Chapter 103 : You Are an Exception

Chapter 103: You Are an Exception

More than a month later, Yingxia Town by the river was still a scene of bustling construction.

Amid swirling dust, all kinds of magical artifacts and construction materials were piled everywhere, already giving the place the rough outline of a proper town.

On a small dirt hill not far to the south, Long Tao was busy on his allocated plot alongside Dong Jiayuan and the Luo siblings.

In the end, Long Tao had only sold the extra land to the Spider Siblings and Dong Jiayuan, refusing to let any other outsiders get involved.

Though plenty of empty land still remained, he would rather leave it barren than allow unfamiliar people to intrude upon his peaceful life.

Dong Jiayuan had dealt with the Spider Siblings before.

Not only did he have no objection to living beside members of the Demon Race, he was secretly delighted. In his eyes, being their neighbor was a rare Fortuitous Opportunity.

The two Spider Spirits were not only powerful but also current favorites within the sect. Building good relations now meant having powerful backers in the future.

“Old Dong! This side’s about done, right?” Long Tao clapped the dust from his hands and called out to Dong Jiayuan, who was surveying the waterway.

“Basically settled!” Dong Jiayuan straightened up and wiped the sweat from his brow. “The ground’s all leveled, and that little stream’s been redirected according to the blueprint—just right, it’ll pass between our three plots. Good heavens, Long Tao, you really picked an amazing spot!” He pointed excitedly around them. “Look—mountains and water, and not far from the Cloud Vessel Dock. Sure, the spiritual energy’s a bit thin, but for bottom-tier cultivators like us, this is already a place we’d have to struggle half a lifetime to obtain!”

Following his gesture, Long Tao looked out.

That dirt mound barely over ten meters tall could just about pass for a “mountain,” and the thin trickle of a stream could generously count as “water.” He could not help but laugh.

“Alright, if you say it’s mountains and water, then it’s mountains and water. At least it’s land that belongs to us. Better than cramming into a Communal Dormitory at the sect. After working ourselves half to death all these years, it’s about time our luck turned a bit. Got all the building materials ready?”

“They’re all stacked in the big worksite warehouse. Once the foundation’s dug, we’ll start construction. Leave the house-building to me and Brother Yunluo. Just give me the blueprints. As for the foundation…” Dong Jiayuan rubbed his hands together. “I’ll borrow two Strongman Puppets from the main site. Should be done in two days.”

“Good. I’ll leave it all to you.” Long Tao glanced at the sun overhead. “I still need to hurry to the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion for work. If I’m late again, True Person Shi will start lecturing.”

“Tsk tsk,” Dong Jiayuan grinned. “Didn’t expect you to be the first to slip into the sect’s core. When you strike it rich, don’t forget to pull your brother up with you! After all, you’re now a Registered Disciple of True Person Shi. That status alone makes people jealous.”

“Give me a break!” Long Tao waved him off. “What Registered Disciple? More like a registered beast of burden. That True Person orders people around like puppets. Alright, I’ll leave this place to you all.”

He waved toward the Spider Siblings in the distance.

Luo Yunluo nodded slightly in response, while Luo Yusi called out loudly, “Be careful on the road!”

…

While riding the Cloud Vessel toward the Main Peak, Long Tao closed his eyes and practiced his breathing as usual.

As spiritual energy circulated through a Circulation Cycle, he suddenly sensed an unfamiliar obstruction in his Dantian. The flow was no longer as smooth as before.

Yet he did not panic.

He recalled what Shi Manyu had told him: if he ever felt obstruction in his Dantian’s circulation, he should seek her out—it meant his cultivation had reached a new stage.

The Cloud Vessel soon arrived at the Main Peak.

Familiar with the route, Long Tao entered through a side door of the main hall.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with several familiar senior brothers and sisters, he knocked and entered Shi Manyu’s simple chamber.

Shi Manyu was still seated cross-legged in midair, methodically handling the many jade slips of official documents around her.

