Chapter 130: The Cultivation Technique Is About to Emerge Again

Su Yizhao sat cross-legged on the tenth floor, gazing at the shattered jade token in his hand, unable to help but sigh.

It was truly effective.

The moment he crushed the token, a terrifying aura erupted and shot toward the young man. Within a single breath, the youth had no time to dodge or even react; he was reduced to ashes in an instant.

Su Yizhao did not continue upward. Each floor of this tower was classified by a minor cultivation realm. The first floor was the peak of the Seven-God Realm, the second was the early stage of the Eight-Void Realm, the third was the mid-stage of the Eight-Void Realm, and the ninth was the late stage of the Nine-Void Realm.

Yet, on this tenth floor, the young man’s cultivation base was the same as his own: the peak of the Seven-God Realm. Beyond this lay the Ten-Void Realm. He had never encountered a practitioner of that level, let alone fought one.

Ten floors, two years per floor—twenty years should be enough for him to make a breakthrough.

He closed his eyes and began to review his progress. Every battle starting from the third floor was worth analyzing. Every detail of the combat, every spell cast—this was the secret to how he had survived for so many years in law enforcement.

One day passed, then two. The expression on his face grew more relaxed. Through these reviews, he had gained many subtle insights. For instance, when facing Barbarian practitioners, one must be wary of the creatures they summon. When facing members of the Demon race, one must try to avoid being corrupted by demonic energy. And when dealing with the Soul-Devouring race from the Heavens Beyond, one had to be even more cautious.

Although they were projections, they were incredibly realistic. The Soul-Devouring creature had eight large legs and a pair of long pincers, much like a crab; except for its abdomen, its body was covered in nearly impenetrable armor. On its abdomen was a face eerily similar to a practitioner’s, with distinct features and sharp fangs. The abdomen was its only weakness, yet whenever it sensed danger, it would press its belly tightly against the ground, making it difficult to attack. Those long pincers could shatter the void, and its two fangs were actually natal void treasures that could be launched from its body—extremely difficult to guard against.

The worst injury he had sustained was from those two fangs piercing his waist. What terrified him most was that as they entered his flesh, they began to absorb the profound energy from his Dantian. In the brief moment they were embedded, he had lost at least ten percent of his profound energy.

Su Yizhao opened his eyes. In his mind, the horrific face of the Soul-Devouring creature lingered. He had only faced one; yet, years ago, the entire continent had been swarmed by an endless, overwhelming tide of them. Just thinking about that scene now made him shudder.

How powerful must the great human masters who descended from the heavens have been? With a mere wave of their hands, they could turn vast swarms of Soul-Devouring creatures into ash.

Su Yizhao shook his head vigorously, casting the image of the creature from his mind. Next, he sorted through the resources in his storage ring. There was a slim chance of entering a state of enlightenment when breaking through in spirit, soul, and body simultaneously. He wondered if he would have such an epiphany this time.

Just as he was about to take out some golden essence sand, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest. His expression shifted sharply, and a look of pleasant surprise flashed in his eyes. Was the fifth level of the "Profound Energy Creation Technique" about to trigger?

In the cultivation tower, the profound energy grew denser with each floor conquered. This was why he had pushed himself so hard to ascend. On the tenth floor, the density of profound energy was double that of the outside world, nearly approaching the level of spiritual energy.

At this moment, visible streams of profound energy surged into his body, rushing directly toward his chest.

"Rip!"

With a soft sound, Su Yizhao impatiently tore open his shirt. On his chest, a fingernail-sized Eight-Trigrams birthmark was trembling slightly, as if it were uncontrollably excited by the absorption of energy.

Su Yizhao shared that excitement. From ancient texts, he had learned that after advancing to the Eight-Void Realm, the Dantian pool would undergo a massive transformation. His current Dantian pool was a regular heptagon; when casting spells, it released energy from the seven nodes at its vertices. But upon reaching the Eight-Void Realm, the Dantian would become a regular octagon. Not only would its storage capacity increase two or three-fold, but the number of nodes for releasing energy would also multiply significantly.

Su Yizhao had been puzzled by this. It was only one extra node—why did the texts claim there would be many more? Whether it was true or not, he would know once he broke through.

He closed his eyes and channeled his technique with all his might, absorbing vast amounts of profound energy.

***

Inside the Xuan Tian Sect’s inner courtyard, Qin Hongyi looked satisfied. "The profound energy here is truly dense!"

Shi Yongsi looked on with envy, breathing in the energy deeply. In his Dantian, his long-stagnant energy pool began to ripple. He felt entirely at ease. If he could stay here forever, perhaps his cultivation would improve. But his talent was limited, and so were his resources. How tragic.

The consequence of stagnant cultivation was a slow aging process; once one's lifespan was exhausted, one would turn to dust and vanish from the world forever.

"What did you expect?" Shi Yongsi said irritably. "I really don't know what kind of luck you have!"

Qin Hongyi laughed. "This isn't luck; it’s strength."

Shi Yongsi felt nothing but contempt. Strength? Did you really have no idea how you managed to get into the outer and inner sects? Of course, he kept this to himself. It was better not to offend if it could be avoided. Seeking the pleasure of a sharp tongue rarely ended well. Thus, he kept his mouth shut and led Qin Hongyi past the hundred-foot-tall characters of "Xuan Tian Sect," flying deep into the inner sect.

***

In the Vast City, at the Gou Family Auction House, the main hall was packed with practitioners.

Gou Jianren looked toward the front, his face full of suspicion. "The Jin family is taking the initiative to cooperate with us. Is there something fishy about this?"

At the head of the hall sat an elder with a robust aura and a stern expression. Hearing Gou Jianren’s question, he looked over. "The Jin family is one of the eight great families of Vast City. Their power is equal to, if not greater than, our Gou Family Auction House. For them to approach us for cooperation is an honor."

"I just have a feeling there’s something strange about this."

"The Jin family monopolizes the pleasure house industry and has many clandestine businesses. They are not only wealthy but have countless factions dependent on them. Regardless, let’s hear what they have to say first."

***

In the Profound Formation Hall, the elders had already departed. Since they had decided not to interfere, there was no need to pay special attention.

Inside the tenth floor of the cultivation tower, panic flickered in Su Yizhao’s eyes. Of the twenty years, fifteen had already passed. Although the Eight-Trigrams birthmark on his chest was growing, it was still far from the size of a palm. He was truly starting to panic. If it took fifteen years in this energy-rich tower, how many years would it take outside?

It was truly difficult. Cultivation was indeed an act of defying the heavens. Even with an esoteric birthmark, it was not easily triggered. And even if triggered, without sufficient energy, it could not be activated. At this moment, the mark felt like a death warrant.

Su Yizhao waved his right hand, dumping out eighty million top-grade profound stones from his storage ring.

"Clatter, clatter..."

The stones piled up around him. Waves of pure profound energy rushed toward him, and the fist-sized Eight-Trigrams birthmark began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye.