C19 Illusory Spirit Fire Seed!

Time flew by swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

Halfway up a mountain towering nearly three hundred meters high.

Within a cave nearly ten meters across.

Roar!

A tremendous, mournful beastly roar erupted from the depths of the cave, reverberating across the mountain's summit.

Crash!

The sound resonated.

In the forest, countless birds took flight in a frenzy of panic.

Then, from the shadowy depths of the cave, a massive creature burst forth. It seemed as if it had been hurled out by some unseen force, arcing through the air before crashing heavily onto an expanse of barren rock.

It was a black lizard, almost four meters in length!

Atop its head was a spiral horn, which appeared to have been cleanly severed by a sharp blade, leaving a smooth cross-section.

Moreover, the horn faintly shimmered with threads of red light, while its emerald-green eyes betrayed a sense of defiance!

Just as the black lizard attempted to struggle to its feet,

Suddenly,

A pale yellow ripple emanated from its body, causing it to involuntarily plummet downwards as if ensnared by quicksand.

It flailed its legs desperately,

But only sank deeper and deeper.

Within moments,

It vanished without a trace.

Of course, this was partly due to its severe injuries. At its peak, already at the half-step Qi Refining Stage, it would not have been so easily ensnared.

In the distance,

A young man clad in a blood-red robe emerged from a dark cave several dozen meters away. His robe billowed in the wind, and beside him, a deep blue three-foot-long flying sword danced through the air, gleefully weaving around him like a fish through water.

"Whew!"

"Spiritual Energy Value -20!"

"Spiritual Energy Value -20!"

...

The day before,

Lin Xuan had successfully completed the first-tier restriction of the Demon Slaying Sword. After days of refining it with his blood essence, its activation unleashed sword qi that was omnipresent and immensely powerful.

Should he exert his full strength,

Channeling over a thousand points of Spiritual Energy Value into the sword, even a Rank Two Foundation Stage cultivator would likely have to retreat from its edge.

However,

Such a move would be an all-or-nothing gambit, a fight to the bitter end!

Nowadays, simply activating the Demon Slaying Sword caused the phrase "Spiritual Energy Value -20" to flash incessantly before Lin Xuan's eyes. At this rate, the spiritual energy he had amassed in his body would barely sustain the sword's power for a mere minute.

"The time is too short!" Lin Xuan lamented.

He couldn't find any Qi Refining Stage Demonic Beasts in the nearby mountains. The cultivation resources in this secluded area were woefully inadequate. His immediate aim was to assist his trusty companion, the big yellow dog, in breaking through to the Qi Refining Stage. Once it transformed, they would set out for the Jade Water Hall.

With a deep exhale, Lin Xuan, emerging from the profound cave, released a breath of stale air. He formed a hand seal, and the Demon Slaying Sword, floating beside him, pulsed with spirit light as it rapidly shrank from three feet to mere inches, before zipping into his sleeve.

The Demon Slaying Sword's sharpness was unparalleled. Any ordinary magical weapon clashing with it would be utterly destroyed without a second thought. It was his ace in the hole.

Using it routinely was far too draining on his spiritual energy reserves.

Lin Xuan pondered the situation. Under his guidance, the big yellow dog had been feasting daily on the flesh of superior beasts. Stimulated by its Spirit Beast Bloodline, its cultivation level was soaring, now nearing the peak of high-tier beasts.

Consuming the lizard he had just slain, and with the aid of a Shape Transforming Pill, reaching the Qi Refining Stage was well within reach.

While Big Yellow underwent its transformation, Lin Xuan sought out a massive green vine boulder. With a graceful step, he alighted upon it, his consciousness delving into the expanse of his Consciousness Sea Space.

There, within this mental sanctuary, floated the tome of the Thousand Illusion Swallowing Spirit Spell.

Initially, he had only skimmed through a couple of pages, yet that was enough to acquire the Illusion Technique Doppelganger and Illusion Technique Giant Needle. These illusionary tactics had been instrumental in his ability to remotely strike down the Qi Refining Stage monster.

He was well aware of the significance of this lineage cultivation method!

After his breakthrough to the Qi Refining Stage, he had acquired a cultivation technique from the Thousand Illusion Swallowing Spirit Spell that would take him from Qi Refining to the Foundation Stage. The details were vividly clear in his mind.

Subsequently,

Lin Xuan immersed his consciousness into the third page of the Thousand Illusion Swallowing Spirit Spell.

"Open!"

Lin Xuan commanded with a burst of mental energy.

A torrent of consciousness power flooded in.

Buzz!

The paper on the third page began to quiver intensely. In just a few moments, it turned over, flipping through three pages in one go.

On the third page,

a talisman blazed like a flame, its entirety engulfed in white flames. His consciousness could even sense a heatwave emanating from it, strikingly real.

"Illusory Spirit Fire!"

"A growth-type Spiritual Fire Seed!"

"First Grade, Upper Level!"

...

As Lin Xuan's consciousness touched the third page, a brief snippet of information emerged in his mind.

Yet, what astonished Lin Xuan the most was that

the third page seemed to reveal a tangible object, not a Divine Ability Art. It was as though the Lineage Cultivation Method in his consciousness wasn't just a collection of arts and divine abilities but also a portal to another independent space.

It was like a treasure concealed within his mind.

"Come forth!"

Following that,

Lin Xuan attempted to lift his right hand, and with a thought, a circle of silver ripples emanated from his delicate right palm. From within the ripples, a seed of Illusory Spirit Fire, the size of a watermelon seed, burst forth!

Boom!

As Lin Xuan manifested the Illusory Spirit Fire seed, it radiated a scorching wave of heat, causing the soft green grass within a ten-meter radius to wither to a crisp yellow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The scent of charring spread all around!

Nevertheless,

Lin Xuan felt an innate affinity for the Illusory Spirit Fire seed, impervious to the intense heat it exuded. Instead, the white flame in his palm was soothing.

To Lin Xuan, it was as comfortable as basking in a hot spring.

In the next instant,

the summoned Illusory Spirit Fire seed descended into the center of Lin Xuan's palm, eventually integrating into the sinews and flesh of his right hand. Lin Xuan then channeled his body's vitality, gently nourishing the Illusory Spirit Fire seed!