Within his body, the energy of the Nine Dragon Quenching Essence Pill continuously refined his martial veins, merging into them.
Outside, the massive influx of spiritual qi, drawn by the pill, surged into Ling Xiao’s body, transforming it. While tempering his physique, it fused with his true essence.
Ling Xiao’s cultivation was rising at a terrifying speed!
Mortal Realm fourth stage, late phase!
Mortal Realm fourth stage, peak!
An hour later, Ling Xiao’s eyes snapped open, two beams of golden light shooting from his dark pupils.
Exhaling a turbid breath, he looked excitedly at Yuan Zun, still lounging lazily, his smile childlike.
“Mortal Realm fifth stage, early phase! I actually broke through!”
Ling Xiao was astonished. This breakthrough had been so smooth, like water flowing naturally, without the slightest hindrance.
This must be the result of proper cultivation methods.
The Nine Dragon Quenching Essence Pill’s energy not only propelled his cultivation but also allowed him to comprehend the fourth celestial force—lightning—successfully advancing his technique to the fourth layer.
Wind, thunder, rain, lightning!
With these four celestial forces, he could infuse his techniques with new vitality, unleashing attacks far stronger than their base power.
Seeing this, Yuan Zun’s eyes held a mix of pride and surprise.
Before closely guiding Ling Xiao, Yuan Zun hadn’t fully grasped his potential. Now, he understood—this boy’s talent was extraordinary, enviably so.
He had truly taken an exceptional disciple.
…
After breaking through to early Mortal Realm fifth stage, Ling Xiao didn’t rush into other tasks. His main body focused on consolidating his cultivation.
During this time, he didn’t split off his Sword Soul clone to train, avoiding dividing his focus.
This breakthrough’s leap was too significant. He needed to fully immerse himself in understanding the new power to master and wield it effectively.
Five days later, Ling Xiao opened his eyes again after intense cultivation.
His cultivation was now firmly stabilized at early Mortal Realm fifth stage.
Even if gravely injured, as long as he survived, this level wouldn’t drop.
More importantly, he had nearly complete control over this stage’s power.
…
In the perilous depths of the Fulong Mountain Range, Ling Xiao walked slowly. A high-level cultivator might faintly see a massive “True Essence Sphere” formed by true essence, enveloping a dozens-of-meters radius around him.
Ling Xiao didn’t need to look. Anything touching the sphere instantly relayed information to his mind, faster than his eyes could process.
This time, he was searching for materials to refine “High-Grade True Essence Pills.”
To consolidate his cultivation, he’d consumed his last few high-grade True Essence Pills.
That wouldn’t do.
Though high-grade True Essence Pills didn’t aid cultivation much, they were ideal for restoring true essence.
Per Ling Xiao’s habit, he felt uneasy leaving home without at least a thousand pills.
Even a martial artist’s true essence had limits. While Ling Xiao could absorb an opponent’s true essence using his Mountain River Martial Soul, he wasn’t always fighting—most of his time was spent cultivating. Where would he get true essence to absorb then?
He relied on True Essence Pills for replenishment.
Refining pills was no issue for Ling Xiao. With his Mountain River Martial Soul, he could craft any pill.
Even Yuan Zun didn’t know this.
However, higher-tier pills required rarer recipes.
Without a recipe or materials, even Ling Xiao’s skills were useless.
Thus, he could only refine pills he’d seen or used.
Having used them, his Mountain River Martial Soul could swiftly analyze their components and deduce the recipe.
This ability was so extraordinary that Ling Xiao hadn’t dared tell his master, fearing it would bring trouble.
Refining high-grade True Essence Pills required one critical, irreplaceable herb.
It was extremely rare in the secular world but could be found in the Fulong Mountain Range.
The other auxiliary materials, though expensive, were purchasable.
This key herb was called “Mystical Spirit Grass.”
For high-grade True Essence Pills, Mystical Spirit Grass aged around a hundred years was sufficient.
The secular world had Mystical Spirit Grass under a hundred years, but those were only suitable for mid- and low-grade True Essence Pills.
In the Mysterious Realm, Mystical Spirit Grass was common, but those over a hundred years were rare, typically growing in deep forests, often guarded by fearsome demonic, ferocious, or even vile beasts.
These creatures knew consuming Mystical Spirit Grass could enhance their true essence.
No matter how hard it was to obtain, Ling Xiao had to get it—for himself, not anyone else.
Using his Mountain River Martial Soul, he pinpointed areas rich in Mystical Spirit Grass. But finding one over a hundred years old required close-range searching with “Earth Sight, Heaven’s Hearing.”
He moved slowly because the Fulong Mountain Range’s depths were fraught with danger. He didn’t want to be so focused on Mystical Spirit Grass that he got ambushed and killed by a beast—that would be a shameful death.
Whenever he sensed a beast, weak or strong, he avoided it. His goal wasn’t combat but gathering herbs, and he couldn’t let fighting derail his mission.
His keen observation, paired with “Earth Sight, Heaven’s Hearing,” allowed him to evade all beasts, avoiding combat entirely.
Finally, he exhaled in relief.
He’d reached his destination.
It was a basin filled with exotic flowers and herbs, but Mystical Spirit Grass dominated.
Most were under a hundred years old, so he collected them into his Mountain River World for cultivation.
The disciples of the Divine Sword Sect needed True Essence Pills too. As his sect now, it might become a key force in the future, so he had to nurture it well.
What smaller sects lacked, he’d ensure his sect had.
Suddenly, he paused. Among the countless green Mystical Spirit Grasses, one stood out.
It looked similar to the others, just brighter and larger.
But a martial artist would notice its spiritual qi far surpassed that of sub-century grasses. Its leaves even bore faint patterns, hinting at the formation of divine script.
Divine script typically formed over time in animals or plants, a result of the power of natural laws.
