Chapter 657: Cheating?

The primary reason for coming to the Huanyu Imperial Capital was the Purification Lake, and after such a long wait, it finally opened with a resounding surge, fulfilling everyone's expectations.

"Let's go!"

Zhang Xuan and Xing Yuan wasted no time with further words and quickly followed.

Upon reaching the turbulent waters of the lake, they understood that Crown Prince Ye Qian's words were no exaggeration. The lake water resembled roaring waves, not only emitting spiritual energy but also radiating an awe-inspiring power. It felt as if anyone who dared to plunge in rashly would be instantly ripped to shreds, leaving no trace behind.

"Look!"

Noticing the astonishment of the crowd, Ye Wentian flicked his wrist, and a middle-grade spirit weapon appeared in his palm. He casually tossed it into the lake.

*Crack!*

In the blink of an eye, this weapon, which would have been difficult even for an eighth-level Grand Dominion realm expert to destroy, completely melted into a pool of liquid and sank to the bottom.

"This..."

Everyone's faces twitched in disbelief. Although their physical bodies were not weak, they were vastly inferior to a middle-grade spirit weapon—there was no comparison! If such a powerful weapon could instantly turn into liquid, they would likely be reduced to nothing in an instant if they entered. No wonder Crown Prince Ye Qian said that even eighth-level Grand Dominion realm experts would struggle to survive; it was truly the case.

"The lake water is violent. It's best for everyone to cultivate in the 'pool eyes.' Do not venture to other areas; otherwise, not even I, or even an immortal, could save you!"

After demonstrating, Ye Wentian's tone held a clear warning.

"Don't worry, we won't be reckless!"

"Cultivation is for improving strength, not for seeking death. Please don't worry, Your Majesty!"

"It's too terrifying. We certainly won't take any risks..."

Everyone hastily shook their heads. With even a middle-grade spirit weapon instantly dissolving, no one was foolish enough to seek their own demise.

"Alright then, everyone choose a 'pool eye'! All ten pool eyes have the same effect. Those from the same vassal state can choose to be together, allowing you to look out for one another..."

Ye Wentian waved his hand, saying nothing further. All ten pool eyes were located at the edge of the Purification Lake, and their effects were identical, with no primary or secondary distinctions. There was nothing to be particular about; one could simply choose any one they desired.

Zhang Xuan glanced around, then led Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai deeper into the pool. The innermost pool eye was shrouded in such dense spiritual energy that even eighth-level Grand Dominion realm experts couldn't see clearly. Given that his cultivation involved various aspects, including the Path of Heaven Divine Art, he preferred a peaceful environment and didn't wish to be observed.

"Let's stay here!"

Zhang Xuan found a pool eye where the surrounding spiritual energy was most concentrated and vision was clear. He stopped there and instructed Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai: "You two cultivate in the pool eyes on either side of me. This way, if any problems arise, we can assist each other!"

"Okay!"

The two nodded, holding their Soul-Calming Incense, and were just about to step in when they heard a sharp rebuke.

"You two, move aside!"

Zhang Xuan turned his head to see Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi, who had arrived without him noticing.

"We..."

Seeing the esteemed princesses contending with them for a spot, Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai were at a loss.

"You two can go over there," Luo Qiqi said calmly. "We want to be closer to teacher!"

"This... very well!"

With Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi together, Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai wouldn't dare argue even if they had the courage, so they hastily moved to a pool eye on the other side. In any case, the effects of the pool eyes were identical, so being closer or further from someone didn't make much difference.

"Hmph! Since we have a bet, I want to see with my own eyes if you're cheating. Don't flatter yourself!" Princess Fei-er scoffed when she saw Zhang Xuan look over.

"Flatter myself? You're overthinking it," Zhang Xuan replied, shaking his head. "I was just wondering what was wrong with you..."

"You..." Princess Fei-er gritted her teeth, "Don't get too smug. The Purification Lake isn't about who's good with words; it's about true ability!"

With a flick of her sleeve and a slight sway of her body, Princess Fei-er said nothing more and was the first to jump into the pool eye. The Soul-Calming Incense she held instantly floated in the water, ignited automatically, and began emitting wisps of smoke.

*Whoosh!*

Closing her eyes, Princess Fei-er began cultivating. With each breath she took, the spiritual energy in the pool eye surged rapidly, and the smoke from her Soul-Calming Incense grew thicker, seemingly burning at an accelerating rate.

Seeing the girl immediately begin cultivating without any pause, eager to surpass him, Zhang Xuan shook his head and likewise jumped into one of the pool eyes. Luo Qiqi also jumped in, positioning herself on one side of Zhang Xuan, with Princess Fei-er on the other, effectively sandwiching him. Zhang Xuan was her alchemy teacher, and they had only recently met, so their relationship wasn't yet close enough for her to specially come cultivate with him. Her true reason for coming over was fear that her friend and Zhang Xuan would start fighting again. Otherwise, the events of yesterday might repeat. Although Princess Fei-er hadn't explicitly stated who was responsible for the two large footprints on her backside yesterday, it could be inferred from her words that her alchemy teacher was certainly involved.

Logically, cultivating naked in the Purification Lake would yield the best results, but due to gender differences, undressing would be inconvenient. Even with their clothes on, the water soaked through, revealing the two women's shapely figures.

