122: Chapter 122 Ye Fan: I saw a mirror spitting out source stones!

Lingxu Cave-Heaven.

This was one of the Yan State's Six Great Cave-Heavens, nestled deep within the mountains. With its misty Spiritual Qi, cascading waterfalls, and flowing springs, it was quite a fine place for cultivation. Although it couldn't compare to those Holy Lands and great sects, it was more than enough for Mortals who had just stepped onto the path of cultivation.

It had been seven days since Ye Fan and Pang Bo followed Wei Wei to Lingxu Cave-Heaven.

During these seven days, they were formally accepted as Disciples, assigned living quarters, received their introductory Cultivation Techniques, and began attempting to open their Sea of Misery.

Progress on Pang Bo's side was smooth. He possessed the Demon God Bloodline and was exceptionally gifted. In just a few days, he had already sensed the existence of the Sea of Misery. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could formally open it.

As for Ye Fan... things weren't going quite as smoothly.

"Ancient Desolate Saint Body."

Elder Wu Qingfeng looked at Ye Fan, a hint of pity in his eyes.

This Elder had white hair and a white beard, with a kind face; he was one of the few people in Lingxu Cave-Heaven who truly cared for the Disciples. He was responsible for teaching Ye Fan and Pang Bo and was very attentive to these two youths from the outside world.

"This is a legendary Physique. In ancient times, it produced invincible experts. But the world has changed now, and the Saint Body is almost impossible to cultivate. To open the Sea of Misery, the amount of Spiritual Qi required is ten times, even a hundred times that of an ordinary person."

He sighed.

"Child, it's not that I won't help you, it's just that... Lingxu Cave-Heaven is too small and cannot provide that many resources."

Ye Fan listened, his face showing little expression.

He knew his Physique was special. Ever since he ate those fruits, he felt his body was different from before. But as for how exactly it was different, he couldn't say.

Hearing Wu Qingfeng's words now, although he felt a bit disappointed, he wasn't discouraged.

"Elder, I understand."

He nodded, his tone calm.

"Whether I can cultivate or not, I have to try to find out."

Wu Qingfeng looked at him, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

This child... his mindset was actually quite good.

Anyone else, upon hearing they might possess a legendary Useless Physique, would mostly be depressed, disappointed, or blame others. But this child simply accepted it calmly and said 'try to find out.'

This Heart-Nature was rare.

"Good," Wu Qingfeng nodded. "Then give it a try. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me anytime."

Ye Fan bowed.

"Thank you, Elder."

In the days that followed, Ye Fan began his arduous cultivation.

Every morning, he sat cross-legged in his thatched hut, guiding the Essence Qi within his body according to the Cultivation Technique, attempting to open his Sea of Misery. Over and over again, time after time.

But that Sea of Misery remained completely motionless.

Like a parched land, no matter how much water was poured in, it wouldn't seep through.

Pang Bo would occasionally come to see him.

"Ye Fan, you haven't succeeded yet?"

Pang Bo scratched his head, looking puzzled. He had already successfully opened his Sea of Misery; although it wasn't stable yet, he had at least stepped onto the path of cultivation.

Ye Fan shook his head.

"No."

Pang Bo looked at him, somewhat worried.

"How about... you ask Elder Wu again?"

Ye Fan thought about it and nodded.

He got up to find Wu Qingfeng.

Wu Qingfeng was busy in the Pill Refining Room. Seeing him arrive, he set aside his work.

"What is it? Did you run into some problems?"

Ye Fan explained his situation.

After listening, Wu Qingfeng fell silent for a moment.

"Child, it's not your problem." He sighed. "It's a problem with the Physique. To open the Sea of Misery with the Ancient Desolate Saint Body, too much Spiritual Qi is needed. That bit of worldly Essence Qi you absorb every day is simply not enough."

He looked at Ye Fan, a hint of heartache in his eyes.

"If only there were Source Stones."

"Source Stones?"

Ye Fan was stunned for a moment.

Wu Qingfeng nodded.

"Source Stones are a special kind of Ore that contains extremely dense worldly Essence Qi. Using Source Stones to aid cultivation can yield twice the result with half the effort. If there were a batch of Source Stones, with your Heart-Nature, you might actually be able to open your Sea of Misery."

