Chapter 106: Li Wuyi and Li Yan
By the twenty-first day, that midday, a fluctuation of spiritual energy stirred in an untouched corner of the array within the Wraith Sect. The surrounding aura surged violently toward a single figure.
That person was shrouded in flickering black light, crackling sounds echoing from his body as if his bones themselves were resonating with power.
Nearby cultivators seated in meditation barely spared him a glance, only a few looked up, while the majority remained undisturbed. Such phenomena had become increasingly common over the past days, and they had long grown used to it.
Half a quarter-hour later, Li Yan slowly ceased his cultivation technique. The black light around him dissipated completely, and joy surfaced in his eyes. On the twenty-first day of entering the secret realm, he had successfully reached the peak of early eighth level Qi Condensation.
Truth be told, he had broken through to the eighth level earlier that morning. But he had sensed that his inner energy was still surging, climbing ever higher.
So, Li Yan had steadied his mind and focused on regulating his breath. After two hours, he had stabilized his newly attained realm.
Yet, even then, his spiritual power still boiled restlessly within. After a moment's reflection, he gathered his strength again and boldly attempted to push toward the very peak of the eighth level’s early stage.
A little over an hour later, Li Yan opened his eyes, he had broken through once more!
Feeling the unprecedented power coursing through his veins, he was momentarily gripped by a desire to spar with someone. He knew well this was just an illusion of strength, a false sense of confidence brought on by the sudden surge in cultivation.
Li Wuyi, who had awakened from his own cultivation days earlier, found that his realm had also subtly loosened. Though it was but the faintest hint of progress, it still brought joy to his heart.
Beyond his current state of Pseudo Core lay the true Core Formation realm, a major leap in cultivation. Reaching it could take ten or twenty years of painstaking effort, and even then, success was not guaranteed.
To condense a Core sounded like just a half-step from his current state, yet countless Foundation Establishment cultivators had been stuck at that very threshold for a lifetime. In the end, many turned to dust, entering the cycle of reincarnation with bitter regret.
Having awakened from cultivation, Li Wuyi chose not to force further progress. Though he was eager, he was also a seasoned expert in the Foundation Establishment realm. He understood that even the slightest loosening of his bottleneck might be an opportunity others wouldn't encounter in decades.
He suspected his master had arranged his presence in the secret realm at the last moment to grant him more time to cultivate under the dense spiritual energy of this place.
When Li Wuyi received that message from his master, he had been overwhelmed with complex emotions.
He was not a competing disciple, and every additional entrant to the secret realm consumed precious resources for passage. Moreover, he could not displace any of the original forty-nine entrants.
Even entering as a team leader, he was not truly a replacement for Wei Chongran. Core Formation cultivators had important tasks here, if Wei did not come, another of the same level would need to take his place, consuming the same amount of resources.
Li Wuyi had no idea what Wei Chongran said to the sect to make this happen, but it surely cost him dearly. In cultivation, karma and debts are feared above all, and favors even more so.
And yet, Wei Chongran had done it silently, without fanfare. In the eyes of others, such behavior made him unfit for the path of cultivation, he had too many emotional attachments, and such people rarely walk far on the path to immortality.
To Li Wuyi, even the faint loosening of his realm was the greatest reward of this journey. He had no desire to push further and began to focus on other matters instead.
He turned to the Tianxin Compass, occasionally glancing around. Aside from the oddities among the Qi Condensation disciples of the other three sects, he also noticed that the three groups of first-rank demonic beasts opposite them were mostly late-stage first-rank and their auras were ferociously strong.
This realization made him feel even more uneasy about his junior brother's entry into the Wheel of Life and Death, it was now clearly even more perilous.
Regret quietly crept into Li Wuyi’s heart. It was a rare feeling for someone like him.
He had been brought under Wei Chongran’s wing at the age of ten, practically born into the world of cultivation. He had witnessed countless schemes and betrayals.
But ever since Lin Daqiao and Li Yan entered the sect, he had sensed a certain purity and freshness from them, an untainted air of youth.
Especially Li Yan, who had spent far longer in the mortal world than Lin Daqiao. Unknowingly, Li Wuyi had come to regard him like a true younger brother. While he cared for all his junior disciples and sisters, he held a different kind of affection for Li Yan, something closer to familial love.
Such sentiment was extremely rare for Li Wuyi. His ruthlessness was renowned not just on Little Bamboo Peak, but throughout the entire Wraith Sect. This reputation was precisely why so many, even those indebted to Wang Tian, were unwilling to target Li Yan.
They feared crossing a madman like him. And above Li Wuyi stood an even crazier figure, Wei Chongran.
Many of the Core Formation elders had long warned their disciples: “Do not provoke anyone from Little Bamboo Peak. There are only a handful of them, and you’d be lucky to even cross paths once.”
Moreover, those few disciples from Bamboo Peak never stirred trouble on their own except for Li Wuyi. That kid was like a second Wei Chongran: outwardly harmless, but deep down utterly mad, ruthless and vicious when he struck.
If Li Wuyi lost control, within Wraith Sect probably only cultivators at Core Formation level or above could restrain him; among peers, none could.
When Li Wuyi killed, his eyes never even flickered, as calm as eating or drinking giving no hint of anger within.
Compared to Wei Chongran, Li Wuyi was more manageable. His realm was fixed, and if he caused trouble, many above him could still suppress him.
