Aperture Barriers and Residue (Thanks to Glass Tank's Idle Fish for the Alliance Leader Reward)

"Had the Mystic Heaven Sect never taught you these things before?"

After some conversation, Old Man Tang discovered that Lu Ye could practically be called clueless about the common sense of cultivation, and he could not help finding it strange.

Lu Ye could not explain the truth, so he could only say, "I was young and ignorant before, with a stubborn temperament. Although the elders in the sect taught me, this disciple did not take it in."

Old Man Tang smiled. "That is no matter. You are still young; cultivate diligently from now on."

"Yes."

Old Man Tang raised his hand and extended a finger toward Lu Ye's lower abdomen. "Your first aperture is now full. Since you wish to open the second, calm your mind and feel it carefully!"

Lu Ye immediately sat upright and composed himself.

As Old Man Tang's finger descended, he immediately sensed an external force entering his body. It was Old Man Tang's Spiritual Power, but it was extremely gentle, so it would not cause Lu Ye any harm.

That force flowed through Lu Ye's Source Spirit Aperture, slowly gathering at a spot near it. Lu Ye was very familiar with this location—it was precisely the second Spiritual Aperture in the circulation route of the Golden Cicada Free and Unfettered Art. He had explored several times before but had never been able to pinpoint its location, while Old Man Tang did so with effortless ease.

This was the benefit of joining a sect and having elders protect one's cultivation. At the start of cultivation, one could save an enormous amount of effort and time that would otherwise be spent fumbling about alone. And the initial stages of cultivation were precisely the most precious period for cultivators. If one got a faster start than others at this stage, one would undoubtedly hold a greater advantage in future cultivation.

"This is the second Spiritual Aperture of the Golden Cicada Free and Unfettered Art. You may try guiding your own Spiritual Power into it," Old Man Tang's voice sounded.

Lu Ye hurriedly complied.

Under his control, the Spiritual Power filling his Source Spirit Aperture slowly surged toward the second Spiritual Aperture. Yet he clearly sensed a layer of barrier outside that second aperture, blocking the Spiritual Power from entering.

"Every Spiritual Aperture has an Aperture Barrier. Only by breaking the Aperture Barrier can you successfully open the aperture. No one else can help with this, so you can only rely on yourself."

With Old Man Tang's cultivation, he could naturally help Lu Ye easily break through the Aperture Barrier. But if he truly did so, it would very likely inflict irreversible damage upon Lu Ye's Spiritual Aperture. Thus, all he could do was indicate the aperture's location; he would not help Lu Ye open it.

Only now did Lu Ye learn that Aperture Barriers existed. He had opened his Source Spirit Aperture with the help of the Talent Tree. Thinking back on what had happened then, he vaguely remembered the sound of something shattering within his body. Now, it seemed that what had broken was the barrier of his Source Spirit Aperture.

Old Man Tang's Spiritual Power did not linger, continuing to flow through Lu Ye's body. Breaking an Aperture Barrier was not something that could be done in a moment. He had already helped Lu Ye locate the second Spiritual Aperture; the rest depended on Lu Ye's own efforts.

After a short while, Old Man Tang withdrew his hand and said, "Along the circulation route of that Golden Cicada Free and Unfettered Art, I have left some guiding Spiritual Power in the next eight Spiritual Apertures within your body. Each time you open the previous aperture, you will be able to sense the next one's location. Once you have opened all eight apertures, follow the circulation route and let your Spiritual Power run through the Source Spirit Aperture and those eight apertures. The Spirit Stream Realm will naturally come to be."

"Many thanks, Sect Master!" Lu Ye bowed respectfully.

Old Man Tang smiled faintly. "Go cultivate. There is still some time before we return to Ao Mountain."

"Yes." Lu Ye answered. Without changing locations, he began cultivating right there.

With the Sect Master before him, if anything went wrong with his cultivation, the Sect Master could still keep an eye on him.

Now that he had confirmed the location of the second Spiritual Aperture, a surge of motivation rose within Lu Ye. He activated the Spiritual Power in his Source Spirit Aperture and launched it at the barrier of the second Spiritual Aperture.

He had no idea what that barrier was, but Lu Ye felt that each impact loosened it slightly.

However, the sensation of striking the barrier was not pleasant. Every time he condensed Spiritual Power and charged at it, it felt as though a small hammer were pounding at the location of the Spiritual Aperture.

Once or twice was nothing, but after many attempts, a faint sore, swollen sensation actually arose at the second Spiritual Aperture.

