Chapter 83: The Legend of the Ten Springs

Once the magic power left the body, it transformed into magic Qi, and the yellow light on the sword’s edge surged violently.

The Four-Winged Spider King already possessed a certain level of intelligence; a look of human-like shock appeared in its eyes. Immediately, its abdomen turned crimson as if flames were burning inside, and it spat out a beam of blood-colored light from its mouth.

"Bang!"

The blood-colored light was split apart by the heavy, forceful blade.

As the sword tip descended, the Four-Winged Spider King raised a silver-white spider leg, which resembled a metal spear, to block it.

The spider leg was severed.

The Four-Winged Spider King was knocked backward, letting out a "coo-coo" shriek before flapping its wings to retreat into the spider swarm.

Li Youyi wanted to pursue, but after his reason returned, pain surged throughout his body. The Six Desires Talisman on his chest began to flicker again, and his consciousness grew dim. Thinking of Shi Liuyu, who had been locked in the wolf den for two months, he shuddered and hurriedly rummaged for the pills he carried.

He took one out and quickly swallowed it.

Looking ahead again, there was nothing but a dense mass of Flying-Winged White Spiders; where was there any sign of the Four-Winged Spider King?

As for that eight-to-nine-hundred-year-old purple Cistanche, it was miles away in the rear. In his current state, trying to slaughter his way through the swarm to go back and harvest it was simply unrealistic.

"Forget it, I'll come back another day. Let's go!"

Li Youyi waved his hand, mounted the half-illusory, half-real giant camel, and chased after the flat boat that had already drifted a mile away.

The seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors fought while retreating, consistently holding off the Flying-Winged White Spider swarm that was pursuing from behind, leaving countless spider corpses in the underground river.

They returned to the flat boat.

Li Youyi stowed the giant camel into the Evil Camel Bell and finally could no longer hold on; his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed on the boat. Only then did he discover a finger-long wound torn into his thigh by the Four-Winged Spider King.

Fortunately, he was wearing the corpse-cloth soft armor on his upper body, which protected his major vital points.

"That Four-Winged Spider King's combat power is definitely comparable to a Five Seas Realm Wu Xiu. It’s sheer luck that I survived this fierce battle. For a Spring Gushing Realm cultivator to cross a major realm to fight back is truly as difficult as ascending to heaven."

Li Youyi braced his body to sit down and hurriedly mobilized the magic Qi in his body to flow along the silver trace veins, healing his injuries.

In this battle, the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors were as valiant as seven phoenixes. While he was healing, they kept acting as the rearguard, and in the end, they actually slaughtered the swarm to the point where it dared not pursue.

Upon returning, they were extremely arrogant, flipping open the ghost flag that wrapped Yao Yin and swarming up together to gnaw on the Cistanche, which emitted a crimson light.

Their entire demeanor exuded an aura of, "If I don't eat it, who else is qualified to?"

One day later.

Yin Twenty-Four sat cross-legged on the stone platform on the bank at the exit of the spider cave, practicing breathing techniques. Beside her lay a blood-colored gemstone, illuminating the stone walls of the blood river like a spirit lamp.

The flat boat was tied to a stalactite pillar below.

Hearing the unusual sound of water, she suddenly opened her eyes: "How could it be so fast?"

Yin Twenty-Four had not experienced the Seven Springs Trial and did not know the specific situation inside the spider cave. However, she knew that anyone who could pass the trial and come out would take at least three days.

"Splash!"

A six-to-seven-meter-long flat boat slowly emerged with the current.

Li Youyi sat alone at the bow with his back straight, eyes closed, healing. The silver trace veins at the Wind Mansion and Spring Gushing acupoints had already emerged one by one, stabilizing his realm.

The number of trace veins in his body had increased to ninety-six.

Although still not comparable to the "All-Silver Hundred Veins," the gap was at least getting smaller.

"Bang!"

The two flat boats collided, and the hulls vibrated.

Li Youyi let out a long breath of turbid air and looked at the slender, tall figure standing on the stone platform on the bank: "Three days passed so quickly; I thought only two days had gone by."

