Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1404 - 748: Ten Years (Part 2)

The Identity Jade Disc resting on his person began to vibrate while he was immersed in deep cultivation. Because he was not in a state of absolute seclusion, he had maintained a thread of divine sense to monitor the outside world.

This sliver of divine sense focused on the Identity Jade Disc, revealing an urgent communication from his mentor, Jian Wuwei. With a sense of helplessness, he started to circulate the spiritual power within his body, gradually withdrawing from his meditative state.

A significant amount of energy from a Fourth-grade Advanced Spirit Pill remained unabsorbed within him. Typically, a cultivator would be loath to halt their progress so abruptly, as the remaining essence of such a high-tier pill would be completely wasted. However, Li Yuanba was indifferent to the loss of Fourth-grade Advanced Spirit Pills; since reaching the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, his consumption of them had only increased.

Throughout the last decade, any sword cultivator capable of making a connection with him at the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion had used every possible method to contact him. Even though his alchemy fees were several times higher than those of other Alchemy Masters, the fervor of the sword cultivators never waned. The primary reason was that every Fourth-grade Spirit Pill he produced was of the Advanced grade.

The efficacy of a single Fourth-grade Advanced Spirit Pill was several times greater than that of a Mid-level pill, and more than ten times more potent than a Junior-level Fourth-grade Spirit Pill. Additionally, the medicinal impurities in these Advanced pills were remarkably low, allowing for a shorter recovery time between doses and significantly boosting a cultivator's efficiency.

In terms of actual market value, ten Mid-level Fourth-grade Spirit Pills could not purchase a single Fourth-grade Advanced Spirit Pill; no sane cultivator would trade an Advanced pill for Mid-level ones. Rumors also circulated that consistent use of Fourth-grade Advanced Spirit Pills provided subtle advantages, such as refining more potent spiritual power. However, these remained unverified claims, as very few cultivators possessed the resources to consume them continuously enough to provide data.

In the past ten years, the sheer volume of Nascent Soul Early Stage Fourth-grade Elixirs refined by his main body, Li Shiming, had supplied nearly half of the Spirit Pills required by the Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivators within the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion. It was unavoidable; the sword cultivators of the Sect always found a way to use their connections to funnel alchemy requests to him.

He never had any intention of turning these commissions down, as it only required him to collect the materials periodically. For Li Shiming, the process was even more straightforward; his cultivation was never interrupted since six Fourth-grade Pill Furnaces operated simultaneously within the infirmary space. As long as the requests weren't for Great Cultivator Spirit Pills, even massive quantities of alchemy tasks were handled with ease.

Li Yuanba exhaled a cloud of pill gas—the unrefined energy of the Fourth-grade Advanced Spirit Pills. Rising to his feet, he retrieved the Identity Jade Disc and sent a response as he stepped out of the Cultivation Room. Leaving his cave dwelling, he took flight toward the residence of his mentor, Jian Wuwei.

Though Jian Wuwei remained at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, his prestige within the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion was considerable due to his membership in the core lineage of the Jian Family. His cave was located within the Sword Cave Heaven, positioned quite near the center.

The entrance to the cave opened automatically upon Li Yuanba's arrival. Flying inside, he discovered Jian Wuwei and Great Cultivator Lou sitting opposite each other, with a deathly pale Lou Wu resting beside them.

“Junior Master Lou, Mentor, what has happened to Lou Wu?” Li Yuanba asked. He had only been told by Jian Wuwei that an incident had occurred, but seeing Lou Wu’s actual state made him realize the situation was more dire than he had presumed. He felt he hadn't been a particularly attentive mentor to his disciple.

Luckily, Jian Wuwei had been present. Jian Wuwei treated his grand-disciple Lou Wu with great care. Despite Jian Wuwei and Lou Wu being at the same cultivation level, the former had access to core inheritances and secret knowledge belonging to the Jian Family's main line. His grasp of sword cultivation theory actually surpassed that of Great Cultivator Lou. Lou Wu frequently studied under Jian Wuwei; while the cultivation world prizes individual strength, sect hierarchy and heritage are equally vital. Even with a lower cultivation level, Lou Wu was required to show Jian Wuwei the respect due to an ancestor.

