Star Martial Soaring Cloud

The following morning, the central square of Lishan City was bustling with activity, as thousands of cultivators gathered there, their eyes all fixed on the high platform in the square.

In the center of the high platform, a middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe with crimson and gold python patterns sat upright before the table, his face dignified and his aura as solid as a mountain.

He is Xuan Yuan Hong, the city lord of Lishan City, and also the person in charge of this Lishan Trial. He will personally lead this group of cultivators into Lishan.

Xuanyuan Hong's body was like that of molten bronze, with strong muscles and bones. Every move he made exuded bravery and martial prowess, and he also exuded a sense of righteousness that reassured people.

His piercing gaze swept across the crowd below, and the once noisy square instantly fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Fellow cultivators, the Lishan Trial officially begins today!" Xuan Yuan Hong's voice, like a resounding bell, echoed throughout the entire plaza. "There are only three rules for the trial; you must all remember them!"

"Firstly, within the trial, life and death are one's own responsibility! Opportunities and dangers coexist in Lishan. There are no taboos regarding fratricide or fighting between different sects. My Xuanyuan family will not interfere!" As soon as the words fell, a low murmur arose in the square. Many rogue cultivators' faces changed drastically, unable to hide their fear.

"Secondly, deep within Lishan lies a colossal beast, the Rhinoceros Qu, with cultivation at the Dragon Gate Divine Realm. This beast is inherently ferocious and possesses the strength to shake mountains. You should all refrain from venturing too far into its heartland!" Xuan Yuan Hong's tone was grave. "Thirdly, the Rhinoceros Qu is nocturnal, emerging from its nest to forage every night. Therefore, you must all return to Lishan City to rest before sunset each evening!"

The three rules are concise yet each word is chillingly cruel.

Xuanyuan Hong waved his hand, and the teleportation arrays on both sides of the platform suddenly lit up with dazzling light: "Trial begins, enter the array!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the cultivators in the square surged toward the teleportation array like a tide, their eyes burning with desire, afraid that they would miss the opportunity if they were even a step too late.

In an instant, the place was bustling with noise and the air was filled with the fluttering of robes. The teleportation array flashed continuously, sending cultivators to Lishan in a steady stream.

With a long sword on his back, Ye Changtian flashed to the front and, as he passed Wang Xiao's corner, cast a provocative glance at him. The demon named Hei Tong transformed into a blur and rushed into the white light of the teleportation array. The Hua family's Lianhua Gongzi, surrounded by servants, followed slowly behind the crowd, his gaze still filled with undisguised hostility as he swept over Wang Xiao.

As the crowd surged forward, Wang Xiao did the opposite. Instead of following the flow of people toward the teleportation array, he grabbed the Kung Pao Chicken beside him and turned to run westward toward the bamboo forest where Su Qinhe had left the day before.

"Hey! You brat, are you crazy?!" Kung Pao Chicken stumbled a few steps as he was pulled, flapping his wings and shouting, "The trials have already started! Everyone's rushing to grab the opportunities! If you don't go now, all the good stuff will be gone!"

Wang Xiao kept walking and explained, "Think about it, everyone is rushing into Lishan now. What they'll encounter first isn't some opportunity, but a chaotic battle! Everyone wants to seize the initiative, and I have no interest in joining in the fun, becoming someone else's stepping stone, or being the sucker."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, now that everyone has left Lishan City, the city has become the safest place. I want to take this opportunity to open up the Sea of ​​Yuan Qi."

Upon hearing this, Kung Pao Chicken instantly understood Wang Xiao's intention. He flapped his wings, suddenly realizing, "You always come up with these crooked ideas... but it actually makes some sense! Those guys are fighting tooth and nail in the mountains, while you're peacefully cultivating in the city. Once they're both exhausted, you can reap the benefits. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

The two walked through the quiet alleys and soon arrived at the bamboo forest in the west of the city.

Here, towering bamboos with intertwined branches and leaves completely block out the sunlight, allowing only a few dappled spots to filter through; a babbling brook flows gently, water splashes lightly, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of bamboo, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere—truly an excellent place for spiritual cultivation.

"You will protect me outside the bamboo forest. No matter what happens, do not disturb me," Wang Xiao solemnly instructed, then sat cross-legged and took out the Eight-Element Stone given to him by Su Qinhe from his bosom.

The eight-element stone is warm to the touch, with eight different halos intertwined and flowing inside, radiating pure energy.

Each of the eight halos corresponds to a different element of heaven and earth: the crimson one is like surging lava, containing the essence of fire; the cyan one is like ancient tree roots, containing the vitality of plants; the white one is like cold mist, carrying the spiritual charm of water vapor... The pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth slowly dissipates, surrounding Wang Xiao and making all the pores on his body relax.

Opening up the sea of ​​primordial energy is a crucial step for cultivators to borrow power from heaven and earth and advance to a higher realm. The process is extremely arduous and dangerous. A slight mistake can lead to qi deviation, resulting in the complete loss of cultivation or even death.

Wang Xiao took a deep breath, cleared his mind of all distractions, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the vital energy within his body.

