Chapter 81: The Tower of Divine Sense

In the dense forest where trees stood tall and close together, Liu Junhuai remained motionless for two full days before he finally gathered his tangled thoughts and resumed his path of cultivation.

His evolved celestial sense now reached two hundred miles, dozens of times beyond what was possible for cultivators at his level. The golden sphere within his sea of consciousness spun several times faster, and the power of his celestial sense had grown more than tenfold. The greatest gain, however, was his insight into the minor divine power of the law of time; coupled with attaining the second transformation of the Ninefold Heart Method, his overall strength had advanced far beyond what it was before his seclusion.

Liu Junhuai’s next plan was to continually hone his mastery of skills and tactics, striving to elevate his cultivation realm to the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage without relying on rare treasures or elixirs. Once his seclusion formally ended, he intended to return to the Chaos Space and attempt to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Even if he failed to forge the Golden Core, Liu Junhuai had no intention of taking pills or using the Corrosive Fire Lotus Leaf. Being only fifteen years old, safeguarding the stability of his foundation was of utmost importance. In contrast, a year from now, Mo Sitong could use these two rare natural treasures to attempt her own breakthrough, for her path was different. With her remarkable talent in alchemy, her dedicated cultivation of that art would inevitably affect the progress of her spiritual realm.

To use alchemy as a path was the shortest route Liu Junhuai had arranged for Mo Sitong; the principle of gain and loss was clearly reflected here.

Descending the mountain was much faster than his ascent, and after a day, Liu Junhuai returned to the alchemy chamber of the Tower of Ten Thousand Phenomena. Mo Sitong had been steadily following the training plan set by the old steward. When she saw Liu Junhuai return, she proudly pointed to a dozen bottles of Bone-Cleansing Pills arranged to one side.

Liu Junhuai was pleasantly surprised. Though he knew Mo Sitong possessed great talent in alchemy, he hadn’t expected that in just a few days she would advance to a fifth-level alchemist, which delighted him greatly.

He opened the jade bottle. The Bone-Cleansing Pills radiated spiritual energy—their color was like ink jade, and all nine were of highest fifth-grade quality.

“In merely a few days, you managed to produce top-grade fifth-level pills? That’s amazing! I don’t think I can keep up with you,” Liu Junhuai exclaimed in wonder.

Mo Sitong replied, “It’s not as extraordinary as you say. The bottle you’re holding was specially picked out by the steward for you. I wasted several batches of materials myself.”

Liu Junhuai said, “With these detoxifying pills, things will be much easier. I kept clear of all poisons when I visited the Beast Mountain. By the way, Sitong, how does the Solar Aurora Flame affect pill refinement?”

Mo Sitong responded joyfully, “Of course, earthly fire can’t compare with it at all. Did you bring any treasures back for the steward this time?” In her eyes, Liu Junhuai always returned from his ventures with rare items, with few occasions when he came back empty-handed.

Liu Junhuai glanced smugly at the old steward and handed over two jade boxes with a flourish.

The steward took them with a smile, but as he opened the boxes, his expression shifted from delight to astonishment, then to shock.

Mo Sitong curiously approached but did not recognize the Heavenly Marrow Dao Fruit. Turning her gaze back in puzzlement, she looked at Liu Junhuai.

At this moment, the old steward spoke, “Master, this Heavenly Marrow Dao Fruit should come in three pieces. Did you already consume one? What a pity! A single fruit can yield ten to twelve Dao Comprehension Pills, and each one may grant insight into a Dao mark!”

Liu Junhuai pursed his lips. “I understand that, but if I hadn’t consumed it, I wouldn’t have made it back.”

Mo Sitong uttered a soft cry, rushed forward to grasp Liu Junhuai’s hand, and asked worriedly, “What happened? Tell us, and you mustn’t take such risks again.”

Liu Junhuai recounted his experience in the spatial turbulence in detail, causing both the steward and Mo Sitong to break out in cold sweat. The steward apologized, “Forgive me, Master. I was careless and overlooked the growth environment of the Heavenly Marrow Dao Fruit. Please accept my apologies.”

Liu Junhuai waved his hand. “It is a bit of a pity, but I gained something from it—a new minor divine power.” He then projected a trace of the time Dao mark onto a medicinal herb, which instantly withered. With a sweep of his palm, the shriveled leaves scattered in the breeze.

Mo Sitong covered her mouth and exclaimed, “What kind of divine power is that? It’s terrifying!”

The steward replied, “This is the divine power of time, capable of erasing a target in the river of time.”

Mo Sitong asked in confusion, “Can this time divine power make time flow backward, returning age to youth?”

The steward chuckled, “My lady, the law of time embodies the profound perception of endless years, manifesting the vast stretch of time. What you describe is another law, the revival of withered wood—two entirely different concepts.”

