Chapter 17: A Turning Point

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Li Yao rose to his feet, and an overwhelming surge of energy instantly swept through the entire room. After cultivating the Life Spring Scripture, his strength had grown considerably. His body underwent another transformation; his flesh, bones, and blood all evolved further, and his divine power became more refined.

"Upon reaching the Life Spring realm, life itself undergoes a metamorphosis, and lifespan increases significantly," Li Yao estimated after sensing his body's condition.

If in the Bitter Sea realm his lifespan was just over two hundred years, now he had surpassed the three hundred-year mark.

Three hundred years—on Earth, such a span could witness a dynasty rise and fall. The Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties each lasted about three hundred years from their founding to collapse. From a mortal’s perspective, Li Yao was already a long-lived being.

And this was only shortly after he had begun his cultivation. The human body had five secret realms; he had not yet fully mastered even the first, yet already displayed such extraordinary traits. No wonder cultivation defies the heavens and is frowned upon by the natural order.

“I have the offensive divine arts and the Life Spring Scripture. Forging the artifact won’t be completed quickly; it’s a process like grinding with a waterwheel. Next, I must perfect my cultivation of the Life Spring and gather the pure essence needed to deduce the Divine Bridge Scripture,” Li Yao began planning his next steps.

“Whether it’s cultivation or deducing the Divine Bridge Scripture, resources are essential. I still have over a hundred jin of pure essence, enough for cultivation, but far from sufficient for deducing the Divine Bridge Scripture.”

The deduction of the Life Spring Scripture had cost him a full three months, consuming three thousand jin of pure essence. The Divine Bridge Scripture was even more demanding, requiring five thousand jin.

He currently acquired seven hundred jin of pure essence monthly. To amass five thousand jin, he’d need seven months—five months even if he broke through to the Divine Bridge realm.

“Lacking essence…” Li Yao sighed deeply.

In truth, the Dawn Sun Divine Island’s support was already generous. With the resources he now received monthly, even Ye Fan could manage within the Ring Sea Secret Realm. The current scarcity was due to the tremendous consumption required to deduce the divine scriptures.

If Li Yao cultivated alone, he wouldn’t use even a thousand jin of pure essence and could reach the Beyond realm.

But all this expenditure was worthwhile in his eyes. A mere few thousand jin of pure essence could elevate a Great Sage-level scripture to the Emperor Scripture tier.

It was akin to paying a few thousand jin of pure essence to have a great emperor personally deduce a scripture—a chance no one would refuse, even if it meant selling everything.

Li Yao was certainly eager for this but felt the time required was too long. Half a year was an eternity when every moment counted.

“Ah, if only I could master the Source Heaven Scripture,” Li Yao thought silently.

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Relying solely on the resources from Dawn Sun Divine Island was clearly insufficient, and the further he advanced, the tighter his supply would become. Judging by how voracious the Heavenly Scripture was in absorbing essence, the future demand would only escalate.

Yet obtaining essence was no simple matter. No matter how much Li Yao racked his brain, he could not devise a feasible method.

He knew where the Source Heaven Scripture was, but that place was fraught with peril. With his current Life Spring realm cultivation and no protagonist’s aura, venturing to Purple Mountain meant a near-certain death rate of ninety-nine percent.

Moreover, given how highly Dawn Sun Divine Island valued him, they would never permit a Life Spring realm talent like him to wander recklessly.

If he had once enjoyed the benefits of joining a great power, now he faced its drawbacks: a lack of freedom. The more gifted one was, the less freedom one had early on.

This might not matter to others—they had scriptures and resources to cultivate, and when strength was insufficient, quietly focusing on cultivation was their desire. But for Li Yao, this was entirely a disadvantage.

Just as Li Yao felt somewhat dispirited, his expression suddenly changed—a powerful aura appeared outside his small courtyard. He opened the door and quickly strode outside.

He recognized the aura well. Having joined the Radiant Glory Sacred Land for four months, he had only met Zhang Chong and Elder Xun.

This aura unmistakably belonged to Zhang Chong.

Li Yao was puzzled. Zhang Chong usually visited only to deliver resources, and he had already done so this month.

He wondered why Zhang Chong had come this time.

Creak!

The courtyard gate opened. Three steps away stood Zhang Chong clad in armor, a towering figure with vibrant vitality, like a humanoid barbarian dragon. His presence alone was overwhelmingly oppressive.

“Grandmaster Zhang,” Li Yao greeted respectfully, clasping his fists.

Though they were no longer strangers, Li Yao remained courteous at every meeting.

“No need for such formality,” Zhang Chong said as he steadied Li Yao with a hand before speaking, “I’ve come to ask if you’d like to visit the Sacred City.”

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Undoubtedly, Zhang Chong admired Li Yao greatly. Initially, he had only regarded him highly due to his talent, but after contact, Li Yao’s humility despite his prowess impressed him further. So, when Zhang Chong planned to go to the Sacred City, he thought of inviting Li Yao.

A young man newly embarked on cultivation would naturally yearn to see the most prosperous Sacred City in the Eastern Wilderness.

Zhang Chong himself had been excited for a long time before his first trip there, so he assumed Li Yao would feel the same.

And indeed, upon hearing the chance to visit the Sacred City, Li Yao’s eyes brightened immediately.

He had just been thinking there might be no opportunity to go outside, but now he could—the prospect was truly thrilling.

“Thank you very much, Grandmaster Zhang,” he said sincerely.

This was a timely blessing; any chance to go out meant a chance to acquire essence, something of utmost importance to him.

“Very well, I’ll come for you early tomorrow,” Zhang Chong said, then left the courtyard.

After watching him go, Li Yao returned indoors.

“The Sacred City is a large metropolis with many opportunities. I must think about ways to quickly obtain essence.”

He was running low on essence. With sufficient resources, the Life Spring realm wouldn’t take long to perfect cultivation. After breaking through to the Divine Bridge realm, he would need the Divine Bridge Scripture.

He had waited three months for the Life Spring Scripture. Without change, the Divine Bridge Scripture would require at least five months. How much pure essence the Beyond Scripture needed was unknown, but certainly far more than the Divine Bridge. Beyond that were the Dao Palace Secret Realm and the Four Extremes Secret Realm...

“I must find a way to acquire essence. It’s a pity the Source Heaven Scripture is located in such a dangerous place as Purple Mountain,” Li Yao pondered deeply.