126: Chapter 126 Spirits and Monsters

The moonlight was like water, quietly washing over the stone house on the small island.

Jiang Hanzhou sat alone at the stone table, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of a coarse ceramic teacup.

Nearly a month had passed since his Breakthrough to the Dragon Elephant Realm, and it had been over half a month since the underwater ruins appeared.

During this time, he did not pay further attention to the disputes at Star Continent Anchorage, nor was he in a hurry to Cultivate new martial arts; instead, he settled his heart to carefully review his path of cultivation since the Canglang Water Dock.

"It's slowed down..."

Jiang Hanzhou whispered to himself, his tone calm and devoid of disappointment, more like he was stating a fact.

From his initial martial arts training at Canglang Water Dock, to the life-and-death struggle against Bai Tianxiao at Three Rivers Estuary, and finally entering Dragon Abyss Palace and breaking through to Dragon Elephant... in less than two years, his cultivation progress had been like a waterfall plunging down a cliff, surging forward wildly all the way.

Qi Accumulation, Iron Bone, Burning Viscera, Primal Elephant Realm—the crossing of four major Realms, a path that ordinary Martial Artists would spend decades or even a lifetime on, he had completed in less than two years.

Such speed would be considered shocking even within a hegemon Sect of the East Sea like Dragon Abyss Palace.

But now, after breaking through to the Primal Elephant Realm, that feeling of advancing a thousand miles a day had vanished.

After reaching Perfection in the third layer of the Li Huo Golden Body Art, he tried to charge into the fourth layer, "Condensing Dipper," but the progress was excruciatingly slow.

Without an Epiphany or a special Opportunity, relying solely on slow, meticulous effort, it would likely take half a year to a year to achieve anything.

Tidal True Intent and Pure Yang True Intent remained at 20% comprehension, and deepening them even a sliver was incredibly difficult.

As for the second layer of the Heavenly Dipper Treasure Refining Art, he hadn't even touched the threshold yet.

"This is the norm." Jiang Hanzhou picked up the teacup and took a sip of the cold tea, his eyes clear.

The path of cultivation becomes harder the further one goes.

Before the Viscera Burning Realm, honing Qi and blood or tempering muscles and bones still followed a traceable path; as long as resources were sufficient, the Cultivation Technique wasn't bad, and one was willing to put in the hard work, progress could always be made.

But once at the Dragon Elephant Realm, it involved True Intent comprehension, Divine Soul tempering, and leaps in life level... every step required Comprehension Ability, Opportunity, resources, and Heart-Nature; none could be missing.

Many Martial Artists are stuck at the Early Stage of the Primal Form Realm for decades without progress, eventually suffering from declining Qi and blood, their Dao path severed, and leaving the stage in sorrow.

Although Jiang Hanzhou had the extraordinary Comprehension Ability granted by the Late Bloomer fate, the fate itself needed "Martial Arts Comprehension" to feed its advancement. By the fifth stage, the required comprehension had reached as high as six thousand years.

"I can't rush."

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, completely suppressing the slight discomfort caused by his habit of rapid progress.

With a slight thought, a pale blue light screen expanded deep within his consciousness.

[host: Jiang Hanzhou]

[fate: Late Bloomer (Stage 5)]

[Cultivation: Dragon Elephant Realm · Primal Elephant Realm (Initial Entry)]

[Divine Ability: Great Sun Tide (Fragmented), Heavenly Dipper Treasure Refining Art (Layer 1), Divine Intent Heavenly Saber (Minor Achievement, Fragmented)]

[True Intent: Tidal True Intent (20%), Pure Yang True Intent (20%)]

[Current Martial Arts Comprehension Accumulation: 20 years / 6000 years]

An accumulation of twenty years was but a drop in the bucket compared to six thousand years.

"Martial arts... I still need a large number of martial arts." A sharp glint flashed in Jiang Hanzhou's eyes.

The core of the Late Bloomer fate's advancement was "Martial Arts Comprehension."

And the most direct and effective way to obtain comprehension was to Cultivate, contemplate, and master various martial arts Cultivation Techniques.

From Yellow Rank, Profound Rank, and Earth Rank to Heaven Rank, every martial art contained the creator's understanding and insights into the martial Dao, the world, and themselves.

Turning these insights to one's own use was the way to accumulate.

The twelve Profound Rank Martial Skills previously exchanged at the Myriad Phenomena Tower, combined with the Perfection of techniques like the Li Huo Golden Body Art and the Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill, had barely allowed him to break through to the fifth stage of his fate.

To charge toward the sixth stage, the quantity and quality of martial arts required would surely be even more terrifying.

