High-Grade Aptitude, Nearly Seven Years Gone

And so, another four days passed, bringing them to the seventh day of the Spirit Pool Baptism.

By now, the four people in the pool were each in a different situation.

The vortex before Shen Qingyun shook violently. After the prolonged struggle, a sizable portion finally collapsed. He gave a muffled grunt and had no choice but to shrink its range and take a defensive stance.

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

Meanwhile, Zhou Yan's face was flushed red and his aura was in disarray. Struggling to keep going, he also began to pull back.

Only Lin Chen remained seated steadily at the center. The space several yards around him seemed to form a world of its own. Beneath the cover of his sword intent, golden mist enveloped him. No matter how violently the hidden currents surged, he continued refining in peace.

By this point, Lin Chen's refining speed had returned to seven streams.

The other three, however, were all maintaining around three streams.

Morning on the twelfth day.

Within the pool, Lin Chen had entered a state in which he forgot both himself and the world.

Vast quantities of spiritual liquid poured into his body and were rapidly refined.

Wisps of pale golden spiritual light flowed along his meridians. Wherever they passed, specks of golden radiance appeared on his bones, making them tougher as impurities were gradually 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 baseline chance of success when attempting to break through to the Earth Martial Realm would have been less than one percent.

But now, Lin Chen felt it should be twenty percent!

With the additional boost from the Three Revolutions Profound Origin Art, he would have at least a fifty-percent chance of breaking through the barrier between major realms.

At the same time, this made Lin Chen feel all the more keenly just how terrifying the Three Revolutions Profound Origin Art was.

If he could not allocate points, he really would not have dared to choose this cultivation art.

So this is the realm of geniuses. My martial aptitude has finally caught up a little with those favored children of heaven.

Feeling the changes within himself, Lin Chen smiled faintly.

Previously, he had possessed excellent comprehension but ordinary aptitude. Now, both branches were blossoming, and he was developing on all fronts.

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

Over these past days, I alone have probably absorbed nearly forty percent of the spiritual liquid in this pool.

The remaining spiritual liquid could still improve my aptitude slightly, but for me, it would merely add flowers to an already splendid brocade. It would no longer make much difference to 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 still gritted their teeth and persisted, fighting for every wisp of the spiritual liquid's essence.

For them, the remaining spiritual liquid was crucial to consolidating their foundations and reaching higher realms. It might even determine whether their future attempts to reach the Earth Martial Realm succeeded or failed.

Lin Chen pondered for a moment.

Forget it. Going too far is no better than falling short.

If this Spirit Pool Baptism were a fortuitous opportunity out in the wilderness, I would certainly take it all for myself and leave nothing for anyone else.

But this land of opportunity is ultimately managed by the Four Seas Merchant Guild, and they publicly offered three places.

Even if everyone relies on their own abilities, there should still be limits.

Just as Sun Rong's reminder meant that the Four Seas Merchant Guild did not want me to gain too little from the Spirit Pool, taking too much would likewise be inappropriate...

With that thought, Lin Chen no longer hesitated.

The sword intent he had spread over the entire Spirit Pool dissipated. Bereft of that central pull, the pale golden mist that had been rushing madly toward him also settled down and drifted loosely apart.

The three people refining with all their might immediately noticed the change and simultaneously turned startled, uncertain gazes toward Lin Chen.

They saw Lin Chen slowly rise from the pool. Pale golden droplets slid down his increasingly straight and tall frame. His blood and qi were contained within him, yet his body possessed a clear, lustrous sheen after its cleansing.

He looked toward the three, nodded slightly with a trace of a smile, then turned and walked calmly toward the shore.

"He... why did he stop?"

"If he kept refining, he could still absorb nearly another ten percent of the spiritual liquid in this pool."

A keen light flickered in Shen Qingyun's eyes. As he watched Lin Chen's retreating figure, his gaze lost some of its confrontational sharpness and gained a hint of something complex and difficult to fathom.

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

As for Zhou Yan, he opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something. But as he watched Lin Chen step onto the shore, the words lodged in his throat. In the end, only a barely perceptible trace of shame and gratitude remained.

"Brother Lin Chen may have achieved what he wanted, but this great opportunity is not yet over, and still he chose to leave of his own accord."

"I, Shen Qingyun, admire such resolve!"

"If we have the chance to meet again, I will certainly treat you with due courtesy."

Watching Lin Chen's retreating figure, Shen Qingyun suddenly spoke, then closed his eyes and continued receiving the baptism.

Lin Chen shook his head and did not take those words to heart. Why would he visit the Azure Cloud Sect for no reason?

Leaving that space, Lin Chen returned to the outside world.

Then he gave his spiritual power a slight pulse, evaporating the moisture on his body. He nodded in greeting to Sun Rong nearby before departing with light, graceful steps.

Seated cross-legged in the distance, Sun Rong had taken in everything.

As he gazed in the direction where Lin Chen had disappeared, the hand stroking his beard paused slightly. An indescribable hint of approval flashed through his eyes, and he murmured so softly that he could scarcely be heard:

"He knows when to advance and retreat, understands gains and losses, and holds hills and valleys within his heart."

"This young man's character is indeed rather extraordinary."

And so, another three days passed after Lin Chen left, and the Spirit Pool Baptism finally came to an end.

In a rare sight, the clouds and mist around Spirit Mist Mountain thinned somewhat, revealing the verdant slopes that were normally shrouded all year round.

Afterward, the three left Spirit Mist Mountain one after another. Each carried the clear, spiritual aura unique to those who had undergone the baptism, though its strength varied, as did their expressions.

To Lin Chen's surprise, before leaving, Shen Qingyun made a special visit to him. He invited Lin Chen to visit the Azure Cloud Sect if he ever had the opportunity, promised to fulfill his duties as host, and handed him a smooth green jade token.

The Azure Cloud Sect, a great sword dao sect. Come to think of it, that faction would actually suit me quite well.

Unfortunately, I already belong to the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

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

But since disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect can attend the Spirit Pool Baptism, the Four Seas Merchant Guild should also have places available to enter their Sword Dao Secret Realm...

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Lin Chen shook his head. Forget it. I shouldn't reach for what lies beyond my grasp. Now that my martial aptitude has risen to high-grade, this is the perfect time to cultivate!

Time flew. Spring departed, and autumn came.

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

Over these years, whether he had stumbled into a stroke of great luck or not, Lin Chen had enjoyed a fairly good drop rate while idling in the Astral Wind Wasteland.

Besides the usual spirit stones and assorted materials, he had even obtained a Spiritual Secret Art and a Wind-Eroded Crystal Core as drops.

The Spiritual Secret Art he obtained was an offensive technique called Spiritual Impact. He mastered it directly without needing to learn it. Combined with his 20% sword intent, it was quite effective for crushing weak opponents.

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