"It hasn't even been two days. How did you do it?"

Yin Twenty-Four flew down onto the boat. After seeing the chaotic scene on Li Youyi and Yao Yin's boat, she was slightly startled: "You encountered an attack from the spider swarm?"

She knew that the Seven Springs Trial tested psychological quality and pressure-bearing capacity; one could survive by not disturbing the spider swarm within three days. Once the swarm was disturbed, everyone would die inside.

The flat boat was piled high with the corpses of Flying-Winged White Spiders and a large amount of spider silk.

Of course, the ghost flag, Evil Camel Bell, Cistanche, and Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors had all been stowed away by him long ago.

"It was indeed a fierce battle, exceptionally dangerous," Li Youyi said, still feeling a lingering fear.

Yin Twenty-Four re-examined Li Youyi. No wonder Yin Five specifically mentioned him; this person was truly not simple, and there must be a great secret about him.

They tied the two flat boats together and headed back.

Li Youyi asked: "These spider corpses and spider silk should be able to be exchanged for precious medicine, right?"

"They can."

Yin Twenty-Four, standing at the stern, looked at Yao Yin, who was still frozen like a block of ice, and asked curiously: "You didn't take this opportunity to kill your biggest competitor? People who are soft-hearted or greedy for beauty don't live to the end."

The current Li Youyi no longer considered anyone in this batch a competitor and couldn't be bothered to respond to this question. Instead, he lowered his voice and said: "Do you want to do business?"

Yin Twenty-Four was stunned for a moment.

She only heard the other party continue: "Inside the spider cave, there is a precious medicine nearly a thousand years old. If you and I join forces, we will definitely be able to harvest it."

The number of Flying-Winged White Spiders was enormous, and Li Youyi knew it would be extremely difficult to deal with them on his own.

Moreover, he wasn't sure if there was only one spider king inside; what if there were other dangers? What if there were other spider kings?

Pulling in a Five Seas Realm expert to cooperate was definitely the right move.

Yin Twenty-Four was slightly tempted, but soon she put on a cold face: "The precious medicine in the trial grounds is a reward for the trial-takers; Hidden People cannot harvest it. Besides, you, a Seven Springs Wu Xiu, what qualifications do you have to cooperate with a Five Seas Realm Wu Xiu?"

"I am a Bug Master; otherwise, how do you think I killed my way out of the spider swarm?"

Li Youyi wanted to persuade Yin Twenty-Four and added: "Hidden People cannot harvest the precious medicine in the trial grounds, but there is no rule saying Hidden People cannot enter the trial grounds, right? You just need to provide the strength; I will do the harvesting!"

She didn't know how this person in front of her survived the siege of the spider swarm, but she knew that the number of Flying-Winged White Spiders was enormous. If one were truly trapped in the spider cave, even with her cultivation, she would likely die inside.

Besides, she was a dignified Five Seas Realm expert, a dignified Hidden Person, and she was going to cooperate with a Seven Springs Wu Xiu?

It was simply a huge joke.

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Seeing that she was unmoved, Li Youyi had no choice but to give up the persuasion, deciding to wait until his cultivation reached Nine Springs or the Five Seas Realm before going to harvest it.

The flat boat returned to the river valley where the entrance to the Nine Li Bug Valley was located.

After landing, Li Youyi took the spider corpses and spider silk to the Nine Li Hidden Gate's mountain gate to exchange for precious medicine, leaving Yao Yin to Yin Twenty-Four.

Before leaving, still somewhat unwilling, Li Youyi persuaded Yin Twenty-Four again: "That is a Cistanche, conservatively weighing a hundred catties. It's a large quantity and easy to divide, and its value is at least comparable to ten other precious medicines of the same age. It can replenish Yang and nourish blood. Didn't you just break through to the Five Seas Realm a month ago? It can just help you nourish your blood Qi and temper your physical body."

"Of course, you must never go to harvest it yourself; it's very dangerous. There is a Four-Winged Spider King inside."

