Ever since I got my first taste of the rewards, every spare moment between cultivation sessions found my eyes glued to the System Shop interface. Scanning row after row of gleaming pills and materials, a bold idea began to take shape in my mind.

"Old man, how come the stuff in this shop never seems to run out?" I rubbed my chin, eyes sweeping over the exchange buttons for "Marrow-Cleansing Spirit Liquid" and "Foundation-Solidifying Pills." "Last time I exchanged so many pills for the grandpas and grandmas at the Monster-Demon Demon Suppression Bureau, and the stock didn't drop by a single unit."

The System Elder's virtual projection flickered into view. "Rookie, what do you know? The resource library this System is connected to is beyond anything your tiny brain can imagine. As long as you have enough Merit Points, forget a few bottles of Marrow-Cleansing Spirit Liquid — I could bring you ten cartloads of Innate Spiritual Root seeds, no problem."

"Resource library?" My eyes lit up. "So the stuff in this shop is essentially unlimited?"

"More or less." The System Elder slurped his noodles. "Feeding every last soul on Blue Star would be trivial. You want it, you got it — so long as your Merit Points hold up. What scheme are you cooking up this time?"

I let out a sly chuckle, closed the shop interface, and got to my feet. "Old man, Blue Star's spiritual energy has withered this badly — do you think there's any way to bring it back?"

"Revive the spiritual energy?" The System Elder nearly choked on his noodles. "You running a fever? Blue Star's spirit veins are nearly severed at the root. What exactly are you planning to revive them with? Your measly Merit Points buying spirit-vein seeds? And don't forget — activating spirit-vein seeds requires special materials. You even know where to find those?"

"We'll definitely have to find the spirit-vein seeds eventually," I nodded, "but before that, we can run a trial run with a 'Spiritual Energy Revival Preliminary Plan' and test the waters. Think about it — the System Shop carries 'Medium Ley-Gathering Array Blueprints' and 'Spirit-Vein Stimulation Fluid.' They're just sitting there doing nothing. Why not put them to use? Maybe we can get Blue Star's spiritual energy to tick up even a little."

The System Elder regarded me with suspicion. "What exactly are you planning?"

"Simple." I rubbed my hands together, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Step one: exchange Merit Points for 【Medium Ley-Gathering Array Blueprints】 and retrofit Monster-Demon Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters into one giant ley-gathering array, boosting the spiritual energy concentration here. Step two: exchange for 【Spirit-Vein Stimulation Fluid】 and head to the Guixu Secret Realm to see if we can reawaken the remnant spirit veins there. If both steps work, it might trigger a chain reaction and gradually bring Blue Star's spiritual energy back up."

The System Elder went quiet for a moment, apparently running calculations. "Not a bad idea — just insanely expensive in Merit Points. The Medium Ley-Gathering Array Blueprint runs 10,000 Merit Points each, and each bottle of 【Spirit-Vein Stimulation Fluid】 is 50,000 Merit Points. How many bottles are you thinking?"

I steeled myself. "Ten sets of array blueprints to start, and ten bottles of Spirit-Vein Stimulation Fluid to test the waters. Merit Points can always be earned again. Consider it an investment."

"Fine, you're the Host, you call the shots." The System Elder shrugged. "But let me be clear — this won't be nearly as simple as you think. Spirit-Vein Stimulation Fluid only works on remnant veins; completely dried-up ones are beyond its reach. The spirit veins in the Guixu Secret Realm are battered, but they still have some foundation left — worth a shot."

"Then it's settled!" Without another moment's hesitation, I placed the order in the System Shop.

Ding! Consumed 100,000 Merit Points. Successfully exchanged 【Medium Ley-Gathering Array Blueprint】 x10.

Ding! Consumed 500,000 Merit Points. Successfully exchanged 【Spirit-Vein Stimulation Fluid】 x10.

As the system chimes faded, ten archaic scrolls and ten jade vials materialized inside my Qiankun Pouch. The scrolls were covered in intricate runes and lines, radiating a faint spiritual luminescence; the jade vials held pale green liquid that, when gently swirled, revealed tiny motes of light drifting within.

I tucked the scrolls and vials away with care and headed straight back to Monster-Demon Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters. Elder Zhang, Elder Kai, and the others were out in the courtyard handling affairs. When they saw me return, they all stopped what they were doing.

"Young Ethan, you're back?" Elder Zhang wiped the sweat from his brow. "You look like a man on a mission — something big going on?"

I smiled and produced the 【Medium Ley-Gathering Array Blueprint】. "Elders, we've got a major project ahead of us today. I'm planning to convert headquarters into a large-scale ley-gathering array to boost the spiritual energy concentration here. Everyone's cultivation will go a lot smoother after this."

At that, the crowd pressed in around me, peering at the blueprints with curiosity.

"A ley-gathering array?" Elder Kai stroked his beard, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. "Now that's something. If this actually works, the spiritual energy concentration in our Monster-Demon Demon Suppression Bureau could multiply several times over!"

"Exactly." I nodded. "These blueprints weren't easy to come by. Let's get started right away."

No sooner said than done. I directed everyone to follow the markings on the blueprints, burying mid-grade spirit stones as array cores at designated points throughout the compound. Elder Zhang, Elder Kai, and the rest didn't match my cultivation level, but they were seasoned veterans with solid knowledge of array formations, and they worked with meticulous precision.

After half a day of hard labour, the final mid-grade spirit stone was set in place. I drew a deep breath, channelled my spiritual energy, and activated the ley-gathering array.

Hmmm —

A low vibration rippled through the air. Intricate runes bloomed across the ground of the headquarters, and spiritual energy began pouring in from all directions in an unbroken stream. The once-thin spiritual energy instantly thickened, growing so dense that faint wisps of spiritual mist became visible drifting through the air.

End of Chapter 90: The Grand Spiritual Energy Revival Plan