Translator: Asuka
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
Cultivation techniques could be divided into four grades: Heaven Grade, Earth Grade, Black Grade, and Yellow Grade. A Yellow Grade cultivation technique would only allow a person to cultivate until the Third-Order Spirit Creek Realm. On the other hand, a Black Grade cultivation technique could go up to the Sixth-Order Spirit Creek Realm while the Earth Grade could go up to the Ninth-Order Spirit Creek Realm.
There were only Nine Orders in the Spirit Creek Realm, so Earth Grade cultivation techniques were generally enough for a Spirit Creek Realm Master to complete their cultivation in the Spirit Creek Realm.
However, that was not always the case. An Earth Grade cultivation technique would only allow a cultivator to unlock 180 Spiritual Points, but a person’s body contained a total of 360 Spiritual Points. Once all 180 Spiritual Points were unlocked, a cultivator would need to switch to the Heaven Grade cultivation technique in order to unlock even more Spiritual Points.
A person who cultivated an Earth Grade cultivation technique and unlocked all 180 Spiritual Points would be in the Ninth-Order Spirit Creek Realm. After switching to a Heaven Grade cultivation technique, that person would be able to unlock their 181st Spiritual Point. However, switching cultivation techniques would cause their original cultivation Realm to drop by several Orders. That was because 180 Spiritual Points were only equivalent to the Sixth-Order Spirit Creek Realm according to the division of a Heaven Grade cultivation technique.
In short, how many Spiritual Points a cultivator unlocked was not the criterion for determining a person’s cultivation. The real criterion was how many Microcosmic Orbit Circulations there were in a person’s body. Therefore, a cultivator with the same number of Spiritual Points might not necessarily have the same cultivation.
The Sect Master once explained the differences between the cultivation techniques to him during their one and only lesson together, so he remembered these things.
Luo Ji might seem like just a Second-Order Spirit Creek Realm Master, but the truth was that he had unlocked at least 50 or more Spiritual Points! That was because the fluctuations of his Spiritual Power were much stronger when he was casting spells compared to Lu Ye.
Besides, cultivating a Heaven Grade cultivation technique meant that a First-Order Spirit Creek Realm Master would have 18 Spiritual Points while a Second-Order Spirit Creek Realm Master would have 45 Spiritual Points!
After realising this point, Lu Ye immediately understood one thing: Luo Ji was the most powerful opponent he had ever met up until now.
It had to be said that for all cultivation techniques that were Earth Grade and below, having 45 Spiritual Points would put a person in the Fourth-Order Spirit Creek Realm. In other words, the actual cultivation of Luo Ji, who was only in the Second-Order Spirit Creek Realm because he cultivated a Heaven Grade cultivation technique, was equivalent to an ordinary cultivator in the Fourth-Order Spirit Creek Realm or the Fifth-Order Spirit Creek Realm. Combined with his attainments in spell techniques, he would not lose to an ordinary Fifth-Order Spirit Creek Realm Master.
This was the true heritage of a disciple from a top major Sect! They would begin to determine their future path from a very young age. Then, they would continue to study and explore their path to hone their bodies in their struggle to survive. Once they reached the suitable age to begin cultivating, they would not be in a hurry to improve their cultivation. That was because the number of Spiritual Points that they needed to unlock were two or three times more than that of ordinary cultivators. 𝘦𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦.
People like these would often be able to fight and overcome enemies who were two or three Minor Realms stronger than them even though their cultivation was still low. Even once their cultivation base improved, killing stronger enemies beyond their cultivation would be a common occurrence. People like these would become supreme powerhouses once they fully developed their skills!
Lu Ye had the privilege of meeting a future supreme cultivator…
The confrontation that lasted for only a moment ended in his complete defeat. He had rushed forward the moment Luo Ji appeared. However, his opponent’s consecutive Spell Techniques had forced him back to his starting position again. The kingly way for a combat cultivator like him to confront a spell cultivator was to shorten the distance between them, but it was clear that it would not be easy to approach Luo Ji so easily.
“Which Sect are you from, you reckless man?” Luo Ji did not pursue victory just because he had the chance to win. It was not that he was underestimating Lu Ye. It was just that the current environment was simply not suited for a combat cultivator like Lu Ye to flourish. On the contrary, the environment would allow his spell techniques to become a greater threat. The ability to use spell techniques was extremely advantageous in the early stage of cultivation, especially seeing as the tunnel was too narrow for Lu Ye to manoeuvre about freely.
