Chapter Thirty-six: Cultivation Depends on Oneself

“What do you want me to do?” Li Xuyue struggled to avert her gaze as she asked.

Su Yizhao pondered for a moment, then said, “Seal the entrance to the cave to prevent the spiritual energy from leaking. Then, let’s cultivate together with the spirit stones.”

“Alright!”

Li Xuyue didn’t hesitate in the least and immediately cast her spell.

The cave entrance was barely wide enough for one person. As she unleashed her magic, the seawater there gradually froze over.

Su Yizhao opened his palm; resting in his hand was a ring.

A storage ring!

His spiritual sense entered the ring, and a satisfied smile crept onto his face.

It was immense!

A space ten zhang square—far larger than he’d dared hope.

The sect leader’s generosity truly defied convention!

Su Yizhao happily transferred all the contents of his storage pouch into the ring. Over two million spirit stones took up only a corner; wrapping his spiritual sense around five hundred thousand spirit stones, he pulled them out with a sudden motion.

A cacophony of clattering sounded as spirit stones poured out, filling the small cave to the brim.

“That’s... too many, isn’t it?” Li Xuyue’s voice came from within the heap of stones.

Both of them were now buried under the spirit stones, their bodies absorbing the released energy, which brought waves of comfort.

The spiritual energy in the cave instantly thickened.

Su Yizhao laughed. “Hurry and cultivate!”

In truth, he was still anxious. The Eight Trigrams mark on his chest behaved with no discernible pattern; he had no idea when it might begin to absorb spiritual energy. If it happened now, things would become dire.

These spirit stones could certainly feed the mark, but it would take time—a process. And time was the one thing he lacked.

Sitting cross-legged amidst the pile of spirit stones, he began circulating the Profound Energy Technique. The Creation Technique followed suit.

The Profound Energy Technique consisted of only five realms; it was a reward from Sect Leader Wan Gaofei for winning the competition before he entered the Profound Energy Sect.

To break through from the Five Divine Realm to the Six Divine Realm, he would need the next stage of the technique. The sect possessed it, but whether he could obtain it depended on his merit—a major achievement was required.

The sect naturally hoped everyone would cultivate diligently, so the main techniques weren’t strictly restricted; as long as one’s realm was sufficient and contributed enough points, the methods would be passed down.

If he survived tomorrow, he could request the next stage.

Lost in thought, Su Yizhao began absorbing the spiritual energy.

The dense energy flowed into his dantian, transforming into nourishing rain, stored within.

The pentagonal pool of profound energy began to boil.

Originally, the profound energy was slowly being refined by the spiritual energy, becoming purer.

As he continued to circulate his techniques, streams of energy surged through his dantian and meridians.

Under the guidance of the Creation Technique, spiritual energy gathered at ten times the usual rate.

Pain!

Intense pain!

He gritted his teeth and endured.

Within his dantian, the pentagonal pool of spiritual energy slowly expanded!

When it grew large enough to fill the dantian, he would reach the peak of the Five Divine Realm.

But now, the pool was only half the size of his dantian—a sign of being in the mid-stage.

Slow!

Excruciatingly slow!

After a while, Su Yizhao grew disappointed.

The effect of the second layer of the Creation Technique had reached its limit. For his current realm, it only brought unbearable pain, offering no real progress.

The third layer was nowhere in sight; he felt powerless.

He’d become accustomed to rapid cultivation advances, but now, the sluggish pace left him uninspired.

As soon as he felt the urge to give up, his whole demeanor slumped.

He stopped circulating his techniques; beside him, Li Xuyue’s steady breaths could be heard—her cultivation was progressing slowly but surely.

This peerless master of alchemy possessed an astonishingly serene disposition!

In such a situation, in such a place, she could simply focus on cultivation—truly worthy of her title.

He used to be the same, always on duty outside, facing danger and death constantly, yet able to slip into a cultivation state no matter the environment.

Suddenly, he jolted awake, cold sweat pouring down his brow!

Before, he could do it—why not now?

Where had that fighting spirit gone?

In cultivation, powerful techniques are not the key—one’s mindset is paramount!

This was common knowledge in the Law Enforcement Hall: attitude surpasses all!

Cultivation is, above all, cultivation of the heart!

Without a strong heart, even those of high realm cannot go far!

That’s why so many cultivators spend centuries in seclusion—because the heart is hardest to train.

Why had his mindset deteriorated?

Why did he want to give up at the slightest difficulty?

The more he thought, the more terrified he became. Sweat gathered on his forehead, trickling down in streams.

The Profound Energy Creation Technique was indeed formidable!

But it was an external aid.

Whether spirit stones, pills, artifacts, or sect background—all are external!

External aids are necessary, but one cannot rely upon them!

Cultivation ultimately depends on oneself!

He had known this truth long ago, and before obtaining the Profound Energy Creation Technique, had always acted accordingly.

But lately, things had changed—his fighting spirit had faded!

Fortunately, he realized it in time!

Now awakened, he resolved to change—completely!

With this realization, he steadied his mind, wiped away the sweat, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his techniques once more...

A day later, Xuan Wujie returned with everyone to the skies.

Opposite them, at the same distance and place, hovered the disciples of the Profound Body Sect and Profound Soul Sect.

The three sides faced each other, the air instantly growing tense.

Su Yizhao and Li Xuyue still stood at the rear. Although he hadn’t seen the smile on Xuan Wujie’s face, he knew his mood was excellent.

When they departed, Xuan Wujie had patted his shoulder.

This day’s harvest was surely substantial!

Yet Su Yizhao’s own mood was not so bright.

As he had foreseen, even with a heap of spirit stones, it was impossible to reach the peak of the Five Divine Realm in a single night.

Cultivation is time-consuming; it’s not just about absorbing energy.

At this moment, the pentagonal pool in his dantian had expanded by only two inches—a result better than expected.

His greatest achievement was that the Earth Sword Technique, propelled by the Creation Technique, had been cultivated to proficiency. The second layer of the Creation Technique only worked for the mid-stage of the fifth realm, which was already impressive!

“Brother Yizhao, what should we do?” Li Xuyue’s cultivation had advanced swiftly, reaching the peak of the Third Profound Realm.

After awakening last night, Su Yizhao’s mindset had returned to its proper track. He answered firmly, “We fight to the death—trust me!”

Having cultivated the Earth Sword Technique to proficiency, its power was twice that of the perfected Flying Sword Technique. But this could only be his trump card—unless absolutely necessary, he must not use it, especially since Xuan Wujie had only given him the sword technique yesterday.

He must keep it secret that he possessed the Creation Technique, a method that could defy the heavens.

With the perfected Flying Sword Technique and a host of perfected fourth-tier spells, he could certainly put up a fight. Besides, a three-way battle was about more than just cultivation and power.

“Go! Fight to the death! Your family and she—the sect will protect them for a hundred years. If you surrender or flee at the last moment, neither your family nor she will be protected!”

Xuan Wujie turned, his eyes gleaming with a smile; he must have excavated a large number of spirit stones.

Su Yizhao’s heart raced!

This move was truly ruthless!