Liu Junhuai nodded. “This law doesn’t control the sequence of time, but arises from the natural order between heaven and earth.”

The steward gazed at Liu Junhuai in amazement. “It seems you have not only mastered this law’s divine power, but also gained insight into its essence—something that cannot be forced. Congratulations, Master!”

Liu Junhuai asked, “So, at what level must Sitong reach to refine Dao Comprehension Pills?”

The steward answered, “According to the cultivation realm, one must be a Heaven-level alchemist; in the immortal realm’s classification, a ninth-level alchemist.”

The division of alchemists in the cultivation realm was: Yellow, Profound, Earth, Heaven, Immortal, Divine, and Dao—seven tiers. In the immortal realm, Yellow, Profound, Earth, and Heaven were further split into levels one through nine, followed by Immortal, Divine, and Dao, each with upper, middle, and lower grades.

In both realms, high-level alchemists were extremely rare. Even super sects in the immortal realm had only one or two Divine-level alchemists. Mo Sitong’s fifth-level status was rare in the cultivation realm, so her identity as an alchemist garnered respect in both realms.

Liu Junhuai lingered at the third level. Before Mo Sitong’s arrival, his talent was considered high, but her aptitude surprised even the steward. However, Liu Junhuai had advanced to fourth level as a refiner, regaining some dignity in Mo Sitong’s presence.

Mo Sitong was now steadily a fifth-level alchemist, and as per the steward’s plan, she was to enter the training space for further cultivation.

After carefully instructing Mo Sitong on precautions, she set off alone to Beast Mountain.

Liu Junhuai entered the Tower of Divine Sense. His Celestial Eye, after evolving, had yet to stabilize; the tower was the perfect place for its cultivation.

The tower had nine levels. The first was a damp cavern deep beneath the earth, pitch-dark.

The cave walls were slick and oozed liquid. The ground was unusually hard and smooth, coated in greasy subterranean oil. Walking was difficult, and to reach the cave’s depths, one had to step on scattered dry stone blocks rising from the oily surface. With vision restricted, only celestial sense could locate their positions.

Liu Junhuai’s celestial sense was exceptionally powerful, rendering the darkness almost meaningless. After a series of leaps, he arrived at the end of the passage.

Passing through a sharp, angled bend, Liu Junhuai entered a muddy hollow, where the stench was so overpowering it nearly made him retch.

He quickly used celestial sense to isolate himself from the hollow, and the foul odor dissipated.

Suddenly a buzzing sounded in his ears. His sense detected thousands of giant venomous mosquitoes approaching from a hundred yards away, each the length of a hand. Even from afar, their pointed mouthparts gleamed with a dark, eerie light, and the vibration of their countless wings converged into something resembling the sonic attack of bats.

These mutated mosquitoes formed a dense, terrifying swarm. To deal with such airborne monsters, Liu Junhuai’s Heavenly Flame Burning Formula would have been ideal, but he refrained from using it, for his purpose here was to train his celestial sense. His chosen attack method was the Cutting Technique.

Within a few breaths, the black cloud of mosquitoes reached him, unleashing their sonic assault.

The first wave was blocked by Liu Junhuai’s dual shield of true essence and celestial sense, while the black swarm hovered overhead.

Countless pointed mouthparts, glowing darkly, stabbed at Liu Junhuai. The Cutting Technique unfolded just in time, weaving a dense net before him. The nearest mosquitoes shattered and fell.

Yet their numbers were overwhelming. The technique became a mechanical motion, ceaselessly applied; each sweep brought down a mass of corpses.

In just half the time it takes for incense to burn, the floor was covered two feet deep in dead mosquitoes.

His evolved Celestial Eye allowed for continuous use of the celestial shield and Cutting Technique; the golden sphere in his sea of consciousness spun tirelessly.

As the floating black cloud in the air dwindled, Liu Junhuai, now numbed, sensed a new threat.

His celestial sense swiftly probed the source: a dozen mutated bats, each the size of a fan, emerged from the black swarm.

Before they could attack, Liu Junhuai unleashed the Sevenfold Killing Finger. Each thrust pierced a mutated bat, erasing the threat in an instant.

The Cutting Technique continued its work. The black cloud shrank from a mass to a cluster, and after another half-incense’s time, it too dissipated.

Staring at the floor, now layered several feet deep with mosquito corpses, Liu Junhuai felt fatigue creeping in.

Though the battle wasn’t particularly difficult, the sheer number of mutated mosquitoes was immense. His exceptionally strong celestial sense still took a whole incense’s time; an ordinary cultivator would have needed several hours. It was evident how much true essence and celestial sense this battle demanded.