Chapter 140 - 113- 121 The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Chapter 113: Turbulence

Li Lang had occasionally met up with his friends even while he was obsessed with his research. He may have been a rare sight, but he had been there enough to keep up with the latest updates.

Both Wei Ping and Long Yi had reached the next stage of cultivation. At some point after the stimulation from his fights, Long Yi successfully broke past his bottleneck and reached the seventh stage of Energy Gathering. Li Lang planned to speak with him about his experiences once he was free.

His other companions all made adequate progress as well. Both Sima Xue and Tang Yulian had managed to pass the third round of the brushweaving trial, successfully inscribing a talisman with two overlaid runes. Li Lang had tutored them in the past and guided them in the right direction. To Li Lang, it wasn't surprising they had succeeded. After all, they both had better control of Qi than him and were hailed as geniuses.

As their mentor, he had also seen how the two girls had trained vigorously in keeping their brush strokes consistent. They also had gotten better at employing their brushweaving techniques due to the various inks Li Lang got them to test out. Forcing themselves to adapt to their makeshift ink exercised their brushweaving abilities to a new extent. It made it so that when they returned to working with regular ink; they managed to inscribe with ease.

Their work had given valuable data to help optimize Li Lang's research. However, the materials they had on hand were vastly limited. They had never planned to craft ink, so they didn't have many useful resources in stock.

"Hey, how's everything going?" Li Lang voiced as he sat himself at the table.

His approach had already silenced the group as they all turned to him. Usually, Li Lang only came for meals and kept the talking to a minimum. Their curiosity grew when they noticed Li Lang's jovial tone in his greeting.

"B-boss, we were just t-talking about how I managed to p-pass another round of t-the woodsmithing trials!"

"Congratulations. It's about time. You've been working on that for quite some time, right?"

"That's rich, coming from you," Sima Xue teased. "At least he hadn't lost any trial points while he worked on it. You, on the other hand, have lost quite a few points, I heard."

Li Lang calmly smiled at her words. He knew she was simply trying to provoke him in order to motivate him.

"I'll make those points back soon enough. I happen to have successfully found a method to inscribe a three-rune talisman."

"What?!" an alarmed voice instantly shouted. However, it hadn't come from Sima Xue, but Tang Yulian, who was sitting beside her. "Are you serious? Even I have trouble with that and I'm using Earth-grade talisman papers. How in the world could you possibly do it? Don't tell me you can handle Earth-grade materials?"

Being interrogated so intensively by a Foundation Establishment cultivator made Li Lang freeze for a split second before Tang Yulian restrained her aura.

The difference between one major realm may not sound like a lot, but it was indeed a huge gulf. There was a reason why people still referred to those below the Foundation Establishment realm as mortals. Once one shed their mortality, they could literally perform miracles with their willpower alone. The drastic difference in abilities only grew the longer one treaded the path of cultivation.

"Apologies. I lost control of myself for a moment," Tang Yulian slightly bowed toward everyone at the table. "Li Lang, if you could explain. It may help me greatly in passing the next trial as well. I'll make sure our sect will handsomely reward you once we return."

"It's okay. I don't mind sharing as long as you, in turn, share your results as well."

Tang Yulian only had to contemplate the strange request for a few moments before nodding. She was used to Li Lang's antics by now. She may not know the reason why Li Lang hungered to know the results of everything she did, but she would still agree as long as it wasn't too unreasonable and benefitted her.

The group of young cultivators didn't return until it was late into the night. The detailed explanation had bored everyone who wasn't a brushweaver, but those who were, listened attentively throughout the session.

The study discussion acted as a refresher of sorts for Li Lang, which helped him prepare for the trial ahead. After a night of sleep, he was fully prepared to take on the fourth round of the brushweaving trials.

Same as before, he found himself on top of a lily pad floating in a lake after stepping through a scroll.

The lights soon materialized, marking the start of his trial. It made him start from the first round of inscribing a simple one-rune talisman once more. Since he had already passed the test before, he would receive no rewards for passing the trials again, and only point deductions awaited if he failed.

The first two rounds were a breeze for Li Lang. Only the third round with the overlaid rune made him focus. Before long, the dreaded fourth round came. Li Lang knew those who successfully passed this test were few and far between. He surmised only those who were talented enough to reach the Foundation Establishment realm during the trials had passed this test.

That meant this would be new territory for both him and whatever was managing the pocket realm. He wondered if he would be approached if he passed.

Li Lang's thoughts didn't dwell on the matter for long, as he began to concentrate on the task at hand. Inscribing a three-rune talisman was no joke. He may be taking advantage of using unorthodox inks, but the talisman paper's capacity wasn't the only thing to worry about. 

Three runes meant more variables. He had to ensure they wouldn't interfere with each other, and control all the Qi that was being stuffed in. The more power it contained, the harder it was.

Despite having practiced extensively within Ruby, Li Lang couldn't help but feel nervous. The inscription this time would be taking place in reality. If he failed, he would suffer the repercussions of the attempt. He wouldn't have absolute control of his surroundings to avoid them. It was a possibility that he could get hurt.

The talisman he would be creating was a product of careful calculations. That was why his first step was to bring out his measuring tools. A measuring cup was quite easy to make, and that was exactly what Li Lang did.

He somewhat felt like he was baking. He poured the ink mix into the cup before pouring that onto his inkstone. Then, he dipped his Moon Brush into the extra ink to confirm how much it absorbed and expended after each stroke. The most difficult part was keeping the strength of each stroke consistent so that just enough ink would be used.

The consistency helped him control the amount of Qi he would apply to the rune. Too much and the talisman would overload, causing an explosion of Qi. Too little and the balance of the rune would crumble.

Li Lang couldn't make any mistakes on any of the three runes. It was a daunting task, but he was excited to jump straight into it. The talisman he chose was a more advanced version of the concealing talisman he had often kept as a trump card. There were many variants, but the common three-rune version hid not only sight and Qi signature, but smell and vibrations as well.

The talisman consisted of a light rune that handled the distortion of light and temperature. One wind rune would be responsible for managing the airflow, so no scent or breeze would alert anyone or anything. Then, one earth rune for the vibrations and footprints. Only when the three runes were in balance could it hide the Qi signature of the user as well.

Sweat dripped from Li Lang's brow as he inched ever closer to completion.

While Li Lang was busy facing the fourth round of the brushweaving trial, other important events were happening within the pocket realm.

Numerous cultivators were attempting to break through to their next stage of cultivation. Everyone was under pressure to make progress. Martial trials were dominantly what they relied on to earn their points. That meant they were under pressure to break through, so they could pass the next round. After all, it was the fastest way to obtain a power boost.

Among them was Li Lang's close friend, Wei Ping. However, the breakthroughs from someone in the middling stage of Energy Gathering drew no attention. Only those nearing the Foundation Establishment drew the attention of all the young talents away from their bitter cultivation.

Liang Po was one who met these exact conditions. He was famed for being one of the most talented in his generation, standing shoulder to shoulder with Tang Yulian and Sima Xue. Tang Yulian may have pulled ahead for now, but knowledgeable parties didn't dare discount them when the journey was only beginning. Those who reached the Foundation Establishment realm would only be considered to have reached the starting line.

Nevertheless, the young cultivators of the Luminescent realm, who were outside the mountain, sensed a major breakthrough was happening. The clouds gathered as a storm brewed. It was an omen common to those who possessed a unique physique when they underwent their breakthrough.

Having possessed these heavenly physiques already defied the heavens. That was why each step they took invoked a significant response. Despite only trying to step onto the ninth stage of Energy Gathering, there were signs of a tribulation storm above Liang Po!

This caused the flow of Qi to be thrown into chaos within the realm, in turn, worrying the three artifact spirits that oversaw the place. It was enough for the green artifact spirit to summon forth his companions. Within the lone hut at the summit of the mountain, the three spirits took on their human forms. They floated above the yellow clouds like some sort of gods, but they each wore grim expressions.

"Blue, Orange, the white-haired kid is breaking through. Take precautions just in case."

"Do you think he is the cause of our woes?" Blue asked as she tilted her head.

"It is hard to say, but if just his breakthrough to the ninth stage can cause this scene, it should be him."

"That's scary," the boy in orange robes muttered. "If only we could test it out by temporarily banishing him from our realm…"

His two companions only stared down at the scene sternly, opting not to reply.

Chapter 114: Anomaly

Liang Po's breakthrough took time. Enough time that the few who sensed it managed to return to the mountain and spread the news. 

The outdoors was no longer peaceful. The serene purple skies became turbulent as a storm began to brew. By the time those who were free rushed to the scene, rain flooded the scene.

Liang Po himself paid it no mind. He had sealed the entrance to his cave beforehand. It was unlikely for anyone to interrupt him. Instead, the real danger lay in the breakthrough itself.

Those who were blessed by the heavens with a unique physique faced tougher challenges. Some say the heavens were jealous, while others believed it was only trying to temper the chosen further with appropriate strength. Either way, it was a known fact that they would be facing life-threatening tribulations, even if it was only the first major breakthrough. Thankfully, in this case, Liang Po wasn't trying to step into the next major realm yet.

