Chapter 1333: Opening Victory

The Black Abyss Contest is essentially a competition to seize Spirit Orbs. Whichever side gathers more Orbs will claim a greater share of the accumulated resources after the contest concludes.

Given the unique nature of the Black Abyss, all cultivators participating are doing so for the first time. While they possess the experience of past generations, some crucial insights can only be grasped through personal involvement.

Currently, the nine members of the Eastern faction have seized the initiative. They took advantage of the other two factions' entanglement to secure a Spirit Orb, giving them an early lead and boosting everyone's morale.

Following their pre-arranged plan, Lu Ye and the other seven members collectively flew to the Spirit Orb's edge. They channeled their spirit power into it, pushing it towards their faction's main camp.

Meanwhile, Han Molong took the lead, flying ahead of the Spirit Orb.

His purpose wasn't to guide them, but to clear the path of obstacles.

Within the Black Abyss, countless asteroids of varying sizes drift through space. Spirit Orbs possess a unique property: when a force is applied, they move in the opposite direction of that force. Therefore, as they pushed the Orb towards their camp, it was essential to ensure no asteroids collided with it from the front, to avoid delaying their progress.

Time was especially precious in the initial phase after securing the Spirit Orb; the closer they got to their camp, the greater the advantage their side would gain.

Han Molong, whether by activating a secret art or deploying a spirit talisman, caused his already corpulent body to swell even further, appearing as if inflated. Whenever he spotted an asteroid ahead that risked colliding with the Spirit Orb, he paid no heed and directly crashed into it.

His body seemed to have become incredibly elastic; each impact allowed him to alter the asteroid's trajectory, effectively clearing the way.

With Han Molong clearing the way ahead, the task for the remaining eight became straightforward: assuming no enemies pursued them initially, they merely needed to channel their spirit power into the Spirit Orb and control its flying speed.

Lu Ye, too, was exerting himself, simultaneously learning the intricacies of the process.

Spirit Orbs not only move in the opposite direction when force is applied, but they also possess the property of accelerating as they absorb spirit power. The more spirit power absorbed, the faster they move; conversely, they slow down. If no spirit power is channeled into them, or if no force is applied, they will not move at all.

This implied that for Lu Ye and his companions to successfully return the Spirit Orb to their camp, they had to constantly channel their spirit power. To ensure the Orb reached a specific, controllable speed, they needed to exert themselves fully, which significantly depleted their spirit energy.

Consequently, during the prior skirmishes and engagements, all three factions had reserved some strength and continuously focused on their recovery. Everyone understood that within the Black Abyss, the process of transporting Spirit Orbs was by far the most taxing on one's spirit energy.

Initially, the Eastern faction was quite tense. As the weakest side, they were understandably anxious, unsure if anyone from the other two factions would pursue them.

However, as time passed and they drew closer to their camp, everyone's apprehension slowly subsided, replaced by a mix of joy and bittersweet feelings.

The joy came from the Eastern faction's strong start, having secured the first Spirit Orb; this meant that even if they finished last again this time, their defeat wouldn't be too embarrassing.

The bitterness stemmed from the fact that the other two factions evidently didn't consider the Eastern faction a significant threat, seemingly finding it acceptable for the East to secure the first Spirit Orb. They only saw each other as rivals; otherwise, there would be no logical reason for them not to be pursued.

From a high-altitude perspective, Lu Ye and his group resembled eight ants diligently moving a giant fruit, with one ant scouting ahead.

While the Constellation cultivators were busy with their task, at the Sunlit Realm level, the Sunlit cultivators from the Southern and Western factions successively offered their congratulations to Chen Xuanhai and his peers. Chen Xuanhai merely snorted in response, understanding in his heart that the Sunlit cultivators from the other two factions must have instructed their juniors before the contest to prioritize battling each other, thereby easing the pressure on the Eastern faction.

Otherwise, there would be no logical explanation for the Eastern faction to have secured the first Spirit Orb so smoothly this time.

