Longevity Pool Water Mansion

Longevity Pool, its waters utterly still.

At the bottom of the pool stood the gates of a water manor, built from massive blocks of bluestone.

The gates were carved with rugged yet intricate formation patterns, emanating waves of spiritual pressure.

With a single glance, He Sheng recognized traces of familiarity. He knew this was the work of Li Daoyun, Brother Piao's mentor in formations.

"Senior Black Turtle, He Sheng has returned south from Ten Thousand Stars Mountain and passed through this place. I have come especially to pay you a visit, and ask that Senior grant me an audience."

He Sheng's voice traveled through the water, clearly reaching the manor within.

He did not lower his stance too much, for that did not fit Brother Piao's character. Yet the mere words "Senior" already made his attitude clear.

Yet the only response was silence.

"Could it be that I underestimated the rift between the Star-Backed Black Turtle and Brother Piao?"

Around a hundred breaths later, just as He Sheng was beginning to doubt himself, the seemingly indestructible stone gates finally released a deep rumble and slowly opened to either side.

A damp, heavy aura rushed toward him. Before his eyes lay a broad waterway, its sides adorned with glowing night pearls that illuminated the water manor's interior as brightly as day.

At the end of the waterway stood a towering grand hall. Its roof rose high, while its beams and pillars had all been carved from whole pieces of Cold Star Stone, a first-grade mid-tier spiritual material, exuding an air of stern majesty and extravagance.

In his memories, Brother Piao had only visited this water manor once, but he retained some impression of it.

Following those memories, He Sheng went straight into the grand hall.

At the center of the hall lay a colossal creature—the Star-Backed Black Turtle.

Its turtle body spanned several zhang, the star patterns on its shell flowing and shifting. At a glance, it resembled a moving hillock, its oppressive presence immense.

The Star-Backed Black Turtle's enormous lantern-sized eyes opened slightly. It glanced at He Sheng and said flatly, "Fellow Daoist He has come all this way. Don't tell me you mean to rake up old matters again?"

The old turtle's "old matters" naturally referred to Brother Piao's earlier suggestion that it return to the He Family. This showed that the old turtle still bore a grudge over it.

Fortunately, He Sheng had long been prepared. With a turn of his wrist, he took out an exquisite jade box and said, "This junior attended Senior Brother Wan's Foundation Establishment celebration at Ten Thousand Stars Mountain. During the banquet, the Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged what they had and lacked.

When I saw a fellow cultivator produce this second-grade spiritual material, Star Swirl Sand, I thought Senior would surely like it. So I traded for it and have brought it here as an offering."

He Sheng had both taken the initiative to offer a gift and referred to himself as "this junior." His intent to take the initiative and lower his head in order to ease their relationship could not have been clearer.

Naturally, the old turtle understood. As one of the long-lived breeds among demon beasts, it had always possessed considerable wisdom.

After advancing to the second grade, the reason it had not severed ties with the He Family was, on one hand, to continue receiving the He Family's offerings. On the other, it naturally hoped to have support beyond Heaven Capital Mountain.

That was also why, despite not getting along with Brother Piao, it had never completely cut off contact with the He Family.

After all, Brother Piao was already a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator, and his cultivation talent was exceptionally high. In the future, he might advance further and become a False Core cultivator, or even a Core Formation cultivator.

"A Sheng, you are thoughtful."

Having received the signal that He Sheng was lowering his head, the old turtle went with the flow. Changing how it addressed him was also an acknowledgment of He Sheng as a junior, and it smoothly put away the Star Swirl Sand.

This item truly was of considerable use to it.

As for the origins of this Star Swirl Sand, Brother Piao had indeed traded for it from a Foundation Establishment fellow cultivator at the celebration. But it had naturally not been meant as a gift for the old turtle; Brother Piao was preparing to advance to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Once a Foundation Establishment cultivator advanced to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, their magical power would increase drastically, allowing them to barely wield a rudimentary magic treasure.

Thus, many well-funded Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivators began collecting superior spiritual materials early, preparing to refine rudimentary magic treasures after their advancement.

"Greenie, Whitey, hurry and bring A Sheng some spirit fruits and spirit wine."

The old turtle was clearly quite pleased with this generous gift of Star Swirl Sand.

The moment its words fell, a green and a white water snake suddenly swam out from the two narrow waterways behind it.

Though these two water snakes were only as thick as arms, the scales all over their bodies gleamed with spiritual radiance. They were clearly demon beasts that had gained intelligence.

Each water snake balanced a tray on its head. One held several white spirit fruits that radiated a chilling aura, while the other carried an exquisite jade flagon.

He Sheng did not stand on ceremony. Although the mysterious force of vitality had healed his injuries after he awoke, his body had remained in a state of exhaustion, constantly sending out signals of hunger.

Unfortunately, he had been in danger the entire time before this and could only forcibly endure it.

