Ye Tian stared blankly at the spirit stones being offered by the Thirteenth Prince, Lin Fei, Yun Shuiyao, and Meng Shiyun.
He had to admit that he was indeed tempted; with these spirit stones, combined with the effects of the spirit-gathering array within the palace, he had a substantial chance of advancing to the third level of Martial Spirit within a month.
Achieving the third level of Martial Spirit would greatly enhance his prospects in the upcoming battle against the Mad Blade.
However, Ye Tian ultimately shook his head and replied, "These items are far too precious; I cannot accept them."
His refusal caused Lin Fei, Yun Shuiyao, and the others to furrow their brows, but the Thirteenth Prince, ever eloquent, quickly interjected, "Junior Brother Ye, we are not offering these without expectation; we have a request."
"A request?" Ye Tian asked, taken aback.
Lin Fei, Yun Shuiyao, and Meng Shiyun exchanged puzzled glances, as they had not mentioned any requests; this seemed to be a spontaneous idea from the Thirteenth Prince.
With a slight smile, the Thirteenth Prince continued, "As you know, we only have a month within the palace, and given our current strength, we may not be able to enter again for several years. However, you are different; your prowess is already considerable, and if you were to advance further, you could certainly claim a palace for yourself. At that time, we could at least cultivate at the entrance of your palace, which is far preferable to sleeping outdoors."
Lin Fei's eyes brightened, and he nodded vigorously, "What Thirteenth Prince said is true; a few spirit stones in exchange for several years of not having to sleep outside is indeed a most favorable deal."
"I do not wish to sleep outdoors either!" Yun Shuiyao added with a pitiful look directed at Ye Tian.
Ye Tian smiled helplessly; could he refuse any longer?
Meng Shiyun chimed in, "Ye Tian, please accept them. I've heard that the palaces of the top ten on the Divine Star Ranking are incredibly powerful, each housing ten subordinate palaces. If you can break into the top ten in the next Divine Star Ranking, we will have a place to shelter from the elements."
"Isn't there only two years left until the next inner sect competition? With such a short time, breaking into the Divine Star Ranking seems feasible, but entering the top ten might be a bit ambitious," Lin Fei hesitated.
The Thirteenth Prince nodded gravely, "It is said that the weakest among the top ten on the Divine Star Ranking are at the ninth level of Martial Spirit, while the top contenders are at the threshold of Martial Sovereign, with some even capable of defeating Martial Sovereign-level opponents."
"That may not be the case; a freak at the second level of Martial Spirit can contend with one at the seventh level. Who knows how formidable they will become in two years? There is still a chance to break into the top ten," Yun Shuiyao remarked with a playful smile.
Ye Tian was momentarily speechless, but the thought of the Divine Star Ranking ignited a spark in his eyes.
"Top ten? In two years, I shall see for myself…"
After continuing their conversation for a while, they bid each other farewell, and Ye Tian re-entered the palace, laden with spirit stones.
With the spirit-gathering array in effect, the spiritual energy within the hall remained dense. Ye Tian sat cross-legged within the array, pulling out a pile of spirit stones.
Adding his own ten spirit stones, he had a total of eighty.
According to the regulations of the inner sect, this amount represented several years' worth of earnings for an ordinary inner sect disciple.
"This should allow me to advance to the third level of Martial Spirit, right?" Ye Tian mused, uncertain. For an ordinary second-level Martial Spirit, such a quantity of spirit stones would undoubtedly facilitate an advancement to the third level.
However, Ye Tian possessed ten Blood Pills, and a single breakthrough for him equated to ten breakthroughs for others, meaning the required spirit stones were naturally tenfold or more.
Thus, despite having such an abundance of spirit stones, Ye Tian felt uncertain about his chances of advancing to the third level of Martial Spirit.
"May I successfully ascend to the third level of Martial Spirit!"
Resolving to think no further, Ye Tian took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to refine the spirit stones one by one.
The refinement process was straightforward, akin to that of the Purple Spirit Stones, but ultimately, Ye Tian could only refine fifty spirit stones before he was compelled to halt.
The reason was simple; he had encountered a bottleneck, trapped at the pinnacle of the second level of Martial Spirit, unable to continue refining the spirit stones.
"Indeed, my ten Blood Pills are already saturated with true essence. To refine further, I must break through to the third level of Martial Spirit to increase the size of the Blood Pills," Ye Tian opened his eyes, his brow furrowed.
True essence is like water, and the realm is akin to a bottle; his bottle was full, and to continue pouring in water, he needed a larger vessel, which required an elevation in his realm.
"It seems that advancing to the third level of Martial Spirit is not as simple as I had hoped." After pondering for a while, Ye Tian sighed lightly, realizing that a breakthrough was impossible for the time being. He then gathered the spirit stones and exited the palace.
"Ye Tian? Why are you out? Did you manage to break through?"
At the palace entrance, Lin Fei, who was seated cross-legged, noticed the tremor of the palace door and opened his eyes to look at Ye Tian.
Hearing Lin Fei's barrage of questions, Ye Tian frowned and replied with a hint of frustration, "I am stuck at the pinnacle of the second level of Martial Spirit; I can no longer refine the spirit stones."
"Do not worry; you have only recently advanced to the second level of Martial Spirit. Breakthroughs at this level cannot be rushed; perhaps you should take a walk," Lin Fei said with an understanding smile.
