Chapter 102: The Flower of Supreme Yang, I Pick It for You

The Coffin Master said, "Don't mess around! The Tenth Spring Shenque has always been just a legend; we're not even sure if it truly exists."

"That's right, we're not even sure if the Tenth Spring is the Shenque," the Coffin Master added.

The Spirit Tablet Master said, "Weiyi, you're already incredibly strong! After opening the Ninth Spring, you possess a remarkable 108 trace veins, a feat unmatched in history. It's said that even Zen Sea Observing Mist only had 107."

The Coffin Master said, "Temper all your trace veins into gold, then break through to the Five Seas realm. I guarantee that no one in the world at the same level will be able to withstand a single move from you. There's no need to stubbornly pursue the Tenth Spring."

Li Weiyi seemed to take their advice to heart. He stopped researching the Shenque acupoint and instead peeled back the blood mist, revealing the radiant sea area where the Tanggu Sea lay. Absorbing the light from the Fusang Divine Tree, he continued to temper his golden trace veins.

He thought to himself, "The more golden trace veins I cultivate, the more times I can withstand the Spring-Breaking Needle. I must give my absolute all to attempt this Tenth Spring."

It was the fourth day since the Medicine Banner Grand Ship had departed from Jiuli City.

Sailing downstream with its sails fully unfurled, the ship moved as swiftly as a galloping horse.

The wind whistled in his ears.

Li Weiyi stood proudly on the corridor outside the cabin, holding a gilded horse-slaying saber, approximately 1.5 meters long. He activated it with his Ancestral Field Dharma Qi, causing the saber's golden glow to surge, shining like a divine sun.

"Whoosh!"

With a single swing, a golden edge shot forth from the blade, striking the water surface twenty to twenty-five meters away.

The river surface erupted.

Hidden Twenty-Five, leaning against a nearby cabin doorframe, twitched his lips. "This power is simply monstrous," he thought. Even though he was also in the Nine Springs Ancestral Field realm, he felt he would be cleaved in two by a single strike from Li Weiyi!

How many strikes could Nine Springs Yang God Realm or Nine Springs Zuoqiu Ling withstand?

Onboard, the servants, guards, and maids of the Yaoli tribe all looked sideways, mistaking Li Weiyi for a Five Seas realm cultivator.

Li Weiyi caressed the saber's blade, praising it. "What a fine saber," he mused. "If only I could cultivate a saber technique of the Heavenly Dao Integration level!"

This low-grade magic artifact, the horse-slaying saber, had been retrieved from the Coffin Sea Pavilion treasury to mislead others.

"Congratulations, Brother Sima, on breaking through to the Five Seas realm."

Zhao Zhizhuo, wearing a bamboo hat and with his face covered by a black veil, did not reveal his true appearance.

"Who said one must be in the Five Seas realm to unleash this strike?" Li Weiyi asked, full of vigor. In recent days, he had tempered three more golden trace veins, bringing the total to fifty-eight, and his combat power seemed to have increased slightly again.

Zhao Zhizhuo paused slightly, unable to help but recall the rumors currently circulating: that Li Weiyi, with his mortal body, possessed combat power comparable to a "Hundred Veins All Silver Pure Immortal Body."

Could the rumors actually be true?

Due to this rumor, many factions were seeking him out, hoping to invite him to collect herbs in certain special areas within Buried Immortal Town.

"How's your recovery progressing?" Li Weiyi asked.

Zhao Zhizhuo replied, "Just right."

Li Weiyi led Zhao Zhizhuo into the cabin, closing the doors and windows securely. He handed Zhao Zhizhuo a black cloth bag and said, "Since your first lung lobe has healed, let's try to restore your first Qi Sea."

"Is it starting now? Where is that senior?" Zhao Zhizhuo asked, suppressing his excitement.

Li Weiyi replied, "That senior is traveling with us! With his cultivation and methods, even if he stood right in front of you, you wouldn't be able to see him. But some secrets are not for you to know yet; you'll need to wear this black cloth bag to seal your senses."

Zhao Zhizhuo naturally trusted Li Weiyi. After sitting down, he immediately placed the black cloth bag over his head.

The Five Seas martial cultivation realm consists of five stages, each involving the cultivation of a Qi Sea.

These five Qi Seas are located within the five lung lobes of the human body.

The reason the Five Seas realm is so difficult to break through, often requiring many martial cultivators to rely on Five Seas Pills, is primarily due to the challenge of expanding one's inner world.

The "Ancestral Field" is also an inner world, and Li Weiyi was able to easily establish it because he possessed the Buddha Relic, a spatial treasure.

By the same logic, to help Zhao Zhizhuo expand his withered first Qi Sea, external spatial power was necessary.

Li Weiyi pressed his finger to the location of Zhao Zhizhuo's first Qi Sea in his chest. His brow slowly lit up as he activated the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish with spiritual light.

A gentle spatial power radiated from the Buddha Relic, forming concentric spatial ripples that traveled along his finger and into Zhao Zhizhuo's lung lobe.

"Whoosh!"

