C299 Enmesh Crystal!

The diamond-shaped stone shimmered with a silver brilliance, its clarity striking.

As Yu Yuan took the stone into his hands, he immediately felt its weight and a subtle chill.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed numerous tiny specks within the clear stone, like a sea of silver stars, refined and sealed within. Despite his experience, the stone's secrets eluded him. Puzzled, he inquired, "What is this?"

Xu Zixi clung to the stone with a sense of loss, her gaze lingering on it time and again. She lamented to the White-robed Imperial Advisor, "Cangmin, if he fails to locate the gate to the secret realm, it'll be quite the loss for me."

Her demeanor was that of a woman deeply in love, playfully pleading with her beloved.

Zhou Cangmin was overwhelmed and hastily assured her, "If this young man can't aid us in finding the secret realm gate, rest assured, I'll make it up to you upon my return."

Xu Zixi gave him a coquettish look, her voice tinged with melancholy, "You're aware that what I seek isn't merely compensation in the form of objects."

At that, Zhou Cangmin found himself at a loss for words.

With a soft sigh, Xu Zixi refrained from pressing him further. Instead, she turned to Yu Yuan with a haughty air, "You don't realize your own good fortune! Given your level of knowledge and your Yu family's background, I can't fault you for not recognizing this item."

Grasping the stone, Yu Yuan earnestly sought guidance, "How can I enhance my cultivation level?"

"The practice of the Yellow Court Stage focuses on concealment and refinement," Xu Zixi explained with a huff. "During the Early Period, you must constantly draw in Spiritual Qi and store it in the Yellow Court Little World. Once it overflows, you'll naturally progress to the Middle Period of the Yellow Court Stage. That's when the emphasis shifts to refinement!"

"Condense the Spiritual Qi, purify it, round after round. For those of average talent, thrice-refined overflowing Spiritual Qi will often suffice to advance to the Late Period."

"The more exceptional the talent, the more rounds of refinement possible. Five or six times can mark one as a genius."

"In the Middle Period, if one can refine the Spiritual Qi eight or nine times, each strand becomes as fine as crystal silk. The strength of a single strand of Spiritual Qi could then be tenfold that of another's, signifying a once-in-a-generation prodigy."

"As for this Enmesh Crystal..."

Xu Zixi trailed off, pausing mid-sentence.

The seven lifelike pythons adorning her silver cape seemed to stir, as if her words had provoked them to wriggle free from the fabric.

A powerful surge of Qi and blood roared from within her cape in an instant.

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

He keenly sensed that the seven ferocious and savage pythons were agitated, greedily eyeing the stone in his grasp that Xu Zixi had referred to as the "Enmesh Crystal."

It dawned on him that the pythons etched onto Xu Zixi's silver cape were far from mere embellishments.

The extraordinary pulsations of Qi, blood, and soul signaled that these seven pythons could be called forth by Xu Zixi, twisting from energy and thought into tangible form.

He had witnessed a glimpse of their power during his time in Cloud Sail.

"Behave yourself!" Xu Zixi commanded with a cold huff, her slender hands slapping the silver cape with impatience.

Her palms struck true, landing squarely on the heads of the pythons.

With each slap, the seven pythons, one after another, vanished into the cape as though pressed into a concealed compartment within the garment.

"The Enmesh Crystal is forged from the essence of a deep-sea dragon's blood," Xu Zixi clarified for Yu Yuan. "That dragon was a formidable adversary, and it was only with their combined strength that I was fortunate enough to slay it. Naturally, they feasted on its flesh, blood, and bones."

"However, I chose not to bestow the dragon's potent blood upon them. Instead, I refined it into this Enmesh Crystal. They exerted great effort in the battle against that vile creature, sustaining various injuries. Thus, their sensitivity to the scent of the Enmesh Crystal is exceptionally high."

"I originally crafted this item for someone else."

Xu Zixi regarded the Enmesh Crystal now firmly held by Yu Yuan with a touch of wistfulness, then conceded, "Well, consider it yours."

