Chapter 17: Striking While the Iron's Hot

Northern Wilderness Mountains. Inside a secluded cave, Yang Lingchen summoned the Vast Heaven Jade from within him, placed it on the earth, and then entered the Vast Heaven Jade's spatial realm. Yang Lingchen took out Li Tianxing's storage pouch, emptying out over two thousand spirit stones and a good number of precious medicinal herbs. Gazing at the two thousand-plus spirit stones, Yang Lingchen's eyes gleamed. With these, he was confident he could break through to the third level of the Profound Illumination Realm. Doing a good deed only to be repaid with ingratitude—Yang Lingchen's frustration was immense. However, upon seeing these two thousand spirit stones, that gloomy mood instantly vanished. Originally, Yang Lingchen hadn't intended to do anything to the young woman, but the situation had spiraled beyond his control. Since he had already offended her beyond repair, he might as well seize the opportunity for more gain. Sitting cross-legged, he calmed his mind and laid out all the spirit stones. Activating the Vast Heaven Art, he began to continuously absorb the spirit stones in his hands, simultaneously transforming the spiritual energy into profound energy, pushing towards the third level of the Profound Illumination Realm. Several hours passed in a flash. At this point, Yang Lingchen had reached a critical juncture. He gritted his teeth and took out all the remaining spirit stones. As the spirit stones were refined and absorbed one by one, Yang Lingchen soon touched the threshold of the third level of the Profound Illumination Realm. Boom... boom... boom... "Profound Illumination Realm, third level!" Finally breaking through to the third level of the Profound Illumination Realm, Yang Lingchen felt a pang of heartache seeing the two thousand-plus spirit stones completely consumed. If anyone knew that Yang Lingchen had gone from the first level to the third level of the Profound Illumination Realm in just a few days, their jaws would surely drop. This was because normal cultivators could not refine spirit stones as quickly as he could. Typically, a Profound Illumination Realm cultivator could at most refine ten or so low-grade spirit stones in a day. Yet Yang Lingchen could refine spirit stones without limit, all thanks to the divine-grade cultivation technique he practiced, the Vast Heaven Art. "It seems I need to find a way to earn spirit stones," Yang Lingchen mused. "Right now, the only way is alchemy, earning spirit stones through pills." Exiting the Vast Heaven Jade space, Yang Lingchen reappeared in the Northern Wilderness Mountains. His mission was now complete, but he had no intention of returning. This place was an excellent training ground. Another three days passed in a blink. During these three days, Yang Lingchen's Godslayer Sword Art and Phantom Steps became even more refined. One day, as Yang Lingchen passed through a dense forest, he heard the clang of weapons from within. Out of curiosity, Yang Lingchen quietly crept towards the forest. He concealed his aura and lay still in the thick undergrowth. Through the dense branches, he saw a man and a woman locked in a life-and-death struggle within the forest. Both continuously swung their battle swords, attacking each other. "It's Feng Xueqing." Yang Lingchen recognized the woman as Feng Xueqing, who had participated in the assessment with him. What surprised Yang Lingchen was that Feng Xueqing's cultivation had already reached the third level of the Profound Illumination Realm. "Her cultivation talent is truly terrifying!" The young woman moved gracefully, her impressive figure swaying as her long sword continuously unleashed sword energy, attacking her opponent. "Man, she's really got some moves," Yang Lingchen muttered, watching with keen interest from the side. Just then, he inadvertently caught sight of a Profound Spirit Ginseng not far away. "Holy cow, a Profound Spirit Ginseng!" At this moment, Yang Lingchen finally understood what was happening. These two were fighting over this Profound Spirit Ginseng. The Profound Spirit Ginseng was an extremely rare heavenly spiritual medicine. A Profound Illumination Realm cultivator who consumed it could directly advance by a minor realm. "I must get my hands on this Profound Spirit Ginseng," Yang Lingchen thought to himself. His cultivation was currently in the Profound Illumination Realm. If he obtained this Profound Spirit Ginseng, his cultivation could advance by another minor realm. Yang Lingchen suppressed his aura, then quietly moved, stealthily approaching the Profound Spirit Ginseng. "Feng Xueqing, this Profound Spirit Ginseng is mine. If you keep pestering me, don't blame me for being ruthless," the young man said, his eyes cold. "Chen Junjie, with your strength, you think you can contend with me? Who gave you the courage? It's bad enough you're so ugly, but you still have the nerve to go out and scare people," Feng Xueqing retorted, mocking him even as she attacked. "Feng Xueqing, you're asking for death!" Chen Junjie instantly flew into a rage. He hated nothing more than being called ugly, and Feng Xueqing had deliberately poked at his sore spot. How could he not be furious? Chen Junjie swung his battle sword, and a dazzling beam of sword energy instantly slashed towards Feng Xueqing. The surrounding air seemed to twist from the force of the blow. Feng Xueqing's figure flickered, swiftly dodging the attack. At the same time, her long sword formed a sword array, rapidly shooting towards Chen Junjie. Facing Feng Xueqing's sword array, Chen Junjie couldn't help but frown, then quickly retreated. Although his cultivation was much higher than hers, he was very wary of her sword array. As the battle continued, both sides were consumed by their rage. However, due to their similar combat strength, neither could gain an advantage in the short term. Just then, the two clashed, then each retreated over ten meters. At that moment, Yang Lingchen's figure moved like a flash of lightning, appearing beside the Profound Spirit Ginseng in an instant. He unhesitatingly plucked the Profound Spirit Ginseng, then his figure blurred into an afterimage, vanishing from the spot. When he reappeared, Yang Lingchen was already dozens of yards away. "You scoundrel, stop right there!" Feng Xueqing cried out, then also activated her movement technique, chasing after Yang Lingchen. "You brat, you're asking for it!" At this point, the young man also noticed Yang Lingchen had taken the Profound Spirit Ginseng, and was instantly filled with burning rage. Yang Lingchen sprinted wildly, with Feng Xueqing relentlessly pursuing him from behind. As for the young man named Chen Junjie, he had long been left far behind by the two. Although his cultivation was at the seventh level of the Profound Illumination Realm, his speed was miles behind Yang Lingchen and Feng Xueqing. "You scoundrel, you'll never catch me! Keep chasing, and you'll exhaust yourself trying to keep up!" Yang Lingchen laughed loudly, then accelerated again, disappearing into the depths of the forest. "Argh! This is infuriating! You scoundrel, one day I'll make sure you can't stand straight again!" Feng Xueqing fumed. After running for a while, Yang Lingchen changed direction and began searching for demonic beasts in the mountains to temper his physique. Yang Lingchen placed great importance on cultivating his physical body. A powerful physique not only gave him an absolute advantage in close combat but also increased his defensive capabilities. Sometimes, when his profound energy was depleted, he still had his physical cultivation to sustain his combat strength. Another three days passed in a flash. During these three days, Yang Lingchen killed countless second-tier demonic beasts, and his cultivation became even more stable. That day, Yang Lingchen found a cave. He planned to consume the Profound Spirit Ginseng there. Just moments ago, he had noticed that the medicinal properties of the Profound Spirit Ginseng were gradually fading. If he didn't consume it promptly, it might become a useless herb.