"So the rumors were true. The genius from the Myriad Bones Pavilion does possess a heavenly physique."

"What rumors, you dimwit!? Little news about the Myriad Bones Pavilion ever reaches anyone. They keep to themselves too much while there are only a few of them."

"Anyway…Do you think he's breaking into the Foundation Establishment realm? It seems like he doesn't want to fall behind."

"No, I saw him not too long ago. He was still in the eighth stage of Energy Gathering."

"Then, he's generating such a huge response from just trying to step onto the ninth stage?"

The spectators gawked at the spectacle. They all took shelter under the same line of trees, contemplating the significance of the scene.

They only came to it when a flash of lightning suddenly descended near them. It came down directly on the small mountain where Liang Po was. Those who had seen similar scenes instantly yelled out in alarm.

"That's…not normal lightning. It's tribulation lightning! Tribulation lightning is striking down on Liang Po for just stepping onto the ninth stage!"

The clamor from the crowd intensified.

Meanwhile, the person experiencing the breakthrough himself wasn't as relaxed. The tribulation lightning was within his calculations. It struck him through the mountain, as if the obstacles between them didn't exist. He could feel the shock running through his entire body. It burned, and he could feel bits of him dying and regrowing at a rapid rate.

Liang Po didn't panic, as his master had taught him what to expect. The tribulation lightning tested his willpower and his physique. He had full confidence in both, so he wasn't worried. It would only fuel his growth further.

What did worry him was the uncomfortable feeling in his surroundings. His breakthrough was almost complete, but a strange pressure was lurking in the background. It was as if a powerful expert had locked sights on him, but simply chose to spectate for now.

This was because the three artifact spirits of the realm were preparing to take drastic measures if they confirmed Liang Po was the source of their worries.

Under their watch, the pocket realm was losing a large amount of Qi for some inexplicable reason. As Liang Po was one of the prime suspects, they watched him like a hawk throughout his breakthrough. Their senses were on high alert, looking for signs of their problem worsening. If Liang Po was the source, it was likely his breakthrough would intensify their woes.

"Umm, Brother Green, you need to restrain yourself more. We're not going to kill him even if he does turn out to be the cause," the young man in orange robes advised.

"Hmph, I'm just scaring the brat a little. It's not like he can do anything about it."

"Well, that's—"

Before Orange could continue, their other companion abruptly cut him off.

"Silence, both of you! I've just been alerted to another anomaly. I'm heading out right away. Make sure you don't do anything until it's confirmed, without a doubt."

The young woman in blue robes didn't wait for their response before twirling around. In an instant, she disappeared. If one had exceptional senses, they would be able to see glittering blue lights flashing across the horizon. However, that required one to at least be in the Violet Core realm to notice. To everyone else, they wouldn't see anything, even if they happened to stare in the right direction.

Blue flew across the skies, and in an instant, she arrived back at the main mountain. She would normally return to the hut at the summit, but this time, she dove straight into the mountain instead.

She passed by numerous unsuspecting cultivators, heading down the corridor that was labeled with the word 'Water' on it. She proceeded toward the end of the hallway, flying straight into the calligraphy hanging on the wall. Her entire journey took less than three breaths of time.

When she arrived, she stared down curiously at the lone boy standing atop the lily pad. He stood there with a confident smile as he stared at the floating lights before him.

"Fourth round passed. The challenger is awarded eighty trial points. The next round is starting shortly."

"I give up," the boy muttered.

Blue didn't need to see what happened next, as she was the one who managed this particular trial. The response the boy got would come from her. Many of the minor details were automated in a way Blue wasn't clear on, but she was able to peer into these specifications.

She conveyed her findings to her peers through their shared telepathy.

"You guys may want to hold off on kicking that white-haired kid out. I found another suspicious boy here."

"What happened?" Green immediately pressed.

"He passed the fourth round of the Brushweaving trial. For this year's opening, that means he managed to inscribe a three-rune talisman."

"So he used some rare materials. So what?"

"...He's only in the sixth stage of Energy Gathering and didn't use any rare heavenly resources. He mainly used the sap from the Harmonic Trees."

"What?!" Green yelled.

He was knowledgeable about everything that existed in the pocket realm. He knew exactly what type of material Harmonic Trees were, and they weren't anything special. They were simply trees that were easily dyed by various types of elemental Qi. It would take on whichever type it came into contact first during its incubation period.

The only thing good about these trees was that they acted as an elemental filter of sorts. They refined the ambient Qi that was contaminated with numerous kinds of energy into one type. Even then, the materials from the Harmonic Trees weren't that pure or rich in Qi. There were many superior alternatives that existed.

The Harmonic tree could only be regarded somewhere around low to medium-tier materials among the mortal grade.

Green was so flabbergasted that he couldn't speak. Orange inquired for clarification in his place.

"So he didn't use any Earth-grade materials. No, he's only in Energy Gathering, so he wouldn't be able to handle them. And without using the rarest Mortal-grade materials, he managed to inscribe a three-rune talisman?"

"That's right," Blue calmly replied.

"That's impressive, but how is that relevant to the source of our Qi leak? It just means he's a talented Brushweaver, right?"

"Nevertheless, it means he's a genius that has masterful control of Qi. He may have some strange physique that is the cause of all the heavenly energy disappearing."

"Hmm, I still think it's more likely for one of the three we have been monitoring to be the cause. From the humans' conversations, they each hail from powerful organizations. They could be carrying secret artifacts that are causing this."

It was at this moment that Green snapped out of it. He frowned at Orange's words.

"Really, Orange? Do you even remember what kind of artifact it needs to be in order to cause this? Do you really think the people outside have entered such a splendid golden age that they decided to give their treasure to a child coming here?"

The three artifact spirits continued to argue as they continued to monitor the humans. However, Li Lang was now added to the list of people to be observed.

They watched as he carefully went over his new reward, a cultivation manual that went over how to filter out elemental Qi. There were many techniques that accomplished the same thing, each in their own way. The Elemental Condensing Brush technique was one that relied on the Moon Brush and a set of brushweaving Qi art to accomplish this feat.

While its practitioner circulated their energies into their Moon Brush, it allowed them to only consume the specific elemental Qi they wanted to use.

Even though the ink Li Lang had used mostly absorbed Qi of its element, it required him to channel a sizeable sum of Qi into it. That was because his Qi was a mixed collection of various properties. A lion's share of the Qi that was not compatible with the ink was wasted during the inscription.

This technique remedied that, by allowing him to only invoke his specified element of Qi.

The day was supposed to come to a close there, as the artifact spirits continued their observation. However, they noticed another thing not long after Li Lang completed his trial.

He was now under more scrutiny, so they noticed every strange behavior he took. While he was reading his new manual, he kept placing a hand against his hat. That could normally be crossed off as his idiosyncratic gesture. Unfortunately for Li Lang, it was another story when he even did it, lying in his bed. It was inevitable that he drew attention when he was wearing his hat, even when in bed.

It got Blue curious, and she swept into action. Unbeknownst to Li Lang, Blue came right next to him. The artifact spirit was able to peer through everything in her immediate vicinity, as long as it was inside the pocket realm. Once she was less than a meter away, her innate senses swept over Li Lang. Of course, this included the hat.

The moment her senses came into contact with the red gem that was Ruby, it created a violent reaction. It was as if a bomb exploded right next to Blue's head. She was instantly blown away, slamming into the walls of the room. If she wasn't disoriented, she could've phased through it. Instead, the sound of her impact loudly rang out, startling the lone inhabitant of the room.

Chapter 115: Change of Scenery

Li Lang had just finished the fourth round of the brushweaving trial and returned to his room after copying over the manual he received onto his computer.

As always, it was related to what he had shown during the trial. This time, he used elemental Qi to draw out the runes that corresponded to the same element. With the irrelevant energies out of the picture, it allowed the runes to be completed with less overall Qi. This made it more compact, allowing Li Lang to fit three runes onto a mortal-grade talisman paper.

It was understandable that his reward, the Elemental Condensing Brush technique, taught him how to filter out his desired elements of Qi. During his previous inscribing session, he had expended several times more energy than usual.

It couldn't be helped as only a tiny part of his Qi was of the elements he needed, like light. The reward he earned would address this exact issue, conserving his energy. He believed it could even help him in other ways. While it required a Moon Brush as a catalyst, it didn't say the filtered Qi must be used for brushweaving. He could use the filtered Qi for other endeavors.

Just as he got settled in his room and was about to get started with his new manual, Ruby suddenly shouted in his ear. It was a voice he had never heard it use. It was tinged with urgency and aggression. Completely different from Ruby's usual antics.

"Master! Intruder! Someone tried to invade me!"

Before Li Lang could respond, the artifact spirit already kicked him back to reality. As soon as he did, he immediately heard a loud crashing sound. Having been warned trouble was here, he immediately turned to the commotion.

He blinked rapidly as he tried to process what he found. A young woman in blue robes lying sprawled on his floor. Her blue robes were of a different shade compared to the Eternal Wave Sect that he had come to be familiar with, so he knew she wasn't one of them.

