Translator: Truth
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
In the Rift of Illusions, two flying weapons surrounded Lu Ye as he cut down a Seventh-Order Insectoid with the Inviolable.
During his days studying the Way of Glyphs under Lady Yun, he had obtained another Spirit Artifact that was suitable for telekinesis from Hua Ci.
This meant he now had two telekinetically-controlled Spirit Artifacts. Both items shared similar power and appearance as well.
While his talent in controlling weapons wasn’t as monstrous as Li Baxian’s was, it definitely wasn’t weak by any means.
It was because he was a Glyphweaver. His control over his own Spiritual Power far exceeded other cultivators of the same cultivation level.
Moreover, the Tree of Glyphs guaranteed that his Spiritual Power was as pure as it could be. If he wanted to, he could control three or even four flying weapons at once!
However, controlling weapons remotely used up a lot of mental power. It was why most Spirit Creek Realm cultivators could only control one flying weapon at a time. It wasn’t because they didn’t have the mental strength to control two at a time, but because doing so would greatly diminish the power and flexibility of both flying weapons, so much so that they were better off just using a single flying weapon.
As for Lu Ye, he was comfortable with two flying weapons right now. Anymore than that, and he would be taxing himself somewhat.
The two Spirit Artifacts did wonders at keeping the Seventh-Order Insectoids at bay. Even when they managed to break through their circle of protection and get close to Lu Ye, all they achieved was to kill themselves on the Inviolable.
A moment later, the flying weapons returned to Lu Ye’s side, and he was surrounded by nine dead Insectoids.
This meant that he had conquered the ninth stage.
The carcasses disappeared without warning, and the fog in front of him churned as if something was about to burst forth.
Here it comes!
Lu Ye stared at the anomaly expectantly.
When he was still a Sixth-Order cultivator, he had once overcome the ninth stage and fought a cultivator on the tenth. Not long after he became a Seventh-Order cultivator and reentered the Rift of Illusions, he discovered that he had to start all over again from the Insectoids.
While killing Insectoids gained him combat experience all the same, it was nothing compared to battling against an actual cultivator. It was why Lu Ye had been so adamant at overcoming the first nine stages at the beginning. He wanted to know if the tenth stage would feature more Insectoids or something else. After he discovered the truth, he did not return to the Rift of Illusions because he believed that he hadn’t improved enough to make a difference.
But now, he could control two flying weapons in combat. As expected, he had a much easier time clearing the first nine stages.
A second later, a person wielding a spear that was shrouded in Spiritual Light charged out of the fog. He thrust the weapon straight at Lu Ye’s face.
Lu Ye was overjoyed to see this. Just as he suspected, his opponents from the tenth stage onward were humans.
He wasn’t fighting actual humans, of course. It was a miraculous construct of the Rift of Illusions. His opponent was shrouded from head to toe in fog, making it impossible to tell their appearance or even their gender.
An incense stick later, Lu Ye abruptly opened his eyes to his private training chamber. His complexion was a little pale, and his head hurt like a bitch as usual. This was the one and only flaw of the Rift of Illusions. Every time he died and awakened in the real world, he felt like someone had stabbed his brain with a needle.
He was able to kill several cultivators in the Rift of Illusions before dying, and he realized that the way they appeared was a little different from the Insectoids. The Insectoids had gradually increased in numbers until they reached the threshold, and their cultivation level was exactly the same as his.
On the other hand, he never fought more than one cultivator at a time, but their cultivation level increased by a level each time he cleared a stage.
Moreover, these cultivators fought like real cultivators even though they were covered from head to toe in fog. They also knew how to control flying weapons and execute various skills and techniques.
At the beginning, his opponent was a Seventh-Order cultivator. Then, it became an Eighth-Order cultivator. When a Ninth-Order cultivator showed up, well…
To reiterate, there were no breaks between the stages. Every time an enemy died, the next one would immediately rush out of the fog. He didn’t even have the time to catch his breath, much less recuperate his strength. Naturally, he was unable to hold out even after he went all out. The Ninth-Order cultivator in particular had sliced him to pieces with their sword.
