Chapter 266: Spiritual Platform Flame Star Stone

The Spirit Master said, "The path of psychic cultivation heavily relies on both innate talent and family wealth."

"For martial cultivators, the distribution of talent and physique decreases evenly from low to high. 'Young Emperors' are very rare in each generation. There are some 'Inheritors,' more 'Nine-Springs Perfected Ones,' and even more 'Eight-Springs' and 'Seven-Springs' cultivators, and so on."

"Psychic cultivation is different! At the level of a Grand Psychic Master, there are only top-tier geniuses and mediocre individuals, with very few in between."

"This is precisely why there are far fewer psychic cultivators than martial cultivators."

"As Li Ling mentioned, Spirit Psychic Masters under sixty years old are rare among the Jiuli tribe. In fact, they are considered to have only average talent. They are neither exceptional nor poor, and while they have a glimmer of hope to achieve Saint Spirit Psychic Master status in the second sixty-year cycle of their lives, that hope is extremely slim. Perhaps only one in ten will succeed."

"The most exceptional psychic cultivators, like Li Ling's father, I estimate, would have become Saint Spirit Psychic Masters before the age of sixty. Such individuals are seen only once in a century, even among the myriad ancient clans."

Li Wei-yi asked, "Could it just be due to a strong family background? Without the financial support of the entire Cangli tribe, it would probably be difficult for Old Li to become a Saint Spirit Psychic Master and live for three hundred years before the age of sixty."

Unlike martial cultivation, psychic cultivation grants immediate extended life. Once a Saint Spirit Psychic Master, one is no longer a mortal whose lifespan is limited to two sixty-year cycles; they can live for at least three hundred years. It's like becoming an immortal!

Martial cultivators seeking longevity, however, must break through numerous 'longevity locks.'

Li Ling rolled her eyes at Li Wei-yi. Though she herself had only learned half a year ago that Li Songgu was actually a Saint Spirit Psychic Master.

The Spirit Master said, "Financial resources are also part of a cultivator's talent! This is why martial cultivators from higher social standings automatically gain an extra layer of talent. Haven't you also leveraged financial resources to achieve what you have in just over a year?"

Li Wei-yi had no choice but to agree, smiling, "In terms of financial resources, I relied on my acquired efforts."

The Spirit Master said, "You should know from the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival that it's quite easy to find one or two hundred Grand Psychic Masters under thirty years old who have reached the Disaster Fire Realm across the twenty-eight provinces of Lingxiao."

"These individuals are already considered to have considerable talent! However, even if they cultivate for another ten years, only a handful among them will be able to become Spirit Psychic Masters."

"Li Ling, you tell him why."

Seventeen-year-old Li Ling, now a graceful young woman with a height of 1.7 meters and a fuller figure, still barefoot, revealed her long, straight, jade-like legs. She explained, "Because one must undergo the Nine Refinements of Disaster Fire to qualify for advancement to Spirit Psychic Master."

"Achieving the Disaster Fire Realm means cultivating the spiritual light within the Spirit World to completion after breaking through to Grand Psychic Master. The Nine Refinements of Disaster Fire are essentially nine repetitions of this process."

"Master Wu says that my psychic and talismanic/rune talents are already outstanding among my generation. Yet, it took me over half a year just to complete the first refinement."

"I hope to complete the Nine Refinements of Disaster Fire before I'm twenty-five, and have a chance to become a Spirit Psychic Master before thirty."

The Spirit Master added, "Becoming a Spirit Psychic Master before thirty is considered a genius on the psychic path, with a chance to become a Saint Spirit Psychic Master before sixty."

Li Wei-yi calculated, "It took me roughly half a year and one hundred thousand Spring Coins to cultivate my Spirit World to completion. In other words, if I want to advance to Spirit Psychic Master, I'll have to wait at least three to five years and spend millions of Spring Coins?"

Li Ling knew how extraordinary Li Wei-yi's psychic cultivation was; she felt inferior, a sense of frustration that no matter how hard she tried, she would always be easily caught up to.

She said, "You've spent most of the past six months on martial cultivation, so naturally, psychic cultivation has been a huge expense for you."

