Chapter 235: Ideas

In the Illusion Realm, Lu Ye was surrounded by two streaks of light from his controlled artifacts. Wielding his Mountain Breaker saber, he slaughtered everything in his path, as one level-seven insectoid after another fell to the ground.

In his spare time, while learning the art of spirit patterns with Madam Yun, Lu Ye also acquired another spirit artifact suitable for artifact control from Hua Ci.

Currently, he was controlling two spirit artifacts, both of which had similar designs and comparable power.

While he didn't possess the monstrous talent of Li Baxian in artifact control, he was certainly not lacking.

As a spirit pattern master, his control over his spiritual power far surpassed that of cultivators at the same level.

Moreover, due to his talent tree, his spiritual power was exceptionally pure. Therefore, if Lu Ye wished, he could likely control three or even four artifacts!

However, controlling artifacts is extremely taxing on one's mind. Most Spirit Creek stage cultivators can only control one because they can't divide their attention to manage a second. Forcing it would only significantly reduce the power of their controlled artifact, making it better to specialize in one.

At this stage, Lu Ye felt that controlling two spirit artifacts was sufficient; any more might become a burden.

The two spirit artifacts soared and weaved, making it difficult for level-seven insectoids to get close. Even if they managed to break through the artifacts' blockade and reach Lu Ye, they were simply seeking death.

A moment later, the streaks of light from the artifacts returned, and nine insectoid corpses lay neatly arranged around him.

The ninth stage was cleared!

The corpses suddenly vanished, and in front, a thick mist churned, as if something was about to charge out.

Here it comes!

Lu Ye looked up, full of anticipation.

When he was at the sixth stage of the Spirit Creek, he had cleared all nine insectoid stages, and a cultivator had emerged from the mist. However, he had since advanced to the seventh stage, so when he re-entered the Illusion Realm, he started fighting insectoids again.

Although fighting insectoids could also refine his combat skills, it wasn't as effective as fighting cultivators.

So Lu Ye had always wanted to clear all nine insectoid stages again, hoping to see if another cultivator would appear. Before, when his strength hadn't significantly improved, he hadn't wanted to waste his merits on it.

Now that he could control two spirit artifacts, his strength had increased, and killing insectoids was indeed much smoother.

As the thick mist swirled, a figure charged out from within, wielding a long spear wreathed in spiritual light, thrusting directly towards Lu Ye's face.

Lu Ye was delighted. It seemed his guess was correct: as long as he cleared all the insectoid stages in one go, a cultivator would confront him.

This was, of course, not a living person, but a mysterious manifestation of the Illusion Realm itself. He couldn't even discern the cultivator's appearance or gender, as the figure was entirely enveloped in thick mist.

About half an hour later, in the training room, Lu Ye suddenly opened his eyes, his face slightly pale.

He raised a hand to rub his head. The Illusion Realm was a good place, but its only drawback was that every time he "died" and exited, his head felt as if it had been pricked by a needle, with intense throbbing pain.

He had just consecutively defeated several cultivators in the Illusion Realm. The cultivators appeared differently from the insectoids. With insectoids, their numbers gradually increased from one to nine, but their cultivation level remained the same.

Cultivators, however, appeared one at a time, but their cultivation level gradually increased.

Yet, those cultivators, enveloped in thick mist, whose faces and even genders were indiscernible, fought exactly like living people. They would unleash the power of artifact control and spell techniques, demonstrating extremely refined skills.

Their cultivation levels gradually increased from the seventh stage to the eighth, then to the ninth...

Because Lu Ye was fighting a continuous battle with no respite, a stronger enemy would charge out from the mist after each one died. Consequently, even though he fought with all his might, he couldn't last too long; he was utterly defeated by a flying sword when he faced the first ninth-stage opponent.

Lu Ye, however, showed no signs of dejection. Instead, he felt it was well worth it!

The sensation of death in the Illusion Realm was incredibly real. This method of tempering allowed him to continuously familiarize himself with the combat styles of various cultivator types, ensuring he would be better prepared to face enemies on the battlefield in the future.

He checked his Battlefield Mark.

Name: Lu Ye.Identity: Bi Blood Sect Disciple.Cultivation: One hundred thirty-five meridians.Location: Spirit Creek Battlefield.Merits: Two thousand nine hundred fifty.

Cultivators who open 108 meridians are at the seventh stage, while those who open 144 meridians are at the eighth stage.

Nearly a month had passed since the insectoid tide. Even though Lu Ye now spent his days learning the art of spirit patterns with Madam Yun and only cultivated at night, the abundant spiritual energy at the outpost was a significant advantage. Furthermore, he had no shortage of spirit stones and elixirs. Hua Ci had a plethora of spirit stones and elixirs, all found in the storage bags of cultivators who died in the Chess Sea. Those cultivators didn't have much else, but they carried a good amount of spirit stones and elixirs, which now benefited Hua Ci. If Lu Ye ran out, he could simply get more from her.

With such an excellent cultivation environment, coupled with abundant resources, as well as the Spirit Gathering Spirit Pattern and Gluttonous Feasts, Lu Ye had opened 135 meridians, even though he had intentionally slowed down his cultivation progress.

He was getting closer to the eighth stage of cultivation, which also meant his departure from the outpost was not far off.