Though they understood the situation, they were powerless to intervene in the Black Abyss Contest. As things stood, all three Sunlit cultivators from the Eastern faction knew clearly that their faction would inevitably finish last once more.

It wasn't for lack of effort on their part; rather, the opposing factions simply had too formidable a lineup.

Within the Black Abyss, when the Eastern faction had transported the Spirit Orb only halfway to its destination, they suddenly sensed a mysterious power fluctuation emanating from another direction.

A third Spirit Orb had appeared.

While they were unaware of the specific situation there, the emergence of this third Spirit Orb likely signaled the end of the struggle between the Southern and Western factions. Since each faction could now secure one Spirit Orb, there was naturally no longer any need for them to contend further.

The Eastern faction continued their arduous task of transporting the Spirit Orb. After a significant amount of time, they finally returned to the smooth platform where they had first appeared. Upon reaching this location, the transportation was considered complete.

Although Spirit Orbs could technically still be contested, historically, there had been no precedent of an Orb that had already been delivered to a faction's camp being re-seized.

Fighting at one's own camp offered an overwhelming advantage, practically allowing for infinite respawns and immediate re-entry into battle. Thus, even the weakest Eastern faction faced no possibility of their Spirit Orb being re-seized once delivered.

The Pixies are an exceptionally unique race, possessing extraordinary talent in the art of talisman crafting. Nearly every Pixie is remarkably gifted in this area; in the realm of talisman crafting, no other race can rival them.

With the aid of various spirit talismans, they are capable of executing a wide array of tactical arrangements.

For instance, they could set up a large barrier formation here!

While there was virtually no chance of a Spirit Orb placed within the camp being re-seized, necessary precautions still had to be taken. Their overall strength was inherently inferior to others, and with limited personnel, they couldn't spare any members to guard the Orb.

Their only option was to rely on spirit talismans to establish a formation.

Aside from Lu Ye, everyone else present belonged to the Pixie faction. They were all familiar with each other and had made extensive preparations for this very moment.

Consequently, in mere moments, a substantial barrier formation was swiftly deployed, isolating its interior from the outside.

Such a formation was not exceptionally robust; despite their preparations, it had been set up quite hastily. If an opposing force were to gather sufficient numbers for a concerted assault, it could still be breached.

Nevertheless, this was sufficient. Should anyone genuinely launch a full-scale assault on this location, their own forces could swiftly return to provide reinforcements.

While they were occupied, Lu Ye did not intervene, primarily because he couldn't assist. Instead, he observed them while simultaneously sensing the movement trajectories of the other two Spirit Orbs.

What was certain was that the Southern and Western factions had each secured one of the other two Spirit Orbs, and these Orbs were now rapidly moving towards their respective camps, likely to be safely secured within a short time.

The first wave of contention had temporarily drawn to a close.

The next step was to await the second wave of contention.

If a fourth Spirit Orb were to suddenly appear at this juncture, the situation would become highly favorable for the Eastern faction.

This was because the Eastern faction could immediately rush to contend for it, whereas the other two factions were still in the process of transporting their Spirit Orbs and would be unable to react instantly.

However, according to the patterns observed in previous contests, the second wave wouldn't commence so quickly after the first, granting everyone some time to recover.

In fact, the true intense battles typically only commenced after the second wave. The initial two waves of contention were generally more peaceful, a sort of unspoken convention.

Lu Ye retrieved an item and announced, "Fellow Daoists, we haven't had the chance to familiarize ourselves with each other. I imagine most of you are already aware of my background. Nevertheless, since we've entered this contest and I've made certain promises, we must give it our absolute all. I possess a formation disc here that may produce some extraordinary effects. Please take this opportunity to quickly familiarize yourselves with it."

What he had taken out was, naturally, the United Spirit Formation Disc.

This item had played a crucial role during Kyushu's resistance against the insect tide and its expedition to the Blood Refinement Realm, particularly offering a significant boost to True Lake and Cloud River Realm cultivators.