The unknown intruder only put Li Lang more on guard as he cautiously took up a defensive position. He had one hand hidden in his robes, ready to deploy a talisman at any moment.

One moment passed, then another one. Nothing happened, as the woman remained unconscious on the ground.

Hmm, I should leave, but Ruby said this person tried to invade it somehow. Does this mean it knows about the existence of Ruby now? If that is true, I can't leave her alone…but what do I do?

Heinous thoughts flashed through Li Lang's mind before he shook his head. While those solutions may appear simple, the baggage that came along with it could be more than he bargained for.

With the identity of the woman unknown, he had to take a more cautious approach. He needed to draw more information out of her before deciding on the next step.

If she does know about Ruby, then I'll think about how to deal with her then. There must be a way for me to silence her without resorting to murder or poison.

Nevertheless, precautions had to be taken. Li Lang may not have malicious intentions against the woman, but the same couldn't be said for the other party. Li Lang quickly fished out several items and moved toward the door. 

He made sure it was half opened, so if anything happened, he had an escape path or at least his voice could reach someone outside. He then coated a small needle in the most powerful poison he currently had and held it at the ready. In his other hand, he continued to grasp onto a talisman.

He was ready to deploy his Veiling Shroud technique at any moment and combine it with the concealment talisman.

With those safeguards in place, he began approaching the unconscious woman.

First, he tapped her with his feet. No response.

He tried again, but harder this time.

Still no response.

He didn't want to shake her any more violently or expose himself to her in a vulnerable position, so he took a step back. He then picked up a cup of water and splashed it across her face.

Once again, nothing happened.

This got Li Lang slightly worried. He took out a Recovery Pill and approached her. Holding it in the same hand as the poisoned needle, he carefully placed it into her mouth before stepping back.

Within a second, he got a reaction. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up. They were inside a small room, so she naturally discovered Li Lang the moment she opened her eyes.

The young man and woman stared at each other in the small room. They blinked blankly, each watching the other carefully.

It took a few breaths of time before the woman's expression changed to that of terror.

"A natural spirit! You're carrying an Origin artifact!"

The girl began trembling, causing Li Lang to become even more perplexed. However, he did confirm the woman had likely taken note of Ruby. That was why he pressed his hat against him to consult his partner.

"Ruby, do you know who this woman is or what she is talking about?"

"Master, that's an artifact spirit, not a woman! And a spirit of a pretty high-level artifact too! You should be careful."

Ruby's aggression hadn't faded yet. She spoke quickly and sounded strung up.

I guess I'll just have to ask for the details later when Ruby calms down. If this woman before me is a high-level artifact spirit, then it might be the one who controls this place. The one who's been watching over everyone.

"So you're an artifact spirit?" Li Lang gently asked, taking care not to agitate her further.

She slowly nodded, but spoke no words. Evidently, there was still fear in her eyes.

"I'm Li Lang. What's your name?"

"...Blue."

"Blue? Can you calm down for me? I–no, we don't mean you any harm. We should talk things out first."

Seeing the artifact spirit nod, Li Lang then peeked out of his room. He wanted to see if anyone had overheard them before he closed the doors. As if knowing exactly what was in his mind, Blue made a suggestion.

"Rest assured, I made sure no one could have overheard our conversation. If you want to talk in someplace discreet with no chance of anyone intruding, then I know of a place. Just…have mercy."

"Of course. I wasn't lying. I mean you no harm. Lead the way."

I really need to ask what the hell Ruby did to her, too. For now, I'll play along with it.

The door to Li Lang's room was once again opened. He gestured for Blue to take the lead, but she didn't budge. Instead, she closed her eyes, and suddenly, Li Lang found that the scenery around him had changed.

He glanced around frantically and pinched himself on the cheeks. He then kneeled down to feel his footing. Once he confirmed it felt real, he looked over at the woman allegedly responsible for their transition.

"This isn't an illusion, is it? Where are we?"

"No, I've transported us to the summit. It consumes quite a bit of energy, but it's the only way I can take you here."

"You can do that? Teleport people around?"

"Only within the pocket realm."

Hearing that answer, Li Lang's eyes sparkled as his face drew closer.

"Tell me! How does it work?"

"...Didn't you have other questions? Be patient. I'll try to answer what I can in time. For now, let us head somewhere more comfortable. We're almost there."

Li Lang could only swallow down his curiosity. He had forced himself to stop asking the first things that came into his head, like why didn't she teleport them directly to their destination? It helped that Blue had already begun walking toward the lone hut right beside them.

It was the only structure at the summit and was impossible to miss.

The moment Blue stepped into the hut, Li Lang lost sight of her. The entrance to the hut was pitch black for some reason, and he could see nothing within. He almost wanted to investigate this phenomenon and stay outside when Blue's voice called out.

"Come in. It's safe."

Being directly called out, Li Lang obeyed. While he didn't know much about the mysterious artifact spirit, it was clear it was powerful. Ruby had said it was the spirit of a high-level artifact. That meant it was likely to be a Saint-grade artifact at the very least. That was in the realm only those in the Violet Core realm and above could handle. 

In fact, it may be even more powerful if it supports this entire pocket realm. Thankfully, it's afraid of Ruby right now and shouldn't act against us.

When Li Lang stepped past the darkness, the scenery once again changed. The purple skies were suddenly a lot closer, and the yellow clouds were now at his feet.

"We're…In the sky? Standing on top of a cloud?!"

"Not quite," Blue replied. "It's hard to explain, but you can think of this place as the center of the realm. We'll be able to talk freely here."

Li Lang was just about to nod when he spotted something in the distance. He spotted two speckles of orange and green a distance away.

"What's that?"

It was only then that Blue noticed too. Her eyes widened before she performed a grabbing motion towards them. The two speckles disappeared—no; it was more accurate to say they were relocated.

Looking down next to Blue's feet, Li Lang quickly realized what those speckles were. It was people. Two young men, one wearing an orange robe while the other wore a green robe. They were both lying on the ground, unconscious.

Before Li Lang could ask any questions, Blue stated her request.

"Please, channel some Qi into them. It should wake them up."

"Come again? I thought you brought me here to talk privately. Who are these people?"

The situation was getting more and more out of hand. It made Li Lang frown as he questioned the artifact spirit's objectives.

Chapter 116: Coercion

Seeing Li Lang's expression sour, Blue quickly stepped forward and explained.

"These two are Green and Orange. Like me, they're also artifact spirits of this pocket realm."

Li Lang alternated glances between them. They appeared to be normal teenagers, no different from all the cultivators he had encountered within the mountain. If it wasn't for Ruby telling him about Blue's identity, he would've never suspected her to be an artifact spirit at all.

"Then why are they unconscious? Don't tell me they're sleeping."

"That's likely because we are connected. They probably received the same…backlash from earlier. They should wake up if you channel some Qi into them, just like you did with me."

Li Lang remained silent for a moment. He thought about various scenarios to evaluate if the risk was worth it. They may be artifact spirits, but that didn't mean they meant no harm. However, Ruby had inadvertently already knocked them down once, so it was too late to act as if nothing had happened. If he wanted a cordial relationship with them, he would have to act.

That was why he decided to go along with Blue for now.

He crouched down and placed a hand on each of their backs. After channeling some Qi into them, it didn't even take a few breaths of time before their eyes opened.

Hmm, so Blue over here woke up earlier due to the Qi in the Recovery Pill and not due to the effects of the pill itself? Maybe I should've used a Qi Replenishment Pill instead, then.

When the two artifact spirits came to their senses, they swiftly huddled around Blue and stared in the unfamiliar party's direction with wide eyes. Green took a step forward to shield his companions and questioned his ally, who had been conscious, about their situation.

"Blue, is that the Origin artifact spirit you came into contact with?"

"The master of it."

"...Why did you bring him here?" Orange timidly interjected.

"He wanted to talk. So calm down."

"But that's—"

Green began to raise his voice but was quickly shut down.

"There are no buts. We're not in a position to do anything."

The three spirits made no attempts to hide their conversation from Li Lang. It gave him many hints on how the discussion would proceed, but also raised several questions.

Are they scared of Ruby that much? Well, I guess it did knock them out, but I don't think it can do that on its own initiative.

While the spirits continued to argue, Li Lang spoke to the all-menacing artifact itself.

"Ruby, are these spirits rightfully so afraid of you? Can you really do anything against them?"

"Hmm, not really, Master. I'm too weak right now to do anything not in my immediate vicinity, but they can't do anything to us either. They have complete control of everything in the pocket realm except us. The moment they try to exert any of their power on us without my permission, they should be overwhelmed by my presence again."

"You're saying they fainted just from your presence?"

"Probably? Would you like me to put that to the test? I'm too weak to even reach them right now, but you can bring me near them."

"No, no. Let's not try to antagonize them any further. If what you're saying is correct, we're still technically at their mercy. They may not be able to do anything directly to us, but they do have a forest full of Qi beasts. They can still set those against us."

"Master, they won't dare! I doubt they have that level of control over this place without an owner to take their reins."

