Chapter 866: True Lake

The Wind Rises Across the Nine Provinces

Lu Ye and Yiyi were both diligently cultivating, and even Amber was lying beside them, absorbing the pure spiritual energy. Neither the two individuals nor the tiger noticed a ghostly figure that had silently drifted in at some unknown time, standing quietly about a zhang (approximately 3.33 meters) in front of them. The many warning and protective formations Lu Ye had meticulously set up seemed to have completely lost their effectiveness.

Given the current state of the Cangyan Mountain Range, only Nian Yuexian could sneak in so stealthily and unnoticed. At this moment, she intently observed Lu Ye, clearly sensing the terrifying efficiency of his cultivation. With her discernment, she immediately noticed the peculiar nature of his practice. Although it was her first time witnessing it, a brief moment of contemplation allowed her to roughly understand what was happening. She was greatly surprised, as even with her vast knowledge and experience, she had never imagined that someone in this world could cultivate in such a manner. Recalling the information she had gathered about Lu Ye's growth, Nian Yuexian finally understood why his cultivation progressed so rapidly. Such terrifying cultivation efficiency far surpassed the normal breathing techniques of other cultivators; it had nothing to do with innate aptitude anymore. From this perspective, the Cloud River Realm junior before her had been cultivating this way since he was at a very low level, continuing until today. How audacious! And how earth-shattering was his talent in the path of spirit patterns, to conceive such an ingenious idea and put it into practice. Grand Cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm were all known for their stable mindsets, yet Nian Yuexian was still profoundly shaken upon witnessing Lu Ye's unique cultivation method.

Then she looked at Yiyi, who was sitting beside Lu Ye. She was even more shaken. The reason she had snuck in to investigate was that she had sensed an unfamiliar aura in the bamboo building. She had seen Lu Ye before, accompanied by Amber, and clearly remembered the auras of both the person and the tiger, so the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar aura naturally made her wary. However, upon entering and seeing for herself, she realized that besides the pet beast accompanying Lu Ye, there was another extremely special entity. This maiden-like being had managed to conceal herself even from Nian Yuexian.

After quietly observing for a moment, Nian Yuexian's figure vanished as if she had never been there, leaving not a trace.

Golden spirit talismans were continuously consumed. Seven days later, as the effect of the seventh talisman was about to end, a loud buzzing sound suddenly erupted from within Lu Ye's body, like thunder or a surging river. Vast spiritual energy surged endlessly within his body, causing waves of air to ripple in all directions. The feeling of fullness that had emerged days prior became increasingly apparent. Yet, far from experiencing any discomfort, Lu Ye felt as though every inch of his flesh and blood was overflowing with spiritual energy.

Starting from the Spirit Creek Realm, cultivators open numerous spirit apertures. When enough of these apertures are activated, they can connect the entire body's meridians, thereby entering the Cloud River Realm. Once at the Cloud River Realm, the spiritual energy within the body flows like a great river, connected from end to end, ceaselessly. However, this spiritual energy river has its limitations. Cultivation in the Cloud River Realm is precisely about breaking these limitations by continuously expanding the volume of this spiritual energy river. The expansion of this spiritual energy river continues until it permeates every corner of the entire body. At this point, every corner of the cultivator's body is filled with their spiritual energy, with no remaining limitations. No matter how the spiritual energy is activated, it receives swift feedback, and their control over it is far superior to before. At this stage, the spiritual energy within the cultivator's body fills it like a lake, marking the True Lake Realm!

At this moment, Lu Ye had already stepped one foot into the threshold of the True Lake Realm; he could essentially be considered a True Lake Realm cultivator. However, the surging spiritual energy around his body clearly indicated an unstable realm. If left unchecked, he could fall back to the ninth level of the Cloud River Realm, rendering his efforts of the past few days futile.

The cultivation process for True Lake Realm cultivators differs from that of the previous two realms. In the previous two realms, both the Spirit Creek Realm and the Cloud River Realm focused on increasing the sheer volume of spiritual energy, with this being most evident in the Cloud River Realm. However, upon reaching the True Lake Realm, the focus shifts to improving the quality of one's spiritual energy. The True Lake Realm consists of Nine Revolutions, each corresponding to a level within the realm. Only by truly refining his spiritual energy into a single 'revolution' could Lu Ye firmly establish himself in the first level of the True Lake Realm. Currently, his progress was like a castle in the air, liable to collapse at any moment.

He had previously consulted Shui Yuan about True Lake Realm cultivation, so at this critical moment, he knew exactly what he needed to do. To refine his spiritual energy, he needed to rely on the cultivation technique he had purchased from the Heavenly Mystery Vault during his Spirit Creek Realm days! Since entering the Cloud River Realm, with his spirit apertures connecting to form a Grand Heavenly Cycle and a spiritual energy river, Lu Ye had once believed that cultivation techniques were no longer very useful. However, when he consulted Shui Yuan about True Lake Realm cultivation, he realized he had been mistaken. Cultivation techniques were extremely important; they were meant to accompany a cultivator throughout their entire life. The superior the technique, the more beneficial it was for refining spiritual energy. Lu Ye's Great Sun Glazed Art was naturally excellent. It was among the top techniques in the entire Heavenly Mystery Vault. Although some other techniques were more expensive than the Great Sun Glazed Art when he bought it, this one was the most suitable for him. This made him secretly glad that he hadn't scrimped on merit points back then.

