Chapter 101

Inside the jade box lay a melting pill and a small amount of liquid medicine. The medicinal fragrance instantly enveloped the cave.

Xu Qing didn't know what a Spirit Whale Pill was, but he understood herbs. After taking a sniff, his mind immediately began to analyze its components.

"Half-Maple Flower, Hundred-Herb Leaf, Styrax... and Celosia Fragrance, Sky-Lotus..." Xu Qing murmured. He raised his right hand as if catching a wisp of the scent, bringing it to his nose for another careful sniff.

"And Sea Gold Mud!"

Xu Qing's gaze deepened as he looked at the jade box nearby, beginning his mental analysis.

The pill's composition was extremely complex; he found it difficult to identify all the herbal ingredients from the scent alone, only discerning a few main components.

However, with his mastery of poisons combined with his knowledge of plants, he could sense that its primary effect was restorative, as all things, especially plants, contain a certain amount of spiritual energy.

The principle of restorative medicines is essentially to extract the spiritual energy within plants through special methods, transforming it into cultivation power that cultivators can absorb.

"This pill also contains a few ingredients with a hint of bloodiness. I wonder what they are. The pill's name includes 'whale,' so could it be the blood of a sea beast?" After pondering, Xu Qing raised his right hand and grabbed in the air, causing the jade box to fly into his hand.

"Although I don't know what it is, I can at least catalyze and accelerate its melting." Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, took out some herbs from his storage bag, and after some thought, began to mix and add them to the jade box.

Time passed. Several hours later, night fell again outside. The wind and snow seemed heavier than the day before, covering the land, erasing all traces on the ground, and completely burying the cave Xu Qing had chosen.

Only the wailing of the wind, which the snow couldn't completely block, faintly reached him from the entrance. As it echoed in Xu Qing's ears, he opened his eyes and looked at the jade box before him.

The pill, which had mostly melted, was now completely gone, having dissolved entirely into the liquid medicine. The liquid itself was clear and transparent, and its once rich medicinal fragrance had become faint.

Looking at the liquid medicine, Xu Qing picked it up and drank it in one gulp.

The moment the liquid medicine flowed down his throat and into his abdomen, an indescribable wave of heat instantly erupted within him. This heat, a stark contrast to the external cold, seemed to explode, spreading directly through every meridian in Xu Qing's body and nourishing his flesh and blood.

It seemed even his physical body was breathing at that moment, working hard to absorb the spiritual energy from the liquid medicine.

Xu Qing's body trembled, and a strange light shone in his eyes. He felt the astonishing medicinal effects of the pill, giving him a newfound belief in the Vajra Sect Ancestor's words.

His natural resistance to poisons, in particular, made him hesitate no longer. He fully activated the Sea-Transformation Scripture. In an instant, the ninety-seven-zhang spiritual sea he had achieved upon breaking through to the ninth layer outside Sea Lizard Island violently expanded.

It expanded from ninety-seven zhang to ninety-eight zhang!

It didn't stop there. Supported by the spiritual energy from the liquid, his spiritual sea continued to swell, swiftly reaching ninety-nine, and then... one hundred zhang!

The moment it reached one hundred zhang, dazzling purple light burst from Xu Qing's eyes. His breathing became slightly rapid as his spiritual sea's one-hundred-zhang expansion directly caused his Sea-Transformation Scripture to break through, advancing him from the ninth layer to the tenth layer!

He had reached the limit of the Sea-Transformation Scripture for most disciples!

The Sea-Transformation Scripture is divided into ten layers. Each layer offers more spiritual energy variations and stronger suppression from the forbidden sea aura. Its power and profoundness far surpassed those of minor sects and factions; it could be considered one of the top-tier cultivation techniques.

This was also why the Seventh Peak disciples were so formidable.

However, it also had its limits: ten zhang of spiritual sea per layer, culminating in one hundred zhang for the tenth layer. This was the boundary of the cultivation technique, yet this boundary wasn't fixed!

In reality, occasionally, disciples could break this boundary and expand their spiritual sea to a more immense degree. Such individuals were rare, and even then, they typically only increased it by thirty to fifty zhang.

Even so, those who could break the boundary were considered prodigies.

Xu Qing had previously analyzed that what limited disciples from cultivating the Sea-Transformation Scripture to its boundary was impurities!

As cultivators practiced, impurities within their bodies would continuously accumulate. Over time, even with pills to expel them, it was merely a temporary solution, not a fundamental cure.

Eventually, a significant amount of impurities would become deeply entrenched. Xu Qing judged that the more impurities present, the more rigid the Sea-Transformation Scripture's boundary would be.

But he... had no impurities within his body.

"What limits the scope of my spiritual sea isn't impurities; it's my own endurance limit."

Purple light shimmered in Xu Qing's eyes as he felt the medicinal spiritual energy still surging within him. He was somewhat surprised by the pill the Vajra Sect Ancestor had prepared.

"This pill must be extremely valuable to the Vajra Sect Ancestor..."

Thinking this, determination flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. Whether it was the potential crisis facing the sect or his own aspiration, he eagerly wanted to know the full extent his spiritual sea could reach.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, and the Sea-Transformation Scripture circulated once more, fully absorbing the spiritual energy from the pill. His physical body did the same, and even the phantom of the drought demon behind him materialized at this moment, completely absorbing and exhaling spiritual energy.

