Chapter 353: Five-Star Spirit Telepath

Li Weiyi struggled and hesitated for a long time before sighing, "If Silverwing Grand Saint and the others hadn't intended to harm Qianqian, how could I have risked acting? The trials of love have always been the hardest to overcome!"

"Because of Qin Qian."

Long Xiangcen's almond-shaped eyes lit up with interest.

Li Weiyi nodded, surprised, and asked, "You know her?"

"The Eastern Realm Dragon Gate and Leixiao Sect once shared a deep bond, advancing and retreating together. That girl from the Qin family, by extension, should call me 'Auntie.' Didn't she tell you her mother's surname is Long?" Long Xiangcen said.

Li Weiyi was unsure if Long Xiangcen was testing him, so he didn't dare answer directly: "Who knew the internal relationships of your great clans were so complicated? Auntie, if you can help with this matter, Zuo Ning will be at your beck and call from now on. She... she seems deeply infatuated with Lu Cangsheng, and despite my efforts, I've made no progress."

Long Xiangcen believed at most a third of what he said. She stepped down from the bed barefoot, carrying a fragrant breeze, and sat astride his lap, near his waist, the contact distinctly felt. She said, "What's the point of a young girl? So uninteresting. I'm not leaving tonight..."

Her soft, boneless hands reached for the back of Li Weiyi's neck.

But she was frozen by a body-restraining talisman.

Li Weiyi formed his fingers into a claw and seized her slender, graceful neck.

"Snap!"

Long Xiangcen instantly shattered the talisman, employed the Dragon Gate grappling technique, and countered by grabbing Li Weiyi's wrist with her own claw-like grip.

Her other hand, swift as lightning, formed a sword-finger and thrust downwards towards Li Weiyi's lower abdomen, his ancestral field.

Li Weiyi seized her wrist, engaged his core, and abruptly stood up, intending to use the momentum to throw her off.

Unexpectedly, Long Xiangcen's legs coiled around his waist like vines, and she let out a charming moan from close proximity, "You're hurting me!"

Each holding the other's wrist, one standing, one entwined.

If seen by an outsider, it would be impossible to explain, even with a hundred mouths.

Long Xiangcen's brows gradually furrowed.

The pain from her wrist was intense, as if Li Weiyi was about to twist it off.

Neither dared to use their spiritual energy or psychic power, so it was a contest of physical strength and durability.

And physically, Li Weiyi was in no way inferior to her. It was only in cultivation that he lagged far behind her.

"What powerful physique! I initially suspected you were the Hidden God from the Jiuli Hidden Sect at the Latent Dragon Lantern Festival, but now it seems more likely you're a centenarian old demon. Is your composure simply due to old age and weakness?"

Long Xiangcen's forehead was already dripping with fragrant sweat: "Let go at the same time. If we keep grappling like this, I'll have to use my spiritual energy."

"Agreed!"

Li Weiyi also couldn't hold on much longer; the bones in his wrist felt like they were about to shatter.

The two slowly released their fingers...

The next instant, the two long legs wrapped around his waist erupted with formidable power, unbalancing Li Weiyi and causing him to tumble to the ground.

Li Weiyi had anticipated she wouldn't play fair. He pressed one palm to the ground for leverage and, with the other hand, seized her tail.

Long Xiangcen cried out in a low, pained shriek. Her legs automatically unwrapped from his waist as Li Weiyi, holding her tail, flung her out the door and into the courtyard's pond.

"Splash!"

Like a drowned rat, Long Xiangcen emerged from the water, dripping wet, her eyes full of murderous intent, ready to strike again.

"You old geezer, this isn't over..." She sensed something, and with a flash of her figure, disappeared into the night.

The splash just now was quite loud, startling several nearby retainers who came to inquire about what happened.

Li Weiyi chuckled, "It's nothing! Nothing at all... just a starving wild cat trying to steal food. I've already dealt with it."

After seeing off the retainers, Li Weiyi immediately released Qifeng, instructing it to track Long Xiangcen.

At the same time, he released Erfeng to memorize her aura.

Long Xiangcen's probing visit this time revealed a lot of information.

First, the demon race indeed has limited knowledge of the Rice Cult's internal affairs.

Second, Long Xiangcen has been in constant communication with Luansheng Linyou, and it's highly probable that Luansheng Linyou sent her to test him.

Li Weiyi had deliberately stated earlier that he killed Silverwing Grand Saint and others for Qin Qian, intending to make Long Xiangcen suspect he was Li Weiyi. In Li Weiyi's view, this secret could be exposed.

When Long Xiangcen left, she deliberately called him "old geezer," but it was merely to lull Li Weiyi into relaxing his guard.

After getting her results, she would likely go to see Luansheng Linyou.

Li Weiyi returned to his room and looked at the shattered body-restraining talisman on the floor: "With my current cultivation, the talisman I drew isn't enough to restrain her. If I were a Five-Star Psychic Master and had such an excellent opportunity tonight, I would certainly have captured her."

Before long, Qifeng returned to report.

"After entering the General's Mansion, she returned to her room?" Li Weiyi was surprised; this outcome was unexpected.

Could Luansheng Linyou not have risked entering Nanyanguan?

Or...

Had he already gone to Yuntian Immortal Plain?

"Luansheng Linyou dared to risk entering Qiuzhou's capital city, but not Lingxiao City—that doesn't sound like him. Never mind, perhaps I'm overthinking it."

Li Weiyi instructed Qifeng to continue watching the General's Mansion and to report immediately if Long Xiangcen went out. He then activated the Cocoon of Time to refine the Xihe Pill and comprehend the Dragon Seed.

Three days later.

Half a month had passed inside the Cocoon of Time, and Li Weiyi finally reached the peak of a Four-Star Psychic Master.

