Chapter 70: Deep Within the Ink Pool
Returning to the sect on Green Leaf Peak. Inside his cave dwelling, Song Yan sat cross-legged on the stone bed, slowly breathing in and out, emptying his restless emotions.
Breaking through to a higher realm was inherently like snatching chestnuts from fire.
If one’s state of mind fell into turmoil due to haste, not only would the breakthrough fail, but one could also suffer qi deviation.
Once the distracting thoughts in his heart dissipated, he traced a finger and set up a small Spirit Gathering Formation.
Spirit stones rested in his palm, emanating a warm, lustrous glow.
The Spirit Gathering Formation had been purchased from the market previously, used several times already.
He estimated that after a few more uses, it would lose its effectiveness.
Song Yan had no habit of stockpiling spiritual resources. Whenever he had a certain amount of spirit stones, he would take them to the market to purchase Spirit Gathering Formations and pills.
Wealth was always external; only when spent on oneself did it truly become one’s own.
The path of immortal cultivation was the same. There was nothing to regret—only by refining heavenly treasures into one’s own body did they become true provisions on the path of seeking the Dao and longevity.
He sat cross-legged in meditation, embracing unity and guarding oneness.
This time he did not hesitate again. The Yellow Sprout Pill entered his mouth directly.
The pill dissolved the moment it touched his tongue. Spiritual qi surged like a spring thawing stream, flooding into his meridians.
The Dao Seed within the Town-Dao Sword Manor flickered between bright and dim, inhaling and exhaling spiritual breath, sending ripples of water patterns outward.
The surrounding lotus-shaped sword qi trembled along with it.
A flash of surprise passed through Song Yan’s heart. At this moment, his circulating qi flowed like a current, and refining spiritual energy progressed as if aided by divine assistance.
“Could it be because the Dao Seed is nearing completion?”
He immediately focused his mind and activated the Qi Condensation Scroll with full power.
Beneath the Town-Dao Sword Manor, as spiritual qi was transported and spiritual energy was refined, the Dao Seed trembled slowly like breathing.
Rings of spiritual patterns gradually spread outward.
The surrounding lotus-shaped sword qi also surged more violently.
As spiritual qi flooded in, Song Yan felt a faint sensation of fullness at several acupoints throughout his body.
” The breakthrough… perhaps it will happen today.”
Another Yellow Sprout Pill entered his mouth, transforming into pure spiritual energy. Carrying the dense spiritual qi gathered by the Spirit Gathering Formation, it was refined into pure power through circulation in the small heavenly cycle before finally merging into his Dantian.
After roughly half a shichen, the sound of a clear spring flowing over stones suddenly reached his ears.
Several acupoints that had been previously blocked were now thoroughly opened.
The spiritual energy circulating within his body flowed like a mountain stream’s clear spring, merging into a river.
Qi Refining Stage, sixth level. The water arrived and the channel formed.
This breakthrough proceeded so smoothly that Song Yan felt somewhat surprised.
After some thought, he concluded it must be the benefits brought by the transformation of the Dao Seed.
“Ha—”
He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air.
Three years, reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining—that was already considered a relatively fast pace.
The early and middle stages of Qi Refining, up to the sixth level, were merely about accumulating spiritual energy.
The seventh, eighth, and ninth levels of the late Qi Refining stage were the true great mountains of the entire Qi Refining phase.
However, Song Yan did not feel oppressed or discouraged.
Above Qi Refining was Foundation Establishment, and beyond Foundation Establishment was Golden Core…
He would climb steadily, step by step, to behold the scenery of greater heights.
Was this not the most captivating part of the path toward seeking the Dao and immortality?
The road of immortal cultivation was like scaling a sheer cliff. The more perilous the terrain, the more magnificent the sea of clouds one could see.
On the Dao Seed of the sword, the embryonic form of the Dao heart hummed softly.
No one noticed that the young man’s sharp resolve could no longer be concealed!
He continued cultivating for half a day, and only when his realm had completely stabilized did Song Yan truly let out a sigh of relief.
He stripped off his clothes and leaped into the pool, washing away the sweat brought on by the breakthrough.
“Eh? Where did Xiao He go?”
Ever since she had entered the meditative state for breaking through, Xiao He had disappeared, and even now she had not caught sight of the snake.
This child had been acting suspiciously lately; he had no idea what she was busy with.
“When she gets back, I’ll have to give her a good interrogation.”
Although the atmosphere throughout the Eastern Abyss Sect was fairly amiable and the attitude toward spirit beasts and spirit creatures was also quite good.
One could not rule out the possibility that someone with ill intentions might capture her to drain her blood and refine her into pills.
He would need to tell her to be more careful.
With nothing else to do, Song Yan took out the tattered short sword he had obtained from Senior Lin Qinglong’s cave dwelling.
He washed it with water. The layer of mud and grime alone was quite thick.
After a brief cleaning, there was still no improvement.
“The old senior left a short sword of this quality at the entrance of his own cave dwelling, and it was broken at that…” Song Yan racked his mind but could not figure it out.
But it did not matter. In the past when he scavenged through trash, he had never held the notion that everything he brought back would be useful.
He tossed it casually into his cosmic bag.
In a few days he would visit the Artifact Refining Workshop, find an ordinary apprentice, and have this short sword repaired somewhat.
He would make it look slightly better while preserving its ancient feel.
Then, following his original plan, he would attach the label of “found in a late Foundation Establishment senior’s cave dwelling” and sell it on a black market day.
Without a single thought for whether some fool would take the bait, Song Yan was already commending his own ingenuity.
“Whose idea was this…”
“Golden idea.”
…
More than half a month later.
Within the Twin Jade Realm, dark clouds churned.
Song Yan quietly gazed at the phantom of the Dao Seed, beside which a withered tree condensed from ink-black energy coiled and twisted.
Where wind and thunder flickered, golden light flowed—identical to the withered tree atop Wind Moon Cliff in the world of the painting.
Wind and thunder danced among the branches.
For the first time in the Twin Jade Realm, which had previously contained only black and white, other colors appeared.
This filled Song Yan with inexplicable joy.
The Untethered Vessel now hovered silently above the phantom of the Dao Seed.
From time to time, a wisp of golden light was drawn from the wind-and-thunder withered tree, separated, and drifted elegantly outward.
From top to bottom, it spiraled around the flying sword.
Finally, it merged into the phantom of the Dao Seed along the sword’s spine.
Song Yan did not know what this was doing; the Transformation of Spirit chapter had never mentioned such a thing.
However, he now had some experience and could offer a speculation.
Perhaps the Twin Jade Pearl was utilizing the supreme spirit properties of wind and thunder to nourish the body of the natal flying sword.
Looking closely, though he was unsure if it was merely his imagination, the sword body appeared increasingly flawless wherever the golden light passed.
Either way, it was probably not a bad thing.
Yet, gazing upon this mysterious sight before him, his thoughts wandered to other possibilities.
“If in the future I could obtain supreme spirit items of other elements…”
“Would they also appear in this realm?”
“Would they, like the supreme spirit of wind and thunder, nourish the sword body and reciprocally benefit the Dao Seed…”
Song Yan considered his exploration of the Twin Jade Pearl to be far from sufficient; many things remained matters of speculation.
“My strength and realm are still not enough…”
He let out a soft sigh.
Estimating the time, Song Yan had business that required him to leave the cave dwelling.
He then controlled his divine sense and departed from the Twin Jade Realm.
“…”
Between these realms, all sounds were silent.
Aside from the golden light dancing on the dead branches, everything remained black and white.
The ink-black waterfall rushed ceaselessly onward.
It extended all the way to a short distance from the phantom of the Dao Seed.
On the bank, the Taotail Flute floated quietly.
“Shhhh—”
The waters of the Ink Pool rose and fell like the tide along the shore.
“…”
Suddenly.
A hand, entirely composed of ink-black darkness, slowly reached out from the Ink Pool.
It hovered before the Taotail Flute.
Then, as if testing, it gently nudged it…