After refining the skeleton palm, Lin Xiao took out the eighth-grade initial Spirit Rush Pill, the champion reward from the continental Spirit Controller Grand Competition.
“What a pity!”
Looking at the Spirit Rush Pill, Lin Xiao could not help letting out a long sigh.
This eighth-grade initial Spirit Rush Pill offered a thirty percent chance of breaking through to eighth-grade initial Spirit Controller.
That success rate was already extremely high. Its greatest value lay in attempting the breakthrough to eighth-grade initial spiritual force realm.
Unfortunately, he was currently only a seventh-grade initial Spirit Controller. Reaching eighth-grade initial spiritual force was still far off.
Spiritual force cultivation was hard to advance, and he had no idea how long he would have to wait.
Right now he needed to raise his strength quickly, so he could only use it to push for seventh-grade intermediate spiritual force realm.
Lin Xiao was not far from seventh-grade intermediate. Using this pill for the attempt was overkill, but it should pose no problem.
As for the pill’s potency, his current spiritual force strength was equivalent to a top-tier seventh-grade advanced Spirit Controller. He should be able to withstand it.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiao swallowed the pill. As his inner energy circulated and touched the pill to refine it, vast medicinal power surged forth. Under his guidance, it flowed along his meridians upward into his mind.
His mind was instantly flooded and filled with boundless medicinal power.
Black smoke rose from his head, and sweat poured down.
Fortunately, his mind could endure it. The spiritual force within rapidly circulated, refining the rolling medicinal power to strengthen his mind itself.
This fierce state of flooding and refining lasted ten days.
On the tenth day, his mind underwent a fundamental transformation. Even more powerful spiritual force began surging wildly within, and a mighty spiritual aura involuntarily radiated outward.
This aura once again roused Long Tutian and the other two.
“Another breakthrough?”
All three looked at Lin Xiao in astonishment.
“From the looks of it, he is still refining the pill. He must have taken an eighth-grade Spirit Rush Pill.”
Huo Ruyan said.
“If he refined an eighth-grade Spirit Rush Pill, breaking through one layer is perfectly normal. But the medicinal power doesn’t seem to be dissipating yet. I wonder if he might break through another layer of spiritual force?”
Long Tutian remarked.
Qing Yan’s face twitched slightly. With Lin Xiao’s previous spiritual force driving spiritual energy, he could already contend with an ordinary first-layer Martial Saint.
Now having broken through one layer, how much stronger would he be?
If he broke through yet another layer, how strong would that make him?
Qing Yan dared not even imagine it. Consecutive breakthroughs like that would be far too monstrous.
Even an eighth-grade initial pill could not be that heaven-defying, could it?
After breaking through one layer of spiritual force, Lin Xiao did not stop. The medicinal power was far from exhausted.
In fact, less than half had been consumed.
Lin Xiao seized the opportunity and continued refining.
This second refining also lasted ten days.
On the tenth day, the medicinal power was fully depleted.
Yet he did not succeed in breaking through.
More precisely, he had not even attempted the next realm.
Instead, he consolidated his seventh-grade intermediate spiritual force cultivation, then raised it all the way to the peak of seventh-grade intermediate.
Lin Xiao could not help marvelling at the vast and ferocious potency of this eighth-grade initial Spirit Rush Pill.
The reward from the continental Spirit Controller Grand Competition truly was no ordinary item.
Now, sensing the overwhelmingly powerful spiritual force in his mind, Lin Xiao felt that, relying solely on spiritual force to drive spiritual energy, he could fully contend with a second-layer Martial Saint.
His primal force was similar.
At sixth-layer Martial Emperor, using full strength he could defeat a first-layer Martial Saint. Now having reached seventh-layer Martial Emperor, primal force combat power alone should allow him to fight a second-layer Martial Saint.
Combining primal force and spiritual force, defeating a second-layer Martial Saint would be effortless, and even killing one would pose no great difficulty.
He could probably hold his own against a third-layer Martial Saint for a while.
As for the might of Heaven-Swallowing Spirit Gathering Finger, even Lin Xiao himself could scarcely imagine it.
The stronger he became, the more terrifying the explosion when that technique incorporated vast energies.
This time, when Lin Xiao opened his eyes, Long Tutian and the other two were still immersed in cultivation, seated at the three outermost directions on the stump, facing away from him.
All three appeared to be cultivating while assaulting their dantian realms. They looked utterly calm.
Yet one could sense terrifying power surging within each of them.
Seeing the three cultivating, Lin Xiao settled down quietly and took out more pills to begin refining.
This time, they were primal force pills.
These came from the spoils divided from the storage rings of the Tianji Holy Land Grand Elder and the Hong family Grand Elder. The group had already shared the loot along the journey.
Though these pills were high-grade, relying on them alone to break through would still be difficult.
That was why Lin Xiao had not refined them immediately.
Now, with spiritual force advanced, primal force could not break through further, but he could still consolidate it and even raise his combat strength.
Thus, Lin Xiao entered pill refinement and dantian assault once more.
Several more days passed as Lin Xiao refined several pills and immersed himself in cultivation.
“Chi!”
Suddenly, a vast and majestic aura flooded the area. Even Lin Xiao was roused from his trance.
This aura was far too powerful, even stronger than the Ji family patriarch’s that he had sensed.
Yet its cultivation level was not as high as the patriarch’s third-layer Martial Saint, only second-layer Martial Saint.
Clearly, one of the three had broken through from first-layer to second-layer Martial Saint.
Lin Xiao opened his eyes and looked toward the source. Long Tutian, seated upright, suddenly opened his own eyes. At first glance, he seemed like a hidden dragon about to soar into the heavens.
Qing Yan and Huo Ruyan were similarly startled awake.
Cultivating together on the stump meant interruptions were unavoidable.
“Broke through to second-layer Martial Saint?”
Both Huo Ruyan and Qing Yan showed deep astonishment.
Even Lin Xiao was shocked. Advancing one layer at Martial Saint was immensely difficult. Long Tutian, barely over forty, reaching second-layer Martial Saint was an achievement few Martial Saints across the continent could match.
“I lingered at first-layer Martial Saint for a long time. After refining those pills and with this stump enhancing comprehension, I luckily broke through one layer.”
Long Tutian said calmly.
Though he called it luck, the three did not see it that way.
This Long Tutian was truly a monstrous genius of the continent, merely born a generation earlier than them.
“After refining two vials of Martial Saint blood, I can faintly see hope for breakthrough. If I cultivate long-term on this stump and obtain more Martial Saint blood, I believe it won’t take too long before I have a chance to advance another layer.”
Huo Ruyan spoke truthfully.
“Am I going to be the slowest?”
Qing Yan’s face twitched again.
He had thought his own breakthrough within one or two years would be the fastest possible. Who knew these two would be even more monstrous?
Especially Long Tutian. At first-layer Martial Saint he could already contend with third-layer Martial Saints. Now at second-layer, could he not overwhelm the patriarchs of major forces and fight fourth-layer Martial Saints?