He guided his vital energy to his body, circling the Eight Elements Stone and operating it according to the Seven Stars Revolving Method. Using his own vital energy as a guide, he drew out the primordial energy of heaven and earth from the Eight Elements Stone.

The eight-colored elements of heaven and earth, following his vital energy, entered through his nose and reached the spring three inches below his navel—the natural spring through which the human body receives the vital energy of heaven and earth, but at this moment it was blocked by an invisible barrier.

What he needs to do is use the eight elemental energies to break through this barrier and activate the spring.

The eight elements of primordial energy continuously converge and compress around the spring, forming a condensed column of energy.

With a thought, Wang Xiao sent the column of energy, like a sharp drill, crashing into the barrier.

With a muffled thud, Wang Xiao felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, as if he had been hit hard by a blunt object, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The barrier was far stronger than he had imagined, and his first attack yielded no results.

"Again!" Wang Xiao gritted his teeth and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He knew that opening up the sea of ​​primordial energy could not be accomplished overnight; it required perseverance.

He once again channeled his vital energy to draw upon the eight elemental energies. This time, instead of rushing to attack, he transformed the eight elemental energies into specks of starlight, evenly covering the barrier and gradually penetrating and eroding it.

Time passed slowly, and Wang Xiao's forehead was covered with sweat, and his face turned as pale as paper.

Each attempt took a heavy toll on him, and waves of excruciating pain in his lower abdomen threatened to overwhelm his consciousness. Yet, he persevered through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

After an unknown amount of time, just when Wang Xiao was about to give up, a crack finally appeared in the barrier of the spring.

"Now!" Wang Xiao was overjoyed and immediately channeled more elemental energy toward the crevice.

"Crack!" A crisp cracking sound rang out inside Wang Xiao's body. The invisible barrier was finally broken through, and the spring was successfully opened.

A tremendous suction force emanated from the spring, and the eight halos within the Eight Elements Stone instantly became active. No longer needing the guidance of Wang Xiao's essence, they autonomously flowed into the spring along his meridians.

With each wisp of elemental energy that flowed in, a warm sensation would emanate from the spring, gradually nourishing and filling the once-dry spring.

Wang Xiao could clearly feel that the spring was expanding little by little: from the initial glimmer of light, it slowly turned into a small puddle, and finally into a small lake—this lake was his sea of ​​vital energy.

The elements of eight colors intertwine and flow in the lake water, as if transforming into eight small dragons of different shapes, swimming and playing happily in the lake.

As elemental energy continued to flow in, the Eight Elements Stone in Wang Xiao's hand gradually dimmed.

The stone, which was originally as smooth and lustrous as solidified fat, gradually lost its luster, and the eight halos inside became fainter and fainter until they disappeared completely, turning it into a piece of useless stone devoid of any spirit.

"It's done!" Wang Xiao slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

He could clearly feel that his body had undergone earth-shattering changes: the sea of ​​primordial energy was constantly radiating energy, making his spirit refreshed; at the same time, he also had a clear perception of the eight elements in the world, as if he could reach out and touch their existence.

He tried to guide the elemental energy in his sea of ​​vital energy, directing it along his meridians and blood, but no matter how hard he tried, the elemental energy was like a wild horse, running rampant in the sea of ​​vital energy and completely disobeying his commands. After several failed attempts, Wang Xiao couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless.

However, he quickly came to terms with it. The Sea of ​​Primordial Qi had just been opened, and the fusion of the primordial energy of heaven and earth with his own body naturally required a process. The most important thing now was to successfully open the Sea of ​​Primordial Qi. As for guiding the flow of elemental energy, he only needed to cultivate daily and proceed step by step; there was no need to rush it.

Afterwards, Wang Xiao tried to directly absorb the primordial energy between heaven and earth.

He could clearly sense countless pure primordial energies floating around him, but when he tried to absorb them into his body, he found that he couldn't do it at all—those primordial energies were like an invisible barrier, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get close.

"I see." Wang Xiao suddenly realized, "To directly absorb the primordial energy between heaven and earth, one needs the eight elements in the Sea of ​​Primordial Energy to act as a guide. I can't even guide the elemental energy out of the Sea of ​​Primordial Energy right now, so naturally I can't absorb the primordial energy of heaven and earth."

Having figured this out, Wang Xiao felt completely relieved. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and heard a series of crackling sounds coming from inside his body.

After opening up his sea of ​​primordial energy, his physical attributes were greatly improved, and his strength and speed were much stronger than before.

"Kid, you did it?" Kung Pao Chicken came over, looking Wang Xiao up and down with curiosity in his eyes.

Wang Xiao nodded, a relaxed smile on his face: "The Sea of ​​Yuan Qi has been successfully opened. The next step is to cultivate slowly, guide it to circulate throughout the body, and ultimately borrow power from heaven and earth for our own use."

"You scared me to death! The whole day was almost over, the sun was practically setting, and if this didn't end soon, all the cultivators who went into the mountains would have come back." Kung Pao Chicken flapped its wings, looking quite shaken. "Your Sea of ​​Vital Energy has already opened up, is there any point in participating in this Lishan Trial?"

As the ancients said, "Since we're already here, let's take a look! But first, let's get some sleep."