "The pact is signed. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and take out the soul crystals!"
Hearing Janna\'s slightly discontented voice, Jeremy wasn\'t bothered. He simply extended his hand and tossed the small pouch towards Janna.
As soon as the small pouch left Jeremy\'s hand, Janna used her remaining divine power to open it.
Instantly, a dazzling cascade of soul crystals poured out of the unremarkable pouch.
In the melodious sound of soul crystals clinking together, countless glittering lights, resembling fireflies, were devoured by Janna.
For a moment, the radiant light enveloped Janna completely, making it difficult for Jeremy, standing not far away, to see her clearly.
Simultaneously, waves of immense and majestic energy emanated from Janna, sweeping outwards in all directions.
At that moment, Jeremy truly witnessed what it meant to be a deity.
Even though it was just a trace of residual energy inadvertently released as Janna healed her injuries, it still had the power to alter the heavens.
Fortunately, perhaps because of the Pact, this invisible wave of energy did not assault Jeremy. Instead, it seemed to possess a life of its own, automatically bypassing Jeremy.
The perpetual darkness within The Prison of All Souls, ever-surging like ocean waves, was startled by this invisible force and began to recede, almost as if it were alive.
At this moment, the darkness that had shrouded The Prison of All Souls for countless years faded away, and a thin layer of starlight was reflected in Jeremy\'s eyes.
Jeremy\'s pupils contracted as he stared at the stars through a small gap, utterly astonished: "So, The Prison of All Souls is actually a planet!"
In just a few minutes, Janna had absorbed all the soul crystals that could fill a small room.
When the light finally dissipated, Janna had fully regained her mobility. She floated effortlessly in mid-air, with her previously disheveled injuries and damaged divine robe now restored to their original state.
Janna opened her eyes, and a pair of dazzling divine lights made Jeremy\'s vision momentarily bright, as if he were staring directly at the sun.
Janna had seemingly returned to her former state of exalted, otherworldly magnificence.
At this moment, Jeremy finally gained a true understanding of what it meant to be a deity.
Simultaneously, a sense of dark satisfaction and security welled up in Jeremy\'s heart: "So what if you\'re a deity? You still fell into my trap."
Unexpectedly, in just a brief moment, Janna deflated like a punctured balloon and slowly descended.
Jeremy approached Janna and asked, "How are your injuries? How much have you recovered?"
Hearing Jeremy\'s completely disrespectful tone, Janna clenched her fist.
However, knowing that her complete recovery depended entirely on Jeremy, Janna forcibly ignored his tone and, biting her lower lip, replied, "Not bad, I\'ve recovered about ten percent."
This was roughly in line with Jeremy\'s earlier estimates, so he merely nodded without saying anything further.
Eagerly, Janna then said to Jeremy, "I didn\'t expect you to have such skills, gathering so many soul crystals so quickly."
"Before the fool and the sun realize anything, you should hurry back and gather the remaining soul crystals. Once you do, I\'ll take you back to your world."
Jeremy couldn\'t help but roll his eyes. "Do you think these soul crystals are as common as cabbages? You can\'t just get as many as you want."
"The ones I brought today are all I could gather in a short period."
"If you want to fully recover from your injuries, it\'s not going to be easy."
Hearing this, Janna became anxious. "How can it be so slow? If the Fool\'s Order catches a glimpse of me, it\'ll be all over."
Jeremy shrugged his shoulders. "There\'s nothing I can do. My level is only so high. I can\'t access higher-level areas."
Pausing for a moment, a sly smile appeared on Jeremy\'s face as he said to Janna, "How about you give me a few divine artifacts? Increasing my strength would benefit both of us."
Upon hearing this, a look of struggle and hesitation appeared on Janna\'s face. After a long pause, she gritted her teeth and tossed a scroll that shimmered with golden light to Jeremy.
Confused, Jeremy caught the scroll and was about to ask what it was when Janna spoke hesitantly, "My storage space is sealed. I can only take out a few insignificant things right now."