The Spirit Creek Battlefield didn't have many overt rules, but it had unspoken ones. While cultivators from both factions wished to exterminate each other, they all operated within these unwritten guidelines.

For example, medical cultivators captured from the opposing faction were generally not killed, but held for a certain ransom.

For instance, the outer circle of the battlefield was generally reserved for cultivators at or below the seventh stage, unless necessary circumstances arose.

This was also why the outpost guardians in the outer circle of the battlefield were generally only at the seventh stage. Did those sects not have cultivators above the seventh stage? They did, but they were not at their main outposts.

When cultivators reached around the seventh stage, they generally moved towards the inner circle. One reason was that with higher cultivation, killing lower-cultivation cultivators in the outer circle not only yielded no merits but might even result in merit loss, making it not worth the effort.

The second reason was that the further inward one went, the denser the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became, making cultivation naturally easier.

A seventh-stage cultivator's progress after a year of cultivation in the outer circle might not equal half a year in the inner circle. If they went to the core circle, the effect would be even better, though also more dangerous.

Having embarked on the path of cultivation, it became a struggle against both people and heaven. Who wouldn't want to advance? Every cultivator would try every means to improve their cultivation. Under the vast tide of confrontation between the two factions, stagnation meant an inability to control one's own destiny.

Lu Ye had actually long intended to go to the inner circle. However, when the Bi Blood Sect was first established, as the outpost guardian, he couldn't simply leave.

Although he didn't manage much on a daily basis, his mere presence at the outpost could stabilize morale.

Now, the outpost was stable. Hua Ci's presence alone would be sufficient, and though she had also advanced to the seventh stage and wouldn't be able to stay there for too long, every bit of time she could hold out was valuable. Later, other disciples would surely be able to take on the responsibility. Gu Yang and He Xiyin were good candidates; he could find an opportunity to make them official disciples.

Kong Niu's cultivation was sufficient, but his temperament was too dull. He was fine for killing enemies and setting fires, but managing the outpost was absolutely out of the question.

Of course, there was another reason prompting Lu Ye to enter the inner circle: it concerned the future prospects of the Bi Blood Sect disciples.

"You're almost at the eighth stage already," Shui Yuan remarked at the dinner table, looking at Lu Ye with a complex expression. When her junior brother first returned to the sect, he was only at the fifth stage. How many months had it been? To be nearing the eighth stage already was an incredibly fast cultivation speed.

"It's true, you should be heading to the inner circle. When do you plan to leave?"

"In about half a month," Lu Ye replied. "I still want to learn more about the art of spirit patterns from Madam Yun." Bringing up Madam Yun, Lu Ye remembered something from last time. "Yiyi told me Madam Yun came over and beat up the Sect Master last time? What happened?"

He only found out about it afterward. At the time, he was on Bright Heart Peak, deciphering a formation Madam Yun had set up, and hadn't noticed any commotion outside.

"It's just the 'love-hate' dynamic between the older generation," Shui Yuan said. "It's always been like that. No need to worry about it; that's how it's been for years."

Lu Ye didn't ask further.

Shui Yuan said, "Our sect currently has only one allied sect, Cangming Mountain. Cangming Mountain recently advanced to a sixth-grade sect, and it's located in the inner circle. You can go there; I'll notify them first."

Disciples from various sects interacted closely, creating a sense of exchange students.

"No need to trouble them," Lu Ye said. "My trip isn't just about tempering myself. I also have a half-formed idea."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

"As you just said, Second Senior Sister, our sect currently has only one allied sect, Cangming Mountain. I checked, and Cangming Mountain's outpost is very far from the Bi Blood Sect's outpost. In the future, when our disciples reach the seventh stage, they can't all go to Cangming Mountain; the journey is too far for seventh-stage cultivators. We'll need to choose some inner circle sects that are closer."

Shui Yuan nodded. "That's a good point."

"I heard that outpost guardians can form alliances?"

"Yes, but if it's formed by outpost guardians, the effect is limited to the battlefield."

If the Sect Master personally initiated it, the alliance's effect wouldn't be limited to the battlefield but would extend to the Nine Provinces and all other aspects.

"That's enough!" Lu Ye said. "What I'm thinking is, for now, I won't step down as outpost guardian. I'll go into the inner circle first, find some sects, and form alliances with their outpost guardians. This way, our disciples will have more options in the future."

"That could work, but do you have connections, Junior Brother?"

"Of course, I have connections."

During the last Chess Sea event, he had met many outpost guardians from various sects, many of whom were from the inner and core circles.

"You can make your own decisions on these matters," Shui Yuan said. "You're the outpost guardian; you can do as you wish."

"I'll go ask the Sect Master for his approval," Lu Ye said, standing up. He then suddenly remembered something else. "Oh, right, what happened with Fourth Senior Brother's meridians?"

Before, he only knew his Fourth Senior Brother was very strong, but recently, he had heard some rumors about Li Baxian.

Shui Yuan sighed. "His talent was too sharp, and combined with his Bi Blood Sect background, he was targeted by the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge back then."

"His meridians were damaged; is there no way to repair them?"

"There's an elixir in the Heavenly Mystery Treasure Vault that can repair them," Shui Yuan replied, "but it requires too many merits."

Lu Ye nodded and headed towards the Sect Master's sleeping quarters.

After seeking approval and receiving the Sect Master's nod, Lu Ye felt reassured.