Sea of Consciousness Realm Triple Layer

"It's still not as comfortable as lying down with talismans."

Wei Suo had never earned so many Spirit Stones at once. The sheer quantity of Spirit Stones spread out on his bed almost blinded him. However, once he lay down, the Spirit Stones felt hard and not very comfortable. "Old man, old man?" After calling out twice without a response from the Green Robe Old Man, Wei Suo knew the old man must be recuperating. So, Wei Suo sat up, grabbed a Spirit Stone, closed his eyes, and began cultivating.

In just a moment, Wei Suo's breathing, heartbeat, and pulse all entered a peculiar rhythm. A faint stream of greenish aura emanated from the Spirit Stone in his hand, seeping into Wei Suo's skin.

Wei Suo remained still. More and more faint greenish aura flowed out from the smooth Spirit Stone, seeping into his body. As more of the faint greenish aura entered him, his skin also began to emit a subtle, warm luster, while the color of the low-grade Spirit Stone in his hand, which had been emitting a crystal-green light, grew progressively fainter.

After about half an hour, the last trace of green faded from the low-grade Spirit Stone in Wei Suo's hand, rendering it completely transparent. Faint specks, seemingly impurities, could be seen within. The low-grade Spirit Stone then cracked with a snap in Wei Suo's hand.

With a whoosh, Wei Suo exhaled a breath of turbid air tinged with purple and opened his eyes, looking at the Spirit Stone, now shattered into seven or eight pieces, with a sense of longing.

"Damn it, I still need to work hard to earn Spirit Stones and buy a high-grade True Essence cultivation technique."

Although absorbing a low-grade Spirit Stone felt incredibly refreshing, Wei Suo still shook his head with a hint of helplessness after discarding the now useless fragments.

According to the Green Robe Old Man, over the past two to three thousand years, cultivation techniques had been divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, based on their quality. Heaven-tier techniques were the most powerful, while Yellow-tier were the weakest.

Although the Purple Profound True Art Wei Suo was currently cultivating was a Profound-tier cultivation method, it was the lowest grade within that tier.

In the current Cultivation World, the reason the first realm of cultivation was called the Sea of Consciousness Realm was that only by cultivating to the point of absorbing spiritual energy from Spirit Stones or refining pills, converting it into True Essence, and opening at least one acupoint within the body to store True Essence, could one be considered an initiated cultivator. The naming of the Sea of Consciousness Realm stemmed from the sound of True Essence flowing within the body, which was likened to the sound of vast rivers and seas.

However, Wei Suo had already opened a second acupoint for storing True Essence and had reached the second level of the Sea of Consciousness Realm. Yet, when he cultivated, did he hear the rumbling sound of great rivers and seas as his True Essence flowed within?

No... Wei Suo didn't even hear the gurgling sound of flowing water from urination.

The reason for this was that the Purple Profound True Art Wei Suo cultivated was of too low a grade.

For a mid-tier Profound-grade technique, reaching the second level of the Sea of Consciousness Realm would likely result in three to four times the amount of True Essence compared to Wei Suo, who cultivated a low-tier Profound-grade technique. Those cultivating high-tier Profound-grade techniques would have about ten times more True Essence than Wei Suo. Therefore, with Wei Suo's current cultivation, he could only use the Azure Water Blade about twenty times at most. However, someone cultivating a high-tier Profound-grade technique, at the same second level of the Sea of Consciousness Realm, could use the Azure Water Blade at least two hundred times.

It wasn't just a matter of quantity. For instance, even if Wei Suo obtained some powerful techniques now, he might not have enough True Essence to use them. But a cultivator who practiced other high-grade techniques might already be able to.

Currently, the True Essence flowing through Wei Suo's meridians didn't even sound like flowing water during urination. But cultivators who practiced Earth-tier or Heaven-tier techniques, upon reaching the first level of the Sea of Consciousness Realm, would have True Essence tens of times more powerful than Wei Suo's, and its flow might sound like a great river.

However, on the entire Tianxuan Continent, techniques below the Profound tier were not difficult to find. But techniques above the high-tier Profound grade were generally cultivation techniques of major sects. Even with enough Spirit Stones, they were impossible to buy unless one was willing to join those sects, become their disciples, and contribute to their merits, only then might they have a chance to be taught those techniques.

