The main purpose of visiting Huanyu Empire was for the Cleansing Lake. After such a long wait, under everyone’s expectant gazes, the Cleansing Lake finally opened.
“Let’s go over!”
Without wasting any time, Zhang Xuan and Xing Yuan hurried over to the crowd.
Seeing the raging currents within the Cleansing Lake, everyone immediately realized that Ye Qian wasn’t over-exaggerating at all.
The massive waves within the lake did emanate concentrated spiritual energy, but the energy flowing within it was also frightening in itself. Anyone who dares to enter it recklessly would surely be crushed into bits.
“Look!”
Amidst everyone’s astonished gaze, Ye Wentian flicked his wrist, took out a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon, and threw it into the lake.
Kacha!
In the blink of an eye, the weapon which even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert would find difficult to destroy melted into a mass of liquid, which then sank to the bottom of the lake.
“This…”
Everyone’s faces twitched in fear.
Even though their physical resilience was far above ordinary humans, how could they possibly compare to a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon? If even such a tough weapon was reduced to a puddle in the lake instantaneously, they could already see themselves turning to dust should they enter it.
It was no wonder Crown Prince Ye Qian said that even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert wouldn’t survive in the Cleansing Lake. Those words indeed rang true.
Ye Wentian wrapped it up with a warning.
“Given how violent the lake water is, I suggest everyone to cultivate calmly within the Lake Eye and not to venture beyond it. Otherwise, even a deity wouldn’t be able to save you!”
“Don’t worry, we won’t get reckless!”
“We cultivate to grow stronger, not to die. Your Majesty need not worry about this matter!”
“That’s too scary! There’s no way we’ll take such a risk…”
…
Everyone hurriedly shook their heads.
Given even a Spirit intermediate-tier weapon was reduced into a puddle in an instant, who would possibly dare to venture into that fearsome lake?
“Alright. Everyone, pick a Lake Eye. The ten Lake Eyes possess equivalent effectiveness, so there’s no need to worry. If it’s preferable, those from the same Vassal State can choose to remain together in order to look after one another…”
Ye Wentian waved his hands and said no more.
Since the ten Lake Eyes had the same effectiveness, there was no difference between picking one over the other.
Zhang Xuan scanned the Lake Eyes for a moment before walking over to a cluster of Lake Eyes closest to the lake with Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai.
The furthest Lake Eyes in the Cleansing Lake were shrouded with thick mist produced by the concentrated spiritual energy in the region. Even a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert would find it hard to see through the mist. Zhang Xuan had specifically picked this region so that no one would be able to see him as he cultivated, especially since he intended to keep the Heaven’s Path cultivation techniques a secret.
“Let’s cultivate here!”
After finding the region where the spiritual energy and mist were the thickest, Zhang Xuan stopped and turned around to instruct Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai. “You two should cultivate at these two Lake Eyes. This way, if anything happens, we can help one another!”
“Alright!”
The duo nodded, and just as they were about to enter with the Spirit Cleansing Incense in their hands, they heard a shout.
“The two of you, pick another Lake Eye!”
Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi walking over.
“We…”
Seeing that a princess was actually vying for their spot, Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai were stumped.
“The two of you should take the Lake Eyes over there. We hope to get a position closer to teacher!” Luo Qiqi said.
“That… Yes!”
Given that this was an order from Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi, they dared not talk back. Thus, they quickly rushed over to the other Lake Eyes.
In any case, since the Lake Eyes were all equal, it didn’t matter where they were cultivating.
Noticing Zhang Xuan’s gaze on her, Princess Fei-er harrumphed.
“Humph, you need not think too highly of yourself. Since we have a wager on, I want to check if you are cheating!”
“Think too highly of myself? I say you’re thinking too much.”
Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I’m just trying to see which nerves of yours have turned psychotic…”
“You…”
Princess Fei-er clenched her jaws angrily. “You won’t stay gleeful for long. Your sharp words won’t help you in the Cleansing Lake!”
Flinging her sleeves, Princess Fei-er leaped into the Lake Eye without any hesitation.
The Spirit Cleansing Incense that she was holding immediately floated to the water surface and lit up. A wisp of smoke began drifting into the air.
Hu hu hu!
Closing her eyes, Princess Fei-er began to cultivate. The spiritual energy in the Lake Eye seemed to flow faster and faster into her with each breath. At the same time, the smoke drifting from the Spirit Cleansing Incense thickened as it started to burn down even more swiftly.
Seeing how this lass dived straight into cultivating just to defeat him, Zhang Xuan shook his head and jumped into a Lake Eye himself.
Luo Qiqi also jumped into a Lake Eye, picking one that would flank Zhang Xuan between her and Princess Fei-er.
While Zhang laoshi was her apothecary teacher, it hadn’t been long since the both of them met, so they were naturally not close enough for her to be coming over to cultivate with him. The only reason why she came here was to prevent a fight between her good friend and her teacher.
Princess Fei-er was obstinate, proud, and hated losing. If the two of them were to be left alone, who knew what would happen? As such, Luo Qiqi decided to tag along so that she could intervene if a fight were to occur.
Otherwise, the situation yesterday might just happen once more.
While the Sixth Princess didn’t reveal the culprit behind the two footprints on her bottom, it wasn’t too difficult to deduce from her words that it had something to do with this apothecary teacher of hers.
Usually, one would first strip their clothes before entering the Cleaning Lake. However, due to being in a public location, the two ladies decided against it. Even so, their drenched clothes that stuck to their skin still shaped out the beautiful curvature of their bodies.
Zhang Xuan glanced around for a moment before calming his mind. After which, he placed a Spirit Cleansing Incense into the lake and began to cultivate.
