First Steps into Middle Continent
Once the bustling and attention-grabbing scene in Tianya City Square was completely shut out, Lin Ming and his companions found themselves in a bizarre and silent passageway.
The interior of the Space Wormhole was not the absolute darkness one might imagine; instead, it was filled with a silvery, ever-flowing, and ever-changing luster, as if emanating from the condensed Space Power itself.
All around are endless silver barriers, smooth as a mirror, yet seemingly constantly twisting and stretching, giving one the illusion of being inside a giant crystal.
There was no solid ground beneath their feet, yet a stable spatial buoyancy supported them.
The passage was extremely wide, and as far as the eye could see, it was all deep and unfathomable. Only in the far distance could one faint point of light be seen, which was the direction of the exit.
Silence is the dominant theme here. Only the faint "whooshing" sound of the Space Ship breaking through the invisible spatial resistance, and the occasional low whistling of unknown Spatial Turbulence coming from the depths of the passage, remind them that they are traversing between continents at a speed beyond reason.
"Wow! This is so amazing!" Zi Yan leaned over the ship's railing, her purple eyes wide as she curiously surveyed this silvery world. It was her first time entering Space Wormhole.
Although Ye Xin Lan was also a little nervous, she felt more of an anticipation of returning home. She explained softly, "Space Wormhole are stable Space Passage opened up by ancient powerful beings. We are actually traveling through normal Space Crevice right now, so the outside world is completely different."
Lin Ming didn't admire the spectacle for long. He flipped his hand, and the "Silver Wood Space Ship" he had obtained from the Luo Family Old Ancestor appeared in his palm.
As Dou Qi was injected, the small and exquisite boat instantly emitted a soft silver light, and then expanded in the wind, transforming into a boat about ten feet long, made entirely of strange wood that shimmered with silver light, with a smooth and beautiful design.
On the hull, faint, intricate runes flowed, automatically drawing upon the surrounding Space Power to form a thin layer of silver light film on the hull, making the ship more stable.
"Let's go up."
Lin Ming was the first to leap onto the bow of the boat, followed closely by Xiao Yi Xian, Zi Yan, and Ye Xin Lan.
The Space Ship was quite spacious inside, with several simple rest areas. Lin Ming controlled the Space Ship, making it glide forward automatically along the invisible track in the center of the wormhole passage. The speed was extremely fast and the ride was exceptionally smooth, with almost no noticeable bumps.
"It will take about twenty days to get from here to the Middle Continent," Ye Xin Lan estimated the time and said to Lin Ming.
Lin Ming nodded. Twenty days wasn't a long time, but it couldn't be wasted. So Lin Ming immediately said, "I will cultivate here for these twenty days. Xiao Yi Xian, Zi Yan, you can make your own arrangements. Xin Lan, you'll need to keep an eye on her."
Xiao Yi Xian nodded slightly, found a quiet corner, closed her eyes to regulate her breathing, consolidated her Three-Star Dou Ancestor cultivation, and at the same time further familiarized herself with the power of the Woeful Poison Body.
Zi Yan excitedly touched and looked around, but she soon calmed down and eventually found a place to take the Medicinal Pill and refine their medicinal power.
Xin Lan had no objections to this. After all, with the Space Ship, she only needed to occasionally infuse it with a little Dou Qi, and there was nothing else to worry about.
After making the arrangements, Lin Ming entered the main cabin, set up a simple Soul Barrier, and then sat down cross-legged. His gaze fell on the four Fire Bead in his Storage Ring, excluding the largest one, which he had not yet refined. These four Fire Bead all came from Dou Zong- level Flame Lizard. They were crimson and translucent, containing extremely pure and violent fire-attribute energy.
"I should take this opportunity to refine these Fire Bead; it should allow my cultivation to advance further."
Without any hesitation, he took out a Dou Zong Fire Pearl and held it in his palm.
The Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame surged from within his body, enveloping the Fire Bead like a loyal guardian. This Heavenly Flames, Supreme Yang and supreme rigidity, was the perfect aid for refining such fire-based energy.
Under the scorching heat of the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame, the solid energy shell on the outer layer of the Fire Bead quickly softened and peeled away, transforming into streams of scalding, pure energy that flowed along Lin Ming's meridians, into his limbs and bones, and finally merged into the dantian vortex.
This energy is extremely powerful and carries the violent properties unique to flames. If it were an ordinary person, they would have to be very careful and guide it slowly to avoid burning their meridians.
However, Lin Ming's meridians had already been tempered by the Heavenly Flames many times, making them extremely tough. In addition, with the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame guarding the central part, it easily calmed down the agitation of this foreign energy, leaving only the purest fire attribute energy source, which was greedily absorbed and assimilated by the cyclone.
The internal Dou Qi within him became increasingly abundant and viscous at a visible speed, and the volume of the energy vortex was slowly but steadily expanding. Under the infusion of this energy, the Three-Star Dou Ancestor realm was gradually advancing towards its peak.
Time slipped away silently in the quiet of cultivation. The Space Ship sailed tirelessly through the silver passage, with the ever-changing, flowing silver light outside the window.
Five days later, the first Dou Zong Fire Pearl was completely refined. Lin Ming's aura became noticeably more powerful.
On the tenth day, the energy of the second Fire Bead was completely absorbed, and Lin Ming's aura became even more powerful.