Unheard by the outside world, a booming sound echoed in Xu Qing's mind, erupting in waves like a giant tide. At that instant, his spiritual sea expanded yet again.

One hundred and one, one hundred and thirty-one, one hundred and sixty-one...

The expansion of his spiritual sea was terrifying. As time passed, it gradually reached two hundred and thirty zhang, and it hadn't stopped; it was still continuing.

This astonishing breakthrough caused the pressure emanating from Xu Qing, as he sat cross-legged, to far exceed anything he had emitted before.

It even formed a vortex, causing the external wind and snow to distort as they approached. This distorted area, upon closer inspection, matched the size of Xu Qing's spiritual sea: two hundred and thirty zhang.

It continued to expand!

Two hundred and forty zhang, two hundred and fifty zhang, two hundred and sixty zhang...

With this surge, the medicinal effects within him finally began to dissipate.

Amidst the wind and snow, astonishing changes occurred at Xu Qing's cave. A hurricane swept in all directions within a two-hundred-zhang radius, like an extraordinary phenomenon.

Fortunately, the place he had chosen was no longer the Red Plains, and it was very remote, with no human habitation nearby, especially with the enormous wind and snow currently raging.

Thus, this scene went unseen by others.

"According to the records of the Sea-Transformation Scripture, the strongest individual in the Seventh Peak's history reached two hundred and seventy zhang in their Qi Condensation spiritual sea..."

Xu Qing opened his eyes, forming hand seals and suddenly sweeping his hands to both sides. He fully squeezed out the gradually dissipating medicinal effects within him. As he performed the seals, chaotic spiritual energy from the wilderness also surged in madly.

Although it was chaotic, only a small portion could be absorbed, but it was enough to serve as an auxiliary at this moment.

So, with the surrounding spiritual energy pouring in and the medicinal effects within him rapidly fading, Xu Qing's spiritual sea erupted once more.

Two hundred and sixty-three, two hundred and sixty-six, two hundred and sixty-nine...

Until, two hundred and seventy zhang!

The entire cave roared. The two-hundred-and-seventy-zhang area trembled in unison, wind and snow shattered, and the ground directly collapsed and crumbled, then burst outwards, revealing a huge deep pit and Xu Qing sitting cross-legged within it!

Terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations circulated around his body, and the surrounding wind and snow dared not approach. Behind him, the phantom of the drought demon roared skyward, its inner fiery power even more violent and clearly growing.

More cracks could be seen on the drought demon phantom, its inner magma was redder, and waves of scorching heat swept in all directions, instantly turning the surrounding wind and snow into rain, which then immediately evaporated into white mist, billowing skyward.

Faintly, two bulges seemed to appear behind the drought demon phantom, as if fleshy wings were struggling to grow within.

Xu Qing opened his eyes. As purple light shimmered, he lowered his head and looked at his body, feeling the spiritual sea within. A powerful aura that even astonished him permeated his being.

Gradually, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.

"Qi Condensation Grand Perfection!"

Xu Qing murmured. Comparing himself to the Vajra Sect Ancestor, he judged that at this moment, he could suppress the ancestor without needing a divine strike, merely by combining his techniques, the Heavenly Sabre, and his mastery of poisons.

Thinking this, Xu Qing raised his right hand and pointed to the sky. Immediately, his Forbidden Sea Dragon Whale, transformed into a plesiosaur, materialized. It rapidly expanded in mid-air, reaching a size of two hundred and seventy zhang. Then, as Xu Qing pondered, it swiftly contracted back to one hundred zhang.

His spiritual sea within his body was compressed along with it.

This was due to Xu Qing's habit of fully revealing his power only at the moment of eruption.

After disguising his power, Xu Qing stood up, a sharp glint in his eyes and a deep sense of anticipation.

He felt that his spiritual sea still hadn't reached its limit; there seemed to be room for further expansion.

"Whether that's true, I'll know soon enough!"

Xu Qing's body blurred, shooting out like thunder, swiftly moving away from the location and heading straight into the distance under the cover of night.

He intended to go to another city and return to the Seven Blood Eyes from there.

He had been away for over a month. Now that all matters were resolved and his cultivation had improved, he was ready to return to see if things truly had settled down regarding the Mermaid race and the Third Prince.

And so, Xu Qing hastened his journey, using flying talismans along the way. Three days later, he finally arrived at his destination: a branch city of the Seven Blood Eyes located outside the Red Plains.

Upon entering, he didn't stop, heading directly for the teleportation array.

Reaching the teleportation array, Xu Qing paid the fee. After stepping in, he looked up towards the distant Red Plains, sighing with relief.

After such a long time, Xu Qing finally removed the thorn from his heart. Although the Vajra Sect Ancestor's fate wasn't death, Xu Qing found this outcome acceptable.

"Next, if everything in the sect is normal, I can finally get a good night's sleep," Xu Qing whispered to himself. The teleportation array glowed, a sea of light abruptly covering him from the edges, instantly engulfing his figure.

A moment later, as the sea of light dissipated, Xu Qing's figure was nowhere to be seen within the teleportation array.

The wind and snow still fell from the sky, covering the earth repeatedly, turning it into a blank white canvas, revealing a touch of clarity.

It was pristine.

The coldness still permeated in all directions, encroaching inch by inch upon the wilderness, transforming into a murderous intent, revealing a trace of ruthlessness.

It was harsh.