Unconsciously, time slipped away.
Qian Ye’s heart stirred, and he withdrew from his cold, detached state of mind, immediately feeling a subtle weariness. This was a sign that the Yao Chapter had reached its limit. Although the Yao Chapter didn’t consume much origin power, driving the vortex to operate and refining and grinding the origin power would still consume one’s mental energy. In the past, Qian Ye had never encountered such a bottleneck. It was only here in the Great Maelstrom, with the Song Clan Ancient Scroll’s operation speed greatly enhanced, that this issue appeared for the first time.
Qian Ye introspected his body and found that within the new origin power vortex, the crimson-golden Dawn Initiation Origin Power had already filled the bottom of the pool, with each tiny crystal grain shining brilliantly. At this rate, it wouldn’t take a month to fill the entire origin power vortex, laying the foundation for the opening of the seventh origin power vortex.
At this point, his cultivation could be paused, to avoid overdoing it.
There was still some time before dawn, and the two women were still deeply engrossed in their cultivation. Qian Ye sat quietly, contemplating and organizing his insights and gains since entering the Great Maelstrom.
Inside the Great Maelstrom, the Great Void Martial Art operated with immense efficacy. Breathing could replenish origin power, and even if the intensity of cultivation increased, it would not significantly augment the amount of origin power. However, it did allow him to experience and master the method of controlling the void origin power.
These methods were, in fact, just various techniques. No matter how intricate and refined, the rank of the secret arts would not be too high. With Qian Ye’s current martial attainments, even if he had to develop them on his own, he could create techniques that were not inferior.
After Ji Tianqing’s explanation, Qian Ye had understood that the operational mode of the Great Void Martial Art was, in fact, a realm that could only be attained by deities. Practicing the Great Void Martial Art was equivalent to using a deity’s divine abilities with a general’s body, which ordinary generals could hardly endure. Only Qian Ye, with his ancient bloodline, could bear the heavy pressure generated by a hundred-meter-wide void origin power vortex. If it were someone else, they would have been crushed into pulp long ago.
On the other hand, blood qi cultivation was relatively simpler. The plundering of vital essence blood was the most straightforward and direct approach. After successfully communicating with the Blood River, Qian Ye had received a heritage, gaining knowledge of many cultivation secrets of the blood race. But after comparing and reviewing, he found that even the ancient blood race’s cultivation methods were not much more advanced than those of the current blood race. Moreover, these secret arts’ cultivation efficiency could not compare to the act of plundering vital essence blood.
This made sense, as plundering vital essence blood was essentially the survival of the fittest in nature, where the food was more condensed life energy, skipping the process of self-cultivation and purification, making it the most efficient.
Therefore, what the blood race had been striving to improve over the millennia was to enhance the upper limit of their bloodline’s innate power and develop secret arts that could better utilize that power. They did not place much importance on the cultivation techniques themselves.
Following this line of thought, Qian Ye discovered that the Xuan Chapter in the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was extremely profound. It could refine the already sentient golden blood qi into dark golden blood qi, which was truly incredible.
Dark golden blood qi, at least from Qian Ye’s current inheritance, had never appeared before. According to the ancient blood race records, when one reached the rank of Duke, the blood qi would turn golden and become purer as the rank increased.
Qian Ye’s inheritance ended there. Perhaps after advancing to the rank of Duke, he would once again communicate with the Blood River and receive a new ancient blood race inheritance. He wondered if, at that time, there would be records of dark golden blood qi, and whether it belonged to the Prince or an even higher existence.
Based on what was currently known, the Song Clan Ancient Scroll could be considered the highest cultivation secret of the blood race. The refinement and purification of blood qi brought about a qualitative change, breaking through the upper limits of bloodline innate power. The mere refinement of dark golden blood qi placed it among the top few secret arts in the entire blood race world.
But how could such a secret art be unknown, allowing Song Zining to casually take out the original scroll? How did it end up in the Song Clan’s collection?
In Qian Ye’s opinion, any strong person with some insight should be able to recognize the extraordinary nature of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll.
The human race had risen for over a thousand years, and with the undocumented dark history, countless secrets were hidden. This secret might just be one of the less noticeable ones.
Qian Ye exhaled softly, knowing that he couldn’t find the answer now, so he put it aside and used the remaining time to silently ponder and experience the Mountain-Opening Force.
At this moment, during the extreme quiet, the chill of the cold, silent night still lingered. In the coldness of life, the mind became even clearer and more transparent. Qian Ye recited the entirety of the Mountain-Opening Force in his mind, then began to study and experience it word by word.
The Mountain-Opening Force was not just a technique for exerting force; it was the supreme method of operating origin power. Starting from a single point, layer upon layer, like a snowball, it ultimately formed an unparalleled great force, making it impossible for enemies to block or dodge.
Moreover, the Mountain-Opening Force went further. As soon as the first point of origin power was driven, another point would arise, and the great force generated would continue, without waiting for the origin power to be transmitted layer by layer.
