“The Spirit God?” Clan Head Qi Xiao narrowed his eyes. “You are referring to that…”
“Yes, I am indeed referring to that person. However… Forget it, it’s beyond us to fathom the affairs surrounding the God Monarchs. It’s good enough for us to know about it, but make sure not to speak it out loud. Otherwise, our entire clan might get into deep trouble,” Old Ancestor Qi Meng advised.
“I understand, old ancestor.” Clan Head Qi Xiao quickly nodded in response.
“You may leave now.”
The crowd respectfully backed out of the main hall before going on their own ways.
…
Hu!
Zhang Xuan flew all the way back to his residence and returned to his room. Then, he finally heaved a huge sigh of relief as the tension escaped from his shoulders.
That was a close one.
He had thought that he would just temper his physical body discreetly; he did not think that it would cause such a huge commotion, drawing out even Conferred God King Qi Meng.
But why would Old Ancestor Qi Meng think that I’m a God Monarch?
It was hard to imagine that a Conferred God King would make such a grave mistake on something as important as this. It simply did not make sense!
Of course, there was no way he could ask the person in question about this.
It was for the same reason that he did not ask the other party about the Spirit God even though he was certain that a Conferred God King like him would be aware of it.
He knew that he would compromise his identity as a ‘God Monarch’ if he asked such a question. It would simply raise the other party’s suspicion.
Forget it. Even though I wasn’t able to gather the information I want, at least the trip was rather fruitful. I was able to temper my body, and Qi Ling-er managed to reinforce her standing in the Qi Clan. With her new standing, she should be able to gather essential information more easily now, Zhang Xuan thought with a smile.
His zhenqi cultivation was still at low-tier Celestial God, but the tempering of the Lucid Lunar Lake had made his body on par with the strongest Celestial God-tier weapons. In other words, even if he allowed a high-tier Celestial God to freely attack him, it was likely that the other party still would not be able to hurt him.
Furthermore, based on the pulsating vitality from the golden strands in his muscles, he had a feeling that he would be able to swiftly recover from any injuries.
To test that out, he took out a weapon and swung it at his own arm.
Kacha!
The sword shattered into numerous fragments, but the impact did not leave even the slightest mark on his wrist.
I reckon that it’ll take a God King-tier weapon at the very minimum in order to hurt me…
He had hoped to injure himself slightly in order to test if his guess was right, but he did not have any weapons that could do that. This sure was troublesome.
That reminds me. It’s about time for me to find a better weapon to use…
Due to the swift advancement in his cultivation, the rate at which he had to change weapons was getting faster and faster. However, weapons were usually one of the more expensive commodities, and God King-tier artifacts were definitely not readily available on the market.
Forget it! My cultivation should come first. Since I have managed to temper my physical body, next up is my soul cultivation!
In the end, weapons were just good to have. What was more important was his own cultivation.
If he could become a God King, he would have a lot more say in the Firmament. It would increase his chances of finding Luo Ruoxin, and he might even be able to speak to Kong shi as an equal.
…
After sorting out his thoughts, Zhang Xuan walked out of his room, and he found the Silver Armored General, Zhuo Feng, waiting for him outside.
The latter walked up to him with an apologetic look on his face and said, “Zhang shi, my apologies. I tried making a request with the Qi Clan, but the Lucid Lunar Lake is simply not open to outsiders. I’m afraid that there’s no way around it…”
“Thank you for your help, but there’s no need for that anymore,” Zhang Xuan replied with a smile.
Feeling that Zhang Xuan was just saying those words so that he would not feel bad, Zhuo Feng’s face reddened in embarrassment.
He was the one who had told Zhang Xuan about the Lucid Lunar Lake, and he had tried to pull all of his connections in hopes of securing an opportunity to enter the Lucid Lunar Lake for Zhang Xuan so as to repay the latter for the favor of saving his son. Yet, despite trying everything, the Qi Clan simply would not change their mind on this matter.