The Qi Sea, withered for over a decade, slowly began to expand.

Zhao Zhizhuo seemed to be enduring immense pain; his body trembled violently, but he struggled to keep himself from thrashing or swaying.

The expansion process lasted a full fifteen minutes.

The Qi Sea in the lung lobe stabilized, neither expanding further nor contracting. The process was much smoother than Li Weiyi had imagined.

After concealing the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish, he patted Zhao Zhizhuo's head, and the black cloth bag opened.

Taking off the bag, Zhao Zhizhuo found blood flowing from his mouth and nose, yet his expression was incredibly excited. He looked around for traces of the senior, then finally dropped to one knee before Li Weiyi, weeping profusely, unable to utter a single word.

Only when his cultivation realm was truly recovered did he finally believe that everything was real, and not just another midnight illusion.

Li Weiyi helped him to his feet. "It's just recovering your first Qi Sea," he said. "You've lived for almost sixty years; why is your composure so poor?"

"I thought... I truly didn't believe I could return to the Five Seas realm," Zhao Zhizhuo stammered, embarrassed. "Please excuse my display."

Li Weiyi said, "Don't worry. That senior is traveling with us. All five of your Qi Seas will be restored one by one."

Zhao Zhizhuo nodded uncontrollably. "No wonder you dared to travel with Yao Yin," he exclaimed. "With that senior by your side, what do you have to fear? Even if she were a wild beast, what could she do to you?"

Li Weiyi said, "That senior mentioned your first Qi Sea is a full two units in size. Not bad at all!"

Zhao Zhizhuo wiped away his tears and smiled. "Generally speaking, martial cultivators who break through from the Seven Springs to the Five Seas usually have a first Qi Sea of one unit. Those who break through from the Eight Springs to the Five Seas will have two units. There's nothing special about it."

Li Weiyi asked, "Then how large is the first Qi Sea for a Nine Springs Zenith master?"

"At least three units!" Zhao Zhizhuo explained. "As for those 'Hundred Veins All Silver Pure Immortal Bodies,' it's said they can reach four or five units. Even though they are all in the first stage of the Five Seas realm, their combat power differs vastly."

Li Weiyi had a general idea now. He asked, "To heal the second lung lobe, will it require more blood crystals?"

Zhao Zhizhuo nodded. "My second Qi Sea is likely around four units. I estimate it will require three or four blood crystals."

Li Weiyi had indeed collected a sum of money from the Evergreen Forest Gang, but he still had many expenses. Simply raising seven Phoenix-Wing Moth Emperors gave him a huge headache, so he dared not be extravagant.

He sensed Yao Yin arriving outside the door.

Li Weiyi pushed open the door, stopped her, and asked very directly, "Do you have any money?"

Yao Yin was startled by him and instinctively nodded. "How much do you need?" she asked.

"How much do you have?" Li Weiyi asked.

Yao Yin replied, "My mother left me quite a few properties; I could mortgage some of them."

"What about blood crystals?" Li Weiyi asked.

"Wait for me a moment."

Yao Yin quickly departed.

When she returned, she held a palm-sized wooden box, which she handed to Li Weiyi.

He opened it to find a fist-sized blood crystal, entirely scarlet, with a liquid-blood appearance inside. Its quality was naturally far superior to the one Li Weiyi had purchased previously.

Blood crystals are one of the most important minerals in the world, said to form from blood accumulating underground. They are an indispensable treasure for martial artists' body tempering, alchemists' pill refining, array formations, rune crafting, and many other uses.

At some top-tier trading levels, blood crystals are even used as currency.

The blood crystal in the wooden box was absolutely priceless. Li Weiyi felt too embarrassed to accept it for free and said, "Please name a price!"

Yao Yin smiled. "No need, it's a gift for you."

Li Weiyi watched her graceful, slender figure disappear around the corner. He closed the door, and just as he turned around, he saw Zhao Zhizhuo's eyes, filled with utter admiration.

"Amazing!" Zhao Zhizhuo exclaimed with endless praise.

Li Weiyi's face darkened. "What's so amazing about it? It has to be repaid. *You* repay it!"

"Alright, Old Zhao owes this favor," he said.

Zhao Zhizhuo took the blood crystal from Li Weiyi's hand. After examining it, he said with emotion, "This can truly be called a priceless treasure. It's comparable to ten of those blood crystals from a few days ago; healing two lung lobes with this would be effortless. Forgive my bluntness, but this Miss Yao Yin likely has grand ambitions! How else could she so easily give away such a valuable treasure without some ulterior motive?"

"Stop talking nonsense," Li Weiyi cut him off. "Take the blood crystal and go heal yourself quickly."

After seeing Zhao Zhizhuo off, Li Weiyi's mind was unsettled. He paced back and forth, and after much thought, he pushed open the door and headed towards Yao Yin's cabin on the second floor.

As soon as he stepped onto the second-floor deck, he saw her beautiful back, standing against the wind. Illuminated by the distant setting sun, only a dark silhouette of her outline was visible.

