Líng Yuè looked at Zhào Lì doubtfully; "When did you get a disciple? I never heard...
"Haha!" Zhào Lì chuckled; "My disciple has been out training in the outer regions recently and only just returned from Qiānyǔ City... As for strength, I believe he is invincible below the late Spirit Control Realm!"
"???" Líng Yuè looked incredulous.
"Old Zhào, you haven't been drinking, have you!"
"Nonsense," Zhào Lì retorted. "Do I not know what kind of student I've taught?"
"Besides, you shouldn't call me Old Zhào. I'm more than two hundred years younger than you."
This seemed to hit a sore spot for Líng Yuè, who immediately gathered her power and pointed a finger at Zhào Lì, sending him flying away.
"Alright, next!"
The others were meek, not daring to speak, only nodding incessantly.
Líng Yuè continued speaking for a while longer, feeling it was pointless, and then dismissed the assembly.
She still had to prepare things for her own two disciples, so they wouldn't falter in this Rank Ascension Competition.
*
A day passed, and in the Cloud Water Pool.
Lǐ Yuán's blackness gradually faded, revealing his original skin.
At this moment, a mass of dark mist condensed in his hand, which was the blackness that had been purged from his body.
"If this continues, I should be completely purged by tomorrow. That leaves one more day to absorb spiritual energy."
The spiritual energy here was exceptionally abundant. Lǐ Yuán's newly exposed skin was already eager to absorb it.
However, because the blackness on his body hadn't completely faded yet, he couldn't absorb it.
"Still, I haven't cultivated for these two days, and my body's spiritual energy has increased quite a bit... Could Táng Qíng also be absorbing here?"
This scenario wasn't impossible, as Lǐ Yuán had sensed several people with Spirit Control Realm strength upon entering. One of them felt particularly familiar, which led him to this thought.
"Should I ask?" Lǐ Yuán pondered.
"Never mind, I'll wait until it's all gone."
With that, Lǐ Yuán resumed his transformation.
He entered cultivation with his entire being, using his consciousness to push the melanin from his body, bit by bit, towards his fingertips and into the black orb in his hand.
Actually, Lǐ Yuán wanted the Hundred Paths Scroll to absorb it directly,
but it refused.
It said this was a rare process.
Not only could it clear the spiritual energy within him, but it could also practice his control and coordination abilities, making the transition from the Spirit Control Realm to the Spirit Ascension Realm much easier later.
Through this period of cultivation, Lǐ Yuán himself had also felt it.
He was gradually becoming more adept at controlling the spiritual energy in his body.
Once the blackness faded completely, his use of Spiritual Techniques would elevate to another level, vastly different from the past where he had to pause to cast spells.
In the future, he could unleash a Spiritual Technique with a mere thought.
Take the simplest example.
If two people were engaged in intense close-quarters combat, Lǐ Yuán could unleash a Spiritual Technique at any moment to control or disrupt his opponent, greatly enhancing his combat prowess.
Therefore, Lǐ Yuán greatly anticipated future battles.
He continued to calm his mind and guide the process.
This lasted until the next day.
Lǐ Yuán's body was now mostly free of the blackness. The Hundred Paths Scroll had given Lǐ Yuán a new task.
"Merge the black mist in your hand with your spiritual energy and then refine it into the size of a pill."
"What's the point of this?" Lǐ Yuán asked.
"No point... It's just to practice your control."
"...Alright!"
Lǐ Yuán had nothing else to say and could only comply.
He then slowly infused spiritual energy, gradually shrinking it.
From the original football-sized black mist, it slowly reduced to the size of an apple.
Lǐ Yuán was starting to lose control, fearing it might explode if he continued to suppress it...
"Continue, control it slowly. It came from your body, so this is the best opportunity to refine it now."
"It won't become agitated. As long as you manage the force, you can refine it into the shape of a pill."
Lǐ Yuán was somewhat reluctant. "But I still need to absorb spiritual energy! If I'm focused on this, how can I absorb spiritual energy?"
The Hundred Paths Scroll retorted impatiently, "Spiritual energy is everywhere. If you miss this chance, there will be others... But if you miss this opportunity, you won't find such a chance to practice your control again."
"Alright!" Lǐ Yuán chose to believe it.
Although he had a thousand reasons to argue, the other party was vastly experienced, so it was best to listen on important matters.
Thus, after half a day, Lǐ Yuán's refiner of the black mist in his hand became smaller and smaller.
It was now the size of an egg.
"Is it small enough now?" Lǐ Yuán asked again.
"It needs to be half this size!"
"Okay."
This time, Lǐ Yuán did not inquire further about the size. After all, this session in the Cloud Water Pool was likely a wash. Since that was the case, he decided to dedicate himself entirely to refining this black bead, aiming to make it pill-sized.
Through these repeated, delicate operations, Lǐ Yuán gradually understood the Hundred Paths Scroll's thoughtful intention.
This was indeed a rare opportunity.
Lǐ Yuán now felt something different from this black bead in his hand.
It was as if it had a spirit.
It was like a child born from his own body; he could feel its aura.
Furthermore, such subtle operations had significantly enhanced Lǐ Yuán's control over spiritual energy.
The harvest had not been insignificant.
Seeing that Lǐ Yuán had stopped complaining, the Hundred Paths Scroll explained:
"Your body has been transformed by the Phoenix and Flood Dragon Convergence Technique, making it fundamentally different from that of a normal person... Therefore, what is extracted from your body will naturally not be simple... It will also contain the runes of the Phoenix and Flood Dragon Convergence Technique, so if given enough time, it will develop a spirit."
"Simply put, it's a form of your bloodline inheritance."
Lǐ Yuán was greatly surprised. "No way..."
"It's just a ball of black mist, how could it show signs of developing a spirit?"
The Hundred Paths Scroll explained, "It's not just black mist; it's black mist that has been transformed within your body, once merged with your blood and bones. Now, you are using your own fundamental spiritual energy to incubate it... When you think of it this way, do you still think it's just a ball of black mist?"
"The way you put it, it actually might be possible..." Lǐ Yuán slowly began to accept its words.
"Then when will it awaken?"
"Tens of thousands of years."
"So long?"
"Yes."
"Then what's the point of refining it? If it takes that long, I'll turn to dust."
"To form karma," the Hundred Paths Scroll added. "Just like me."
Lǐ Yuán pondered, then fell silent, continuing to focus on refining.
At this point, only half a day remained until their departure.
Lǐ Yuán was still engrossed in refining the black mist. As the mist grew smaller, he felt that success was imminent.
With this hopeful anticipation, another three hours passed, and it was finally complete.
This time, Lǐ Yuán knew it was done without the Hundred Paths Scroll's reminder; no further refinement was needed.
"Drip a drop of vital blood!" the Hundred Paths Scroll's voice sounded again.
Lǐ Yuán didn't hesitate. He gathered a drop of vital blood from his heart and sent it towards the black bead.
After the black bead absorbed this drop of vital blood, it began to tremble slightly.
Then, it leaped out of Lǐ Yuán's hand and dove towards the bottom of the Cloud Water Pool. Lǐ Yuán intended to grab it but was stopped by the Hundred Paths Scroll.
"Let it go. It does not belong to your era.\