Chapter 345: Chapter 344: The Secret
’What is this? How can it emit such an astonishing Power of Life?’
Yi Tianyun was shocked by the effect. Such a dense Power of Life usually indicated the presence of amazing Spirit Flowers and Herbs, or perhaps some incredible Thousand-Year Ginseng. But here, a crystal was buried in the ground, continuously releasing the Power of Life. It flowed toward the stone ceiling above, as if nourishing the very land itself.
The area around the crystal was also covered in Spirit Flowers and Herbs. Many were fourth or fifth-grade Spirit Medicines. There was even a Soul-Nourishing Grass here, but only a single stalk, which was pitifully few.
Life Crystal: A crystal containing the Power of Life. It is a byproduct created when a Thousand-Year Spirit Treasure evolves into a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Treasure. It can nourish the land, increase the density of Spiritual Power, and enhance the rate of reproduction. After its power is depleted, it will turn into an ordinary stone.
The information presented by the Eye of Investigation stunned him, especially the last part about enhancing the rate of reproduction. He immediately thought of the Spirit Race. ’Could the Life Crystal be the reason the Spirit Race can reproduce here?’
The Spirit Race did indeed have difficulty reproducing; their fertility was extremely low. This was related to their innate talent. The more heaven-defying one’s talent, the harder it was to have children.
This was true even for powerful experts. Cultivators with astonishing cultivation levels had very low fertility. It wasn’t that there was a problem with their cultivation, but that an ordinary life could not be successfully conceived. Thus, both parents needed to be exceptionally powerful to successfully have a child.
The Spirit Race’s talent was simply too powerful. Even if both parents were strong, it was still extremely difficult for them to conceive. Rather than a Curse, it was more of a limitation imposed by their own talent—the stronger the talent, the harder it was to procreate. Pairing with a weaker individual would lead to the same result, as their level would be too low, lacking sufficient power for reproduction.
It was the same principle as the Dragon Race, whose reproductive ability was also extremely low. However, their numbers were still quite substantial to this day. This was mainly because the Dragon Race always chose auspicious lands with exceptionally dense Life Force, so their reproductive ability wasn’t actually that bad.
The Spirit Race was different. This Life Crystal was already on the verge of disappearing. It had already become semi-transparent, and if this continued, it would become completely transparent.
When that time comes, without the dense Life Force, their fertility will plummet even if they stay in the Spirit Race Forest.
"It seems I’ve found the root of the problem..."
Yi Tianyun felt that his greatest reward for coming down here wasn’t becoming the Spirit King, but finding a solution to their problem. ’As long as I can find more of these Life Crystals, they can live successfully in other places. They won’t have to stay here forever.’
Clearly, the ancestors of the Spirit Race knew the real reason. For some unknown reason, this knowledge was not passed down, leading their descendants to believe they were afflicted by a Curse that prevented them from leaving.
As he drew closer, the Life Crystal floated up, and a phantom image appeared. An old man materialized before him, hovering in the air and watching him with a gentle smile.
"Children, you have finally managed to master the Overlord Stele. This is a Treasure I forged with my entire life’s effort, and it can grant you protection. Only by mastering the Overlord Stele can you see this Life Crystal. It is a Treasure I obtained by chance, capable of improving our cultivation environment and, more importantly, enhancing our ability to procreate."
"Before this Life Crystal is depleted, you must quickly find another one, or find a place with dense Life Force. Otherwise, given our condition, procreation will be extremely difficult. The one who masters this Overlord Stele shall become the King of our Spirit Race! Rely on the Overlord Stele to forge a new path in the Divine Rune Realm. When you find another place with favorable conditions, you will be able to procreate without relying on a Life Crystal!"
"Or... return to our true Ancestral Land. That would be our best home..."
After speaking, the ancestor vanished completely. This was not a butler-like entity like Elder Xuan; it was just a Divine Thought, left behind to convey a general message.
’So, only the one who obtains the Overlord Stele can become the true Spirit King. Just getting a Divine Rune isn’t enough. It’s obvious that a successor who came for the trial later just got the Divine Rune Stone and thought they had succeeded.’
’How could a tiny Divine Rune Stone be called the Overlord Stele?’
’It’s utterly ridiculous, yet this misconception has been passed down for so many years and has never been corrected.’
"This is a serious matter. I’ll have to go back and tell them." Yi Tianyun nodded. He would have to call the Spirit Race Ancestors in to see this scene for themselves. This was an extremely grave issue, a mistake they had been making all this time.
’It’s very likely that the second Spirit King was unable to claim the Overlord Stele, so he fabricated an excuse, saying that the stone was the symbol of the Spirit King.’
He glanced around one last time but found nothing else. He then turned and left, heading for the exit.
Meanwhile, everyone outside was extremely nervous. Most of the Spirit Race members were waiting there for Yi Tianyun to emerge. Unless there was an emergency elsewhere, they would all wait here to witness a miracle.
"Yi, I wonder when he’ll come out..." Ye Wan’Er waited nervously outside.
"Soon. I’m sure he’ll succeed... Foreigners have succeeded before. He’s much stronger than many of the past Spirit Kings, so I believe in him." Ye Qingxuan placed a hand on her shoulder, comforting her.
"Normally, it takes about a week for someone to come out successfully. It’s only been a day since he went in, so let’s wait patiently," the Spirit Race Ancestor said with a smile. "However, I believe he’ll be out soon. Three days at most! In three days, we will have our answer."
As everyone waited in anticipation, a familiar figure soon appeared in their line of sight.
"He’s... he’s out!?"
They were all astonished. Yi Tianyun had walked out from inside. He came out after only one day? ’Did he fail, or did he succeed?’
Many people’s hearts sank. They feared Yi Tianyun had failed. ’To come out in such a short time, doesn’t that mean he failed?’
"You’re out so soon? It’s only been a day!" The Spirit Race Ancestor walked over and asked anxiously, "Did you receive the acknowledgment?"
"I did not receive the acknowledgment you speak of," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile.
"What!?"
Their hearts trembled. Although they had a premonition when they saw him emerge so early, they still felt a wave of sadness now that he had said it aloud.
Then, Yi Tianyun added, "I didn’t get what you were talking about, but I did bring out this Overlord Stele."
With that, he flung out a massive stone stele. It fell as if from the heavens, landing heavily on the ground. When the Spirit Race Ancestor saw the stele, his expression changed instantly. He was all too familiar with this thing!
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