"Tomorrow morning, we should arrive at Yao Pass, and Buried Immortal Town won't be far then," she said. Her voice was exceptionally melodious and beautiful.

Li Weiyi walked over and stood beside her, his tall stature significantly towering over hers.

In this quiet and beautiful atmosphere, it wasn't until the sun had completely set that he finally spoke. "Why are you participating in the Hidden Gate trial?"

Yao Yin inexplicably chuckled. "Seeing how difficult it was for you to speak, I thought you were going to borrow money again, which made me quite uneasy."

Li Weiyi felt awkward. "I will repay it," he said. "Consider it eight hundred thousand silver coins."

"No need!" Yao Yin said. "Anyway, no matter how much money I have, it'll all belong to others when I die. Or perhaps I could transfer all my properties to you... No, never mind. Too many people are watching; transferring them to you would only bring trouble."

Yao Yin's mood sank, and her green jewel-like eyes became deep and sorrowful. Countless painful memories she wished to forget surfaced in her mind.

Li Weiyi asked, "Why did you kill your cousin?"

Yao Yin looked at Li Weiyi, her face filled with terror and fear, her lips trembling slightly, like a little girl desperately trying to hide from a killer who had suddenly found her.

"He must have had a reason to be killed!" Li Weiyi asserted.

The evening glow completely faded, and the river surface was shrouded in pitch blackness. Faint sounds of weeping could be heard.

The ship's lights were lit. Li Weiyi turned and left, saying, "I will gather the Flower of Extreme Yang for you. Before that, you must live well."

Hidden Twenty-Five, standing at the stairway entrance, clearly saw that Li Weiyi's chest was wet.

Early next morning, the morning glow stretched for miles, like a magnificent embroidered dragon dancing in the sky.

The Medicine Banner Grand Ship arrived at Yao Pass.

The entire Sui River here was completely jammed. Both banks of the great river were filled with docked giant ships, their masts like a forest, and flags stretching for miles.

Several months had passed, and martial cultivators from all corners of the world had converged, making Yao Pass City long overcrowded. The vast majority of cultivators either stayed on ships or set up camps in the surrounding mountains and wilderness.

In the sky, law enforcement patrols riding giant flying beasts flew past from time to time.

Yao Pass was only three hundred li from Buried Immortal Town.

As the internal space of Buried Immortal Town further expanded, the immortal mist released had already spread to this location, three hundred li away. The mountains on both sides of the Sui River were steaming with mist and haze, the soil exuded a purple light, and the vegetation was as verdant as jade.

From time to time, mountain herbs touched by the immortal mist would transform into exotic medicines, triggering fierce scrambles and fights.

On the bank very close to the Yao Pass City pier, a combat arena had been set up, with a battle flag erected on each side.

The left battle flag read: "Master of Lizhou: Suizong."

The right battle flag read: "No Zenith Masters in the Jiuli Tribe."

A monkey, completely ablaze with flames, sat cross-legged in the center of the arena. Its body and fur resembled reddish-crimson glaze, crystal clear, and it exuded a strong demonic aura.

The battle flags were very tall, waving in the wind, and visible even from a hundred zhang away.

A cold glint appeared in Hidden Twenty-Five's eyes. "This must be a demonic expert invited by Suizong to suppress the Jiuli Tribe," he muttered. "It seems they've completely dropped all pretenses!"

Li Weiyi said, "Those insults are quite harsh. Why don't you go give it a try?"

Hidden Twenty-Five replied, "Wouldn't it be more certain if you went?"

Li Weiyi shook his head. "With my current cultivation, striking against a Nascent Spring realm martial cultivator would be far too undignified."

Hidden Twenty-Five was speechless, wanting to retort that even Five Seas realm martial cultivators didn't possess such dignity.

After waiting for a while without a single challenger appearing, Hidden Twenty-Five said, "Something's not right! Logically, these two flags are extremely insulting and are clearly meant to help Suizong suppress the Jiuli Tribe right here, where martial cultivators from all over the world are gathered. This would allow Suizong to naturally become the master of Lizhou after the Jiuli Tribe's eventual demise."

"With exotic medicines constantly emerging, the Jiuli Tribe surely must have cultivated a few Nine Springs Zenith masters by now. Why would they just stand by and watch these two flags remain there?"

Hidden Twenty-Five went to gather information.

Yao Yin disembarked from the ship.

Today, she had clearly dressed with care. Her willow-like eyebrows were delicately drawn, resembling distant mountains shrouded in mist. A thin layer of rouge graced her cheeks, appearing as delicate pink as freshly bloomed peach blossoms against her snow-white skin, exuding a gentle and tender charm.

Her blue dress was also meticulously chosen; its buttons were neatly fastened, a jade belt accentuated her slender waist, and her jingling pendants chimed with each step.

She wore no veil, attracting many sideways glances. All who saw her were struck by her astonishing beauty, as if a fairy had descended to the mortal world.

She walked up to Li Weiyi and softly asked, "Do you have any leads yet on gathering the Flower of Extreme Yang, which you mentioned last night?"

"Yes," Li Weiyi replied, "but it requires money, a lot of money."