Li Wei-yi thought of the spatial power of the Buddha's Relic. "If I use spatial power to assist my cultivation, would it be faster?"

The Spirit Master replied, "I don't think it would be much faster than consuming Bright Flame Pills or meditating under the Fusang Divine Tree. Unless you take the Buddha's Relic directly to the Tanggu Sea, but then you might not be able to return to the Lingxiao Living Realm! That sea area is rumored to be millions of li wide, a convergence point of the Three Realms, and extremely dangerous."

"Before you become Transcendent, I would not recommend going there on a one-way trip without a way back."

"The treasure I mentioned, which can aid in advancing to the Spirit Psychic Master realm, is called the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone."

"This item is a sacred relic of the ancient Brahkala Sect, which has long vanished into the annals of history."

"Over a thousand years ago, I acquired some fragments of the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone in a secret realm. According to the murals in that realm, a complete Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone was as large as a mountain and was the fundamental reason the Brahkala Sect dominated this land for ten thousand years."

"At its peak, the Brahkala Sect's territory was several times larger than the Lingxiao Living Realm was in its three-hundred-province state a millennium ago, reaching many areas of what is now the Land of the Departed."

"However, as the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone was continuously consumed and diminished, the high-ranking members of the Brahkala Sect began to control, even prohibit, its extraction. Soon after, due to unequal distribution and mutual suspicion, civil war erupted."

"In that war, the last remaining Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone was shattered!"

"Tens of thousands of years later, even the fragments of the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone were almost entirely consumed, becoming a complete legend."

Li Ling said, "No wonder I've never heard of it."

The Spirit Master said, "Back then, I brought dozens of Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone fragments back to the Zuoqiu Clan. It's possible, though slim, that some are still kept by the Zuoqiu Clan. But you can ask Zuoqiu Ling, or that old fellow from the Confucian Dao lineage; one piece would be enough!"

Li Wei-yi asked, "But I'd still need to complete the Nine Refinements of Disaster Fire first, right?"

"Given your psychic talent, combined with the Fusang Divine Tree and financial resources, if you temporarily set aside martial arts and go all out, two years should be enough to complete the Nine Refinements of Disaster Fire."

The Spirit Master chuckled, "Breaking through to become a Spirit Psychic Master in two or three years with such psychic talent would certainly shock the people of the Lingxiao Living Realm again. Even if your martial arts decline, your psychic abilities would rise, and you would still be above others."

"Then I will teach you Daoist formations and Daoist psychic techniques, which, combined with your bug mastery, would undoubtedly make you invincible among your generation."

Evidently, the Spirit Master keenly desired Li Wei-yi to focus primarily on psychic cultivation and inherit his mantle, so his tone was filled with enticement.

The Nine Refinements of Disaster Fire would take two years, and the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone was elusive. This path was not an easy one!

Zen Sea Gazing Mist, holding a Xihe Flower, suddenly said, "I can refine a high-grade Dharma Pill called the Star-Day Pill. Consuming one can complete one refinement of Disaster Fire. Consuming nine will complete all nine refinements."

Only Spirit Psychic Masters can refine Dharma Pills and Dharma Artifacts. Thus, every Spirit Psychic Master is exceptionally valuable to major powers, akin to a money tree.

Dharma Pills are categorized into: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade.

Bright Flame Pills are low-grade Dharma Pills, valued at around one thousand Spring Coins.

Five Seas Pills are mid-grade Dharma Pills, valued at around ten thousand Spring Coins, and are rarely available for purchase. Their formulas and refining materials are monopolized by major powers at the clan level, who control the advancement path to the Five Seas Realm.

The "Star-Day Pill" Zen Sea Gazing Mist just mentioned is a high-grade Dharma Pill, naturally more expensive, and normally requires a Saint Spirit Psychic Master to refine.

As for the "Longevity Pill" possessed by the Calamity Crossing Temple, it is priceless, a spiritual elixir treasure beyond Dharma Pills.

Li Wei-yi's face lit up with ecstasy.

"The Xihe Flower and Arctic Light Dew can be the primary ingredients; you'll also need fourteen auxiliary ingredients. Your Spring Coins here... are barely enough!" Zen Sea Gazing Mist said.

