Chapter 177: Earth's Core Fire

Previously, the Blood Sect had no Spirit Stream Realm disciples, and their outpost remained untended, allowing rogue cultivators to settle there. Now, with Lu Ye's arrival, things are different. If he were to insist on expelling them, those rogue cultivators would have no choice but to leave.

After news of Lu Ye's appearance at the outpost spread yesterday, many rogue cultivators grew anxious, fearing they would be expelled.

This was precisely why Chen Yu rushed to find Lu Ye.

Unexpectedly, before he could even state his purpose, Lu Ye presented him with a contract.

As he looked down, Chen Yu's expression gradually softened.

The contract's terms were straightforward: the market's current arrangement would temporarily remain, but the Blood Sect reserved the right to ask the rogue cultivators to leave at any time.

Additionally, the Blood Sect delegated the management of the market to Chen Yu. Rogue cultivators wishing to remain there would be required to pay the Blood Sect a monthly fee of two to five spirit stones, depending on their cultivation level.

Shui Yuan drafted this contract, and the fees were not exorbitant, making them affordable for the rogue cultivators. This arrangement would not only generate some income for Lu Ye but also make it clear to the rogue cultivators that this was the Blood Sect's outpost and that staying there came with a cost.

Chen Yu quickly read through it, then readily bit his finger and pressed his bloody fingerprint onto the contract.

After exchanging their respective marks with Lu Ye, he joyfully hurried towards the market, ready to inform the waiting rogue cultivators of the good news.

Compared to the benefits gained by the rogue cultivators, Chen Yu's gains were naturally more significant. Previously, he was merely the nominal manager of the market, lacking any official standing. Now, with the Blood Sect's formal entrustment, he had a tangible identity, which would make his management much more legitimate.

Lu Ye didn't need to concern himself with the rogue cultivators for the time being. The outpost was vast, more than he could utilize alone, and it was better to maintain the current arrangement than to unnecessarily offend people.

Before the Heavenly Mystery Pillar, Lu Ye connected his consciousness to the Heavenly Mystery Treasury, searching for the treasures he required.

A short while later, Lu Ye held a palm-sized box and quickly made his way towards the cultivation room.

The spiritual energy in the cultivation rooms was noticeably richer than elsewhere, especially in the one he had used yesterday. The three spirit-gathering patterns he had arranged there were constantly active, making the spiritual energy significantly denser than in ordinary locations.

He opened the door, entered, and sat down, holding the box.

Gazing at the box in his hand, Lu Ye felt a mix of delight and heartache.

His delight stemmed from the Heavenly Mystery Treasury indeed possessing every good thing; anything he desired could be found within. His heartache, however, was due to this small box costing him two hundred merit points, significantly more expensive than the Stone Mountain Saber.

Gently opening the box, a flame roughly the size of a baby's fist immediately appeared, and a scorching aura diffused from it.

This was a small wisp of Earth Core Fire, the most affordable type of wondrous flame Lu Ye had found in the Heavenly Mystery Treasury.

The talent tree's ability to burn off elixir toxins needed to be restored as soon as possible, as it was crucial for his cultivation advancement. Lu Ye had previously speculated that the talent tree required absorbing some fiery or scorching energy for its leaves to ignite, which would then grant him more spirit patterns.

However, this had always remained a theory, with no means of verification.

However, after his trip to the Heavenly Mystery Treasury, this conjecture was confirmed. When he stood amidst the treasures filled with scorching energy and various wondrous flames, the dormant talent tree within his Origin Spirit Aperture clearly became active. Yet, because these treasures remained within the Heavenly Mystery Treasury, the talent tree couldn't absorb their power.

It wasn't until this moment, as Lu Ye opened the box in his hand, that a subtle sensation emanated from his Origin Spirit Aperture. He immediately focused his mind, and the next instant, he saw rootlets extending from the base of the talent tree, plunging into the Earth Core Fire within the box.

In the blink of an eye, the scorching energy dissipated, and the Earth Core Fire in the box vanished.

On the talent tree, the fourth leaf blazed brightly!

This fourth leaf had already begun to glow after the battle where he acquired the Barrier-Breaking Fruit, back before he left Qingyun Mountain. However, it hadn't undergone a qualitative change due to insufficient absorbed energy.

Today, it finally began to burn, meaning Lu Ye would gain another spirit pattern.

He suppressed his anticipation and joy, continuing to observe, only to discover... it was gone!

The fifth leaf showed no signs of burning, or even glowing...

Lu Ye frowned, finding this somewhat different from his expectations.

However, he soon discovered that the talent tree had restored its function of burning off elixir toxins. As his spiritual energy circulated, gray mist was continuously incinerated.

The elixir toxins in his body had accumulated to a peak after the battle at Golden Light Peak, rendering his spiritual energy sluggish and his spiritual light dim. This significantly impacted both his strength and cultivation.

Since the battle at Golden Light Peak, Lu Ye had been hesitant to consume spirit elixirs. Although his Second Senior Sister possessed methods to help him remove the toxins from his body, and they were somewhat effective, they could never completely eliminate them.

