Shamrock Peak. Erald Cove. Dadangar Subcontinent.
A few days later, the grand hall of the Shamrock Sanctuary Palace was filled with footsteps and low murmurs.
Aksai had called for an important eting. All seven Experts of Erald Cove stood at the front—Ruan, Shuan, and the other five. Behind them were the key mbers of the island’s administration, waiting quietly.
Aksai sat on a throne-like chair at the top of the hall. His expression was calm but firm as he looked at the people gathered before him. After a mont of silence, he spoke to the Seven Experts.
"I’m glad that all seven of you have managed to stabilize your hearts and recover from the incident with the Third Supre of the Kalingoot," Aksai said and paused before taking a deep breath.
"I... I wish I could tell you that we no longer need to worry now that I’ve beco a Core Formation Lord. I thought my Spirit cultivation alone would scare off anyone who had their eyes on our lands. But I was wrong."
The hall beca quiet. The Seven Experts looked tense as Aksai continued.
"Even though I defeated the Third Supre, there are still the Second Supre and the First Supre. As long as they live, the Kalingoot problem will not disappear."
The Experts exchanged uneasy glances. Their eyes showed stress and concern.
Then Aksai suddenly smiled.
"However, you don’t need to be too afraid," he said. "The First Supre and the Second Supre are busy with their own matters. They will not appear anyti soon. Without them, the Kalingoot cannot do much against us. They might send small groups to test us, but those fights will not go beyond the Foundation Establishnt realm."
A wave of relief went through the hall.
"That ans," Aksai went on, "we can rely on the island’s protective formation and the people we already have. For the next two to three months, things will stay in a quiet balance—an unofficial stalemate between Erald Cove and the Kalingoot. During this ti, only attack or defend when it’s needed. Do not push too hard against them. Three months is enough for to finish the preparations I need."
Aksai then began assigning tasks. He gave orders to each of the Seven Experts. He also gave directions to Jasmine and the other mbers of the island administration. Everyone listened carefully, and once he was done, they bowed and left to begin their work.
The hall fell silent again.
A soft ripple of energy appeared beside Aksai, and Yelia stepped into view. She bowed slightly.
"My liege," she said, "what are you planning to do in these three months?"
Aksai leaned back in his chair and thought for a mont. When he spoke, his voice was serious.
"Things are more complicated than I initially thought.
"First, I need to find a proper Third Order Spirit Cultivation Technique for myself. The Second Order Sun-Moon Duality that I practise is no longer enough for my level.
"Second, I need Third Order Spirit Spells.
"And third, I need a suitable Third Order Artifact. Without these three things, I won’t be able to remove the Kalingoot threat from the root. After dealing with Loken, I have realized that just having a powerful cultivation base is not enough. I’ll need proper tools that can make use of that base, which can then help exert my true strength."
He then looked directly at Yelia.
"Tell , Yelia," Aksai asked, "what should I keep in mind when choosing the right cultivation technique?"
Yelia stood quietly for a mont, as if gathering her thoughts. Then she stepped a little closer and spoke in a calm voice.
"There are a few important things you must consider, my liege," she said. "Choosing a cultivation technique is not sothing to rush. The wrong choice can slow your growth, or even harm your foundation."
Aksai nodded, listening carefully.
"First," Yelia continued, "the technique must match your Spirit Root Aptitude as well as your nature. A technique that leans too much toward pure destruction would not suit you. But one that is too gentle would hold you back. You need sothing that supports both your steady mind and your strong fighting spirit."
She paused before going on.
"Second, the technique must not clash with the Sun-Moon Duality you have been practising until now. Even if you move on to a Third Order technique, your past cultivation will still affect your body and Spirit. A technique with opposite flow patterns could cause damage. You need sothing that can rge smoothly with your current foundation."
Aksai tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest. "I see. Harmony with my past cultivation is important."
Yelia nodded. "Yes. And the third point is your long-term path. You must think not only about strength in the next few years but also about the direction you want to grow in the future. So techniques are powerful early on but lose value later. Others grow slowly but beco extrely strong at higher realms. You must choose one that supports your future goals."
Aksai waited quietly as Yelia spoke further..
"Also, my liege," she said, "there is sothing else you must decide before choosing a Third Order Spirit Cultivation Technique. You need to choose the elent you want to master."
Aksai tilted his head. "Elent...?"
Yelia nodded. "Yes. Your Spirit Root is most compatible with Earth, Wood, and Water. These three elents respond to you naturally. So when you choose a Third Order technique, it must belong to one of these three elents."
Aksai didn’t speak and waited for her to continue.
"In the Foundation Establishnt realm," Yelia said, "you were required to cultivate all three. It was necessary. You needed a strong base, sothing that would support your future path. Cultivating all three was like completing a high school diploma. Everyone must go through it."
She paused.
"But from the Third Spirit Realm onward, the path changes. You can no longer spread yourself thin. You must choose a single ’subject’ that you want to master. Earth, Wood, or Water."
Aksai tapped his fingers against the armrest. "So I must choose only one...?"
Yelia nodded once more.
Aksai stayed silent for a while before asking, "What if I want to choose all three ’subjects’?"
Yelia’s brows drew together. "You can choose a Spirit cultivation technique that lets you master all three elents together," she said slowly, "but it is not recomnded."
Aksai raised an eyebrow.
Yelia continued, "The difficulty rises sharply when you try to master more than one elent in the Third Spirit Realm. It is not double the effort. It is ten tis, maybe even more. Every step becos harder. Every advancent becos slower."
She looked at Aksai with a serious expression. "And it is not only the effort. The resources needed in the Third Spirit Realm increase sharply as well."
"What kind of resources?" Aksai asked.
"To continue your Spirit cultivation in the Third Realm," Yelia said, "you will need an elental Spirit Pool — a place made entirely of pure elental energy. It can be natural or artificially created, but it must be stable. Without it, you cannot keep advancing at the pace you need.
"For example, one needs a Spirit Gathering Formation or a suitable Yantra to help them cultivate in the First and Second Spirit Realms. But even without those, they can still cultivate at a slower rate as long as they are diligent.
"However, from the Third Spirit Realm onward, one cannot ignore the role of a suitable Yantra. From the 3rd Spirit realm onwards, the elental Spirit pool acts like a part of the Yantra.
The difference between soone cultivating with a proper elental Spirit Pool and soone without one grows every single day. To the person without a Spirit Pool, it will feel as if they are standing still, while the one with the Spirit Pool is running ahead with jet shoes on."
Aksai had stress lines on his forehead as he spoke. "And let guess, it would be difficult to have a suitable elental Spirit pool?"
"Indeed. It is extrely difficult to nurture and maintain even one Spirit Pool let alone two, or three," Yelia said and took a deep breath before speaking further.
"This is why the Core Formation Lords from the Big Five Sects, and even the three Lords from the Demonic Sects, were desperate to explore hidden realms.
"Why do you think they decided to enter Holy Land Torel despite knowing the risks? Why do you think the Lords from the Big Five Sects still want to ddle in the affairs of the demonic sects in order to gain benefits from the secret realm?
"The hidden realms often contain natural elental pools or the resources needed to build one. No Core Formation Lord would sit idle if they were to learn that they could get their hands on Third Order resources required to nurture their elental pools."
She shook her head. "But with the current condition of the Dadangar Subcontinent, nurturing three Spirit Pools for you would be almost impossible. Not without help from large sects or ancient grounds."
User Comments
0 comments from readers