"The first three floors of the Myriad Phenomena Tower still have many Profound Rank and Earth Rank martial arts I haven't browsed. Even if I can't exchange for all of them, if I can read and contemplate them, I might be able to accumulate a lot of comprehension."

Jiang Hanzhou pondered.

However, this required time and a reasonable excuse—he couldn't spend all day in the Myriad Phenomena Tower browsing Jade Slips without exchanging them; it would inevitably attract attention.

More importantly...

"Spirit Stones."

Jiang Hanzhou softly uttered these two words, a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.

After joining the Dragon Abyss Palace, he had carefully learned about the resource system of the East Sea cultivation world.

Secular gold and silver were still the primary currency among low-level Martial Artists and Mortals, used to buy daily supplies, ordinary weapons, and basic herbs.

But at the level of the Dragon Elephant Realm, truly precious resources—such as high-rank Medicinal Pills, rare Materials, True Intent martial arts, and Spiritual Artifacts or Magic Treasures—were almost all priced in "Spirit Stones."

Spirit Stones, condensed from Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence, were divided into four grades: Low, Medium, High, and Top Grade.

Outer Sect Disciples of Dragon Abyss Palace could receive two Low-Grade Spirit Stones every month, a treatment that already made countless Loose Cultivators green with envy.

But for Jiang Hanzhou, two Low-Grade Spirit Stones were barely enough for three days of full-effort cultivation.

To improve quickly, he had to have more Spirit Stones for support.

"Pill Formula..."

Jiang Hanzhou closed his eyes, and a complex and mysterious Pill Formula scroll appeared in his mind.

That was a "spiritual spark" that naturally emerged when he ascended to the fifth stage of his fate and entered a state of Epiphany, combining his deep accumulation of Medicinal Cuisine Arts with scattered memories of Medicinal Pill records he had browsed in the Dragon Abyss Palace's library.

Gold Condensing Pill!

A Spirit Pill specifically designed for Dragon Elephant Realm Martial Artists to solidify their Foundation, assist in condensing True Intent, and accelerate the transformation of Qi, blood, and Astral Fiend!

This pill did not directly increase cultivation but optimized the cultivation process and improved efficiency.

If it could be mass-produced and consumed, Jiang Hanzhou estimated that the time to reach the fourth layer of the Li Huo Golden Body Art could be shortened by at least half, and the speed of True Intent comprehension could be increased by more than thirty percent.

There were a total of thirty-six medicinal herbs required in the Pill Formula. Although thirty-five of them were precious, they could always be purchased in large markets like the Star Islet Market as long as one was willing to spend money.

Only the last main ingredient—the "Essence Spirit Inner Core"—was a treasure that was sought after but unavailable on the market.

Essence Spirits are the second-tier existence among exotic beasts.

The East Sea cultivation world divides exotic beasts into three tiers: Vicious Beasts, Essence Spirits, and Celestial Spirits.

Vicious Beasts still belong to the mundane world; although they have powerful physical bodies and instinctive divine abilities, their intelligence is low, and they mostly act on instinct.

The tiger-type Vicious Beast that Jiang Hanzhou killed at the Three Rivers Estuary belonged to this category.

But Essence Spirits have already stepped into the "extraordinary" Realm.

Not only are their physical bodies more powerful, but more importantly, their intelligence has been awakened, making them no less wise than humans; some naturally gifted ones can even refine the transverse bone in their throats and speak human language.

The "Inner Core" condensed within a Essence Spirit is where its essence resides, containing pure Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence and unique Bloodline Divine Ability imprints; it is an excellent material for refining high-rank Medicinal Pills, forging Spiritual Artifacts, and setting up Formations.

Because of this, Essence Spirit Inner Cores are extremely valuable and rarely circulate on the market.

Whenever there is stock, it is often consumed internally by major forces before the auction even begins.

"Hunting..."

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

If there was no way to buy it, then he would go and take it himself.

With his current strength—having just entered the Primal Elephant Realm, possessing dual True Intents, a Minor Achievement in the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber, and Heavenly Dipper Precious Qi protecting him... as long as he didn't encounter those old Essence Spirits who had lived for hundreds of years and reached the Late Stage or even Perfection of the Primal Elephant Realm, he should be able to protect himself.

If he could find a Essence Spirit with a compatible attribute and comparable strength and take its Inner Core, he could begin refining the Gold Condensing Pill.

"However, Essence Spirits are secretive in their movements and mostly occupy deep-sea dangerous areas or desolate island domains, making them difficult to find normally."

Jiang Hanzhou lightly tapped the table with his finger, falling into deep thought.