Chapter 41: Four Springs

Li Youyi sat cross-legged, forming the Zi-Wu Taiji Seal, and practiced the Jade Void Breathing Method.

The blue-and-white urn jumped around in front of him, saying: "Law is the power of heaven and earth, existing in every corner. A grain of dust, a wisp of air, a river, a mountain—it is there in large places, and it is also there in small places."

"However, the distribution of Law between heaven and earth is not uniform."

"In ordinary mud, stone, and dust, Law is thin and barren. Where precious medicines grow, where martial cultivators gather, where heavenly law springs exist... Law is naturally abundant, making it more suitable for cultivation."

Zhao Meng on the side asked: "Are places where martial cultivators gather more suitable for cultivation?"

"That's right!"

The blue-and-white urn said: "Martial cultivation holy lands can be created artificially. Imagine a place with many martial cultivators, all having opened spring eyes, all practicing breathing methods—the Law between heaven and earth will naturally gather there, making the Law in that area incomparably thick."

"Sometimes, a top-tier martial expert, by practicing breathing methods or having his nine springs surge, can pull the Law from a radius of a thousand miles to that area. The place where he exists is a martial cultivation holy land."

"One person attains the Dao, and the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

"Of course, top experts, martial cultivation crowds, and heavenly law springs often appear together; who doesn't want to stack strengths and create the strongest cultivation place?"

"So often, those state capital giant cities are the most suitable places for cultivation in a state. Not only because martial cultivators gather there, but also because when the ancients chose sites to build cities, they definitely chose places where heavenly law springs existed."

"Not to mention the Gushing Spring Realm; in state capital giant cities, it is definitely easier to break through spring eyes. When you reach the Five Seas Realm, the advantage will be even greater."

"The biggest advantage you two have is the breathing method you've practiced since childhood."

"Your breathing method, in the same realm, pulls far more and faster heavenly Law than other cultivators; breaking through spring eyes is naturally easier. Li Youyi, do you feel the palpitation in the center of your left palm?"

Li Youyi shook his head.

Jar Senior said: "Today, I'll teach you a fierce move: Combined Spring Wall-Breaking."

"The Labor Palace acupoint in the center of your left palm is the gate of the spring eye. But now there is a barrier; you must shatter it, and you will be able to open the spring eye and obtain the magic power surging in from heaven and earth."

"Originally, every cultivator grinds it bit by bit, like water dripping through stone."

"But it's too slow."

"We have good conditions, with the blood energy of Golden Crow blood to nourish the body and supplement the constitution, we can be more aggressive. Hmm... anyway, it's just the palm, not the fifth spring's back center, or the sixth spring's chest Chest Center, nothing will go wrong."

It would have been better if he hadn't said that; the more he said, the more panicked Li Youyi felt, always feeling that if he messed up, his hand would be ruined.

"Jar Senior, shouldn't we be a bit more cautious?" Zhao Meng was worried.

"It's very cautious, trust me. This move is a unique skill of my sect; I wouldn't teach it to others!"

Jar Senior was very confident and began to guide: "First drink a jar of Jin Wu blood, let the blood energy in your body reach its peak. Then mobilize all the magic power surging from the three opened springs, and the moment you inhale with the breathing method, surge it toward your left arm... right, just surge it toward your left arm, the magic power will naturally rush toward the palm..."

"Adjust your breathing, do it again."

"Inhale! Magic power surges out!"

"Adjust your breathing, do it again."

"Boom!"

Li Youyi struck again and again; his entire left arm gradually became painfully cracked, unable to form the Zi-Wu Taiji Seal, and hung down.

Zhao Meng saw that Li Youyi's state was wrong, immediately rushed over, and roared: "This unique skill of yours has no technical content at all; what we respect and trust is the owner of the bronze ship, not you. If you harm my junior brother, I'll throw you into the Blood Sea."

Jar Senior said: "It's just the Gushing Spring Realm, how much technical content can there be?"

"Stop arguing, I seem to feel the palpitation in my palm!"

After Li Youyi's left arm recovered, he raised his palm.

"Whoosh!"

After the palpitation in the palm, a cold, bone-chilling magic power surged out. At the same time, silver trace veins extended from the spring eye toward his whole body.

Li Youyi formed the Zi-Wu Taiji Seal again and sat cross-legged.

More and more trace veins took root in the center of his left palm, finally giving birth to eleven, the same number as in the center of his right palm.

Thus, the total number of trace veins in his whole body reached forty-eight.

The three remnant soul entities—the urn, the spirit tablet, and the stone coffin—were all watching Li Youyi's situation. Not long after, a layer of shallow silver magic Qi appeared in Li Youyi's palm, initially achieving magic power overflow.

In the body it is power, outside the body it transforms into Qi.

The three remnant souls were knowledgeable and experienced; seeing this scene, they naturally weren't particularly shocked or shaken, but they secretly gained confidence, finally having a little bit of confidence to complete the task assigned by the owner of the bronze ship within ten years.

