Nexus Ascension: My Comprehension Defies the Heaven Chapter 514: Finding a solution gives birth to more problems

Following his conversation with Alissa, Grey returned to the central tower. As Alan Benson's arrival was still some time away, he resolved to reinvestigate the Creator Space through further simulations.

His immediate objective was to formulate the initial realm of the sixth rank.

His form transitioned smoothly into the information layer, quickly establishing a direct link to the data node housing the virtual world known as the Creator Space. Truthfully, even without official authorization, locating the precise server coordinates of this virtual reality would enable him to infiltrate it effortlessly.

He soon found himself at his newly established Aether Evolutionary Path Institute. To his surprise, a throng of eager scholars were already examining the grand facility.

"True Saint Grey!" The assembled scholars greeted him with palpable enthusiasm. "I'm a devoted admirer of the Aether Evolutionary Path. We hope you don't mind our perusal."

"Not at all. Please, feel entirely welcome," Grey responded with a warm smile.

"Thank you," the scholars replied, offering respectful nods.

"When might we have the honor of meeting the path's originator, Saint?" one inquired with evident anticipation.

"Soon," Grey replied amiably. *You're looking at him right now*, he mused internally with a touch of resignation.

Leaving the scholars to their exploration, he entered the core simulation chamber for his path. A digital duplicate was conjured, and his intensive testing commenced.

"Firstly. The utilization of soul power to manage the explosive instability inherent in the 6th rank metamorphosis has indeed been fully validated."

"Consequently, employing soul power emerges as the most significant and practical approach," Grey stated, rapidly documenting the simulated outcomes.

He keenly observed the clone, which had just completed its tumultuous metamorphosis and was now radiating a brilliant golden aura of soul power.

"However, the fundamental challenge is that while it does stabilize the path's raw power, it continuously consumes soul power in the process." Grey's brow furrowed in concentration.

Considering this was merely a base clone, its total soul power reserves were likely quite limited as a matter of course.

"Is there a specific metric for soul power, Eterna?" Grey inquired aloud. He was acutely aware that this immensely powerful entity, having long surpassed the mere concept of an AI, was discreetly observing him within the digital expanse.

"A built-in soul measurement system is integrated within the path simulator," Eterna's gentle, melodic voice resonated through the sterile white room.

"My purpose here is simply to witness your path's development," Eterna added after a brief pause.

Observing Grey's intense focus and diligent effort revealed a profound realization to her. His formidable abilities were not bestowed upon him without effort; he had painstakingly forged them through immense dedication. Even his awe-inspiring Event Horizon ability was conceived and brought into existence entirely by his own ingenuity.

She found a quiet contentment in simply observing Grey in this manner.

"Please, proceed," Grey offered with a warm expression.

Moments later, the precise soul power measurement for the clone materialized on the interface.

[Soul Power: 5 Units]

"Five units? What exactly constitutes this scale?" Grey inquired.

"One unit of soul power represents the baseline for a 5th rank cultivator at the Origin Manifestation realm. Two units for Origin Seed, three for Origin Nova, four or five units for the 6th rank, six or seven for the 7th rank, and ten or more for the 8th rank."

"A higher base quantity of soul units equates to a greater overall output of usable soul power," Eterna stated plainly. "In that specific regard, your path's soul foundation is performing quite poorly."

Grey paused, processing this blunt assessment.

Indeed. He had been neglecting his soul for a considerable duration, and this oversight was entirely his own fault. He had mistakenly assumed the source had truly and perfectly integrated with his soul, a notion far from the complete truth.

"But I have identified the precise solution," Grey declared with a confident grin. "A structural adjustment within the Frequential Helix realm of the 5th rank is all that's needed."

He already grasped the fundamental principles of soul refinement. His next step was to seamlessly amplify its raw power, and the most effective method for this was undoubtedly the Frequential Helix! He would modify the design so that the spiraling helices would also actively refine the soul.

Accessing the Creator Space interface, he rapidly implemented the intricate modifications. Each forming helix would now actively contribute to the soul's amplification process. Upon the Nexus Cell containing the helix eventually collapsing to form a singularity within its corresponding cosmic meridian, the soul's power would achieve flawless integrity and ascend to an entirely new echelon of strength.

It was a brilliant fix.

With the new theory locked in, he scrapped the old clone and generated a new one. He completely reconfigured it with the updated version of the Aether Evolutionary Path, which he had already asked Eterna to reupload to the central database to prevent any system inconsistencies. He then eagerly checked the new results.

[Soul Power: 15 Units]

"Not bad at all." Grey nodded in deep satisfaction.

This was excellent. Now, he needed to heavily test exactly how long this amplified soul power could last under the stress of metamorphosis.

In the accelerated simulation, time quickly slipped by. By analyzing the data logs, it was crystal clear that the duration of safely supporting the source from exploding had drastically increased from a mere five hours to a solid fifteen hours.

"Interesting. So the base unit directly decides the total amount of time I can continuously use it for stabilization." Grey stroked his chin thoughtfully.

However, this was still not the absolute result he desired. Because at the end of the day, what he truly wanted was to make the source stable not just for fifteen hours, but permanently.

Stabilization currently required the active, constant burning of soul power. That fuel would, without a doubt, eventually deplete. He needed to forge a system where it wouldn’t bleed out. He had to form an independent construct that could continuously revolve and recycle the soul power without causing it to permanently deplete.

"But at the exact same time, if I am forced to use heavy soul attacks in combat, I will rapidly deplete my soul power reserves as well. Once that happens, even if the stabilizing construct is perfectly in place, without the necessary soul power fueling it, the source will still violently collapse and destroy itself."

Finding the solution to one complex problem merely opened the door to several more.

"Is there a definitive way to make it permanent? Yes. Like a central axis," Grey nodded thoughtfully to himself.

"Hm, wait a minute." A brilliant spark of an idea suddenly clicked in Grey’s mind.

Could he not just permanently sacrifice a specific percentage of his total soul power to forge an absolute, permanent structure that could continuously stabilize the source on its own?

This unique structure would serve as the anchor, the axis. But now came the absolute biggest hurdle. How the hell was he going to design a permanent, self-sustaining structure that could continuously stabilize the chaotic 4D energy without passively bleeding out his soul power over time?

"It should function exactly like a Golden Core in the standard immortal cultivation path," Grey reasoned out loud. "It requires an immense, sufficient amount of energy to initially condense and create. But once the forging process is completely finished, it becomes self-sustaining and elevates one’s base power to a fundamentally new dimension."