“Long Tao? Shouldn’t you still be dealing with the Spirit Stone Mine in Umbrella Tower Town and that pile of logistics accounts from the docks? Why are you here?”

“That is indeed the case.” Long Tao bowed respectfully. “But while cultivating on the Cloud Vessel just now, this disciple sensed abnormalities in my Dantian’s circulation. I have come to request guidance from True Person.”

Upon hearing this, Shi Manyu showed curiosity. Her legs descended lightly from midair, and she stepped before him, placing her hand upon his abdomen.

After two breaths’ time, her lashes lowered slightly. For once, beneath her usual cold demeanor was a trace of rare delight and puzzlement.

“Indeed. The spiritual energy in your Qi Sea is concentrated to this extent—how strange. Normally… with Five Spiritual Roots, reaching this level should take more than four months. You’ve barely reached two…”

She withdrew her hand and studied him thoughtfully. “Have you taken any special pills?”

Long Tao considered briefly and answered quickly.

“Previously, True Person Mingzhu gave this disciple two bottles of Moon-Dew Spirit-Nourishing Pills. Their effect was quite good. It should be because of those, perhaps?”

“Moon-Dew Spirit-Nourishing Pills are decent, but they should not produce such miraculous results…”

Shi Manyu pressed her hand against his abdomen again, this time examining him for longer. Suddenly, as if discovering something, her lips curved upward with excitement.

“So that’s it. The Sea Eye within your Qi Sea remains in the state enhanced by your Divine Soul. Its operational efficiency far surpasses that of ordinary cultivators, and it’s remarkably stable. I did not expect the Blood-Refining Sea-Casting Method to have such subsequent effects… truly an unexpected gain.”

Long Tao was stunned.

He had always thought that severing his Divine Soul to strengthen the Sea Eye had merely been a desperate measure for a forced breakthrough.

He never imagined the effect would persist until now. Seen this way… perhaps this so-called unorthodox cultivation method was not so unorthodox after all.

“Th-This… True Person, will this effect continue indefinitely?”

“Hard to say.” Shi Manyu shook her head gently. “In recent centuries, various Qi Refining methods have been continuously improved. Few choose such extreme breakthrough methods anymore. As for ancient records… most independent cultivators who were forced to use this method suffered Divine Soul damage and never achieved Foundation Establishment. They certainly did not leave detailed cultivation records—because they couldn’t even pass the tempering of the Desire-Fire.”

At this point, Shi Manyu seemed to think of something. A hint of excitement entered her tone.

“At present, you are an exception! Though you severed your Divine Soul to strengthen the Sea Eye, it was later repaired—even strengthened—by that Deification Stage senior. This has produced a transformation never seen before! Excellent, truly excellent!”

She stepped back slightly, revealing rare excitement.

“After using the Blood-Refining Sea-Casting Method to break through the Sixth Layer, if the Divine Soul’s strength remains intact, it turns out one can continuously maintain the enhanced Sea Eye state and greatly accelerate spiritual energy absorption. Heh… those people who spend their days trying to improve cultivation methods would be very interested in you.”

Moments later, Shi Manyu calmed herself and returned to her usual cold composure.

“Set other matters aside for now. Write a detailed report of your cultivation process since your breakthrough. Focus especially on the Blood-Refining Sea-Casting Method and your Divine Soul. Submit it to me tomorrow. Also… do not cultivate today. Rest for a day. When you submit the report tomorrow, I will teach you a new cultivation method.”

“Y-Yes…”

Long Tao could not help but make a bitter expression. Following this True Person, nothing ever escaped becoming a report.

As he left the room and prepared to return to his desk to begin work, a familiar figure appeared in the corridor.

“Senior Brother Fang?”

“Long Tao… Junior Brother?”

The person before him was the sect’s top prodigy of this generation—the former leader of the Secret Realm Team—Fang Wuqi.