Chapter 1657: Lotus Pond

By the time Lu Ye and his companions arrived at the Lotus Pond, countless Soul Race members had already gathered there. The Lotus Pond was said to be located at the very center of the Soul Race's ancestral land. Their arrival caused a stir among many Soul Race members. Countless eyes turned towards Amber, expressions of surprise and suspicion on their faces. The name "Holy Beast" began to spread among the crowd, astonishing and exciting many.

Li Shang led Lu Ye and the others to a relatively open spot, where they stood waiting. Looking up, Lu Ye saw the Lotus Pond. He had initially thought that since it was called a "pond," it might resemble the Soul Pond in Xian Yuan City. However, upon seeing the Lotus Pond, he realized his assumption was wrong. The Lotus Pond was not a pond at all, but rather an immense, unopened lotus flower. Lu Ye's expression was odd. The things in the Soul Race's ancestral land were certainly interesting; everything seemed connected to lotuses. This was clearly not due to the Soul Race's preference but rather a characteristic of the ancestral land itself. This colossal unopened lotus was many times larger than any lotus-shaped landmass Lu Ye had seen before. This was its unbloomed state; if it were to fully blossom, its grandeur would be unimaginable.

At this moment, seven or eight figures hovered around the giant lotus, their formidable and surging soul power fluctuating. These figures were all Sunlit Realm Soul Race members! Lu Ye only recognized Elder Xu Yuan; he had never seen the others. The Soul Race Chief, Hun Que, was also present, but he merely stood to the side with his hands behind his back, making no unnecessary movements. However, he noticed Lu Ye and the others upon their arrival and briefly glanced in their direction.

"Just as I thought," Li Shang remarked, glancing at the situation. "The Lotus Pond isn't supposed to open yet!"

"It's not time for it to open?" Lu Ye looked puzzled.

Li Shang nodded. "Judging by the time, the Lotus Pond wouldn't normally open for at least another two years. This situation clearly means the elders are opening it ahead of schedule!" She then looked perplexed. "But why would they do that?"

For the Soul Race, two years wasn't a long time, as they had a lifespan advantage over most races in the starfield. However, opening the Lotus Pond early was no easy feat; it required considerable effort from all the present Sunlit Realm elders. As they spoke, the soul power fluctuating around the Sunlit Realm Soul Race members grew even more intense. A gasp of exclamation echoed: "The Lotus Pond has opened!"

With the sound, the colossal, unopened lotus slowly unfurled its petals. As they spread, a myriad of vibrant colors refracted outwards, turning the entire space kaleidoscopic. It took a full stick of incense for the massive lotus to completely blossom. Every single one of the Sunlit Realm Soul Race members looked as if they had just fought a fierce battle, their expressions weak, and even their formerly surging soul power fluctuations became very faint. Opening the Lotus Pond early had indeed taken a tremendous toll on them.

"We have not failed our mission!" Elder Xu Yuan, leading the other Soul Race elders, approached Hun Que and stated gravely.

Hun Que nodded. "Thank you for your hard work. Please go back and rest. I'll take it from here."

Xu Yuan chuckled. "No hurry, let's watch for a bit." He was genuinely curious as to why that Human Race member, only in the Star Constellation Realm, could trigger the ancestral land's will, and whether he, as a human, could gain anything from the Lotus Pond. After all, no outsider had ever entered the Lotus Pond, so even the well-informed Sunlit Realm members were unsure what the outcome would be for a human entering it. They only knew there was no danger.

Xu Yuan wasn't the only one; the other Sunlit Realm Soul Race members thought the same. Thus, none of the Sunlit Realm members who should have returned to rest left; they all stayed to watch the spectacle! It wasn't just the ordinary Soul Race members who enjoyed a good show; these Sunlit Realm cultivators did too. Life in the Soul Race ancestral land was simply too monotonous, with hardly any significant events occurring on a daily basis.

Hun Que paid them no mind. With a slight tremor of his soul power, he proclaimed loudly, "The Holy Beast has returned, and our race rejoices! Today, we open the Lotus Pond to nurture our clan's essence. Those qualified to enter the Lotus Pond, enter quickly! The Lotus Pond will be open for three days this time; whether you gain anything depends on your fortune!"

As Hun Que finished speaking, figures immediately surged out from the onlookers and plunged into the Lotus Pond. These were clearly the ones who had gained the qualification to enter. Li Shang's expression showed understanding. So, the Lotus Pond was opened early because the Holy Beast had returned. For the Soul Race, this was indeed a momentous occasion, worthy of celebrating by opening the Lotus Pond ahead of schedule. And she, as the one who brought back the Holy Beast, naturally qualified to enter.

Filled with excitement and anticipation, she said, "Let's go in too!"

Lu Ye nodded and instructed Yiyi, "Wait for me here."

Yiyi nodded obediently. "Go ahead."

Immediately, Lu Ye flew towards the Lotus Pond alongside Li Shang. He had already inquired about the Lotus Pond from Li Shang, so he naturally knew what he was supposed to do. Unexpectedly, a voice sounded in his ear: "Once you enter the Lotus Pond, connect your mind with a Divine Lotus. The more complex its colors, the higher its quality, and the greater the benefits for your future cultivation. Choose carefully!"

