Chapter 539 - 537: Enhanced Absorption

When an ordinary person entered, their meridians would be flooded by the terrifying Elemental Power, swelling them to the bursting point. It wasn’t a matter of simply choosing not to absorb the energy to control it.

It was like a water tank; a small hole could be easily plugged, but once the hole grew large enough, it would be impossible to stop the leak.

This was where the effects of Control Power became apparent. One could absorb as much or as little as desired, keeping the surging Elemental Power perfectly orderly and preventing any chaos.

The Elemental Power in the Spiritual Source Pool was ferocious. If one’s Cultivation was too low, their Control Power would be completely insufficient. A cultivator needed to be at least at the Core Formation Stage, and in the Late Stage of it, to fully control this turbulent energy.

Therefore, staying in the Spiritual Source Pool for an extended period required immense Control Power. In essence, the stronger one’s Control Power, the longer one could remain!

If an expert like Bu Lingyu were to enter, he could stay for as long as he wished. The problem was, the entire Spiritual Source Pool wouldn’t be enough for him to absorb. For someone with a Spirit King Stage Cultivation, the pool’s effects were negligible; it was practically useless to him.

To advance his Cultivation, he would need to consume superior Spirit Medicine or absorb even greater amounts of Elemental Power. To put it in terrifying perspective, the Elemental Power and time required to advance from the First Layer to the Second Layer of the Spirit King Stage exceeded the sum total of all stages before the Spirit King Stage combined!

If Bu Lingyu went in, the Spiritual Source Pool would be completely drained in a matter of moments. Thus, it was reserved for disciples with lower Cultivation, ensuring it was effective and could be used by many.

In their eyes, Lin Xuan hadn’t been in the Spiritual Source Pool for long. They primarily believed his Cultivation was too poor; after all, a Third Layer Spirit Pill Stage Cultivation was a bit too low. They only judged based on his Cultivation level, failing to consider how Lin Xuan managed to win first place with such a low level!

Most people believed Lin Xuan had relied on a treasure; otherwise, how could he have taken first place? He had no talent to speak of. While he possessed some skill, his Artifact Refining ability was completely useless in the competition.

Lin Xuan paid no mind to their thoughts. He fully immersed himself in the Spiritual Source Pool and began to absorb with abandon. The influx of energy was tinged with multicolored light, containing the effects of various Spirit Medicines. As he absorbed it, the strength of his meridians increased. The process was slow—it wasn’t like consuming the medicines directly, after all—but there was still a noticeable improvement.

’All of you, come to me...’

Lin Xuan gathered the Elemental Power, guiding it into the Elixir Core Pearl within his body. It merged completely, steadily increasing the pearl’s size. The size of the Elixir Core Pearl indicated the amount of Elemental Power stored, and as more flooded in, it continued to expand.

He wasn’t in a rush, just slowly absorbing the energy. After all, there was no time limit.

The Bu Family only gave a single chance: if you fainted and were rescued, you couldn’t enter again. Likewise, if you left voluntarily, you couldn’t return. To enter a second time, one would have to earn it through contributions.

Thus, Lin Xuan cherished this opportunity. He was determined to achieve the best possible results and absorb until he was completely full before leaving!

The days passed one by one. In the blink of an eye, five days had gone by. Lin Xuan, still in the center of the Spiritual Source Pool, absorbed the Elemental Power with an unchanging expression. The surrounding energy was visibly flowing into his body at a steady, controlled pace. There were no violent surges, and certainly no signs of his body being overwhelmed to the point of bursting.

At this sight, the expressions of the onlookers changed. His Control Power was so immense that they couldn’t even begin to compare.

"Isn’t his Control Power a little too monstrous? Any ordinary disciple would have been painfully swollen with energy by now..."

"The Spiritual Source Pool is also mixed with the effects of other Spirit Medicines, which most people definitely can’t withstand. Yet he looks so relaxed... Could it be that his Control Power from Artifact Refining is at play here?"

"Does that mean he might actually surpass the Young Master’s record of eleven days?"

...

Disciples at the Spirit Pill Stage or below rarely lasted more than ten days—in fact, it was practically unheard of. Cultivators at the Core Formation Stage and above had it easier; no one would be surprised if they stayed for over half a month. But the Spirit Pill Stage was different, and seeing someone at the Third Layer Spirit Pill Stage last this long was utterly shocking to them.

"Control Power?" Bu Chi came walking down from the mountain. He looked at Lin Xuan in the Spiritual Source Pool and said with a smile, "Qianfan, when it comes to Control Power, you’ve lost to him completely. I could tell from his Artifact Refining Technique that his control was formidable. To be able to manifest Elemental Power Wings at the Spirit Pill Stage... Even if he was aided by Phoenix Essence Blood, I can say that very few cultivators at his level could ever accomplish such a feat!"

Elemental Power Wings!

Bu Qianfan gasped, and even Bu Lingyu was stunned. Neither of them had ever seen Lin Xuan fight, let alone witnessed his true strength. The only one who had watched Lin Xuan’s battles from start to finish was Bu Feiyun, and even he had judged him incorrectly.

Preconceived notions had locked Bu Feiyun’s judgment in place. ’So what if he’s strong now with his Seventh-class Talent and Moderate Constitution? The limitations will become a huge problem later on.’

In their eyes, the Spirit Pill Stage was merely the entry level. To be blunt, they saw it in the same light as the Body Refining Stage or Spirit Refining Stage—just the beginning of the path. So what if someone was powerful during the Body Refining Stage? That didn’t guarantee they could maintain that level of prowess later on.

They had seen plenty of geniuses who failed to break through to higher realms. Without a genius-level constitution, the hope of making such a breakthrough was almost nonexistent.

"He can manifest Elemental Power Wings at the Third Layer Spirit Pill Stage? That’s inhuman!" Bu Qianfan said, stunned. "Fine, he can definitely last more than ten days. I just wonder how much he’ll be able to absorb..."

The crowd exchanged glances, not expecting to hear such shocking news. This was an absolute humiliation. How could they even talk about how long they lasted? Compared to Lin Xuan, they had been utterly overestimating their own abilities!

They had initially thought Lin Xuan would only last six or seven days, but now they were left speechless. The only question remaining was how much Elemental Power Lin Xuan could actually absorb.

That was what truly mattered. No matter how strong one’s Control Power was, it was meaningless if they couldn’t absorb a large amount of energy. Lasting a long time was one thing, but absorbing more was the true measure of skill!

Just as they were wondering how many days Lin Xuan could last, a vortex suddenly formed with him at its center. He had begun to crazily accelerate his absorption rate!

He began to madly pull the surrounding Elemental Power into his body, leaving the crowd dumbfounded once more. Typically, unless one’s Control Power was exceptionally strong, absorbing slowly was the best choice to avoid damaging the meridians. For Lin Xuan to suddenly start absorbing so frantically—wasn’t that the same as losing control?