The living area for the Outer Sect's wandering disciples belongs to a spiritual peak outside of the three major peaks of the Outer Sect, namely Tianyun Peak, Diyun Peak, and Renyun Peak.
The density of spiritual energy on this peak is not as strong as the three primary peaks, but it has a small gathering formation that is far superior to the outside world, more than ten times as dense.
Starting from the half-way up the mountain, one can see independent courtyards dotted along the way, with fewer and fewer appearing as one goes higher.
All those who live on the wandering spiritual peak are Outer Sect wandering disciples, but even among these, there are varying levels of status.
At the top of the spiritual peak lies the area with the thickest spiritual energy, but there is only one independent courtyard located at its peak.
"I just joined, so I could only choose the courtyard with the lowest concentration of spiritual energy on the mountainside."
"If you want to get a better courtyard, you can only challenge the masters of those courtyards by applying to the affairs department."
This kind of incentive system is not limited to wandering spiritual peaks, but prevalent throughout the entire Qingyun Sect.
If one wants to gain a better cultivation environment and resources, they must rely on their own strength to compete.
Looking away from the courtyard shrouded in spiritual mist at the peak, Ye Changkong headed toward the mountainside along the mountain path.
There are many courtyards on the mountainside, with each one separated by no more than ten meters, densely packed together and appearing crowded despite the close proximity.
Despite this, all of the courtyards on the mountainside were already fully occupied.
Many wandering disciples paced back and forth outside the courtyards, frowning as if considering which master of the courtyard they should challenge.
"No wonder I saw so many people sitting cross-legged on the rocks along the way here to cultivate. Even the lowest-ranking wandering disciple's courtyard is fiercely competitive..."
Ye Changkong searched for a long time but did not find any vacant courtyards.
At this moment, a familiar voice came, "Junior brother, are you also a wandering disciple?"
"So it's you," Ye Changkong nodded slightly and smiled at the Outer Sect disciple who had kindly reminded him to run away in front of the scripture pavilion.
"The elders of the three major peaks didn't like me, so I can only be an Outer Sect wandering disciple."
"That's not right. Even He Cheng is a Renyun Peak disciple," the kind-hearted disciple said incredulously. "The elders of the three primary peaks seem to lack discernment."
"I'm afraid that's what I thought too." Ye Changkong was helpless.
"Junior brother, don't be discouraged. A golden talent will always stand out. I believe that with your talent, you will have a bright future unlike me..." This disciple sighed lightly and then asked, "By the way, junior brother, are you here to select a courtyard?"
Ye Changkong nodded, "Yes."
"They're all full here," the kind-hearted disciple said straightforwardly. "I've occupied a courtyard here. If you don't mind squeezing in, you can share it with me."
"Thank you very much, senior brother," Ye Changkong immediately thanked him without hesitation.
It was too troublesome to go to the affairs department to challenge for a courtyard, and it would take at least three days for approval.
Having a place to stay inside the courtyard was definitely better than being outside exposed to the elements.
Most importantly, for those who lived in the courtyards, there were daily chores and spirit food delivered by the disciples of Qingyun Sect, so they did not have to waste their cultivation time on trivial matters.
"Junior brother, there's no need to be polite. We are fellow sect members and should help each other," said this disciple with a smile, leading Ye Changkong toward his courtyard.
The courtyard of Fang Qiming, as Ye Changkong learned along the way, was located on the edge of the mountainside, with only one main hall and study room in the courtyard.
After a brief cleanup, Ye Changkong settled into the study room.
Sitting on the makeshift wooden bed, he took out the Qingling Liquid from his pocket and poured the whole bottle into his mouth.
If Fang Qiming were here, he would definitely try to stop Ye Changkong. The Qingling Liquid was refined from more than ten kinds of spiritual herb essences and contained tremendous spiritual energy. It required caution when ingesting, as consuming the entire bottle could easily burst one's sea of qi.
However, for Ye Changkong, these warnings did not apply. The technique he cultivated was the Divine Emperor Undying Technique, which was of a heavenly rank. Not only was the refining and absorption speed fast, but there was also the remnant soul of Qin Yaorao within his Sea of Qi, which still needed nurturing by Ye Changkong's spiritual power.
Half of the spiritual power condensed by Ye Changkong is absorbed by Qin Yaorao, while the other half is stored in his dantian.
Even if he had hundreds of bottles of Green Spirit Liquid, it would not be enough to fill his dantian.
After taking in the Green Spirit Liquid, Ye Changkong felt as if a spring of spiritual energy had filled his meridians, refreshing and cool. Even the injuries he suffered from Zhang Tie's punch recovered quickly.
"Fan Qi Ming said he practiced a middle-grade Yellow Stage technique, and only a third of the Green Spirit Liquid was needed to fill his dantian with spiritual power and break through his first warrior's main vein."
"I could only refine such a tiny amount of spiritual power with a whole bottle of Green Spirit Liquid, not even a fifth of my dantian."
Ye Changkong was speechless after refining the entire bottle of Green Spirit Liquid.
The Undead Emperor's Technique was powerful, and the amount of spiritual power it refined was more than half, but it required thousands of times the amount of spiritual energy required by ordinary techniques.
