The three gates of Spirit Attraction

The eighth day of the fourth month, year 5494 of the Yuangguang Calendar.

More than a month had passed since Zhao Yi broke through to Perfection of Meridian Opening.

During that time, they had first finished the spring planting, then tested the children aged six and above on Linghua Island for spiritual aptitude.

The results were less than satisfactory. Not one had the aptitude, though that was normal enough. People with cultivation aptitude were exceedingly rare to begin with.

Last winter, Jade Pearl Island had had no cultivator stationed there. Fortunately, Zhao Yi had prepared the head of a Spirit Attraction Stage sea turtle in advance and hung it on the lighthouse.

Sensing its aura, the demonic beasts in the surrounding waters had not dared to cause trouble, allowing Jade Pearl Island to pass the entire winter in peace.

Now that the weather was warming and the spirit fish were emerging from their holes, a cultivator needed to go feed them. This time, Liu Yu took his turn guarding Jade Pearl Island.

He could cultivate there in peace and strive to break through as soon as possible.

As for Wang Qing and Li Hai, they tended the spirit fields every morning. In the afternoon, they took the little sea turtle Guiwu out to patrol the sea, two men and one beast together.

With nothing else to do, Zhao Yi quietly studied the two cultivation books he had obtained from Ghost Shark Daoist.

One was the Azure Waves Sea-Walking Art, and the other was the Record of Daoist Lingqing’s Cultivation Experiences.

The Azure Waves Sea-Walking Art was a Water Attribute cultivation method that could take one to Perfection of Spirit Drawing. It came with a secret technique for taming marine demonic beasts.

The secret technique listed six kinds of demonic beasts that could be tamed, including ghost sharks. No wonder Ghost Shark Daoist had been able to tame ghost sharks. So that was how.

However, the secret technique recorded proper methods of taming and rearing them, not bloody ones like Ghost Shark Daoist’s.

He could give this secret technique to Wang Qing to read, but there was no need to give him the cultivation method. Wang Qing was a cultivator with a wood spiritual root.

The Record of Daoist Lingqing’s Cultivation Experiences had been written by a cultivator whose cultivation was at least at the Spirit Attraction Stage. It recorded the cultivation experiences and observations of his lifetime roaming the cultivation world.

This record was extremely useful. From Chen Changdao to Zhao Yi, none of Linghua Island's three generations of cultivators had reached the Spirit Attraction Stage or above.

Those three generations had only ever traveled within the Yunsha Sea Region, around Azure Cloud Island. They had never ventured far.

Their knowledge of cultivators elsewhere and the cultivation world came entirely from hearsay. In some respects, they were completely in the dark.

This record made up for the shortcomings of Linghua Island's cultivators. Through Daoist Lingqing's writings, they could better understand this cultivation world.

Besides that, the record also contained cultivation insights, key points concerning difficult breakthroughs, and pitfalls Daoist Lingqing had stumbled into during his cultivation.

These were extremely useful. They could even be called true teachings that a thousand pieces of gold could not buy.

Zhao Yi had now reached Perfection of Meridian Opening and stood on the threshold of the Spirit Attraction Stage. Yet the Spirit Origin Body-Nourishing Art he practiced offered only a brief description of how to break through to the Spirit Attraction Stage, glossing over it in a few strokes.

Relying on this cultivation method to break through to the Spirit Attraction Stage would be no different from seeking his own death.

The Record of Daoist Lingqing’s Cultivation Experiences explained in detail the three great obstacles to breaking through to the Spirit Attraction Stage: the Essence Origin Gate, the Qi Origin Gate, and the Spirit Origin Gate.

Once all three gates were broken through and Three Origins Perfection was attained, one could attempt to break through to the Spirit Attraction Stage without taking any pills, with a thirty percent chance of success!

With pills that aided breakthroughs, such as the Profound Origin Pill, Spirit-Harmonizing Pill, or Spirit-Sensing Pill, the chance of success could reach seventy or eighty percent.

Zhao Yi did not entertain hopes of obtaining pills like the Profound Origin Pill. He had heard of them and seen them, but simply could not afford them!

On Azure Cloud Island's merchant ship, the Profound Origin Pill had a clearly marked price of two thousand spirit stones and had to be ordered a year in advance.

What was Three Origins Perfection?

Perfection of Essence Origin: qi and blood united as one, bones tempered and marrow refined.

Perfection of Spirit Origin: lightning born within the empty chamber, the ability to see at night.

Perfection of Qi Origin: true qi transformed into Gang, a three-foot qi shield.

