Journey

On the second day after leaving Xuan Yuan Sect, the Flying Boat tore through the clouds, speeding toward the northwest.

The Flying Boat was the Sect Master's personal vessel. Its entire body was crafted from black ironwood and inscribed with intricate flight formations. Its speed rivaled that of a Nascent Soul Cultivator flying at full force.

The vessel had three levels. Qin Yuan and the others were assigned quiet rooms on the second level, one for each person.

Inside the quiet room, Qin Yuan sat cross-legged.

Outside the Flying Boat, clouds and mist churned while mountains and rivers rapidly receded below.

Yet he had no mind to admire the view. His entire focus was immersed in cultivation.

The system panel floated deep within his consciousness:

[One Day, Forty Years of Cultivation System]

[Current Level: 3 (0/10000)]

[Cultivation Storage: 0/200 years]

[Today's Cultivation Not Extracted]

Ever since defeating Chu Wuyue and ascending to first place among the true disciples, Qin Yuan had never stopped cultivating.

He extracted forty years of cultivation every day without fail. Combined with the dense Spiritual Energy of Blazing Peak, it continuously solidified his cultivation at the peak of the Golden Core realm.

Yet the bottleneck had also become increasingly apparent.

The leap from Golden Core to Nascent Soul was the first true chasm on the path of cultivation.

If Foundation Establishment was "qi turning into liquid," and Golden Core was "liquid condensing into a core," then Nascent Soul was "a core giving birth to spirit"—nurturing the embryonic form of a Primordial Spirit within the Golden Core. From then on, the soul merged with the Golden Core, one's lifespan increased to a thousand years, and one truly stepped through the gate of immortality.

What it required was not merely an accumulation of spiritual power, but an understanding of the Great Dao and a touch of the laws of heaven and earth.

Qin Yuan could sense that the Nine Revolutions Golden Core within him had reached perfection. His spiritual power was vast as the sea, and his Spiritual Sense deep as an abyss. Yet the seed of "spirit" within the depths of his Golden Core had never been able to sprout.

"Looks like advancing to Nascent Soul requires not only the scouring of time, but also a stroke of fortune." Qin Yuan opened his eyes and murmured softly.

But he was not impatient.

Forty years a day, two hundred years in five days. Time was the one thing he lacked least.

Moreover, although his cultivation extractions over the past few days had not broken through the bottleneck, they had made his foundation increasingly solid.

The Nine Revolutions Golden Core became more condensed, his spiritual power circulated more smoothly, and his perception of the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth grew ever sharper.

He had even vaguely touched upon some deeper things—such as the essence of Spiritual Energy and the veins of the laws.

All of these insights would become capital for his future charge toward the Nascent Soul realm.

The Flying Boat traveled continuously for four days.

At dusk on the fourth day, the outline of a city appeared upon the horizon ahead.

It was a city with a strange and eerie style.

Its walls were pitch-black, built from some unknown stone. Their surfaces were covered in dark-red patterns, like dried bloodstains.

The walls stood around thirty zhang tall. There was no city gate, only a distorted curtain of light serving as the entrance.

The entire city was shrouded in a layer of gray mist. Its interior could not be seen clearly; only the shadows of several spired buildings were faintly visible.

"We're here." Sect Master Lu Xuanfeng's voice came. "The City of Gloom."

The Flying Boat landed three li outside the city.

The five of them stepped down from the Flying Boat and looked up, all sensing a chill and eerie aura spreading from the city.

"The City of Gloom is a neutral ground created by Old Man of Gloom." As Lu Xuanfeng walked, he explained, "This senior's cultivation is unfathomable. It is said he has already entered the Deity Transformation Stage. He established one rule: fighting is forbidden within the city. Those who violate it—will be killed without mercy."

The Deity Transformation Stage!

The five of them were shaken.

Within Xuan Yuan Sect, Nascent Soul cultivators were already the stuff of legend. As for the Deity Transformation Stage, it was an existence they did not even dare dream of.