"No owner? Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent, Master!"

"Well, I guess it would be more surprising if they did have one. This place is supposed to be a relic of the past. Their previous owners should've all died out by now. Thanks, Ruby. I'll go talk to them now, so sit tight."

"Master, wait! Let me join the conversation too. It should give you more leverage over them."

"Ruby…I don't think we can talk if they're knocked out."

"Master, I said that would only happen if I want it to. My aura is something that I can control. It won't activate just cause I approached them. Otherwise, the artifact you went into last time would've been incapacitated and noticed you."

"Then it's okay. One second, I'll get them to place a hand near you."

Li Lang directed his attention back to the three spirits, who were still conversing with each other.

"They're obviously the source of our issues. We need to do something before we collapse!"

"And what exactly should we do? If you want, you can go negotiate with them yourself."

"Guys, stop arguing. They're right there."

Taking advantage of the gap in their discussion, Li Lang cleared his throat.

"Excuse me. I see you guys have some disagreements, but why don't you talk things out with me first? Maybe we can help each other once we get to know what we each want."

The three exchanged glances before Blue stepped forth and nodded.

"Good," Li Lang smiled and took off his hat. "In that case, can you place your hands here?"

The casual gesture from Li Lang caused a violent reaction from the spirits. They jumped back at the sight of the hat drawing closer.

"Calm down, you guys. Ruby here wants to join in on the conversation. We mean no harm."

"Don't. He may be trying to eliminate us," Green warned.

"As if they can't do that already," Blue snapped. "They're already inside the realm. It'd be a different story if they were still outside, but it's too late now."

Li Lang chose not to correct their misconception, nor did he rush them.

The three gingerly moved forward at Blue's urging and carefully stuck their hand out.

"You three, you may address me as Ruby!" the red gem's artifact spirit proudly declared. "State your names!"

It was a tone of voice Li Lang had never heard from Ruby before. It sounded like a king talking to some peasants, expecting them to be honored to have a chance to speak with someone of a higher status.

"Esteemed Origin spirit, I am the artifact spirit of a humble Spirit-grade artifact named Blue. I am partly responsible for overseeing this pocket realm, alongside my two companions here."

"Likewise. My name is Green."

"Umm, greetings. I am the same as well, except I'm called Orange."

"Is that a proper name your previous master gave you? Oh, I'm Li Lang by the way, but you should know already if you control the pocket realm."

"That's right! Our esteemed master named us many years ago." The three nodded in unison.

I guess they're proud of their names? Whatever.

"So, why did you suddenly approach me today? Did you want something?" Li Lang directed his gaze to Blue.

Her brows furrowed before she cautiously answered.

"We were alerted to your existence since you passed your brushweaver trial with your modest cultivation. I didn't expect to find…you to be the master of the honorable Ruby here. I apologize if I have offended you."

Before Li Lang responded, Ruby jumped in.

"Hmph, you better be. You should know better than to run your senses over me and my master. I hope you don't do that with anyone else too."

"That…"

It was a given that running Qi senses over someone was severely intrusive. Doing so could easily offend the other party. The only exception was when the disparity between both parties was too far. No one would dare to complain about it when an expert in the Spirit Divide realm inspected you. At the same time, few were likely to detect such an action when the gulf in power was so high.

That was why the three artifact spirits had gotten used to running their senses over everyone they saw. As Spirit-grade artifacts, they were in a realm comparable to Spirit Divide, even if they were masterless. All the youngsters who entered their realm were much weaker than them. 

"Sorry, but it's because we have an emergency!" Orange yelled. "Our realm is losing Qi at an abnormal rate, and we had to find the source soon or we'll go dormant forever!"

"What? So you believe it's one of the human cultivators who caused this? More specifically, me?" Li Lang replied.

"It has to! It started the moment you people entered."

"And now, we can say with certainty it's because of your esteemed Origin artifact," Green added.

Li Lang almost asked Ruby if it was true, but stopped as he knew the three artifact spirits would be able to hear their conversation. Still, hearing no denial from Ruby practically confirmed their words.

He had always wondered how it was possible for him to have powered an artifact like Ruby when he wasn't even a cultivator when he had first come across it.

I'll have to ask Ruby about it after this.

"Now that you know of our situation, I hope you won't blame me for asking you guys to leave," Green continued with gritted teeth. "Unfortunately, we cannot support the presence of a powerful Origin artifact for such a long duration. With your permission, we can transport you out immediately."

"That…I want to continue my stay. There is much for me to learn here. Can you provide me with access to your knowledge repository in exchange if I leave?"

"That's…impossible. We can't access it without a master controlling us. Only when one passes the corresponding trial, can they peruse a small part of the contents within."

Hearing their denial, Ruby interjected with a tint of anger in her voice.

"I still expect compensation for your transgressions. It just so happens my master is in need of resources and techniques to help him rise up, and you guys can provide that." Based on Ruby's tone alone, Li Lang knew what came next would be unreasonable, to say the least. "You guys will do. Submit to my master now!"

As expected, the three spirits balked at the sudden demand.

Chapter 117: Stepping Back

All three artifact spirits were taken aback by Ruby's demand. They stood still in shock for several moments before Green recovered. He spoke with indignation.

"We swore not to take another master! You can't be seriously asking us to submit to this Energy Gathering realm br—"

"Silence!" Blue chastised her companion in green robes. "I apologize for his tone, but he isn't entirely incorrect. Your master's cultivation is too low to be able to control us."

"Nonsense! Are you saying my master is unworthy of you? As far as I know, once you take him as your master, you'll be able to absorb the energies from the outside world. It'll solve your so-called crisis. It's a win-win deal."

"Umm, but he won't be able to make use of us," Orange nervously stated, getting quieter the more he spoke.

"That is but a temporary matter. My master will surely soar to great heights in due time. It is your fortune to be able to serve him."

Ruby's proud boasting had left the three lesser spirits to be speechless. They didn't know how to refute the request. Even Li Lang didn't dare intervene. He knew too little regarding how artifact spirits operated. He didn't know if what Ruby said was true. If it really solved the three spirit's predicament and also gained him a powerful artifact, it was in his best interest to let things continue their course.

"That…request is a little sudden for us," Blue finally broke her silence. "While the three of us did decide not to take another master, we also vowed to our previous master that we would continue to pass on his sect's legacy. Please give us some time to think it through."

"How dare—"

"Ruby!" Li Lang interjected. "It's fine. Give them some time."

"If you say so, Master."

Li Lang exchanged nods with Blue.

"From what you guys told me, I'm not the one in a hurry here. You know where to find me."

"Of course. I'll bring you back for now."

At her words, Blue flicked her sleeve, obscuring Li Lang's vision. In the blink of an eye, Li Lang found himself back in his room. Ruby was still in his hand, along with the hat it was in.

"Master, you didn't need to be that nice to them, you know? They were in the wrong. We could've gotten them to submit to you right there and then."

"Ruby, I understand you're doing it for my good, but there's no point in forcing others to submit. From my… limited experience, it's never a good idea to force people to work for you. Give them some time first. If they don't come around, you can be more forceful."

Having awoken from the possibility of owning this pocket realm, Li Lang could barely contain himself. It wasn't because of the prospect of owning a powerful artifact. It was more due to all the knowledge that came along with it!

It was obvious The Great Trial of Water Crest had a large repository of cultivation-related texts. Li Lang could only drool at all the possibilities that could unlock for him. That was why he was open to the idea of getting the spirits to submit to him even under duress. However, he knew forcing others was a suboptimal method, so he would allow them some time first as it wasn't an urgent matter for him.

Having thought of all the new things he could learn, he quickly directed his attention to the new manual he received. Passing the fourth round of the brushweaving trial had rewarded him with the Elemental Condensing Brush technique.

He had only skimmed it for its capabilities, so he was eager to dive into it. As he perused through the texts, his mind continuously contemplated how its contents could assist him in the fifth round.

While he hadn't attempted it, Li Lang memorized what the fifth round required. It asked him to enchant a peak Mortal-grade artifact with three runes. It made him wonder if it really was a task that was much harder than the last.

This pocket realm should be quite dated, from a completely different age. Several 'lost' techniques given as rewards confirm this.

Li Lang suspected the standards had changed over the years. Three rune inscriptions may have been common for Energy Gatherers living in the previous age. They may have still used various plants and Qi beast-based inks that allowed them to do what Li Lang had done. Otherwise, it would have been quite strict of them to put a task meant for Foundation Establishment cultivators as early as the fourth trial.

Nevertheless, it didn't change the task Li Lang needed to accomplish to pass the next round. It would take some time for Li Lang to learn more about enchantment, but he was eager to do so. Yi Lin hadn't gone over the details on how to enchant yet, so it likely wasn't a short process. It was also due to enchanting not being something expected of an apprentice.

Every artifact was valuable. The lowest among them were at the peak of Mortal-grade. It would be foolish to entrust these valuable assets to the hands of an apprentice.

