"Such intense Life Energy—is this a Life Crystal?"
Yun Ye had never heard that killing a zombie could yield this kind of crystal. He examined the red crystal as his Divine Sense swept over it again and again. "It does contain a considerable amount of Life Energy, but it's far too turbid. There's a great deal of Demonic Qi and poisonous material in it. I'm afraid there's no way to make use of it."
"The knowledge in the Prominent Learning Hall never mentioned this kind of crystal. Was it deliberately withheld from ordinary students, or was it merely a coincidence—was I just lucky?"
A moment later.
Yun Ye suddenly observed something strange. "Huh? There seems to be something else inside the crystal?"
He compressed a large amount of Divine Sense and focused it on a single point for observation.
The hazy sensation gradually faded.
Yun Ye clearly saw something within the crystal. It radiated light and heat. Judging by common sense, it was most likely some kind of flame.
"A flame sealed inside the crystal? Could this be a Natural Spirit Fire?"
Yun Ye thought of the ghostly blue flames that had ignited in Shi Qing's eyes earlier. They were clearly a divine ability.
Could it be that this red crystal had inherited part of Shi Qing's power because of its enormous Life Energy?
Although outsiders all believed that he had been born with a Natural Spirit Fire, he knew his own circumstances best: he had never mastered one at all.
All Natural Spirit Fires possessed extraordinary properties. They were heavenly flames nurtured into existence under special circumstances.
Heavenly flames were absolutely incomparable to a single Fire Spirit Root.
If Yun Ye could obtain a Natural Spirit Fire, his strength would undergo a direct qualitative transformation.
"This really could be a Natural Spirit Fire, but I have no way to control it. The crystal is too turbid. Unless there's some way to purify it... Come to think of it, why did a Life Crystal appear?"
Yun Ye looked back over the battle and could think only of Azure Flame.
He had ignited Shi Qing with Azure Flame's high temperature, and only then found the red crystal among the ashes.
Perhaps Azure Flame could purify the red crystal!
But that was only a guess. Yun Ye did not act immediately. He would return and examine it under the microscope before deciding.
After looking around, Yun Ye nodded. "Looks like I've cleaned everything up."
With the mission complete, Yun Ye headed home.
Red Mountain Military Camp.
Yun Ye collected his reward and returned to Courtyard No. 9.
Chun Yu and Xia Hua were cleaning. Yun Ye greeted them before entering the room to begin his research.
"Huh?"
Yun Ye had just taken out the "manual" when he noticed that the color of its cover had faded slightly, revealing an indistinct mark. It was a notification that unread messages were waiting.
"Ledger (Yang Shu): Empty."
"Diary (Shu Zhu): That little rascal Yang An is really mischievous. When you come back next time, teach him a lesson!"
"Notes (Wang Yao): I've successfully awakened my Spirit Root and am filing my report. Regarding the Black Armor Army's Fifth Squad, do I enter a squad at random?"
"That was fast."
Yun Ye was not surprised. With the Great Success Qi Nurturing Technique, awakening one's Spirit Root was already very easy. Ten minutes was enough.
He replied to Shu Zhu and Wang Yao in turn, then began his research.
The microscope in the study had undergone many revisions and was already worlds apart from its original form. It looked like a large box half a person's height.
Yun Ye closed his eyes, then opened them. Red covered his pupils as he activated the Invisible Light Eye in an instant.
Divine Sense Awakening had greatly improved every aspect of him. He could now use the Invisible Light Eye in battle as well, but concealing the red color still required more practice.
"Let's see what you really are."
Yun Ye opened the box, placed the red crystal inside, then input Fire Spirit Power to illuminate its interior.
After spending more than ten seconds adjusting the focus, Yun Ye officially began his observation.
From a material perspective, this was simply a red crystal, and its color was far from pure.
There were also large amounts of impurities invisible to the naked eye inside the red crystal. Yun Ye made a preliminary assessment. They were probably... corpse powder.
They were likely impurities left behind because the high-temperature burning had not been thorough.
After all, unlike ordinary matter, a zombie's body was impervious to blades and weapons. Once Azure Flame was withdrawn, the burning would stop at once.
