Chapter 204 - 176: Not a Mortal

Chapter 204: Chapter 176: Not a Mortal

Time passed, bit by bit.

As his Spiritual Power continuously merged with the alien spiritual catalyst, its circulation speed increased. The originally gaseous Spiritual Power began to transform into a mist, its color gradually shifting to a blackish-red.

At the same time, Li Changsheng discovered that with every wisp of the alien spiritual catalyst he refined, the bloodthirsty, frenzied intent in his mind grew a little stronger. Fortunately, the increase was small, and under the suppression of his formidable soul, it couldn’t cause any real trouble.

「Three days later.」

Li Changsheng had absorbed about thirty percent of the alien spiritual catalyst, and the gaseous Spiritual Power within him had transformed into fine wisps of misty Spiritual Power.

「Five days later.」

Li Changsheng had absorbed roughly fifty percent of the alien spiritual catalyst. Although his misty Spiritual Power hadn’t undergone a qualitative change, its substance had grown several times denser.

「Ten days later.」

The misty Spiritual Power inside Li Changsheng was now so viscous it felt as if a gentle squeeze could wring liquid from it. He was just a hair’s breadth away from condensing the gas into liquid.

By this point, the alien spiritual catalyst within his body had also become very thin.

「An hour later.」

As the final wisp of the alien spiritual catalyst was absorbed by his Spiritual Power, the circulation speed of the Spiritual Power in Li Changsheng’s body suddenly doubled. It broke away from its original path and began to revolve along the channels of the "Blood River Refining Yang True Skill."

After the Spiritual Power completed one Great Circulation,

The thoughts in Li Changsheng’s mind suddenly trembled. The suppressed, bloodthirsty intent surged violently, trying to break free.

Li Changsheng remained completely calm. No matter how it thrashed, his will kept it firmly suppressed.

「Several breaths later.」

ROAR...

A roar echoed in Li Changsheng’s mind, and he immediately felt the bloodthirsty intent rapidly fading away.

At that exact moment, within his Spirit Veins, a single drop of blackish-red Spiritual Power slowly condensed.

’I did it!’ Li Changsheng rejoiced internally.

BUZZ...

The instant the Spiritual Power condensed, a powerful suction force surged from within his body.

Outside.

Pulled by this suction, the Spiritual Qi floating in the air swarmed into his body. With the influx of Spiritual Qi, the transformation of his Spiritual Power accelerated.

Drop after drop of blackish-red Spiritual Power condensed. Gradually, a faint yet distinct aura, one that did not belong to the Qi Cultivation Stage, began to rise.

The moment this aura appeared, the man in the Profound Robe, perched in a large tree at the edge of the summit, abruptly stood up. He whipped his head around to look at the wooden house in the middle of the peak.

"The Vein Condensation Realm..."

Meanwhile, at the edge of a cliff on a ten-thousand-foot peak surrounding the Ring Mountain Spiritual Land, an old man in a plain Daoist Robe was intently studying a stone table covered in markings. When Li Changsheng broke through to the Vein Condensation Realm, the old man’s expression flickered slightly, and he turned to look down from the cliff.

The old man’s gaze seemed to pierce through the thick layers of clouds, landing on Li Changsheng inside the wooden house.

He smiled. "Not bad." After a moment of thought, he whispered a few words into the air, took out an object, and casually tossed it off the cliff before his gaze returned to the stone table.

As time passed,

「In the Spirit Field on the summit.」

Xu Li, Yan Shaoyuan, and Hao Yuegui also felt the aura. They all straightened up and looked toward its source.

Xu Li froze for a moment, then, as if realizing something, exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Steward Li has broken through to the Vein Condensation Realm!"

He put away his hoe and, with a look of inexplicable excitement, ran toward the small courtyard.

Hao Yuegui shook her head and turned to walk back to her own home.

Yan Shaoyuan hesitated for a moment before striding toward the courtyard as well.

「Within the Spiritual Land.」

A dozen or so Cultivators also sensed this unfamiliar, yet completely undisguised, Vein Condensation Realm aura.

One after another, they moved to higher ground, their gazes fixed on the direction from which the aura emanated.

"Junior Brother Li has finally broken through!"

Lan Cai Shen couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face.

Several days had passed with no sign of Li Changsheng’s breakthrough. Although he knew Li Changsheng was fully confident, he couldn’t help but worry.

Fortunately, the breakthrough had finally happened, allowing him to set his mind at ease.

Tan Hu and Ma Rong sidled up to him. After a few whispered words, Tan Hu’s figure transformed into a streak of light and shot off toward Ten Thousand Serpent Lake.

Seeing him leave, the doubt in Jin Fang and Ke Jing’s eyes vanished.

"Lucky bastard..." Ke Jing muttered, his tone sour.

Jin Fang glanced at him before turning and walking away.

「In the distance, at the Patrol Guard camp.」

"Ten Thousand Serpent Lake Island... this aura..."

L Luo Fang looked in the direction of the aura, his expression puzzled. ’Is it one of the Spirit Plant Masters on the island?’

