“What?” the white-robed attendant was somewhat dumbfounded.
10,000 catties of ethercrystal? Was this a dream? She couldn’t help but remember the moment she had seen Wu Yuan off from the Immortal Realm Grand Tower. He had smiled and said, “It’s been tough on you.”
At that moment, she had smiled courteously, but deep down, she was begging for him to leave.
Yet now?
“Martial Aunt, what about me then?” Han Liu’s voice quivered slightly.
10,000 catties of ethercrystal? For her, it was a sum beyond imagination.
“Didn’t you mention that you were saving up for a Mortality Transcension Pill?” the woman in black robes chuckled, “Tomorrow, I shall personally protect you and guide you through your breakthrough.”
Han Liu took a deep breath, her eyes brimming with longing. After nearly a decade in the Redmoon Immortal Tower, this day had finally arrived.
At this juncture, Han Liu was also somewhat curious, “Just who was that guest? He clearly possessed immense wealth, yet opted to reside in a ninth-grade grotto.”
Topping up 10,000 catties of ethercrystal into the immortal realm was a rare occurrence in Fengchuan City. The average Golden Core cultivator had no way of producing such a large sum of ethercrystal all at once.
“Remember, do not divulge this,” the black-robed woman stated sternly, “If discovered, it is a capital offense, and no one can save you.”
“Yes,” Han Liu’s heart quivered.
As attendants, they recited the confidentiality rules daily.
…
Wu Yuan led Qiong Sea King back to his private grotto. The modest ninth-grade grotto had a radius of only 100 meters and a relatively sparse spiritual qi concentration. But despite its small size, the architecture was of a high standard, and could be considered rather luxurious.
The main difference between a ninth-grade grotto and a seventh-grade grotto lies in the concentration of spiritual qi and the size of the courtyard house. But neither will aid me in reaching the Golden Core phase. Seated in the meditation chamber, Wu Yuan shook his head.
Wu Yuan understood that this transition was ultimately dependent on the absorption of a substantial quantity of ethercrystal. Thus, Wu Yuan opted for the cost-effective ninth-grade grotto. The reason he still paid the premium to stay in the Redmoon Immortal Tower was due to its unparalleled privacy, which was exactly what he needed most. No other grotto shop could compete in that aspect.
The barriers here will prevent any disturbances within the grotto from reaching the outside world, even a breakthrough to the Golden Core phase.
He was not too worried that the Redmoon Immortal Tower would spy on him. There was no need for them to risk their reputation over a small fry like him.
“Master?” Qiong Sea King transmitted his voice over as he lounged in the courtyard in his shrunken state. To him, this courtyard was a comfortable size.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be able to obtain the Body Tempering Spirit Pill and the Six Extremities Liquid in two days at the earliest. These will greatly increase your chances of breaking through.” Wu Yuan assured him via spiritual transmission.
Qiong Sea King’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Thank you, Master.” He had waited a very long time for this day.
“Master, what about the teleportation array?” Qiong Sea King inquired.
“There’s no need to worry about it.” Wu Yuan replied reassuringly.
Qiong Sea King nodded obediently.
… freewёbnoνel.com
In the Middle Land, within the Fourth Eldritch Realm, Wu Yuan’s body refiner self had a meeting with the realm master.
“If I understand you correctly, Fang Xia attempted to activate the teleport array. The 3000 catties of ethercrystal were used up, but the process was met with failure?” the realm master murmured softly.
Wu Yuan nodded. With a wave, a light screen materialized, displaying the failed teleportation attempt Fang Xia had made. Several days after Wu Yuan and Qiong Sea King had departed, Fang Xia had a change of heart.
Seemingly persuaded by Qiong Sea King’s words before he left, he now sought to explore the Redmoon Immortal Continent, a desire that Wu Yuan was eager to facilitate. However, the attempted teleportation had unexpectedly failed.
“I have scoured the library of the Redmoon Immortal Realm for information, but found none regarding such teleportation failures,” Wu Yuan frowned. “Could it be that the issue lies with the teleportation array on the Redmoon Immortal Continent’s side?”
His qi refiner self was currently hundreds of thousands of li from the teleportation array he arrived from and wouldn’t be able to return anytime soon.
The realm master shook his head gently. “No. If the teleportation array malfunctioned, the array would not even activate, let alone consume the ethercrystal. It appears that an unseen power is obstructing the teleportation array.”