Ten years to forge Longevity!

Before this, they had no confidence at all.

Jar Senior muttered to himself: "I originally thought it would take two or three days, a dozen or so times, to succeed."

Li Youyi stood up, his blood energy abundant, his spirit so full he felt he could go without sleep for days and nights. He looked solemnly at the blue-and-white urn, bowed, and changed his address: "Thank you, Jar Master, for your guidance!"

Li Youyi naturally knew that there must be a reason why the three remnant souls would be willing to be his guides. Perhaps it was the decree of the owner of the bronze ship, or perhaps they had been promised some benefits.

But no matter what, he had indeed learned things.

Combined Spring Wall-Breaking wasn't very profound, but without guidance, he would absolutely never have dared to do that. In the future, this move might be used again at a critical moment.

Including the words of the remnant corpse in the stone coffin, it also gave Li Youyi gains and thoughts.

Zhao Meng said: "See, this is the character of our sect; we absolutely respect our teachers and the Dao. Whoever truly helps us by one point, we will definitely return it by ten points."

Jar Senior said: "This is nothing; I have learned many things in my life, hmm... anyway, I will definitely teach you everything. By the way, after returning to the Lingxiao Life Realm, we must settle down in a state capital giant city as soon as possible; only giant cities have spring-opening needles for sale, so cultivation can be faster. The fifth, sixth, and seventh springs are much harder; strive to break through within half a year. By the way, do you have the money of this world? The rent for a mansion in a giant city is not cheap."

Li Youyi naturally had some money, obtained from looting corpses, but he didn't know how expensive what Jar Master said was.

He said: "I heard that the Blood Sea other-realm coffins of this world are not cheap; should we fish for a few when we leave?"

The remnant corpse in the stone coffin said: "That's smuggling coffins; if caught by the Nine Li tribe's law enforcement guards, the consequences are very serious."

Jar Master had previously exposed the identity of the remnant corpse in the stone coffin; this person must have had a deep connection with the Nine Li tribe.

Master Master Lingwei Senior said: "The other-realm coffin is right in front of us, and we are short of money, why not fish for it? Youyi, you can hide the fished other-realm coffins in the Evil Camel Bell, and when the time comes, get them to the Spirit-Passing market in the Nether Realm and sell them quietly."

The remnant corpse in the stone coffin compromised in front of his wife: "It doesn't necessarily have to be the Spirit-Passing market; every state capital giant city must have a place for underground transactions."

"We'll talk about fishing for coffins when we leave tomorrow." Jar Master asked: "Youyi, after breaking through the fourth spring, besides magic power being able to overflow, do you feel any other changes?"

Li Youyi's four springs surged simultaneously, magic power erupted from his four limbs at the same time, and then he practiced the Chan Sect's Twelve Scattered Hands on the floating coffin.

After finishing it once, he felt refreshed.

He said: "It's as if my whole body has been opened up by forty-eight trace veins! Whether it's punching or footwork, there's a feeling that I can erupt with ten percent of my power as I wish. Combat power has increased more than any of the previous three springs."

Then Li Youyi mobilized magic power, running it through the trace veins in his body, surging toward his eyes.

In the fog, the distance he could see clearly actually doubled.

He then surged it toward his ears, and his hearing spread rapidly.

In the distance, the sound of floating coffins shaking in the water, the sound of the wind, even the sound of the fog drifting, and... light and familiar footsteps...

Li Youyi suddenly opened his eyes, and with a 'whoosh,' he jumped to the top of a six-meter-high giant coffin behind him and looked toward the direction the footsteps came from.

Everyone below, including the three remnant soul entities, became nervous.

Zhao Meng stood up, stood on tiptoe, looked toward the distance behind the giant coffin, and asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"

"Someone is coming!" Li Youyi knew who it was.

Zhao Meng sensed the vigilance in Li Youyi's eyes and realized the visitor was not friendly, his whole body's muscles tightening.

Not long after, a slender and graceful young girl's figure, stepping on blue mist light trails, appeared in Zhao Meng's field of vision. He was stunned for a moment, looking not like a great evil, weak and delicate, and her face was very well-behaved and exquisite, like an elf under the night sky.

"Brother Jin, finally found you; how could you leave me alone?"

Li Ling stepped forward quickly, her eyes both resentful and a bit aggrieved.

Li Youyi also reacted for a long time before realizing 'Brother Jin' was calling him.

"Thump!"

Jumping down from the giant coffin, Li Youyi blocked Li Ling, who wanted to approach the scientific expedition team members, worried that she was not friendly.

Li Ling looked behind him and greeted enthusiastically and happily: "You must be Brother Jin's companions, right? Hello, very happy to meet you."

Her eyes were like crescents, her gaze sincere, smiling to reveal white teeth, matching her cute appearance at the age of sixteen, looking extremely innocent.

