Chapter 1043: The Secret of the Divine Sea

The sound of slapping echoed repeatedly, rousing Lu Ye from his deep sleep. He immediately sensed something was amiss, finding himself lying on a bed while someone vigorously patted his back.

Just as he was about to move, a voice reached his ears: "Fellow Daoist, you fought a long battle. Your flesh is torn; do not move rashly for now."

Lu Ye turned his head to look, seeing a young man in white smiling gently at him. Judging by the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the young man, he had clearly reached the True Lake Realm, and his spiritual energy was wood-attributed. With each pat, a gentle force permeated Lu Ye’s body, repairing his torn flesh.

Lu Ye felt sore all over. His right arm, in particular, felt weak and heavy.

He immediately understood that the young man was right. The battle he had just fought had lasted too long, and he had maintained maximum exertion throughout, which had caused damage to his entire body.

The young man was clearly treating him. "A medical cultivator?" Lu Ye asked.

"Fellow Daoist has sharp insight. I am indeed a medical cultivator," the young man replied with a smile, his hands never stopping.

"Thank you for your trouble." Lu Ye then comfortably accepted the treatment. Although he might have preferred a female cultivator for this task, he naturally didn't say much since someone was treating his injuries.

Lu Ye wasn't talkative, but the young medical cultivator was quite lively. While treating Lu Ye, he said, "I heard from Granny that you performed a great service in this battle, slaying countless enemies. It's truly admirable and inspiring." The "Granny" he mentioned was likely Granny Jiu.

Whether in the Nine Provinces or here, medical cultivators typically do not participate in killing. Their skills are entirely focused on healing and treating illnesses. So, although they possess some self-preservation methods, their true combat power is generally not very strong. Of course, certain poison cultivators are an exception; their true combat power might not be impressive either, but their methods of killing are far more hidden and intangible, making them impossible to guard against.

"Each profession has its specialization. Medical cultivators have their duties, and as a military cultivator, it's my duty to kill enemies. What we both do is our respective duty, with no distinction of superiority."

The young man immediately developed a strong liking for Lu Ye.

He continued to treat Lu Ye's injuries while casually chatting.

It was half an hour later that the young man finished his work. He then said, "I see that Fellow Daoist is robust. These injuries are not serious; you will fully recover after a few days of rest."

Lu Ye got up from the bed and stretched his limbs. He felt the soreness had significantly lessened, and his entire body felt comfortable. "Your skill is impressive, Junior Brother," he said.

The young man smiled, "Senior Brother, if you need anything in the future, just call me. I'm at the medical hall in the city. Please rest for now, Senior Brother. I will take my leave."

Lu Ye escorted him to the door and then turned back. He glanced at Dao Thirteen, noting his aura was as before, and knew the previous battle hadn't greatly affected him. Body cultivators had this advantage: their recovery ability was excellent; even if they sustained minor injuries, they would fully recover in a few days.

"How long was I asleep?" Lu Ye asked.

Dao Thirteen thought for a moment, then slowly held up one finger.

Only one day?

Lu Ye was slightly surprised. He had slept very deeply, primarily due to the exhaustion from the intense battle. Moreover, since this was his Senior Brother's territory, he had no need to be on guard.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, examining his own body.

His physical injuries were not significant. His own recovery ability was good, and with the medical cultivator's treatment, he would recover easily.

However, Lu Ye soon noticed something unusual.

His Divine Pool... seemed to have expanded slightly. This was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

The issue with his Divine Pool had troubled him for a long time. It had been born by chance when he was at the first layer of the True Lake Realm.

In the history of the Nine Provinces, no True Lake Realm cultivator had ever manifested spiritual sense or nurtured a soul body, so there was no precedent for this.

For Lu Ye, however, there had been no drawbacks so far. The manifestation of spiritual sense had given him stronger perception and allowed him to activate and construct divine patterns, offering numerous benefits.

But his Divine Pool was still different from a true Divine Sea; it could only be considered a rudimentary version of it.

Lu Ye had naively believed that as his cultivation realm improved, his Divine Pool would gradually expand and eventually evolve into a true Divine Sea.

Yet, after such a long time, the growth of his Divine Pool had been extremely limited. It only experienced slight, imperceptible changes after each time he consumed Soul Cleansing Water.

This meant his spiritual sense had never been truly powerful; even the spiritual sense of that Blood Race Celestial Venerable who had just ascended to the Divine Sea Realm was stronger than his.

This had always been a problem that troubled Lu Ye.

However, since he was still in the True Lake Realm, he hadn't wasted too much energy on this matter.

He had not expected such a pleasant surprise today. His Divine Pool had inexplicably expanded slightly; while not a large expansion, the change was noticeable.

His spiritual sense strength was also greater than before.

Was it because he had reached the Ninth Layer of the True Lake Realm? Lu Ye wasn't sure.

When cultivators reached his level, they generally began preparing to ascend to the Divine Sea. However, this was a major hurdle for any cultivator. Overcome it, and the world opens up; fail to overcome it, and one remains stuck in the True Lake Realm for life.

