Translator: AnubisTL
On the Medicinal Field Peak of the Soul Nurturing Secret Realm, a path to the summit had been cleared through the broken Restriction.
Li Qing ascended the peak step by step, bathed in the dense starlight. The tension that had gripped his mind just now finally began to ease.
"What a pity. The Restriction that gathers starlight on the summit is integrated with the offensive Restriction. Forcibly breaking it would mean it would no longer gather starlight in the future."
Watching the starlight gradually thin above the peak, Li Qing couldn't help but sigh.
He recalled the Spirit Planter's Inheritance he had received. The Spirit Plant Compendium contained records of the Heavenly Star Grass.
This spiritual herb, which nourishes the divine soul, has extremely demanding growing conditions. It requires not only sufficient spiritual energy but also starlight as nourishment.
The reason Heavenly Star Grass is so rare in the outside world is precisely because of these conditions. The cycle of day and night makes it difficult for this herb to thrive.
Only in special Independent Minor Realms like the Soul Nurturing Secret Realm, which is perpetually shrouded in darkness, can Heavenly Star Grass flourish.
Of course, not all Independent Minor Realms are eternally dark.
Some Independent Minor Realms might be perpetually bathed in daylight, others locked in perpetual winter, and still others submerged entirely underwater.
"I can't set up this kind of starlight-summoning Restriction. From now on, the Heavenly Star Grass on this peak will grow much slower."
The only good news was that even without the Restriction, the Heavenly Star Grass wouldn't die. It could still survive by absorbing the starlight that naturally fell from the sky, though its growth would be significantly slower.
Most of these Heavenly Star Grass plants were already a thousand years old, with several nearing their five-thousand-year lifespan limit. In a few centuries, they would likely revert to seeds.
"Forget it," Li Qing muttered to himself. "The benefits in hand are the only real thing. I can't worry about the long term right now."
He then began preparing to harvest some of the Heavenly Star Grass on the peak.
He hadn't forgotten his purpose: his trade with Daoist Qingyang was for a Heavenly Star Grass plant over five hundred years old.
Most of the Heavenly Star Grass here met that requirement, but Li Qing was still troubled. The youngest plant here was already over eight hundred years old!
"I'll use this eight-hundred-year-old Heavenly Star Grass to trade with Senior Qingyang!" Li Qing sighed wryly, then carefully plucked the herb and placed it in his storage pouch.
Next, he gathered several Heavenly Star Grass plants with ages under two thousand years for his own consumption.
He didn't choose the oldest spiritual herbs because he feared they might cause problems. If he were to become too weak to handle them and his divine soul suffered some mishap, it would be disastrous.
With the Heavenly Star Grass in hand, Li Qing descended the mountain once more.
Rather than immediately leaving the secret realm, he decided to stay and cultivate for a while. He wanted to see if he could successfully master the powerful divine soul killing technique using the Millennial Heavenly Star Grass.
If he succeeded, he'd gain a formidable trump card. Used skillfully, it could even threaten cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
At that point, Li Qing's self-preservation abilities would improve significantly, and he could trade with Daoist Qingyang with greater confidence.
After all, it's wise to be cautious. Even though Senior Qingyang seemed trustworthy, Li Qing wouldn't reveal his entire hand to him.
Sitting cross-legged, Li Qing closed his eyes and resumed cultivating the Soul Condensing Slash!
This process was destined to be agonizing, and even Li Qing, with his unwavering Dao Heart, found himself reluctant to attempt it repeatedly.
Not long after he began, Li Qing's eyelids began to twitch.
He was trying to condense his divine sense, strictly following the instructions in the Soul Condensing Slash. He was meticulous, striving for perfection in every step.
Invisible divine sense power extended outward, taking shape under Li Qing's own will, attempting to transform into a blade capable of harming divine souls!
During his previous seclusion at the Azure Radiance Pool, Li Qing had only managed to barely form a rudimentary outline of this divine soul blade before being forced to stop, as the excruciating pain in his divine soul became unbearable.
Each attempt required him to pause and use the Soul Nurturing Bell to restore his divine soul power.
But this time, Li Qing was utterly resolute. Even as the pain in his divine soul reached its limit, he persisted, determined to master this divine ability through sheer willpower.
"Condense for me!"
Li Qing clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth to endure the intense pain radiating from his brow.
Blood began to seep from his teeth, and the previously invisible divine sense finally began to coalesce into a tangible blade.
In an instant, Li Qing's eyes snapped open.
Three inches in front of his brow, a faint golden ray flashed and vanished.
Soul Condensing Slash!
Swish!
The golden light shot out with incredible speed, seemingly ignoring all resistance from the air!
"Finally succeeded!" Li Qing laughed, his face deathly pale and his expression utterly exhausted, yet his eyes shone with intense joy.
"But this move places too much strain on my divine soul. I can only use it three times at most before my divine sense power is completely depleted."
Forcibly practicing this move had inevitably placed a tremendous burden on his divine soul.
Now, Li Qing felt his vision blackening, a wave of dizziness washing over him, and the world seemed to sway around him.
Without hesitation, Li Qing pulled out a Millennial Heavenly Star Grass and stuffed the entire plant into his mouth, swallowing it whole.
As the pale blue Heavenly Star Grass went down, its medicinal power erupted almost instantly.
The strain on his divine soul from just now, when he had forcibly practiced the Soul Condensing Slash, was immediately alleviated. Soon, Li Qing felt a refreshing clarity wash over him.
It was as if someone had crushed a mint leaf between his brows, leaving a cool, comfortable sensation.
The medicinal power of the Heavenly Star Grass continuously nourished Li Qing's divine soul, causing him to involuntarily hum softly. This was a profound sublimation from the depths of his soul, an experience of exquisite comfort.
"Hiss! Truly worthy of being a Millennial Heavenly Star Grass—it's simply extraordinary!"
The burden on his divine soul dissipated completely within moments, yet the medicinal power continued to nourish it, slowly enhancing his divine sense power.
Of course, if any Pill Refiners were to learn that Li Qing had swallowed such a precious Millennial Spirit Herb whole, they would surely be heartbroken!
The most effective way to utilize such a Spirit Herb was undoubtedly to combine it with other herbs and refine them into a pill, maximizing its potential.
A Millennial Spirit Herb was a treasure beyond price, something even Core Formation True Lords might spend a century searching for without success!
At this moment, as he felt his divine soul continuously sublimating, Li Qing truly understood the immense value of the Heavenly Star Grass growing on these Medicinal Field Peaks.
If he succeeded in Foundation Establishment in the future, these resources would broaden his Immortal Cultivation Path, making it not entirely impossible to aspire to even higher realms.
After a long while, Li Qing finally absorbed all the medicinal power of the Millennial Heavenly Star Grass. His divine soul had been greatly nourished, even growing slightly stronger.
Now, he only felt a faint sense of fullness between his eyebrows and at his temples.
"Just right. I can't take another Millennial Heavenly Star Grass for a while, or I might not be able to handle it."
With that, Li Qing blinked. In an instant, his divine sense power surged, converging in his pupils and briefly turning his dark irises golden!
The Soul Condensing Slash was primed and ready to unleash a divine ability that could directly attack the divine soul!
Standing up again, Li Qing found that the world around him seemed to have changed. Everything he saw appeared more vibrant and alive.
"Phew! It's about time to head back!"
As his words faded, Li Qing turned and whistled toward the foot of a nearby mountain.
The majestic Fan Tong leaped into the air, effortlessly clearing a distance of over ten meters with a graceful, fluid motion.
(End of the Chapter)
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