“That’s right. If we want to establish a completely new spiritual energy cycle without leaving any flaws, we’d better be perfect. Any slight mistake could become a huge obstacle in our future cultivation.”
"I understand what you mean. But in my opinion, this problem is easy to solve!"
"Easy to solve?"
“That’s right. The problem is easy to solve. But you’ll have to remake this filter.”
Lu Xuan didn't understand Hongyu's meaning. This made Hongyu's face suddenly turn red with embarrassment.
"Are you genuinely unaware, or are you pretending? If we simply enter a state of dual cultivation, won't we soon be able to avoid the situation you described?"
Lu Xuan: "Aww..."
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Chapter 399 Traveling the World
This experiment to purify spiritual energy was incredibly erotic. Lu Xuan and Hongyu secluded themselves in the cave for seven days and seven nights. Afterwards, Lu Xuan was kicked out. Only Hongyu remained in the cave, adapting to her new spiritual energy cycle.
However, purification is only the first step. To condense the Golden Core, two further improvements are needed: an increase in spiritual realm and an increase in the quantity of spiritual power.
Lu Xuan had pursued the Dao for hundreds of years, so his spiritual realm was naturally without any problems. His spiritual power was also supplemented by the Moonlit Refinement of the Ape Strike Technique. This allowed him to quickly form his Core. Hong Yu had also learned the Ape Strike Technique, and her spiritual power was abundant. However, the issue of her spiritual realm was not so easily resolved.
Hongyu is a cultivator in this world. She possesses extraordinary talent, but her cultivation time is ultimately too short. She lacks a certain enlightenment on a spiritual level. And this enlightenment cannot be replaced by pure spiritual energy. Only through her own efforts and certain special opportunities can she truly take that step.
Hongyu has been in seclusion for eight years with little to show for it. She's instinctively becoming impatient.
Lu Xuan could only comfort her.
“The path of cultivation is not something that can be achieved overnight. Besides hard work, it also depends on opportunity. Since you haven’t gained anything from your seclusion, it means your opportunity hasn’t arrived yet. How about this, let’s go out and travel around. Let’s see what the world is like; perhaps the opportunity lies in that mortal realm.”
Lu Xuan did not bring anyone with him on this trip; he only traveled with Hongyu.
The Great Jin Dynasty had already stabilized completely several decades ago and entered a phase of rapid development. Lu Xuan could sense that the population of the Great Jin had increased significantly over the past decade or so. The towns and villages he passed through had also begun to prosper.
Most importantly, the bounty hunters who used to roam the streets wielding knives have completely disappeared. Occasionally, one can see soldiers passing by. Although they are often aggressive and unreasonable, they generally manage to avoid harming civilians, and their combat capabilities are quite good. This shows that the military reforms have achieved some success.
The two encountered a younger version of Commander Zuo in Taiyuan Prefecture. He must be a descendant of Commander Zuo. The man had inherited the family's longsword and experience in leading troops. He had several hundred fierce soldiers under his command, who were suppressing a band of mountain bandits outside the city. The two watched quietly for a while, then quietly left.
The Central Plains stretch for thousands of miles. Countless places remain unexplored by humankind.
The two traveled to various prefectures and began exploring remote, untouched mountains and forests.
Since ancient times, these places have been the origin of all kinds of strange tales, monsters, and ghosts.
In the northern mountains, the two encountered a powerful demon. One with exceptional cultivation. It called itself the Mountain Lord and was a tiger demon. Frankly, if the Black Mountain Demon hadn't been empowered by the laws of the underworld, Lu Xuan even believed it wouldn't have been able to defeat the tiger demon.
The mountain lord had long since become intelligent, and upon seeing Lu Xuan and the other two, he knew they were people he couldn't afford to offend.
It's important to understand that when Lu Xuan fought the Black Mountain Demon in the Underworld, he was essentially fighting it on Black Mountain's own territory. The Black Mountain Demon held an absolute advantage.
The tiger demon, however, lacked this advantage. Having cultivated in seclusion in the mountains for many years, it was unwilling to engage in a life-or-death struggle with human cultivators. Therefore, it deliberately feigned weakness, offering a large quantity of rare and precious materials it had collected, thus befriending the two. Lu Xuan didn't let it suffer any loss, teaching it some human Qi cultivation methods in exchange.
Both were delighted, and after having a drink together, the two embarked on their journey again.
In a great river in the north, two men captured a dragon that was causing havoc. This creature was also highly intelligent, but unlike the tiger demon, it used its innate supernatural powers to force the surrounding towns to offer it living sacrifices. Otherwise, it would flood the farmland.
The two men naturally couldn't stand such behavior. They decisively took action, fought a fierce battle with the dragon, and finally skinned and gutted it, filling Lu Xuan's warehouse.
Having learned from this experience, the two began to pay close attention to the major rivers. Sure enough, at least half of these rivers were inhabited by dragons. However, not all dragons were like the one from before, causing havoc on humanity.
Many who have reached a certain level of cultivation will proactively protect the surrounding people and rightfully enjoy the offerings of incense. Those who accumulate enough power can essentially enter the gates of the Heavenly Court. At that time, they will be given the title of River God, becoming minor deities in the mortal realm.
For the demon cultivators, this was already the end of their dream.
As for those dragons that stirred up trouble and harmed the human world, they were skinned and dismembered by the two of them, and turned into a pile of materials.
One of them even possessed an exceptionally high bloodline talent, almost destined to become a true dragon. The two went to great lengths to finally kill it, obtaining a dragon pearl in the process. This was a top-grade rare treasure, invaluable for cultivating supernatural powers or crafting magical artifacts.
After traveling through the mountains and rivers of the north, the two headed south.
Unlike the demons of the north, the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the south are home to mostly venomous insects and strange beasts. There are giant toads that spew poisonous mists, butterflies that bewitch the mind, and even a jet-black dragon found in a mud pit. After some probing, Lu Xuan discovered it was a rare venomous dragon. This creature is a variant of the dragon, one in a hundred.
Its inner elixir contains an extremely rare toxin. However, after being refined using an ancient method, it can become a miraculous elixir that can regenerate bone and flesh and ward off all poisons.
However, after much hesitation, Lu Xuan ultimately decided against taking action. Firstly, this creature was truly rare, and killing it might lead to its extinction. Secondly, it had never harmed anyone and had already gained sentience. Lu Xuan generally didn't attack sentient demons; it gave him the feeling of killing indiscriminately.
Furthermore, Lu Xuan noticed an interesting problem: perhaps the Imperial Advisor had used up all the centipede clan's luck. Throughout their journey, the two had never encountered a single centipede with any spiritual energy.
Deep in the mountains, the two encountered a reclusive tribe. They possessed a unique system of witchcraft.
It allows one to kill powerful demonic beasts and extract their essence into one's own body. After refining the soul using secret techniques, one can then use the supernatural abilities of those demonic beasts.
Lu Xuan was overjoyed upon seeing this. He decided to settle down near the tribe. Then, he painstakingly tried to exchange this secret technique with them.
Finally, after sacrificing the corpse of a dragon and acquiring more than a dozen cultivation techniques and supernatural abilities, Lu Xuan finally obtained what he wanted.
Hongyu was also very interested in this, so the two of them decided to live in seclusion and begin to study this secret technique.
Before they knew it, the two had been traveling the world for nearly ten years. They had even forgotten the purpose of their journey, immersing themselves solely in the exploration and discoveries they had made.
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