Li Youyi saw that Yin Twenty-Four was truly tempted and immediately began to worry that he would be kicked out of the deal, so he said: "I will definitely go again. If that Cistanche is harvested, it must be your doing. I will report you to the Hidden Lord... You should consider it first..."

Yin Twenty-Four stared at the back of Li Youyi, who was carrying the boat away, her forehead covered in black lines.

It was the opposite, it was the opposite; a trial-taker who didn't even know if he could live until next month actually dared to threaten a Hidden Person.

The Hidden Gate's mountain gate was located deeper in the direction of the Mindfulness Stone Wall and the Medicinal Meal House, guarded by an old man in black. Like the old man who cooked the meals, he was a Hidden Person from the previous sixty-year cycle.

Upon seeing him, Li Youyi naturally addressed him respectfully as "Elder."

"Bang!"

He put down the boat he was carrying on his shoulder.

The gate-guarding old man saw the boat full of spider corpses and spider silk, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, but in the end, he said nothing and exchanged three precious medicines for him.

They were three two-hundred-year-old Silver-Qiao Grasses, which could help temper silver trace veins.

Li Youyi frowned and asked: "Are there any precious medicines that help temper golden trace veins?"

The gate-guarding old man's self-restraint was not comparable to that of a little girl like Yin Twenty-Four, and he smiled: "Your ambition is truly not small. These golden trace veins are known as the dragon veins within a Wu Xiu's body. Even if only one is tempered, it has great benefits for future cultivation in the Five Seas Realm and the Dao Seed Realm."

"The Hidden Gate does have a method for tempering golden veins, but it has extremely high requirements for physical strength, which a Spring Gushing Realm Wu Xiu can hardly reach."

Li Youyi asked: "To what extent must physical strength reach?"

The gate-guarding old man pointed to an iron pillar not far outside the mountain gate: "That is the Five Seas Pillar of the most dense heavy weaponry, weighing five thousand five hundred catties. Only a Five Seas Realm Wu Xiu can lift it with physical strength. If you can lift it in the Spring Gushing Realm, you have the qualifications to temper golden trace veins."

Someone like Yao Zhengsheng, who was born with divine strength, could use a thousand-catty iron rod as a weapon, but in reality, it could only be wielded with the addition of magic power. Relying solely on physical strength, carrying a thousand-catty iron rod was not an easy thing for him.

This was already the peak existence of physical strength in the Spring Gushing Realm!

Li Youyi walked toward the black Five Seas Pillar.

It was only the thickness of a forearm, and the part exposed above the ground was about seven feet long.

"Over the years, only Yin Nine has been able to shake it in the Nine Springs Realm. Someone like Yin Twenty-Three, who is born with huge divine strength, is also a bit lacking. Look, it's almost rusted... You just now... did you shake it?"

The gate-guarding old man was talking to himself when suddenly, his voice became high-pitched, because he clearly saw the Five Seas Pillar being pulled out a little bit.

He walked over quickly: "You didn't use magic power, did you?"

Li Youyi shook his head and looked at the rust on his palm: "I can't lift it with my current physical strength. I'll wait until I eat more medicinal meals and temper it for a month or two."

He left feeling somewhat disappointed.

The gate-guarding old man was dazed for a moment, reached out to grab the Five Seas Pillar, and lifted it to test its weight.

It was five thousand five hundred catties; there was no problem.

"Eh, no..."

The gate-guarding old man stared at Li Youyi's back, his forehead wrinkled, and whispered: "Didn't he shake it? What is he disappointed about?"

Returning to the cave dwelling in the Blood Tree Forest, Li Youyi took out the crimson Cistanche and ate half a catty. The disappointment in his heart quickly dissipated, and his vigorous fighting spirit returned.

"The advantage is getting smaller and smaller! Yin Nine could shake the Five Seas Pillar in the Nine Springs Realm, while I need to open the Eighth Spring to do it."

"Fortunately, Cistanche can enhance blood Qi and temper the physical body. Will a five-hundred-year-old one not be enough to replenish it quickly?"

