Bai Ye raised his hand and sheathed the Purple Firmament Sword.
The instant the sword slid into its sheath, it let out a clear, ringing hum, as if answering the exhilaration in his heart.
He first walked over to Zhou Gan's corpse, bent down, and picked up the black storage bag from his waist.
A storage bag belonging to a Profound Comprehension Realm elder ought to contain some good things.
Pinching the storage bag between his fingers, he could clearly sense the Spiritual Energy fluctuations coming from within. There would surely be spirit stones and pills inside, and perhaps even Jade Slips containing Black Mountain Sect's techniques.
After putting the storage bag into his clothes, Bai Ye turned and returned to the center of the valley.
Large numbers of fruits still hung from the Yellow Springs Spirit Fruit Tree. Its pale-yellow trunk emitted a faint spiritual radiance.
The corners of his mouth curled into a satisfied smile. Although Zhou Gan had refined five of them, the remaining ninety-five would still be enough for him to break through his realm.
He carefully gathered up the remaining spirit fruits.
Afterward, he uprooted the entire tree and put it into the storage bag!
He had no idea whether it would be useful, but he might as well take everything with him first!
After finishing all this, Bai Ye did not linger. With a blur of his figure, he transformed into a pale-green streak of light and sped out of the valley.
He needed to find a safe place to refine these Yellow Springs Spirit Fruits.
Half an hour later, Bai Ye stopped in a secluded cave.
Deep within the cave was a pool of clear spring water. It shimmered with a faint spiritual radiance, clearly a Spiritual Spring.
He took out several Formation Flags from the storage bag and swiftly set up three layers of Alert Arrays at the entrance and inside the cave.
The outer layer was the "Spirit Concealment Array," which could hide the Spiritual Energy fluctuations within the cave.
The middle layer was the "Startled Bird Array." The moment a cultivator approached, it would emit a faint warning.
The inner layer was the "Spirit Gathering Array," which could gather the surrounding spiritual energy and aid cultivation!
After setting up the arrays, Bai Ye sat cross-legged beside the Spiritual Spring and took out a Yellow Springs Spirit Fruit.
The spirit fruit felt warm in his hand. A faint golden mist coiled around its surface, and when he brought it close to his nose, he could smell a crisp, pure fragrance. Once inhaled into his lungs, it actually brought a wave of clarity to his Spiritual Soul!
He put the spirit fruit into his mouth. It melted instantly, transforming into a stream of pure Spiritual Soul Power that slid down his throat and into his Sea of Consciousness.
That power was gentle yet majestic, like trickling streams converging into the sea. In an instant, it swept across his entire Sea of Consciousness!
Bai Ye felt as though his Sea of Consciousness had been widened several times. His previously hazy perception of the Heavenly Law had now become incomparably clear!
It was as if he could even see the rotational paths of the spiritual energy particles drifting through the air!
He hurriedly closed his eyes, circulated the Purple Firmament Sword Scripture, and guided the Spiritual Soul Power to nourish his meridians and assault his realm!
Time quietly slipped away amid his cultivation.
On the first day, Bai Ye refined twenty Yellow Springs Spirit Fruits. His Spiritual Soul Power surged, and the barrier of Profound Comprehension First Layer shattered with a boom. He then smoothly advanced to Profound Comprehension Third Layer!
On the third day, after the fiftieth spirit fruit had been completely refined, his meridians had grown even tougher under the nourishment of his Spiritual Soul Power. The speed at which his Spiritual Energy circulated increased by thirty percent, and he broke through to Profound Comprehension Fourth Layer!
At dawn on the fifth day, when the power of the final Yellow Springs Spirit Fruit had been completely absorbed, a terrifying Spiritual Energy fluctuation suddenly erupted inside the cave!
Boom—!
Rocks rustled down from the top of the cave, and even the outer "Spirit Concealment Array" was shaken until it glimmered faintly.
A spiritual-energy vortex a hundred zhang in diameter appeared above Bai Ye's head, and the surrounding spiritual energy madly surged into his body!
