Chapter 1192: Spirit Jade

The Sect Master and Shui Yuan often taught their disciples, but their energy was limited, making it impossible for them to cover all aspects. Furthermore, due to the nature of their cultivation sects, they knew nothing about the path of ghost cultivation.

Now that Wuchang had arrived, he was a ready-made, top-tier instructor! He didn't refuse the role; in fact, he quite enjoyed interacting with the young people of the Blood Sect. Perhaps this was a way for an old man to feel vital again, even though Wuchang didn't look old, his age was considerable.

After the celebration banquet, Kyushu remained peaceful. Most cultivators there were busy assimilating what they had gained from the expedition to the Blood Refinement Realm, so naturally, they had no interest or time to cause trouble.

However, this didn't mean the situation would always remain so.

Through two successive alliances, the relationship between the two major factions had improved unprecedentedly. Yet, interactions between cultivators could not remain peaceful indefinitely. As time passed, conflicts were bound to emerge again, inevitably leading to renewed clashes.

Nevertheless, the two factions had reached a consensus on one point: there would be no more large-scale confrontations between their cultivators within Kyushu. Any conflicts would be kept within a controlled scope.

In this peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, the cultivators of the Blood Sacred Land migrated to Kyushu, choosing a location within Bing Province.

This was understandable. Although the Blood Sacred Land was jointly established by Feng Wujiang and many elder predecessors, Feng Wujiang was ultimately the Saint Lord. Since he hailed from Bing Province, it was logical for the Blood Sacred Land to be situated there.

The foundation of Kyushu was improving remarkably fast.

The top powerhouses felt this most clearly, as the bottlenecks that had hindered them for years were loosening with the enhancement of Kyushu's foundation. If Lu Ye hadn't given a prior warning at the celebration banquet, many would likely have begun secluded cultivation to break through.

But since Lu Ye had already given the heads-up, everyone knew that attempting a breakthrough now would be futile. They naturally didn't waste time or energy, choosing instead to wait for the arrival of the Heavenly Mystery.

Amidst this waiting, Lu Ye's cultivation steadily advanced to the seventh level of the Divine Sea Realm.

In the Blood Refinement Realm, he had refined an immense amount of Sacred Blood from the Blood Race. Each drop contained enormous energy, enhancing his own sacredness while also bolstering his foundation. By the time he returned to Kyushu, he was already close to the seventh level, making this advancement a natural progression.

While the cultivation advancement was significant, what delighted him most was that the Talent Tree had begun its transformation again!

This transformation process should have started several months ago, but during the refining of Sacred Blood in the Blood Refinement Realm, Lu Ye had used up too much of the Talent Tree's fuel and fire spirit stones, naturally delaying the process.

When Lu Ye first acquired the Talent Tree, it could only burn away impurities mixed in the energy he absorbed into his body, ensuring his cultivation was free of worries.

After its first transformation, the Talent Tree gained the ability to devour external energy and even split off a section of its roots to help him condense a clone.

This second transformation was long overdue, and Lu Ye eagerly anticipated what changes the Talent Tree would undergo.

At this moment, within his Origin Spirit Aperture, the Talent Tree had transformed into a flame-like burning seed. This suggested the transformation process would take some time.

He could only wait patiently.

During this period, it was difficult for him to cultivate, so he began to improve his mastery of array formations and spirit纹. When his cultivation was low, both array formations and spirit纹 improved alongside his cultivation. However, as his cultivation grew higher, he spent less time on these two skills, not because he didn't want to, but because he lacked the leisure.

He took this opportunity to make up for lost time during the Talent Tree's transformation.

His mastery of spirit纹 was considerable; while perhaps not yet comparable to his master Yun Xuechu, there wasn't much more his master could teach him now. More often, they engaged in friendly contests and discussions, progressing together.

As for array formations, his proficiency stemmed from two sources: a solid foundation in spirit纹, and the blessings received from the Hundred Array Pagoda.

Therefore, Lu Ye remained very interested in the Hundred Array Pagoda.

If he could find the third part of the Hundred Array Pagoda, his mastery of array formations would undoubtedly improve significantly.

Unfortunately, no one knew where the third part of the Hundred Array Pagoda was. People only knew that the lowest section was in the Tianyan Sect in Wuzhou, and the middle section was in the Cloud River Battlefield. The missing third part seemed to have never been discovered throughout history.

The best way to find out was to ask Xiao Jiu. Although Xiao Jiu often maintained a professional demeanor with him, repeatedly stating that it couldn't grant too many special favors before he refined the Heavenly Mystery Disc, in practice, it often gave Lu Ye preferential treatment.

In this regard, Wuchang and many top human powerhouses were correct in their observations.

This was because Xiao Jiu knew that among the current generation of cultivators, Lu Ye was the only one it could truly rely on, and he was highly likely to be the one qualified to refine the Heavenly Mystery Disc in the future.

To some extent, although Xiao Jiu was a combination of a spirit artifact and the will of heaven and earth, it wasn't rigid; it knew how to adapt.