After pondering for a few breaths, he summoned a Patrol Guard captain and ordered him to investigate Ten Thousand Serpent Lake.

Lan Cai Shen saw the Patrol Guard’s Escape Light rise but paid it no mind, turning to head for the Spirit Field Hall.

’With Tan Hu on watch, they won’t dare cause trouble.’

’Besides, Li Changsheng will need some time to acclimate to the Vein Condensation Realm. There’s no rush to go see him yet.’

「Three days later.」

「Ten Thousand Serpent Lake Island, in the small courtyard on the summit.」

"Hooo..."

Li Changsheng slowly exhaled a breath of blackish-red impure air and opened his eyes. A flicker of blackish-red spiritual light flashed through them and vanished.

He felt a discomfort on the surface of his skin and noticed a foul stench lingering around his nose.

Li Changsheng frowned. He channeled his Spiritual Power into his robes. As the runes on the fabric lit up, a gentle whirlwind materialized. It was like countless soft, small hands passing over every inch of his body.

「A few moments later.」

Li Changsheng walked to the back window, holding a ball of filth and impurities in his hand. With a brief tremor of his Spiritual Power, the grime instantly turned to dust. He then stirred up another whirlwind that carried it away until it vanished.

Returning to the soft couch, Li Changsheng felt the vigorous life force coursing through his body—a vitality completely different from before—and the surging, boundless Spiritual Power within. The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl upward. ’So this is the Vein Condensation Realm. A lifespan of three hundred years!’

From this moment on, he had truly stepped beyond the mundane, no longer a mere mortal.

Li Changsheng suppressed his excitement and focused his gaze inward.

[Target: Li Changsheng]

[Cultivation: Early-Vein Condensation Realm "1%"]

[Cultivation Technique: "Blood River Refining Yang True Skill (1/12)"]

[Attributes: Blood lv2, Soul lv2, Sha lv3]

[Magic: Three-leaf Spirit Absorption Vein Map "Lesser Mastery 51%" / Spirit Pact (Incomplete) "Greater Mastery 5%" / "Golden Tortoise Shield" "Greater Mastery 56%"...]

’It actually created a separate "Attributes" category...’

Li Changsheng’s eyes lit up slightly, and he quickly scanned the rest.

Nourished and scoured by his Spiritual Power during his breakthrough to the Vein Condensation Realm, the progress of his Three-leaf Spirit Absorption Vein Map and all his other magic techniques had increased significantly.

Li Changsheng retracted his gaze, dismissed the panel, and raised his palm. With a slight thought, a wisp of blackish-red light flowed from his palm, hovering and swirling.

It emanated a sinister, bone-chilling aura.

Li Changsheng could feel three special forces intertwined within it, similar to the blood poison and fire sha he used in the Qi Cultivation Realm, but far purer and more powerful.

He scanned his surroundings, his gaze finally landing on the wooden table in front of him.

"Go."

Li Changsheng waved his hand gently, and the blackish-red light in his palm vanished in a flash.

Under his expectant gaze, the instant the blackish-red light touched the wooden table, a thin layer of blackish-gray ice spread across its entire surface.

Then, it rotted from the inside out, turning into a pile of ash in just a few breaths.

’So powerful.’ Li Changsheng’s eyes brightened.

Just as he was about to test one of the special energies individually, a sudden fluctuation of Spiritual Power came from outside.

Li Changsheng paused. After a moment’s thought, he got up and walked to the window.

He had just opened the window when the scene outside left him stunned.

Outside the courtyard gate, several pairs of eyes were staring straight at him.

Among them were Lan Cai Shen and his group, Xu Li and the others, and a Cultivator dressed in the uniform of the Patrol Guard.

Tan Hu waved at him and grinned. "Junior Brother, hurry up and open the gate for your guests."

"One moment, Senior Brother..."

Looking embarrassed, Li Changsheng hastily cupped his hands in apology before turning and hurrying down the stairs.

Arriving at the courtyard gate, Li Changsheng opened it and made a welcoming gesture. "Senior Brothers, please come in and talk."

Lan Cai Shen smiled and cupped his hands. "Congratulations, Junior Brother, on advancing to the Vein Condensation Realm."

"Congratulations, Junior Brother."

Tan Hu, Ma Rong, Jin Fang, and Ke Jing stepped forward one by one to offer their congratulations before entering the courtyard.

Next was the Patrol Guard Cultivator. He sized Li Changsheng up, offered his congratulations with cupped hands, left behind a jade box, and then took his leave.

Li Changsheng watched his departing Escape Light with a puzzled expression. He shook his head slightly and turned his gaze to Xu Li and the other three outside the gate.

"Congratulations on advancing to the Vein Condensation Realm, Lord Li."

Xu Li and the other two bowed respectfully.

The man in the Profound Robe behind them also grinned and cupped his hands.

Li Changsheng waved his hand and smiled. "No need for formalities. Come in and sit for a while."

"Thank you, Lord Steward."

The three thanked him and stepped inside.

The man in the Profound Robe, however, just waved his hand and remained standing at the gate.

Li Changsheng didn’t mind. He nodded to the man before turning and heading back inside the house.