Such a condition required a long period of recuperation and adjustment.

However, once the talent tree's function of burning off elixir toxins was restored, in merely the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lu Ye's spiritual energy once again became pure and flawless.

The long-standing hidden problem was finally resolved, and Lu Ye felt a wave of relief.

Considering all previous observations, his conjecture proved correct.

The talent tree could absorb scorching or fiery energy. This energy allowed its leaves to ignite, enabling Lu Ye to master spirit patterns. Furthermore, this energy was also stored within the talent tree as a fuel to burn off elixir toxins.

This time, only one leaf ignited, likely because the talent tree needed to accumulate fuel. Thus, most of the energy was stored, with only a small portion used to make the fourth leaf burn.

Many treasures in the Heavenly Mystery Treasury were suitable for the talent tree to absorb; there were numerous portions of Earth Core Fire alone, and Lu Ye had only purchased one.

It appears he still needed to acquire more merit points! With sufficient merit points, the talent tree's capabilities would grow increasingly potent.

Glancing at his remaining five hundred-plus merit points, Lu Ye sighed softly. Just a few days prior, his total had almost reached a thousand.

Merit points were difficult to accumulate but seemed to vanish like flowing water.

Without rushing into cultivation, Lu Ye focused intently on the fourth burning leaf of the talent tree. Taking a deep breath, his expression became solemn as he immersed his mind within it.

The burning leaf rapidly expanded in his vision, obscuring all thought. His mind felt forcibly pried open once more, as if a red-hot branding iron had been thrust inside and was vigorously stirring.

After a considerable moment, Lu Ye snapped back to awareness, drenched in sweat. He shook his head to dispel the lingering discomfort.

Even though he had reached the fifth-layer cultivation, inspecting the spirit patterns on the talent tree remained an extremely unpleasant experience. Fortunately, he didn't outright faint as he had the first time.

Bloodstain!

This was the name of the fourth spirit pattern.

Examining its mysteries, Lu Ye soon discovered that while this was a type of offensive spirit pattern, it didn't directly enhance his destructive power like 'Sharpness'; it served a different purpose.

However, it was undeniable that if this spirit pattern were utilized skillfully, it might indeed allow him to overcome a stronger opponent!

It offered an additional means to fight to the death against a formidable foe.

Every spirit pattern on the talent tree held significant utility, but to acquire them, he first needed to obtain treasures suitable for the talent tree to absorb energy.

In other words, a substantial amount of merit points was required!

For now, he set these thoughts aside. Although he still possessed over five hundred merit points, he wasn't prepared to buy more Earth Core Fire. It was better to keep some merit points in reserve, as they might prove useful at any given moment.

He rose and began placing spirit stones in the eight designated positions of the spirit gathering array. As he came to the last one, Lu Ye paused, then retrieved the blood-red scale armor he had obtained from Dragon Spring and placed it into the final slot.

The spirit gathering array could activate the power within spirit stones; perhaps it could also activate the power within this scale armor.

The scale armor bore numerous blood lines. Amber had absorbed its essence a few times, with intensely stimulating effects each instance. Lu Ye didn't dare to emulate Amber, as a monster beast's physique was simply not comparable to his own.

However, if the spirit gathering array could indeed activate its power, then this might present a safe method for him to absorb the energy within the scale armor.

He then proceeded to construct a spirit-gathering pattern within his own spirit aperture.

With everything prepared, he began to consume spirit elixirs and cultivate. Soon, the room filled with misty spiritual energy, within which streamed wisps of red mist, each one resembling a dancing dragon...

Days passed. During the day, under the meticulous guidance and care of Li Baxian, he honed his skills. His Fourth Senior Brother would "kill" him numerous times each day, leaving him covered in blood after every session, only for his Second Senior Sister to then drag him away for a bath and medical treatment.

By night, he would enter the outpost, first exploring the various mysteries of the Heavenly Mystery Pillar and his authority as a guardian, or venturing into the Heavenly Mystery Treasury to broaden his horizons, before finally cultivating.

Li Baxian didn't teach him many combat techniques, nor any specific sword or saber arts. In Li Baxian's view, such formulaic approaches were worthless, merely for show.

True saber arts and sword arts were the most straightforward killing techniques!

His method was simply to make Lu Ye remember each injury with his own body. This teaching approach was arguably brutal. Only the Blood Sect currently possessed the means to teach in such a manner; in any other sect, countless disciples would likely have been crippled by now.

At the dinner table, Lu Ye ate heartily while indistinctly asking Li Baxian, "Fourth Senior Brother, how can I quickly obtain a large amount of merit points?"

"Kill enemies!" Li Baxian replied concisely.

"I know about killing enemies, but didn't you say I shouldn't stir up trouble outside for a while?"

Only a month had passed since the Golden Light Peak battle, and the turmoil had only recently subsided. Therefore, Li Baxian had previously advised Lu Ye to lie low for a while. Fortunately, Lu Ye was also recuperating from his injuries during this period, spending his days moving around the sect's outpost, with no opportunity to go out and cause trouble.

"Aside from killing enemies, your only other option is to sell items to the Heavenly Mystery Treasury."