"I was just thinking the same."
Ye Tian nodded, then bid farewell to Lin Fei and left the palace alone.
At this moment, all the inner sect disciples outside the palace had departed, and even the Mad Blade had temporarily left. Clearly, Ye Tian's previous threat had made a significant impact.
The inner sect was vast, and Ye Tian wandered leisurely, passing through clusters of palaces until he arrived at the ten largest palaces, perched at the highest point on the mountainside.
These ten palaces were immense and extraordinarily magnificent, each surrounded by ten subsidiary halls, resembling stars encircling the moon, exuding an imposing grandeur.
"Surely, these are the palaces of the top ten on the Divine Star Ranking!" Ye Tian's eyes sparkled, his blood surging with excitement, a powerful sense of battle rising within him.
The top ten on the Divine Star Ranking represented strength, honor, and power.
The aspiration of every inner sect disciple of the Divine Star Gate was to ascend the Divine Star Ranking; even the lowest rank on the list was coveted by many.
Ye Tian gazed deeply at the ten majestic palaces before him, then departed with a sense of calm; he believed that one day, one of those palaces would undoubtedly belong to him.
Not long after, Ye Tian arrived at the Battle Hall. Now that he had become an inner sect disciple of the Divine Star Gate, he was permitted to enter the second level of the Battle Hall.
The second level of the Battle Hall bore little difference from the first, save for the fact that the martial skills and secret techniques available here were all above the Xuan level.
Every martial skill here could enhance a martial artist's strength, but the prices left Ye Tian with a bitter smile.
Xuan-level low-tier martial skills required between ten thousand and one hundred thousand contribution points.
Xuan-level mid-tier martial skills required between one hundred thousand and five hundred thousand contribution points.
Xuan-level high-tier martial skills required between five hundred thousand and one million contribution points.
Ye Tian glanced around and noticed numerous martial techniques that could prove beneficial to him, yet their exorbitant prices left him feeling disheartened, as he could not afford them.
As for the low-tier Xuan-level techniques, Ye Tian dismissed them; with the Starry Hand at his disposal, he no longer required any additional low-tier Xuan-level techniques, for it was unwise to be overly greedy and scatter his focus.
While the mid-tier Xuan-level techniques possessed formidable power, their steep costs rendered them unattainable for Ye Tian, leaving him only to feast his eyes upon them.
The high-tier Xuan-level techniques were even further beyond his financial reach.
After wandering for quite some time, Ye Tian found no martial techniques that were both useful to him and within his budget.
"Ah, you have returned, young one. Are you in search of the second layer of the Nine Transformations Battle Body? You may be disappointed, for our Divine Star Gate does not possess the second layer," came an elderly voice just as Ye Tian prepared to leave.
He raised his gaze slightly and was taken aback to discover that the speaker was the elder guarding the Battle Hall, someone he had not noticed upon his earlier entrance, now revealed to be on the second level.
Ye Tian remembered this elder quite well, as it was he who had advised him against cultivating the Nine Transformations Battle Body.
"Elder, do you know where I might find the second layer of the Nine Transformations Battle Body?" Ye Tian inquired with a slight bow, his curiosity piqued. Although he was not actively searching for the Nine Transformations Battle Body at that moment, he intended to seek out this body refinement technique in the future, and it would be prudent to gather some information.
"Well, I'm not entirely certain, but the royal family of the Great Yan Kingdom must possess the complete version of the Nine Transformations Battle Body, as it is a divine-level technique. Even if it cannot be cultivated, merely having it on display would highlight its preciousness, wouldn't it? Ha ha!" The elder pondered for a moment before responding with a smile.
He then regarded Ye Tian with a look of admiration, exclaiming, "I never expected you to truly master the Nine Transformations Battle Body in just three days. It is indeed true that talents arise in every generation; we are growing old! How amusing that I once advised you against practicing it; reflecting on that now fills me with embarrassment!"
"Elder, you flatter me; the path ahead is still long for me," Ye Tian replied, his expression humble.
"Flattery it is not. Your talent is rare, and I suspect it won't be long before your name graces the Divine Star Ranking," the elder waved his hand dismissively.
Ye Tian smiled slightly, yet his mind was deep in contemplation. The royal family of the Great Yan Kingdom likely represented the most formidable power in the nation, and obtaining the second layer of the Nine Transformations Battle Body from them would not be a simple task.
Nevertheless, he did not feel an urgent need to acquire the second layer, so he pondered for a moment before setting the thought aside.
At that moment, Ye Tian was astonished to see the elder from the Battle Hall produce a book from his robes and extend it toward him.
"Here, young one, this is an extraordinary sword technique. If you can master it, you will undoubtedly be invincible among your peers in the Great Yan Kingdom," the elder stated solemnly, his demeanor serious.
Ye Tian's gaze sharpened as he looked at the book in his hands—The Three Styles of the Celestial Burial.
"This sword technique was created by our Grand Elder of the Divine Star Gate, and to date, he is the only one to have mastered it. Young one, had you not achieved the first layer of the Nine Transformations Battle Body in just three days, showcasing such exceptional martial talent, I would not have entrusted this technique to you. However, I must be candid: whether you succeed in mastering this technique ultimately depends on your own abilities."
The elder concluded.