"Forget about potions, equipment, or items. However, I can give you the method to absorb soul crystals."
Jeremy\'s fingers stiffened upon hearing this, and he tightly gripped the golden scroll.
Soul crystals were exclusive to deities and evidently very precious.
If Jeremy could also use these soul crystals, his power would increase significantly.
However, Jeremy still had to ask, "The method to absorb soul crystals? Isn\'t that something only deities can use? Won\'t there be any side effects for me?"
Once she had given the item, Janna no longer hesitated and casually replied, "Ordinary mortals indeed cannot use soul crystals. But with your abnormal mental attributes already exceeding ten thousand points, you\'re now qualified to use soul crystals."
"As for side effects, there are absolutely none."
"Back in the day, we didn\'t abandon soul crystals because they had any flaws."
"It was because soul crystals can only be found in this void spirit realm."
"Ever since that incident…"
At that moment, Janna seemed to realize that such ancient secrets shouldn\'t be shared with a mere mortal like Jeremy.
Jeremy, who had been listening intently to these ancient secrets, looked up with a hint of confusion and said, "Go on, why did you stop?"
Frustrated, Janna smacked her forehead and then abruptly waved her hand. In an instant, the mental link between Jeremy and the Substitute Puppet was severed.
Jeremy\'s consciousness rapidly withdrew.
The last thing he heard was, "Use this power wisely and collect the soul crystals as soon as possible."
When he opened his eyes again, Jeremy found himself back in his familiar inn room.
Rubbing his slightly aching head, Jeremy couldn\'t help but feel exasperated. "What is Janna\'s deal?"
After a while, Jeremy\'s headache subsided.
As soon as he felt normal again, Jeremy eagerly retrieved the scroll Janna had handed him from his storage space.
Instinctively using The Eye of Omniscience, he quickly accessed all the information about the scroll.
[Item Name: The Arcane Art of Mind Refinement]
[Tier: Ultra]
[Description: Upon use, the player will acquire a superior active skill of the support type called "The Arcane Art of Mind Refinement." Tip: Learning this skill immediately after entering deep sleep will enhance the effectiveness of "The Arcane Art of Mind Refinement" by 20%.]
Without a second thought, Jeremy ignored the fact that it was broad daylight, pulled back the covers, and lay down on the bed.
Initially, Jeremy\'s high mental attributes prevented him from falling asleep right away.
However, soon enough, as he closed his eyes tightly, a deep sense of sleepiness washed over him.
Since his recovery from that severe injury, Jeremy had been constantly on the move, fighting monsters, and hadn\'t had a proper rest.
At this moment, even the slight fatigue Jeremy hadn\'t noticed before began to surface from deep within his body.
Within just a few minutes, Jeremy was sound asleep.
Soon, slight snores could be heard coming from him.
After a while, a creak echoed from Bonnie\'s room door.
Having changed into a fresh set of clothes, Bonnie still had a faint blush on her face as she stepped out of her room.
After all this time, Bonnie had finally emerged from the unfamiliar, shy, and anxious atmosphere that had previously enveloped her.
Despite her usually stubborn personality, Bonnie knew what she had to do in the face of such a life-saving grace.
With her resolve firmly in place, Bonnie, albeit nervously, made her way to Jeremy\'s room to thank him in person.
However, even though she knew what she should do, it took Bonnie a full thirty minutes to walk that short distance!
As she stood before Jeremy\'s door, the events of the moment she woke up flooded back into her mind.
Pinching the hem of her clothes, Bonnie murmured to herself, "Stupid Jeremy, bad Jeremy, how am I supposed to thank you?"
Just then, the sound of Jeremy\'s gentle snoring drifted out from his room.
From the sound alone, it was clear just how exhausted he was.
Unconsciously, Bonnie\'s previously furrowed brows relaxed. "He\'s just a teenage boy after all."