Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 538 - Refining the Spiritual Essences

No one knew if the world was flat, round, or oval. This was because the Universe extended into an endless abyss, and no one knew where it ended.

Liu Wuxie's desolate world began to expand in size, gradually evolving into an actual world governed by natural laws. As spirituality increased, laws, such as time, space, or universe laws, began to fill the desolate world.

Currently, the laws he was familiar with were the five elements. After comprehending time law, he would be able to control time in the desolate world.

The spiritual essences began disappearing, and Liu Wuxie felt no heartache. The spiritual essences could strengthen his spiritual root and complete the desolate world.

Liu Wuxie had cut open seven spiritual essences, meaning he had ten, including the three from Cheng Chen. After giving two away, he was left with eight pieces.

Now, he only had the supreme-grade spiritual essence left and was hesitating whether to refine it. He ultimately clenched his teeth and threw the supreme-grade spiritual essence into the desolate world, with torrential spirituality filling his body.

Liu Wuxie felt like he was floating in the clouds, with every pore opening up to absorb the energy from the spiritual essence. While spiritual essence couldn't be used to increase cultivation, improving one's constitution was the greatest benefit. The stronger the spirituality, the stronger the talent.

As the saying went, children were often believed to possess spirituality, a sign of their intelligence. The same concept applied to adults—the stronger their spirituality, the greater their talent, and the further they could advance on the path of cultivation.

The three major sects monopolized the spiritual essence produced by Serene Sea City, which was why the Azure Crimson Gate could surpass the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion within a hundred years.

With the aid of spiritual essence, they wouldn't have to worry about improving their disciples' talent. In just half a day, Liu Wuxie had refined all eight spiritual essences, and only he could afford to be so extravagant.

It was considered extravagant if an ordinary disciple could refine a spiritual essence once a year. After all, the value of a mid-grade spiritual essence was one million spirit stones.

Only some could afford the price. Supreme-grade spiritual essences were extremely powerful, much stronger than high-grade spiritual essences.

Liu Wuxie's divine sense entered the desolate world and began to spread out. Everything in this world finally felt alive, the trees and plants exuding a faint spirituality.

"It's so quiet. The world is too quiet. There might be spirituality, but the world still feels lifeless," Liu Wuxie murmured. The real world should be filled with life, whether humans, abyssal devils, or other races.

However, the desolate world was only a frame, and it still had a long way to go from becoming an actual world. This made Liu Wuxie wonder who created the Desolate Devouring Art and who was heaven-defying to create this cultivation technique.

Not only had the Desolate Devouring Art created the desolate world, but it had also given birth to the Heavenly Dao Book. Each was powerful enough to send shock throughout the world, unprecedented in history.

When Liu Wuxie withdrew his divine sense from the desolate world, he circulated his true essence and noticed that the flow of his true essence had become smooth when it coursed through his meridians.

Most importantly, Liu Wuxie discovered that the purity and density of his true essence had increased several times over. His cultivation remained in the sixth level of the Heavenly Phase Realm, but his true essence was comparable to the sixth level of the Astral River Realm.

He was shocked by this discovery because he had jumped an entire realm. With his true essence alone, he could kill cultivators in the low levels of the Astral River Realm. If he combined it with his Heavenly Dragon Seal or Earth Binding Chains, he could even kill someone in the seventh level of the Astral River Realm if he took his opponent by surprise.

What shocked Liu Wuxie the most was that, thanks to spirituality, his control of the Heavenly Dragon Seal became smoother after his true essence increased.

Even Liu Wuxie's soul sea was filled with faint spirituality, and even the Soul Spear could take on various shapes.

This improvement couldn't be noticed by anyone else except for Liu Wuxie.

"My spiritual root has improved significantly. While it hasn't reached the level of immortal root, it has already surpassed the level of mortals," Liu Wuxie came up with this answer after evaluating his spiritual root.

An ordinary person's spiritual root was grey, while the immortal root was golden. Liu Wuxie's spiritual root had already surpassed grey, advancing into purple. Once his spiritual root reached the purple limit, it would turn golden.

At this moment, Serene Sea City was bustling with two matters. One was the stone betting that took place that morning. Stone betting was common in the city, especially the shops belonging to the three major sects, with a vast flow of customers daily.

However, today's stone betting was different because not only was an ancient spiritual bamboo shoot uncovered, but even a quasi-heavenly artifact had appeared.

In addition to a treasure like the Saint Glazed Liquid, this caused an uproar in Serene Sea City and instantly became a hot topic.

The second matter was the evening poetry and song gathering held by the House of Tea Art. This afternoon, the House of Tea Art had already cordoned off the Mooncave Lake, barring access to outsiders. Only those with an invitation could enter.

The two events seemed unrelated at first, but everyone later realized that the stone betting in the morning was more or less related to the House of Tea Art. Many even suspected that Liu Wuxie was a member of the House of Tea Art.

There were various speculations revolving around the two topics. Stone betting had ended, but the Mooncave Lake's gathering had yet to begin.

