Chapter 283: Ideas Dashed

The Wind Rises Across the Nine Provinces

Moreover, Lu Ye and Ju Jia shared a bond through Amber. To this day, Lu Ye still hadn't figured out how Amber and Ju Jia had become so fond of each other; they were mere strangers, yet their relationship seemed remarkably close.

"How many merit points do you have now?" Lu Ye suddenly remembered something.

Ju Jia was at the Ninth-Level Realm, meaning he had already opened 180 Spirit Apertures. A cultivator who reached this stage of aperture opening should find a suitable Heaven-tier cultivation method.

Sources for Heaven-tier cultivation methods were exceedingly rare. The primary way to acquire one was by exchanging merit points at the Heavenly Dao Treasury. However, due to restrictions imposed by the Heavenly Dao, any Heaven-tier cultivation method obtained this way could only be used by the individual who redeemed it and could not be passed on. Thus, it was impossible to learn a Heaven-tier cultivation method from someone else.

Heaven-tier cultivation methods were crucial for cultivators to break through to the Cloud River Realm. Without one, subsequent Spirit Apertures could not be opened, making advancement to the Cloud River Realm impossible.

Therefore, for cultivators qualified to advance to the Cloud River Realm, a Heaven-tier cultivation method was essential. This item was not cheap; many cultivators accumulated merit points from the very beginning of their training, and even by the Ninth-Level Realm, they might not have enough. In the Spirit Stream Battlefield, a significant number of cultivators, especially rogue cultivators, were stuck at the Ninth-Level Realm due to the lack of a Heaven-tier cultivation method.

When Ju Jia was with Sima Yang, he never killed anyone. If he didn't kill enemies, how could he earn merit points?

"Thirty-five," Ju Jia mumbled in reply.

Although Lu Ye had his suspicions, he was still incredulous when he heard that number.

A Ninth-Level Realm cultivator of his standing only had thirty-five merit points. These points were likely earned from killing a few cultivators from the Wind and Flower Pavilion previously.

In other words, when he was with Sima Yang, Ju Jia truly had no merit points at all.

Lu Ye didn't know how long Ju Jia had been stuck at the Ninth-Level Realm, but it must have been a significant amount of time. He needed to quickly get him a Heaven-tier cultivation method. Relying solely on killing enemies wouldn't accumulate enough merit points in a short period, but there were other ways to obtain them, which they could discuss after leaving Xian Yuan City.

Continuing their journey, they soon arrived at the central area of Xian Yuan City.

Before this, cultivators from both the Vast Heaven Alliance and the Myriad Devil Ridge had strictly avoided this place because it was close to the Xian Yuan City Lord's Mansion.

The red-robed female cultivator was already unfathomable; no one knew what kind of cultivator the City Lord was.

Xian Yuan City had opened many times, but no cultivator had ever seen the City Lord. It was rumored that all who had seen him were already dead.

Lu Ye didn't come here to see the City Lord.

His purpose was to see if he could gain some benefits.

Originally, he hadn't considered this, but after rescuing Gu Canyang and many cultivators from the Vast Heaven Alliance from the dungeon with the token, he realized that the token given to him by the red-robed woman was somewhat useful.

What was the greatest benefit in Xian Yuan City?

It was the legendary Soul Cleansing Pool! Anyone with even a slight understanding of Xian Yuan City knew this information.

Lu Ye wondered if he could enter the Soul Cleansing Pool with his token. If so, he would become rich this time.

The Soul Cleansing Pool was for the divine soul. The divine soul is invisible and intangible, and cultivators in the Spirit Stream Realm cannot yet access it directly. However, not being able to access it didn't mean it didn't exist.

Everyone has their own divine soul.

If he could gain some benefits from the Soul Cleansing Pool, it would definitely be of great advantage for his future growth.

And the Soul Cleansing Pool was inside the City Lord's Mansion. So, even though Lu Ye knew the City Lord, whose whereabouts were unknown like a divine dragon, had terrifying cultivation, he had to bite the bullet and try.

What if his idea was feasible?

In front of the City Lord's Mansion, two teams of Xian Yuan Guards stood sentinel on both sides. These were no ordinary Xian Yuan Guards; every one of them was commander-level, and the spiritual light emanating from their bodies was no less potent than that of the commander guarding the dungeon.

When Lu Ye and Ju Jia arrived at the entrance of the City Lord's Mansion, countless eyes fixed on them, immediately making him feel immense pressure.

One of the Xian Yuan Guards even shouted, "The City Lord's Mansion is a vital area! Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to approach!"

Lu Ye took the token that Amber had been holding in his mouth, raised it with one hand, and stated solemnly, "I am here by the order of that esteemed senior."

He was once again trying to use the red-robed woman's prestige to his advantage.

Unexpectedly, the Xian Yuan Guard remained unmoved, merely saying coldly, "Retreat at once, or you will be killed without mercy."

From his demeanor, it seemed if Lu Ye hadn't been holding the token, they would have already attacked.

Lu Ye wanted to try again, but a group of Xian Yuan Guards suddenly drew their weapons from their waists, killing intent began to spread, and they all roared in unison, "Retreat!"

Ju Jia, the simpleton, clenched his fists, his blood beginning to boil. Lu Ye grabbed him, turned around, and sprinted away.

Only after running two streets did Lu Ye stop, knowing that his plan had failed.

The situation just now was very clear: even with the token given by the red-robed woman, he couldn't enter the City Lord's Mansion. The Soul Cleansing Pool was inside the Mansion, and if he couldn't even get in, talking about the Soul Cleansing Pool was pointless.

He felt a little regretful, but it was also understandable.

