Chapter 67: Creation on the Spirit Sea
“Jiu Liuyu is the Valley Master of Dark Fiend Valley. She is at the middle stage of the Netherpassage Realm, and her status in Seven Fiends Valley is pretty high. Even her apprentice Lu Li was rumored to have reached the middle stage of the Natal Opening Realm. Granny Jiu is usually very picky with her apprentices, so it can be regarded as the Ling Family’s luck that she took a fancy to the Ling sisters.”
Zhuo Qian said while holding a porcelain cup, drinking and speaking in her elegant multi-leveled house at Nebula Pavilion.
Qin Lie, Kang Zhi, Zhu Peng, Han Feng, and the others were all having their meal inside the house, surrounding a table full of dishes. Everyone was present except for Tu Ze, who was still in seclusion.
The day gradually turned dark.
Crystal gems were embedded on the walls and pillars, illuminating the interior of the room with bright lights. Zhuo Qian wore loose silk pajamas, and a large amount of white skin was showing at the collar area, causing everyone else to feel incredibly restless. They had shifty eyes that wanted to get a better glimpse yet were afraid of the repercussions.
Zhuo Qian didn’t mind them. She simply looked towards Qin Lie and consoled, “Granny Jiu has always been a proud person. She treats the cultivation of her apprentices with great care, so the Ling sisters are lucky to be able to enter her tutelage. Qin Lie, you’re still young, and although you may not be able to rank among forces like Seven Fiends Valley or Dark Asura Hall right now, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have a chance in the future.”
Her beautiful face was riddled with seriousness, “To be honest, I don’t know you very well, but I feel that… there’s something special about you. Qin Lie, Seven Fiends Valley isn’t as unattainable as it looks. If you give it your all, then one day you’ll be able to enter that kind of force as well.”
“That’s right Qin Lie, you’re in Nebula Pavilion right now aren’t you? If you go one step higher, then it’ll be Dark Asura Hall already. Dark Asura Hall and Seven Fiends Valleys are friendly with each other and there are always opportunities for them to get together for missions. If you enter Dark Asura Hall, then you will have the chance to reunite with your fiance,” Kang Zhi also consoled.
Zhu Peng, Han Feng, and the rest too took their turns to serve him a drink and console him.
Qin Lie never stopped smiling, and every time he accepted a cup, he would down the entire contents in a single gulp without a drop left behind.
He knew that the reason Zhuo Qian set up a feast here was all for his sake, hoping that she could help untie the knots in his heart and that the incident with the Ling Family would not affect his cultivation on the martial way.
He saw it all with his eyes, and felt warmed inside his heart.
The liquor feast lasted until midnight before they finally dispersed. Qin Lie too said his goodbyes and returned to his little house close to Zhuo Qian’s.
He sat by the window inside the dark room. Not only was his mind not affected by the alcohol, he was growing more and more sober.
He wondered if it was because he drank Li Mu’s strong wine and was gradually affected by it. Today’s fine liquor tasted as bland as water and completely tasteless. It completely failed to intoxicate him at all.
“Lu Li of the middle stage of the Natal Opening Realm, Jiu Liuyu of the middle stage of the Netherpassage Realm, Valley Master of Dark Fiend Valley, Black Iron rank force…”
Gazing at the mottled moonlight beneath a tree outside the window, he whispered while lifting a frown. Then, he settled himself, focused his mind into a state of meditation, and slowly closed his eyes. He began focusing on gathering a whirlpool inside his dantian’s spirit sea.
After an hour, his attempt had failed yet again as his spirit sea clustered and spirit clouds dissipated.
“It’s been over a month. I’ve been trying to gather a whirlpool every night, and yet I could not succeed even a single time. The ascension from the eighth level of Refinement to the ninth level of the Refinement Realm is as expected… far more difficult than it was before. The main problem is that there isn’t a clue or even a ray of hope to be found. Have I made a mistake somewhere?”
He was beginning to suspect that it was indeed the case and sat there pondering, trying to find a new direction to head towards.
“The ninth level of the Refinement Realm, gather a whirlpool in my dantian’s spirit sea. Whirlpool, whirlpool…”
The moment Qin Lie’s heart was disturbed, his mind became jumbled with all kinds of thoughts. He then thought of his spirit diagram inscriptions and started considering if he should set the current matter aside and refocus his energy on inscribing instead.
“The Spirit Gathering diagram, the Amplification diagram, the Spirit Storage diagram, the Strengthening diagram…”
Bits and pieces of the four complex and mysteri