Lu Ye wasn’t depressed in the slightest. In fact, he thought the experience was worth every Contribution Point he spent!
Death inside the Rift of Illusions was as real as it could be. Not only that, it allowed him to experience the fighting styles of various factions without the associated risks. In the future, he would be so much more prepared against the same type of opponents.
He took a moment to inspect his Battlefield Imprint.
Name: Lu Ye
Identity: Crimson Blood Sect Disciple
Cultivation: One Hundred and Thirty Five Spiritual Points.
Location: Spirit Creek Battlefield
Contribution Points: Two Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty
A cultivator was Seventh-Order when they had unlocked 108 Spiritual Points, and Eighth-Order when they had unlocked 144 Spiritual Points.
Almost a month had passed since the Insectoid attack. Lu Ye only cultivated during nighttime since his daytime was reserved for his studies with Lady Yun, but the Outpost’s World Spiritual Qi was so rich that his cultivation level was still increasing gradually, not to mention that he had an abundance of Spirit Stones and Spirit Pills. Even if he, for whatever reason, didn’t have any, he could simply grab more from Hua Ci. Right now, the two things the medicine cultivator did not lack were Spirit Stones and Spirit Pills. It was all thanks to the cultivators on the Chess Sea. While they didn’t carry much valuables in their Storage Bags, they sure carried a lot of Spirit Stones and Spirit Pills in preparation for the Battle Royale of the Legates.
Combined with Gathering Spirits and Gluttonous Feast, Lu Ye’s Spiritual Points increased to 135 despite him delaying his cultivation speed on purpose.
He was slowly but surely getting close to the Eighth-Order of Spirit Creek Realm. It also meant that the time to leave the Outpost was near.
The Spirit Creek Battlefield had few written rules but many unwritten ones. Although Grand Sky Coalition and Thousand Demon Ridge only wished that the other side would be wiped from the surface of the earth, they always strived to operate within the rules.
For example, it was ill-advised to capture and kill a medicine cultivator of the opposing faction. Instead, they should wait for the other party to ransom the medicine cultivator.
For example, it was ill-advised for an Eighth-Order cultivator or above to remain in the Outer Circle barring exceptional circumstances.
This was why the Legates in the Outer Circle were all Seventh-Order or lower. The sects had stronger cultivators as a matter of course, but they were all operating within the Inner Circle or the Core Circle.
In fact, most cultivators chose to move to the Inner Circle after they reached the Seventh-Order. There were several reasons. One, the Heavens forbade high level cultivators from slaughtering low level cultivators who were much weaker than them. If they ignored this rule, they would actually lose Contribution Points for every kill they scored.
The second reason was that the World Spiritual Qi grew richer the deeper they ventured into the Spirit Creek Battlefield. Naturally, one would want to travel to the Inner Circle or Core Circle to quicken their cultivation speed.
A Seventh-Order cultivator could spend a year cultivating in the Outer Circle and still be behind a peer who cultivated in the Inner Circle for only half a year. Of course, the effects were even greater if they entered the Core Circle, though the dangers were just as great. 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝐞𝐥.
From the moment one stepped on the path of cultivation, they were destined to compete against fellow cultivators and the Heavens. Who didn’t dream of attaining greater heights? Every cultivator strived to improve their cultivation in various ways. Trapped between the eternal war between Grand Sky Coalition and Thousand Demon Ridge, the only way to master one’s fate was to grow stronger.
In fact, Lu Ye had wanted to enter the Inner Circle a long time ago. However, the Crimson Blood Sect had just rebuilt itself, and as the Legate he could not escape his responsibilities.
He might do a lot less work than the average Legate, but his presence alone made everyone in the Outpost? feel safe and happy.