The voice sounded familiar; it must have been Hun Que transmitting a message to him. Lu Ye looked up in one direction and indeed saw the Soul Race Chief looking at him. He gave a slight nod in acknowledgment and gratitude. He mused to himself that the Soul Race was truly good. Elder Xu Yuan had allowed him to participate in this Lotus Pond competition, and now the Chief himself had personally offered guidance. Although he had already learned about the situation from Li Shang beforehand, their guidance was undoubtedly well-intentioned.

In an instant, Lu Ye entered the Lotus Pond alongside Li Shang. The Lotus Pond's true form was a massive, blossoming lotus flower. From a distance, it indeed looked like a lotus-shaped pond filled with water. However, only upon entering could one understand that what appeared to be pond water was not simple water, but rather pure soul power condensed into a liquid form. It was similar to the seawater of the Myriad Manifestations Sea, but with a crucial difference: one was condensed soul power, while the other was condensed starfield energy. Furthermore, the seawater in the Myriad Manifestations Sea was thick with impurities and highly corrosive, whereas the water in the Lotus Pond had no such drawbacks.

Upon entering, Lu Ye immediately felt enveloped by a gentle force, experiencing an indescribable comfort throughout his body. His mind instantly reached an incredibly clear state, as if his divine soul had transformed into the purest, unblemished jade in the world. This was a very peculiar state, one Lu Ye had never experienced before. He vaguely sensed that if cultivators could practice in this state, their efficiency, whether in comprehending secret arts or refining spirit jade, would be greatly enhanced.

Instinctively, he tried to refine the surrounding pond water and discovered that it could indeed be absorbed. Its effects were even comparable to consuming a top-grade Soul Refining Pill! This could undoubtedly strengthen one's divine soul! From this perspective, even if one didn't ultimately obtain a Divine Lotus after entering the pond, they wouldn't leave empty-handed. Spending three days cultivating in such a place, during the Lotus Pond's three-day opening, was an invaluable experience for any Soul Race member.

"Let's split up!" Li Shang said.

Lu Ye nodded, and Li Shang immediately darted off in one direction. Entering the Lotus Pond required refining a Divine Lotus, so it was naturally not ideal to act together. After all, if they found a good Divine Lotus, who would it belong to? They couldn't just fight over it. After Li Shang left, Lu Ye looked around but didn't see any so-called Divine Lotuses. He wasn't in a hurry, though. Although he was very interested in Divine Lotuses, it was said that refining them was extremely difficult. Even for the Soul Race members themselves, it wasn't easy; often, out of a hundred Soul Race members who entered the Lotus Pond, it was considered good if ten managed to refine a Divine Lotus. As a human, despite having qualified to enter the Lotus Pond, he wasn't confident whether he could refine a Divine Lotus.

At this moment, he was much more interested in the pond water enveloping him. Ordinary Soul Race members entering this place would be busy searching for Divine Lotuses, likely without time to refine the pond water. But he could! The Talent Tree itself possessed powerful absorption capabilities, able to devour and refine even the seawater of the Myriad Manifestations Sea, let alone the water from the Lotus Pond. He had given all the top-grade Soul Refining Pills he brought from Three Realms Island to Yiyi. Since refining the pond water here had similar effects to consuming a top-grade Soul Refining Pill, he naturally couldn't miss this opportunity.

He immediately activated the Talent Tree's power, and his body became like a bottomless pit, greedily devouring and refining the water. Lu Ye was delighted because he noticed the Talent Tree had a very minor reaction. When refining the Myriad Manifestations Sea water, the Talent Tree acted as if it were incinerating waste, with black smoke billowing. However, when refining this pond water, there were virtually no signs of impurities being burned away. In other words, this refinement consumed almost no fuel for the Talent Tree! Furthermore, he only needed to maintain the Talent Tree's power, requiring little mental effort. With the Talent Tree's power activated, it furiously and continuously refined and absorbed the Lotus Pond water. Lu Ye could clearly feel his own divine soul power slowly strengthening. Only then did he leisurely proceed in one direction.

Above the Lotus Pond, numerous Sunlit Realm powerhouses of the Soul Race, led by Hun Que, gathered—seven or eight elders in total—all observing the situation below with keen interest. With their strength, they could naturally see everything happening within the Lotus Pond. When Lu Ye activated the Talent Tree's power to devour and refine the pond water, the Sunlit Realm Soul Race members couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their eyes.

Xu Yuan frowned even more, asking, "What kind of method is that?"

It was perfectly acceptable for Soul Race members entering the Lotus Pond to refine its water to enhance themselves. Since Lu Ye was permitted to enter, he could naturally do the same. Anyway, the volume of water in the Lotus Pond was immense; a few Star Constellation Realm cultivators entering and refining it wouldn't deplete much. However, the moment Lu Ye began, the Sunlit Realm Soul Race members noticed something was amiss. His refining speed... seemed extraordinarily unusual! The crucial point was that they couldn't understand how a Star Constellation Realm cultivator like Lu Ye was achieving this. Even if Sunlit Realm cultivators like themselves entered the Lotus Pond to cultivate, their efficiency would likely be similar, which was quite astonishing.