Chapter 328: Breakthrough |
After wandering around Wood Island, Long Xuan ordered his clone to continue cultivating spirit herbs while he returned to Bee Island to prepare for his breakthrough to the Spiritual Sea Stage.
The materials for refining the Earth Spirit Pill had already been gathered from Di Xin. If he didn’t refine it now, when else would be the right time?
He stepped into the pill-refining room, and after spending several hours, he successfully refined the Earth Spirit Pill.
The furnace produced five Earth Spirit Pills, their medicinal potency terrifying. Long Xuan felt confident that, even with unforeseen circumstances, these would be enough to achieve his breakthrough.
However, to be safe, he kept one pill in reserve. If the first four attempts failed, he could still rely on the power of the Repair Gu to prepare for unexpected situations.
Long Xuan decided not to delay any further. After a brief meditation to adjust his state, he swallowed one of the still-warm Earth Spirit Pills and officially began his breakthrough process.
Time passed. Without realizing it, a month had gone by.
In the now-silent pill-refining room, Long Xuan slowly opened his eyes, a glimmer of brilliance flashing through them.
Clenching his fists, he smiled faintly.
“The growth in soul power from breaking through a major realm is entirely different from regular cultivation. While cultivation enhances the quantity of soul power, a breakthrough improves its quality, and quality and quantity are two completely different concepts.”
“With my current soul quality, the effects of the Soul Library should see a massive boost, right?”
Thinking of this, Long Xuan couldn’t contain his excitement. He quickly walked into the Soul Library, eager to check its current state.
Surrounded by shelves of books, he closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes. After a moment, he opened them again, a spark of delight in his gaze.
Previously, the flow of time in the Soul Library was three times slower than the outside world. Now, it was five times slower.
This meant he effectively had five times more time than others—a truly terrifying advantage.
Overjoyed, Long Xuan immediately took out the Ten Absolute Scripture and decided to strike while the iron was hot, pouring all his energy into mastering the third layer of the Ten Absolute Scripture.
After breaking through to the Spiritual Sea Stage, the second layer of the Ten Absolute Scripture was no longer sufficient. He had to master the third layer as soon as possible; otherwise, his cultivation progress would stagnate.
There was no room for delay in advancing the Ten Absolute Scripture’s third layer.
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Four months later
Above Long Xuan’s cave dwelling, the sky suddenly darkened with dense black clouds, and fierce winds howled, their eerie sound deafening.
The once-clear blue sky turned ominously overcast in an instant. The black clouds stretched for a thousand miles, completely obscuring the sun.
In the distance, all the Gu Cultivators looked up in shock.
“This… this is a heavenly phenomenon…”
An elder stared blankly at the sky, his expression filled with awe and gravity.
“Master, can you tell what kind of treasure caused this phenomenon?” a curious young man beside him asked excitedly, his eyes fixed on the sky.
The elder thought for a moment, his gaze flickering before he finally spoke.
“If it were 'pill clouds' or 'artifact clouds', the fire-elemental energy below would be in turmoil.”
“But the fire-elemental energy beneath these clouds is calm, so we can rule out pill clouds or artifact clouds.”
“It also doesn’t resemble the emergence of a naturally formed treasure. The phenomena caused by such treasures are never just dark clouds and fierce winds.”
“This phenomenon… it looks more like the sign of a heaven-defying technique being born.”
“If someone has created a heaven-defying technique, it could also trigger such a vast phenomenon.”
“Could it be that someone is creating a technique in that direction?”
“What kind of technique could this person have developed to summon such an enormous Tribulation Cloud?”
The old man was greatly shocked, his expression incredulous as he stared at the sky.
Beside him, an elderly woman also gazed intently ahead, her expression solemn. She exclaimed, “There are very few techniques capable of triggering a celestial phenomenon. Even Heaven-grade techniques rarely cause such phenomena when created.”
“Techniques that triggered celestial phenomena during their creation have mostly been lost over time.”
“Thus, the technique created by this individual is undoubtedly among the top ten in the entire Gu world!”
“This person is truly a prodigious talent!”
Hearing this, the surrounding crowd was filled with awe and shock.
The technique created by this person being ranked among the top ten in the Gu world was an astonishing evaluation, almost unbelievable.
Such a technique would be an invaluable treasure, capable of inciting bloodshed among various factions.
Many people's faces showed excitement, grateful to have the chance to witness the birth of such a heaven-defying technique.
However, others' expressions fluctuated, their eyes filled with greed.
A technique that could rank among the top ten in the Gu world—who wouldn’t be tempted? It would be enough to drive most people to covet and plot to seize it.
Yet, no matter how greedy they were, none dared to act recklessly at this moment.
They weren’t fools. To create such a heaven-defying technique, the individual must be a once-in-a-generation genius.
Such a person would undoubtedly be a dazzling figure in history, with combat prowess beyond imagination. How could mere ants like them harbor any delusions of seizing it?
Instinctively, they all assumed that the creator of this technique had to be an experienced Gu King, likely at the peak of Gu King power.
How could someone of a lower realm create a technique ranked among the top ten in the Gu world? That was simply impossible.
Thus, despite the terrifying tribulation clouds spreading for thousands of miles and drawing widespread attention, not a single person dared to approach. Even the greediest individuals suppressed their murderous intent and desire for treasure.
Such a misunderstanding was inevitable. No reasonable person would think that a Gu cultivator who had just broken through the Spiritual Sea stage could create a technique capable of triggering celestial phenomena. Who could imagine such a thing?
Of course, this was also because the area around Thunder Swamp was exceedingly desolate, with few peak Gu Kings appearing there.
Only peak Gu Kings would have the courage to venture forth and investigate.
At this moment, Long Xuan emerged from his cave residence, his face dark as he stared at the ominous clouds above.
“Damn it! I was just creating a technique. Why is there such a huge commotion?”
“This is a big problem. The scope of this phenomenon is far wider than when I refined the Heaven-Mending Pill. It’s bound to attract the attention of many Gu cultivators.”
Realizing the severity of the situation, Long Xuan wasted no time and dashed out of his cave toward Thunder Swamp.
Thunder Swamp was a place that no one could easily enter without lightning immunity methods. Even peak Gu Kings would find it perilous.
Otherwise, the old man in the swamp would have long been eliminated by the peak Gu Kings of the Shui clan, instead of barely clinging to life.
About a day after Long Xuan entered Thunder Swamp, a group of Gu Kings dressed in black descended upon his cave residence.
“Already gone? It seems we arrived too late.”
The leader of the group, an old man, looked disappointed and sighed.
“What if he hadn’t left? Would you have dared to seize his heaven-defying technique?”
Among the crowd, a woman releasing the aura of a peak Gu King chuckled lightly.
The old man glanced at her and snorted, “Don’t speak so harshly. Am I the type to kill and steal treasure?”
“I merely wanted to pay my respects to this senior. What kind of extraordinary genius must one be to create a technique capable of triggering celestial phenomena?”
“I really wanted to meet this unparalleled talent and see what kind of person they are.”
“Hmph! As if I don’t know you?” The woman shot him a disdainful glance and said, “You just wanted to gauge his strength.”
“If this person is formidable, you’ll shamelessly try to befriend him.”
“If this person is a paper tiger—gifted in insight but lacking strength—you’ll outright steal his technique.”
“You, one of the ten villains of this wicked land, pretending to be a good person? Who would believe you when you say you have no intention of stealing his technique!”