Chapter 1690: The Flower of the Body

It was imperative to place the World King Flower in Kyushu without delay; the sooner it was situated, the sooner Kyushu would begin to reap its benefits.

Moreover, given that the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus was currently bearing the World King Flower, Lu Ye was even more hesitant to delay. While the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus appeared fine for now, no one could predict what might happen over an extended period. Despite its miraculous nature, any problem arising from this situation would be an irreplaceable loss.

Therefore, Lu Ye's original plan was simply to visit briefly and then depart. With Yiyi currently in seclusion, there was no need to disturb her. There would be plenty of opportunities to meet her in the future.

"Should I leave a message for her?" Li Shang inquired.

"No, there's no need. Please don't tell her I was here. I'll inform her personally the next time we meet. Take care, friend!"

Lu Ye arrived abruptly and departed with ease.

As she watched Lu Ye's retreating figure, Li Shang had a belated realization, astonished: "Moonfrost?" She understood Lu Ye's strength better than anyone, having spent several years living alongside him, fighting battles together, and confronting life and death. If Lu Ye was already so formidable during the Constellation stage, how much more powerful must he be now, having advanced to the Moonfrost Realm?

Li Shang's expression turned serious, and she secretly resolved that during this seclusion, she absolutely had to advance to the Moonfrost Realm. There was no logical reason Lu Ye could achieve this while she could not.

Upon arriving at the Seven-Colored Lotus Land, home to the Starry Sky Pond, Lu Ye easily located Elder Xuyuan.

"Why are you back so soon?" Xuyuan remarked, finding Lu Ye's actions somewhat impetuous.

"Yiyi is in seclusion, so I couldn't see her," Lu Ye explained.

Elder Xuyuan nodded in understanding. "I see. So, what are your plans now? Do you intend to use the Starry Sky Pond to travel somewhere?"

"Indeed, I do need to use the Starry Sky Pond," Lu Ye affirmed with a nod. "However, before that, there's something I wished to consult you about, Elder."

Xuyuan chuckled. "Young friend, there's no need for formality. After all, you are half a member of our clan. Feel free to ask anything you wish. I've lived a very long time; though my abilities may not be extraordinary, my knowledge is quite extensive."

Although the Soul Clan typically resides in their ancestral land for extended periods, many of them, once their cultivation reaches the Moonfrost level, do travel externally. However, they usually conceal themselves so effectively that they are rarely discovered. Instances like Li Shang, who secretly ventured out while still in the Constellation stage, are virtually unheard of, perhaps occurring once every tens of thousands of years.

"Elder, please observe," Lu Ye said, opting to demonstrate rather than ask directly, believing it would be more intuitive. As he spoke, he intensely activated his vital energy.

Xuyuan immediately displayed a look of surprise. Though the Soul Clan did not possess physical bodies, he was well aware of the appropriate level of vital energy a cultivator at a given stage should exhibit. Lu Ye had clearly just advanced to the Moonfrost Realm, yet the burst of vital energy he unleashed was comparable to that of many late-stage Moonfrost cultivators Xuyuan had encountered in the past. This was unequivocally abnormal.

Moreover, Xuyuan sensed that Lu Ye's vital energy differed subtly from that of other Moonfrost cultivators with physical bodies whom he had often observed. As for the precise difference… Xuyuan pondered, then felt that Lu Ye's vital energy appeared more solid. If the vital energy of Moonfrost cultivators he knew was akin to a wooden board, then what Lu Ye demonstrated was like a stone slab, unequivocally of much superior quality.

And this was not the limit! As Lu Ye continued to activate it, his vital energy surged with increasing intensity. Even though it was merely an early-stage Moonfrost cultivator standing before him, Xuyuan felt as if he were being engulfed by a vast, crimson sea.

An even stranger phenomenon occurred: the instant Lu Ye's vital energy reached its peak, a blood-red mark suddenly materialized between his eyebrows. The mark resembled a star.

"The Flower of the Body!" Elder Xuyuan exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh?" Lu Ye froze, his vital energy receding, and the star-shaped mark on his brow vanished. He gazed at Xuyuan, certain he hadn't misheard, and it appeared Xuyuan was aware of the nature of that star-shaped mark. He was inwardly delighted, realizing he had indeed sought the right person. He had originally intended to inquire about the star-shaped mark when he next encountered the Tree of Reincarnation, especially since his journey to the Yin-Yang Grand Millstone was directly guided by the Tree. His decision to ask Xuyuan had been a spur-of-the-moment idea when they met, but now it was clear Xuyuan possessed some knowledge of the matter.

"What is the Flower of the Body?" Lu Ye asked humbly.

Xuyuan looked at Lu Ye with a complex expression and said, "Firstly, congratulations, young friend. To have manifested the Flower of the Body unequivocally indicates that you have reached the pinnacle of the Constellation Realm."

Lu Ye understood. "So, reaching the peak of the Constellation Realm allows one to condense this Flower of the Body?"

"Precisely!" Xuyuan nodded, then added, "Of course, our Soul Clan lacks physical bodies, so none of us have ever condensed the Flower of the Body ourselves. All this information has been brought back by clan members who have journeyed outside."

"If it's convenient, Elder, I would appreciate your guidance."

Xuyuan chuckled. "There's no inconvenience at all, nor is this classified information. If you had a knowledgeable senior mentor, you would have learned all of this a long time ago."

After a brief pause, Xuyuan asked, "Do you know why the three upper realms of the starry sky are named after the sun, moon, and stars?"

