A Bountiful Harvest

"The Dao Palace Divine Treasury corresponds to the cycle of the five elements. Since I entered the path through the Law of Fire, I must naturally begin my cultivation with the fire of the five elements. The heart belongs to fire, so I shall start by cultivating the Divine Treasury of the Heart."

Ling Xuan sat cross-legged, the crimson-gold flames rising around his body tracing ancient totems within the cabin.

"The innate essence gives rise to life, while the acquired essence provides nourishment."

Guided by the Void Sutra, his consciousness sank into his body like a lone boat rowing against the current.

The innate essence was the chaotic spark of fire that had lain dormant in his spiritual apertures since the beginning of his life; the acquired essence was like the blazing fire tempered a thousand times within a furnace.

As he circulated his cultivation technique, the two collided with a roar, transforming into nine phantom suns that slowly revolved within his meridians.

"Since man is in harmony with heaven and earth, heaven has a sun, and man also has a sun; the yang of the sovereign and father is the sun..."

Ling Xuan's eyes were half-closed, yet he could "see" the Divine Treasury at his heart, shaped like an unopened lotus.

As his genetic energy transformed into fiery essence and surged inward, the surface of the lotus-shaped deity took on a glazed luster, and the mist that had originally coiled around it was dispersed by the raging heart fire.

"Boom!" A scorching power of the Dao erupted from the Divine Treasury of the Heart, like magma flowing over parched earth.

Ling Xuan's pores expanded across his entire body; this was the powerful life essence naturally escaping after the successful cultivation of the Divine Treasury of the Heart.

"Fire gives birth to earth; next is the Divine Treasury of the Spleen..." Ling Xuan did not stop. The nine suns accelerated their rotation, and strands of genetic energy transformed into life essence, pouring into his spleen.

For half a month, Ling Xuan remained in seclusion, relying on the vast genetic energy of a Star-level powerhouse to cultivate the Zhetian Method.

Ling Xuan's aura surged violently, and the pressure of his peak Dao Palace realm caused the protective barrier of the cultivation cabin to hum and vibrate.

Just as he prepared to make a push for the Four Extremes realm in one go, Puff's cheerful voice suddenly rang out: "Master! Abnormal energy fluctuations detected ahead! I've scanned an unidentified piece of metal! Spectral analysis shows its material is no lower than E-grade!"

"Then let's take a break. Detect the surrounding life signs; see if there are any powerful exotic beasts or humans." Ling Xuan opened his eyes and stepped out of the cultivation chamber.

"Master, how was your cultivation these past few days? You've changed so much." Puff came to Ling Xuan's side, circling him.

"The gains were good. Tell me about what you detected first."

"Master, there are only a few Universe-level exotic beasts within a few thousand kilometers, but there are humans ten thousand kilometers away. If we are fast, we can retrieve this fragment without any trouble."

"Then let's go."

The Crimson Flame quickly approached the target area.

The cabin door opened, and Ling Xuan stepped out to the side of the fragment and picked it up. It felt heavy in his hand, its surface covered in spiderweb-like cracks and charred burn marks, with a large chunk missing from the corner.

However, the intact sections still bore inscriptions of law secret patterns.

Puff's small hands slid rapidly across the virtual screen, her pupils dilating in shock: "Match successful! This is a fragment of a Grade 5 Force Battle Armor! A complete Grade 5 Force Battle Armor averages nearly 100 billion Ganwu Coins, but this fragment is too severely damaged; its effective protective area is less than one-fiftieth of a complete suit."

She smacked her lips, her tail swaying listlessly, "Although it retains the core material of Starfall Black Iron, considering the market's discount standards for fragments, the preliminary estimated value is 3 million Ganwu Coins. It's estimated to be a remnant from a past battle!"

Ling Xuan gasped. This came as a pleasant surprise to Ling Xuan, who usually only had a few hundred Ganwu Coins as pocket money. If he told his two sisters, they would be green with envy.

However, thinking about the large sums of money his future cultivation might require, he calmed down instantly. It was only 3 million Ganwu Coins, not that much after all.

"Puff, continue the search."

The engines of the Crimson Flame roared louder. Puff turned a nimble somersault back to the console, her tail curling around the data stream to flick out a playful arc: "Understood! The number one treasure hunter in this universe has entered scan mode. Those treasures definitely won't escape our claws!"