Joining these sects sounded good, and they usually provided a steady supply of Spirit Stones for cultivation. But when it came time for them to demand one's life, there was no backing out. Wei Suo knew that a few years ago, the Tianyi Sect had lost over forty disciples while hunting a fifth-tier demonic beast, the Fire Qilin Beast, outside the Sky Dome. Moreover, a fifth-tier demonic beast only contained one Demonic Core, and the surviving disciples wouldn't each receive a Fire Qilin Beast Demonic Core.

In comparison, Wei Suo felt it was more worthwhile to keep his own life in his hands.

"I wonder what grade of cultivation technique Shui Ling'er practices. The Xuanfeng Sect is said to be one of the few major sects on the Tianxuan Continent, with much greater influence than the Tianyi Sect. She probably practices at least an Earth-tier technique. I wonder what grade of technique that little beauty with the perky butt practices; she looks like she's at least high-tier Profound grade."

With a pile of Spirit Stones beside him, Wei Suo saw the rubbings of Shui Ling'er hanging by the bedside and thought of Han Weiwei again. He unconsciously compared them in his mind. Wei Suo found the little beauty with the perky butt to have a unique charming allure, but Shui Ling'er's high and white bust size seemed even more blood-pumping.

"Forget it, even if my Purple Profound True Art is a bit inferior, if I can cultivate to the Golden Core Realm, I'll still be considered a significant figure."

Although Wei Suo lacked patience, he wasn't someone who aimed too high. Realizing that obtaining higher-grade True Essence techniques would be difficult for the time being, Wei Suo picked up another low-grade Spirit Stone and continued cultivating.

Late at night, in the dimly lit small stone house, an oil lamp flickered unstably. Wei Suo sat motionless on the bed, with wisps of greenish aura flowing from the Spirit Stone in his hand, which he absorbed into his body. On the stone table by his bed, besides some blank vermilion talisman paper, there was already a pile of prepared Fireball Talismans.

As time passed silently, suddenly, the lamp oil in the oil lamp on the stone table burned out. The flame flickered a few times and then abruptly extinguished.

In the darkness, a point of purple light suddenly emerged from the Zi Gong acupoint in Wei Suo's chest. At the same time, Wei Suo's body trembled slightly, and a faint sound of flowing water finally echoed within him.

"Damn it, I've finally cultivated to the third level of the Sea of Consciousness Realm!"

Wei Suo's eyes flew open, filled with excitement, the purple glint within them flashing and disappearing.

After five consecutive days of closed-door talisman refining and cultivation, Wei Suo had finally successfully broken through to the third level of the Sea of Consciousness Realm. Now, if Wei Suo closed his eyes and looked inward, he would see a mass of purple True Essence in the Tian Ling, Zi Gong, and Dantian acupoints within his body. Streams of True Essence connected these three acupoints, flowing in an orderly manner within him.

Compared to before, the total amount of True Essence in Wei Suo's body had increased by nearly double.

"It wasn't easy. Finally, there's a bit of a sound like flowing urine."

This breakthrough to the third level of the Sea of Consciousness Realm was faster than Wei Suo had anticipated. His original estimate, with sufficient Spirit Stones, was at least eight or nine days. However, perhaps due to long-term cultivation in a state of lacking Spirit Stones, Wei Suo's body absorbed spiritual energy much more cleanly than ordinary cultivators. Also, perhaps because of daily talisman crafting, his spiritual sense had been exercised, and Wei Suo found that his spiritual sense seemed to have strengthened considerably. This allowed him to perceive things more clearly during internal observation, so it only took five days and the consumption of forty low-grade Spirit Stones for his Purple Profound True Art to break through to the third level of the Sea of Consciousness Realm.

"Alas, I need to find a way to go out and earn Spirit Stones again."

After carefully sensing the changes within his body and relighting the oil lamp, Wei Suo looked at the pile of talismans and materials on the stone table and shook his head helplessly.

Including the initial low-grade Spirit Stone, Wei Suo now had twenty-seven low-grade Spirit Stones remaining, and the Fire Scorpion Blood he had obtained last time was also almost used up.