As for how to attain Three Origins Perfection, the record also mentioned three pills that could help: the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, Spirit-Nourishing Pill, and Primordial Chaos Pill.

Looking at the three pills named in the book, Zhao Yi suddenly remembered the Primordial Chaos Pills in the treasure cave.

Last time, aboard Fubo Pavilion's merchant ship, that cultivator had also mentioned the three pills that aided a breakthrough to the Spirit Attraction Stage: the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, Spirit-Nourishing Pill, and Primordial Chaos Pill. It seemed that was true.

Hah, what good did knowing do? That cultivator had said it himself: Spirit-Nourishing Pills and Marrow-Cleansing Pills both cost more than Primordial Chaos Pills.

A bottle of Primordial Chaos Pills cost five hundred spirit stones. Wouldn't Marrow-Cleansing Pills and Spirit-Nourishing Pills cost six or seven hundred?

Added together, the three would probably only be a little cheaper than pills like the Profound Origin Pill.

Zhao Yi closed the book and lay back in the lounge chair, thinking about what the record had said. Apart from taking pills, attaining Three Origins Perfection could only be achieved through arduous cultivation.

According to the record, Perfection of Qi Origin was the easiest. By cultivating step by step and compressing the true qi in the dantian, one would naturally attain it.

Even without knowing how to compress the true qi in the dantian, after decades of cultivation, true qi would naturally transform into Gang.

Zhao Yi had also heard his master speak of true qi transforming into Gang.

His master had reached Perfection of Meridian Opening many years ago, and his true qi had long since filled his dantian. After all those years of cultivation, there had indeed been an extremely thin layer of Gang qi along his blade whenever he performed his sword techniques.

Apart from Perfection of Qi Origin, Perfection of Essence Origin should be the first Zhao Yi could achieve. As long as he tempered his body every day and ate spirit cuisine, he reckoned he should attain perfection within five years.

After all, this body was exceptionally gifted, born with divine strength.

Perfection of Spirit Origin should be the hardest. Without a reliable method of training the mind, taking Spirit-Nourishing Pills should be the most convenient approach.

Thinking of it that way, he could attain Perfection of Qi Origin and Perfection of Essence Origin in roughly ten years.

Then, if he saved some spirit stones and bought a bottle of Spirit-Nourishing Pills, he might truly have a chance to break through to the Spirit Attraction Stage!

With the crucial points understood and his goal set, all that remained was to get to work!

Spring passed and autumn came. It was another harvest season.

After harvesting, drying, and husking the spirit rice from the three mu of spirit fields that year, they had reaped a total of three hundred and twelve jin, including fifty-one jin of Jade Essence Rice.

As in previous years, the Trade Fair was held on the twenty-seventh day of the tenth month. Zhao Yi and Liu Yu set off for Little Wave Island on the twenty-third.

Wang Qing clamored to go, but Zhao Yi firmly shut him down and ordered him to stay put on Linghua Island until the two returned.

However, he also promised Wang Qing that as long as Liu Yu broke through to Perfection of Meridian Opening, he could accompany Liu Yu to the next Trade Fair.

As for when Liu Yu would reach Perfection of Meridian Opening, Zhao Yi estimated that he would need six bottles of Essence Origin Pills.

In terms of spirit stones, that would take three years of savings.

After arriving at Little Wave Island that year, Zhao Yi stayed aboard the ship.

Only after Peach Blossom Island's ship arrived did Zhao Yi pay Senior Liu a visit at night, only to learn from Junior Sister Liu that Senior Liu had already passed away in meditation.

After hearing the details, Zhao Yi learned that Three Heroes Island and Peach Blossom Island had fought after last year's Trade Fair ended.

Both sides had suffered casualties. Although Three Heroes Island was stronger than Peach Blossom Island, Peach Blossom Island had invited Black Wind Island, Xuanli Island, and Haikong Island to join them, making the two sides evenly matched.

After last year's Trade Fair ended and they left Little Wave Island, Three Heroes Island had struck first, attacking Peach Blossom Island's ship. After a great battle, all of the Mo Clan's Three Heroes had been injured, while of the two cultivators at Perfection of Meridian Opening under them, one had died and the other had been wounded.

Peach Blossom Island's side had suffered even heavier casualties. A cultivator at Perfection of Meridian Opening from Black Wind Island and Peach Blossom Island's fourth elder had died on the spot. Senior Liu had been gravely wounded and, after returning to Peach Blossom Island, had passed away despondently in meditation.

