CHAPTER 372: 372

"Yes. In the days to come, refine the Ruyi Soul Stealing Needle well! Don’t lose your core position."

After Tian Zhaoquan handed over the three spiritual items to Tian Zhiyu, he stirred up his Mana and True Yuan, lifting them up.

Actually, he was quite clear in his heart.

Even though Tian Zhiyu was the most outstanding among his descendants in terms of talent, there was still a considerable gap between him and a true celestial seed.

If it weren’t for his assistance as a patriarch, Tian Zhiyu would have had immense difficulty even securing a core position back then.

But so what?

In battles for position, even single-use magic treasures of extreme killing power were not prohibited.

So long as a victor had not been decided, even if one side was on the verge of death and had yet to surrender or admit defeat, the high-ranking members of the sect observing the battle would not intervene.

Apart from having no external aid, this fight was no different from a genuine life-and-death battle against an enemy!

There were no restrictions on magic artifacts, magic, talismans, Formations, Elixirs, and so on.

Of course, for the sake of their future Immortal Path, the duelists would probably not resort to mutually destructive Sacrificial Magic.

In light of this, what did it matter if he gave Tian Zhiyu a few spiritual items before the battle!

Even if Shen Mo’s methods were profound, he shouldn’t be able to defend against the Ruyi Soul Stealing Needle. Add to that the might of a Grade V talisman, and this boy’s defeat is sealed.

「...」

Just as the Tian family patriarch and his great-grandson were scheming against Shen Mo, Shen Mo had already entered Ming Yu’s The Smallest Space. He was concentrating on cultivation, attempting to break through to Layer II of the Spirit Sea Realm.

Much of this tiny space was submerged in seawater, with only a single Coral Island showing above the surface. A small bamboo courtyard had also been built on the island.

This place was originally untouched by wind or rain.

Furthermore, it blocked the prying of a cultivator’s five senses and sense, as well as the transmission of messages through Sound Transmission Talismans, essentially serving as a completely enclosed cave mansion.

There was no need to go to great lengths to build a dwelling on the island.

However, after using The Smallest and The Largest, Clam Girl Ming Yu would also appear inside The Smallest Space.

Shen Mo was not comfortable cultivating under someone else’s gaze, so after seeking Ming Yu’s consent, he spent two or three Shichen building a Bamboo Pavilion.

WHOOSH!

SPLASH! SPLASH!

The calm, windless surface of the water mysteriously started to ripple.

Ming Yu, who was lying on her jade bed cultivating, was already accustomed to this and didn’t even lift an eyelid.

The Smallest Space itself draws nature’s spiritual energy from the outside. Once the Spiritual Qi within is largely refined, it forms a spiritual energy depression, causing external Spiritual Qi to surge in.

Ming Yu’s regular cultivation didn’t consume a large amount of nature’s spiritual energy.

But after Shen Mo entered The Smallest Space to cultivate in seclusion, spiritual energy fluctuations would periodically occur, causing the water’s surface to undulate like a tidal surge.

Inside the Bamboo Pavilion, Shen Mo was dressed in loose Daoist robes, sitting cross-legged.

Both he and his Martial Performance Body were jointly circulating the Mixed Yuan Qi Technique.

Under the effect of the Flawless Skill, as Shen Mo absorbed Spiritual Qi, all its murky impurities—such as ghostly Qi, Demonic Qi, and Blood Poison Resentment Qi—were filtered out and expelled with his breath.

Only the purest, most inclusive, and malleable breath of Primal Spirit remained. This was then refined by the Mixed Yuan Qi Technique into pale golden True Yuan, drop by drop, merging into his three vast seas of Mana!

The characteristics of the cultivation method and the effects of the Skill determined Shen Mo’s outward appearance during cultivation.

Thus, if Ming Yu were to enter the Bamboo Pavilion at that moment, she would have found an extremely pure breath of Primal Spirit concentrated within a one-foot radius around Shen Mo.

It was quite similar to the pure Spiritual Qi contained within the Vacuous Realm of the Riverside Sect!

This was also one reason why Shen Mo, after obtaining the Yin-Yang jade disk, did not succumb to greed.

