Chapter 1038: Five Years

For an outsider to reside in a seventh-tier spirit vein, they would either have to perform an unparalleled feat for the Great Yu Kingdom or join the kingdom and pass through layers of strict screening to become an official, then gradually rise through the ranks to serve in the court. Only then could they enjoy their own cave abode within the seventh-rank spirit vein.

Cave abodes in the seventh-rank spirit vein could not be inherited. Those qualified to live there only held the right of use. Once they died or left the Great Yu Kingdom, the Royal Family would reclaim the abode.

The two newcomers, naturally, could not directly move into the seventh-rank spirit vein. For them, this Sixth-rank Spirit Vein was already more than sufficient.

Generally speaking, a Fifth-rank Spirit Vein could satisfy the daily cultivation needs of the Divine Transformation Realm. A Sixth-rank Spirit Vein like this was typically chosen by experts in the Void Refinement Realm or those who had recently entered the Body Integration Realm.

However, considering that Li Qing was about to advance to the Void Refinement Realm and had a significant need for a rich spiritual energy environment, Xia Wushuang decided to go all out and bring Li Qing directly to this place.

Because he had a large amount of Monkey Wine on him, Xia Wushuang even rented a cave abode for himself here, putting on a show of great wealth.

Li Qing had no objections to this. He casually took twelve thousand spirit stones from his storage bag and successfully moved into his own cave abode.

He didn't even set up any restrictions. After entering the cave abode, he sat down cross-legged and completely immersed his mind in comprehending the Unity of the Five Elements.

"What a cultivation fanatic. Someone like you would truly fit right in on the Heavenly Origin Continent. The human race there is filled with people devoted to cultivation; you'd probably find many kindred spirits."

After bringing Li Qing to the cave abode, Xia Wushuang couldn't help but sigh in amazement. Finally, he shook his head and left Li Qing's cave abode, heading to his own.

Cultivation knows no time, especially when it comes to comprehending Daoist arts, which can be incredibly time-consuming.

Once you enter a dead end, you might be trapped for a lifetime without ever finding a way out.

Right now, Li Qing seemed to have entered such a dead end in his comprehension of the Dao. Various arcane codices related to the Five Elements continuously appeared in his mind.

He began to dismantle the various scriptures, then recombine them, hoping to gain inspiration and further refine his own Five Elements Harmony.

"The five viscera of the human body correspond to the five elements. Could the secret of the Five Elements within them be related to the Five Elements Harmony of the Void Refinement Realm?"

Li Qing asked himself, feeling as if he had stumbled upon a crucial point.

"But the Void Refinement Realm emphasizes the Unity of the Five Elements—merging them into one. Could it be that in my breakthrough attempt, I must also fuse my five viscera and six bowels together?"

This was obviously wrong. It had to be a dead end.

He discarded the idea and delved even deeper into his research.

In truth, his current understanding of the Five Elements Harmony was already sufficient for him to begin his breakthrough attempt to the Void Refinement Realm. However, Li Qing's ambitions were great; he wanted to make this step as perfect as possible.

"The Void Refinement Realm was once called the Void Returning Stage. Does it mean returning from substance to void, or from void to substance? Why was it later collectively called Void Refinement? What exactly is being refined?"

The more he pondered, the more questions arose in his mind. Before the previous one could be answered, new and even more difficult problems emerged, trapping him in place.

"What about variant spirit roots then? How would a cultivator with a variant spirit root achieve the Unity of the Five Elements and advance to the Void Refinement Realm?"

"Could they discard their own variant spirit root and transform it into a five elements spirit root?"

Due to his limited knowledge, Li Qing knew nothing about this and was left in a state of utter confusion.

The hair on his head grew denser and longer, eventually trailing on the ground. His entire demeanor became somewhat desolate.

As time passed, Li Qing, lacking a powerful master to guide him, could only blaze his own trail on the path of cultivation. He advanced step by step, relying solely on himself.

Fortunately, the cultivation technique he practiced was very comprehensive. The Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art contained detailed records regarding the Void Refinement Realm.

Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch had also been stuck at this checkpoint for many years. Later, he successfully advanced by fusing all the heavenly spirit fires he had obtained into one, using it as the foundation for his Void Refinement.

It wasn't that Li Qing couldn't follow suit, but he only possessed four heavenly spirit fires, far fewer than the multiple heavenly spirit fires Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch had at the time.

To follow this path, he would need at least five Heavenly Spirit Fires, each corresponding to the Five Elements Harmony.

However, even if Li Qing could meet this condition, he had no intention of doing so.

This time, he chose to comprehend the Dao on his own, aiming to carve out his own unique path.

Cultivation techniques could be borrowed, but the Dao, in the end, must be one's own.

Li Qing completely lost track of time. If not for the person who came to collect the spirit stones for his rented cave abode, he wouldn't have even known how long had passed.

In the blink of an eye, five years of the Spirit Realm had already gone by. Just for the rent of the cave abode, Li Qing had spent over sixty thousand spirit stones.

Fortunately, he had a substantial foundation, so he could afford these expenses without feeling financially strained.

Over these five years, he had analyzed a vast number of arcane codexes and scriptures related to the Five Elements Daoist Arts.

Although his cultivation level hadn't increased at all, his understanding of the Dao of the Five Elements had surpassed that of ordinary people. Through this, he mastered numerous divine abilities and cultivation techniques related to the Five Elements. Even the Five Elements Escape Technique, which was difficult for ordinary people to cultivate, was fully comprehended by him.

But none of this was what he truly desired. His real goal was to achieve the perfect Unity of the Five Elements—or rather, a Unity of the Five Elements that was right for him.

Five years passed—neither too long nor too short.

Yujing City remained the same Yujing City, unchanged as ever. Only the powerful figures in the imperial court had seen many changes, and many events had unfolded within the Great Yu Kingdom.

Inside his cave abode, Li Qing now looked very much like a wild man. Three thousand strands of carefree hair had grown from his head, cascading loosely onto the ground, and his eyes appeared somewhat haggard.

"Am I really going to advance to the Void Refinement Realm in the ordinary way? Without establishing a solid foundation in the Great Dao, how can I hope to reach the Body Integration or even the Great Ascension realm in the future?"

Five years had already passed. If he gave up now, wouldn't those five years have been wasted in vain?

Li Qing was unwilling to accept this. He took out the Five Elements Jujubes he had previously obtained on a mysterious isolated island from his storage bag.

He took out five of them, one for each of the five elements. Each Five Elements Jujube was plump and round, radiating the essence of the five elements.

Li Qing stared intently at these Five Elements Jujubes, trying to discern some unique secrets of the five elements from them.

Unknowingly, he was once again immersed in his contemplation.