“Zhang shi, you really are a kind person. You have done so much for my family, but I can’t even help you on a matter as simple as this. I feel deeply ashamed by my incompetence…” Zhuo Feng lowered his head in shame.
He flicked his wrist, took out a jade bottle, and passed it over. “This is the Body Tempering Pill that I have prepared for you. Even though its effects are inferior to those of the Lucid Lunar Lake, I believe that it should still be of some help to you…”
“There’s really no need for that!” Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. “To be honest with you, I have just been to the Lucid Lunar Lake, and I am already done cultivating in there.”
“You have been to the Lucid Lunar Lake?” Zhuo Feng was struck dumb by those words.
He had approached quite a few people over the past few hours, and he had even asked an elder of the Qi Clan whom he was closer to. Based on what the other party had said, the Lucid Lunar Lake was so potent that it would kill anyone who was not an offspring of the Qi Clan in a heartbeat.
Furthermore, the Qi Clan had paid a heavy price to build it, so there was no way they would allow outsiders to enjoy the privileges of using it.
Yet, the young man said that he had just been there and was done cultivating in there…
Was this for real?
Did the young man not just learn of the Lucid Lunar Lake from him? Furthermore, he was a newcomer to the Royal City and did not know anyone, right?
“If you don’t believe me, you can try to stab me with your full strength,” Zhang Xuan said with a smile.
Zhuo Feng was slightly taken aback by those words, but looking at the serious look on the young man’s face, he realized that the latter was really not kidding.
So, he whipped out his sword and stabbed at Zhang Xuan.
He devoted his full strength to this strike, just as Zhang Xuan had said. A sword imbued with sword qi flew forth and struck Zhang Xuan’s arm.
Kacha!
Yet, it was the middle-tier Celestial God sword in Zhuo Feng’s hand that ended up shattering. In contrast, there was not the slightest harm to be seen on his body.
“This…” Zhuo Feng’s lips twitched in horror.
It was just a few hours ago that Zhang shi had just become a Celestial God. Yet, within this short period of time, he had not only found a way to enter the Lucid Lunar Lake, he had even managed to temper his physical body to such a level.
Such terrifying speed… Was he a demon?
Furthermore, even high-tier Celestial Gods did not have bodies that were powerful enough to shatter middle-tier Celestial God artifacts!
“What a pity…”
Seeing how the middle-tier Celestial God artifact did not leave a scratch on him either, Zhang Xuan shook his head in pity.
Why was it so hard for him to just injure himself and test out the effects of the golden strands in his muscles? It was no wonder they said being invincible was no fun!
Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan turned his attention to the next matter at hand. “Do you know of any place where I can raise my soul cultivation quickly?”
The other party had provided him with accurate news on where he could temper his physical body. The other party might be able to offer invaluable advice for his soul cultivation as well.
He needed to raise his soul cultivation first before he could raise his zhenqi cultivation.
“I don’t really know much about how the other skies do it, but in the Sky of Drifting Specter, the only way to raise one’s soul cultivation is through the Netherworld Pool!” Zhuo Feng replied.
“The Netherworld Pool? Are you referring to the place where the Anima of Yearning gathers?”
“Yes. The Anima of Yearning can nourish the soul of the dead and allow them to come back to life. The same applies to the souls of the living. Most cultivators rely on the Netherworld Pool to raise their soul cultivation. Putting everything aside, our God Monarch recently found a powerful soul within the Netherworld Pool and nurtured it. Within less than a month, it has already become on par with God Kings!” Zhuo Feng revealed the news that he had heard.
“It has become on par with God Kings in less than a month?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
It had been almost a month since he had come to the Firmament, but he had only managed to become a low-tier Celestial God within this period. To think that there would be someone even faster than him…
The Firmament sure was filled with hidden experts!
“I heard that the person wasn’t even a god at the very start. He was just a wisp of a soul from the lower worlds, but for some reason, he was accepted by the Netherworld Pool and brought here. His tenacity to survive led him to devour the Anima of Yearning around him, and it was that which caught our God Monarch’s attention. According to what I have heard, it seems like our God Monarch is currently trying to forge a body for him!”