Xiao Jiu said the Hundred Array Pagoda cannot be found. Many years have passed since the ancient human grand sages of previous Kyushu used great power to move it to its current location. Although it concealed the existence of Kyushu, some things always drift nearby, like world fragments or the Hundred Array Pagoda. When they drifted over, it collected them. The Hundred Array Pagoda it collected back then only had two parts; the other part is completely missing.

Xiao Jiu spoke as if it were collecting junk, which made Lu Ye almost laugh. But it was true: the world of Kyushu had stood in the starry sky for so many years, and various things would always drift nearby. Xiao Jiu naturally wouldn't collect useless items, but it would keep anything useful.

It truly was like collecting scraps.

The Hundred Array Pagoda was one such acquisition.

Xiao Jiu continued, "When you are qualified to venture into the starry sky in the future, you might be able to find the last part of the Hundred Array Pagoda, but the chances are very slim."

The starry sky was vast and boundless; who knew where the other part of the Hundred Array Pagoda had drifted? For one person to search for a specific item in the starry sky was practically hopeless, unless there was a special guide.

"Lu Ye," Xiao Jiu suddenly posed another question, "do you think Spirit Jade should be distributed to those who need it, or is it better to let them contend for it?"

Lu Ye was puzzled. "What is Spirit Jade?"

"It's the resource needed for cultivation after the Divine Sea Realm, containing power that allows cultivators to connect with the starry sky."

Lu Ye realized. "So, cultivation in the Star Constellation Realm requires this? What about spirit stones and heaven and earth spiritual energy?"

"After the Divine Sea Realm, spirit stones and ordinary heaven and earth spiritual energy are no longer very effective. Spirit Jade is a crystallized fusion of various energies from the starry sky and is the primary means of cultivation for cultivators beyond the Divine Sea Realm. Only by refining Spirit Jade when advancing to the Star Constellation Realm can cultivators break through the Divine Sea Realm and leave their respective realms."

In other words, this was the treasure the top powerhouses of Kyushu currently dreamed of!

"Is this rare?" Lu Ye asked.

Xiao Jiu explained that it's not exactly rare; it's just that condensing it consumes the realm's foundation. As Lu Ye knew, a realm grows not only by devouring the foundations of other realms but also by continuously absorbing energy from the starry sky, improving slowly over many years. Therefore, the birth of each piece of Spirit Jade consumes the realm's foundation. Generally, worlds with an insufficient foundation cannot produce Spirit Jade because all absorbed starry sky energy is used for the world's own growth—this is a world's instinctive need. Only when a world's level has grown to a certain extent, like Kyushu's current situation, does it qualify to condense Spirit Jade. Even then, the quantity cannot be too much or too frequent, as it would otherwise affect the realm's growth.

"If that's the case, how can future cultivation be guaranteed?"

"Starry sky energy is ubiquitous. Realms and worlds can absorb it, and cultivators naturally can too. It's akin to Kyushu's heaven and earth spiritual energy. However, for cultivators, your stage shifts from the small world of Kyushu to the vastness of the starry sky, but cultivating in this manner is destined to be inefficient."

This was understandable. Taking current cultivators in Kyushu as an example, there were many ways to cultivate: absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy, consuming elixirs, or utilizing spirit stones. Comparatively, absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy was the slowest method for cultivation advancement. Of course, this method was relatively safe and stable, posing no hidden dangers to cultivators, unlike consuming elixirs, which, despite rapid cultivation boosts, could lead to elixir residue accumulation.

After reaching the Star Constellation Realm, cultivation no longer involved absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy but rather absorbing starry sky energy in the starry void. The cultivation method remained the same; only the type of energy absorbed differed.

"If you wish to improve cultivation efficiency," Xiao Jiu continued, "Spirit Jade can be found in meteorites, dead stars, and even anomalous starry sky locations. Some powerful realms can even develop Spirit Jade ore veins internally. In the starry sky, as long as you work hard enough, you can always find it." At this point, Xiao Jiu sighed. "Strictly speaking, cultivators are like blood-sucking insects to a realm. Only by absorbing the realm's foundational essence can cultivators qualify to step into the starry sky. So, if you're going to die in the future, remember to return to Kyushu first. That way, all the benefits you once gained here will be returned."

Lu Ye's face darkened. "I'm only in my twenties, and you're already hoping for my death?" This Xiao Jiu character was getting more outrageous by the day!

"So," Xiao Jiu shifted the topic, returning to the main issue, "how should we handle it?" It then asked how it was handled in the era of previous Kyushu.

Xiao Jiu explained that it didn't know. Its purpose in being created was to relocate Kyushu, and at that time, Kyushu's heaven and earth will wasn't clear, so it wouldn't consult with anyone.

"Then let them contend for it," Lu Ye decided. "The essence of a cultivator's path is struggle: to contend with others, to contend with heaven. Only those who can and will contend can go further."

"Then I'll follow your suggestion."