Zhao Meng walked over, appearing behind Li Youyi, and laughed: "You call him Brother Jin? Who is this girl?"

Li Ling pretended to be frightened by his huge body, her face turning pale, hiding toward Li Youyi's chest, and whispered: "Of course it's Brother Xie Jin; doesn't he go by this name?"

Zhao Meng looked at Li Youyi with a strange look.

Li Youyi hurriedly dodged, not daring to let Li Ling get too close, very vigilant: "How did you find this place?"

It was too weird; logically speaking, they were separated by a great distance, and there was no way Li Ling could find him accurately.

He was very vigilant and could be sure that Li Ling hadn't been following him from the beginning.

He might have been tampered with by her.

Looking at Li Youyi's cold eyes, Li Ling was stunned, as if she couldn't believe it.

Gradually, tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't cry, looking at the ground as if she had suffered great grievances, and whispered: "I brought you out of the Spirit-Passing Fog Realm, but you left me alone at the Coffin Dock ferry crossing; I thought you didn't want me anymore!"

Zhao Meng felt that his junior brother and this woman had a story, but it wasn't entirely a 'eating melon' mentality; he saw the suspicious points and said: "Girl, I am... Brother Jin's senior brother, just a bit taller, but I'm not a bad person. You are so young, and this place is so creepy and dangerous; why are you alone? Aren't you afraid?"

Li Ling looked at Li Youyi and whispered: "Brother Jin wanted to come back to find you, so he had to pass through the Spirit-Passing Fog Realm, but he couldn't do it himself; only I could help him. But after getting out of the Spirit-Passing Fog Realm, he left me alone!"

Zhao Meng frowned deeply, looked at Li Youyi, and felt his junior brother was a bit unkind.

But there were still suspicious points, and he asked again: "You just met not long ago, right? Why would you help him like this?"

Li Ling's face was filled with the happy aura that only a girl in love would have: "Although we just met, we have already experienced life and death together..."

"You'd better stop talking, and stop acting." Li Youyi added: "What exactly do you want to do?"

He felt Li Ling would make up a very outrageous story.

Li Ling immediately closed her mouth, and tears the size of beans gushed out uncontrollably, hitting the ground with 'plop, plop' sounds.

Everyone present felt aggrieved and heartbroken.

Finally, Zhao Meng said: "Junior brother, this kind of thing is hard for senior brother to manage, and I can't manage it, but letting her finish speaking, what's the harm!"

Li Ling immediately choked: "We encountered enemies in Immortal Burial Town, shared life and death together; he saved me, I once said I would give myself to him, and he once said he liked my cold appearance."

"I have taken his hand, hugged his neck, and he didn't refuse at the time. He also carried me on his back when I was seriously injured; he was so gentle."

"I promised to take him out of the Spirit-Passing Fog Realm to find his companions... not asking for any return. I said I would marry him to a woman with outstanding looks; I have a cousin who will be sixteen in eight days—eight days, actually, it's my birthday in eight days. But after walking out of the Spirit-Passing Fog Realm... he... woo woo..."

"I swear by the God of Nine Li; if I have said one lie, let me die a horrible death. Senior brother, I know you only believe your junior brother, but I really haven't said one lie!"

Zhao Meng didn't know what to do at all!

Originally, the three remnant souls had been in a 'watching the show' mentality, but seeing her actually dare to swear in the name of the God of Nine Li, they became cautious.

Deceiving the gods with lies really would kill people.

Behind, the remnant corpse in the stone coffin couldn't help but speak: "Child, never swear in the name of the God of Nine Li casually; this is not a joke, it will definitely be fulfilled."

"I know, of course I know." Li Ling nodded desperately through her tears.

"His name isn't Xie Jin; his name is Li Youyi." Master Master Lingwei Senior was clearly a bit angry, feeling Li Youyi's character was problematic—a fifteen or sixteen-year-old Nine Li girl was being led around by the nose by him, and after being used, she was thrown away.

And it was cheating on feelings.

No wonder he told them to detour.

Li Ling looked at Li Youyi, and at the same time, with a questioning and somewhat resentful look, recited: "Li... You... yi... actually, is this your real name? Why... why did you lie to me?"

Li Youyi's brain was aching.

"Junior brother, senior brother knows you best; your character is absolutely fine." Zhao Meng said this to everyone, then asked in a low voice: "The name Xie Jin doesn't look like something she made up. Did you say those things, did you do those things? Lying about a name is actually a small matter."

Li Youyi admired her; Li Ling's level was higher than her age. If her acting had been worse, and she hadn't been so young, she absolutely couldn't have fooled these old veterans who had seen countless people.

If it were him, encountering a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl swearing by her own life, telling a story of deception and abandonment with tears, and every word being true, he would probably be angry and sympathetic too.

Zhao Meng saw Li Youyi was slow and didn't deny or argue immediately, and for a time, his brain started aching too.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 42 =====