He immediately took a boat and headed for Tanggu Sea.

He prepared to use the Golden Crow's radiance to break through to a higher realm and condense his fifth psychic star.

On the sea, Li Weiyi sat at the bow of the boat and took out the walnut-sized Spirit Altar Blazing Star Stone.

This single piece was equivalent to one hundred fragments.

"To condense the second psychic star, I only used one fragment."

"For the third, I used two."

"For the fourth, I used four fragments. Including the two wasted from two failed attempts, that's six fragments."

"To condense the fifth, I'm afraid ten fragments would be more appropriate."

Li Weiyi took out the Yellow Dragon Sword and began to cut it. It was very hard but could be sliced. He divided it directly into one hundred pieces, which were slightly larger than the previous small fragments and contained more energy.

Afterward, he meditated facing the Fusang Divine Tree, recovering the severely depleted psychic power in his spiritual realm to enter his optimal state as quickly as possible.

At the Four-Star Psychic Master level, he could only sustain the Cocoon of Time for half a month at a time, which meant only three days passed externally. If he could successfully break through, the Cocoon of Time would certainly last longer.

It was not his first time condensing psychic stars, so everything proceeded systematically.

The first attempt ended in failure.

A fragment of the Spirit Altar Blazing Star Stone was wasted.

This was within Li Weiyi's expectations.

The higher the realm when condensing psychic stars with treasures, the more difficult it became.

Other Psychic Masters often needed to cultivate at the peak realm for several months or even years before they could successfully condense a psychic star.

Time passed.

On the fourth attempt to condense, the psychic star in his spiritual realm finally stabilized. Five stars connected, drawing on each other, and his brow spiritual realm opened, wildly absorbing the Golden Crow's radiance, transforming into a crimson-gold vortex.

At this moment, the Golden Crow flew out from beneath the sea.

Crimson-gold radiance illuminated the heavens and earth, blurring the line between sea and sky, as all energy was continuously drawn into his body.

"Whoosh!"

A circle of intensely hot light waves erupted from Li Weiyi, spreading five *li* away and stirring up giant waves as tall as two men.

His psychic perception, when extended five *li* outwards, began to blur.

As a Three-Star Psychic Master, his psychic power could only reach one *li* away.

Psychic power reaching five *li* is entirely different from a martial cultivator's 'Dao Heart External Manifestation' reaching five *li*.

The former's abilities are much weaker; it's merely strong perception.

For a martial cultivator to have their 'Dao Heart External Manifestation' cover beyond five *li*, they would normally need to condense a 'Dao Fruit' and reach the seventh heaven of the realm. Exceptionally gifted individuals are, of course, another matter.

Of course, strong perception offers many advantages.

For instance, one can detect if someone's mental energy falls upon them.

Another example is the ability to use psychic means to influence a martial cultivator's mental perception, causing illusions and better concealing oneself.

When fighting enemies of comparable strength, psychological warfare and superior perception are paramount. Seizing opportunities and advantageous positions, relying on experience and determination, are prioritized before engaging in a direct clash of raw power.

"Whoosh!"

Li Weiyi absorbed the tall, glowing image of the Fusang Divine Tree behind him back into his body. Then, he condensed a ball of Golden Crow flame in his palm, feeling it carefully, and murmured to himself, "As a Four-Star Psychic Master, the Golden Crow flame contained within my psychic power had the might equivalent to an introductory level of a Second-Tier Grand Art."

"But now, having reached Five-Star Psychic Master, combined with directly absorbing the Golden Crow's radiance recently, the power of the Golden Crow flame can definitely rival a perfected Second-Tier Grand Art."

"If I also had the Myriad Staff-Spear and the Six Jia Secret Incantation, relying solely on psychic power, opponents below the seventh heaven of the Dao Seed realm should be few and far between!"

On the boat, a clear female voice rang out: "It's certainly very impressive, but to think you'd be invincible below the Dao Fruit realm is to underestimate everyone. You have trump cards, but so do others. You can cross realms, and so can they. Unless..."

Without any warning, Li Weiyi's heart skipped a beat in fright. He slowly let out a long breath before turning his head to look at Tang Wanzhou, who stood at the stern of the boat.

"When did you wake up?" he asked.

Tang Wanzhou gazed at the Golden Crow receding into the sky, her eyes filled with longing. Her dark robe fluttered like a battle flag in the sea breeze, and her long hair was illuminated like golden threads, exuding an immense, internal sense of heroism.

She seemed to completely disregard Li Weiyi's voice, lost in her own thoughts, and remarked, "The Fusang supports the sea and sky, and the Nether Realm no longer exists. The Golden Crow illuminates the eternal day, and night vanishes completely. The legends are true—beyond Yingzhou, there really is such a boundless sea."

Tang Wanzhou gracefully flew out of the jade boat, landing directly on the sea surface. She walked step by step towards the Fusang Divine Tree, like a devout follower pursuing the Grand Dao, utterly captivated and persistent.

Her pace quickened, eventually dashing across the scale-like golden sea surface and disappearing from Li Weiyi's sight.

"This Young Lord... her mind still seems somewhat unstable... not fully recovered..."

Li Weiyi was worried that she would try to kill him again upon her return, and he considered whether to immediately retreat to the Blood Mud Space.

But then he thought that Tanggu Sea was too dangerous, with no land in sight, and leaving her there would be utterly unprincipled.

Before long, Tang Wanzhou returned, treading on the sea surface, and sighed, "The Fusang Divine Tree is indeed extraordinary; it's an excellent place to cultivate Emperor Arts related to space. Cultivating in such a treasure land, one can aspire to become an Emperor."

Evidently, she hadn't managed to reach it.

Li Weiyi stood on the boat and asked, "How is it extraordinary?"