Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1641 - 867: Attention

Li Yuanba's fame exploded once more, his renown climbing to dizzying peaks.

Earlier, he'd carved his legend by wounding Great Venerable Ming Hai and compelling his retreat in fierce combat.

This time around, all by himself, he vanquished eight peak Great Cultivators, obliterated Great Cultivator Lin's mortal form, and claimed Lin’s Nascent Soul. Such a triumph boosted his standing further among the Cultivation World's cultivators.

Killing a peak Great Cultivator proves far harder than merely defeating one.

All know that mighty sects cultivate peak Great Cultivators to overawe rival powers through their overwhelming might.

These peak Great Cultivators typically carry life-preserving treasures bestowed by Great Powers. Slaying one demands an instantaneous, devastating blow.

Naturally, this soaring fame left Li Yuanba unmoved; he pressed on with cultivation, collaborating with Li Shiming on alchemy for the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion, venturing out on missions every few months or so.

To Li Shiming he handed over the ’Profound Ice Saint Spirit’ along with Great Cultivator Lin's corpse, since holding onto them offered him no real benefit.

Fifty years flew by in an instant, yet the scramble for Great Cultivator resources across the Cultivation World showed no signs of slowing. Nearly every Great Cultivator advanced their realm in that span.

Li Shiming’s alchemy prowess fueled this surge. He launched alchemy services, taking commissions whenever the payment suited his standards.

Across decades, the stockpiles of Great Cultivator resources hoarded by factions throughout the Cultivation World vanished entirely, transformed into supreme spirit pills for Great Cultivators.

These days, Li Shiming enjoyed greater leisure, handling mostly fresh Great Cultivator resources for his commissions—a sign of their dire shortage, as prior jobs had drawn from long-gathered reserves of various powers.

From the depths of Yuqing Sect's Yuqing Cave Heaven stirred a mighty aura, that of Great Power Luo Yuan from the Yuqing Sect.

Soon after tasking Yuqing Sect cultivators to fetch the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl,’ Luo Yuan slipped into deep cultivation.

Over a century this trance endured, a mere heartbeat for a Great Power.

Emerging from his session, he assessed his gains, his brow furrowing as he let out a heavy sigh.

Lacking the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl,’ his cultivation progress had suffered a clear drop.

Having the Shenxiao Thunder Pearl nearby had elevated his thunder mastery by a notch, a vital leap for any Great Power's level.

Its absence left him gripped by profound emptiness.

Luo Yuan swept his divine sense outward, yet failed to sense the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl,’ igniting fury within him.

Clearly, the Yuqing Sect had not reclaimed the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl,’ or else he would detect it easily.

His ownership mark lingered within the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl,’ after all.

No matter where the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl’ stayed in the Cultivation World, he could track and reclaim it.

"Where is Wang He?" Luo Yuan demanded, his voice rumbling deeply.

The moment the question left his lips, memories flooded back. Prior to seclusion, he'd learned of Master Wang He and half-step Great Power Yang Xing's demise, prompting his frustrated retreat.

He'd weighed crossing to Dongqi Continent himself, but the risks stayed his hand.

Mobilizing a Great Power, particularly distant from home base, might rouse other Great Powers—not forgetting the massive energy drain from one such outing.

Messages flew from him, swiftly revealing the Yuqing Sect's present state.

After decades rebuilding, no fresh peak Great Cultivator had arisen in the Yuqing Sect, barring it from elite struggles over Great Cultivator resources in the Cultivation World.

This elite fray belonged solely to peak Great Cultivators, who alone vied for Great Cultivator resources.

Bereft of peak Great Cultivator dominance, dispatching their finest Great Cultivators would yield nothing for Yuqing Sect.

Worse, rival mighty sects might exploit the chance to wipe out Yuqing Sect's elite Great Cultivators, deepening its frailty.

With Great Power Luo Yuan standing guard, Yuqing Sect clung to mighty sect status, but lacking peak fighters spelled slow erosion.

Should Great Power Luo Yuan perish without a successor Great Power—thanks to the elite gap—the Yuqing Sect would plummet from mighty sect ranks into utter calamity.

At first, Luo Yuan shunned confronting Li Shiming personally, yet this seclusion unveiled the ’Shenxiao Thunder Pearl’s’ absence as far graver than anticipated.

"Thunder Beast!" While sifting Yuqing Sect intelligence on seclusion-era events, a startling report caught his eye, drawing an astonished cry.

A cultivator had spotted Li Shiming’s ’Phantom Clone’ atop a Thunder Beast soaring over the ocean. Li Shiming's frequent Thunder Beast rides to Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion ensured some sightings.

Luo Yuan remained unaware Li Shiming had claimed the Thunder Beast from half-step Great Power Yang Xing, who guarded that secret closely.

In the Cultivation World, greater power bred deeper personal secrets unfit for sharing.

Thunder Beast's value to thunder-path cultivators—especially thunder-element Great Powers—defied outsiders' grasp.