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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 57 (201): [The Fourth Realm]
(57th of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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"Divine Hidden One, come with us. The Hidden Lord sent us to escort you."
Yin Shi Wu and Yin Shi Liu appeared on the seawall, their voices carried by Spiritual Qi.
"Wait a moment," Li Weiyi replied, retracting the two cloth banners.
He knew the arena could no longer be maintained. His gaze turned to Yin Shi Yi and Zhu Yuzhao, locked in fierce combat at sea.
"Should we join forces and strike back?"
Yin Shi Wu shook his head, "Many of the Young Venerable's top experts haven't revealed themselves yet. This place is no longer safe. Your safety is paramount. Yin Jiu and Yin Shi Yi have their own missions. This battle for fame is crucial. The Jiu Li Tribe aims to reassert the dominance of the Ten Thousand Ancient Clans through the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival."
Li Weiyi realized the situation had spiraled out of control. Remaining here was indeed dangerous. He joined Yin Shi Wu and Yin Shi Liu on the seawall and headed toward the Clumsy Garden.
The injured Qi Wangshu and Zuoqiu Baiyuan had already been taken back to the city by Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Zuoqiu Clan.
As they approached the Inner City, Li Weiyi paused, gazing into the distance.
Amidst the deafening roar of a tiger, a colossal white tiger leaped onto the city wall, landing atop the three-story watchtower.
Simultaneously, a long, resonant voice echoed from afar: "Zuoqiu Ting, leading eleven members of the Zuoqiu Clan, pays respects to the Young Venerable, seeking guidance."
Yin Jiu, who had repelled the Four Truths of Coffin Mountain, strode down the long street with unparalleled demonic might.
He charged toward the city wall, axe in hand, and then abruptly stopped at the base of the wall, forming a heaven-and-earth pincer attack with Cang Li.
Clumsy Garden, located in the southeastern corner of South City's Inner City, served as another secret base for the Jiu Li Hidden Sect.
After Diligent Garden was exposed, all the young Hidden Ones had moved here.
When Li Weiyi, Yin Shi Wu, and Yin Shi Liu returned, the Hidden Lord had already returned from Taoli (Peach and Plum) Mountain and was instructing Yaoyin on how to control the battle intent and the power contained within the Intent of the Jiu Li God.
It could be said that, aside from Li Weiyi, Yaoyin was the Hidden Lord's most cherished treasure.
"You're back alive?" the Hidden Lord asked with a hint of amusement.
Yin Shi Wu and Yin Shi Liu tactfully excused themselves to observe the Silver-Boned Celestial Race skeleton.
Li Weiyi knew the Hidden Lord would seize this opportunity to urge him to leave Qiu Prefecture City.
So he replied, "Everything went as planned. It was relatively safe. Aren't you worried about them?"
Even if things had spiraled out of control, he couldn't show weakness now. He steered the conversation elsewhere.
From Clumsy Garden, one could see the swirling clouds of Spiritual Qi mist rising from the city walls.
The Hidden Lord walked to his side, glanced briefly at the walls, and then turned away.
"They won't fight! Luansheng Linyou and Immortal Ge Xiantong's battle ended in a draw, and neither has likely recovered yet. New Year's Eve is only about ten days away. If they were to start a war with the Jiu Li Tribe and the Zuoqiu Clan now, wouldn't everyone else be delighted?"
"Then why did they attack?" Li Weiyi asked.
The Hidden Lord replied, "You're so clever, why don't you guess?"
"Could it be to force the Jiu Li Tribe and the Zuoqiu Clan to reveal their hidden cards?"
As soon as he said it, Li Weiyi shook his head: "No. Even if they wanted to test their strength, the imperial court should have been the ones to probe. Luansheng Linyou, already injured, wouldn't willingly become a stepping stone for Immortal Ge Xiantong."
"Could they be after me?"
Li Weiyi looked at the amusement in the Hidden Lord's eyes and shook his head again: "That's even less likely! Cang Jin might be targeting me, but the others definitely aren't. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to escape the Bing Juze."
Li Weiyi couldn't believe that a group of people vying for the top spot in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival would consider him, a five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator, a threat or rival at this crucial moment. They might eliminate him casually, but such a large-scale conflict would be completely irrational.