If Xian Yuan City's greatest benefit were truly so easy to obtain, then previous cultivators entering the city would have certainly acquired much of it, and it wouldn't be so valuable.

"Let's go."

He called to Ju Jia and contacted Ji Yan as they continued their journey.

The Soul Cleansing Pool was out of the question, and most of the Myriad Devil Ridge cultivators had been eliminated. There weren't many other benefits within Xian Yuan City itself, so there was no need to waste time searching. All that was left was to wait.

Soon, Ji Yan sent a message, pointing Lu Ye in the right direction.

Two hours later, Lu Ye arrived at a large courtyard, where Ji Yan was waiting at the entrance.

Upon seeing Lu Ye's return, he naturally welcomed him warmly. As for what Lu Ye had been doing, he didn't ask.

The courtyard was very large, seemingly once belonging to a wealthy family, with multiple entrances and exits. Under Ji Yan's arrangement, Lu Ye and Ju Jia were settled in a separate small courtyard to rest. The Divine Hidden Palace, grateful for Lu Ye's previous kindness, had prepared meals delivered daily.

Lu Ye didn't know how much longer Xian Yuan City would remain open. Calculating the time, it had only been open for less than seven or eight days, so he figured they would need to wait a while longer.

He wasn't in a hurry. It was rare to have such a stable environment, and the spiritual energy in Xian Yuan City was abundant, perfect for cultivation and improving his own strength.

While cultivating, he also studied the texts on Spirit Markings he had brought from Lady Yun. He managed both without delay, at most consuming some spiritual energy when constructing spirit markings, which slightly slowed his cultivation speed.

Since he had previously mentioned to Lady Yun his desire to decipher formations, the texts she had him bring were all related to this field. To break a formation, one must know how to set one up, and both involve the application of Spirit Markings.

Living a secluded life here, no one came to disturb them.

It wasn't until two days later that visitors arrived: the Vast Heaven Alliance cultivators Lu Ye had rescued from the dungeon, led by Gu Canyang, accompanied by Ji Yan.

These people had come specifically to express their gratitude.

In the past, few cultivators imprisoned in Xian Yuan City's dungeon survived. This time, had Lu Ye not gone to their rescue, these cultivators would most likely have died in the dungeon. Only those who had been inside knew how strange that place was.

Such life-saving kindness naturally filled the cultivators with immense gratitude.

After chatting for a while, most of the cultivators departed, with only Gu Canyang and Ji Yan remaining.

Gu Canyang proposed forming an alliance pact with Lu Ye, which Lu Ye readily agreed to, as this was one of his original purposes for coming to the inner circle.

The two immediately formed an alliance pact using their respective Garrison Commander authorities. Although this pact was limited to the Spirit Stream Battlefield, it was sufficient.

Afterward, Gu Canyang extended an invitation to Lu Ye, asking him to visit the Divine Hidden Palace's outpost after the matters in Xian Yuan City were concluded. Lu Ye also agreed to this.

After chatting for a while longer, the dungeon was mentioned, and Gu Canyang still had lingering fears. According to him, once inside the dungeon, people would develop a feeling of slowly waiting for death. The dungeon constantly devoured the life force of those imprisoned, which was why Gu Canyang was extremely weak and looked completely depleted after being rescued.

He hadn't sustained any actual injuries, but his life force had drained too severely. Even after returning, he would need considerable time to recover.

Hearing his words, Lu Ye finally understood why he had felt so strange in the dungeon.

He hadn't been in the dungeon for long, so his experience wasn't as profound as Gu Canyang's.

Only then did he understand why cultivators imprisoned in the dungeon rarely survived in the past. Their life force was constantly being devoured, and once it was severely depleted, death was inevitable.

Only those with strong physiques and abundant life force could survive long in the dungeon. For example, if Ju Jia were captured and put into the dungeon, he should have no major problem lasting until Xian Yuan City closed.

After another period of casual conversation, Gu Canyang finally took his leave.

Lu Ye saw him off outside the small courtyard and returned the same way. Just as he was about to enter the house to continue cultivating, he suddenly turned his head to look aside.

There, Ju Jia was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his body still, cultivating.

If one sensed carefully, they could even perceive traces of the world's spiritual energy pouring into his body.

Ju Jia's talent in cultivation was definitely very high; otherwise, he wouldn't be causing such a commotion.

Indeed, this was the case. Ju Jia was born in the Spirit Stream Battlefield. It was Sima Yang who discovered him and guided him onto the path of cultivation. At that time, Sima Yang was already at the third level of the Spirit Stream Realm, but after cultivating with Sima Yang, Ju Jia's cultivation rapidly caught up and even surpassed Sima Yang's.

Without immense cultivation talent, he wouldn't have been able to achieve this.

As if sensing Lu Ye's gaze, Ju Jia opened his eyes and looked at him, showing a puzzled expression, wondering why Lu Ye was staring at him.

"You've already opened 180 Spirit Apertures. Without a Heaven-tier cultivation method, is this kind of cultivation effective?" Lu Ye asked.

Logically speaking, given Ju Jia's situation, he no longer needed to cultivate because there was no path to open subsequent Spirit Apertures. No matter how much he cultivated, the spiritual energy within his body wouldn't increase. At most, it would keep his existing Spirit Apertures perpetually full, but this was meaningless.

However, in the past two days, Lu Ye had noticed that Ju Jia was very diligent in his cultivation. Aside from eating, sleeping, or playing with Amber, he was basically just sitting there, completely still.

It was rare for him to endure solitude so well, which further convinced Lu Ye that he needed to obtain a Heaven-tier cultivation method for Ju Jia as soon as possible.