Previously, when he had tried to break through to the Mortal Transformation First Realm, he had used up twenty-nine. Of the rest, the vortex had absorbed four-tenths, while he had used six-tenths to temper his body. By his calculations, he had absorbed about eighteen.
According to Commander Shao, cultivators needed to absorb anywhere from a dozen to thirty wish pearls to advance from Tribulation Transcendence to Mortal Transformation.
Even if he took the upper limit of thirty, he still needed to absorb twelve more.
To absorb twelve, he would need twenty wish pearls. He had now accumulated twenty-three, which meant he had met the requirements to break through to the Mortal Transformation First Realm.
At the thought, Xu Yi could hardly contain his excitement. Yet lying flat beneath the tree, he showed not the slightest sign of it.
The Golden Crow sank in the west, and the Jade Rabbit rose in the east. Xu Yi still spent the night beneath the tree, while Cheng Yan remained seated beside him, eyes wide as he warily watched their surroundings.
Zhong Wu, Cheng Lian, and the others had either returned to the barracks to rest or lain down on the grassy slope.
As dawn approached, Xu Yi opened his eyes and patted Cheng Yan on the shoulder. "Keep watch here," he said quietly. Then he slipped into the nearby woods.
Cheng Yan had no idea what Xu Yi wanted him to watch for, but since Xu Yi had given the order, he obeyed.
Of course, he didn't know that Xu Yi's so-called "watch" was just an excuse to avoid explaining himself.
Xu Yi entered the woods, found a cliff, hollowed out a cave, and slipped inside.
By then, a pale glow had already broken across the eastern horizon.
Once seated in the cave,