Four dead and one wounded in a single battle. It was the largest battle between cultivators in the Yunsha Sea Region in nearly five years.

Some grieved and some fretted; some rejoiced and some worried.

"Please accept my condolences, Junior Sister Liu. Senior Liu cultivated for decades and ultimately passed away in meditation in her own cave abode on Peach Blossom Island. That could be considered a complete ending!"

The two fell silent for a while.

Zhao Yi lifted his teacup and took a sip, glancing into the room out of the corner of his eye.

Setting down his cup, Zhao Yi then asked at an appropriate moment how the fighting had been brought to an end.

Junior Sister Liu recounted the story.

Three Heroes Island had originally intended to continue attacking Peach Blossom Island, but the Zhao Family of Little Wave Island had stopped them.

Under pressure from the Zhao Family, they had let the matter drop, but a feud had now been formed between Three Heroes Island and Peach Blossom Island.

Mo Wusheng had even left a vicious threat: one day, he would capture every female cultivator on Peach Blossom Island and make them his concubines.

At this point, Junior Sister Liu was overcome with bitterness again.

The Mo Clan's Three Heroes certainly had fine names: the eldest, Mo Wushi; the second, Mo Wusheng; the third, Mo Wufei.

The eldest had profound cultivation and devoted himself entirely to cultivating, paying no attention to Three Heroes Island's affairs.

The second was cruel by nature, personally carrying out their plundering, killing, and torture. The third was sinister, cunning, and ruthless, responsible for devising their schemes.

He certainly talks big. Doesn't he know how many cultivators in the Cloudsand Archipelago have their eyes on Peach Blossom Island's female cultivators?

Cursing inwardly, Zhao Yi felt anger rise in him as well. After offering Junior Sister Liu a few more words of comfort, he left.

After Zhao Yi departed, Wu Yuying, the island lord of Peach Blossom Island, emerged from the back. Looking in the direction Zhao Yi had gone, she said calmly, "This fellow Daoist has already reached Perfection of Meridian Opening. He noticed me just now."

Hearing this, Junior Sister Liu was stunned as well. She gazed in the direction Zhao Yi had left, speechless for a long time. The gap was growing wider and wider!

Wu Yuying looked at Junior Sister Liu, then in the direction Zhao Yi had gone, seemingly lost in thought as well.

After experiencing this great battle, Peach Blossom Island's lord, who had originally focused solely on cultivation and left everything to others, had also begun to mature.

Back aboard the Linghua, Zhao Yi told Liu Yu the news he had heard from Peach Blossom Island. After analyzing it, they agreed that although the fighting between Three Heroes Island and Peach Blossom Island had ended,

the feud between the two islands had already been formed, and the matter would certainly not be settled so easily.

Three Heroes Island repaid even the slightest grievance, while Peach Blossom Island had stood in the Cloudsand Archipelago for a hundred years. Thunderous methods were indispensable to that as well.

"Senior Brother, from the looks of it, the two islands have stopped fighting because they're afraid of crippling each other and letting Little Wave Island pluck the peaches?"

"Hah!"

Zhao Yi scoffed. "Pluck the peaches? What peaches? The Zhao Family has three Spirit Attraction Stage cultivators in the open alone. If all three acted together, even all the remaining powers in the Cloudsand Archipelago bundled together wouldn't be their match!"

Taking a sip of wine, Zhao Yi continued, "Three Heroes Island and Peach Blossom Island are both betting on their own island producing a Spirit Attraction Stage cultivator first!"

"The Zhao Family isn't acting because they want stability. Their patriarch, Zhao Xinghe, broke through to the Spirit Attraction Stage at thirty-five. Twenty years have passed since then. His cultivation has probably long since reached the threshold of Dao Foundation Condensation. The Zhao Family is waiting too, waiting for Zhao Xinghe to condense his Dao Foundation!"

"Once he condenses his Dao Foundation, his lifespan will increase by sixty years. There will still be time for anything. Even if both islands gain Spirit Attraction Stage cultivators, with a Dao Foundation cultivator around, why care about a few Spirit Attraction Stage cultivators?"

"Dao Foundation!"

Liu Yu murmured softly.

"Stop dreaming. Reach Perfection of Meridian Opening first!"

"Spend all the spirit stones we earn this time on cultivation pills for you, Wang Qing, and Li Hai. Don't worry about me. After Perfection of Meridian Opening, ordinary pills don't do much good anymore. You have to rely on arduous cultivation."

Liu Yu stared at Zhao Yi for a while, then nodded.