To advance to the Pulse Refinement Realm, a warrior must not only accumulate a huge amount of spiritual energy, but also rely on techniques to refine the spiritual power in their dantian into a purer form.
When the spiritual power stored in the dantian reaches a certain amount, it can break through the nine major warrior's main veins within the body, and each vein that is opened would increase one's cultivation level.
"And every time I refine spiritual power, I still have to give half of it to Sister Yao."
"If there were enough resources, it would be possible to break through the first vein soon, but now..."
Ye Changkong realized a serious problem: he urgently needs a large amount of cultivation resources.
Without sufficient resources to support his cultivation, his progress would be much slower than those of people in the same realm.
"The Undead Emperor's Technique is not an ordinary technique. Why should I wait until my dantian is full before I break through the first vein? The spiritual power refined from two bottles of Green Spirit Liquid will suffice."
Qin Yaorao's voice came from within the Dreaming Pearl: "Don't worry dear, I'm not taking your spiritual power for nothing. Of course, you'll get something in return. When my soul becomes stronger, I can continuously open up the time realm inside the Dreaming Pearl."
The time realm was a powerful ability that the Dreaming Pearl possessed.
Depending on the strength of the opener's soul, it could create a special dream space where time flowed several times slower than the outside world.
When Qin Yaorao had just awakened, she brought Ye Changkong into the time realm, which was a grey, empty space. However, her remaining soul was too weak and was unable to sustain the stability of the time realm.
"Can two bottles of Green Spirit Liquid break through the first vein?"
Ye Changkong was slightly surprised but soon realized as he shook his head.
Many people, even when their dantian is full, cannot break through the first vein even if they use all of their spiritual power, such as the steward of the miscellaneous peak, Zhang Fan.
However, the purity of the spiritual power condensed using the Undead Emperor's Technique was thousands or tens of thousands of times greater than that in Zhang Fan's body, making it impossible to compare.
Spiritual power is a warrior's foundation. While the Undead Emperor's Technique may cultivate slowly, it could make Ye Changkong's future cultivation path longer.
Afterward, Ye Changkong sold all his savings and exchanged them for a bottle of Green Spirit Liquid from the medicine hall.
"All the savings of a three-year miscellaneous disciple can only exchange for a bottle of Green Spirit Liquid."
"Hopefully, this bottle of Green Spirit Liquid can help me break through to the first level of the Pulse Refinement Realm!"
Back at his residence, Ye Changkong tilted his head back and swallowed the second bottle of Green Spirit Liquid.
Under the operation of the Undead Emperor's Technique, the surging spiritual energy contained within the bottle was completely purified and converted into more pure spiritual power, which returned to his dantian.
Two bottles of Green Spirit Liquid were only effectively one bottle for Ye Changkong because he had to give half of the refined spiritual power to Qin Yaorao.
Feeling the surge of spiritual power taking up only a small part of his dantian, Ye Changkong immediately activated the spiritual power.
The surging flow of spiritual power ascended into the air like a dragon, rushing towards the first of the nine main veins.
Boom!
Under the impact of the spiritual power dragon, the barrier of the first vein shattered like a decoration.
The spiritual power dragon rushed into the newly opened vein, connecting all the vein connections in one go.
With every closed vein being opened, sounds like the popping of bubbles could be heard in Ye Changkong's body.
After opening the first main vein, the spiritual power dragon had reduced in size and consumed half of its energy.
The remaining spiritual power wandered inside the opened vein, nourishing all the connections.
"Only the warrior who broke through the first main vein can truly be considered a warrior of the Pulse Refinement Realm!"
Ye Changkong gently clenched his fist, clearly feeling the changes in himself.
Not only had his eyesight, hearing, speed, and strength all significantly improved, but even the flesh and energy in his body underwent a transformative change, emanating a strong sense of vitality.
Unconsciously, he had spent a night cultivating.
The rising sun outside the window was like the hope climbing in Ye Changkong's heart, giving him full confidence for the upcoming competition in two months.
"As long as I breakthrough to the fifth level of Pulse Condensation Realm within three months, I have a chance to enter the top ten of the Outer Sect and then into the Inner Sect. Only by entering the Inner Sect can I compete for qualification to participate in the Wind and Cloud Grand Assembly..."
"Chu Yifan, I will come to the Wind and Cloud Pavilion to find you at most in one year!"
Ye Changkong took a deep breath and put away his thoughts.
Now, he began to plan for the next cultivation process.
The Qin Yaorao and Undead Emperor Art had brought him many benefits, but they also came with significant drawbacks, such as the enormous demand for cultivation resources.
As an external disciple, he could only receive one bottle of Qingling Liquid each month, which was not enough to even fill the gap between Ye Changkong's teeth.
Without relying on the resources provided by the sect, Ye Changkong naturally had to fight for himself.
The best place to do so was the Task Hall.
Accepting tasks from the hall not only yielded substantial rewards, but also allowed him to hone his own skills during the missions.
Thinking of this, Ye Changkong no longer hesitated, pushed open the door, left this courtyard, and headed straight to the Task Hall. (To be continued.)