Li Youyi knew very well that his cultivation time was too short and his start in tempering his physical body was too late.

After pondering for a moment, he entered the Buddha Relic to ask Master Jar about tempering golden trace veins.

"You want to impact the Tenth Spring, the Divine Palace?" Master Jar suddenly said this.

Li Youyi was stunned: "There is a Tenth Spring?"

Master Jar said: "The Tenth Spring belongs to legend; anyway, I haven't heard of anyone who has truly broken through it. But those with outstanding talent, when tempering golden trace veins, mostly harbor this fantasy. The final result, however, is wasting precious time and missing the best age to open the seas, which is not worth the loss."

Master Jar then explained to Li Youyi in detail: "The younger you are, the easier it is to open the Five Seas. Once a person is over thirty, their physical state is actually gradually declining. Only by reaching the Dao Seed Realm can one stabilize this downward trend. Only by cultivating to the Longevity Realm can one reverse the state of life."

"In other words, the top-tier talented Wu Xiu... that is, the Inheritor-level Wu Xiu, must open the Five Seas before the age of thirty and impact the Dao Seed, so that in the future, they can continue to advance rapidly and pursue higher and further goals."

"Youyi, although you started later than everyone else, your progress is extremely fast. You can go and try to impact it, but you must never become obsessed with it and let yourself get trapped."

Li Youyi could understand Master Jar's worry and smiled: "Since the Tenth Spring is so illusory, I won't consider it for now. But I heard that golden trace veins are known as the dragon veins of a Wu Xiu, and after tempering them, there are great benefits."

Master Jar laughed heartily: "That goes without saying! The reason I, your Master Jar, was able to become one of the top ten magic-martial powerhouses in the Lingxiao Life Realm back in the day was partly because I forged eighteen golden meridian veins within my body, laying an indestructible foundation and surviving several life-threatening ordeals where my meridians were severed."

In the era where the three masters lived, the Lingxiao Life Realm had three hundred states, which was many times more prosperous than it is now.

Being able to enter the top ten in magic-martial arts at that time had a much higher gold content than the strongest of those ten-million-strong sects today.

"If you want to temper golden trace veins, I can pass on to you the tempering method of the ancient immortal giant beast Bi Fang; this is my clan's unique skill," Master Jar said.

Master Coffin's voice sounded: "The Bi Fang tempering method requires a large amount of ancient immortal giant beast blood for assistance. I suggest you study the Cang King tempering method of the Nine Li clan, using the natural light of heaven and earth to temper the trace veins. Coincidentally, Youyi can borrow the Buddha Relic to absorb a large amount of natural light, which is enough to speed up the tempering of golden trace veins."

"This... is not bad, this doesn't cost much money."

Li Youyi agreed with Master Coffin's method, but immediately added: "However, the light underground is very dim, and I'm afraid the light from those glowing plants is not enough. It seems I must become a Divine Hidden Person as soon as possible, return to the surface, and find a place with sufficient light to go into seclusion."

Master Spirit Tablet said: "Youyi, if you can cultivate the Square-Inch Flame in the Spirit Realm of the Hall of Impression into the Square-Inch Bright Fire as soon as possible, who knows, the Lesser Yang Star might be the best place for you to go into seclusion to temper golden trace veins."

Square-Inch Bright Fire is the third realm of a Mindfulness Master; Li Ling was at this realm back then, and her combat power was comparable to a Seven Springs Wu Xiu.

Li Youyi hurriedly asked: "What does Master Spirit Tablet mean?"

"I can't say for sure, I can't be certain. But after your mindfulness cultivation broke through from the Square-Inch Fire Seed to the current Square-Inch Flame, the blood-mud space doubled in size. If the realm breaks through again, there will inevitably be further changes here," Master Spirit Tablet said.

Master Coffin said: "No rush, just walk both paths together. You should still heal your injuries well first."

Many people want to see some "one hammer to settle the sound," "Yao Yin lingering around the beams"... are you all crazy?