Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, I am your second master

Chapter 83 Half-Step Spirit Realm

Su Wanyin: "We've been traveling for several days, let's rest for a day first. Tomorrow I'll take you to the branch tower to get a certified alchemist badge from the Pill Tower."

"OK."

Su Wanyin led the way, taking Xiao Li and Mang Tianchi to the courtyard where Yin Gu was located.

"What? You can only participate in one session of the Pill Gathering?" On the way, Xiao Li was told by Su Wanyin about the rules of the Pill Gathering. The age limit was very lenient, and even old monsters could participate, but they could only participate once.

Su Wanyin nodded: "That's right, didn't Senior Mang tell you?"

Bu Tianchi touched his nose somewhat awkwardly. He had forgotten about this rule. After all, he wasn't an alchemist, so it was normal for him not to know about it.

"It seems I'll have to work hard this year's Dan competition to try and get a good ranking. I can't waste this one chance."

Xiao Li had originally planned to coast through this year's Pill Gathering and then come back to show off next year, but now it seems that won't work. He only has one chance and can't waste it; it would be embarrassing to get a bad ranking.

Xiao Li and his group strolled through the outer region of the Pill Domain. The place was bustling with people, and even though the Pill Gathering was still three months away, it was already nearly overflowing with people.

Peng~

Suddenly, an old figure bumped into Xiao Li, and the old man fell down uncontrollably. Xiao Li subconsciously reached out to support the old man.

"Sir, are you alright?" Xiao Li helped the old man up and asked with concern. He noticed that the old man's cultivation level was very low, only around the Dou Zhe level.

"Cough cough, it's nothing, it's nothing. Thank you, young brother. I was blocking your way." The old man was dressed in tattered hemp clothes and looked somewhat like a beggar, but he didn't have that kind of stench.

Xiao Li didn't think too much about it: "What's the big deal about blocking the way? We're all human. I didn't see the road clearly. I'm sorry, sir."

The old man clasped his hands in a salute to Xiao Li and then hurriedly left. Xiao Li scratched his head and left as well.

Bu Tianchi frowned: "Boy, why waste words with such an ant? He's just a fighter, is it really necessary to be like this?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li shook his head, his gaze calmly turning to the old man who had already left. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable firmness: "We are all cultivators in this world, the only difference being some gaps in our cultivation levels."

That was merely an unintentional collision, not a deliberate offense. Why press the matter further? Bullying the weak simply because of one's superior cultivation goes against my principles and is detrimental to my cultivation.

Wang Mang Tian Chi shook his head: "Fine, do as you please, but remember this world is a dog-eat-dog world. The weak are destined to be eaten, and ants have no dignity."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li gently shook his head, his tone indifferent: "That's not how it works. There are differences in cultivation levels and circumstances, but that doesn't give us the right to belittle others."

He is an ant today, a weakling, but who knows if he won't have a great future? If I were to act arrogantly towards him today because of my slightly higher cultivation level, or even kill him at the drop of a hat, how would I be any different from a wild beast in the mountains that only knows the law of the jungle?

Our cultivation is not just about refining fighting spirit, but also about cultivating our mindset. The stronger one is, the more one should know reverence, not arrogance. "Today I am strong, so I can bully others."

If I encounter someone stronger than myself in the future, am I also destined to be humiliated, treated like an ant, and utterly devoid of dignity? This is not the way of the strong; it is merely a barbaric cycle.

Even the once-renowned Dou Di did not indiscriminately kill any living beings on the continent simply because of his superior cultivation.

If one lacks even this basic tolerance, then the path of cultivation will likely become increasingly narrow, ultimately resulting in nothing more than an empty shell of power, a solitary figure.

Xiao Li's words stunned Bu Tianchi for a moment. Then he recalled the arrogant bastards in his clan who, relying on their Dou Di bloodline, were complacent, power-hungry, and disdainful of others.

Bu Tianchi shook his head and continued walking without saying a word.

Su Wanyin pondered Xiao Li's words, which were reminiscent of Wang Ming's. Wang Ming had acted similarly back then, never implicating others despite his deep-seated hatred for Ice River Valley, even at the cost of his own injuries. Truly a disciple of Wang Ming, cultivating the mind is the foundation of cultivation.

Afterwards, the group continued walking towards the courtyard where Yin Gu was located.

The old man who had just bumped into Xiao Li stood back in Xiao Li's spot, his hands behind his back. His eyes were clear yet filled with a sense of world-weariness.