“That soul came from the lower worlds?” Zhang Xuan muttered with clenched fists as a thought arose in his head. Could it be Qiqi?
According to what Luo Xuanqiang had said, Luo Qiqi was the spirit inside the Dimension Silencer. After breaking the dimension barrier of the Master Teacher Continent, she had not returned again.
He had ordered the Six Sects in the Azure to search for her, but there was no sign of her to be found. It was then that he wondered if Luo Qiqi had entered the Firmament as well.
Furthermore, the soul had appeared a month ago, which coincidentally fitted the time period in which Luo Qiqi departed from the Master Teacher Continent.
Thus, he immediately pressed on and asked, “Do you know whether the soul taken in by the Netherworld Pool is a male or a female, and what do they look like?”
“How would I know that? I only heard the news while I was asking about the Lucid Lunar Lake!” Zhuo Feng replied.
His standing was comparatively higher than that of most people as a Silver Armored General. Nevertheless, he was still not privy to the confidential secrets that concerned the God Monarchs.
At most, he would only hear rumors here and there.
“Then, do you know which Netherworld Pool the soul is in?” Zhang Xuan asked.
“I suppose the soul should be in the Netherworld Pool in the God Monarch’s royal palace since the God Monarch was going to forge a body for them. If that’s not the case, I don’t really know where else the soul could be,” Zhuo Feng said.
“I see…”
Fearing that it would appear too suspicious if he was too curious about the matter, Zhang Xuan simply nodded contemplatively.
It was not easy for someone of the lower world to enter the Firmament, and the last known person to do so before him and his direct disciples was Kong shi. Given so, the odds were very likely that the soul was Luo Qiqi.
He did not have many romantic feelings for Luo Qiqi, but he still cared for her as his student. Furthermore, the latter had done many things for him, and he owed her a lot. So, he was determined to find her no matter the price.
“You mentioned that the Netherworld Pool can temper one’s soul. Is it a place where anyone can go, or does it require a kind of special application?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously.
No matter whether the other party was Luo Qiqi or not, since she was already on par with the God Kings, it was unlikely that she was in any danger. What was more important for him was to quickly raise his cultivation so that he would not become a burden.
Otherwise, it would be really awkward if he was too weak when they met once more.
“There’s no need to go through any procedures or pay any money in order to access the Netherworld Pool. However, you need to have considerable fame, such that people know of your existence,” Zhuo Feng said.
“Fame?”
“Conferred God Kings are more powerful than ordinary God Kings due to their conferred titles and their fiefs, thus allowing them to gather more Anima of Yearning. If ordinary cultivators wished to use the Anima of Yearning, they first have to leave their Soul Imprint in the Netherworld Pool and make more people remember or be thankful to them. That’s the only way to generate a steady stream of Anima of Yearning to nourish the soul and advance one’s soul cultivation quickly,” Zhuo Feng explained.
“So, what you mean is that I’ll have to build up my reputation. Based on the number of people who know about me and the degree of gratitude they have toward me, I’ll gain a corresponding amount of Anima of Yearning within the Netherworld Pool, and this will be the key to nourishing my soul, right?” Zhang Xuan asked.
“That’s how it works theoretically. However, the nature of the sentiments that people have toward you matters as well. You can still gather Anima of Yearning if people feel ill will toward you, but the Anima of Yearning will be filled with something that can induce inner demons within you. It’s not worth absorbing something like that,” Zhuo Feng said.
“This is why every city is so concerned about the rules, and experts don’t kill others indiscriminately. They are fearful that it might affect their soul cultivation.”
These words really enlightened Zhang Xuan.
It seemed like the Anima of Yearning was an indispensable force in the Firmament.
In order to become a known celebrity, build up a good reputation, and earn the gratitude of others… It’s finally time for me to start flexing.
Er… that was not right. I am unlike that braggart of my clone… What I am going to do is official business!
