Chapter 289: Breaking the Boundary, Two-Star Spirit Mind Master

Nanjing Palace spans hundreds of acres, featuring over fifty buildings, including pavilions, terraces, towers, and halls. Li Weiyi found some areas inaccessible.

These areas were shrouded by formations, their ancient, indistinct buildings exuding an air of mystery.

Driven by curiosity, Li Weiyi once used his Heavenly Eye to meticulously peer inside one of the large formations.

Inside, he saw a black pagoda, over twenty stories high, surrounded by a desolate courtyard with crumbling walls where no grass grew. Through the pagoda's first-floor gate, he observed a skeletal figure, seated cross-legged and bound by chains.

Although the skeleton had clearly been dead for countless ages, it sent shivers down Li Weiyi's spine and instilled a sense of dread.

Given his current cultivation and understanding, he would normally remain unfazed by ordinary skeletons. This intense reaction, however, could only indicate a genuine perception of danger.

After several days of sweeping and cleaning, Li Weiyi finally gained a full understanding.

The jade palace with a hip-and-gable roof across the Blood Lake, along with several areas shrouded by formations, were likely legacies of the ancient Bodhgaya Sect.

Some parts were sacred and magnificent, every brick and tile meticulously carved and cast from precious materials.

Other areas were eerily dangerous, confined by powerful formations.

The remaining structures were likely built later by the Twin Rice Sect, though they, too, were centuries old.

Once the cleaning was complete, Li Weiyi went to Yao Qingxuan's meditation and cultivation area.

He stood outside the curtain, not daring to enter uninvited. Inside resided an Eternal Realm powerhouse, capable of causing immense upheaval across an entire province with a mere stomp of her foot.

"Senior Yao, your instructions have been carried out!" he announced. "From now on, please feel free to entrust all cleaning duties at Nanjing Palace to this junior."

Facing the stream with her back to the curtain, Yao Qingxuan spoke in a faint, serene tone: "Your conduct at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival showed me you possess both strength and flexibility. You can be absolutely unyielding when necessary, fighting for what must be fought for. Yet, you also know when to let go, when to retreat, and when to conceal your abilities. If you can temper that inner rigidity and be more willing to compromise here at the Divine Sect's headquarters, you will have a chance to survive."

"I fear I cannot humble myself sufficiently," Li Weiyi replied.

Li Weiyi stood ramrod straight, his expression solemn, and asked, "Does that Hall Master of the Spirit Valley Hall intend to recruit me?"

"If a person has value that others can utilize, they will find a way to survive. If not, they will be eliminated," Yao Qingxuan continued. "For now, Hall Master An is merely interested in you. Whether you are eliminated or used is up to you to determine."

Li Weiyi pondered for a moment. "Whether I am used or not, it's probably not just about my value, is it?" he mused. "Trust, or the lack thereof, is surely the most crucial factor. That Hall Master of the Spirit Valley Hall cannot possibly trust me."

"Trust has its applications, and so does distrust," Yao Qingxuan stated. "The manifestation of value isn't solely about cultivation talent. Go ponder it yourself!"

"This is a matter of life and death," Li Weiyi pressed. "Senior Yao, could you please elaborate?"

"Whoosh!"

A gust of wind, faintly fragrant, surged through the curtain. Li Weiyi felt his body grow light, the world spun, and his vision blurred.

The next moment,

he landed with a thud, tumbling onto the ground beside the Blood Lake.

He was now several buildings and courtyard gates away from Yao Qingxuan's meditation spot.

Li Weiyi rolled over, sat up, and stretched his arms, harboring no resentment.

While Yao Qingxuan appeared unapproachable and as cold as an iceberg, her recent words had been surprisingly sincere, genuinely offering him guidance.

"Yao Yin's mother is ruthless towards other cultivators, capable of wiping out many at once. Yet, she seems quite lenient with me."

"It seems doing good deeds and accumulating virtue is indeed the right path—the true foundation for altering one's fate and fortune. If I hadn't saved Yao Yin and assisted her repeatedly, my current situation would undoubtedly be vastly different."