Now that the spirit fruits had been served, the faint fragrance of the white fruits reached his nose. He immediately took one and devoured it in huge bites, then grabbed the spirit wine and drank deeply.

As the spirit fruits and spirit wine entered his stomach in turn, He Sheng felt streams of warmth arise within him. The exhaustion in his body was instantly greatly alleviated, while the magical power in his dantian seemed to have been nourished, leaping with joy.

After drinking another cup of spirit wine, He Sheng felt that the time was about right and could not help saying, "At Senior Brother Wan's Foundation Establishment celebration, this junior was fortunate enough to hear the Dao exposition of Golden Cloud Sect's False Core Supreme Elder.

At the time, I was utterly entranced, yet I always felt as though I was separated by a sheet of window paper that I could not pierce.

However, on my way south, I seemed to gain some realization in my heart.

Could Senior arrange a secluded place and allow this junior to enter seclusion and contemplate it further?

If I can make a breakthrough because of this, I will certainly never forget Senior's kindness today."

Upon hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed through the Star-Backed Black Turtle's huge eyes.

A lecture from a Pseudo-Core Formation cultivator was indeed a rare opportunity, but the old turtle did not quite believe that He Sheng could break through because of it.

It had also heard of some of the He Family's affairs over the past few years. It felt that the root of it all lay in He Sheng's setbacks in cultivation and his prolonged inability to break through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, which had bred a mental obstacle and made his conduct increasingly erratic.

Still, He Sheng's current request was trifling, so it naturally had no reason to refuse. It merely said:

"Then let Greenie take A-Sheng to Quiet Meditation Cave. It is secluded and serene, most suitable for quiet cultivation and contemplation."

"Thank you, Senior, for granting this!"

After He Sheng gave his thanks, the azure water snake named "Greenie" immediately swam ahead to lead the way, guiding him through several winding, narrow waterways until they arrived before a concealed water cavern.

"Senior He, this is Quiet Meditation Cave."

This azure water snake, less than a zhang long, was merely a first-rank demon beast, its aura comparable to that of a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. Naturally, it treated He Sheng with great respect.

He Sheng looked around, inspecting the layout of the surrounding waterways as he took out that azure parasol. The strange fish from before had been stored within it and was now utterly lifeless.

"For our first meeting, let this be my greeting gift."

He Sheng casually took the strange fish from the parasol and handed it to the green snake. Its vertical pupils immediately gleamed, its forked tongue flickering wildly as drool nearly dripped from its mouth.

"Immortal Master, do you truly mean it?"

"Of course."

The green snake promptly swallowed the strange fish in one gulp, its face brimming with satisfaction.

Seizing the chance, He Sheng asked:

"Senior Mystic Turtle has arranged this dwelling most ingeniously. I wonder, are there any other exits?

"In case of an emergency..."

Having received a benefit, and seeing He Sheng's amiable manner, the green snake naturally could not keep its mouth shut. It casually replied:

"Rest assured, Immortal Master. In our Longevity Pool water manor, there may not be much of anything else, but the waterways run in all directions.

"Take Quiet Meditation Cave, for instance. There is a hidden waterway inside that leads directly to an underground river."

As it spoke, the green snake pointed with its tail at an inconspicuous corner within the water cavern. He Sheng swept it with his divine sense and indeed discovered a narrow, deep waterway.

At this sight, He Sheng's heart settled completely. He thought to himself:

"With this waterway here, even if that suspected Core Formation cultivator truly comes knocking, as long as the old turtle holds them back for a moment, I can quietly slip away through this passage—without a ghost knowing, without a god perceiving!"

Delighted, He Sheng took out a few more spirit stones and rewarded the green snake. Its joy grew even greater, and it completely opened the floodgates, chattering away without end:

"Speaking of Heaven Capital Mountain, things have been somewhat unsettled these past few years.

"Though the several kings are bound together by common spirit and common branch, it is not as if there has been no friction between them.

"Especially a few years ago, when great news spread through the mountain: treasure light had appeared deep within Black Vine Ridge to the north. Several kings sent people to investigate, and it seemed they discovered something extraordinary.

"The several kings even fought fiercely over it, and half of Black Vine Ridge was smashed away.

..."

He Sheng listened patiently, occasionally offering a few words of agreement. Only after the green snake had spilled everything it knew about the mountain's secrets, the preferences of the great demons, and the division of territories did he find an excuse to send it away.

Once the green snake was gone, He Sheng immediately entered the water cavern. Only after confirming that the waterway leading to the underground river was indeed unobstructed did he finally put his mind completely at ease.

"With this escape route, I can finally regulate my breath properly."

He Sheng let out a long breath and sat cross-legged upon a smooth bluestone.

Ever since awakening, he had been fleeing nonstop. His mana had already been scarce, yet he could only grit his teeth and keep going.

