Chapter 437: Spirit Tool Upgrading

Representatives from almost all core circle sects have arrived, which is good news for the BiXue Sect. The visitors are led by Garrison Envoys or Deputy Envoys, and over the past few days, the BiXue Sect has already formed alliances with all these factions.

In the future, when BiXue Sect disciples venture into the core circle for training and cultivation, they will have a much wider range of choices; virtually every core circle sect will be open to them.

As these guests traveled a long way, the BiXue Sect naturally provided them with thoughtful hospitality. Moreover, the BiXue Sect hasn't been this lively in many years.

After exchanging pleasantries with the various guests for a while, Lu Ye used the Heavenly Secret Pillar to return to his own sect. Inside the sect, there was also a bustle of people, but they were all his own disciples. Upon seeing Lu Ye, they all saluted.

He found Shui Yuan, who was busy, and waited for her to finish before asking, "Second Senior Sister, I'm only advancing to the Cloud River Realm. Why has it caused such a huge stir?"

Shui Yuan brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and asked, "Little Junior Brother, have you ever heard of the Heavenly Secret Blessing?"

Lu Ye shook his head, admitting he hadn't heard of it before.

"The Heavenly Secret Blessing is a legend; its last appearance was decades ago." Shui Yuan's eyes took on a reminiscent look, as if recalling past events. She paused for a moment before continuing, "It's incredibly difficult to obtain the Heavenly Secret Blessing. It requires continuously defeating enemies of higher cultivation levels, thereby accumulating the attention of the Heavenly Secret. Then, when you advance to a major realm, the Heavenly Secret bestows a blessing. While defeating enemies beyond one's own level might not be exceptionally difficult for disciples from major sects, the true challenge lies in being able to defeat any enemy, regardless of their cultivation, when they are at a higher level than you. Among cultivators of this generation, only you, Little Junior Brother, possess this opportunity and qualification."

From the very beginning of his cultivation journey, Lu Ye has consistently fought against enemies who surpassed him in cultivation. His performance wasn't particularly obvious before the fifth realm. However, after the Battle of Golden Light Peak, this accumulation became remarkably evident.

At Golden Light Peak, with the exception of the cultivators in the initial engagement who were at the fifth realm, all subsequent opponents were at the sixth realm. During that battle, Li Baixian and the cultivators of the Vast Sky Alliance had already discerned early signs of the Heavenly Secret Blessing. However, at that time, Lu Ye was still far from advancing to the Cloud River Realm, so it was merely a nascent indication.

Since then, whether in the Outer Circle, Inner Circle, or Core Circle, almost all the enemies Lu Ye encountered were of higher cultivation than him. Yet, without exception, none of them were a match for Lu Ye. He even ascended to the top of the Spirit Stream Ranking with his Heavenly Eighth Realm cultivation, effectively dominating the entire Spirit Stream Battlefield. After he advanced to the Heavenly Ninth Realm, he practically became synonymous with invincibility. The cumulative effect of this journey made the Heavenly Secret Blessing a natural progression.

"'Accumulating the attention of the Heavenly Secret?' Lu Ye's heart stirred. 'Senior Sister, are you implying... that this Heavenly Secret...'"

"'The omnipresent Heavenly Secret in the cultivation world is far from simple. Little Junior Brother, your current cultivation level is still low, so you don't feel its presence strongly. However, as your cultivation advances, you will understand.'"

Lu Ye nodded. "What are the benefits of this Heavenly Secret Blessing, then?"

"I'm not entirely sure of the specific benefits myself, because very few people are ever qualified to receive the Heavenly Secret Blessing, and all related information is highly classified. It's not permitted to be disclosed. The last person to receive the Heavenly Secret Blessing was our Eldest Senior Brother. However, Eldest Senior Brother received the Heavenly Secret Blessing when he advanced from the Cloud River Realm to the True Lake Realm. After that, his cultivation progressed at an astonishing pace, and he led our sect to glory. However, as you know the circumstances of our sect, our success was due to Eldest Senior Brother, and our downfall was also due to Eldest Senior Brother."

"Eldest Senior Brother..." Lu Ye murmured, thinking of the Eldest Senior Brother he had never met, about whom he had heard countless times.

"Don't dwell on it too much for now. No one truly knows if you'll receive the Heavenly Secret Blessing. It's simply that everyone believes you have a strong chance of obtaining it, which is why so many people have come to witness the ceremony."

Lu Ye nodded.

"When do you plan to advance?" Shui Yuan inquired.

"Anytime I wish."

"Then let's set it for three days from now."

"I'll follow your lead, Senior Sister."

Shui Yuan looked at him with an expression akin to watching her own child grow up, then suddenly smiled. "How quickly time flies! You're already about to advance to the Cloud River Realm." She paused before adding, "However, once you advance to the Cloud River Realm, your spiritual artifacts will need to be replaced."

"I was just about to ask you about that, Senior Sister." Lu Ye was indeed bothered by this issue. All his current spiritual artifacts, including the Pan Shan Saber, the controlled artifacts in his weapon box, and even his flying artifact, were merely nine-forbidden low-grade spiritual artifacts. Low-grade spiritual artifacts are typically used by cultivators in the Spirit Stream Realm. Once one reaches the Cloud River Realm, they should be upgraded to mid-grade spiritual artifacts, which are beyond the nine-forbidden restriction.

His controlled artifacts and flying artifact could be replaced at any time. Among the resources previously paid by the various sects of the Myriad Demon Ridge, there were many spiritual artifacts of various grades, so Lu Ye could switch them out whenever he wished. Only the Pan Shan Saber remained a concern... This saber had been with him for two years, and he had formed a deep bond with it. If he were to replace it, even with a long saber of the exact same design, Lu Ye might not find it as comfortable to wield. Reaching the same level of unity between himself and a new saber might require a significant period of familiarization and practice. This was hardly ideal. However, if he didn't replace it, the Pan Shan Saber would no longer keep pace with his cultivation advancement. Furthermore, after two years of intense battles, the saber's blade had numerous chips and was no longer fit for serious use.

He voiced his concerns to Shui Yuan, who simply smiled. "Saber wielders like you, and sword cultivators like your Fourth Senior Brother, develop a unique bond with their spiritual artifacts and don't easily part with them. The solution to this is quite straightforward: simply upgrade its quality."

"Upgrade its quality?"