Li Weiyi recalled how he had previously taken the Lingtai Yanxing Stone fragment from the lampshade.

Yao Qingxuan hadn't even questioned him deeply about such a valuable item.

Had it not been for Yao Yin's sake, how could she have dismissed it so readily?

With this thought...

"Very well. Since I possess the Lingtai Yanxing Stone, I shall attempt to further advance my spiritual power cultivation realm. Greater strength means greater leverage."

Li Weiyi retrieved the Lingtai Yanxing Stone fragment, closed his eyes to meditate and adjust his state, then pressed it against his glabella.

"Whoosh!"

Spatial ripples surged outwards.

The Lingtai Yanxing Stone fragment appeared in the center of his spiritual realm.

In the preceding days, Li Weiyi hadn't merely been cleaning Nanjing Palace; he had also been refining Starday Pills to strengthen his spiritual power star.

The spiritual power star within his spiritual realm had already expanded to its limit, qualifying him to attempt a breakthrough to a Two-Star Spiritual Master.

"Whoosh!"

Spiritual light emanated from Li Weiyi, coalescing into the luminous forms of two divine mulberries that rose by the Blood Lake.

They radiated brilliant, shimmering light, continuously drawing in all illumination from across Nanjing Palace.

Outside the areas enveloped by the two divine mulberries, everything else was plunged into pitch darkness, where one couldn't see their own hand.

Even the luminous veils formed by the numerous formations had their energy absorbed, rapidly dimming.

Logically, entering the Blood Mud Space and venturing beneath the true Fusang Divine Tree would significantly increase his success rate for a breakthrough. However, living under the same roof as Yao Qingxuan, given her terrifying cultivation, Li Weiyi simply dared not take such a risk.

The luminous forms of the Fusang Divine Trees seemed alive; with Li Weiyi's every breath, their capacity to absorb light grew stronger.

Gradually,

the darkness extended beyond Nanjing Palace, drawing light from an ever-wider area.

Four days later,

Yao Qingxuan and a woman in white lay Buddhist robes stood in the green-tiled jade palace across the Blood Lake. Through the window, both women gazed at the two increasingly towering luminous forms of the Fusang Divine Trees by the lake, and even with their profound cultivation, their hearts rippled with awe.

By then, the two mulberry trees had grown over ten zhang tall, leaning against each other to support a bright expanse of shimmering light.

Within this luminous expanse, the flame lotuses in the lake were visibly thriving more than those in the darkened areas. Their petals resembled glazed glass, and they pulsed with such vigorous life force that they appeared to have aged several years.

Li Weiyi meditated beneath the luminous forms of the two mulberry trees. Though clearly mortal, he exuded an otherworldly aura that even a pure immortal body might lack, appearing ethereal and mysterious, like a celestial being in the mortal realm, containing a universe within himself.

Yao Qingxuan leaned by the window, her jade-like skin and ethereal grace making her appear as beautiful as an immortal princess from a painting.

The white-clad lay Buddhist, however, had an ordinary appearance and common features, lacking Yao Qingxuan's exquisite jade skin and peerless beauty. Yet, her entire being radiated a calm, comfortable demeanor, seeming to harmonize with all things and never exuding an aura of authority or pressure.

She was An Xianjing, the Hall Master of the Spirit Valley Hall.

She was also one of the two Bodhisattvas of Coffin Mountain, an Eternal Realm powerhouse who had lived for 360 years—one of the few truly formidable figures beneath the transcendent level.

An Xianjing, twirling a red prayer bead with her slender right fingers, smiled faintly. "With the two mulberries supporting each other, life energy flourishing, and the spiritual power around him gradually solidifying into Golden Crow flames, it appears his spiritual light manifestation is indeed the legendary Fusang Divine Tree. This is truly extraordinary. His martial arts are already astonishing, and his spiritual power is equally impressive. Should he pursue the path of alchemy or artifact refining, he is bound to achieve great things."

Yao Qingxuan's gaze remained indifferent, her features as unmoving as an ice sculpture. "Li Song Valley must have incredible luck to have unearthed such a talent."