King Geng Wu had been stuck in the Ninth Layer of the True Lake Realm for many years. It wasn't because his aptitude was insufficient; ascending to the Divine Sea didn't just depend on cultivation aptitude; a significant part was luck.

Of course, the supply of resources was essential. If one could obtain treasures that nourish the soul, such as Soul Cleansing Water, ascending to the Divine Sea would be simpler and easier.

What Lu Ye didn't quite understand was why his Divine Pool had clearly expanded this time.

After some contemplation, he still couldn't figure out the reason.

However, he really should begin preparing for his ascension to the Divine Sea now. This wasn't something he could figure out alone; he needed to seek guidance from someone. In cultivation, some things require one's own perseverance, but others benefit more from communication with others.

He had originally intended to seek out his Senior Brother to ask about the situation. However, with the battle just concluded, the Crimson Blood Holy Land was preoccupied with numerous affairs. Lu Ye couldn't find his Senior Brother, so he could only wait. Unable to research the Divine Pool issue for now, Lu Ye focused on comprehending the insights gained from the recent battle.

In this battle, he had maintained maximum exertion from start to finish. Many of the enemies he faced were stronger than him, including numerous Blood Race cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm. He didn't know how many times he had swung his saber. The experiences and insights gained on that battlefield, where life and death hung in the balance at every moment, were incomparable to his usual saber practice.

It could be said that the gains from such a battle far surpassed those from his usual secluded cultivation.

What Lu Ye needed to do now was to imprint all the insights gained from this battle deep into his soul. He would meticulously review the flashes of inspiration that had emerged in his mind during those moments between life and death, helping him better determine what methods to use to resolve similar situations in the future.

This is how cultivators grow step by step: the more life-or-death crises they experience, the stronger their abilities become. Feng Wujiang explained: "Spiritual sense is the manifestation of soul power. In fact, everyone possesses soul power, it's just that its strength varies. Before reaching the Divine Sea Realm, the soul power you utilize is generally referred to as 'mind power'. You should have some understanding of this, Junior Brother."

Lu Ye nodded.

"When you exert power or manipulate spiritual artifacts, you consume not only your own spiritual energy but also mind power. Before the Divine Sea Realm, prolonged exertion of mind power is also a form of tempering for the soul. Therefore, as a cultivator's cultivation improves, their mind power will grow, and their soul will strengthen, though you cannot see or touch this process. Through accumulation over time, upon reaching the Ninth Layer of the True Lake Realm, there's an opportunity for a qualitative change: the transformation of mind power into spiritual sense, leading to the birth of the Divine Sea and the nurturing of a soul body."

Lu Ye felt greatly enlightened. Although he had vaguely sensed these things before, no one had explained them in detail to him. Now, after listening to his Senior Brother's words, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"Before the Divine Sea Realm, your mind power is sufficient to control the strength within your physical body, so you don't need spiritual sense. However, this reaches its limit at the True Lake Realm. Any higher level of power cannot be controlled by mere mind power. Therefore, at this stage, cultivators must find a way to transform their mind power into spiritual sense. Only spiritual sense can control a higher level of physical strength. Ultimately, this is all about a cultivator's own pursuit of transformation."

Lu Ye understood Feng Wujiang's meaning, especially regarding the power of the mind.

It was possible for two cultivators of comparable cultivation and strength to decide life or death in a single encounter. This was precisely because one side had experienced more similar scenarios and knew how to more effectively fight their opponent.

Several days passed quickly.

Then, one day, while Lu Ye was still cultivating his insights, he heard a whooshing sound. He quickly released his spiritual sense to investigate and found that his Senior Brother had indeed returned.

Previously, he had been busy outside and out of sight.

Lu Ye quickly got up and went to his Senior Brother's sleeping quarters, explaining his purpose.

Feng Wujiang nodded slightly: "Junior Brother, you are now at the Ninth Layer of the True Lake Realm; it is indeed time to prepare for your ascension to the Divine Sea. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Feng Wujiang was very willing to guide Lu Ye in his cultivation. Lu Ye said, "Senior Brother, as you can see, I am currently at the Ninth Layer of the True Lake Realm, but I have already nurtured a soul body and manifested spiritual sense. However, I also feel that I am not truly in the Divine Sea Realm. What kind of situation is this?"

Feng Wujiang said, "Your situation is indeed unprecedented. But Junior Brother, do you know why cultivators only manifest spiritual sense after reaching the Ninth Layer of the True Lake Realm?"

Lu Ye naturally shook his head.

When mind power begins to be insufficient to control the physical body's strength, a cultivator's subconscious seeks a breakthrough and change, which leads to the birth of spiritual sense and the Divine Sea.

"The reason you were able to manifest spiritual sense while still in the True Lake Realm is entirely because your mind power was exceptionally strong and stimulated by certain external factors, leading to the coincidental manifestation of spiritual sense. It was your own subconscious protection. However, you are not truly in the Divine Sea Realm, because the strength of your physical body has not yet met the standard. Merely having spiritual sense meet the standard is not enough."

Lu Ye's eyes brightened: "So, I should now accumulate strength in my physical body?"

Feng Wujiang nodded: "Only when the strength of your physical body reaches the standard will you have the opportunity to break through to the Divine Sea."

Just an opportunity.