High-Grade Aptitude, Seven Years Nearly Gone

Just like that, another four days passed, bringing the Spirit Pool Baptism to its seventh day.

The four people in the pool now found themselves in very different positions.

The vortex before Shen Qingyun shook violently. After a prolonged struggle, nearly half of it finally collapsed. He grunted and had no choice but to pull back and go on the defensive.

Only half a day later, the lotus beneath Su Yue began to dim. She, too, had reached her limit and deliberately slowed her absorption.

At the same time, Zhou Yan's face flushed red and his breathing grew ragged. Unable to keep it up, he began to withdraw.

Only Lin Chen remained seated firmly at the center. The space for several yards around him seemed a world unto itself. Beneath the shroud of his Sword Intent, golden mist enveloped him, and no matter how fiercely the undercurrents surged, he calmly refined it.

By then, Lin Chen's refining rate had returned to seven streams.

The other three each managed only about three.

On the morning of the twelfth day, Lin Chen had lost all awareness of himself and his surroundings.

Vast quantities of spirit liquid surged into his body and were swiftly refined.

Threads of pale golden light flowed through his meridians. Wherever they passed, flecks of gold appeared on his bones, making them tougher as traces of impurities were expelled.

Marrow-Washing and Bone-Refining. High-Grade Aptitude.

Lin Chen could clearly feel that his martial aptitude had improved enormously.

With his previous aptitude, his base chance of breaking through to the Earth Martial Realm had been less than one percent.

Now, Lin Chen felt it should be twenty percent!

With the added benefit of the Three Revolutions Profound Origin Art, he would have at least a fifty-percent chance of breaking through that major-realm barrier.

It also made Lin Chen appreciate all the more how formidable the Three Revolutions Profound Origin Art was.

If he had not been able to allocate attribute points, he truly would not have dared to choose it.

"So this is the realm of geniuses. My martial aptitude has finally begun to catch up with those favored by heaven."

Feeling the changes in himself, Lin Chen smiled faintly.

Before, he had possessed fine comprehension but ordinary aptitude. Now, he had improved on both fronts and become a more well-rounded cultivator.

Lin Chen glanced at the Spirit Pool. About twenty percent of its water remained, and the other three were still working hard to refine the spirit liquid.

Over these past days, I alone must have absorbed nearly forty percent of the Spirit Pool.

The remaining spirit liquid could still improve my aptitude a little, but for me, that would only be a bonus. It would have no real bearing on my future attempt to reach the Earth Martial Realm...

Lin Chen looked toward the three of them.

All three were nearing their limits, yet they gritted their teeth and fought for every last wisp of the spirit liquid's essence.

For them, what remained was vital to strengthening their foundations and reaching higher realms. It might even determine whether they succeeded in breaking through to the Earth Martial Realm one day.

Lin Chen thought for a moment.

Enough. There's no need to overdo it.

If I'd found this opportunity out in the wild, I'd have claimed it all and left nothing for anyone else.

But the Four Seas Merchant Guild is hosting this opportunity, and it publicly offered three places.

We may each take what we can, but there should still be limits.

Just as Sun Rong warned me because the Four Seas Merchant Guild didn't want me to gain too little from the Spirit Pool, taking too much would be inappropriate too...

With that settled, Lin Chen hesitated no longer.

The Sword Intent he had spread over the entire Spirit Pool dissipated. The pale golden mist that had been rushing toward him lost the force drawing it in and drifted freely once more.

The three, still refining the liquid with all their might, immediately sensed the change and cast uncertain looks toward Lin Chen.

Lin Chen slowly rose from the pool. Pale golden droplets slid down his now even straighter frame. Though the power of his blood and body was contained, his skin held a clear luster from the baptism.

He gave the three a slight nod and a smile, then turned and walked calmly toward the bank.

"He... stopped?"

"If he kept going, he could refine nearly another ten percent of the spirit liquid in this pool."

A sharp glint flickered in Shen Qingyun's eyes. As he watched Lin Chen's departing figure, his gaze lost some of its competitive edge and took on a hint of something harder to read.

Su Yue's beautiful eyes widened slightly, and she pressed her lips together.

Zhou Yan opened his mouth as if to speak, but when he saw Lin Chen step onto the bank, the words caught in his throat. All that remained was a barely perceptible trace of shame and gratitude.

"Brother Lin Chen may have gotten what he came for, but this great opportunity isn't over yet, and he chose to leave."

"I, Shen Qingyun, admire that resolve!"

"If we meet again, I will certainly receive him as an honored guest."

Watching Lin Chen's back, Shen Qingyun suddenly spoke. Then he closed his eyes and continued the baptism.

Lin Chen shook his head and paid the words no mind. Why would he go to the Azure Cloud Sect for no reason?

Leaving that space, Lin Chen returned outside.

He sent a slight pulse of spiritual energy through his body to dry himself, nodded to Sun Rong nearby, and walked away.

Seated some distance off, Sun Rong had seen everything.

He watched the direction in which Lin Chen had disappeared. His hand paused on his beard, and a look of admiration crossed his eyes. He murmured so softly it was barely audible:

"He knows when to advance and when to step back, and what is worth gaining or giving up. There's depth to his thinking."

"His character truly is rather exceptional."

Three more days passed after Lin Chen left, and the Spirit Pool Baptism finally came to an end.

In a rare change, the clouds and mist around Spirit Mist Mountain thinned, revealing the lush green slopes that remained hidden through most of the year.

The three left Spirit Mist Mountain one after another. Each carried the clear, fresh aura unique to someone who had undergone the baptism, though it varied in strength, and their expressions differed as well.

To Lin Chen's surprise, Shen Qingyun made a point of visiting him before leaving. He invited Lin Chen to visit the Azure Cloud Sect if he had the chance, promising to host him properly, and handed him a smooth green jade token.

The Azure Cloud Sect is a major Sword Dao sect. Come to think of it, it would actually suit me quite well.

Unfortunately, I'm already with the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

I wonder what kind of opportunity the Azure Cloud Sect's Sword Dao Secret Realm holds. It would be nice to experience it.

But if Azure Cloud Sect disciples can take part in the Spirit Pool Baptism, then the Four Seas Merchant Guild probably has places for entry into their Sword Dao Secret Realm too...

Thoughts flashed through Lin Chen's mind before he shook his head. "Forget it. No use getting ahead of myself. Now that my martial aptitude has reached High-Grade Aptitude, it's the perfect time to cultivate!"

Time flew by, and spring gave way to autumn.

Before he knew it, nearly seven years had passed since Lin Chen entered the Spirit Mist Mountain Blessed Land.

Over those years, perhaps through sheer luck, Lin Chen had gotten quite a few drops from his idle farming in the Astral Wind Wasteland.

Besides the usual Spirit Stones and various materials, he had even obtained a Spiritual Secret Art and a Wind-Eroded Crystal Core.

The Spiritual Secret Art was an offensive technique called Spiritual Impact. Lin Chen mastered it without needing to study it, and paired with his twenty-percent mastery of Sword Intent, it was quite effective against weaker opponents.

As for the Wind-Eroded Crystal Core, it was no ordinary object. It contained abundant energy. If Lin Chen could purge the violent Demonic Qi within it, he was confident he could break through another minor realm.