Countless prodigies flocked over. Even if they couldn't enter the core area, they could glimpse the gathering from a distance.

"I’ve heard whoever can obtain first place in the four contests tonight can spend the evening with Murong Yi. Who do you think is qualified?" Ordinary cultivators enthusiastically discussed this matter in some teahouses.

In just one day, many of the three major sect's disciples had received an invitation.

By afternoon, the city was filled with many prodigies, each looking extraordinary and drawing the attention of adoring young ladies whenever they went.

"Is there still a need to guess? It's the Sky Rift Valley's Hua Chenye. I heard he's proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. He's bound to take the first place and win the beauty," a barefooted man declared as he took a huge gulp of wine.

"Don't spout nonsense. I think it should be the Azure Crimson Gate's Qiu Baihao. I heard he was fortunate to meet Murong Yi once, and he's not inferior compared to Hua Chenye in terms of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting." Another man supported the Azure Crimson Gate's Qiu Baihao, believing he was more qualified to win.

"You're all wrong. I think it should be Bai Zhi of the Demonic Heart Palace." There were various opinions, and dozens of names were thrown out in just a few minutes. The names mentioned were prodigies among the younger generation.

There were only a thousand invitations, but tens of thousands of disciples were among the three major sects. The fact that the House of Tea Art could invite them was a testament to their talent.

"What's so special about Murong Yi that so many prodigies came for the gathering? Why are they willing to give up time to cultivate rather than participate in the gathering? Is she so beautiful, like rumored?"

Many were baffled, for cultivators were supposed to prioritize their cultivation, with mortal desires taking a backseat. How could so many prodigies abandon their precious time to cultivate and attend an event she organized? This was what puzzled everyone.

Not only them, but even Liu Wuxie was perplexed. He had seen many beauties in his lifetime, not to mention Xu Lingxue, a peerless beauty. Even if Murong Yi was beautiful, she could only rival Xu Lingxue at best.

This meant there was only one possibility: this woman must be emitting some mysterious power that attracted the attention of so many prodigies in addition to her stunning beauty.

If Liu Wuxie had guessed correctly, these prodigies had likely drunk the tea from the House of Tea Art before.

"I’ve heard that her beauty is unmatched, and no man can resist her. That is especially the case for her voice, which is capable of captivating souls. If I can meet her once, I'd even be willing to give up ten years of my life." Few people had seen Murong Yi before; only peerless prodigies under thirty had that opportunity. Even so, the threshold alone had stopped countless people.

When the night fell, the Mooncave Lake was packed with people. Many women were stationed around the lake to maintain order, leaving only a single path for the invited prodigies to enter. Many prodigies began to arrive in small groups.

Liu Wuxie had undergone a drastic transformation after refining the eight spiritual essences. His cultivation level hadn’t changed, but he was brimming with spirituality. Even standing there alone, his presence would attract the surrounding plants to him.

A glow enveloped the surface of his body, cleansing away all the impurities.

He looked like a flawless porcelain doll in the eyes of others, and there wasn't a single scar or blemish on his skin. His skin was so fair that even women would be jealous of him.

One of the eight spiritual essences was of supreme grade, and Serene Sea City had only produced a few of such spiritual essences in history.

The changes weren't limited to his physique but also the desolate world. With a flick of his finger, Liu Wuxie's true essence could take on various forms and dance before him.

With his spirituality increased, the speed of his true essence's circulation had increased tenfold, including the density. The more fearsome change was the True Dragon Physique, which became even stronger, and he could kill someone in the first level of the Astral River Realm relying on his fists. He didn't have to use the Heavenly Dragon Seal and Earth Binding Chains.

After refining their spiritual essences, the two women were surrounded by an ethereal aura that made them look like fairies. Their appearance had also slightly changed, making them even more beautiful. Their eyes, in particular, had become incredibly lively.

Their changes were hard to describe, but it felt as though they had transcended from being mortals. What surprised Liu Wuxie even more was that they had made a breakthrough in their cultivation.

The spiritual essences had transformed their physique, and it was natural that they would advance in their cultivation.

Jian Xing'er became more reserved, while Chen Ruoyan's playful charm made one want to pinch her cheeks.

"Young Master Liu, it's time to go!" Lady Yan's voice came from outside the courtyard. The other guests had already arrived, and only Liu Wuxie remained.

"You two stay here. If I don't return tomorrow, leave the city immediately and return to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion," Liu Wuxie said. There was a likelihood of danger on this trip, and he wanted them to leave immediately if things went awry. After all, many people coveted his treasures.

"We're not leaving!" Jian Xing'er flatly refused. They wouldn't want to leave if Liu Wuxie died in Serene Sea City.

"Sister Jian is right. We have to leave together if we're going to leave," Chen Ruoyan said with tears welling up in her eyes.

"I promise that I'll come back alive!" Liu Wuxie comforted the two and left the courtyard, dressed in a simple blue robe. The plainer he dressed, the more extraordinary he looked, especially the fiant spirituality that came from him.