"Many thanks!" Yu Yuan gripped the crystal tightly, his smile broadening as he inquired, "How should I use it?"

Upon learning that the Enmesh Crystal was derived from the blood of a deep-sea dragon, he understood the true value of the silver-hued stone.

The deep-sea dragon, lurking in the ocean's abyss, was notoriously elusive and challenging to hunt.

Xu Zixi's ability to slay a dragon was not only a testament to her formidable strength but also suggested that she had a significant background.

Her appearance alongside Wei Wujiang on the Divine Might Empire's gilded treasure ship, coupled with the longstanding understanding between the Empire and Hidden Dragon Lake, indicated an extraordinary relationship.

It was no wonder that Lee Yuangui and the others were so terrified—she had the audacity to kill a dragon and yet remained unscathed.

Yu Yuan made a mental note to thoroughly question this stunning noblewoman, adorned with seven pythons, about her origins the next time he encountered Qin Yun, Lee Yuangui, and the rest.

"During your cultivation, place the Yellow Court in your lower dantian. You'll discover its remarkable benefits," advised Xu Zixi.

Yu Yuan's eyes sparkled with intrigue.

He was about to experiment when the White-robed Imperial Advisor interjected with a furrowed brow, "Zixi, take him with you. We need to relocate. We're too close to the Taiyuan Sect here, and that girl with the Fallen Star Eyes above might come looking for him soon."

Xu Zixi acknowledged with a hum.

In an instant, a gust of wind swirled at Yu Yuan's feet.

A murky stream of air, akin to a terrestrial python, whisked him away.

Within the time it took to sip a cup of tea, Yu Yuan found himself nearing the mid-lake island, a sanctuary for Void Spiritual Plants and Yu Zhu's hiding place.

Plants and flowers whizzed by him as the White-robed Imperial Advisor's voice incessantly echoed in his mind.

"Lau Ying's Fallen Star Eyes possess a lofty vantage, capable of discerning the most subtle details on the ground. I must constantly exert my power to conceal myself, which is quite the nuisance. You, however, possess an extraordinary ability that renders you invisible to the Fallen Star Eyes."

"The Fallen Star Eyes were forged from a Moon Fragment in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, meticulously refined by the Silver Moon Sect over decades."

"That Moon Fragment was the crowning achievement of the sword soul, post-Slash Moon!"

"Chunks of meteorites, fallen from the heavens, still carry the sword intent of that individual. Even after decades, the Silver Moon Sect may not have fully purified the sword intent within the Fallen Star Eyes."

"In truth, I believe the wonder of the Fallen Star Eyes lies in its use of the residual sword intent."

"Yu Yuan, within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, your ability to harness the sword soul's power, to integrate with the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation, to command the Soul Transformation Pool, and to commune with the sword intent in the pool's walls, speaks volumes."

"Once the sword soul has entered your body, it's not easily extinguished."

"…"

As Zhou Cangmin's words echoed, they resonated with Yu Yuan's inner voice.

Unable to discern his surroundings, Yu Yuan listened intently to Zhou's words and soon found himself convinced by his assessment.

He might indeed have the means to elude the probing of the Fallen Star Eyes!

Reflecting on this revelation, he recognized that during his cultivation, the sudden responsiveness of his Heavenly Soul and the awakening of his Wisdom Eye might also be attributed to this very reason.

The sword scars etched into his bones had never faded!

He was acutely aware that the sword soul was real, merely lying in wait, dormant.

Using the sword soul within his arm bones, there was a real possibility of suppressing the Fallen Star Eyes!

Time passed indeterminately until, abruptly, his hurtling form came to a halt.

To his astonishment, he found himself on the mid-lake island, amidst the Void Spiritual Plants, and instantly upon stopping, he sensed Yu Zhu's presence in the lake.

With a heart steadied and a beaming smile, he settled himself on the island.

He produced a Spirit Stone and experimented with placing an Enmesh Crystal at the Yellow Court aperture within his lower dantian, proceeding to extract the spiritual energy within the stone.

A flicker of thought brought a realization of something amiss, and he silently rejoiced, "What a treasure!"

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