Li Wei-yi's smile vanished. The Spring Coins stored in his blood-mud space were also needed to purchase Dao Lotuses and Dao Fruits for his martial cultivation. Moreover, he might need to buy more spring liquid.

The Spirit Master said, "Using high-grade Dharma Pills for Disaster Fire cultivation is a serious waste, rather extravagant, isn't it? Star-Day Pills are perfectly sufficient for Spirit Psychic Masters' cultivation."

Zen Sea Gazing Mist said, "Then never mind!"

"Never mind?"

Li Wei-yi quickly said, "Give me a list; I'll go buy them. The Jiuli Hidden Gate can subsidize half of it anyway."

"I'll buy the fourteen auxiliary ingredients; it'll be good to get some fresh air."

Zen Sea Gazing Mist's cultivation had greatly increased, giving him much more confidence. He instructed Li Ling to pack Spring Coins into a spatial pouch, then added, "Go to the Jiuli Hidden Gate and get some Arctic Light Dew. Not too much; eighteen drops will be enough to refine eighteen pills!"

"Eighteen drops? Is that enough? The Spirit Master said Star-Day Pills are for Spirit Psychic Masters. Shouldn't we refine more? If the money isn't enough, I can sell dragon bones."

Li Wei-yi had four dragon bones: two given by Hidden Lord, and two by Zuoqiu Hongting. Dragon bones are treasures for body refinement. Refining one into the body can make one's physical combat power comparable to the weakest Dao Seed Realm first-tier martial cultivator. It can also reshape one's innate bone structure.

Li Wei-yi felt that rapidly breaking through to the Dao Seed martial arts realm was far more important at this stage than refining dragon bones to cultivate his physical body. Other martial cultivators eagerly sought dragon bones, but Li Wei-yi was unimpressed, thinking dragon bones might not be superior to his own innate bone structure.

Hidden Eleven, Hidden Twenty-Four, and others had returned to Lizhou with Hidden Lord half a year ago. Since the war in Lizhou had ended, the young Hidden Ones naturally returned to the Jiuli Insect Valley for cultivation.

Old Qin had not reappeared since fleeing Qiuzhou City half a year ago, fearing that his presence might be detected by the old man from the Zuoqiu Clan, leading to unnecessary trouble.

Old Zhuo was still in Qiuzhou City, but he was elusive, appearing like a dragon only to vanish. He simply told Li Wei-yi that he would appear when Li Wei-yi needed him most. Li Wei-yi didn't believe he would provide constant, close protection and felt very uncertain. There was nothing he could do. How could Li Wei-yi control these ancient Hidden Ones who had lived for countless years? He could only trust that he had such a life-saving charm by his side.

The sun had set, and night was just falling. Li Wei-yi ascended to the fourth heaven of Taoli Mountain and headed to the council hall to request an audience with the new Zuoqiu Clan Head, Zuoqiu Zangwu.

Ever since the Longevity Martial Ban was issued, Zuoqiu Ling, having reached the Longevity Realm, had stepped down from his position as clan head.

Although Dao Seed Realm martial cultivators can stabilize their qi and blood, slow down aging, and strengthen their foundation, they are still within the mortal realm; their lifespan can only reach a maximum of two sixty-year cycles, or one hundred and twenty years. This is the limit of a mortal's lifespan!

During the first sixty-year cycle, the body is at its absolute peak, and cultivators desperately gather resources and strive through trials. In the second sixty-year cycle, all Dao Seed Realm masters who have reached the seventh tier or higher and hope to break through to the Longevity Realm set aside their worldly affairs and fully dedicate themselves to cultivation. They either go into seclusion or venture into the Land of the Departed and various secret realms in search of fortuitous encounters.

Consequently, the most renowned Dao Seed Realm martial cultivators in the world are those listed in the "Sixty-Year Cycle Register," aged under sixty, and are the leaders managing the secular affairs of major powers.

Zuoqiu Zangwu was the top Dao Seed Realm master within the Zuoqiu Clan's sixty-year cycle age limit.