"To differentiate them easily?" Lu Ye responded, as if stating the obvious.

"That's only one reason. The primary reason lies in the Flower of the Body you just displayed, which manifests as a star mark. That's why that specific realm is called Constellation. Of course, not every Constellation cultivator can manifest their own Flower of the Body; in fact, very, very few achieve this. Only those who reach the absolute pinnacle of the Constellation Realm are capable of condensing the Flower of the Body."

Lu Ye mused, "The cultivation of the three upper realms corresponds to the essence of the body, the qi of the law, and the spirit of the soul. So, if one reaches the extreme in the Moonfrost Realm and the Sunflame Realm, can they also condense similar manifestations?"

"Precisely!" Xuyuan replied, with an expression that suggested Lu Ye was a promising student. "Your Flower of the Body manifests as a star. It is said that the Flower of Qi appears as a crescent moon, and the Flower of Spirit as a great sun. This is the origin of the terms Constellation, Moonfrost, and Sunflame."

Lu Ye wore an enlightened expression, finally grasping the origin of the names for the three upper realms. It was fortunate that Xuyuan possessed such a long lifespan; the Soul Clan's longevity far exceeded that of ordinary beings, granting them knowledge beyond what most cultivators could acquire. Even other Sunflame cultivators might not be aware of these details. Even if this were considered common knowledge, the number of cultivators throughout history who could manifest their own Flowers was exceedingly small. Things rarely witnessed could hardly be classified as common knowledge.

"What exactly is this thing for?" Lu Ye asked, bewildered. Although it was a mark of reaching the pinnacle of the Constellation Realm, Lu Ye genuinely hadn't discovered any practical use for the Flower of the Body. It only ever manifested when he was exerting himself to the absolute limit.

Xuyuan shook his head. "As for its specific utility, that is beyond my knowledge. However, I have heard it said that the Flower of the Body indeed possesses certain remarkable properties."

That was as good as saying nothing...

"However, if a cultivator can condense the Flower of the Body, the Flower of Qi, and the Flower of Spirit, then with all three Flowers gathered, they will possess the power of transcendence."

"The power of transcendence?" Lu Ye asked, a curious expression on his face. "Elder, please enlighten me."

"Hmm..." Xuyuan appeared to ponder for a moment, then simply stated, "I don't know!"

"What?" Lu Ye's eye twitched. If he didn't know, why had he paused in thought? He had made it seem as if he possessed the answer.

"The Soul Clan lacks physical bodies, and such individuals have never appeared among our kind throughout history. Therefore, all this information is something I've gleaned from ancient texts," Xuyuan explained.

"Does the Patriarch know, then?" Lu Ye asked. Xuyuan seemed a little unreliable, and he considered asking someone else.

Xuyuan replied, "Whether the Patriarch knows, I cannot say. However, you cannot see him now; he is in seclusion."

"The Patriarch is also in seclusion?" Lu Ye was speechless. Why were they all in seclusion?

Xuyuan couldn't help but glance at Lu Ye, thinking to himself, *It's all because of you, young man. Otherwise, Hun Que, a peak Sunflame cultivator, would have no need for seclusion.*

After Lu Ye departed that day, Hun Que had entered seclusion to commune with the ancestral land's will, seeking to understand the full implications of Lu Ye's situation. A human being who could stir the ancestral land's will, causing it to issue such directives, and who had moreover acquired the Seven-Colored Divine Lotus from the lotus pond and become half a member of the Soul Clan—all these were matters of immense significance. As the Patriarch of the Soul Clan, Hun Que naturally wished to understand this completely.

"In any case, young man, just remember that this Flower of the Body is undoubtedly a valuable asset."

"Alright... I suppose so!" Lu Ye knew it was beneficial, but his inability to grasp its precise function still left him feeling rather restless. For now, the only thing he knew was that it served as a mark of his having reached the absolute peak of the Constellation Realm.

From this perspective, he had no regrets regarding the Constellation stage. It seemed the Tree of Reincarnation, when it guided him to the Yin-Yang Grand Millstone, likely intended for him to manifest his own Flower of the Body.

Not having seen Yiyi and only partially understanding the Flower of the Body, Lu Ye felt a slight unease. "Elder, my Soul Jade is nearly depleted. Would it be possible..."

Xuyuan looked at him in surprise. "One thousand pieces of Soul Jade? Did you consume them all?"

Although Soul Jade is equivalent in some respects to Spirit Jade, its value far surpasses Spirit Jade because it is a direct resource for replenishing soul power. When Xuyuan initially gave Lu Ye a thousand pieces of Soul Jade, he estimated it would last him a very long time. Yet, after only a few months, it was almost gone?

Xuyuan's question was casual, but he didn't realize he had hit upon the truth: Lu Ye had indeed consumed all the Soul Jade.

"Anyway, it's almost depleted." He still had three hundred pieces remaining, but as he was half a member of the Soul Clan and this place was essentially a second home, he felt it was only natural to take more supplies. Given the abundant resources and favorable environment of the Soul Clan's ancestral land, Lu Ye assumed that Soul Jade would not be scarce.

As if discerning his thoughts, Xuyuan stated, "Soul Jade is something we must actively condense using specific methods. It's not like Spirit Jade, which forms naturally." This was also the reason why Xuyuan had only given him a thousand pieces of Soul Jade previously; it wasn't due to stinginess on the Soul Clan's part, but because of time constraints, only that much could be condensed.