Power's out. Balls ache.
*************
Yang Kai's situation was quite special.
It was probably something that wouldn't appear even once in a thousand years. Cultivating Divine Sense at just the ninth level of the Separation-Union Realm wasn't something an ordinary person could achieve. Divine Sense was the hallmark of the Shenyou Realm; under normal circumstances, it was fundamentally impossible to cultivate it at the Separation-Union Realm.
Moreover, Yang Kai currently only had Divine Sense, without a Sea of Consciousness, making him even more peculiar.
Sea of Consciousness, the Sea of Divine Sense! It was also a direct manifestation of a martial artist's spiritual power. When a martial artist reached the Shenyou Realm and cultivated Divine Sense, countless strands of Divine Sense would converge, forming an existence much like an ocean—the Sea of Consciousness.
The size and depth of the Sea of Consciousness were directly proportional to the strength of a martial artist's Divine Sense.
Even Earth Demon was at a loss to explain Yang Kai's current condition.
"That amber liquid, it should be the Soul-Cleansing Dew that Zhuo Wen mentioned!" Yang Kai's eyes lit up, his tone certain.
Back by the lake, Chen Xueshu and Shu Xiaoyu's master, Zhuo Wen, had mentioned that thirty years ago, someone had found something incredible in this extraterritorial place.
First was the Sulfur Flame Liquid, second was the Soul-Cleansing Dew!
Drawn by these two things, more and more people had come here to train and explore, one after another.
By killing Qi Jianxing, Yang Kai had accidentally obtained several drops of Sulfur Flame Liquid, which tempered his Yuan Qi. Now, by chasing the Scarlet Blood, he had obtained a drop of Soul-Cleansing Dew. His luck was truly on a roll.
And there was more than one drop of Soul-Cleansing Dew!
Yang Kai turned his head to look. At the bottom of the small pit in the rock, another layer of amber, crystalline threads had formed. He believed that as long as he waited a bit longer, another drop of Soul-Cleansing Dew would form.
In his mind, he had the Five-Colored Warm Spirit Lotus, a supreme treasure for cultivating Divine Sense. He had also been attacked by the white mist for over half a month, and now he had the potent effect of a drop of Soul-Cleansing Dew. It was precisely the combination of these various opportunities that allowed him to cultivate his own Divine Sense at the ninth level of the Separation-Union Realm.
"Young Master, now expand your Divine Sense at full power. What range can it cover?" Earth Demon asked thoughtfully.
"About two or three li, probably!"
Earth Demon sucked in a sharp breath and chuckled wryly. "Young Master, your fortune is truly profound. This level of Divine Sense intensity far exceeds that of a martial artist who has just advanced to the Shenyou Realm. It's roughly equivalent to the second or third level of the Shenyou Realm."
"Is that so?" Yang Kai grinned.
"Mmm. Even if ordinary people break through to the Shenyou Realm, their newly formed Divine Sense is very fragile. At that point, even if they expand their Divine Sense, they can detect the situation within a hundred zhang at most. Only through slow cultivation and nurturing can the functions of Divine Sense grow stronger."
Earth Demon was experienced and knew much. Although he was sometimes unreliable, his experience was still extremely valuable.
As he detailed the benefits and conveniences of powerful Divine Sense for Yang Kai, the latter listened with excitement and anticipation. The prospects were boundless.
With Divine Sense, it was easier to hide and infiltrate. Combined with his own Qi-concealing skill, if he didn't make a move now, even someone at the fifth or sixth level of the Shenyou Realm probably wouldn't be able to gauge his true depth.
Yang Kai talked with Earth Demon for a long while, his emotions rising and falling.
He glanced again at the small pit on the rock. The amber crystalline threads at the bottom seemed to have increased a bit. The Soul-Cleansing Dew formed too slowly.
He estimated it would take at least ten days or so for one drop to form.
The surrounding white mist continued to surge fiercely into the small hole above the rock, converging into the pit to form part of the Soul-Cleansing Dew.
The white mist attacked the soul, yet the Soul-Cleansing Dew formed from it was greatly beneficial to the soul. What mysteries lay hidden in this transformation, and did it have any connection to this peculiar stone? Yang Kai had no idea.
And there was no need to know. He just needed to wait calmly for the Soul-Cleansing Dew to form, and then retrieve it.
"Earth Demon, keep an eye out. If the Soul-Cleansing Dew forms, call me. I'm going into seclusion to attempt a breakthrough to the Zhenyuan Realm!"
"Don't worry, Young Master. Leave it to me."
Closing his eyes, Yang Kai immersed his entire consciousness within his body and detonated over a dozen drops of Yang Liquid in his dantian.
Instantly, his meridians filled completely with True Yang Energy, causing them to swell painfully. A sensation of soreness and distension spread through him.
Without making a sound, Yang Kai circulated the True Yang Technique. While absorbing the world's energy from the outside, he compressed and tempered the Yuan Qi within his body. Along with it, his meridians writhed, contracting and expanding, ceaselessly pulsating.
Time trickled by. The True Yang Energy in his meridians finally began to undergo subtle changes. Having been filled with such saturated Yuan Qi for so long, the meridians gradually became much wider and thicker than before, and far more resilient.
The transformation of his meridians also increased the circulation speed of the True Yang Technique somewhat. Consequently, the True Yang Energy within him also began to burn and fuse together, becoming purer bit by bit.
Once that sensation of soreness and distension faded, Yang Kai detonated another five drops of Yang Liquid and repeated the previous process.
While Yang Kai was tempering and fusing his Yuan Qi, the external white mist was constantly attacking his soul, and the Warm Spirit Lotus continuously played its role in repair.
His Divine Sense grew slowly, advancing in tandem with the True Yang Energy within his body.
Approximately ten days later, Earth Demon roused Yang Kai once from his seclusion.
Another drop of Soul-Cleansing Dew had formed!