“An invisible blockade on the teleportation array?” Wu Yuan expressed his surprise.
“This isn’t too surprising. The teleportation array utilizes the mysteries of space,” the realm master explained. “If an object can be teleported over, it can also be blocked. The outcome depends on which side has superior abilities.”
“Previously, you mentioned that the consumption of ethercrystal during the previous teleportation was inexplicably tenfold the usual amount. Factoring this new development, I suspect that the world we are in has been spatially sealed in its entirety,” the realm master stated gravely.
“Sealed space?” Wu Yuan was taken aback.
He didn’t exactly understand what that meant.
“That is to say, an array has been deployed to envelop this entire world, stabilizing the space and increasing the difficulty of teleportation,” the realm master elaborated. “There exist numerous methods of achieving this, such as the World Seal Array and the Time-Space Prohibition.”
“Last time, your qi refiner self managed to break through the obstruction and escape. Perhaps in response to this, the other party reinforced the array, resulting in the failure of the recent teleportation attempt,” the realm master hypothesized.
“Realm Master, are you suggesting that a powerful faction is sealing the entirety of the Summerpeak World?” Wu Yuan was astounded. This news was far too mind-boggling.
“This is merely conjecture,” the realm master shook his head. “It is also plausible that the space beyond the Summerpeak World is experiencing turbulent currents, rendering the space highly unstable and interfering with the connection between the two teleportation arrays.”
Wu Yuan nodded in contemplation. This was indeed a possibility. “Realm Master, what should I do now?”
“I do not have an answer,” the realm master admitted. “Your body refiner self is currently unable to leave Summerpeak through the teleportation array. You have two options: cultivate to the Shambhala phase and gain the strength to leave the world on your own and then investigate the situation in outer space, or uncover the truth about the Summerpeak World with your qi refiner self.”
“If this is merely a coincidence, then all is well. However, if a powerful faction is indeed sealing Summerpeak World, you must be prepared,” the realm master cautioned solemnly.
Wu Yuan furrowed his brow. The Summerpeak World wasn’t particularly large, comparable to the land area of Fengchuan City. But sealing a world and sealing a million li of land in radius were completely different concepts.
…
In Wu Yuan’s grotto within the Redmoon Immortal Tower in Fengchuan City, his qi refiner self pondered his options.
“Cultivating to the Shambhala phase would take decades for my body refiner self.” Wu Yuan shook his head.
The time frame was too long, and there were too many uncertain variables.
“It may be better for my qi refiner self to seek answers. Resources and information are more readily accessible within the macrocosm,” Wu Yuan’s eyes narrowed in determination. “First, I should attempt to gather information about Summerpeak World through the Redmoon Immortal Realm.”
With that, Wu Yuan sent a thread of consciousness into the Redmoon Immortal Realm.
…
“Welcome back, Li Xia!” Little Moon’s melodious voice rang out in the personal hall.
After Wu Yuan materialized within his personal hall, he wasted no time checking his personal account information.
As anticipated, the ethercrystal balance section revealed a recent top-up of etherstone: 10,000 catties of ethercrystal, 0 catties of etherstone
“Little Moon, upgrade my immortal realm privileges to the sixth tier,” Wu Yuan declared without hesitation.
“To upgrade your privileges to the sixth tier for 100 years, 1000 catties of ethercrystal will be required,” Little Moon said. “Do you wish to proceed?”
“Yes,” Wu Yuan confirmed.
“Subtracting 1000 catties of ethercrystal. Privileges upgraded. Your current account balance stands at 9000 catties of ethercrystal, 0 catties of etherstone,” Little Moon conveyed.
“At the sixth tier, you may gain access to the fourth floor of the library, expand your personal hall to 100 li, and unlock the ninth-grade Amethyst Cradle phase simulation within your personal hall. Additionally, you are granted unrestricted entry into all public areas, along with the ability to engage in the highest level of pill refining, qi refining, and combat simulations with ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase strength…”
In an instant, numerous virtual immortal slips materialized before Wu Yuan, each containing information regarding his sixth-grade privileges. He would need to read through them.
Meanwhile, his personal hall which was previously around 100 meters in length and width underwent a significant transformation, expanding exponentially before his very eyes.