But Wei Chongran, once mad, could likely only be tamed by his Nascent Soul master. Even other Nascent Soul ancestors might face his desperate resistance.
If Wei Chongran wasn’t subdued immediately, he could definitely drag down many peers with him. Li Wuyi had grown into his current state after years hearing and seeing Wei’s madness firsthand.
That morning, Li Wuyi had noticed the strange changes in Li Yan’s cultivation and smiled.
"Little junior brother truly hides his strength well. If it weren’t for that sparring match last time, I’d have been fooled, sixth level of Qi Condensation my ass!
“Today he’s officially entered the eighth level, but it seems he still has reserves. He wants to keep pushing forward, that won’t do; the realm is not stable yet.”
Just as he prepared to send a voice message to stop him, Li Wuyi retracted his divine sense, a smile brightening his clear eyes, he sensed Li Yan was already suppressing his aura, a sign of stabilizing his cultivation.
“It seems my little junior brother understands not to be greedy or reckless. But this 'Ten Thousand Source Technique' is strange, the black glow is clearly pure water element energy, how can a mixed spirit root can produce such refined energy?”
The "Ten Thousand Source Technique" was not unique to Wraith Sect; many mid-tier sects cultivated it. Its feature was embracing all elements, allowing practitioners to focus on their strongest attribute for more efficient progress.
This technique’s moderate, balanced nature meant no one in Wraith Sect had cultivated it for generations, so Li Wuyi was unfamiliar with it.
But he wasn’t the kind to dwell on trivial doubts. Unless it was a major issue, he simply didn’t waste thought on it.
Seeing Li Yan stabilizing his realm, he turned back to the Tianxin Compass.
Only twenty-four black dots remained; the Ten-Step Court had twenty-two white dots; Grand Profound Sect, nineteen red dots; and Pure Land Sect, twenty-seven orange dots.
As for the three beast teams, the smallest had eleven green dots, while the other two hovered around twenty light dots each.
“The Buddhist Sect’s defense is impressive. No wonder they left the most survivors this time. When I slew those little monks before, they excelled at encirclement tactics, their profound magic and endurance were unmatched.”
He wondered if Second brother and the others, along with Changting and Zhao Min had survived. Sighing deeply, Li Wuyi murmured, “Cultivation, cultivation... life and death remain so uncertain!”
Though thinking of Wei Chituo, the three others, and Li Changting, he found himself oddly concerned for Zhao Min as well.
Lost in thought, Li Wuyi suddenly furrowed his brow and looked again toward Li Yan. He sensed Li Yan’s aura climbing once more and inwardly complained:
“He just broke through, yet he’s forcing another surge?”
Turning to observe, Li Yan’s momentum was rapidly rising. Li Wuyi knew he couldn’t stop him now. Carefully, he extended his divine sense toward Li Yan, prepared to intervene if the aura spiraled out of control.
Though displeased, he couldn’t simply stand by.
But when his divine sense swept Li Yan, Li Wuyi was stunned, Li Yan’s aura was stable, pressing normally against the breakthrough threshold.
“What... is going on here?”
Li Yan had just broken through, something Li Wuyi saw with his own eyes so how was he already stable? Could it be that the Ten Thousand Source Technique suited him best? Or was it the effect of his Fractured Poison Body?
Seeing Li Yan’s long, thick, steady aura, Li Wuyi finally relaxed.
An hour later, to his astonishment, Li Yan truly reached the peak of the early eighth level. Had he not watched in real time, Li Wuyi wouldn’t have believed it.
Usually, after a breakthrough, it took at least half a month or more to stabilize. So this meant Li Yan’s talent might surpass his own, calling him a prodigy wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Yet Li Yan was clearly a mixed spirit root cultivator, which left Li Wuyi baffled, he could not figure out the reason.
When Li Yan stopped cultivating, he noticed Li Wuyi’s surprised gaze. Being sharp, he immediately guessed his progress seemed abnormal.
However, many others had broken through recently, so he wasn’t attracting much attention. Especially with the Fractured Poison Body as a cover, all doubts could be easily dismissed.
"Little junior brother, I really suspect you don't have multiple spirit roots with how fast you’re cultivating."
Li Wuyi transmitted.
"Senior brother, you know my talent well, it’s only a mixed spirit root, Foundation Establishment is barely hopeful. This is probably just a lucky breakthrough, blessed by heaven."
Li Yan replied vaguely.
“Heh heh... rest for a while. Later, you’d better fully stabilize your realm.”
Li Wuyi didn’t pry into the cause but gave a cautionary reminder.
“Yes, senior brother!”
Li Yan listened attentively to his concern.
“Senior brother, do you think second senior brother and the others rank in the top hundred among all cultivators who entered this time?”
Li Yan quickly changed the topic. He glanced around, seeing only six Foundation Establishment cultivators from Wraith Sect. Four appeared to be recovering with elders assistance, it seemed their lives were no longer in danger except for the loss of qi and blood.
Two others, one seated cross-legged in recuperation, the other lying beside an elder, life uncertain.
After hesitation, Li Yan transmitted, asking about their chances.
Li Wuyi understood immediately: judging by the speed dots had disappeared and the number who’d emerged, although fewer than a hundred might come out, ranking within the top hundred meant a good chance of survival.
(Chapter End)