After breaking through to eight springs, Yao Yin moved to Silver Beach River Valley.
Tempering silver trace veins was easier there, and as a Pure Immortal Physique, who wouldn't aspire to have all veins silver? Who wouldn't strive for the talent and foundation of an Inheritor?
Li Weiyi already had all-silver veins, so there was naturally no need for him to go. Thus, he remained at Blood Tree Grove Cliff.
Living alone without disturbance allowed him to cultivate with even greater peace of mind.
Using the spatial power of the Buddha relic to devour light and nourish the fire could be done more freely, without worrying about exposing his secrets.
At the same time, he practiced the Cang King tempering method, absorbing tiny motes of light from the natural world and refining them into his ninety-six silver trace veins in an attempt to temper golden trace veins.
No matter how ethereal and elusive the tenth spring might be, he had to give it a try.
Unfortunately, after more than twenty days, the ninety-six trace veins showed not the slightest change.
***
On this day, Li Weiyi sat cross-legged in the woods. Forming a hand seal, he mobilized the dharma qi in his Fengfu and sent it surging into the trace veins of his right arm. The entire arm instantly turned scalding hot.
Whoosh!
All around him, countless blood-red fallen leaves were swept up by the dharma qi escaping his arm, whirling into the air.
He struck forward with a single finger!
A powerful, brilliant beam of dharma qi shot from his fingertip.
Bang!
The cliff wall five zhang away was struck by the beam, sending loose stones tumbling down.
Li Weiyi stood and walked over. On the cliff face, he found a hollow the size of a wine cup and three inches deep, as though it had been fiercely pierced by a spear.
Most of the rock faces in Jiuli Insect Valley were metallic mineral rock, exceedingly hard.
To produce such an effect from five zhang away demonstrated just how condensed the dharma qi behind that finger strike was.
"I've finally cultivated Cihang Consecration to Heavenly Dao Dharma Convergence. It will make an excellent surprise trump card. How could an enemy ever expect a Yongquan Realm martial cultivator to possess such a technique?
"Now that I have seven Dharma Convergence martial techniques in hand, how big is the gap between me and Yang Shenjing?"
Li Weiyi left Blood Tree Grove Cliff, intending to test himself against the Five Seas Pillar.
Over the past twenty-plus days, not only had he eaten his fill of medicated food every day, but he and the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors had also completely devoured the hundred-jin, five-hundred-year-old cistanche. His physical strength had naturally increased by leaps and bounds.
Though he possessed a mortal body, his skin now gave off a lustrous, textured sheen. He was full of vigor and vitality, exuding an aura of spirited, heroic charisma.
The presence of a powerful martial artist had begun to take shape.
Walking along the eternally flowing blood river, by the glow of the luminous plants on both banks, Li Weiyi unexpectedly spotted a picturesque, graceful silhouette meditating beneath the cliff carving inscribed with the four ancient characters for "Jiuli Insect Valley."
The grass beneath her was like a soft, glowing carpet. She wore a goose-yellow robe, her glossy black hair bound with a jade hairpin, and her face was even smoother and fairer than the jade, lending her an ethereal, immortal air.
Unfortunately, she was too young—only fifteen. Her frame was still quite slender, with only the gentlest curve at her chest.
Yet Li Weiyi knew that appearances were deceptive with this girl. She looked harmless, like a crane or an antelope, but she was actually a ruthless figure. Within days of moving to Silver Beach River Valley, she had eliminated every single eight-spring martial cultivator there.
Li Weiyi still remembered the sudden strike she had thrust toward Li Qing.
During the first trial, her decision not to attack him had likely only been out of fear of disturbing the spiders.
Lost in thought, Li Weiyi considered for a moment before strolling over. "What's this? With no opponents left, are you planning to comprehend the martial intent of the God of Jiuli and become a Divine Hidden One outright?"
Yao Yin's eyelashes fluttered, and she opened a breathtaking pair of exquisite eyes. Raising her slender, swan-like neck, she gazed at the four ancient characters brimming with Dao charm on the cliff face. Her red lips parted slightly: "Among this batch of competitors, besides you, who else counts as an opponent? But breaking through to nine springs within a year is simply too difficult. And without reaching nine springs, I am certainly no match for you. That leaves this place as my only chance."
Li Weiyi consoled her, "Don't be so pessimistic. What if I die during the trials? Besides, you could always resort to assassination—poisons, schemes. Trying to kill someone through fair and upright means is the most exhausting way of doing it."
Yao Yin looked at him with bright, gem-like green eyes, speaking in a melodious, gentle tone: "Are all men so hypocritical? Don't think I don't know. Yin Twenty-Four told me everything. I understand it all. I might be a little young, but I'm no fool."
