Chapter 1629: Power Soars
Within the Spirit Turtle Sacred Sanctuary, in the hot spring pool behind the mountain.
Ling Feng sat cross-legged on the floating platform, looking drained. His face was pale, his body drenched in sweat, and his breathing came in heavy bursts.
Condensing three Emperor Gates at once had taken a severe toll on both his body and his soul. He was nearly spent, though thankfully he had not fainted.
Still, the progress he made over this month of cultivation left him deeply satisfied. Because he focused on the Nine Heavens Stellar Art, even though his cultivation had surged rapidly, his state of mind remained stable and did not fall behind.
He lifted his head and looked at the three gates above him, one gold, one crimson, one black. Surprise flickered in his eyes.
Before entering seclusion, he had discussed the process of advancing to the Great Emperor realm with Elder Gui, so he understood what these gates represented.
However, his gates were clearly different from those of ordinary people.
Each of the three corresponded to a different path. One for qi cultivation, one for body refinement, and one for spiritual refinement.
Among them, the gate of spiritual refinement was the most solid, almost indistinguishable from a real structure.
The gate of body refinement came next.
As for the qi cultivation gate, although it was the first to form, it was the most unstable. It flickered faintly, as if it might dissipate at any moment.
The reason was simple. Ling Feng's mastery of spiritual refinement far surpassed his achievements in the other two paths. Whether it was the Eye of the Emperor or the Void Eye, both relied on the strength of his soul. Naturally, the Emperor Gate tied to spiritual refinement was the most stable.
At the same time, this also meant that opening that gate in the future would likely be far more difficult.
"Three gates forming at once is rare, but not unexpected," Ling Feng murmured with a faint smile. "Still, breaking through to the Great Emperor realm just became much harder."
He steadied his mind and began to slowly withdraw his power.
The one-month period had ended. It was time to leave. The Sunset Heaven Selection would begin soon as well.
The appearance of three Emperor Gates had shaken the entire Dongling Immortal Pool. Rumors spread everywhere.
Countless people chased after the source of the phenomenon, hoping to uncover the truth.
Fortunately, the event came as quickly as it vanished. Aside from a few hall masters who knew part of the truth, the rest of the disciples were left completely confused.
Even so, with the Sunset Heaven Selection approaching, the sudden appearance of such a phenomenon proved that yet another monster had emerged. Those who hoped to shine during the selection pushed themselves even harder, training relentlessly to make the most of the remaining time.
...
Inside the Spirit Turtle Sacred Sanctuary.
About an hour later.
The overwhelming aura around Ling Feng had fully withdrawn, leaving behind a calm, restrained presence, as though he had returned to a state of simplicity.
He slowly opened his eyes.
A strange deep violet color filled his pupils, flickering with an eerie glow.
The purple light faded in an instant. A faint smile curved at his lips as he rose to his feet from the platform.
"One month was enough. I finally brought the Sacred Spirit Art to full mastery."
The strange purple light from before was the sign of mastering the Sacred Spirit Art.
This technique was rooted in spiritual consciousness. Once activated, it could temporarily enhance both physical strength and cultivation level. With this, Ling Feng now had another layer of protection. At the very least, he would not be forced into a corner where he had to rely on Chaotic Rebirth.
That ability was undeniably powerful, but the cost was too great, and it easily pushed him into a berserk state. He still felt some resistance toward using the Asura's Eye.
Perhaps only when he could control it as freely as the Human Dao Eye and the Heavenly Dao Eye would he be able to use it without hesitation.
As for body refinement, Ling Feng had not neglected it either. With a large reserve of Heaven-Incinerating Dragon Flame Essence, combined with the constant tempering from this cultivation ground, his Dragon-Elephant Tyrant Body Art had made significant progress.
His strength had risen from fifty dragons to eighty dragons.
Although he had yet to reach the third phase of a hundred dragons, his current raw power was already terrifying. Even Great Emperor experts above the fourth level of the Divine Destiny Realm could be severely injured if they were careless.
If he were to face someone like the Unrivaled Young Emperor again, Ling Feng was confident he could kill him within three punches without even using the Eye of the Emperor.
As for the legendary top three Young Emperors within the sect, he could not judge their strength without facing them directly.
Still, with the Sunset Heaven Selection approaching, he would soon have plenty of chances to fight them. There were also those geniuses who had broken through to the Great Emperor realm before the age of fifty and had been training outside. They would likely return before the selection began.
Ling Feng had long been looking forward to this grand gathering of geniuses from across the Dongling Region.
"It is time to leave seclusion."
A trace of anticipation flashed in his eyes. "Sunset Heaven Selection, I am coming."
His figure moved, and he flew out of the hot spring area. Elder Gui had already been waiting outside.
"Greetings, Elder Gui."
Ling Feng bowed deeply, filled with gratitude. Without the chance to cultivate in that spring, he would not have reached this level even after another half year.
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
Elder Gui looked him over with satisfaction and smiled. "I did not misjudge you."
"It is all thanks to your guidance and this sacred cultivation ground."
Ling Feng replied modestly. The Sacred Spirit Art that Elder Gui had given him also contained many of the elder's personal insights. With those, Ling Feng had gained a much clearer understanding of the path from Human Emperor to Great Emperor.
Otherwise, relying on himself alone, who knew how long it would have taken just to condense the Emperor Gate.
Having a great teacher truly made all the difference on the path of martial arts.
"You do not need to praise this old man so much."
Elder Gui narrowed his eyes and chuckled. Then he rubbed his hands together and said with a grin, "If you really want to repay me, you could find a few of those books young people like these days."
"Uh..."
Seeing the suggestive look on Elder Gui's face, Ling Feng's mouth twitched.
No wonder Lin Mu kept calling him an old lecher who liked peeking at female disciples bathing. Judging by that expression, it might not be an exaggeration.
The look was eerily similar to Yu Sixian from the East Court's Sword Team back at Tianwei Academy.
Ling Feng coughed awkwardly, then quickly understood. He pulled out a few collector's edition books that Yu Sixian had once forced on him and handed them over, his face turning slightly red.
"A friend gave these to me. If you like them, please take them."
"Oh?"
Elder Gui snatched the books and flipped through a few pages. His eyes immediately lit up with delight.
"Good. Very good. Excellent taste. These look like rare works from a master. Hard to find nowadays."
"Well... they are not exactly mine... never mind."
Ling Feng gave a helpless smile. Back then, Yu Sixian had insisted on giving them to him. He had not expected them to come in handy now.
"In that case, please enjoy them, Elder Gui. I will head back to the Earth Spirit Hall first."
Ling Feng let out a quiet sigh. If this old man ever met Yu Sixian, the two would probably become close friends instantly.
"Wait."
Elder Gui suddenly raised his head and grabbed Ling Feng's shoulder.
"You caused such a huge disturbance by condensing three Emperor Gates. Right now, who knows how many eyes are fixed on this place. If you walk out like this, they might just dissect you out of curiosity."
"Uh..."
Ling Feng blinked in surprise. "Was it really that big?"
"Never mind. I will do you a favor and send you out through another passage."
Elder Gui grinned.
Before Ling Feng could react, the old man grabbed his shoulder and tossed him upward with a burst of force.
In the next instant, Ling Feng's vision blurred. He was flung straight into the clouds, and a surge of spatial power swallowed him whole.
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