The process of refining spiritual energy was not difficult: he only needed to circulate his abundant spiritual energy according to the technique's pathways, and it would naturally undergo wondrous changes, becoming more refined. Simply put, it was compression. Two original portions of spiritual energy, circulated through the cultivation technique, would be compressed into one. While the volume decreased, the quality improved, thus completing one 'revolution'. Once all of one's spiritual energy reached the level of one revolution, one could then stabilize in the first level of the True Lake Realm. To advance to the second level of the True Lake Realm, one would continue to repeat the same process, further compressing and refining the one-revolution spiritual energy. The process would be repeated for subsequent levels. Therefore, the further a cultivator progresses, the greater their demand for spiritual energy becomes. This is because while two portions of spiritual energy initially brought two portions of improvement, upon reaching the True Lake Realm, they yield only one portion of improvement, and at the second level of the True Lake Realm, only half a portion. Cultivating in the True Lake Realm requires resources that almost double with each advancement, highlighting the immense demand.

Refining one's spiritual energy was not difficult, merely somewhat cumbersome, as the entire cultivation process involved repeating the same action. Furthermore, when refining spiritual energy, it's essential to ensure its purity. The purer the spiritual energy, the simpler the refining process. Any impurities or pill toxins would subtly increase the difficulty of refinement. Therefore, cultivators typically calm their minds and nourish their bodies during this period, striving to bring their spiritual energy to its purest state. Lu Ye, possessing a talent tree that incinerated pill toxins, naturally had no need to consider such concerns.

As spiritual energy surged within his body, Lu Ye carefully guarded his mind, silently circulated his profound art, and activated his spiritual energy to follow the pathways of the Great Sun Glazed Art. Although his body was now overflowing with spiritual energy, submerging his spirit apertures, the apertures opened in the Spirit Creek Realm still existed. When Lu Ye constructed his small spiritual gathering funnel, he had built it using these very spirit apertures as its foundation. At this moment, spiritual energy surged, traversing numerous spirit apertures. Under the feeling of full compression, the rushing spiritual energy seemed to be undergoing some extremely wondrous changes. After a dozen breaths, Lu Ye's mind stirred slightly. He distinctly felt a subtle, different wisp of spiritual energy within him. Barely perceptible, it was like a single floating blade of grass in the lake of spiritual energy. Yet, this wisp was extraordinarily special, undoubtedly holding far greater energy than the rest. The buzzing within his body was continuous, and the feeling of fullness hadn't subsided. This was because the golden spirit talismans were still active, and his small spiritual gathering funnel continued to absorb. This highlighted the benefits of Lu Ye's unique cultivation method. During such times, ordinary cultivators could only focus on one task: either refining their existing spiritual energy or absorbing external energy to strengthen themselves. They couldn't multitask, as either process consumed significant mental energy. Lu Ye, however, could do both simultaneously, saving a significant amount of time implicitly.

Time passed, and the one-revolution spiritual energy within him grew, becoming clearly discernible, until it completely replaced his original spiritual energy. When all the spiritual energy in his body was completely replaced by the refined one-revolution spiritual energy, Lu Ye suddenly opened his eyes. In that instant, the entire world seemed to have changed. Lu Ye understood in his heart that what had changed was not the world, but himself. The world remained the same, but he was no longer his former self. The advancement of a major realm brought earth-shattering changes. This was true for ascending to the Cloud River Realm, and even more so for ascending to the True Lake Realm, where the improvement was even more significant. Lu Ye could clearly feel the terrifying power now contained within his body; compared to his strength before the advancement, his current power could be described as a surge. If he were to face the Golden Corpse King from Wushuang Continent now, Lu Ye felt he could end the battle within three strikes. And he wondered if it was an illusion, but after stabilizing his footing in the first level of the True Lake Realm, his physical body seemed to have subtly strengthened.

“Lu Ye, you’re in the True Lake Realm already?” Yiyi asked when she saw him open his eyes. Lu Ye’s earlier advancement had caused quite a commotion, but she naturally hadn’t dared to disturb him before his realm stabilized. “Yes, True Lake!” Lu Ye gently clenched his fist. Several years of arduous cultivation had finally brought him to this realm. Although the Divine Sea, a high mountain, still lay unclimbed, he had, in the end, broken free from the shackles of the lower realms.

“Then Amber and I must also work hard,” Yiyi vowed inwardly. To avoid being left too far behind by Lu Ye, her cultivation had never slackened. Under normal circumstances, when Lu Ye cultivated, they would also cultivate. Just as Lu Ye had his unique cultivation method, they also had theirs. While Lu Ye typically consumed spirit pills to build his foundation, Amber constantly consumed demon cores to bridge the gap between them. Thanks to their persistent efforts, they hadn't been left too far behind by Lu Ye. However, a major realm advancement still instilled a sense of urgency in Yiyi. “Then let’s continue cultivating,” Lu Ye said, noting that the golden spirit talismans in his hand had not been fully consumed. Such a rare period of stability naturally couldn’t be missed. “Mmm-hmm,” Yiyi nodded vigorously and immediately entered a state of cultivation.