It was obvious that Lu Ye had also noticed this. Although retreating through the rear exit was the correct thing to do at the moment, he had no intention of doing so. That was because he had the vague feeling that if he retreated now, he would never have the courage to face Luo Ji directly when they encountered each other again in the future. Besides, it could be inferred from what this person first said at the beginning that this person came here specifically to find him.
[There is no avoiding this! In that case, my only option is to fight! So what if the other party has a great heritage? Don’t I have one too!? When it comes down to it, all Luo Ji can cast are some small-scale spell techniques. The Protection Spiritual Pattern can stop those attacks.]
Lu Ye tightened his grip on the knife he was holding in his right hand and leaned forward slightly. He shifted so that his centre of gravity was lowered and assumed the posture of a cheetah that was about to pounce. Taking a deep breath, the Spiritual Power in all three of his Microcosmic Orbit Circulation Systems began to churn violently. He suddenly rushed forward in the next moment, causing the gravel under his feet to fly.
“White Flare!” Luo Ji shouted.
Lu Ye’s eyes were still aching from when he suffered because of this attack previously. Therefore, he immediately squinted and simultaneously raised his left hand to block his eyes when he heard Luo Ji’s shout. However, there was no strong burst of light. A frosty icicle came shooting at him instead. At the same time, he heard Luo Ji’s mocking laughter. “I lied!”
[Damned bastard!] He raged, finally understanding why his opponent would shout the name of the spell technique before casting the spell technique. It was all in preparation for this moment. [Truly an insidious man.]
Raising his knife and slashing out, he shattered the icicle. Immediately following behind the first icicle was a rain of icicles. The sound of things flying through the air rang out endlessly. The other party seemed capable of releasing multiple spells in quick succession with no need for rest. If he had not seen this for himself, he would have suspected the other party of sneakily activating an ice-type Spirit Talisman Paper.
A series of clanging noises rang out. The knife in Lu Ye’s hand danced as he smashed down the icicles coming at him. He had no choice but to use the Protection Spiritual Pattern to block those icicles that he failed to cut down in time. It was very difficult for him to progress forward. The tunnel started to become cold from the large amount of ice chips that were scattered everywhere.
A whole 10 seconds passed. During that time, he only managed to move three steps forward! The icicles that came flying at him carried a huge impact that greatly hindered his progress as a result.
Yi Yi’s small head suddenly popped out of the rock wall behind Luo Ji. However, Luo Ji immediately turned around to look at her before she could even make a move. It was as though he had eyes at the back of his head. He concurrently lifted a hand to point at her and a Golden Arc Slash flew out at her.
She left out a scream and quickly retracted her head.
“Roar!” Amber roared. It seemed to think that Yi Yi had been injured.
This tiger roar was clearly a little different from the usual. When the tiger roar reverberated through the tunnel, Lu Ye felt as though his head was smashed by a small hammer. Opposite him, Luo Ji staggered slightly and muttered in surprise. “A Spirit Beast?”
Luo Ji had seen Amber before but did not bother to pay attention to the tiger. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised the majestic white tiger had some special abilities. Unfortunately, he had no time for idle thoughts. Lu Ye had taken the opportunity to charge at him when he was distracted by the tiger roar just now.
He shouted, “White Flare!”
After falling for this trick just now, how could Lu Ye fall for the same trick twice? He simply squinted slightly and continued charging forward regardless.
*Crack. Crack. Crack.* The shattered ice chips that were scattered everywhere suddenly wrapped around Lu Ye’s surroundings and quickly hardened in place. It seemed like Luo Ji was planning to freeze Lu Ye inside that block of ice.
At a critical juncture, Lu Ye was forced to step back. Only then did he manage to stabilise himself again. There was a huge block of ice standing between him and Luo Ji. If he had not moved aside so quickly, that ice block would definitely have enveloped him. With Luo Ji’s strength, he would have been doomed in that situation.
“Phew…” Luo Ji let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Lu Ye was stopped by the ice block. The intensity of this battle had exceeded his expectations. He originally thought that it would be a piece of cake when Nine Star Sect first asked him to get rid of Lu Ye. Even if the other party came from one of the top powerhouses, his strength was not just for show. A Third-Order Spirit Creek Realm Master who cultivated an ordinary cultivation technique was not worth his attention.
It wasn’t until he actually fought Lu Ye that he realised something: Unlike all the other Third-Order Spirit Creek Realm Masters he met before, this Third-Order Spirit Creek Realm Master was… a little different.