"The entrance to the Ancient Battlefield is within the City of Gloom." Lu Xuanfeng continued, "Every ten years, the battlefield opens for three months. During that time, disciples from every sect may enter to seek treasures and temper themselves, but danger lurks on all sides. Once you enter, remember to be careful."

As they spoke, the group had already reached the curtain of light before the city wall.

The light curtain rippled like water. Through it, they could see the city within—broad streets, buildings rising one after another, pedestrians coming and going. It was unexpectedly quite a prosperous city.

Lu Xuanfeng took out a black token and waved it before the light curtain. A gap split open in the curtain, and the group filed inside.

The instant he stepped into the city, Qin Yuan felt as though he had passed through an icy curtain of water. The temperature around him plummeted. The air within the city carried a faint stench of rot and blood, completely different from outside.

All kinds of shops lined both sides of the street, selling bizarre and strange goods: demonic beast materials, damaged magical artifacts, eerie talismans, and even "living creatures" locked in cages—things with grotesque forms. Some looked both human and beast, while others were simply writhing masses of shadow.

Most pedestrians wore black robes, their faces hidden beneath hoods as they hurried along. Occasionally, gazes swept over Qin Yuan and the others, carrying scrutiny and vigilance.

"The Ancient Battlefield has recently opened, so there are many people in the city." Lu Xuanfeng lowered his voice. "Stay close to me. Do not look around recklessly."

Just as he spoke, a clamor suddenly rose from the street ahead.

A crowd had gathered before a three-story pavilion. A plaque hung above its entrance: "Netherworld Auction House."

"There's an auction today!"

"I heard they brought out quite a few good things from the battlefield this time!"

"Quick, let's go take a look!"

Amid their chatter, the crowd surged into the pavilion.

Chu Wuyue's pale eyes lit up. "Sect Master, how about..."

"Business first." Lu Xuanfeng shook his head. "We'll settle in first. We enter the battlefield tonight."

He led the five of them through the bustling streets and arrived at the City Lord's Mansion in the center of the city.

The City Lord's Mansion was taller than the surrounding buildings, constructed entirely from black jade. Two rows of black-robed guards stood at its entrance, their auras deep and heavy. They were all Golden Core cultivators.

Lu Xuanfeng stepped forward to announce their arrival. Shortly afterward, a black-robed old man came out to receive them.

"Sect Master Lu, it has been a long time." The old man's voice was hoarse, his face covered in wrinkles, yet his eyes were as clear as a young man's. "Are these the disciples from your sect entering the battlefield this time?"

"They are." Lu Xuanfeng cupped his hands. "I ask Senior Gloom to watch over them."

Old Man of Gloom—this great expert at the Deity Transformation Stage—looked just like an ordinary old man.

His gaze swept over the five of them, lingering on Qin Yuan for an extra moment. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes, but he quickly returned to calm. "Come in. The other two groups have arrived as well."

The group entered the mansion and arrived at a great hall.

Two groups were already waiting inside.

On the left stood five cultivators in purple robes, three men and two women, each with a sharp and fierce aura. Their leader was unexpectedly a girl who appeared only sixteen or seventeen. Her features were exquisite like a porcelain doll's, but her gaze was cold as frost, and she idly played with a delicate dagger in her hand.

On the right were five bald cultivators dressed in gray monk's robes, four men and one woman. All of them sat with their eyes closed, chanting sutras with peaceful expressions. Their leader was a handsome young monk with a dot of cinnabar between his brows, holding a string of jet-black Buddhist beads.

"Zi Xiao Sect, Dustless Temple." Lu Xuanfeng spoke in a low voice. "Among the hundred sects of Qing Province, both rank within the top thirty. Their strength far surpasses that of our Xuan Yuan Sect."

Qin Yuan's gaze swept over both groups.

The girl from Zi Xiao Sect was unmistakably at the peak of the Golden Core realm, and her spiritual power fluctuations were exceptionally sharp. She was clearly someone decisive and ruthless in battle.

The young monk from Dustless Temple was equally unfathomable. A faint Buddhist radiance circulated around him, clearly indicating that he cultivated some profound Buddhist art.

The two groups also noticed the people from Xuan Yuan Sect.