On the fifteenth day, when Lin Ming incorporated the last bit of energy from the third Fire Bead into his vortex, his cultivation had stabilized at the Peak Three-Star Dou Ancestor, just a hair's breadth away from the Four Stars level.
Lin Ming's cultivation has already reached the peak of the Three-Star Dou Ancestor realm. He only needs an opportunity to try to break through to the Four Stars.
As his cultivation improved, the unique World Prototype within his body also underwent significant changes. That Chaos space expanded outward once more, growing from a radius of thirty feet to a mere thirty-nine feet! Although it was still a void, filled with Chaos energy, the stability of the space had improved considerably, and the Chaos churning at the edges seemed to have slowed down somewhat.
Lin Ming could feel that his connection with this space had become closer, and his perception and application of Space Power had also improved accordingly.
The twenty-day journey was drawing to a close. The faint point of light ahead of the Space Passage had now grown to the size of a disc, emitting a steady white light—a sign that they were about to reach the exit.
Seeing this, Lin Ming did not stop. He took out the fourth and final Dou Zong Fire Pearl in one go. This Fire Bead came from a powerful Fire Lizard with strength approaching that of Four-Star Dou Ancestor, and its energy was even more vast.
As the energy torrent from the fourth Fire Bead surged through his body, the solid barrier finally groaned under the strain and shattered with a crash!
"Buzz!"
Lin Ming's aura surged suddenly, then quickly subsided, becoming even more profound. Four-Star Dou Ancestor, a natural progression!
As the energy of the last Fire Bead was refined and absorbed by the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame, Lin Ming's newly broken-through Four-Star Dou Ancestor realm was rapidly consolidated, and he steadily advanced towards the Mid-Four-Star realm. The strength and refinement of his Dou Qi far surpassed that of ordinary Four-Star Dou Ancestor.
Lin Ming slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and focused. He felt the vast Dou Qi surging within him and the forty-foot-wide Internal Space, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. The past twenty days of arduous training had yielded tremendous results.
She got up and walked out of the cabin. Xiao Yi Xian had just finished her cultivation, and her aura was even more concentrated. Zi Yan seemed to have also digested a lot of the Medicinal Pill's energy, her little face was rosy, and her eyes were even brighter. Although Xin Lan's cultivation hadn't improved much, she was full of energy.
"We're almost there," Lin Ming said softly, looking at the approaching exit light.
The group gathered at the bow, gazing ahead. The Space Ship's speed began to decrease naturally, and the surrounding silver Space Barrier gradually thinned and became transparent.
Finally, at a certain moment, the Space Ship shuddered slightly, as if it had pierced through an invisible film of water. The flowing silver light around it vanished instantly, replaced by a dazzlingly bright light and incredibly fresh air!
They burst out of the Space Wormhole!
The Space Ship hovered in mid-air.
Below was a vast, mirror-smooth rock plaza. At the edge of the plaza stood Stone Hall similar to those in Tianya City, clearly indicating that this was the other end of the Space Wormhole. Beyond the plaza stretched rolling, lush ancient mountains, under a clear blue sky dotted with drifting white clouds.
However, what shocked Lin Ming and his companions the most was not the unfamiliar environment, but the Heaven and Earth Energy that permeated this world!
Rich! Pure! Vibrant!
The concentration of the Heaven and Earth Energy here is at least several times that of the Jia Ma Empire! Moreover, the energy is purer and easier to absorb and refine. The air seems to be filled with a refreshing and invigorating feeling. Taking a deep breath, you can feel your internal Dou Qi becoming more active.
"Such abundant energy... Is this the Middle Continent?" Xiao Yi Xian sighed softly, even she was astonished by such a cultivation environment.
Zi Yan sniffed hard, her purple eyes shining. "Wow! The air here feels so good! I feel like I could become stronger just by sleeping here!"
At this moment, Xin Lan's face revealed a smile of returning to familiar surroundings. She looked at Lin Ming, her tone carrying a hint of pride and introduction. "Big Brother Lin, welcome to the Middle Continent! This is just a wormhole exit on the outskirts of the Middle Continent. The further you go into the central area, the denser the Heaven and Earth Energy will become. Those true blessed lands and grotto-heavens have energy that is almost tangible."
Lin Ming nodded slightly, his heart also surging with emotion. No wonder Middle Continent could become the center of the Dou Qi Continent, nurturing so many top experts. The unique cultivation environment alone far surpasses that of the Northwest Continent. Cultivating here would probably increase the speed several times over!
They maneuvered the Space Ship slowly to land on the plaza below. After stowing the Space Ship, the four of them felt solid ground beneath their feet.
Looking back, the exit of the Space Wormhole resembled a giant silver vortex, silently suspended several feet above the ground, with occasional subtle spatial ripples spreading outwards.
"Let's go, let's leave here first and find a city to find out the specific situation," Lin Ming said to the three women, his gaze fixed on the distant, vast mountains and the unknown road ahead.
In the Middle Continent, this vast and boundless continent teeming with powerful individuals, where opportunities and dangers coexist, they have finally arrived!
Feeling the incredibly vibrant Heaven and Earth Energy surrounding him, Lin Ming took a deep breath, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit. He knew that here, he would face stronger opponents and more complex situations, but he would also grow faster and have a broader stage!
The wonders of the Middle Continent begin here!