After confirming Shi Qing's death, Yun Ye naturally would not waste more strength continuing to burn a pile of rotten ash.
"If I look at it from a spiritual perspective, these dust particles, though seemingly minuscule, contain a large amount of Demonic Qi and poisonous material. Unless they're removed, this Life Crystal can't be used."
"And there truly is a tiny seed of Natural Spirit Fire sealed within this Life Crystal. It's merely a mark that relies on the Life Crystal, but if I absorb it, I can completely use it to rekindle a Natural Spirit Fire!"
Although he had reached this conclusion, Yun Ye still could not predict what would happen after absorbing the Natural Spirit Fire.
He knew nothing about how to absorb a heavenly flame and make it his own. He needed to think it through carefully before acting.
"In that case, why not first completely eliminate the effects of Divine Sense on my own body? Understanding myself is the first step toward absorbing the Natural Spirit Fire!"
Yun Ye looked inward at his body.
Every detail appeared one after another.
When Divine Sense was used to observe other people, its effectiveness would be greatly reduced. But when observing himself, its effectiveness increased greatly.
Previously, because his internal vision had been too blurry, Yun Ye could only make adjustments several times a day.
But now, Yun Ye could freely adjust the Qi Nurturing Technique at any moment.
His cultivation of the Qi Nurturing Technique no longer required any bodily movements at all.
At this point, the Imagination Method had finally reached its limit, with every bit of potential excavated.
"Use Life Energy to form the Spirit Space, allowing the Spirit Space to restrain spiritual energy and prevent spiritual energy from consuming one's lifespan."
"Under normal Spirit Arts, spiritual energy is completely restrained by the Spirit Space. Before it can disperse throughout the body, it is transformed into elemental spiritual energy. Elemental spiritual energy flowing through the body does not consume the body; instead, it strengthens it to a certain degree."
"But Spirit Root Revival is different. Spirit Root Revival draws in ten times the amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, causing the conversion speed to fall behind. Spiritual energy surges throughout the body. While strengthening one's power tenfold, it also consumes a great deal more vitality."
"In theory, if all spiritual energy could be converted instantly, the flaw of consuming one's lifespan could also be overcome. But that's only theoretically possible. In reality, the possibility is extremely small."
"After awakening Divine Sense, my control has increased greatly, but I've only raised the conversion speed from around twenty percent to thirty percent. Seventy percent of the spiritual energy still damages the body. Raising it to one hundred percent is truly impossible."
"So, to overcome the flaw of Spirit Root Revival consuming one's lifespan, there is only one path. Activate all Three Great Laws: the body, Divine Sense, and Spirit Root. Not one can be missing. Only by opening all three laws can one complete the flawless cultivation method!"
"The Spirit Root determines versatile spiritual energy, and Divine Sense determines precise control. Then what does the body determine?"
"The body's vitality! By activating the Body Law, one can directly convert Life Energy and make up for the loss of vitality!"
"When the three laws become one, that is... the Path of Longevity!"
Yun Ye opened the Book of Reincarnation.
Yu Wen's talent panel emerged.
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Yu Wen, current Clan Head of the Yu Family
Region: White Stone Town
Lifespan: 45/190
Fate: A
Physique: A
Divine Sense: B
Comprehension: A
Spirit Root: A
Dao Artifact: 0
Strength: A+ (the peak of the current generation, possibly matching the previous generation at any time)
Introduction: The Yu Family's genius. He achieved Great Success in Qi Nurturing at the age of five and perfection at ten. That same year, he awakened his Divine Sense, and the following year, he awakened his body. In the third year, he awakened his Spirit Root, after which he advanced by leaps and bounds. At twenty, he defeated the Black Armor Army's Fifth Squad Captain and took over his post. At thirty, he challenged the Body Law Vice Captain and was defeated, but fortune came from misfortune: he completed the prototype of an ultimate technique, crushed his contemporaries in strength, swept aside the older generation, and became the current Clan Head of the Yu Family, enjoying unparalleled glory.
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Before you continue