Struggle for the Spirit Pool

The next day, dawn broke.

The spiritual mist on Spirit Mist Mountain was thicker than usual, as though the entire mountain's spiritual energy were gathering in one direction.

Behind the mountain, several people stood before a cliff face.

Sun Rong stood at the front. He cleared his throat and addressed them gravely. "The Spirit Pool is a vital site of the Four Seas Merchant Guild. It opens today for half a month. The spiritual liquid within is precious beyond measure. You have been granted this opportunity, so make the most of it."

He paused, his gaze passing over the four of them.

"There are rules in the pool. First, no fighting directly. Second, no Magical Artifacts or Array Disks may be brought inside. Third, what you gain depends on your own ability."

With that, Sun Rong cast a spell. Ripples spread across the rock wall behind him, and an entrance appeared out of thin air.

"Please, everyone."

The four exchanged glances, then entered one after another.

Once through the mountain wall, they found an open space before them.

A natural pool lay deep within the valley, several dozen yards across. Its water was a warm, pale gold, and its dense spiritual energy had condensed into a thin mist that drifted slowly over the surface.

"So this is the Spirit Pool..."

Shen Qingyun murmured, excitement flickering in his eyes. He moved first, leaping into the pale-gold water. Holding two fingers together like a sword, he activated a spell. A three-foot whirlpool formed around him, and he focused on refining the liquid.

Seeing this, Su Yue raised a slender hand. Moonlight-like radiance spilled from her palm and, upon touching the pool, formed a crystal-clear lotus of ice.

She touched down lightly upon its heart. Her moon-white dress spread around her like an immortal maiden dancing over the waves. The moment she settled, the lotus beneath her blazed with moonlight, and a gentle glow seeped into the water.

Zhou Yan laughed and leaped into the pool, unwilling to fall behind. He used no delicate technique. Instead, his aura surged as he unleashed his third-stage Profound Martial Realm cultivation. As though stirred by an invisible hand, spiritual liquid gurgled toward the acupoints across his body. Relying on his powerful cultivation, he began absorbing it by force.

Lin Chen stepped forward and entered the pool as well.

At the same time, the sword of will in his sea of consciousness trembled. Sword Intent spread outward, and the spiritual liquid within several yards of him rose in wisps of mist, gathering around him of its own accord.

The Spirit Pool Baptism had begun.

At first, the four tacitly kept to separate parts of the pool, silently refining its spiritual liquid without disturbing one another.

This feeling... It's wonderful...

Lin Chen sat cross-legged as pale-gold mist wrapped around him in layers. It seeped into his skin, flowed through his meridians, and washed over every limb and bone.

He could clearly feel his sinews, bones, blood, and flesh undergoing a subtle but steady transformation.

His aptitude was improving. His foundation was growing stronger!

As expected, Azure Cloud Sect and Mystic Moon Pavilion each had a secret method for refining spiritual liquid. Zhou Yan of Medicine King Valley, despite being at the third stage of the Profound Martial Realm, could only refine it through brute force. He was actually the slowest...

Lin Chen's Sword Intent arose on its own. Unlike the others, who had to devote all their effort to refining, he could spare a little attention to observe them.

Judging by his own refining rate, Lin Chen could use his 20% Sword Intent to refine roughly seven measures of spiritual liquid an hour.

Shen Qingyun of Azure Cloud Sect and Su Yue of Mystic Moon Pavilion each had ingenious methods of their own and could refine about five.

Zhou Yan of Medicine King Valley could refine four, putting him last.

"Seven. Not bad."

Lin Chen closed his eyes and stopped watching the others, concentrating on his own refining.

Time passed in silence.

One day, then two...

By the third day, Lin Chen's blood and qi surged, and his sinews and bones rang together.

It was a sign that his martial aptitude had risen from ordinary to middling.

Still not enough. Middling martial aptitude is only on the same level as my father's.

With another thought, Lin Chen quickened his absorption. The pale-gold mist around him thickened. Though the area covered by his Sword Intent did not visibly expand, it was clearly working more efficiently.

The change immediately set off a chain reaction.

Zhou Yan was the first to feel the pressure. His gaze swept over the other three, lingering for a moment on the golden mist rising around Lin Chen. A hint of impatience flashed in his eyes.

Medicine King Valley, the power behind him, did not have the same depth of resources as Azure Cloud Sect or Mystic Moon Pavilion. It had no unique secret method of refinement.

Thus, despite his higher cultivation, he could only draw in and refine spiritual liquid through brute force. It was far too slow.

Such a great opportunity is right before me. I can't just sit here and wait! Even if I offend them, I have no choice!

Zhou Yan steeled himself, produced a pill with a turn of his hand, and swallowed it. His aura soared. The force with which he drew in spiritual liquid no longer stayed in front of him but spread outward in a fan, aggressively encroaching on Shen Qingyun and Su Yue to distract them and slow their refining.

One thin strand of that pull even reached toward the edge of Lin Chen's area like a probing tentacle.

The undercurrents in the pool intensified at once!

Shen Qingyun gave a cold snort. Fine strands of Sword Qi sprang up beside him, slicing apart the encroaching pull.

The whirlpool before him abruptly widened to six feet. Its edges sharpened, cutting back into Zhou Yan's absorption range.

Su Yue cried out softly. Moonlight rippled outward like water, shielding her part of the pool from disturbance.

Lin Chen opened his eyes, having felt that probing strand of force.

Now the real contest begins...

The thought came to Lin Chen without surprise.

He did not expand his Sword Intent. With a slight shift of will, the force touching the edge of his domain seemed to strike an invisible barrier and instantly fell apart.

At the same time, the Sword Intent flowing around him grew a little more nimble. It drew more spiritual essence from farther away, causing Zhou Yan's absorption rate to fall instead.

Zhou Yan's face darkened. Realizing Lin Chen would be the hardest to contend with, he immediately turned most of his pressure toward Shen Qingyun and Su Yue.

The Spirit Pool Baptism had turned into a chaotic struggle.

Before, the four had occupied clearly separate areas without affecting one another.

Now, though none fought directly, they were silently interfering and competing with one another. Everyone's refining rate fell as a result.

Lin Chen suffered especially. Because he refined the spiritual liquid fastest, the other three found a tacit understanding in weakening him. Working at once, they greatly reduced his speed.

Lin Chen, however, remained unruffled.

One was swallowing pills like mad, while the other two were driving secret arts. How long could they keep that up?

His Sword Intent arose on its own and consumed very little. He could keep going for a long time.

With a thought, Lin Chen even spread his Sword Intent until the entire Spirit Pool fell under its influence.

At once, the other three slowed further as Lin Chen's Sword Intent affected them.

If everyone was affected, then no one was!