Chapter 8: Rock Reflecting Spring

Chapter 8: Rock Reflecting Spring
"Innate Fire Spirit Seal?!"
Enter the body as light, turning into flickering flames blending into the sea of ​​qi, instantly tinting the entire sea of ​​qi with a fiery red color. A slight roar resonates within the sea of ​​qi, as large amounts of energy are refined into pure red elemental force, swiftly devoured by the meridians, bones, and flesh, fortifying oneself.
Starry night, is this what I've become? Did I suddenly break through like this? With palm facing up, a red flame surged upward, the abnormal high temperature distorting the space around my palm.
"……." Yuehua looked at the flames in Night Star's palm and was speechless. Even though she was naturally imbued with Dao, she had never seen anything so exaggerated. This was her first time in the Magma World, where the environment was filled with fire Dao. The spirit seal containing some fire Dao rules was attracted to it."
"What is the innate fire spirit seal?" Night Star puzzled.
"The fourth stage of martial arts, also known as the Sense Realm. It is the stage where one can use martial arts to enter the path, refine the qi sea, and truly embark on the path of cultivation. Before the fourth stage, as long as one has great perseverance and persistence, they will eventually reach the peak. However, the Sense Realm is different. One cannot comprehend the five elemental elements and will never have the opportunity to break through to the fourth stage. Of course, the heavenly dao will not cut off all paths. It will always leave some additional opportunities. For example, the innate fire spirit seal you just absorbed is one of them. It is born from the extreme of the fire dao, containing some fire dao principles. Only those who have the opportunity can obtain it," the girl explained softly. "Absorbing the innate fire spirit seal allows one to directly come into contact with simple fire dao principles and easily convert the surrounding elemental energy into innate fire energy."
"I see." Nightstar was speechless. It seemed that he was really lucky to obtain a fire spirit mark.
"For those who have just entered the sense realm, they may awaken bloodline divine abilities. Have you comprehended any divine abilities?" Moonlight chuckled, curious about what divine ability the young man before her had comprehended.
"Um, does it count that the conversion of innate fire elemental energy in the Qi Sea is very fast? What kind of supernatural powers have you comprehended?" After some enlightenment, Ye Xing's Qi Sea in his body has shrunk to only one-tenth of its previous size. In just a moment, it has all been converted into a fiery red energy. The energy flows through the meridians to the palm, clenched into a fist, and swung out. The stone wall in front cracks like a spider's web, and the strength has increased at least ten times more than before.
"Well then... maybe it's because your bloodline isn't pure, and you're not destined for it," the young girl said, covering her mouth as she chuckled. She quite enjoyed seeing the boy in front of her being defeated.
"So, if you were born from a naturally nurtured immortal fetus, may I ask what special powers you possess?" Night Star sneered, muttering to himself. Could it be that his talent was truly so lacking?
"Me? I don't have any special powers. I can just learn spells and improve my level casually," the girl said in all seriousness.
Night Star helplessly said, the girl's progress is extremely fast. In the past, there were no lack of talented youths in the Jiang family who could comprehend martial arts spells. The girl only needs to take a glance, and she can understand the entire spell, and even make improvements and advancements.
The person in front had already been inside for a long time, and the two of them didn't dare to stay here for too long. Yexing also stabilized his newly advanced realm a little bit. The two of them glanced at each other and headed towards the depths of the underground magma world.
Tip toeing on the volcanic rock formed protrusion in the magma, the two individuals hurriedly crossed the boiling lava zone. Suddenly, a dark brown energy portal appeared in front of them.
Silently, the two of them stepped into it, one after the other, and once they entered the dark brown energy portal, their vision suddenly brightened. A vast forest appeared in their sight, with flowing water and the scent of flowers, accompanied by the chirping of birds.
"Wow... There is such a place hidden within this world of magma, like a paradise beyond the reach of mortals," the boy and girl exclaimed.
"What is that? Could it be a rock-lit spring formed in the extreme environment of magma?" Moonlight's pupils contracted as she said slowly.
"What is Yanzhao Spring?" Ye Xing wondered.
