A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 440 Refining the Profound Yuan Pearl

He paused, then his tone shifted to a calm one, carrying a hint of reward: "I, Luo, have always been fair in my rewards and punishments. Now that you have rendered this service, is there anything you desire? Cultivation techniques, elixirs, magical treasures, or other resources—speak freely. As long as it is within reasonable limits, I, Luo, can satisfy you."

Upon hearing this, Fan Jingmei's delicate body trembled slightly, and her eyes instantly blazed with barely suppressed joy and longing. She had considered this repeatedly before coming, and now that the opportunity was right in front of her, how could she possibly miss it?

She bowed deeply once more, her posture extremely humble, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, yet her words were clear and firm: "Jingmei—I am dull-witted and have wasted over a hundred years. Although the sect has not abandoned me and I have been given the honor of holding the position of Left Envoy, I have diligently cultivated for many years and tried many methods, but alas—I have always been unable to glimpse the path to the Golden Elixir. This is truly Jingmei's lifelong regret."

She raised her head, her eyes filled with earnestness and hope as she looked at Luo Ming: "Jingmei has no other desires but to glimpse the Great Dao, to prolong her life and increase her vitality. I humbly beg the Ancestor—to have mercy and grant her miraculous elixirs, or to guide her through her confusion, to help Jingmei—to condense the Golden Elixir!"

After speaking, she prostrated herself again, her forehead touching the ground, awaiting Luo Ming's response. She knew that with her ordinary three spiritual roots, without a tremendous stroke of luck or a heaven-defying elixir, her chances of forming her core in this lifetime were extremely slim.

The "Ancestor" before her was mysterious and powerful; perhaps—he truly had a way to help her break through the bottleneck that had trapped her for decades! This was the greatest opportunity she might ever encounter in her life! She had to seize it!

Luo Ming showed no surprise upon hearing Fan Jingmei's request. What cultivators seek is nothing more than longevity and power. This woman, capable of managing affairs within the Miaoyin Sect, is undoubtedly shrewd and resourceful, and her accumulated experience is likely sufficient. Yet, she remains stuck in the late Foundation Establishment stage, unable to form her core. The root cause is most likely her "aptitude." Seeking elixirs that can improve aptitude or even forcibly help someone form their core is perfectly normal.

He didn't reply immediately, but calmly examined Fan Jingmei, who was lying on the ground, his mind racing with several suitable medicines and solutions for the situation. At the same time, he was weighing whether investing so many resources in this woman was worthwhile, and what kind of return he could expect. In the quiet room, you could hear a pin drop, with only Fan Jingmei's slightly rapid breathing being heard.

Luo Ming's gaze fell on Fan Jingmei, who was lying on the ground, her body trembling slightly with tension and anticipation. He remained silent for a moment.

Helping her achieve the Core Formation stage would be costly, but it wouldn't be a big deal for him. Moreover, given the abilities and skills the woman had displayed, if she could advance to the Core Formation stage, her lifespan would greatly increase. Whether managing the mundane affairs of the Biyun Sect or overseeing matters related to the teleportation array, she would be able to play a greater role, which would be more advantageous to him. Weighing the pros and cons, this investment was worthwhile.

Just as Fan Jingmei was filled with anxiety, wondering how this stoic "ancestor" would respond—whether he would bestow the legendary elixir or use some other method—

A gentle yet overwhelming divine sense silently entered her body without warning. This divine sense was very gentle, instantly sweeping over her dantian and then slowly circulating along the main meridians of her body, seemingly examining the degree of refinement of her magical power, the width and resilience of her meridians, and other conditions.

Fan Jingmei was startled, but dared not resist at all. She quickly gathered her mind and relaxed her body, allowing the divine sense to probe.

Immediately afterwards, Luo Ming's calm voice rang out directly in her mind: "Sit cross-legged, hold your breath and concentrate, do not resist, guard your spiritual platform."

"Yes!" Fan Jingmei did not hesitate at all and immediately did as she was told. She sat cross-legged on the ground of the cave, closed her eyes, focused her mind, entered a state of introspection, and completely relinquished control of her body.

She felt both nervous and expectant, vaguely guessing what was going on, yet unsure of what it might be.

The next moment, a pure, profound, and subtly warm surge of magical power slowly flowed into her Baihui acupoint on the top of her head. This magical power did not belong to her, yet it was exceptionally gentle and non-aggressive, like a gentle warm current, flowing and meandering along the meridian pathways that had already been explored within her body.

Wherever it passed, Fan Jingmei felt her meridians slightly warm and swollen. The slight obscurity and blockage caused by her impatience or the residue from taking pills during her daily cultivation were quietly dissolved and cleared by the pure magic power.

What surprised her even more was that this foreign magic seemed to have a strange purification effect. After coming into contact with her own magic, it did not forcibly merge or dissipate, but rather, like a millstone, it slowly and continuously polished, squeezed, and tempered her magic, which was not very pure to begin with, making it more solid and refined, and even faintly carrying a sense of heaviness unique to that foreign magic!

"This—this is cleansing my bones and marrow, purifying my magical power, and solidifying my foundation?" Fan Jingmei was overjoyed and almost trembled with excitement.