While Li Lang waited for the three artifact spirits to deliberate, he resumed his usual routine. He cultivated and honed all his techniques every day, then went to socialize with his group. He never said anything about the spirits, as it wasn't a done deal yet. Plus, he couldn't explain how he managed the feat of possibly subduing the pocket realm without revealing Ruby.

Instead, he focused on asking Long Yi about his experience of breaking through to the seventh stage of the Energy Gathering realm. There was a huge divide from the sixth to the seventh stage. From the seventh stage onward, you would truly become one of the top experts among mortals. Along with it came the power to manipulate your Qi from range.

With Long Yi having grade three aptitude, his experiences may not be compatible with Li Lang, but he still had to ask. Even if the path he had to take was different, the end goal was the same.

"So you're saying once your body cultivation slowed, you began feeling your Qi staying connected with you from a small distance? Perhaps it's because you had a lot of practice with your Terra Moon Slash technique. I should practice my ranged techniques more. " Li Lang placed a hand on his chin and pondered.

"Yeah, it just happened. Then I simply needed to hold on to that feeling and tried to consciously extend that range."

Li Lang asked Long Yi again and again, day after day. It was because Long Yi was the only person who cultivated in the orthodox way like he did. Combined with his higher aptitude, he was able to provide Li Lang with a lot of food for thought.

Interviewing one person isn't enough. Just his experience may be able to help me get through this small bottleneck, but when it comes time to challenge Foundation Establishment, I don't feel confident at all.

I have to get more information from various sources to help me unravel the future stages of cultivation. But the only people who practice orthodox cultivation methods are us three and those from the Peerless Gate. Maybe I should venture back into the righteous sect's territories at some point…

Other than exploring how to continue progressing with his cultivation, Li Lang spent his spare time investigating all the previous phenomena he wanted to test. There were things he could get help from the demonic cultivators around him.

The major one was the nature of spiritual roots. It had a direct correlation to one's aptitude. While Li Lang had conquered some of the weaknesses of his low talent with the Cleansing Drug, that only mattered for the Energy Gathering realm. In a way, he solved a symptom, not the root cause.

He still remembered the conversations he had with Elder Cao Mei about the various realms of cultivation. She had patiently explained to him various tidbits of knowledge in order to placate Li Lang into becoming a full-time alchemist for her sect.

These conversations included how aptitude affected a cultivator when they were in the Foundation Establishment realm. While she hadn't been that detailed in her explanations, it was enough for Li Lang to know that those of a higher aptitude could cultivate and recover their Qi faster.

In the Foundation Establishment realm, one would no longer suffer from Qi overdose. They were no longer mortal and could cultivate all day. The main issue they would face then was to find enough energy for them to absorb, and their comprehension of the world. The ambient Qi in the air would take far too long to satisfy their needs. This was the stage when they often consumed Qi stones to progress quickly.

Li Lang suspected all these things were also related to the number of one's spiritual roots. That was why he wanted to find a way to maybe attain more of them. Perhaps it could be transplanted or grown. He didn't know, but he did want to find out.

The first step to that was to start asking around. There were numerous cultivators around, and if his companions weren't enough, he could start asking the others within the pocket realm.

The only worry was his trial points. That was exactly why he reached out to the three artifact spirits once he had everything else in order.

"Blue, can you hear me?" Li Lang muttered to himself in his room.

As he suspected, he immediately got a response. Blue lights flooded in from somewhere before forming into a girl.

"Yes, what is it?"

"You guys are still thinking about our proposal, right?"

"...That's correct. Please allow us some more time."

"It's okay. I'm not here to rush you."

"Then how can I help you?"

"I wanted to ask if you could stop my trial points from decreasing if I stop my current training."

"Why would you—" Blue gulped dramatically while directing a cautious glance at Li Lang's hat. "Nevermind. Your request is reasonable, considering we're the ones making you wait. I accept."

He grinned upon having earned the time to perform his research on other topics and was eager to jump straight into it. He planned to start his interviews with his companions first, before approaching the other cultivators within the realm as he needed.

He was determined to make use of this opportunity where cultivators gathered and had access to speak with them. Thinking up to that point, Li Lang realized he needed something to incentivize his helpers. While his acquaintances may agree to assist him, he couldn't say the same for the others.

"Blue, can you do one more thing for me as well?"

Chapter 118: Exploratory Phase

Not having to be worried about his trial points anymore, Li Lang dove straight into his research. He wanted to identify what spiritual roots were and if they could be increased.

Previously, he had examined several human corpses and learned that the humans in this world were the same as his old world. That meant there wasn't anything like meridians or spiritual roots to be found. He concluded they must not be something physical. He theorized it was something unseen and only interacted with Qi. As he didn't have a way to analyze something so ethereal then, he had set the topic aside. 

That may have changed recently. From the trials, he received the Vein Flow Calculation Method. It analyzed the Qi properties of materials, so the question was if it would work as well on humans.

That was why his first step was to analyze himself using this new technique. While Qi senses only provided him with information on the physical aspects of what it enveloped, he was hoping the new technique would be different.

At first, it felt strange to use this technique on himself. It made Li Lang think he was treating his own body as alchemy material. 

As the new technique began to run its course through him, the first piece of information he received was on the properties of his Qi. Just like the ambient Qi in the air, he felt his own energies were a cocktail of various elements. It was chaotic and tranquil at the same time, with the energies existing in peace with each other.

Then, the next information he got was similar to his Qi senses. It gave him awareness of the shape of his body. Li Lang believed it simply showed where all his Qi was, which was spread evenly around.

The technique finished without providing any additional information, so Li Lang decided to repeat it. This time, he would do so while moving. The third time, while running. 

He progressively continued analyzing himself with the Vein Flow Calculation Method while he was doing different tasks. He went through all the basic moves before trying out his various Qi and martial arts. The last test he did before he was satisfied was to scan himself while cultivating.

Once he was done, he sat back and wrote down his findings.

It's too early to draw any conclusions from a sample size of one. It's time to find some helpers.

Just like the time with the Cleansing Drug, Li Lang sought out his close companions first. Wei Ping and Long Yi were already familiar with his schtick and did as he instructed. Then, Sima Xue, Huang Si, and Tang Yulian were next to fall victim to his curiosity.

Li Lang repeated the same tests he had done on himself and carefully recorded everything down.

His thirst for knowledge didn't stop there. After he had gotten his close circle to play along, he began venturing out to the other cultivators.

He started off easy by reaching out to the disciples from Sima Xue's Nightmoon Valley.

"Junior Di, Zhou, and Jian, can you gather your groups?" Sima Xue requested. "My friend here would like everyone's help with something."

"Senior Sima…Is it urgent? I believe all our fellow disciples are quite busy right now."

"It…isn't, but I'd appreciate their time. It won't take too long."

"I see. Very well then. I'll go let them know."

As the three disciples dispersed, Li Lang turned to his friend and nodded appreciatively.

"Thank you. I owe you one."

"Yes, you do," she smiled. "You owe me ten servings of tofu puddings once we get back outside."

"Sure, that's easy enough. Any idea what I would owe Tang Yulian if I asked for her help with her sect?"

"Hmm, Yulian doesn't really care about food that much. It won't be so easy to bribe her. Maybe flowers would work?"

"Well, that sounds like a challenge. I'm not versed in flower language or even know all the flowers that can be found around Emberglow City. How am I going to choose what type to get her from among all the options that exist within the Luminescent Domain?"

"Carefully. Make sure you don't gift her something with offensive meaning by accident." Sima Xue giggled. "Maybe if you give me a few more bribes, I can help you pick out the flowers when the time comes."

While Li Lang was still somewhat cautious toward the girl who had once gotten him into a lot of trouble, all the time they spent together slowly wore down the barriers. He had enough life experiences to know it was counterproductive to hold one-sided grudges. It would benefit all parties if they just got along. After all, Sima Xue never had any malicious intentions toward him.

"Yeah, if Tang Yulian doesn't tell me what to get her, I'll need your help."

Their conversation was cut short when they spotted a dozen people coming toward them. The three juniors from before were among them.

"Senior Sima, all those who are free have come."

"Good. Thank you for coming everyone. I know you're all busy with your training, but my friend here would like your help on a small matter."

Li Lang took that as the cue to step forward.

"That's right. My name is Li Lang and I apologize for interrupting all of you, but I just needed your help with testing out my new technique. I simply need you to perform various actions while I use it on you. You won't be in any danger. You can see what I need you to do from this checklist here."

Li Lang held out his notes to show the audience. Just like with his companions, he didn't get them to practice their martial and Qi arts, as each person knew different techniques. To obtain results that were consistent, he directed them to perform simple actions that everyone could do, like jumping or directing Qi into their eyes.

"Really?" One of the Nightmoon Valley disciples said with exasperation. "You interrupted me just for this? Senior Sima, while I respect you for your talents and your status, it doesn't mean you can order us around for trivial matters like this. With our talents, we can't afford to squander any time during this precious opportunity."

While only one boy spoke out, most of the others silently nodded in agreement with him.

Before Sima Xue could address them, Li Lang gestured for her to leave it to him.

"Now, now. I understand your frustrations, but you should direct it to me, the outsider who's making this unreasonable request. I know I'm being a bother, so I prepared a reward that may satisfy you if you help me."

"Reward? What could someone like you give to all of us? Not to be rude, but I heard you're a masterless disciple from The Orchid Covenant. Don't tell me you plan to give us each a Recovery Pill or something and think it'll be worth our time?"

"No, no. What I had in mind was something more relevant to the challenges you currently face."

"Go ahead. We're all ears."

"I happen to have a knack for finding the crux in how to practice various techniques. If any of you are unsure about anything, you can ask me. I'm sure you guys have many doubts about the new skills you're practicing, especially when you only had one day to go through the texts."

"What? You want us to disclose to you our techniques and get guidance from you? Who do you think you are? You're only in the sixth stage of Energy Gathering!"

"Calm down, everyone," Sima Xue interjected. "I can attest to Li Lang's claims and his trustworthiness. I planned to get him to provide his assistance to all of you soon anyway, so this works out. Trust me and accept his offer."

There was some murmuring between the disciples before they fell silent and nodded.

While they complained and still had their doubts, they couldn't refute Sima Xue's words so easily. After all, she was the leader of their group and someone of status within their organization.

I wouldn't mind leading a bunch of people if they were this obedient. Maybe I should start a sect or something. That way, I'll have an entire organization to serve as my guinea—no, 'helpers'.

The tests soon proceeded smoothly after that. The tasks Li Lang asked of them weren't difficult. It only took some time, as they had to go one by one.

For their reward, they would have to reveal the technique they were having difficulty with, and Li Lang promised to get back to them on another day. The so-called reward was something Li Lang was happy to offer. It didn't cost him anything, and he could expand his repository of cultivation techniques. 

That was because he would be taking advantage of the three artifact spirits' authorities to review the cultivation techniques the Nightmoon Valley disciples were awarded. He would get to examine various techniques while he helped the disciples solve their issues. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

Blue had reluctantly agreed to this after confirming it was only possible for techniques they had recently given out. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to help even if they wanted to. They controlled much of the operations pertaining to the pocket realm, but not all of them. Many vital functions required them to have a master to control.

It took the rest of the day for Li Lang to get through all the disciples, but he didn't stop there. On the next day, he moved on to Tang Yulian's Eternal Wave Sect. They were even more plentiful in numbers compared to Nightmoon Valley, so he had to spend his entire day with them.

With all the tests completed and recorded, he finally got to sit back and review the results.

He already had an idea from overseeing the tests, but it was important to confirm it by compiling a report. After transforming the raw data into readable information, Li Lang let out a sigh of relief at having completed the paperwork.

Too bad I don't have anyone to submit it to for peer review, but it should be as I suspected, after all.

Chapter 119: Stacking Insights

Reviewing the report, Li Lang observed many things.

Besides the tests he performed, he had asked each participant for some basic information. It consisted of their aptitude and number of spiritual roots. It wasn't anything classified and with the endorsement from the likes of Sima Xue and Tang Yulian, the young cultivators were all too happy to share. 

After all, to demonic cultivators, their aptitude was the least of their worries. Their cultivation relied on willpower and resources.

From those results, Li Lang expected many of them to have grade-one aptitude like him, but he was wrong. Perhaps owing to the culture of the Luminescent Domain, most people aspired to join a demonic organization rather than the Peerless Gate. A vast majority of these people had grade-two aptitude. That meant they had between eighteen and thirty-five spiritual roots.

While employing the Vein Flow Calculation Method, Li Lang noticed some new things.

First, he confirmed spiritual roots were the openings that allowed one to absorb Qi. While he had scanned his subjects while they were cultivating; he identified the number of entry points to be consistent with the number of spiritual roots. It worked well with his theory of these roots being filters for Qi.

Just from this discovery, Li Lang had several new speculations. It had led him to believe it was the reason why Foundation Establishment cultivators with higher aptitude often had higher Qi recovery rates.

He surmised cultivators often didn't realize this because they had too many spiritual roots. When the roots absorbed Qi in unison, it made the sensation especially difficult to detect. At the same time, there was little incentive to look into this kind of information. Just knowing about it did nothing. At the moment, this was true for Li Lang, too. That was why he was more interested in his other discovery.

While analyzing his test subjects during cultivation had confirmed the function of spiritual roots, he discovered the existence of something else when he analyzed them in the midst of employing various Qi arts.

As Energy Gathering cultivators, their entire bodies were constantly brimming with Qi. It was even spread around every part of their body as they had jammed themselves full of this exotic energy. However, Li Lang observed that when they employed techniques, they also invoked the flow of Qi.

He was able to observe how this flow of Qi moved during the execution of these Qi arts. At first, he thought nothing about it, as he often felt the same thing going on within his own body. However, when observing dozens of other people, he could see the flow of each person was unique despite evoking the same action.

The Qi energy didn't flow in a straight line from point A to point B. Instead, they detoured around the body, and it differed from person to person. If it moved straight to the destination, it would mean Qi would travel through every inch of the body in the same manner. 

In this case, the energy congregated on these 'highways' within the body before rushing across the body in these roundabout detours. Li Lang believed these detours were the infamous meridians that were the pathways of least resistance for Qi to travel through.

Each person's meridians were different. The only way Li Lang had to map them out was to thoroughly test the flow by having the subject exert their Qi in various ways. While it was easy enough to do for himself, the time it would consume to map out others would pose a challenge.

Thankfully, that wasn't his current goal. He was trying to search for ways to increase the number of one's spiritual roots. He would leave searching for ways to make meridians more efficient for now, as he was still lacking tools in his arsenal to handle them.

To get an idea of which direction to pursue, he enlisted the help of others. Knowing that Ruby didn't have any knowledge on the subject, he skipped over it and went straight to a more reliable artifact spirit.

"Blue, do you have any idea on how to increase one's spiritual roots? Maybe some texts you have in that repository of yours?"

"Apologies, we do not have access to the knowledge vault. Only when someone passes the trials will we be able to fetch something suitable for them on a temporary basis."

"So you don't remember anything in there or what you've seen before?"

"No, we're only caretakers. We were made unable to obtain such knowledge. Our previous master said it was a safety measure against possible leaks. We only know what we needed."

"How about Green or Orange? Maybe they know something?"

Blue wistfully shook her head.

"We are connected. What they know wouldn't be able to escape my notice for long."

"I see. Well, thank you for your time."

Having received no useful info through this lead, Li Lang resolved to pursue another one. When he arrived at the mess hall at the usual appointed time, he signaled for Huang Si's attention. Li Lang sat between Wei Ping and Sima Xue, while Huang Si was off to one end of the table, so he wouldn't be able to hear him if he didn't have him tuned in on his words.

"Do any of you guys know anything about what spiritual roots are?"

"Spiritual roots?" Huang Si parroted. "That's just a more detailed measure of aptitude, isn't it?"

Li Lang shook his head and looked at the next likely candidate to know something. The woman in blue robes shook her head.

"I don't know anything either. My Eternal Wave Sect doesn't focus on these scholarly questions. Perhaps Nightmoon Valley may know more. As guardian of the domain, they also dabble in everything as they take on the role of record keepers as well."

All attention was drawn to Sima Xue. She gave Li Lang an incredulous look.

"You didn't think to ask me first? Do I appear that unreliable to you?"

"You unreliable? Of course not. But scholarly, on the other hand…"

"Li Lang!" she spoke with thorns in her voice. "I'll have you know that I happen to have discussed this topic with my master before, you know?"

Li Lang urged her to continue with his gaze, but she revealed a mischievous smirk instead.

"What should I do? I'm not that scholarly, so maybe it's not my place to speak."

"Five tofu puddings."

"And your secret to inscribing a three-rune talisman."

Li Lang barely hesitated before nodding. The three-rune talisman wasn't anything worth keeping a secret. It wasn't an advancement in brushweaving technique, but something from a different era. Out in the real world, there wouldn't be the same restriction on materials. The main benefit of Li Lang's methods would be the cheaper production cost of low-end Earth-grade talismans.

With them being in the craftsmanship era where mass production was absent, it didn't hurt that much for others to rediscover the methods for three-rune talismans.

Li Lang assented, nodding his head.

"Good, good, good," Sima Xue clapped. "To answer your question, no, there's no way to increase one's spiritual roots. I had asked this question to my master a few years ago. He said that spiritual roots were closely tied to one's meridians, an innate part of the body. It would be impossible for even Heaven Link realm experts to overhaul someone's network of meridians. It's too sophisticated, a work surpassing human means, he said."

While I won't blindly believe in the words of others, what they say about the difficulty of the task is probably true. These people have lived alongside Qi for generations. It would be arrogant of me to think I could find a way to increase something as important as aptitude when it involves such intangible matters that I was new to. 

This was way out of my field of expertise, and would consume too much of my research time to pursue…

The results weren't what Li Lang had hoped, but he had to live with it. Research wasn't always fruitful, it was a lesson many researchers had to learn. At least he had confirmed the existence and role of spiritual roots. It may prove to be useful in his future endeavors.