"Yanzhao Spring is formed under the magma environment after countless years. It contains a tremendous amount of energy. This energy is very gentle and can be adapted to by ordinary people. Soaking in it for a day can increase one's lifespan by ten years. For us, it is also one of the best training places for martial artists." Yue Hua whispered. Not far from the two, a huge lake formed by Yanzhao Spring, with a ladder made of rocks inserted into the sky in the center of the lake. Looking up along the ladder, there were faint black dots resembling human figures. Looking further up, a magnificent celestial palace stood suspended in mid-air.
"Someone else is coming..." On the ladder, a creature with the head of a lion and the body of a human whispered.
"It's okay, two ants with strength that is not even at the sixth level. If they can make it through, stepping on them would be enough." A guy with the head of a tiger and the body of a human on the ladder looked disdainfully in the direction of Yuehua and the others, and responded in a low voice.
"Hmm, the elder brother and that human have already passed through the Heavenly Stairs, we need to hurry as well, I hope the elder brother can obtain the secret hidden in this Immortal Mansion," the lion-headed monster nodded and said.
While the two monsters were conversing, the person who was standing silently behind suddenly opened their tightly closed eyes and quickly ascended several steps. The lion-headed monster's expression changed, humans are truly annoying, despite their weak physical bodies, their reproductive speed is too exaggerated, and their comprehension far surpasses that of the demon race. In these three thousand steps, there are only a few humans who have fallen behind them. It seems they need to think of another way. With this thought in mind, the two of them grinned mischievously.
"Brothers, why are you in such a hurry? Wait for my brothers and me," shouted Ji Yao, under the pressure of the stone steps, suddenly making a move towards the other people on the ladder.
"Damn troublemakers." The people who were included in the attack range complained incessantly. Flying is prohibited here. This celestial ladder is not only the mandatory path to the celestial palace but also one of the tests left behind by the immortals. Everyone struggles to climb, and currently, except for two individuals who have passed the celestial ladder, the rest are not far apart, all around 2,300 stairs. At this moment, several powerful demons take action, making it difficult for everyone, and even a few people retreat a few steps on the stairs.
"Let's take action together, we have more people, split into two waves, one wave to defend against the attack, the other wave to move forward, alternating rotation, let's pass this ladder test first." someone shouted.
"Agreed." Everyone nodded in agreement. The people present were not ordinary individuals. They quickly determined who would take action and cooperated in division of tasks, aiming to pass the ladder as soon as possible.
"Wow, everyone played so well on the ladder," Night Star exclaimed excitedly.
"Stop watching, those people will come after you. Most of them can be taken care of with a slap. Hurry up and enter the Rock Reflecting Spring to absorb and refine, stabilize your realm, and see if there is any opportunity later," Moonlight said, rubbing his forehead. The people on the ladder are almost all at the sixth or seventh stage of martial arts, which is not something the two of them can handle alone.
"Hmm." Yexing nodded and slowly stepped into the Rock Reflection Spring, sitting cross-legged and forming hand seals. Yuehua followed closely beside.
The two sat cross-legged and gradually sank into the bottom of the lake. The immense energy of the Rock Reflection Spring enveloped them as they entered a state of cultivation.
神念沉入气海之中，之间一道道温和的红色能量涌入气海之中，气海体积以肉眼可见的速度逐渐增大，夜星分出一部分心神，注意力集中在那四道神秘剑符上面。
Since reaching the level of sensory perception, Ye Xing has clearly felt that his spiritual consciousness has grown stronger, and he is already able to shake the first golden sword symbol. Ye Xing gritted his teeth, and his spiritual consciousness continued to impact the sword symbol. After a long time, a smile appeared on the young man's face. The first golden sword symbol slowly trembled, and a figure formed by words appeared, wielding a sword and performing various moves - flick, chop, hack, stab. Countless sword techniques poured into his mind like flowing water.
"With a divine sword, the sword traverses the eight meridians of the body, and all the inner essence is transformed into sword qi, entering the path of the sword and walking the path of the sword immortal."
"The sword, the king of all weapons."
"Where the sword points, it goes forward without hesitation, surpassing all other discussions on the three thousand avenues."
