**Chapter 62: The Challenges**
“Detection spells fall into two categories: enhancement and probing…”
Enhancement spells didn’t require much research—stacking them offered no amplification, so buying multiple artifacts sufficed.
The focus was on probing detection spells.
“Most standard probing spells work like radar, delivering results per use. They’re low-cost but leave detection gaps.”
Some spells provided continuous feedback, but their range was significantly smaller than single-use probing spells of the same level.
“For me, that’s manageable, but there’s a bigger issue.”
Beyond mental energy consumption, the critical limitation was a wizard’s information processing capacity.
Jie Ming’s talisman artifacts, built on the cultivation system’s ability to draw external energy, required minimal activation cost.
But even if he succeeded, the results wouldn’t differ much from a wizard casting spells, as his processing ability couldn’t keep up.
Excess information could overwhelm thought, even clogging the mind.
Overusing detection talismans might incapacitate him before an enemy could.
This was why most probing spells were designed for one-time use rather than continuous application.
With wizards’ research capabilities, creating a probing spell with the same range as a single-use version but capable of continuous operation was feasible but pointless.
A wizard’s processing capacity was finite. While computational power grew with level, the effective range and data volume of probing spells scaled exponentially.
For continuous detection, the range had to shrink to reduce real-time data.
In his past life, radar relied on computers, but in this world, wizards depended on their minds and souls.
“…Wait. What if I made a device like a computer to assist with processing?”
A spark of inspiration hit, and Jie Ming accessed the magic network to search.
The results were… mixed.
Wizard civilization did have such devices, but they were high-level.
Artificial souls, runic AI, and “living spirits” combining both could assist with computation.
The downside? They were exorbitantly advanced.
Two main issues arose.
First, the creation difficulty.
Artificial souls were the pinnacle of Alchemy Technique, inaccessible below sixth level.
Living spirits and runic AI were slightly less daunting, but only marginally.
Runic AI was as complex as building an AI in his past life, if not more so.
From algorithms to response mechanisms to runic programming, each step was a lifelong endeavor.
As the saying went, you either knew it or you didn’t.
Wizard training boosted “hardware” like computational speed, but “software” like logical thinking remained unaffected.
Even a supercomputer couldn’t solve math problems without human input.
As for “living spirits,” they combined the strengths of runic AI and artificial souls.
But their creation difficulty combined the challenges of both.
“With my current strength, crafting an assistant from scratch is nearly impossible…”
Even purchasing complete creation methods, mastering and producing them would take an unimaginable amount of time.
He’d be better off focusing on raw power.
Only when his strength hit a bottleneck, requiring prolonged accumulation, could he revisit these ideas.
“Balancing strength and knowledge… transcendent worlds always pose such dilemmas.”
The second issue was adaptability.
Like spatial rings, these constructs were often limited to specific planes. In new planes, differing rules or constants could render them useless.
The solution, like with spatial rings, was to have a sixth-level wizard stabilize the rules.
“Back to square one,” Jie Ming muttered, scratching his head.
He sank his consciousness into his soul, checking if his golden finger offered solutions.
Moments later, he opened his eyes, frowning. “This is trickier than I thought…”
The Great Dao Book Pavilion provided options like commanding spirits or creating array spirits.
But the issues mirrored those of the wizard world—his strength was too low.
Even the simplest method, commanding spirits, required preserving a soul intact, a feat beyond low-level cultivators.
“There’s a solution, but I can’t implement it at my current level. Looks like I need to advance.”
While enhancing probing spells was out of reach, he could start with detection talismans.
For the next period, Jie Ming devoured knowledge on runes, Alchemy Technique, materials, planar studies, and perception spells via the magic network.
But researching detection talismans wasn’t smooth.
Detection runes were far more intricate than attack or movement runes.
How could a talisman “see” rather than just emit energy?
How could it transmit what it saw?
How could it operate without emitting detectable energy fluctuations?
Jie Ming experimented with rune combinations, but he soon found that many wizard detection runes relied on the caster’s mental extension.
Embedding such mechanisms in external artifacts often reduced their effectiveness or demanded high energy costs.
Thus, many detection artifacts were limited to enhancement effects like improved vision or life detection, or they projected light and shadow onto target areas rather than directly casting detection spells.