Having just gained a new life, Puff was even more excited than Ling Xuan to face this vast and rich secret realm, frantically searching every inch of land they passed. Along the way, they found quite a few good materials.

Under the sensors of the D9-grade spaceship, even when they encountered powerful exotic beasts and opponents, they were able to avoid them early, so no conflicts occurred.

The expensive ones could sell for hundreds of millions of Ganwu Coins, and the cheaper ones for a few million, though they didn't encounter any other materials comparable to that fragment.

Ling Xuan's lips curled upward, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

During this journey, he had tested it in the Virtual Universe: the Void Secret Technique, improved by the Heart of the Martial God, could also be used within the Virtual Universe.

Or rather, the Virtual Universe was itself a reflection of the Primal Universe. As long as it was something his own consciousness had learned, he could use it in the Primal Universe and manifest it in the Virtual Universe.

It was not like innate secret techniques, which were engraved on the origin core and driven by secret patterns.

An innate secret technique was equivalent to a treasure; without the origin core in the Virtual Universe, one lacked the treasure and could not manifest it.

Of course, if the Virtual Universe system recorded that you possessed an origin core and an innate secret technique, you would have the same origin core in the Virtual Universe as in the real universe, and you would be able to use the innate secret technique.

"The gains are too great." Ling Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and said in a low voice, "Puff, pause the treasure search. Let's finish the mission first. Find a few Universe-level exotic beasts; I want to test the results of my cultivation."

"Understood, Master!" Puff gave a playful salute, her ears twitching happily as she quickly adjusted the ship's course.

"There is an Iron-Backed Giant Bear at the Universe-level seventh rank ahead. Does Master want to use it as a target?"

"Universe-level seventh rank?" Ling Xuan's eyes brightened. "The strength is neither too strong nor too weak. Let's choose it."

In the Killing Field of the Virtual Universe, Ling Xuan had already sparred with Universe-level exotic beasts, so he had a rough judgment of his own combat power.

"Approaching target rapidly." Puff finished operating the ship with a few taps, leaped lightly, and sat on Ling Xuan's shoulder with her arms crossed, her milky-white fur brushing against his cheek.

An Iron-Backed Giant Bear, fully a hundred meters tall, was digging at the ground with its sharp claws.

Its broad back was covered in dark metal scales, emitting a faint phosphorescence under the light.

Suddenly, its sensitive nose twitched twice, sniffing a scent that did not belong to this secret realm.

The giant bear slowly raised its head, and its turbid vertical pupils reflected a silver-gray spaceship breaking through the eerie clouds and plummeting rapidly toward its head.

It's those damned humans!!!

"ROAR--!" The giant bear let out an angry roar, shaking the ground and sending dust flying in waves. It slammed its two bear paws, each as thick as a water vat, and the earth for hundreds of kilometers instantly shattered. Countless sharp rocks burst from the ground, shooting toward the spaceship like a stone forest blocking out the sky.

Ling Xuan looked through the spaceship and saw the momentum of the giant bear's attack below, a surging battle intent rising within him.

"Just in time!"

Kicking the cabin door open, Ling Xuan's body erupted with dark golden flames, and he charged toward the giant bear like a burning meteor.

The Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear carved a brilliant arc in his hand; as the blade shimmered, countless flame blade-auras collided with the incoming boulders, sending sparks flying everywhere. Some of the rocks were sliced into powder, but an even greater sense of pressure bore down on him.

In the blink of an eye, Ling Xuan arrived before the giant bear.

The giant bear swung its tower-like arms, the hurricane force it generated nearly blowing Ling Xuan away.

Ling Xuan's figure flashed, weaving through the gaps in the giant bear's attacks like a ghost, and he thrust the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear toward the soft flesh behind the giant bear's knee.

The giant bear reacted swiftly, its thigh muscles bulging as its hill-like kneecap slammed into the blade. With a loud "clang," sparks of metal-on-metal collision erupted, and the powerful recoil split the webbing between Ling Xuan's thumb and forefinger, sending him flying back dozens of meters.

"What immense strength, not bad, not bad." Ling Xuan grew even more excited, putting away the Tier 2 Force combat blade in his hand and drawing the Tier 5 Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear he had just obtained—the Fire God Absolute Domain Blade.

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