She had cultivated for over a hundred years, but due to her limited aptitude, her magical power was mixed and her foundation was not very solid. This was almost one of the biggest concerns for her when she tried to break through to the Core Formation stage.

Unexpectedly, this Elder Luo personally intervened in such a direct, domineering yet gentle and effective way, using his own pure Nascent Soul stage mana to cleanse her body and temper her mana! This is far more precious than bestowing one or two pills, and its effects are more fundamental and lasting!

She immediately suppressed all distracting thoughts, immersing herself wholeheartedly in this rare opportunity. She actively guided and coordinated with the flow of pure magical power within her body, greedily absorbing the refined energy it contained, and experiencing the wondrous process of her own magical power being gradually "tempered" and "purified"—

Time flies, and a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Blood Crane Island, the largest gathering place for human cultivators in the sea area near Qiyuan Island, appears to be no different from a year ago.

The market was still bustling with activity, and cultivators came and went, but the atmosphere was more cautious and less panicked than when the beast tide had just passed.

The chaos of monsters on the sea has subsided. As long as they do not venture into the core areas where monsters are concentrated, such as the "Black Abyss Sea," or openly hunt high-level monsters on a large scale, the risks for low-level cultivators to go out in groups to gather resources and hunt low-level sea beasts have been greatly reduced.

Cultivation ultimately requires resources, and remaining confined to the island and consuming one's resources indefinitely is not a sustainable solution. Therefore, the various docks connecting Blood Crane Island to the outside world gradually returned to their former bustling state.

For the vast majority of low-level cultivators on the island who were at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages, they could not sense any changes in the upper echelons of the Azure Cloud Sect. Master Miaohe remained in "seclusion," and the sect's affairs were managed jointly by the Sect Master Gao and the newly arrived, beautiful "Vice Sect Master Fan," who was said to be proficient in formations. Everything was in perfect order.

Only those elders and guest ministers at the Core Formation stage, or leaders of forces with connections to the higher-ups, could detect from some subtle clues that some unknown changes seemed to have occurred within the Azure Cloud Sect.

For example, Fan Zuoshi, who once had a close relationship with Master Miaohe, has now become the deputy sect leader, and his status seems to be on par with Gao Yuan, Master Miaohe's eldest disciple.

In the heart of Blood Crane Island, deep within the cave dwelling where Luo Ming was temporarily residing, was a quiet room for weapon forging shrouded in layers of restrictions.

Luo Ming sat cross-legged on the eye of the earth fire vein, his expression calm, his eyes slightly closed, and his hands forming mysterious hand seals.

In the air in front of him, sixty newly refined "Mysterious Yuan Pearls," each the size of a pigeon egg, deep blue in color, and with mysterious water patterns flowing on their surfaces, were slowly rotating along a specific trajectory, emitting a soft yet heavy blue halo, their energy subtly connected to each other.

Luo Ming now possesses a total of seventy-two natal magic treasures, in addition to the original twelve. The reason for this number is not only because he has enough Xuan Shui, but also because the number seventy-two is exactly a multiple of eight and twelve. This makes it perfect for setting up the complete Xuan Yuan Heavy Water Grand Array or the enhanced version of the Eight Gates Golden Light Array envisioned by Tian Jing Sanren.

A mass of crimson blood containing Luo Ming's life essence was drawn out by an invisible force, slowly drifting out. It then split into six parts, transforming into sixty blood threads thinner than a hair, which accurately shot towards the sixty Xuan Yuan Pearls spinning in the air.

"Freeze!"

Luo Ming let out a low shout, and his hand seals changed. The sixty Xuan Yuan Pearls trembled in unison, their surfaces shimmering with light, actively drawing the incoming blood threads into their bodies.

The bead's color instantly deepened, and a flash of blood-red light seemed to appear inside before returning to normal. However, the aura it emitted created an even closer and more intuitive connection with Luo Ming.

Refining a complete set of magical artifacts, especially "Mysterious Yuan Pearls" which are so numerous and extremely heavy on their own, is by no means an easy task.

This not only requires inscribing complex control and amplification restrictions within each bead, but also requires constructing a vast and precise array network among all the Xuan Yuan Beads, enabling them to communicate with each other, gather and disperse at will, and unleash a power far greater than the sum of its parts.

For the past six months, Luo Ming has spent most of his time on this matter. Refining materials such as Xuan Water is secondary; the key is the time-consuming and mentally taxing process of refining and inscribing the array.

Even with Luo Ming's current profound magical power and powerful divine sense, simultaneously controlling and refining such a large number of natal magic treasures, each of which is so heavy, would cause him considerable mental and physical exhaustion over time. However, his eyes remained sharp, and his hand gestures remained as steady as ever.

About half an hour later.

"Buzz—!"

Suddenly, the sixty newly refined Xuan Yuan Pearls in the air emitted a deep and harmonious resonance! At the same time, the twelve Xuan Yuan Pearls in Luo Ming's dantian, which were already connected to his mind, also seemed to be drawn in and began to tremble slightly on their own, creating a wonderful resonance with the sixty new pearls outside!

The invisible barrier between the old and new seventy-two Xuan Yuan Pearls vanished instantly, their auras completely merging into one! Their rotational trajectories became even more mysterious and natural, and the blue halos they emitted merged into one, forming a small yet incredibly heavy blue force field.