Li Weiyi froze slightly. "What nonsense did she spout this time?"
Yao Yin lowered her gaze toward the vibrant clusters of wild blossoms on the grass, a look of emotion flickering in her eyes as she murmured, "She said you would give everything to defeat the three figures on the telekinesis murals and fight for the spot of Divine Hidden One—because only then would I have a chance to live."
"Wait, my fighting for the spot of Divine Hidden One..."
Afraid that explaining would only deepen the misunderstanding, Li Weiyi thought for a moment and shifted his approach. "Wouldn't anyone who reached my stage want to become a Divine Hidden One outright? My fighting for that spot is purely for myself, not for anyone else. Don't be misled by Yin Twenty-Four. She's always been biased against me—perhaps out of jealousy, who knows!"
Yao Yin murmured softly, "'What purpose does their existence serve? Are they just meant to stake their lives fighting for a spot they are fated never to get?' Those were your words, weren't they?"
"They were..."
Li Weiyi naturally could not deny it.
"Didn't you just say it was purely for yourself? Isn't that a contradiction?"
Yao Yin's logic was razor-sharp. She turned a resolute, spirited gaze toward Li Weiyi, like an orchid flourishing upon a gale-swept canyon. "I know the chances of comprehending the martial intent of the God of Jiuli are vanishingly slim—as slim as my destined lifespan of only a few more years. But if you are fighting with everything you have, how could I take it for granted and simply reap the rewards? Let us join hands and fight against this cruel fate together. As long as one of us bears fruit... we win!"
Li Weiyi truly could not face the gaze she gave him in that moment.
And he dared even less to take the slender, jade-like hand she held out, carved as though from translucent, immortal jade.
"Keep comprehending. I'm going to settle scores with Yin Twenty-Four."
Li Weiyi turned and practically fled, drawing a deep breath. Rumors and blind belief—loose tongues truly caused disaster. He could never be a purely good person, nor could he be truly evil; all he wanted was to be an ordinary person with a bit of human decency.
How had he managed to stir up trouble like this?
Arriving at the Hidden Gate's entrance, Li Weiyi bowed with cupped hands toward the gatekeeper elder. "May I trouble the elder to pass word along? I would like to see Yin Twenty-Four."
A brilliant glow of dharma qi appeared in the gatekeeper elder's chest and poured from his mouth. Using the dharma qi to carry his voice, he bellowed into the mountain gate, "Little Twenty-Four, someone wants to see you!"
The sound was so booming it could likely be heard dozens of li away, echoing endlessly through the insect valley.
Li Weiyi had never expected the gatekeeper elder's method of passing a message to be so unpretentious. Wasn't he worried about disturbing the other Hidden Ones?
Walking over to the Five Seas Pillar, Li Weiyi began loosening up his body, practicing punches and palm strikes to work himself into an excited state.
Whoosh!
Treading upon dharma qi, Yin Twenty-Four arrived swiftly. Before long, she transformed into a cool breeze and landed beside the gatekeeper elder, her eyes immediately darting to Li Weiyi not far away.
Was he truly going to chase after the physical strength of the Wuhai Realm with the body of a Yongquan Realm cultivator?
"Up!"
With an explosive roar, Li Weiyi sank into a horse stance. Grasping the Five Seas Pillar with hands positioned one above the other, he exerted a sudden upward pull.
His feet sank downward while his arms slowly rose, the muscles and bones throughout his body faintly clicking.
Gradually, the Five Seas Pillar was lifted off the ground.
A full foot high.
After holding it steady for a brief moment, Li Weiyi finally let go. With a resounding crash, the five-thousand-five-hundred-jin iron pillar dropped back down, shaking the earth violently.
The gatekeeper elder had already risen to his feet, craning his neck to watch. Now, he and Yin Twenty-Four exchanged glances, both utterly astonished. In less than a month, his physical strength had grown by this much?
If he trained for another year or two, wouldn't he be able to lift the Five Seas Pillar with ease?
Li Weiyi made no effort to hide the joy in his eyes. Turning around, he asked, "Do I now qualify to temper golden trace veins?"
"Of course! You've already read through the Cang King tempering method. If there is anything you don't understand, feel free to ask this old man anytime. You must temper a golden trace vein—even just one will make an entirely different world."
The gatekeeper elder was thrilled beyond measure. After a whole sexagenary cycle, a genuine seed for a Divine Hidden One had finally emerged. In the eyes of the Hidden Gate, a Divine Hidden One had to be stronger than an Inheritor to truly serve as the hidden foundation and final line of defense for the Jiuli Clan.
Though Yin Nine was already stunning, there was still a slight gap between him and Cang Li.
This kid, however, had the potential to work in tandem with Cang Li—one in the light, one in the dark—to become the twin backbones of the Jiuli Clan a century from now. The only flaw was that he was not truly of the Li folk...