"Unfortunately..."

He shook his head.

"Source Stones are too precious. A single Source Stone the size of a fist is enough for our Lingxu Cave-Heaven's expenses for a whole year. A small School like ours simply cannot afford them."

Ye Fan fell silent.

He didn't ask anything else, simply bowed to Wu Qingfeng and turned to leave.

Returning to his thatched hut, Ye Fan sat on the bed and looked at his hands.

Source Stones.

He needed Source Stones.

But he had nothing.

He came from Earth and had no possessions. Although Lingxu Cave-Heaven had taken him in, they couldn't give him much more.

What should he do?

Ye Fan lay down and stared at the roof of the thatched hut.

Then he would just keep practicing.

Without Source Stones, he would rely on his own willpower.

One day, he would succeed.

Thinking this, he closed his eyes.

A week passed.

Ye Fan still hadn't opened his Sea of Misery.

This evening, he sat on a stone in front of the thatched hut, watching the sunset glow in the sky. The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over him, stretching his shadow very long.

Pang Bo walked over at some point and sat down beside him.

"Ye Fan."

"Hmm?"

"Don't lose heart. Take it slow, you'll get there eventually."

Ye Fan smiled and didn't speak.

He wasn't losing heart; he was just a bit disappointed.

He was working so hard and persisting every day, yet that Sea of Misery was like a wall that couldn't be broken through.

He didn't know what he was doing wrong, nor did he know what to do.

"Tell me..." he spoke, his voice a bit soft, "am I really not suited for cultivation?"

Pang Bo was stunned for a moment, then slapped him hard.

"What are you saying! You're Ye Fan! Someone who could rank first in the city in the Gaokao, how could you not be suited for cultivation?"

Ye Fan winced from the slap but also smiled.

"Is that the same as the Gaokao?"

"How is it different? It's all learning!" Pang Bo said carelessly. "Cultivation is also learning, just learning how to absorb Spiritual Qi. You're so good at studying, you definitely won't be bad at cultivation. It's just... it's just that this Physique is a bit of a pitfall."

Ye Fan looked at him, a surge of warmth in his heart.

This fat guy, though careless, always appeared when he needed him most.

"Alright." He stood up and brushed the dust off himself. "I'll go try again."

Pang Bo also stood up.

"Good luck!"

Ye Fan nodded and turned back into the thatched hut.

He pushed open the door, walked in, and then—

He froze.

Inside the thatched hut, a mirror had appeared at some point.

The mirror was about the size of a palm, its edges inlaid with tiny sapphires. The surface was smooth, faintly reflecting the deep Void Realm. It just hovered there in mid-air, quietly facing him.

Ye Fan subconsciously took a step back.

"This... what is this?"

He looked at the mirror warily.

The mirror didn't move, just silently hovered.

Ye Fan swallowed, carefully avoiding it, intending to grab a wooden stick nearby.

Just then—

The mirror suddenly moved.

It trembled slightly, a faint silver light rippling across its surface. Then, a scene that Ye Fan would never forget occurred.

Stones the size of fists began to fall continuously from the mirror.

Those stones were crystal clear, emitting an incredibly dense Spiritual Qi. They fell to the ground with a "thud, thud, thud," quickly piling up into a small mountain in front of Ye Fan.

One, two, three...

Ten, twenty, thirty...

Ye Fan watched blankly, having no idea what was happening.

The mirror continued to spit out stones as if they were endless.

It spat out at least a hundred pounds before the mirror finally stopped.

Then it flew up slightly, moved behind the pile of stones, and pushed the pile with its body, bit by bit, toward Ye Fan.

Ye Fan subconsciously took a step back, and the mirror pushed the stones a step closer.

He retreated again, and the mirror followed again.

Until Ye Fan had backed into a corner with nowhere left to go, the mirror finally stopped.

It just hovered there in front of Ye Fan, the silver light on its surface flickering gently as if it were looking at him.

Then, it circled around Ye Fan a few times.

Once, twice, thrice.

After finishing its circles, the mirror trembled slightly, transformed into a streak of silver light, vanished into the Void Realm, and disappeared.

Leaving Ye Fan alone, standing in the corner, facing a pile of stones emitting dense Spiritual Qi, his face full of bewilderment.