Cultivation knows no time, a dream awakened at the start.
As Li Xuan and others entered the Furnace of Creation, a year passed by unnoticed.
During this year, Li Xuan had not emerged from seclusion after choosing his cultivation spot. The eighty-five Taiyuan Fruits placed beside him were now reduced to forty.
In just one year, Li Xuan had consumed forty-five Taiyuan Fruits.
In contrast, Li Xuan’s aura was far beyond what it was before. Surrounded by solidified spiritual energy, his presence was more stable and profound.
Within his divine mansion, the number of Star Spiritual Beads had reached a staggering sixty thousand.
*Huu.*
With a breath of turbid air expelled, Li Xuan’s eyes slowly opened. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and his entire aura instantly retracted.
"Sixty thousand Star Spiritual Beads, and still no sign of a bottleneck. It seems I must continue to cultivate and accumulate," Li Xuan mused, shaking his head after a brief assessment.
Recalling what Bai Su Xin, Venerable Bai, and Mo Ning Xiang, the Great Madam, had said about Great Venerable Lin Yi reaching the Transmutation Realm with his Star Spiritual Bead count increasing to one hundred thousand, Li Xuan felt a sense of understanding.
Although his journey might be longer and require more effort than others, the rewards would undoubtedly be superior.
A Transmutation Realm expert with sixty thousand Star Spiritual Beads was incomparable to a Divine Transformation Realm expert with one hundred thousand.
"Fortunately, the spiritual energy here is abundant, otherwise, these Taiyuan Fruits alone would barely sustain my upcoming closed-door cultivation," Li Xuan said with a wry smile, glancing at the remaining forty Taiyuan Fruits.
A single Taiyuan Fruit now only lasted half a month for spiritual energy replenishment. Indeed, the longer one cultivated, the greater the demand for cultivation resources.
Dismissing all distracting thoughts, Li Xuan closed his eyes again, absorbing the pure spiritual energy of the Taiyuan Fruits for conversion.
On a cliff deep within the Furnace of Creation, Lin Yun gazed into the distance with a serene expression. Beside her, a golden lamp furnace floated.
Lin Yun withdrew her gaze and waved her hand, causing a projection screen to appear before her. In the projection was Li Xuan.
"In one year, to increase his Star Spiritual Beads by over fifty thousand… truly worthy of being as talented as Brother Yi. I hope all this effort is worth it," Lin Yun murmured, then waved her hand, channeling a stream of spiritual light into the lamp furnace beside her.
In the next instant, a spiritual array materialized in the sky above Li Xuan's cliff.
The spiritual energy between heaven and earth intensified severalfold. Furthermore, a wisp of golden light from the lamp furnace flowed into Li Xuan’s body amidst this spiritual energy.
Li Xuan, currently in deep meditation, was completely unaware of the changes in the surrounding spiritual energy. As this golden light entered him, Li Xuan’s body began to glow golden.
However, this golden light soon converged between Li Xuan's eyebrows, forming a rune before gradually fading away.
Li Xuan, lost in meditation, merely furrowed his brow briefly, as if asleep, before his expression smoothed out and he calmed down.
Watching Li Xuan in the projection, Venerable Lin Yun whispered, "The rest is up to you now."
…
"Congratulations, Brother Qiu," the members of Li Xuan's team gathered in the courtyard and offered their salutations to Qiu Jiu Qian with clasped hands. Half a year later, Qiu Jiu Qian had finally entered the early stage of the Divine Transformation Realm, with nine hundred and twenty-eight Star Spiritual Beads.
"Joint congratulations," Qiu Jiu Qian returned the salutations with clasped hands, a rare smile gracing his face. After all, the gap between the Divine Transformation Realm and the Limitless Realm was considerable.
Moreover, his ability to condense nine hundred and twenty-eight Star Spiritual Beads indicated significant potential.
Gong Han Feng smiled and said, "Currently, within our team, aside from Commander Li, you are the strongest, Brother Qiu. Everyone should strive to cultivate diligently so that we can surprise Commander Lin when Commander Li emerges."
"Furthermore, since Commander Li has entrusted me with the management of rewards and punishments, I have decided to award three Taiyuan Fruits to Brother Qiu. Firstly, for being the first teammate to break through to the Divine Transformation Realm besides Commander Lin. Secondly, I hope this will serve as an example for everyone to cultivate even harder. Does anyone have any objections?"
"We naturally acknowledge Brother Qiu's strength. We have no objections to receiving the reward set by Commander Li," Wen Qing immediately said with a smile.
"I have no objections either. Brother Qiu has contributed a lot to our team, and now that he has broken through, he is certainly qualified to receive the reward," Bo Xing Han agreed.
"We all have no objections."
"…"
Upon hearing this, all the team members nodded in agreement.
Although the three Taiyuan Fruits represented nearly a month's worth of their cultivation resources, Qiu Jiu Qian's strength and efforts were commendable. Receiving the reward set by Li Xuan was naturally deserved.