His divine sense had also been greatly depleted. The Subtle Ripple Intent Realm was mysterious indeed, but applying it to his divine sense came with additional expenditure as well.

Now that he had reached the Longevity Pool water manor, with the old turtle holding the front and an escape route at hand, He Sheng naturally prepared to rest and recover properly.

He first swallowed several pills to restore mana, feeling their medicinal power dissolve within his body. Then he tried to imitate Brother Piao, sitting in meditation and breathing to refine qi.

Though he was somewhat unfamiliar with it at first, the Clear Billows Water Origin Art was not some profound cultivation technique. With Brother Piao's memories and experience, He Sheng quickly grasped the method.

As the technique circulated, the spiritual qi produced by the spirit fruits and spirit wine he had consumed earlier began to flow through his meridians. Compressed by the meridians and tempered by the technique, it transformed into drops of mana like water droplets, eventually flowing into the spiritual sea of his dantian.

One drop, Ten drops, A hundred drops, ...

It was as though rain were falling over the spiritual sea, droplets descending into it in threads and streams.

*"According to the Clear Billows Water Origin Art, at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, the spiritual sea contains a total of three thousand six hundred drops of mana.

"After circulating the technique through one major cycle, even with the help of mana-restoring pills, I can recover at most seven or eight hundred drops of mana.

..."*

Thoughts turned in He Sheng's mind. Based on Brother Piao's memories, he calculated that at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, one major cycle of the technique took roughly half a shichen.

Less than half the mana in his spiritual sea had been restored, and he wanted to continue regulating his breath. The problem was, where would he find so much time?

After all, the person who had been trailing behind him was not far away at all.

"Could the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm be applied to the circulation of a cultivation art?"

A flash of inspiration struck He Sheng, and a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

It was not strange. After all, he had previously stripped the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm away from the Water Escape Art and applied it to his divine sense perception, with great success.

The moment He Sheng thought of it, he acted. He immediately cast aside all distracting thoughts, visualized the "Subtle Ripple Intent Realm," and simultaneously circulated the Clear Billows Water Origin Art, attempting to merge the two.

Hum...

He Sheng's perception seemed to transform into the finest, most intricate net between heaven and earth, spreading throughout the entire Longevity Pool.

Yet this perception differed from divine sense perception. It was actually able to "see" specks of multicolored light.

These specks were trace amounts of spiritual qi, invisible to the naked eye and dispersed throughout heaven and earth in exceedingly thin quantities. Ordinary cultivators would find them impossible to detect.

But this water manor was different. Longevity Pool possessed a second-rank spirit vein, which was precisely why the old turtle had established its water manor here.

The vast majority of the trace spiritual qi He Sheng could now "see" originated from that spirit vein.

And as he circulated his cultivation art, these traces of spiritual qi seemed drawn in by an invisible force, surging toward him in swarms.

Pop!

An invisible ripple seemed to spread around He Sheng.

Within the watery vapor of the cave abode, countless transparent specks of light were forcibly stripped away and extracted, transforming into tiny droplets invisible to the naked eye that entered directly through his body!

The instant these droplets entered his body, they required none of the cumbersome initial refinement. They directly condensed into clusters within his meridians.

The amount of spiritual qi that had originally required at least the time it took to burn an incense stick to accumulate now filled his meridians within mere breaths under the Intent Realm's augmentation.

Immediately after, These clusters of spiritual qi flowed through his meridians and converged in his dantian like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, then fell into his spiritual sea in an unending downpour.

In that short span of time, The dharma power within his dantian had recovered by nearly a thousand drops!

He Sheng had never imagined that after augmenting the Clear Billows Water Origin Art with the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm, even the very method of breathing cultivation would undergo a fundamental transformation.

The original cultivation method was to consume spiritual food and spiritual pills, generating spiritual qi within the body, then first circulate the cultivation art to draw the wisps and threads of spiritual qi within the body into the dantian, Then follow the route required by the cultivation art, circulating that spiritual qi through the meridians. With the pressure of the meridians and the particular tempering of the cultivation art, it would ultimately be refined into a specific kind of dharma power.

But after augmenting it with the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm, not only could he directly absorb trace spiritual qi from heaven and earth into his body, it also eliminated the subsequent steps. It was simply a hundred rivers returning to the sea, dharma power formed amid the gathering of subtle ripples.

"Moreover, after augmenting it with the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm, not only is my dharma power recovery nearly one-third faster than before, when I had to follow the proper steps of breathing and meditation, but it takes nearly half the time as well."

He Sheng was overjoyed. He truly felt that comprehending the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm was like stumbling upon a priceless treasure.

But in the next instant, something even more astonishing happened!

Crack...

Somewhere in the unseen, something incomparably solid seemed to shatter.

He Sheng hurriedly sensed within himself, only to discover that what had broken was the cultivation bottleneck that had obstructed Brother Piao for three whole years, one he had been unable to break through no matter how hard he tried!