……
"So this is the Way of the Sword Immortal Scripture. It involves transforming inner energy into a sword shape, making it extremely sharp. No wonder the attack power of Yuehua is so formidable," murmured Yexing. After an hour of cultivation, the breakthrough realm had become completely stable. The majestic energy from Yan Zhaoyue's attack rapidly expanded his Qi Sea to the extreme, even surpassing the size of the previous Third Stage. Within the Qi Sea, the crimson sword-shaped inner energy flowed like countless fish.
“Boom”
A strong and powerful aura filled the air as Moonlight slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the young man.
"After one hour of absorption and refinement, your cultivation level has completely stabilized," Moonlight smiled and praised, "Well done, have you completely refined the first sword symbol?"
"Hmm. I've already comprehended it before reaching the realm of refining and controlling the sword. However, I couldn't transform my inner energy into a sword shape without the guidance of the golden sword symbol. Now that all my inner energy has been converted and I've fully comprehended the realm, I can also use some techniques you taught me before. My combat power has increased tenfold." Night Star responded. It is reasonable for there to be such progress after absorbing the energy of the rock photo spring this time, considering the accumulation over the years and the eventual breakthrough.
"Cultivation and enlightenment are fundamental, while cultivation of elemental power is merely the accumulation of energy. After reaching the state of perception, one enters the Fifth Stage of Manifestation. The deeper the understanding, the more remarkable the visions. You must carefully ponder your own path, as swordsmanship is the Great Way but may not be suitable for everyone." The girl's usual demeanor changed, her expression serious.
“嗯。我知道了。”看着少女认真的神色，夜星也是认真回应，他知道，眼前人是真的希望他能走的更远。
“嘿嘿，记得就好了。走吧，实力已进，这岩照泉，短时间对我两无用了，咱们也去闯一闯那天梯，之前那些人，已经到两千六百阶左右了。”月华微微一笑，眼睛虚眯望向天梯，这一刻，少女身上仿佛有光，那是对自己天然的自信，自信在一堆六七阶的强者中，也能打出一条路来。
"Haha, alright, let's give it a try." Yexing laughed heartily, and she wanted to take chances, he would accompany her.
The two rushed out of the bottom of the lake, walking on the waves, and the lake water rippled gently, like a perfect couple.
Take a step forward, feet landing on the stone steps, the stars in the night frowned slightly, shoulders sinking, a faint pressure came, as if the surrounding cosmic forces suddenly started to reject oneself, trying to push oneself off this celestial ladder.
"Whew"
A teenage boy exhaled lightly and turned into a faint figure, heading straight up towards the stairway to the sky. A young girl by his side smiled lightly and followed at a leisurely pace. It was evident that the initial steps had no impact on her.
In the blink of an eye, Nightstar reached over two thousand steps. As his footsteps trod upon the two thousand and first step, the pressure around him suddenly increased. Large beads of sweat dripped incessantly from his cheeks, pitter-pattering onto the stone steps of the celestial ladder. The moonlight, too, began to show signs of strain, no longer as relaxed as before.
"These two little guys have quite some talent." At over 2,800 steps on the ladder, someone whispered. On this ladder, the pressure faced by individuals varies according to their strength. However, even so, it wasn't so easy for us to reach 2,000 steps so quickly. Above the 2,000th step, it takes a long time and great difficulty to take another step forward.
"Not bad, it's our human race. I just don't know which family has cultivated such outstanding disciples. Be careful and don't let those few big monsters cause any trouble." A silver-haired and young-looking old man next to him responded. The old man was thin and wore a dirty Daoist robe, looking sloppy, but he clearly protected the two of them, Mo Hua and Yin Yue.
“嘿，泥菩萨过河，自身难保，还有心思管别人？两个四五阶的小家伙，若能上来，一脚踩死。”狮头人身大妖嘿嘿怪笑，道:“杀人族天才，也不是一个两个了。”
At the 2,800th step of the ladder to heaven, the demons nearby burst into laughter.
Obviously, the terrifying speed at which the two of them are climbing the ladder has attracted the attention of the people above. However, everyone has their own thoughts and their attitudes towards the two are vastly different. Some cherish and adore their talent, while others desire to kill them and be done with it.
(End of this chapter)