An Xianjing withdrew her gaze and suddenly remarked, "Tang Wanzhou may have already arrived at the headquarters, or is somewhere nearby."

"She didn't leave?" Yao Qingxuan questioned.

"No," the white-clad lay Buddhist gently shook her head. "It now appears that at the Starlight Altar, she merely feigned defeat. Her leading a large force to infiltrate was only a ploy to provoke us into action; her true aim was to discover a path into the headquarters. She truly is an exceptionally brilliant individual, possessing immense courage and keen intellect."

"If she dares to breach the headquarters, she will surely never return," Yao Qingxuan stated.

"Let the Hall of Heavenly Principles handle this. If Tang Wanzhou truly infiltrated, it means they failed to adequately guard the central well-courtyard."

The white-clad lay Buddhist looked across the Blood Lake at the figure meditating beneath the luminous forms of the two Fusang Divine Trees. "He has broken through! Go to the Hall of Heavenly Principles. I will speak with him alone; this young man's extraordinary nature is truly rare. It would be a waste to simply kill him."

"If Tang Wanzhou truly reaches the headquarters, it will be due to my oversight. The Hall of Heavenly Principles and the Hall of Withered Glory will undoubtedly seize upon it to gain power in the Southern Territory. This matter could escalate significantly, so I will personally investigate."

Yao Qingxuan transformed into a wisp of white mist and vanished from the window.

With the aid of the Lingtai Yanxing Stone fragment, Li Weiyi condensed a second spiritual power star.

In the center of his spiritual realm, the two spiritual power stars orbited each other, forming a binary system and creating a spiritual power vortex wreathed in misty light.

The spiritual power stars were no longer merely pea-sized; they had expanded several times over.

They shone brighter, resembling two golden elixirs.

Li Weiyi's heart swelled with excitement. With his current spiritual power cultivation, the time cocoon formed by activating the pale green fish eye of the Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish could certainly be sustained for much longer, sufficient for prolonged martial arts cultivation.

The Seventh Sea was now within reach.

"At the Two-Star Spiritual Master realm, my combat power should be comparable to an ordinary martial cultivator at the second level of the Dao Seed Realm, shouldn't it?"

Li Weiyi mused for a moment, then shook his head. "I haven't yet cultivated offensive methods like talisman arts, formation arts, or spiritual techniques. Without insect control, I fear relying solely on spiritual power wouldn't be enough to challenge a martial cultivator at the second level of the Dao Seed Realm."

A crisp, pleasant voice sounded a few yards away. "Not entirely! A skilled spiritual master, much like a martial arts inheritor, possesses combat power far surpassing that of ordinary individuals at the same realm. Your spiritual power can condense into Golden Crow flames... though they may be the weakest and lowest-grade Golden Crow flames, their offensive power is comparable to a first-tier fire Daoist spell."

"With spiritual power alone, you can already rank in the mid-tier among those at the second level of the Dao Seed Realm."

Li Weiyi never imagined a stranger would trespass into Nanjing Palace.

What's more, she had approached so silently, her cultivation clearly formidable.

But the crucial point was the voice...

He looked at the white-clad lay Buddhist standing a short distance away, quickly rising to his feet. "Is that you... no, it's not you..." he said uncertainly.

Li Weiyi shook his head, then his gaze fell upon the red prayer bead in the white-clad lay Buddhist's hand, and he noted her tall figure.

The white-clad lay Buddhist he had encountered outside Jiuli City, accompanied by a large group of Rice children, had left a profound impression on Li Weiyi. In particular, her melodious voice, possessing a unique, unforgettable charm, had been etched into his memory.

The white-clad lay Buddhist standing before him now resembled that person in attire, build, and voice. However, her facial features were entirely different.

An Xianjing placed her left hand on her chest and bowed. "Amitabha! Did not the benefactor promise over a year ago to treat me to noodles next time, with ample portions?"

"It's really you?"

Li Weiyi looked her up and down in utter astonishment, then chuckled. "So you're also a member of the Rice Sect! No wonder. It seems your cultivation is quite profound, as Nanjing Palace isn't accessible to just anyone."