Now that the Outpost was in a stable state, he could finally entrust his responsibilities to Hua Ci. While she was a Seventh-Order cultivator just like him, meaning that she too was going to leave the Outer Circle some time in the near future, she was the best choice they had right now. She only needed to hold out until one of their sect members grew enough to succeed her. Gu Yang and He Xiyin were two such examples. Speaking of which, he should probably convert them into official disciples soon.
Technically speaking, Kong Niu had the cultivation level to become a Legate or prolegate, but he was too introverted for the responsibility. He could kill the sect’s enemies and burn an Outpost just fine, but manage an Outpost? It would be a recipe for disaster.
Finally, there was one more reason Lu Ye wanted to enter the Inner Circle. It concerned the future of the Crimson Blood Sect.
“To think you’re almost at the Eighth-Order.”
At the dining table, Shui Yuan looked at Lu Ye with a complicated expression on her face. When Lu Ye first returned to the sect, he was only a Fifth-Order cultivator. Barely a few months had passed, and now he was weeks or even days away from becoming an Eighth-Order cultivator. Just how monstrous was his cultivation speed?
“You should enter the Inner Circle soon. When are you departing?”
“In half a month, give or take. I still have much to learn from Lady Yun.”
Speaking of Lady Yun, Lu Ye asked, “By the way, I heard from Yi Yi that Lady Yun came to the Summit of Fortitude and gave the Sect Master a beating. What happened?”
He was busy breaching the ward Lady Yun had prepared for him at the time, so he didn’t know about it until much later.
Shui Yuan answered, “Let’s just say that it’s a mixture of old age and a messy, complicated relationship. Don’t worry. They’ve been like this for years, and I expect them to keep this up for many more.”
There was nothing else to say regarding the topic, so Lu Ye left it at that.
His senior sister changed the subject, “Turbulent Watch is our only ally, and they ascended to Sixth-Tier a while ago. Since their Outpost happens to be in the Inner Circle, would you like to pay them a visit? I can send them a message and inform them of your arrival in advance.”
The disciple of major sects often visited one another. It was a bit like a student exchange program.
“It’s fine. I’m not just going to the Inner Circle to hone myself, I also plan to implement an immature idea of mine.”
“Oh? Tell me.”
“As you say, the Crimson Blood Sect only has one ally right now. Not only that, their Outpost is extremely far away from ours, so much so that it’s just unfeasible for our future Seventh-Order cultivators to make the journey. That is why I plan to form an alliance with someone closer.”
Shui Yuan nodded. “Makes sense.”
“Just to confirm, Legates have the right to propose an alliance, right?”
“Yes, but only within the specific battlefield.”
Of course, an alliance that was proposed by a Sect Master would apply across all fronts.
“That’s good enough. So, this is my plan. I’d like to keep my position for the moment and seek out some friendly Legates within the Inner Circle. Ideally, I’d form alliances with them and open up more options for our disciples.”
“That sounds feasible. Do you have the right connections though?”
“But of course.”
He had made the acquaintance of many Legates in the Chess Sea. A good number of them came from the Inner Circle and the Core Circle.
“I have no other questions then. You’re the Legate of the Outpost, so do as you please.”
“Okay. I’ll ask for permission from the Sect Master now.” Lu Ye suddenly recalled something as he rose to his feet. “Oh right, can you tell me about the incident regarding Brother Li’s Spiritual Point?”
In the past, he only knew that his fourth senior brother was extremely powerful. Recently, he learned a little more about the man.
Shui Yuan sighed. “The long story short is that he made himself too obvious a target, not to mention that he was a Crimson Blood Sect disciple. So, Thousand Demon Ridge took him down a peg.”
“Is there no way to repair a broken Spiritual Point?”
“There is a type of Spirit Pill in the Vault of Providence that can fix this, but it costs an insane amount of Contribution Points.”
Lu Ye nodded and bade her goodbye. Then, he went to the Sect Master’s bedroom. His mind was set after he told the Sect Master his plans and obtained his permission.