A way had to be found to tie him down.
"Yin Twenty-Four, come with me. I have something to say to you in private," Li Weiyi said, his tone unfriendly.
Yin Twenty-Four's willow-leaf brows knitted slightly, a look of confusion in her eyes. She had never seen a trial participant act so arrogantly before a Hidden One.
Believing he had grasped the situation, the gatekeeper elder urged, "Go on, hurry! You youngsters certainly don't want us old fogies listening in on your whispers."
Once they had left the mountain gate and walked some distance away, Li Weiyi came straight to the point: "You are a Hidden One and in the Wuhai Realm; you have the freedom to say what you wish. But I will say this once: from now on, stop talking nonsense in front of Yao Yin. It's already about to cause problems!"
Yao Yin had told Li Weiyi her name of her own accord.
Yin Twenty-Four felt utterly baffled and said in annoyance, "When did I ever talk nonsense?"
Li Weiyi said, "This time, most of the fault lies with me, so I won't hold you responsible. But after the spider cave trial last time, what exactly did you tell her?"
"I didn't say anything," Yin Twenty-Four replied.
Li Weiyi stared into her eyes and was certain she was not lying. He wondered, "That's strange. Her mood was clearly off back then, as though I had designs on her."
Something occurred to Yin Twenty-Four, and she said, "After the first trial, when we returned from the spider cave, I was the one who brought her back to her dwelling. When she woke up, she asked me why you hadn't killed her in the cave and had even fed her a precious herb.
"At the time, I just offhandedly replied that it was probably because she was pretty enough.
"Is there something wrong with that?"
"A little... but nothing too serious." Li Weiyi thought it through carefully and realized that Yin Twenty-Four had no reason to deliberately set him up, so he put it out of his mind. "Let the matter end here! By the way, have you made up your mind about the business in the spider cave?"
Yin Twenty-Four glanced quickly to her left and right, then whispered, "You're being closely watched now. The moment you leave the river valley, it will be hard to conceal it from the two elders—especially the meal-brewing elder, whose telekinesis is exceptionally formidable. I suggest... waiting a bit longer!"
She had finally relented!
Li Weiyi had always thought Yin Twenty-Four was someone of rigid principle who could never be persuaded, and had already decided to find an opportunity to act on his own. Yet her principles turned out not to be so tightly worn after all; it had only taken three attempts at temptation for her to shed them, even if she was still hesitant, secretive, and fraught with misgivings.
Seeing the strange look in Li Weiyi's eyes, Yin Twenty-Four quickly composed herself and said coldly, "Just this once. Never again."
"Then let's go on the trial first. Time is running short, and traveling to Jiuli City will still take several days," Li Weiyi said.
After spending an hour packing their belongings, Yin Twenty-Four led Li Weiyi into the Hidden Gate. They climbed step by step along a stone path carved into the cliff face.
Inside the Hidden Gate, the power of dharma was even denser, and the mist drifted like vast veils of gauze.
Various martial arts stances were carved into the stone walls.
*So the way out lies inside the Hidden Gate rather than along the underground river. That route along the underground river must have just been a diversion to prevent being tracked whenever they brought in trial participants. With the Hidden Gate being so cautious, it's no wonder that even insiders at the clan leader level don't know the specifics of what lies within,* Li Weiyi thought in secret admiration.
After climbing over a thousand stone steps, they finally reached the top of the cliff.
Before them lay an open stone terrace surrounded on all sides by precipices, resembling a stone mountain whose peak had been sheared off.
Above, the sky was completely shrouded in mist, leaving the summit invisible.
Yin Twenty-Four lightly waved a palm. Rich dharma qi immediately surged from her hand and poured into the ground.
Whoosh!
Azure array runes lit up across the ground, connecting into a circular array four zhang in diameter.
Puzzled, Li Weiyi stepped inside. "Can we leave Jiuli Insect Valley using this array?"
Yin Twenty-Four smiled without answering.
Within the array, over a hundred runes began spinning rapidly. The light grew increasingly brilliant, condensing into a cloud of white dharma qi.
A powerful sensation of weightlessness followed.
Li Weiyi realized that, borne by the array and enveloped within the dharma qi cloud, the two of them were flying upward, feeling as though they were shooting straight into the clouds.
Was this a flight array?
Carried by the dharma qi cloud flight array, they flew upward for an unknown number of zhang before a slight tremor signaled that the array had come to a halt in the empty air.
"Let's go. We've arrived!"
Yin Twenty-Four was the first to step out of the array and onto a stone bridge.
Li Weiyi already had a guess, but he still asked, "Where are we?"
"Jiuli City," Yin Twenty-Four said.
Chapter 85