Zhang Xuan glanced left and right, then dismissed any further thoughts. He focused his mind, placed his Soul-Calming Incense in the lake water, and began cultivating. Closing his eyes and mobilizing the soul within his body, he immediately felt a dense spiritual energy surge along his acupuncture points, flowing through his entire body, nourishing his soul and filling him with comfort.

"This absorption is too slow..."

After absorbing for a while, he found that while the spiritual energy in the pool eye was indeed highly beneficial to the soul, its effect was significantly weakened and its absorption rate became extremely slow after being filtered by his physical body. Furthermore, his physical body acted like a shackle, and his soul felt like cotton trapped in an iron cage; every slight increase in power required an immense amount of time.

"Can my soul-form leave my body?"

A thought sparked in his mind. With his soul confined within his physical body, the body acted as a natural barrier. What if he could extract his soul and directly expose it to the spiritual energy? Would his progress be faster?

"I'll try it!"

He glanced around, seeing the two women cultivating with closed eyes. No one else could see them clearly there. With a mental command, he activated his Soul Oracle cultivation art, and a soul-form identical to himself flew out from between his eyebrows. The moment his soul-form entered the pool eye, he immediately felt a dense spiritual energy flood his limbs and orifices, invigorating his spirit.

"This is indeed much faster!"

His eyes lit up. Even before he consciously began cultivating, he felt the spiritual energy nourishing his soul at a rate faster than before. Zhang Xuan no longer hesitated; he activated his cultivation art and began absorbing frantically.

*Boom!*

The entire pool eye immediately began to shake. Abundant spiritual energy surged directly towards his soul-form, causing his soul body to gradually grow. Although he currently possessed only the fifth-level Path of Heaven Soul Oracle cultivation art and couldn't break through to the sixth level, he could, like with true qi, accumulate more at its peak, causing his soul body to grow larger and larger. This was similar to the difference between water and mercury. Different cultivation levels represented a fundamental, qualitative difference between them. However, if both were mercury, a tankful and a pond-full would undoubtedly be different; that was a quantitative difference. So, even without the sixth-level Path of Heaven Soul Oracle cultivation art, he could make his fifth-level soul-form grow larger and larger, accumulating more soul power.

"Hmm?"

As he began frantically absorbing spiritual energy, Princess Fei-er, not far away, heard the roaring sound of the surging energy. She couldn't help but glance over, and with just one look, she instantly froze, almost fainting. She saw that two sticks of Soul-Calming Incense beside Zhang Xuan had already burned down, and the third was already lit, appearing as if it would be completely consumed at any moment.

Was this real? How long had it been? Five minutes? Or ten? He used up three days' worth of Soul-Calming Incense in five minutes? Did he eat the incense sticks?

Her delicate body swayed, and Princess Fei-er felt like spitting blood. She had initially assumed that as a sixth-level Grand Dominion realm expert with a powerful soul, Zhang Xuan would have no chance against her. She never dreamed that while her own Soul-Calming Incense hadn't even burned an inch, he had already nearly used up three sticks! Was he really that exaggerated?! How could she possibly compete? Was she going to lose again?

"What's going on?"

Luo Qiqi was also startled awake by the surging spiritual energy and nearly died of shock when she saw Zhang Xuan's Soul-Calming Incense. "His incense..."

"He's almost absorbed it all! How am I supposed to win the bet now...?" Princess Fei-er was on the verge of tears.

"This..." Luo Qiqi scratched her head.

Neither of them was a Soul Oracle, nor did they possess the Eye of Insight. Zhang Xuan's soul-form was hidden within the lake water, concealed by the spiritual energy, making it impossible to see. From their perspective, it appeared as if he had absorbed all the spiritual energy simply through normal cultivation.

"Hmm?"

Hearing their discussion, Zhang Xuan stopped cultivating, his soul-form returning to his body. He looked up at the Soul-Calming Incense in front of him and couldn't help but be startled. "Who stole my Soul-Calming Incense?" He raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but exclaim. "Just moments ago there were three sticks; how did it become half a stick in the blink of an eye? Who would dare steal his things?"

"Steal?" Both women were speechless. "You absorbed it all yourself..."

"Me?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. "No way. The spiritual energy here is so scarce, how could it last for three days?" He had just started absorbing, hadn't felt much, and the spiritual energy was already almost depleted. Was this for real? He had planned to come to the Purification Lake to absorb more spiritual energy and drastically increase his strength, but it seemed to be over before it even began. Was it really this disappointing?

"Scarce?" Hearing his remark, Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi both raised their eyebrows simultaneously. They had just been cultivating themselves; while the pool eye wasn't large, the spiritual energy within it was incredibly abundant and seemed inexhaustible, no matter how much they cultivated. It was likely only *he* found it scarce!

"It must be that Teacher absorbed it too quickly... How did he do that?" Luo Qiqi mused. "When Master Zhang cultivated just now, the pool eye had boiled and the spiritual energy surged, which indicated extremely rapid absorption. How could a fourth-level Grand Dominion realm expert not only absorb spiritual energy with his soul but also do it so quickly?"

"Exactly! Are you cheating?" Princess Fei-er's beautiful eyebrows furrowed. Even Luo Qiqi, one of the top geniuses in their second year, hadn't understood how he did it, nor could she absorb so quickly. This guy couldn't possibly be cheating, could he?!