He carried a strange aura, as if he were part of this world, completely out of place with the people around him.

"Hehe, I didn't expect to encounter such an interesting little fellow on my return to the Pill Tower. Such insights are truly rare! A Dou Huang cultivation level, a peak Mortal Realm soul, almost touching the Spirit Realm. Quite interesting, perhaps..."

The old man's aged voice rang out, but no one around him noticed him. The next moment, the old man disappeared as if he had never existed.

Su Wanyin led Xiao Li and the others for half an hour, arriving at a rather large manor. An antique plaque bore the inscription: "..."

The two large characters read "Music Academy".

This is the courtyard that Yin Gu purchased in Shengdan City, where Xiao Li will be staying for a few months.

The sky was beginning to darken, and it was almost night. The starry sky over Saint Pill City was extremely bright, and Xiao Li stared at the sky, somewhat lost in thought.

That must be the location of the Three Thousand Burning Flames, known as the immortal flame. Unfortunately, I already have the Yin-Yang Heart Flame, but if I could get some of the Three Thousand Burning Flames' offspring flames...

"Let the Yin-Yang Heart Flame devour it. I wonder if I can gain the immortality of the Three Thousand Burning Flames?" Xiao Li shook his head, thinking he was overthinking it. He was already extremely lucky to have survived that time. With the Yin-Yang Heart Flame, which is no less powerful than the Nine Dragons Thunderfire, what more could he ask for?

Xiao Li looked at the sky for a while, and suddenly his soul trembled. He sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes. The moment he did so, a vast soul power spread out from between his eyebrows like a tide.

The power of the soul spread across the sky like ripples on water, and that strange, spiritual feeling accompanied the spread of the soul power.

Xiao Li's soul is undergoing a transformation, gradually giving birth to wisps of spiritual energy.

Both Mang Tianchi and Su Wanyin noticed Xiao Li's movements.

Mang Tianchi: "This is truly outrageous. You can have an epiphany just by looking at the stars?"

Su Wanyin covered her mouth and smiled.

Xiao Li's soul power was rising, but suddenly stopped. Xiao Li found the feeling he had before, and his soul power began to shrink. Just then, an old voice entered Xiao Li's ears.

"At the pinnacle of the soul, draw stars into the body, gather stars to form spirits, and forge the soul by absorbing spirits..."

"Which senior is it?" Xiao Li asked inwardly.

Calm your mind and focus, circulating your soul power according to this incantation. Xiao Li heard the aged voice again, confirming that he was not hallucinating, and continued to silently recite the incantation. After reciting the incantation three times, Xiao Li suddenly sensed the presence of spiritual energy in the world!

Spiritual energy is an extremely mysterious form of energy. It does not possess the power of battle qi, but it is a great source of nourishment for the soul. However, spiritual energy is like chaos and is extremely difficult to sense.

In ancient times, alchemists were able to sense and absorb spiritual energy because they possessed special soul skills. However, in this era, those so-called mysterious soul skills have long since disappeared, and few alchemists know how to sense and absorb spiritual energy.

While reciting this incantation, Xiao Li was able to absorb a trace of spiritual energy. This incantation was enough to drive any seventh-grade alchemist crazy!

Xiao Li continued to close his eyes and silently recite the incantation, then tried his best to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Not far away, on the top of a tall building, the old man who had been there during the day stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at Xiao Li's location with a smile on his face.

"This child is teachable. Since we have some connection, I'll lend a hand. Let's see what he can achieve after this alchemy competition."

The old man disappeared after he finished speaking, without causing any ripples in the surrounding space.

Xiao Li sat there for an entire night. When the morning sun shone into Saint Pill City, Xiao Li's enlightenment came to an end. He opened his eyes and felt that everything around him was much clearer.

The night's cultivation left Xiao Li feeling extremely refreshed. The absorption of spiritual energy had swept away all the fatigue he had experienced in the past few days. Xiao Li even felt that in his current clear and tranquil state, he could refine a peak seventh-grade pill!

Mang Tianchi sat around Xiao Li, holding a wine pot in his hand, looking at Xiao Li as if he were a monster.

"How did this kid's soul realm rise from the peak of the mortal realm to the half-step spiritual realm after sitting for one night? Can stargazing really have such an effect?"

"That doesn't make sense either. Aren't the stars in Saint Dan City those things? This is strange."

The monk, Zhang Er, was completely baffled. He then stopped thinking about it and took a big gulp of wine. To him, the more outrageous the little guy was, the more face he would save.

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