Closing his eyes, he immediately felt a surge of concentrated spiritual energy flowing through his entire body via his meridians and eventually nourishing his soul. A feeling of relaxation slowly spread across his entire body.
“This rate of absorption is too slow…”
After a moment later, Zhang Xuan realized that even though the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye was highly beneficial to his soul, it had to go through his body first, and this significantly weakened the effectiveness of the spiritual energy, as well as lowering the rate of absorption.
Furthermore, the body acted like a shackle whereas the soul was like a cotton inside the steel cage. Even the slightest growth had to take a painful amount of time.
A thought surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s mind.
“Can’t I just draw my soul out and absorb the spiritual energy directly?”
With his soul in his body, the body would become a natural barrier limiting the absorption of spiritual energy by it. However… what if he could draw his soul out and absorb the spiritual energy directly?
Would his rate of cultivation improve?
“I should give it a try.”
With this in mind, he took a look around and confirmed that the two ladies around him were currently deep in their cultivation and that there was no one who could see what he was doing. After which, he activated the Soul Guiding Method and drew a soul that was perfectly identical to him in appearance from his glabella.
As soon as his soul entered the Lake Eye, dense spiritual energy immediately gushed into his soul, leaving him revitalized.
“Indeed, this is much more efficient!”
Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.
He hadn’t even started cultivating yet and the rate at which the spiritual energy was nourishing his soul was already faster than before. Closing his eyes, Zhang Xuan immediately drove the Heaven’s Path Soul Art and began pulling in the spiritual energy from the air frenziedly.
Hong long long!
The entire Lake Eye began to shake. Concentrated spiritual energy rushed toward his soul, causing the size of his soul to grow gradually.
As his Heaven’s Path Soul Art was only up to Transcendent Mortal 5-dan, he was unable to advance on to 6-dan. As such, the spiritual energy began to build on his soul instead, causing the size of his soul to grow bigger and bigger.
To make an analogy, it was just like water and mercury.
A difference in cultivation realm was qualitative, such as the difference between the two liquids.
However, even among fellow ‘water’, a tub of water and a lake of water were different—a difference in quantity.
While Zhang Xuan wasn’t able to advance his soul cultivation to Transcendent Mortal 6-dan yet, he could make his Transcendent Mortal 5-dan soul grow stronger by piling up more soul energy.
“Hmm?”
As Zhang Xuan started to absorb spiritual energy frenziedly, Princess Fei-er suddenly felt an irregularity in the surrounding spiritual energy. She immediately turned her gaze to the side, and the scene she saw left her on the verge of fainting.
Two of the Spirit Cleansing Incense by Zhang Xuan’s side had already burned out, and the third one seemed to be on the verge of burning out as well.
Are you for real?
How long… has it been?
Five minutes? Or was it ten minutes?
The Spirit Cleansing Incense was meant to be depleted within three days, and yet you are going to finish in within five minutes?
Is there a black hole within you?
Princess Fei-er’s body trembled, and the urge to spew blood welled up in her.
She thought that as a Transcendent Mortal 6-dan expert with a far stronger soul than the other party, the other party stood no chance at all… Who could have known that right after she started, when she had yet to burn off the tip of the first Spirit Cleansing Incense, the other party was already about to finish all three incenses…
Did you need to be so exaggerated?
How am I supposed to compete with that? Am I going to lose?
“What’s going on?”
Luo Qiqi was also alarmed by the agitation in the spiritual energy in the air. Upon seeing Zhang Xuan’s Spirit Cleansing Incense, she nearly died from shock. “His incense…”
“He’s already about to finish absorbing all of the spiritual energy in the Lake Eye. How am I supposed to compete against that?”
Princess Fei-er was on the verge of tears.
“This…”
Luo Qiqi scratched her head.
Neither of them was a soul oracle, and they did not possess the Eye of Insight either. With his soul hidden beneath the water and shrouded by the spiritual energy in the surroundings, it was impossible for them to notice it. From afar, it looked as though he was cultivating normally.
“Hmm?”
Hearing the discussion between the duo, Zhang Xuan stopped his cultivation, and his soul returned back to his physical body. Lifting his gaze to look at his Spirit Cleansing Incense, he nearly leaped in shock.
Frowning, Zhang Xuan bellowed, “Who stole my Spirit Cleansing Incense?”
He was certain he had three incense a moment ago, how could there only be one left in the blink of an eye? Someone must have stolen his incense!
“Stole?”
The two ladies were rendered speechless.
“You were the one who burned them out…”
“Me?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “That can’t be. If there is so little spiritual energy in here, how could it possibly be sufficient for three days?”
Zhang Xuan had barely started absorbing when the spiritual energy was already about to run out. Was this for real?
He was still intending to make use of this Cleansing Lake to boost his cultivation significantly. Yet, his training session was already nearing its end, almost before he’d even started… Must the situation be so damned?
“So little?”
Hearing the other party’s words, both Princess Fei-er and Luo Qiqi’s eyebrows twitched violently.
They had also tried cultivating as well, and while the Lake Eye might be small, it was extremely rich in spiritual energy. It felt as though no matter how hard they cultivated, it would never run out. Only a monster like you would think that it was lacking in spiritual energy!
“Teacher, it is probably due to you absorbing the spiritual energy a little too fast… How did you do it?” Luo Qiqi couldn’t help but question him.
When Zhang laoshi began to cultivate previously, the Lake Eye began bubbling and the spiritual energy in the surroundings grew agitated—these were signs of spiritual energy being rapidly absorbed. To think that not only would a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle cultivator be capable of absorbing spiritual energy to nourish his soul, he would also be able to cultivate so swiftly…
How did he do it?
“Indeed. Are you cheating?”
Princess Fei-er’s eyebrows shot up.
Even a Grade 2 top student like Luo Qiqi couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Could this fellow be cheating?