When these seemingly small discoveries were stacked up over time, it would surely lead to something much larger in time.

For now, Li Lang planned to focus on the next matter. There were many things waiting for him to discover.

He had wanted to produce a talisman printer of some sort, but he was stalled due to the lack of Qi battery. That wouldn't change while he was in the pocket realm, so he moved on to something more relevant to the trials.

With the Gliding Coil Spear Art he had earned, he now had a way to inject his poison into his enemies. However, his poison had proven to be only marginally useful. It slowed its victims, but they recovered in a few minutes at most. It didn't bestow the overwhelming advantage in combat, as he had hoped.

That was why he had set his sights on poisons next. He had heard rumors of experts who relied on poisons as their main weapon. That should mean there were ways to brew more effective poisons.

It just so happens he was in a pocket realm with a rich repository of knowledge. He aimed to tap into that library to expedite his research.

Once again, he reached out to his new acquaintance.

"Blue, you said you guys can't pull out techniques from your cultivation vault or whatever, unless one passed their trial, right?"

"That is correct."

"Does that mean you have control of what the reward is when they pass?"

"...Only to some degree. It'll still have to be something the challenger has displayed during the trial."

"Perfect. I'll have to trouble you then."

Even Blue, who was more pragmatic, could only sigh at the repeated requests from their master candidate. She had been a supporter of Li Lang amongst the three artifact spirits. It was because she knew it to be necessary, but she was starting to have her doubts.

Chapter 120: Net Preparation

Once Li Lang had exhausted his means of investigating spiritual roots, he set his sights on where he could produce results in the short term.

With the artifact spirits of the pocket realm on his side, he was bound to obtain what he desired. Still, there were rules in place, and he still had to pass the trial in order to be rewarded by the realm.

Li Lang's next round in the martial trial wasn't something easy for him. He had previously stopped due to the risks as he was asked to hunt Steel Sparrows. They were Qi beasts with strength comparable to a peak sixth-stage Energy Gatherer.

Not only did the sparrows travel in numbers, they also were aerial creatures that flew fast. They weren't something Li Lang could easily defeat. He simply didn't have the means to pin them down within his repertoire.

Combat was never Li Lang's strong suit, so he went to consult people who were. From their previous conversations, he knew others wouldn't be able to directly help him during the trial. The trials monitored everyone constantly, so they would know if the challenger had gotten outside help. There had been rumors that those who tried all immediately failed their test, with their accomplices losing trial points as well.

However, that didn't mean Li Lang couldn't consult with others prior to the test. In fact, his companions even brainstormed a plan together with him.

"Have any of you faced those Steel Sparrows before?"

"Nope," Long Yi shook his head, "and I wouldn't want to. I've seen a few others try to when I was outside, and let's just say they didn't have the greatest time. Even if they were stronger, they could hardly stop those birds from fleeing. Only those in the advanced stage of Energy Gathering with their fancy Skyswords could hope to catch up to them."

Li Lang frowned. He knew very well the advantages brought by air superiority and speed. It allowed them to choose their battles, retreating when their foes were too strong or hunting down the weaker opponents.

Only those in the Foundation Establishment could fly without relying on tools. Even if he had a Skysword, it would require him to break past his bottleneck, stepping into the upper stages of Energy Gathering for him to control it.

Perhaps this is one of those trials that is encouraging me to break through to complete it. No wonder everyone else feels so pressured to advance their cultivation. After all, most of them are only doing combat trials…

"So, no ideas on how to face them?"

Long Yi shook his head, causing Li Lang to turn his attention toward the others at the table, but none met his gaze. They all believed it wasn't an issue some advice could solve.

"Umm, I have a few Qi arts that you could try." Huang Si broke the silence. "You don't have any strong ranged attacking capabilities, right?"

Hearing his words, the others joined in.

"If it's techniques, I have quite a few!" Sima Xue joyfully added.

"Xue, you can't be sharing your sect's techniques with outsiders. Huang Si is talking about techniques he acquired through his own means."

The boy in question nodded to affirm Tang Yulian's words.

With that new criteria, the three began going through the various techniques they could share. Hailing from powerful organizations, the two girls each had a space ring, so texts kept materializing at their table as they perused through them.

"You guys…" Li Lang interrupted them. "I don't think learning a ranged attack would do it. I mean many other cultivators who had to deal with these sparrows still failed right? It's hard to believe none of them had powerful ranged attacks."

Long Yi nodded in response. It put a damper on three genius' Qi art searches. 

While everyone began to contemplate other ideas, one particular person at the table had a hesitant look on his face. When Li Lang scanned across the table, he didn't fail to notice it.

"Wei Ping, did you have an idea? It doesn't have to be perfect. Just say it for everyone to hear and maybe we can improve on it together.."

"Boss, I h-have hunted for birds before, b-back when I didn't have enough to e-eat. I'm n-not sure if it's the same, but I used to u-use traps. However, I don't t-think we have anything that would w-work against Qi beasts."

"Traps, you say. So like mundane hunting, but against targets empowered with Qi."

Too bad I don't have any steel wires or something to capture them. I doubt regular rope would work against Qi beasts.

"There are traps designed against Qi beasts, you know?" Sima Xue said. "Neither our Nightmoon Valley nor Yulian's Eternal Wave Sect are versed in it, but the Myriad Bones Pavilion are famed for them. They're the premier supplier of Qi beasts for a reason."

"Myriad Bones Pavilion…? The one that Liang Po was from," Li Lang cautiously asked. "I heard they were few in numbers, yet they are the major supplier of Qi beasts?"

"Yeah. They're an economic powerhouse that has a good relationship with most organizations within the Luminescent Domain. Liang Po is a young disciple, so he may not have the greatest reputation yet, but his organization is trusted."

Li Lang took a moment to internalize the new information. He had known the power behind Liang Po wasn't simple the moment he had met him. Many had gossiped about how he had whimsically chosen to participate in The Orchid Covenant's annual competition when he hailed from a powerful organization himself. Now that he learned how the Myriad Bones Pavilion was a small but well-connected group, it made a lot more sense.

"That means I should try talking to him then…"

"Can't really help you there. I haven't really spoken with him before," Sima Xue said apologetically.

The others at the table were no different. At the end of the day, Li Lang knew it was a request he had to make himself anyway, so he mentally prepared himself.

"B-boss, do you want us to g-go with you?"

"Yeah, there's no telling what that guy would do," Long Yi added.

"It's fine. I'll go talk to him myself. Bringing you guys along will just make it seem like we're pressuring him to accept. I'd rather not complicate things."

Seeing how Li Lang had decided on his next course of action, Sima Xue suddenly clapped her hands.

"Ah, I can ask around my juniors to find him for you. It's the least I could do."

"I'll ask around the others from the Bloodwave Conclave as well. I couldn't gather them last time for your tests, but they should at least be able to share his whereabouts."

With that, Li Lang soon learned of Liang Po's location. It appeared he had just recently been spotted returning to the mountain, so the timing was perfect.

Surprisingly, his location wasn't in one of the many personal rooms. Li Lang had presumed he would be lying in bed all day due to his previous experiences with him. The man always seemed to be tired and unmotivated most of the time.

Instead, he was in a very public place. Liang Po was located within the grand hall, where everyone initially arrived upon entering The Great Trial of Water Crest. It was the central hub between all the trials. An open space with tall ceilings, decorated with red lacquer paint.

There were many pillars supporting the large room. Above, there were also numerous ridge beams above, connecting the pillars in supporting the ceiling.

It was up on one of these ridge beams that Li Lang found Liang Po. He had simply been lying there on his side, supporting his head with one hand. He was observing the people below without a care in the world.

With the ridge beam being over five meters in the air, Li Lang was forced to climb up a pillar to reach him.

I regret not learning a movement technique that allows me to leap up into the air.

It took a while, and it looked uncouth, but Li Lang managed to make it up there. The young cultivator from the Myriad Bones Guild had long noticed Li Lang before he had started climbing. When Li Lang arrived, he simply looked at him, amused.

"You again. Did you need me for something? I've said all I can about the martial intent already."

"Sorry to bother you, and it's not about your martial intent. I wanted to ask you if you had hunting nets that would work against Qi beasts around my level."

"Oh, here to borrow items? I never had much need for tools ever since I learned martial intent, but I do have something that may work. You're after birds of some sort, right? They usually aren't that large."

At his words, a neatly folded net appeared in his hands. He dangled them and hummed to himself.

"Perfect. Do you think I could borrow it? I'll return it within a few days."

"Hmm, what's in it for me? To be honest, I'd rather watch you struggle. It'd be more interesting. After all, the height of ingenuity comes from adversity."

"...I can maybe help you with the technique you're currently learning. My cultivation may not compare to yours, but I have a knack for figuring out cultivation techniques. I've been helping a few dozen others, so you ask them if you don't believe me."

Li Lang didn't pass up an opportunity to peek into what technique the famed genius received. He had been devastated when the artifact spirits declined to share the techniques of everyone within the realm. Previously, they only acquiesced to share the texts of those who consented to his research offer. If he wanted to learn what Liang Po received from the trials, he would also need his approval.