However, Lu Ye had identified some limitations of this item long ago. Due to the formation disc's limited range, its effect on Divine Sea Realm cultivators was far less pronounced than on those in the True Lake and Cloud River Realms.

The underlying reason was that as cultivators' cultivation levels increased, their combat range expanded. If the formation disc's area of effect wasn't sufficient, it naturally struggled to be effective.

Upon reaching the Constellation Realm, their combat radius expanded even further; often, a mere flick of their body would take them beyond the formation disc's effective range.

When Constellation cultivators joined forces, it was impossible for them to be tethered together, as doing so would significantly increase the dangers they faced. Therefore, even in a state of collaboration, they wouldn't remain inseparably close.

This was vividly demonstrated aboard the Ghost Ship.

During that final battle, even with the United Spirit Formation Discs provided by Lu Ye, Qin Zong and the others found it difficult to form a cohesive formation, operating instead in a loosely cooperative state.

It was foreseeable that as cultivation levels continued to rise, the utility of the United Spirit Formation Disc would become increasingly limited, unless Lu Ye found a method to improve the spirit patterns and the disc itself.

For the time being, this item could still yield some effect. However, it could only facilitate cooperation among a few individuals; it was incapable of making nine people function as a cohesive whole.

Had he not promised Su Yuqing to secure a second-place finish, Lu Ye could have simply coasted through this expedition, contributing when able, and it would have been acceptable if he couldn't.

However, since he had already given his word, he needed to apply himself. Otherwise, if Su Yuqing truly insisted on keeping him and Nianyuexian for a century, he would be powerless to resist.

In a situation like this, even the slightest aid was indispensable.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to Haitang.

Haitang assumed the demeanor of a leader, declaring, "Junior Brother Lu's words are my words!"

No one raised any objections. As Lu Ye activated the power of the United Spirit Formation Disc, everyone immediately perceived its profound capabilities, and a surge of energy invigorated each of them!

However, once Lu Ye clearly explained the advantages and disadvantages of the item, the eight members of the Eastern faction realized that while it was indeed useful, it wasn't as simple to operate as they had initially imagined.

Han Molong remarked, "This formation disc bears some resemblance to our Pixie faction's formation talismans, but compared to them, the disc is more flexible."

Haitang also nodded, "A formation disc serves only as an auxiliary tool; its effectiveness is fundamentally human-dependent. Formation talismans, however, are different; they are talisman-dependent, requiring cultivators to align with the talisman's profound intricacies."

He took deep breaths of fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, and a host of other emotions surged within him.

Where was he?

Subsequently, Shi Yu instinctively surveyed his surroundings, only to become even more bewildered.

A single dormitory room?

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room by now.

And his own body... how could it be completely uninjured?

Filled with doubt, Shi Yu's gaze rapidly scanned the room, finally settling on a mirror positioned at the head of the bed.

The mirror reflected his current appearance: approximately seventeen or eighteen years old, and quite handsome.

But the problem was, this wasn't him!

His former self had been a distinguished and handsome young man in his twenties, who had been working for a while.

Yet now, this appearance looked unmistakably like that of a high school student...

This transformation left Shi Yu in a long daze.

Don't tell him the surgery was a success...

His body and appearance had both changed; this was no longer a matter of surgery, but of immortal arts.

He had actually transformed into someone entirely different!

Could it be... he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror at the head of the bed, whose placement clearly violated feng shui principles, Shi Yu also noticed three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked them up and glanced at them; the book titles instantly rendered him speechless.

*Essential Handbook for Novice Beast Breeders*

*Post-Natal Care for Companion Beasts*

*Appraisal Guide for Otherworldly Beast-Eared Girls*

Shi Yu: ???

The titles of the first two books seemed normal enough, but what was the deal with the last one?

"Ahem."

Shi Yu's gaze hardened, and he reached out, but his arm quickly froze.

Just as he was about to open the third book to discover its nature, his brain suddenly pulsed with a sharp pain, and a torrent of memories surged forth like a tide.

Icefield City.

Companion Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Companion Beast Breeder.

A Beast Tamer?