The Hidden Lord said, "Do you know how many people have fallen into your arena gambling scheme these past few days? They've not only lost their entire fortunes but are now flocking to Qianli (Thousand Mile) Mountain to borrow money."
"Was everything voluntary? I tried to dissuade them, but they wouldn't listen," Li Weiyi said.
The Hidden Lord replied, "Because they were caught in the game, their reason was lost. It's true for those who lost money, but what about those who won? Aren't they just as lost?"
Li Weiyi's eyes widened in shock, as if struck by lightning. His face instantly paled, and a sudden clarity washed over him. He finally understood the root cause of today's events.
The gamblers who lost money were driven by their addiction.
But the gamblers who won, constantly tasting the sweetness of victory, were equally driven by greed and the allure of wealth.
Neither could stop.
The former faced ruin and death, while the latter risked losing their heads. This was because the money came too easily, lying right before their eyes, inevitably attracting envy and disaster.
"They came for the Yongquan Coins, Blood Crystals, Millennial Essence Herbs, and Spiritual Artifacts," Li Weiyi murmured to himself, then forced a bitter smile as he reflected on his own recent mental imbalance.
He had always considered himself rational and had made many preparations, but...
He had truly failed to grasp the dangers that immense wealth could bring. He hadn't restrained himself in time, allowing the wealth to grow unchecked, ultimately leading to this catastrophe and nearly costing Qi Wangshu and Zuoqiu Baiyuan their lives.
If this had truly started as a friendly Martial-Mystic exchange, even if Li Weiyi had defeated all opponents in five moves at the same cultivation level, it wouldn't have caused such a stir.
"Contentment brings no shame, and restraint avoids danger. These words are truly wise. Losing control of one's greed and acquiring wealth one cannot manage is a perilous path," Li Weiyi said.
The Hidden Lord, seeing that Li Weiyi understood his mistake and possessed the capacity for self-reflection, smiled approvingly: "The wealth you accumulated in these few days... even I was tempted by it, let alone them. You should know that young masters of the Five Seas Realm would risk their lives for a single Millennial Essence Herb."
"Too bad it was all stolen!" Li Weiyi sighed.
The Hidden Lord cut through his pretense, asking with a smile, "Really? All of it?"
Of course not.
The valuable items he had won in the first four days - such as the Millennial Essence Herb and the rare High-Grade spiritual Artifacts - had long been stored in his Boundary Pouch.
But this didn't mean he didn't care about the five chests of wealth that had been stolen.
Now, he could only pray that the Zuoqiu Clan would capture the female thief. If not, he hoped she would at least escape alive. If she were killed midway due to her own greed, Li Weiyi wouldn't even know who to pursue for his debt.
Seeing Li Weiyi's low spirits, the Hidden Lord assumed he was still reflecting on the incident.
He said, "Experience isn't terrifying; what's truly frightening is avoiding it. Only through constant experience can you identify the weaknesses of human nature within the Seven Emotions and Six Desires, constantly correcting and improving yourself. True understanding comes from repeated trials and refinement!"
.....
In the following days, Li Weiyi remained at the Clumsy Garden to heal his wounds and cultivate his Qi.
During this time, he met with Qi Xiao to inquire about the female thief. Although she hadn't been captured, it seemed the other party's forces hadn't apprehended her either.
It was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
"Investigate the Sui Sect and keep them under close surveillance," Li Weiyi instructed.
"The Sui Sect? They stole our money?"
Qi Xiao's anger flared, as if the stolen money were his wife and children.
"Don't alert them. Wait for my signal," Li Weiyi said.
"Understood. Those Sui Sect dogs dared to steal from me! Rest assured, the Qi Clan has eyes everywhere in South City. They won't escape," Qi Xiao replied.
He considered himself a man of composure, but this humiliation and financial loss had truly enraged him.
....
As New Year's Eve drew closer, the festive atmosphere in Qiu Prefecture City grew increasingly vibrant.
Almost all residents of the Provincial City were either Martial-Mystic Cultivators or Spiritual Masters. Many of them hadn't left for the upcoming Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival; instead, they were eagerly anticipating it.
After all, the influx of young Martial-Mystic Cultivators from various prefectures had already filled their pockets.
On the eve of New Year's Eve, Li Weiyi finally completed the cultivation of his Third Qi Sea.
After consuming the Crimson Haze Herbs, he successfully broke through to the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm.