"Haha, there's no need for that. I'm used to relying on myself."

"Then…is there anything you want?"

"Don't worry. I won't make it hard for you. I'll let you borrow this net if you promise to do something for me."

"May I hear what that entails first?"

"Nothing unreasonable, just delivering a letter for me."

"Then why would you need my help?" Li Lang shot back skeptically. "There're many people you could ask or hire."

"If only. Few are willing to venture out of the Luminescent Domain for such small errands but you're different. You're from Yellow Qilin province, right? It'd be simple for you to visit the adjacent province of Vermillion Dragon."

Li Lang sucked in his breath at the request. He didn't know if he should even ask about the contents of the letter. It could be correspondence with a spy or something. The last thing he needed was to be captured and accused of being a demonic cultivator again.

"That…"

Li Lang couldn't decide if he should accept or not.

Chapter 121: Steel Sparrows

"Calm down. You look like you're being blackmailed to do something bad, so there may be some misunderstandings here. The letter isn't something that'll get you in trouble. As long as you can pass for an orthodox cultivator, you should be fine to just deliver it."

Li Lang maintained eye contact with Liang Po and examined him for some time. He saw no deception in his eyes, but it was still hard to take his words for it.

"I can attempt to deliver it but no guarantees. If I feel like it'll be dangerous, I'll just turn back or throw it away. So if it's something time-sensitive, forget it."

"Truthful, I like that. That's no problem. I don't plan to send the letter right away, anyway. I'll contact you when it's ready and you can send it when you can."

Liang Po's words put a lot of trust in Li Lang. He didn't even specify the timeframe it had to be delivered. However, since he was allowed to abandon the errand, he chose to entertain him.

"Deal."

The two young men shook hands and Liang Po threw over the net. Li Lang took his time examining the net. It was made of a grey material that felt like plastic. It was smooth and light. His antics didn't escape Liang Po's notice.

"No need to keep staring. It's made from basilisk bones."

"Interesting. Has the bones been treated in any way at all?"

"Beats me. I just received it. I didn't ask any questions."

Seeing how Liang Po didn't say anything further, Li Lang took his leave. He was able to just slide down the pillar this time, making it easier and more graceful than his trip up.

The first thing he did was to practice with the net. He didn't want to fail in his attempt to ground the Steel Sparrows and be chased off. He wanted to get it right on the first try.

While he practiced, he even tried to cut off a tiny piece from the net so he could feed it to Ruby. However, no matter how hard he tried, his mundane knife wasn't able to slice through.

That was until he requested help. He now had an on-demand secretary at all times, so he made full use of it.

"Blue, can you help me cut off a part of this?"

The blue lights gathered and turned into the familiar girl once more. Her expression was still neutral despite being summoned again and for a small matter this time. Thankfully, she was too afraid of Ruby's appraisal to voice her discontent.

She simply nodded and did as requested.

Her hand made a slicing motion from the distance, and blue lights flashed past Li Lang. The breeze accompanied it and before he knew it, a small piece of the net had been sliced. It was such a small piece toward the edge that one would be hard-pressed to notice it.

With that done, he quickly got Ruby to analyze the material as he continued his practice.

The next morning, he ventured outside after accepting the next round of his trial.

He made his way away from the others and searched for a good place to set up. The forest was quite dense with trees and foliage, so there were many promising spots. It took no time at all for him to finish laying the trap.

Then came the hard part. He had to get lucky and find a flock of Steel Sparrows nearby. Otherwise, he would have to uproot his trap and move shop.

He had to do exactly that three times.

On the third time, he finally spotted three Steel Sparrows resting on a tree. They chirped joyfully as they nuzzled up against each other. They weren't big, only the size of an adult's palm. Their shiny steel beaks glistened in the sunshine and complimented their yellow feathers well. They gleamed with a metallic sheen, so it was hard to miss.

Li Lang cautiously approached, but the alert birds were easily able to spot him. However, they tolerated his existence as they didn't deem him a threat yet. Li Lang made sure to swiftly change that impression of him. He grabbed a handful of rocks and threw them at the Qi beasts.

Instantly, they vanished from sight, reappearing high in the sky above Li Lang. The three of them made threatening noises at their assailant as they hovered above him. The threats quickly turned to action, as one of them dove down toward Li Lang.

It moved quickly, dead set on piercing through the young boy with its beak.

Li Lang was prepared for this moment. He knew their greatest asset was in their speed. However, their agility department fell behind. Li Lang made sure to have trees and other obstacles blocking the path as he sprinted away.

Seeing this, the two other Steel Sparrows soon joined the chase. They charged in a linear path, attempting to skewer their victim. They only knew to charge together in a straight line, but their superior speed meant they were slowly gaining on their target.

Unfortunately for the Steel Sparrows, before they succeeded, a large net suddenly fell down from one of the trees.

They chirped violently at the abrupt development, but it was now inevitable that they had been caught. They could only stare with hatred at their target.

Li Lang stared down at his trapped targets, who tried their best to break free. However, no matter what they did, the net hindered them from flapping their wings at full power.

If Li Lang wanted to end this in the most efficient way, he could simply attack his now-trapped targets. The spear tip of his weapon may have trouble fully piercing through the small mesh size of the net, but he could use the flat end to bludgeon the birds.

However, he stuck with the sharp end of his spear instead. That was because he needed to employ his poison in some way so the artifact spirit could select his desired reward. He was able to easily stab into the sparrows and inject poison into them. The wound may be shallow, but it got the job done.

In a way, this acted as another test. A test to see if he could kill the Qi beasts by relying on the quantity of poison alone.

His action made the Steel Sparrows cry out loudly, and their movements visibly dulled.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds, and the scene continued. The cries of the wounded sparrow weakened along with its slowed movements, but it lived.

One minute, two minutes, the results were still the same despite more poison constantly being injected.

After five minutes, Li Lang had to refill the poison in his spear before he could resume.

It was only ten minutes after the start of the entire ordeal that Li Lang gave up. Instead of the bird's condition worsening, it stabilized. Li Lang could tell it had reached an equilibrium, where the beast kept cleansing the new toxins as they entered its body.

Okay, this is not an effective way to kill at all. Its body size is already so small, and it survived even after I used an equal amount of poison to its body weight.

Li Lang repeated the test and received similar results with the other two sparrows. After he was done, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. His impromptu test felt like torture instead. His drive for data propelled him to continue, but it didn't make him feel good about it.

He prayed that he would receive a fitting cultivation manual that had more effective poisons, so his future test subjects wouldn't have to suffer for as long.

His prayers were not needed as Orange materialized the moment the trial was deemed complete. He appeared in place of the lights that usually displayed the results.

"Umm, Greetings, Li Lang. I am responsible for the martial trial, so I can help you. I assume you won't be continuing on to the next round, right?"

Orange still spoke timidly, though he sounded much more relaxed when it was just the two of them. Perhaps he didn't do well with numbers or he didn't find Li Lang to be intimidating with his cultivation. Either way, Li Lang was glad they could communicate clearly with each other.

"That's correct."

"Uh, okay, I have an idea of what you want, but just to confirm, tell me exactly what type of reward you're looking for. I'll try to search for it."

"A way to create deadly Qi poisons, and ideally includes the underlying mechanics of how to create them and how it works. It should allow me to create my own poisons in the future."

"Understood. Let's see what I can find."

The boy in orange robes before him only closed his eyes for several seconds. Then he blinked rapidly.

"So, I think I found something that will satisfy your requirements. I assume you'd prefer the one that goes more in depth on how Qi poisons work rather than the more powerful one?"

"I'm guessing I can't have the best of both worlds?"

"Sorry. That would count as two rewards, and we can't do that. You're only entitled to one. These techniques vary a lot in quality since their authors are all different, but I think these ones I have for you are okay."

"Understood. Get me the one with a more comprehensive explanation of the mechanics of Qi poison then."

"Coming right up! Oh, please give my regards to the esteemed Ruby for me."

Before Li Lang could respond, the orange boy disappeared into the lights and flew away. In his place was a manual floating in the air. Li Lang quickly grabbed it and began transcribing it into his lab within Ruby.

When he relayed Orange's words to Ruby as he typed, he could hear its voice tinged with indignation at the indecisiveness of the three artifact spirits.

"It's been days, Master! Those three haven't decided yet and are only trying to appease us with useless pleasantries. Let me talk to them again and I'll put them in their place!"

"Calm down. We both know they're the ones in a hurry, and not us. I'd rather not act hastily and reveal that we can't actually do anything to them. It's not like you can proactively attack them, right?"

"If you step into the Foundation Establishment realm, I might—Oh no, I didn't mean to say it was your fault, Master. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. No offense taken. But you say you can do it once I break through into Foundation Establishment? Really?"

"Hmm, I can feel myself getting stronger after each of your breakthroughs, Master. I should be able to project my aura far for a short distance by the time you advance an entire major realm."

"Well, I look forward to it."

In the meantime, I look forward to learning about Qi poison. Let's see what I'm missing here.