Cultivation: Starting from a Mortal Bone

[Purifying Malice +500]

As the array descended once more, the array runes atop the platform suddenly burst forth with even more dazzling golden light, their veins like streams lit by the morning sun, growing clearer and brighter.

”Uwah!”

With the Star Prison Array reinforced and the protection of the Bright Moon Pearl from the Great Yan Immortal Country, no matter how furious the Malice Spirit became under suppression, it was futile.

Its current actions were at most... a last, desperate struggle!

Qin Yu no longer feared it—on the contrary, his eyes burned with excitement.

This Malice Spirit...

What a treasure!

Though it takes an enormous amount of True Essence to condense a Star Prison Array, each time it boosts Flame Points by five hundred.

If he could repeat this a thousand times, he’d practically take off on the spot!

He reckoned his Root Bone and Spiritual Power would leap forward in dramatic fashion.

However, after condensing only two arrays, he already felt the Golden Core in his Dantian dim noticeably. Clearly, it was time to restore some True Essence.

Essence Qi is inexhaustible.

Spiritual Power was being restored by three Life Runes, and the speed was acceptable.

But, within this Secret Realm, there wasn’t a trace of Spiritual Qi.

Immediately, he produced a Spirit Stone to refine, and when the Hall Master saw the Middle Grade Spirit Stone in his hand, she handed him a Storage Ring.

”Thank you, Hall Master!”

Qin Yu didn’t think much of it, accepting it at once. When he probed the Storage Ring with Spiritual Power, to his astonishment, it was packed full of Top Grade Spirit Stones—probably numbering in the thousands.

This was almost equivalent to Cyan Mountain Sect’s savings over centuries!

Obviously, even as the Sect Leader’s direct disciple, monopolizing all resources would be impossible.

”Hall Master.”

Qin Yu started to express his thanks, but Duanmu Hong stopped him, gesturing for him to continue with his work.

As Qin Yu began refining the Spirit Stones to recover, Duanmu Hong gazed at the Bright Moon Pearl in his palm, brow slightly furrowed.

Every hundred years, the Immortal Country delivers one.

Originally, the moonlight within a Bright Moon Pearl could last for half a year!

But with the Malice Spirit’s disturbance, he had to trigger the Bright Moon Pearl with his own blood essence, causing its moonlight to deplete rapidly.

So, the Malice Spirit’s desperate struggle wasn’t entirely ineffective after all.

If all the moonlight in the Bright Moon Pearl runs out, then they’ll have to leave the Secret Realm for now.

Duanmu Hong glanced at the Malice Spirit beneath the array hub, a trace of unwillingness in his eyes, but also a sense of acceptance.

Now, the Star Prison Array has been repaired.

Not just patched, but truly restored. Forget a hundred years, even after a thousand, the Malice Spirit won’t break out.

The next century may well mark its end!

Next, Qin Yu’s routine was to recover, then condense the array, then recover again...

And so on, in cycles.

[Purifying Malice +500]

[Purifying Malice +500]

Watching his Flame Points shoot up, Qin Yu was over the moon—and with Hall Master present, he didn’t have to worry about anything else at all.

In a blink, nine days passed.

Once more out of True Essence, Qin Yu was about to restore it when he heard Hall Master Duanmu Hong’s voice: ”Stop.”

”Hm?”

Qin Yu looked at him in confusion—only to see that the old man’s pearl was noticeably dim, its light barely strong enough to shield them both.

A shock gripped his heart.

What Qin Yu didn’t know was that, on the second day, all other cultivators had already exited the Secret Realm.

Now, Duanmu Hong was clearly much older—when they’d entered, his face had been radiant, but now his forehead was covered in wrinkles.

He suddenly seemed at least decades older.

”Hall Master.”

Qin Yu was somewhat concerned, but the old man was unfazed, his smile even more natural than before. ”Let’s go—it’s time to leave.”

At this moment, beneath the array hub, the once flickering veins all shone bright and ran smoothly.

And it was clear—the Malice Spirit had been greatly affected. Otherwise, this thin layer of light would never hold up against that level of spiritual corrosion.

He was at ease now.

This was as good as averting a catastrophe.

”Whoosh!”

Right after, Duanmu Hong supported Qin Yu and swiftly swept out from the array hub.

”Hall Master!”

Seeing the two emerge, Luo Lizhu rushed up immediately.

Seeing they were unharmed, the worry she’d been carrying finally eased.

Just that Duanmu Hong’s obvious aged appearance startled her inwardly.

”It’s nothing—let’s go back!”

Duanmu Hong didn’t elaborate, simply gathered the cultivators of Cyan Mist Hall, nodded to those of the other three halls, and vanished as a streak of flowing light.

”Huh...”

The cultivators of the other three halls were all puzzled, not understanding why things wrapped up ahead of schedule, and soon, the place was deserted.

...

On the journey.

While restoring his True Essence, Qin Yu focused his attention on the flame point indicator.

[Flame Points: 104593]

After nine days, he’d gained over 100,000 Flame Points!

If he had to earn them via Emotion Points, it would take more than a year.

And that’s with most of his time spent restoring True Essence.

Spiritual Qi and Essence Qi weren’t a problem, but as for Spiritual Power, even with Life Runes, recovery was still painfully slow.

Resting the spirit, resting the mind.

He had to nurture it before it’d recover.

Unlike Essence Qi, which he had the Pure Yang Divine Body for, and unlike Spiritual Qi, which he could supplement with Spirit Stones.

Looks like places like this are worth frequent visits.

Just not sure how much more the suppressed Malice Spirit could provide.

Still, judging from Hall Master’s tone back then, these hidden dangers are pretty common all over the Immortal Country?!

Qin Yu’s eyes started to shine.

But arrays like this Secret Realm only open once every century, and there are likely many unknown variables... best to stay cautious.

He knew—if not for the old man risking his life, he might not have left safely at all.

Is everyone as self-sacrificing as this old man?

Clearly not.

No rush.

He’ll wait until his cultivation rises before considering it.

[Root Bone: Top Grade Spirit Bone (Flame Points 104593/100000) Ready to Break Through]

[Spiritual Power: Refining Middle Tier (Flame Points 104593/50000) Ready to Break Through]

He could breakthrough now.

Qin Yu thought it over but decided to wait until he got back.

Especially Spiritual Power—it’s obviously not suitable to breakthrough on the journey!

”Qin Yu, are you all right?”

Just then, Luo Lizhu’s voice sounded, breaking his train of thought.

Qin Yu looked her way, seeing the Palace Envoy worriedly watching him, so he smiled mildly in reply, ”Thank you, Palace Envoy, for your concern. All is well.”

”Still calling me ’Palace Envoy’? Call me sister.”

Luo Lizhu clearly wanted to get closer to Qin Yu.

Though she didn’t know what had happened at the array hub, she was sure everything that changed was because of the man before her.

”Sister.”

Qin Yu went with the flow, which momentarily stunned Luo Lizhu.

She’d meant for him to call her Palace Envoy Sister, but this guy actually dropped the title.

Still, the new address certainly shortened the distance between them—just that...

It felt a bit too close.

And it sounded... just a touch... ambiguous.