The Fourth Sea was the Main Sea, and its opening was an extremely lengthy process.
Even with the aid of the Buddha's Relic's Spatial Power, the expansion took several hours.
Using his Spiritual Power to look inward, Li Weiyi confirmed what everyone had said: the Fourth Sea was more than ten times larger than the combined volume of his first three Qi Seas.
His first Qi Sea, the Ten Cubes.
His second Qi Sea, the Sixty-Three Cubes.
His Third Qi Sea, approximately Three Hundred and Eighty Cubes.
But the Fourth Sea, he roughly estimated, was around Eight Thousand Cubes - so vast that it was hard to believe it was an Innate World contained within a tiny lung lobe.
It resembled a grand hall, twenty meters in length, width, and height, capable of storing Spiritual Qi like a vast lake.
"No wonder they say the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm is worlds apart from the Third Realm. Opening the Main Sea truly makes a difference. I no longer need to conserve my Spiritual Qi as much as before."
"Moreover, my Spiritual Qi seems to have reached the level of Fourth-Level Qi."
Li Weiyi felt a sense of clarity and exhilaration, like clouds parting to reveal the sun. If he could fill his Fourth Qi Sea to its peak, reaching a state of perfect completion, he wouldn't hesitate to challenge even the top cultivators of the Seventh Sea in the Five Seas Realm, even without joining forces with the seven little ones.
After his breakthrough, he experimented.
Using the acupoints in his palms to absorb the Dao Fruit, his Qi accumulation speed more than doubled.
At this rate, it would still take two or three years to fully cultivate his Fourth Qi Sea.
He couldn't wait that long.
Remembering his earlier discussion with Master Coffin, he decided to directly inject the Dao Fruit into his Fourth Qi Sea.
He activated the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish and entered the Blood Mud Space within the microscopic world.
In the Blood Mud Space, the Seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors had grown to six inches long, equivalent to the cultivation of a Fifth-Stage Five Seas Realm cultivator. Yet their combat prowess likely surpassed even the strongest Martial-Mystic Cultivators of the Sixth Sea.
As their cultivation levels rose, each inch of growth required an ever-increasing amount of medicinal herbs.
To grow from five to six inches, they consumed two stalks of Millennial Essence Herbs and three Xihe flowers.
Li Weiyi couldn't imagine how many Millennial Essence Herbs it would take to raise them to seven inches.
However, as their cultivation deepened, their unique abilities gradually emerged.
The little one Li Weiyi called "Third Phoenix" could unleash Golden Crow Flame, which even his protective Spiritual Qi couldn't withstand, burning right through it.
Li Weiyi tested it with a Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifact spiritual artifact battle sword.
The sword was instantly severed by its feathered wings, the cut edges showing signs of melting.
Sitting beside Master Coffin's coffin, Li Weiyi explained his purpose.
Master Coffin asked, "Is today the end of the year?"
"When I entered, the sky was already bright. It's the last day of the old year," Li Weiyi replied.
Master Coffin said, "Eight Thousand Cubes is barely considered a significant amount. It's risky, but you could try directly infusing the Dao Fruit's energy. At the rate the Dao Fruit naturally releases Spiritual Qi, it's like a vortex, filling your Qi Sea in mere seconds. If you can't extract it in time, there's a risk of your Qi Sea bursting. That's the first risk!"
"Second, the Spiritual Qi within the Dao Fruit isn't something you cultivated yourself. If a large amount enters your body at once, it will trigger a strong rejection response. You might even lose control of the Spiritual Qi during combat."
"That's why Martial-Mystic Cultivators who use this technique to rapidly accumulate Qi must spend a long time in seclusion to refine and harmonize the Spiritual Qi."
"Now, here's the problem: the final batch of invitations and the rules for the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival will be distributed and announced tonight at the foot of Taoli (Peach and Plum) Mountain."
"First, it's uncertain whether you'll even obtain an invitation. Second, we don't know what the rules will be. Will combat break out tonight?"
"You'll need at least several days in seclusion to initially refine and temporarily harmonize the Spiritual Qi. I suggest waiting until after you return from Taoli (Peach and Plum) Mountain tonight before deciding whether to inject the Dao Fruit into your Fourth Qi Sea. That would be the safer approach."
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END OF CHAPTER
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