Controlling two overlapping points of origin power naturally doubled the difficulty. Three points of origin power were not just three times more difficult to control.
The more points of origin power were activated, the denser the connection of the Mountain-Opening Force, leaving fewer gaps. The control difficulty, naturally, also increased. When the Mountain-Opening Force was cultivated to its ultimate form, it could simultaneously activate nine points of origin power, creating a continuous and unbroken stream of force. One force would follow another, making every move and gesture powerful enough to shatter mountains, truly the ultimate secret for breaking formations.
Recalling Ji Tianqing’s attack, Qian Ye noted that there were still obvious gaps, indicating she had probably only cultivated three activation points. Even so, this gave her an advantage in battles against opponents of the same level. Li Kuanglan could only match her with the Cold Moon Cage Sand sword; without it, she would be no match for Ji Tianqing.
However, the reason Ji Tianqing could not cultivate more activation points was not due to a lack of comprehension but because her body wasn’t robust enough. Each activation point of origin power brought a heavy burden, similar to the vortex force of the Great Void Martial Art. Three activation points seemed to be the maximum she could comfortably handle.
After experiencing this, Qian Ye began to operate the Mountain-Opening Force according to the method. The Dawn Initiation Origin Power became the peak origin power on the side of dawn, and ease of operation was the fundamental attribute. As he ran through the method, a point of origin power condensed in his lower abdomen, constantly vibrating, sending ripples outward to his fingertips and soles. A mere thought would cause this vibration to burst with immense power, striking the opponent.
Without stopping, Qian Ye quickly condensed a second activation point. The vibration made him feel slightly numb, indicating that his body was starting to react to the counterforce. However, this slight numbness was insignificant, like a feather brushing his skin, just a sensation.
In a blink, the third activation point formed, and the layers of vibration overlapped, intensifying the numbness. This was the current realm of Ji Tianqing, but for Qian Ye, this counterforce was easily manageable, barely a burden.
Thus, he continued without pausing, generating the fourth, fifth, and sixth activation points. By this point, Qian Ye felt a slight heaviness in his limbs, as if he were wearing a heavy iron coat. Without hesitating, he generated the seventh activation point.
With seven activation points active, the vibrations became dense, almost merging into a single, seamless force. In this state, Qian Ye’s attacks would leave no gaps. To defeat him, one would need to create a breach.
But this was Qian Ye’s current limit. After crossing the Divine General’s Heavenly Pass, and perhaps even further, his attack speed would increase, and seven activation points would no longer be enough. He would need to cultivate deeper to match his martial skills.
At this moment, with seven activation points active, Qian Ye’s muscles started to feel a faint sting. He knew this was his current limit; one more activation point would cause injury. Even seven points affected his movement, and he should not use them unless absolutely necessary.
Slowly, Qian Ye dissipated the origin power, marveling at the hidden talents in the Empire. Those who could simultaneously activate nine points of origin power must have been incredibly formidable. The creator of the Mountain-Opening Force must have been a genius, mastering the use of origin power to the pinnacle, to create such a method.
The Great Maelstrom was truly a cultivation sanctuary for Qian Ye. A day here equaled several days outside. But the true sacred ground was the tenfold gravity area, or even closer to the core. However, at their current level, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan couldn’t stay there, and Qian Ye needed to find a way to return them to the initial area.
Once all resources were collected, they would have to leave the Great Maelstrom. Qian Ye suddenly felt the urge to return to the tenfold gravity area, even to explore deeper. A month here equaled a year outside. Once they left, re-entering would be much harder.
Qian Ye had learned from the two women that the passage to the Neutral Grounds might only open once every few centuries. Once the trough of the origin power tide passed, the passage would close, and the two factions would have to compete for entry slots.
At this moment, the first ray of dawn appeared, illuminating the earth. Qian Ye watched quietly, savoring the rare moment of tranquility. Despite the short time spent in the Great Maelstrom, many events had occurred, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted. But as the light spread, all restlessness, confusion, and unease seemed to dissipate.
In that instant, Qian Ye decided that upon reaching the initial area, he would leave the Great Maelstrom with Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan.
Last night’s strange dream made Qian Ye realize that he missed Ye Pupu. After returning, he wanted to see her first, even if he couldn’t, just hearing her voice would be enough.
Thinking of the dream, even with his strong will, he couldn’t help but relive it and look forward to it.
Just then, a familiar discordant feeling rose in his heart. In the dream, Ye Pupu struggled to escape, her body and appearance changing, but her eyes remained calm and cold, making Qian Ye certain it was her.
However, recalling the clearest fragment, her back and silhouette were different from his memory, resembling Ji Tianqing’s back instead.
But it was just a dream, and dreams were not reality. In such a chaotic state, distortions were expected. In the core area of the Great Maelstrom, driven by primal instincts, even Ji Tianqing had evoked desire in Qian Ye. But that was merely a biological impulse, never to be acted upon.
Thus, Qian Ye comforted himself, once again ignoring the small discrepancy.
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