Spiritual Energy rushed through his meridians like rivers, while the Spiritual Soul Power in his Sea of Consciousness had grown as condensed as glazed glass!
"Peak Profound Comprehension Sixth Layer!"
Bai Ye suddenly opened his eyes. A golden streak of light flashed through them. Feeling the surging power within his body, he could not help clenching his fists.
Spiritual Energy surged from his fingertips, actually drawing on the surrounding power of heaven and earth to form tiny Wind Blades!
This was the power of Profound Comprehension Sixth Layer!
He was only a step away from Late Profound Comprehension!
At the normal pace of Azure State cultivators, advancing from the first layer of Profound Comprehension Realm to Peak Sixth Layer would take at least ten years of arduous cultivation, along with abundant resources.
Yet, relying on the Yellow Springs Spirit Fruits and Ten Thousand Times Comprehension, he had accomplished it in only five days. If this speed spread, it would be enough to shake every cultivator in the Wild Domain!
"With my current Innate Dao Body, together with the Purple Firmament Sword Scripture and Nine Forms of Sky Slaying at Peak Mastery, I can fight even against a Late Profound Comprehension cultivator!"
Bai Ye's heart brimmed with confidence.
The battle power of Late Profound Comprehension was already at the level of a sect master of one of the Top Ten Sects of Azure State.
In other words, his current strength already allowed him to stand shoulder to shoulder with the very top echelon of Azure State!
He put away the Formation Flags, walked out of the cave, and gazed toward the God Transformation Tower.
Judging by the timing, the God Transformation Tower should be opening soon.
With a blur of his figure, he once again transformed into a streak of light and sped toward the plains.
In less than half an hour, Bai Ye arrived at the plains where the God Transformation Tower stood.
At this time, nearly a thousand cultivators had already gathered on the plains, every one of them staring fervently at the towering giant pagoda.
The God Transformation Tower stood more than nine hundred zhang high. Its entire structure had been built from dark-yellow ancient rock, and its surface was covered with densely packed ancient runes!
A faint golden radiance coiled between the runes, as if they were marks deposited by the passage of time.
Thirty levels of windows were carved into the tower. Each level exuded a mysterious aura that inspired awe from afar.
"I heard that every level of the God Transformation Tower has a corresponding trial. You can obtain a reward by defeating the opponent inside!"
"Isn't that the truth? The last time my great-granduncle entered the Secret Realm, he only made it to the third floor, yet he obtained a Second-grade Spirit Grass. It was enough for him to cultivate for half a year!"
"If I can reach the tenth floor, perhaps I can obtain a Profound Grade Martial Skill!"
The cultivators discussed things in twos and threes, their faces filled with anticipation and nervousness.
Mixed in with the crowd, Bai Ye restrained his cultivation aura, revealing only the fluctuations of Vein Condensation Realm. He stood unobtrusively in a corner and observed the situation.
As far as he knew, the rules of the God Transformation Tower were simple. Every cultivator initially had one chance to challenge it, and passing ten floors granted an additional chance to climb the tower again.
To ascend each floor, one had to defeat the "Mirror Opponent" generated inside the tower.
The opponent's realm, Martial Skills, and physique would all match those of the challenger. The higher the challenger's realm, the stronger the opponent!
The rewards would also increase with each floor.
It was rumored that passing the 30th Floor would grant one the Divine Realm Inheritance of Great Emperor Qing Xuan from a hundred thousand years ago!
The Divine Realm was an exalted existence above Tribulation Crossing Realm. In the nearly million-year history of the entire Heavenly Profound Continent, only a mere few dozen people had ever reached this realm!
Time passed.
Three hours later, a dazzling golden radiance suddenly lit up at the top of the God Transformation Tower!
The golden light poured down like a waterfall, enveloping the entire tower. The runes on its surface instantly brightened and began emitting a humming vibration!
The God Transformation Tower had officially opened!
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