“Lou Wu was caught in an ambush while traveling. Though he has taken Fourth-grade Advanced Healing Spirit Pills, his condition remains unstable!” Great Cultivator Lou replied immediately, his voice thick with anxiety for his son.

Li Yuanba moved to Lou Wu’s side and extended his divine sense. In the world of cultivation, probing another’s body with divine sense is usually a taboo, but as Lou Wu’s mentor, he faced no such restriction. He found that the injuries to Lou Wu’s physical form and Nascent Soul were strange; a type of corrosive energy was slowly tainting his entire being. The medicinal essence within him was at a saturation point, proving he had already ingested several Fourth-grade Advanced Healing Spirit Pills. Such heavy consumption meant he wouldn't be able to utilize such pills again for a long time. Lou Wu must have realized this, meaning the severity of the wounds left him no other choice.

The Nascent Soul Early Stage High Grade Healing Spirit Pills Lou Wu carried had been provided by Li Yuanba for emergencies. It was these pills, combined with the life-saving treasures given by Great Cultivator Lou, that had kept Lou Wu alive. Li Yuanba sighed and shook his head; Lou Wu seemed to be a magnet for trouble. During their last meeting, the boy had barely survived as well. However, the previous injuries were solvable with pills; these current wounds were far more complex.

Fortunately, over the last decade, Li Yuanba’s control over the 'Innate Wood' Divine Power had grown significantly thanks to the research conducted by his main body, Li Shiming. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed several bursts of 'Innate Wood' Divine Power. Streams of vibrant green wood-element light descended upon Lou Wu, bathing his body and Nascent Soul in a restorative glow.

Li Yuanba cast the 'Innate Wood' Divine Power ten times in succession, exhausting the rune energy he had stored within himself. “He is out of danger now!” he remarked, checking Lou Wu’s condition again and letting out a breath of relief.

His mastery of the 'Innate Wood' Divine Power was still in its early stages, far from the pinnacle of this wood-element art. At its absolute peak, the power would grant something akin to immortality, allowing a user to instantly recover from any blow or catastrophic physical damage. Currently, however, merely stabilizing Lou Wu had drained his entire reserve of rune energy.

“This child is a burden to you once again!” The tension left Great Cultivator Lou’s face as he voiced his thanks to Li Yuanba.

“I have been lacking as a mentor; this is the least I can do,” Li Yuanba replied with a wave of his hand. He then looked at Lou Wu and asked, “Who was responsible for this?” The last time Lou Wu was harmed, Li Yuanba had nearly destroyed the entire Qianren Sect.

“I will take charge of this,” Great Cultivator Lou spoke on behalf of his son. “Lou Wu had a dispute with members of the Infinite Sect. It seems a group of them was passing by and he was overwhelmed by their numbers.”

Li Yuanba frowned slightly, doubting such a convenient coincidence. Back in the Langcai Cave Heaven, he had become a mortal enemy of Che Lian from the Infinite Sect. Despite staying inside for ten years, he kept up with the news of the world. Che Lian’s life had become difficult; his reputation was ruined by the stain of ingratitude, which in turn shamed the Infinite Sect. In response, the Sect had stripped Che Lian of his core status. Now a common cultivator, his path to future advancement was effectively blocked.

Consequently, Li Yuanba had become a target of the Infinite Sect’s bitterness. He couldn't be certain if Lou Wu’s state was a direct result of that grudge, but he was suspicious. He kept these thoughts to himself, knowing that the simplest solution was to step out into the world. If he appeared, the Infinite Sect would focus their malice on him rather than those around him.

Besides, he was due for some real-world experience. After ten years of closed-door cultivation, his spiritual power and sword intent had improved immensely. However, his sword intent had only been honed through study; it required the fires of actual combat to be truly tested. This was necessary not just for himself, but for Li Shiming to verify the results of his sword intent research.