Chapter 384 - 381: News

Chapter 384: Chapter 381: News

’Is Master still on the front lines at Broken Soul Mountain...?’

After cultivating the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique for half a month, Shen Changchuan felt he had made significant progress and decided to temporarily end his closed-door cultivation.

He went to the Dragon Cloud Sect’s stronghold in Barbaric City to ask for news of his master, Master Wandering Dragon.

But unfortunately,

the news he received was that his master was still fighting on the front lines.

This left Shen Changchuan feeling rather frustrated.

After all, it had been over a month since he arrived in Barbaric City.

’Maybe I should just go to the front lines and find Master?’

’No, on second thought, I’d better not.’

’That Broken Soul Mountain is where a Spirit Stone Vein is located. The city built atop it is a vital stronghold for several major factions of the Nanyue Kingdom, and the battles and slaughter that occur there are the most brutal on the entire front line...’

’I’d better just wait here patiently!’

Shen Changchuan shook his head,

instantly dismissing the thought.

The front lines were too dangerous!

It was a battlefield where the elites of both the Righteous and Evil Daos converged.

One could even say that Soul Emergence cultivators were a dime a dozen there, and only Divine Travel experts could truly make their presence felt.

As a mere cultivator at the Soul Emergence Third Layer Peak,

what business did he have stirring up trouble on a battlefield like that?

It was best to stay in Barbaric City for a while and reassess later.

As it happened,

he recalled that before setting out, he had asked Senior Sister Wei if he needed to return to the Sect within a specific time limit.

After some careful thought, Senior Sister Wei had told him that if there was nothing pressing in Barbaric City, he should return within a year. After all, the Sect was rather short-handed when it came to guards...

A year’s time. He could think of it as a vacation after his three hard years of patrol duty.

With a year of leisure time,

he had more than enough time to use as he saw fit.

Shen Changchuan had no intention of returning anytime soon.

Because,

the trading markets in Barbaric City offered many Heavenly and Earthly Treasures suitable for Soul Emergence Realm Cultivators, and at prices significantly cheaper than in the Tian Nan Domain.

Most of these items were spoils of war from the front lines.

Naturally, their prices were lower than in the Tian Nan Domain.

In that case,

compared to the Tian Nan Domain,

this place was undoubtedly more suitable for Cultivation.

This was especially true since he had modified the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique; his Magical Power had been compressed and purified, reducing its total volume considerably.

He now needed to consume Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to replenish the deficit created by this compression!

’That’s right!’

’Even though I don’t plan to go to the front lines at Broken Soul Mountain, I can send a Communication Talisman to ask Master himself!’

’How could I be so stupid!’

’Master’s connections are far more extensive. Even if he can’t procure one, he can at least find information about the Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly!’

’That’s the plan!’

Having made his decision,

Shen Changchuan mulled it over for a moment before quickly sending a Communication Talisman with his inquiry.

After that,

Shen Changchuan was finally able to settle his mind for the time being.

Perhaps it was the clarity that came from resolving one issue,

as he immediately thought of something else.

He then headed straight to Barbaric City’s Central Administration Hall, spent a sum of Spirit Stones, and posted a quest for information on the Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly, or anything related to it.

He felt so stupid.

Instead of running around asking people for information on the Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly,

it was far better to just post a quest and have others do the searching for him!

These past few days,

he had been so focused on the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique that he had completely forgotten about this option.

’The Nanyue Kingdom is in the Barbaric Land, a place rampant with miasma. Their Gu Techniques are highly developed, so there ought to be a place that cultivates Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterflies.’

’If even the Nanyue Kingdom doesn’t have any, then I’m afraid my only choice is to go through Master and use the Yuqing Immortal Sect’s channels...’

After taking care of these matters,

Shen Changchuan went to the trading market and purchased a large quantity of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures suitable for Soul Emergence Realm Cultivators.

He spent a total of over three thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones.

Carrying these precious Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, Shen Changchuan began his closed-door Cultivation.

This closed-door Cultivation session,

was primarily focused on cultivating the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique that Shen Changchuan himself had modified.

He planned to repeatedly temper, compress, and purify his Magical Power,

and then, with the aid of the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures he had purchased, replenish the volume he lost through compression.

This would increase the overall potency of his Magical Power.

This was no easy task.

Because, drawing from his experience with the Nine Elements Divine Extraction Technique,

he knew that repeatedly forging, compressing, and purifying the Magical Power in his body

would not only consume immense energy but would also take a particularly heavy toll on his Divine Soul Perception.

Furthermore,

the time investment would be substantial.

It would require immense patience.

The time required,

Shen Changchuan estimated, would be at least a year, if not more.

But Shen Changchuan believed

that all these costs were worth it.

Because,

for him, cultivating this Secret Technique accomplished more than just refining his Magical Power.

For him,

the significance of cultivating this Secret Technique to purify his Magical Power

was far greater than it would be for anyone else.

’The whole point of the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Secret Skill is to purify one’s Magical Power!’

’And for me, that’s truer than for anyone!’

Shen Changchuan heaved a long sigh.

’No matter how you look at it, it’s taken me less than ten years to get from the Third Layer Peak of the Qi Introduction Realm to where I am today.’

’Over the last ten years, even though I’ve consumed many Heavenly and Earthly Treasures through fortunate encounters and tempered my Magical Power by spamming Perfection Techniques... I still ultimately lack the refinement and accumulation that only time can provide!’

’You have to understand, even among Cultivators who’ve advanced to the Soul Emergence Realm, anyone who can raise their Cultivation by a single layer within five years is considered a heavenly prodigy!’

’And yet, in just three years, I’ve already advanced three layers.’

’Compared to other Soul Emergence Realm Cultivators, the sheer quantity of my Magical Power might not be that different from an ordinary cultivator of the same rank. But when it comes to the ’thickness’ of accumulation over time, there’s a massive gap!’

’Perhaps this lack of ’thickness’ from accumulated time is the exact reason I’m now facing a bottleneck at the Soul Emergence Third Layer Peak, with my Cultivation completely stagnant...’

Inside his temporary cave abode,

Shen Changchuan sat cross-legged on the White Jade Meditation Mat, his mind racing with these thoughts.

Encountering a bottleneck,

with his Cultivation remaining stagnant for over half a year,

was a bad thing.

But at the same time,

it could also be considered a good thing,

because it gave Shen Changchuan an opportunity to re-evaluate and truly understand himself!

All of the above—

the idea that his Magical Power lacked ’thickness’—

was the great insight Shen Changchuan had gained during this period.

And it was precisely this lack of ’thickness’

that caused his Magical Power to lack the foundation and strength needed to make the next leap, leaving him powerless to charge through the bottleneck that blocked his path!

Originally,

Shen Changchuan wouldn’t have realized this so quickly.

But after he modified the Qi Absorption and Essence Returning Technique,

and successfully cultivated it,

successfully compressing and purifying his Magical Power by one-fifth and causing the bottleneck at the Third Layer Peak to loosen ever so slightly,

Shen Changchuan finally came to a complete understanding.

’If my theory is correct, then once I succeed in this, the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer won’t be far away!’

Gazing at the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures before him, which he had spent a fortune in Spirit Stones to acquire,

a glimmer of determination flashed in Shen Changchuan’s eyes. He then began his closed-door Cultivation.