Chapter 86: Red Lotus Ascending Technique

**Lu Ye's Profile:**

* **Name:** Lu Ye* **Identity:** Disciple of the Crimson Blood Sect* **Cultivation:** Opened twenty-nine apertures* **Location:** Spirit Creek Battlefield* **Merit:** 142

Lu Ye checked the information on his battlefield mark. If he remembered correctly, his merit was thirty-four points before arriving at Rift Valley; now it was one hundred forty-two, an increase of exactly one hundred eight points. These were all earned by Lu Ye from slaying cultivators of the Nine Stars Sect. If he hadn't been entangled by Luo Ji in the last few days, he would have gained even more.

He didn't yet know the specific purpose of merit points. Although he could ask Chu Tian, doing so might easily reveal certain things. So, Lu Ye didn't plan to ask anyone. Whatever their use, he would figure it out once he returned to the Crimson Blood Sect's outpost.

Regarding his possessions, he had ten pieces of Profound Magnet Ore, one complete blueprint, one hundred thirty-five Spirit Nurturing Pills, two hundred fifty-one spirit stones, thirty-one Healing Pills, twenty-two Minor Rejuvenation Pills, nine spirit talismans, one small bell spirit artifact, and four unopened storage bags.

The Minor Rejuvenation Pills were found in Luo Ji's storage bag; the bottle was labeled with the pill's name. Lu Ye had seen Luo Ji take them while resting from afar, so he was sure these spirit pills were beneficial to cultivators. All the talismans were defensive and auxiliary. The four storage bags belonged to the Nine Stars Sect's Young Master and his group. However, Lu Ye suspected that only the Young Master's bag would be valuable, with the remaining three likely holding little worth. The exact contents would only be known after finding someone to open the storage bags.

Although his current resources seemed abundant, he wasn't truly wealthy. As a Spirit Creek Realm Layer Three cultivator, Lu Ye typically needed about fifteen spirit pills to open one aperture. With the help of the Gluttonous Feast cultivation method and the Spirit Gathering Spirit Mark, his consumption would be less, and efficiency higher.

What he needed to do now was to recover quickly. After a full night's sleep, his physical strength and mental state had largely recovered, but his consumed spiritual power had not.

Curious about the effects of the Minor Rejuvenation Pill, Lu Ye took one, switched his cultivation method to Gluttonous Feast, and while refining the pill's energy, he began constructing Spirit Gathering Spirit Marks on his apertures to accelerate his recovery. Once all his apertures were imbued with the small funnel-shaped spirit marks, an invisible pulling force clearly emanated from his chest and abdomen, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This was the effect of twenty-nine Spirit Gathering Spirit Marks overlaid together.

He also confirmed the efficacy of the Minor Rejuvenation Pill; it was much more effective for recovery than Spirit Nurturing Pills. No wonder Luo Ji always took this type of spirit pill when resting. He cursed inwardly, realizing that disciples from major sects truly had deep foundations, consuming different spirit pills than others. In just over a day, after consuming six Minor Rejuvenation Pills, Lu Ye's spiritual power was completely replenished.

Only then did he take out the jade slip given to him by the young woman with twin buns from the Profound Gate to study. Red Lotus Soaring to the Heavens Art was the name of this Earth-grade cultivation method. Practicing this method allowed one to open one hundred eighty apertures. To Lu Ye's surprise, the method also came with several spiritual techniques. However, these techniques required a certain spiritual power foundation to cultivate, so Lu Ye couldn't use them for now. This item shouldn't have been cheap, yet the Profound Gate only sold it to him for two spirit stones. It seemed he had gotten a good deal.

Lu Ye currently had twenty-nine apertures opened and was at Spirit Creek Realm Layer Three. To advance to Layer Four, he needed to open at least forty-five apertures, meaning he needed to open at least sixteen more. In reality, this wasn't entirely accurate. Because he had to account for the non-overlapping parts of his previous and current cultivation methods, the number of apertures Lu Ye needed to open would be more than sixteen. Comparing the apertures he had already opened with those described in the Red Lotus Soaring to the Heavens Art, Lu Ye concluded that he needed to open eighteen more apertures to advance to Spirit Creek Realm Layer Four. Only then would he be able to fully transition from the Golden Cicada's Freedom Art to the Red Lotus Soaring to the Heavens Art.

Eighteen apertures, conservatively estimated, would require around two hundred fifty spirit pills. The number of spirit pills he currently possessed was far from enough, but fortunately, he still had spirit stones.

After a thought, Lu Ye sent a message. As for whom to contact... there was only one person he could reach out to now.

"Two hundred fifty-one spirit stones for some Spirit Nurturing Pills and food from you!"

He didn't plan to delay any longer here. The journey to the Crimson Blood Sect's outpost was long and time-consuming, so starting earlier would mean arriving earlier. The Sect Master must be worried about his safety. When he left Azure Cloud Mountain, he had only opened twenty-one apertures. Now he had opened twenty-nine. Amber and Yi Yi had also grown. He had lingered in Rift Valley for about ten days; it was time to move on. At Spirit Creek Realm Layer Three, he now had sufficient self-preservation capabilities in the outer reaches of the battlefield.

As for cultivation, cultivating while traveling wouldn't hinder anything, especially since he now mastered the correct use of the Spirit Gathering Spirit Mark. Even without consuming spirit pills, his spiritual power would slowly increase. However, before departing, he needed to convert the useless items in his possession into useful ones. He didn't have much use for spirit stones, so exchanging them for spirit pills was best. As for food... both he and Amber had prodigious appetites, so naturally, he needed to stock up.

Chu Tian quickly replied, "No problem, Brother Yi Ye, are you leaving?" Chu Tian clearly realized something.

"Yes." Lu Ye sent back a message.

"Be ready tomorrow morning, I'll come find you."

After ending the communication with Chu Tian, Lu Ye continued to study the Red Lotus Soaring to the Heavens Art, determining the location of the next aperture to open. Under repeated impacts of spiritual power, the barrier of his thirtieth aperture broke open.

Lu Ye didn't continue cultivating; instead, he began practicing his saber. He had been locked in intense combat with Luo Ji for the past few days and had no time for this. However, after starting his saber practice today, Lu Ye clearly felt something different. His saber swings and strikes were more natural and fluid... He vaguely felt that this was a benefit gained from the life-and-death battles of the past few days.

Amber and Yi Yi had both returned. The two nearby sects had now ended their declaration of war, and Rift Valley was quiet, so there was no need to worry about further sneak attacks. Amber lay prostrate on the ground, having finished its jerky, waiting for Lu Ye to feed it. When he first brought Amber along, it only needed two Spirit Nurturing Pills a day. But as the big tiger's strength grew, its consumption also increased. Now, it required about four Spirit Nurturing Pills daily. As for Yi Yi, she had no consumption at all. She was considered the big tiger's companion phantom, growing stronger as the big tiger grew stronger!

Two hours later, Lu Ye sheathed his saber and sat by the campfire, eating roasted meat. He casually tossed two Spirit Nurturing Pills to Amber. Suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Yi Yi, does Amber know spiritual techniques?" When he was confronting Luo Ji in that passage, Yi Yi had gone up to harass him but was forced back by Luo Ji's Golden Arc Slash. At that time, Yi Yi cried out, and Amber, thinking she was injured, let out a tiger's roar towards Luo Ji. That tiger's roar not only disrupted Luo Ji somewhat but also made Lu Ye feel as if someone had hit his head with a small hammer... This was clearly a bit unusual.