From the outside, it looked small and unremarkable, but once inside, Li Yun imdiately realized its true size. The interior space stretched vast and deep, blanketed in thick white mist that floated like tufts of cotton in the air. The ground below was shrouded in pitch black darkness, bottomless, as though it led straight into the abyss.
"This spot is mine. You two can go find your own places below." Guan Ling wasted no ti, landing lightly against the wall near the upper layer where the mist was thickest, and sitting cross-legged.
She wasn’t ignorant, everyone knew that the higher one was inside a Mist Spirit Pool, the denser the spiritual energy. Staying at the top ant absorbing the richest essence, and Guan Ling imdiately claid the best position for herself.
Li Yun and Han Yun exchanged a glance. Both gave a faint shake of the head, neither comnting, and continued descending further.
Not long after, Han Yun spotted a decent location. "Brother Li, I’ll take this spot!" he said with a grin before settling down.
When it ca to cultivation, even admiration for Li Yun couldn’t outweigh Han Yun’s pragmatism. He claid his place without hesitation.
"Mn." Li Yun gave a faint nod, not bothered in the slightest.
He studied the surroundings as he descended lower. The misty spiritual energy here was noticeably thinner, but to him, it didn’t matter much. With his cultivation only at the second level of Body Tempering Realm, he couldn’t absorb too much spiritual energy anyway. What mattered wasn’t density, but patience.
’If only I were already in the Xiantian Realm...’ A faint thought flickered through Li Yun’s mind. ’If I had stepped into that realm, the amount of spiritual energy I could absorb here would be terrifying.’
Unconsciously, he licked his lips, rembering the single drop of spirit liquid Bai Xueqin had given him earlier.
The Mist Spirit Pool was a rare treasure, a place most cultivators could only dream of experiencing once in their lives.
True, the energy inside was nowhere near as pure or potent as actual spirit liquid. But the sheer quantity here was overwhelming, far surpassing a few ager drops of spirit liquid.
For Li Yun, this was nothing short of a heaven-sent opportunity.
Closing his eyes, Li Yun quietly began circulating the Crimson Fla Scripture at the eighth layer. The dense spiritual energy of the Mist Spirit Pool flowed into his body bit by bit, like countless streams feeding into a vast river.
Thanks to the prior experience of refining that single drop of spirit liquid, he quickly adapted, the once overwhelming energy now felt familiar, easier to refine and convert into internal force.
Ti slipped by, unnoticed. Slowly, a faint whirlpool of mist ford beneath Li Yun’s body, evidence of how greedily he was devouring the pool’s energy.
Days turned into weeks. After a full month, Han Yun was the first to erge from the Mist Spirit Pool. His cultivation had leapt from the 3rd level of Body Tempering Realm all the way to the 7th level, an astonishing four-level increase.
Half a month later, Guan Ling also surfaced. From the 4th level, she had risen to the 8th level of Body Tempering Realm, an even greater improvent than Han Yun. Her foundation was stronger, and her talent clearly revealed itself in this rare opportunity.
Another half month passed before Li Yun finally opened his eyes and left the pool. He had spent the longest inside, two full months, yet his cultivation had only risen from the 2nd level to the 5th level of Body Tempering Realm.
Though his growth was not the greatest, Li Yun wasn’t discouraged. He understood the reason very clearly, his Supre Foundation. It was both a blessing and a curse.
With it, he would never face bottlenecks in cultivation, his path destined to remain smooth. But the price of this supre foundation was steep: the amount of energy he required to advance even a single small realm far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators.
In fact, Li Yun estimated that if Han Yun or Guan Ling had remained in the Mist Spirit Pool for the sa two months, they would have advanced five levels or more. The energy that allowed them to climb five realms only allowed him to climb three.
Of course, not everyone could remain inside for long. The pool rejected those who reached their current limit, forcing them to leave regardless of how much ti remained.
Han Yun, for example, could have stayed longer, yet after one month he simply could not refine another wisp of spiritual energy into his ridians. Remaining there would only waste ti, so he left on his own.
Guan Ling lasted half a month longer, but the sa thing happened. Though she left at the 8th level, Li Yun could tell she was brimming with potential, she would likely break through to the 9th level soon after.
Li Yun endured the sa. By the end of two months, no matter how much he circulated the Crimson Fla Scripture, his body could no longer refine a single trace of misty energy. With no choice left, he finally stepped out of the pool.
***
Outside the Mist Spirit Pool, a temporary camp had been set up. City Lord Bai Xueqin and Pavilion Master Guan Long had been waiting patiently for two whole months.
When Li Yun finally erged, Bai Xueqin was the first to speak. "Li Yun, you’re out. How was it?"
Li Yun inclined his head. "Not bad. My cultivation rose three levels, from the 2nd to the 5th level of Body Tempering Realm. But compared to Han Yun and Guan Ling, my gains seem rather ager."
Bai Xueqin’s lips curved into a faint smile. "You shouldn’t compare yourself so simply. From what I know, geniuses with exceptionally strong foundations always need far more energy than others to break through. The fact that you can defeat cultivators with higher realms already proves you’re one of those rare geniuses with an extraordinary foundation."
Guan Long nodded in agreent.
Li Yun didn’t dwell on it further and simply nodded back, though he filed away her words in his heart.
"By the way," Bai Xueqin continued with a smile, "there’s only a week left before the agreent between your Li Family and the Zhang Family cos due. With the strength you now possess, there’s no need for your family to search for anyone else to face the Zhao Family’s chosen one."
Li Yun’s expression grew thoughtful. He had been told about that half-year agreent between the Li and Zhang Families, an agreent where both sides staked equal bets. His gaze turned firm. ’Since this all began because I killed Zhao Xiaotian, I’ll be the one to end it as well.’
Just then, a familiar chi rang in Li Yun’s mind and a translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
---
[Ding! Quest Completed: "Friend to City Lord"]
[Reward: 7000 Gold Coins, 2000 EXP, High Grade Mortal Rank – Blazing Dragon Fist.]
---
[New Quest Triggered! "Break the Zhao Family."]
---
[Quest Level: D]
– Objective: [Help the Li Family win the bet.]
– Reward: [100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, 2000 EXP, "Li Family’s Rise."]
---
"Spirit stones?" Li Yun’s eyes lit up. He had only thousand low grade spirit stones thanks to his buddy Dog Tao. He never thought system would also reward him low grade spirit stones.
Above the Body Tempering Realm, cultivators could even absorb spirit stones directly to aid their cultivation.
He hadn’t expected to acquire spirit stones so soon, certainly not before even stepping foot into Sword Hall. The thought alone sent a ripple of excitent through his heart.
"Let’s return to Azure Wind City," Bai Xueqin’s voice broke his thoughts. Her long sleeves fluttered as she turned to him.
Li Yun gave a firm nod. With that, the group boarded the Cloud-Soaring Carriage once more, its massive wheels creaking as the spirit horses neighed. Soon, they were rising into the air, leaving the borderlands of Water Cloud City behind.
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