Moreover, every strike against the barrier consumed some Spiritual Power. Lu Ye finally understood why the Sect Master had said that, early in cultivation, opening apertures would become relatively easier as one's cultivation rose.

If Spiritual Apertures were compared to buckets, then Spiritual Power was the water inside them. Lu Ye currently had only one bucket of water. If he had two buckets, three buckets, then he would have more Spiritual Power at his disposal, and the speed of opening apertures would naturally be faster. Perhaps he could even break the Aperture Barrier in one sustained push.

After less than half an hour, Lu Ye could no longer mobilize his Spiritual Power. The water in his bucket was nearly dry.

He took a bottle of Qi and Blood Pills from Zhou Cheng's Storage Bag and was about to swallow two pills.

"You used this to assist your cultivation before?" Old Man Tang's voice sounded.

Lu Ye hurriedly replied, "Yes!" Seeing that Old Man Tang's expression was off, his heart skipped a beat. "Sect Master, is there something wrong with these Qi and Blood Pills?"

Old Man Tang frowned. "The people from Evil Moon Valley told you these were Qi and Blood Pills?"

"These are not Qi and Blood Pills?" Lu Ye was astonished. He had taken these before, and they really could increase his Qi and Blood Power. If these were not Qi and Blood Pills, then what were they?

Old Man Tang reached out and took Zhou Cheng's Storage Bag. He rummaged through the bottles and jars inside, examining them one by one, then placed one bottle before Lu Ye. "This is a Qi and Blood Pill."

Lu Ye picked up the bottle and looked at it. He found that the Spiritual Pills inside differed greatly from the Qi and Blood Pills he had been taking. He had inspected these things before, but since he did not recognize them, he had not dared take them rashly.

Who would have thought that what he believed to be Qi and Blood Pills were not Qi and Blood Pills at all? The real Qi and Blood Pills were something else entirely.

"Then what is this?" Lu Ye asked, pointing at the bottle he had been preparing to take.

"Residue from refining Qi and Blood Pills." Old Man Tang explained, "Spiritual Pill refinement does not succeed every time. If it fails, it becomes residue. Residue is basically useless, though some residue still retains a bit of medicinal efficacy. This is what remains after a failed attempt at refining Qi and Blood Pills."

After hearing Old Man Tang's explanation, Lu Ye's face turned black as the bottom of a pot. No wonder he had always tasted a burnt flavor when taking Qi and Blood Pills before. He had thought that was simply the pills' natural taste, but now it seemed it was not at all. What he had been taking was merely residue, so naturally it carried some strange odor.

"Why would Evil Moon Valley's cultivators carry these things?" Old Man Tang asked in confusion.

"They gave them to us Mine Slaves to take." Lu Ye explained the contribution exchange system at the mine.

Old Man Tang understood. He put away the residue. "You must not take this. It will affect your future cultivation."

Lu Ye immediately grew nervous. "What effect will it have?"

"Every medicine carries some poison. The Spiritual Pills we use in cultivation likewise contain Pill Toxin. The lower the quality of a Spiritual Pill, the more severe the Pill Toxin; let alone failed residue, whose Pill Toxin is the fiercest. Thus, though cultivation may draw upon Spiritual Pills, one must not rely on them excessively. If one takes too many Spiritual Pills and accumulates too much Pill Toxin within the body, then in mild cases, Spiritual Power will become sluggish and techniques will fail to respond; in severe cases, one's foundation will be shaken and cultivation damaged."

Lu Ye's heart filled with dread. He had taken the residue of two or three hundred Qi and Blood Pills before. By the Sect Master's account, was he not doomed?

He swallowed and asked uneasily, "Sect Master, is there a standard for using Spiritual Pills to assist cultivation? How can one know how much Pill Toxin has accumulated in one's body?"

Old Man Tang said, "Look at your Spiritual Power. As I said just now, once too much Pill Toxin accumulates, Spiritual Power will become turbid and sluggish. The purer a cultivator's own Spiritual Power, the more beneficial it is for combat and cultivation; the reverse is harmful. I observed that your Spiritual Power is still fairly pure, so there is no need to worry too much."

When he had helped Lu Ye locate the second aperture just now, his Spiritual Power had flowed through Lu Ye's Source Spirit Aperture, so he knew the state of Lu Ye's Spiritual Power very well.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ye's feelings could not help turning strange.

Thanks to Glass Tank's Idle Fish for the Alliance Leader reward, and likewise thanks to Zhuang Sheng Xiaomeng Mi Hudie a for the reward of fifty thousand Qidian coins. Humanity was temporarily ranked first on the new book list. Brothers, you are incredible.