"This… the reward pool set by Commander Li only has six Taiyuan Fruits. If I take three, there will only be three left. Perhaps we should wait until Commander Li emerges from seclusion," Qiu Jiu Qian hesitated, then said to Gong Han Feng.
Gong Han Feng shook his head and replied, "Since Commander Li has entrusted this matter to me, he has naturally granted me this authority. Brother Qiu, please do not refuse. Although only three are left, I believe Commander Li will increase them in the future."
"Moreover, since this rule exists, Brother Qiu, please do not make things difficult for me." With that, Gong Han Feng waved his hand and presented three Taiyuan Fruits to Qiu Jiu Qian.
"Brother Qiu, do not chill everyone's hearts. Only by you setting this precedent will everyone be more motivated in their cultivation. If Commander Li knew, he would surely make the same decision as I have," Gong Han Feng said, transmitting this message telepathically to Qiu Jiu Qian as he handed over the fruits.
Qiu Jiu Qian let out a wry smile, then nodded reluctantly. "Alright, if that is the case, I will accept them. If anyone has any cultivation issues or encounters bottlenecks during this time, feel free to ask me."
"Haha, that's the spirit. I say everyone, this is a great opportunity. If anyone has cultivation problems, seize the moment!" Gong Han Feng laughed heartily, then turned to the crowd.
"I was just wondering how to break through to the advanced stage of the Limitless Realm. This is like a pillow arriving when one is sleepy. Brother Qiu, I will be shamelessly seeking your guidance later." Wen Qing also said with a smile.
"Oh, Brother Wen is about to enter the Quantitative Realm? Then I must congratulate you in advance. With Brother Qiu's guidance, won't Brother Wen's entry into the Quantitative Realm be just around the corner!" He Hu, a team member, said with congratulations to Wen Qing.
"…"
After a brief exchange, everyone's gaze shifted towards the main pavilion mountain range.
"Half a year has passed. I wonder how far Commander Li has progressed in his cultivation," Bo Xing Han remarked.
Qiu Jiu Qian replied, "Commander Li's talent is the highest I have ever encountered. In a treasure land like the Furnace of Creation, Commander Li's progress should be very rapid."
"And do not forget the battle between Commander Li and Commander Zhang Xu. He displayed nine hundred and fifty Star Spiritual Beads. However, we do not know how long this Furnace of Creation will operate. But the longer it lasts, the better it will be for Commander Li."
"I believe that when Commander Li emerges, he will at least be at the peak of the Transmutation Realm. Although Commander Li's talent is exceptional, greater talent requires greater accumulation. At that time, I think Commander Li will be able to contend with advanced Divine Transformation Realm experts," Wen Qing nodded.
"I believe Commander Li will reach the Divine Transformation Realm. And this Furnace of Creation should operate for about ten years. In just over ten years, it will be the Pavilion Master selection competition. The minimum requirement for applicants is the Divine Transformation Realm, otherwise, there will be no chance." Bo Xing Han said.
"Indeed. In more than six months, it will be the Pavilion Master selection competition. It is rumored that a candidate for the Grand Pavilion Master will also be selected this time. What do you think, if Commander Li becomes a candidate for the Grand Pavilion Master, will we also rise with him?"
"Candidate for the Grand Pavilion Master… I recall Grand Pavilion Master Deng Lun's strength is at the advanced stage of the Epoch Realm. If a candidate for the Grand Pavilion Master is to be selected, wouldn't Grand Pavilion Master Deng have to prepare to step down?"
"…"
Furnace of Creation, cliffside.
*Boom!*
With a resounding boom, Li Xuan's aura surged like a breached dam. After a full ten breaths, it slowly subsided.
"One hundred and twenty thousand Star Spiritual Beads!"
Li Xuan opened his eyes, filled with astonishment. In these five years of cultivation, the number of Star Spiritual Beads in his body had doubled from sixty thousand. Li Xuan's realm had also advanced from the early stage of the Quantitative Realm to the advanced stage of the Quantitative Realm.
"This Furnace of Creation is indeed worthy of being a treasure land. If it were in the outside world, reaching this level would have taken at least twenty years," Li Xuan mused with emotion.
Not only was the spiritual energy here abundant, but the speed of absorption, refinement, and condensation was also several times faster than in the outside world. Moreover, Li Xuan had the illusion that within the Furnace of Creation, he was as free as a fish in water.
"I wonder how Brother Qiu and Brother Gong are doing." Li Xuan withdrew his thoughts, sighing with a touch of helplessness after sensing the changes in his body.
Earlier, when entering the spatial rift, the reason Li Xuan had directly resisted the entry with his physical body was to allow his body to break through under immense external force.
However, unfortunately, although his physical body had shown some progress, there was no significant improvement.
"Never mind, I shall continue cultivating."