The efficacy of his breathing, circulation, and refinement of Spiritual Qi far surpassed consuming the fine wine condensed by the Yin-Yang jade disk.

HUFF!

A milky white Spiritual Qi was drawn into Shen Mo’s body. Originally thick as a pillar, after being refined by his cultivation method, only a hair-thin strand remained. This then mingled with the surrounding breath of Primal Spirit.

Before long, this strand would recover its former thickness, ready to be drawn in and refined by Shen Mo once more.

Beyond this aura of Primal Spirit, faint traces of Turbid Qi and Demonic Qi, bearing an ominous tinge, dispersed into the void.

After a day and a night, the signs of Shen Mo’s cultivation slowly dissipated.

Outside the Bamboo Pavilion, Ming Yu noticed the water surface had calmed, the tidal fluctuations gone. She quickly moved her jade bed to a spot outside Shen Mo’s dwelling.

"Brother, have you successfully advanced?"

"Not yet, but it will happen in the next day or two," Shen Mo answered with a faint smile.

Shortly after bringing Qian Xiaofeng back to the sect, Shen Mo had felt a sudden intuition that his breakthrough was imminent.

Since initiating the challenge for the position required a few days’ interlude, this period would allow the sect to summon Tian Zhiyu and also give Tian Zhiyu time to prepare.

Thus, to avoid any unforeseen complications, Shen Mo formally submitted his challenge request to the sect before secluding himself for the breakthrough.

This time, regardless of whether his secluded cultivation resulted in a successful breakthrough, Shen Mo would fight Tian Zhiyu!

"Then, Brother... why did you stop cultivating? Do you feel that the nature’s spiritual energy in this space is insufficient?" Clam Girl Ming Yu couldn’t help but ask curiously.

Shen Mo shook his head.

When Ming Yu used The Smallest and The Largest, she had anchored The Smallest Space in his Inner Door cave mansion.

Aside from the sect’s Vacuous Realm, this place was where the Riverside Sect’s Spiritual Qi was most abundant and pure. Moreover, The Smallest Space did not impede the flow of Spiritual Qi, so how could there be any scarcity?

"My soul is a little weary, so I’m taking a brief rest," Shen Mo replied.

Cultivation is not achieved overnight, especially at the critical point of a breakthrough. Haste makes waste!

The slightest anomaly at such a critical juncture could determine the success of an advancement. Therefore, the moment Shen Mo felt his soul grow even slightly fatigued, he immediately halted his cultivation.

After consuming a Grade IV Elixir to nourish his soul and chatting idly with Ming Yu for a while, Shen Mo felt his state had recovered. He then resumed operating his cultivation method, attempting to break through to the next Realm.

This time, the spiritual energy tide was even more terrifying than before!

The entire water surface roiled with gigantic waves, making Ming Yu feel as if she were back in the Immortal Burial Sea.

Only half a day had passed when Ming Yu was astonished to hear strange sounds emanating from the Bamboo Pavilion, like the roar of dragons and the howl of tigers; the momentum was incredibly frightening.

The influx of nature’s spiritual energy into The Smallest Space became so vast it was staggering.

Even the sky above Shen Mo’s Inner Door cave mansion was affected; layers of swirling ripples formed, tearing the mountain mists into vortex-like strips.

BOOM!

A terrifying, formless pressure suddenly erupted from within the Bamboo Pavilion.

It wasn’t even a breeze, yet Ming Yu felt her heart clench, and she struggled to breathe.

Since advancing to middle-stage Class III, she had rarely encountered such a situation. Only back when she was weaker, upon encountering even stronger and malicious big demons, would she experience such a sense of suffocation.

The next moment, this pressure was completely retracted.

"Brother has broken through!" Ming Yu’s astonished expression turned into one of joy.

Evidently, that was the moment Shen Mo had advanced to Layer II of the Spirit Sea Realm. The display had occurred because the sudden surge in his strength made him momentarily unable to fully contain his aura.

Just as Ming Yu surmised, Shen Mo had successfully broken through to Layer II of the Spirit Sea Realm!