Return

[You're too loud. It's not like you were in any rush to do anything. Why does it matter?] Xia Ye's mouth opened, but after thinking about it, he nodded. "I mean your right but still!" A few definitely meant more than three, and if it's Sun Wukong who has no concept of time. "I can't believe this…." Holding his head, he sighed to himself.

[If you're done freaking out, you should pay attention. Haven't you noticed anything different with your Spiritual Pearl?] Xia Ye took his hands off his head, hearing that question as he looked down at himself. Taking a meditative position, he closed his eyes and focused. "Huh?" His face gave off a strange expression as he opened his eyes.

"It's gotten… So big it's basically the size of my hand now! Plus..." It looked as if his Spiritual Pearl was glowing and ready to burst. "What's happening?" Sun Wukong seemed to laugh as he explained. [You drank so much of the gourds wine, so it's impossible for you to receive no benefits.] Slowly a smile grew on Xia Ye's face as he spoke.

"So you're saying I'm close to breaking into the second stage of 'The Secret To Immortality'?" Excitement welled up inside of Xia Ye. [That's why I said you're in no rush. This place is secluded and perfect for training.] Xia Ye put his hand on his chin as he asked. "So how long will it take in total?"

[Normally, it would still take quite a long time, but if you utilize what's left in the gourd. Then a few weeks is all you need, and trust me. The changes will be worth it. Do you remember what I told you about the 72 Earthy Transformations and your Qi?] Xia Ye nodded. "They change it and give me the abilities linked to the transformation."

The White Tiger of the West is the King of Beast and has the ability to command them. Along with that, it controls the element of Metal. The Heavenly Ox has the ability to control the earth, capable of bringing both good harvest and destruction alike. Finally, the Luan Bird is said to be related to the Phoenix, so nimble and graceful it is considered a messenger of the gods.

Sun Wukong had Xia Ye learn each of their legends so he could understand them. They were also the three he chose due to the fact they gave him Offensive, Defensive and Dodging capabilities. [Once you reach the second stage, you can finally begin linking your Qi with your transformations without changing your form.]

Xia Ye's eyes shined when he heard that. Because it meant one thing in particular, he would be able to control the elements of those three transformations without needing to change his form. "Alright, you win. It's only going to be around a month anyway." Sun Wukong's words had convinced him.

After all, he had no reason to hurry. Yes, that was his thought process as a certain Wyvern named Ao Qin completely escaped his mind. And so, just like that, Xia Ye decided to train while trapped underground. Relying on the gourd to speed up his process every day, his Spiritual Pearl would grow brighter and swell.

Those changes also manifested in his body as the amount of Qi he was producing increased. Not only that but the quality and density began to change as well. The very inner workings of his body were beginning to evolve to a new stage. And like Sun Wukong said, this continued for around three weeks.

"You know I never mentioned it but I think I'm underaged from drinking wine." Drinking from the gourd, Xia Ye's hand suddenly stopped as he felt something happening. [It's time.] The last drop of wine from the gourd entered his mouth as his Spiritual Orb grew bright. The color reminded Xia Ye of fire as he saw cracks begin to form on its surface.

[The first stage creates your Spiritual Pearl, which is a seed of sorts. After being nurtured for long enough, it finally sprouts.] Xia Ye watched as his Spiritual Pearl burst open, revealing something enchanting. A Golden Lotus wrapped in flames so calming yet vibrant he was bewitched.

Qi sprang from the Lotus like water filling his entire body. "This…" It felt like a faucet that wouldn't stop. He felt his entire body pulse with joy. From his muscles to his organs, everything was doused in this Qi. [And so you reach the second stage, which can be considered the true beginning of having both an Immortal Body and Spirit.]

Xia Ye closed and opened his hands as he took a deep breath. 'This feels amazing.' It was even more of an impact than when he first created his Spiritual Pearl. "Now then I guess it's time for us to finally leave this place." Xia Ye flicked his finger as the sound of something digging through the earth became apparent.

Bursting into the small pocket under the rocks was Ruyi Jingu Bang. It was practically vibrating with a golden aura as if it was exciting. "I know I missed you too. Sorry for dying on you like that won't happen again… Hopefully." Meanwhile, above ground, two Cultivators were making their way through the area.

"What are we doing here again? Isn't it dangerous?" The two of them seemed to be brothers as the younger one spoke up. "Oh don't be such a baby. That mist disappeared long ago so we have nothing to fear." The Younger Brother nodded. "I guess but still it's crazy to imagine so many cultivators died here. All for that one artifact."

The Older Brother agreed. "Ya, and in the end, no one including the Four Great Sects got their hands on it. Destroyed and buried under the earth never to be seen again." The two of them continued to walk as they reached a large open plain. With the mist no longer around, life had returned to the area.

The forest was young but slowly regrowing, and that large desolate clearing had become a grass and flower-filled plane. "Did you hear the rumors by the way?" The Older Brother shook his head. "Apparently someone died along with the artifact. Not only that but-" Suddenly, the Younger Brother stopped talking as the two of them felt the ground shake.

It was a brief tremor before it suddenly stopped. "What was that?" The Younger Brother shrugged. "I'm not sure but it sounded like-" Once more, he was cut off as the ground shook even more violently. The shaking got more and more frequent as the two of them looked at one another. "We should get out of here!"

The two of them nodded as they prepared to turn around, but just as they took a step, the ground a few hundred meters in front of them cracked. "Huh?" As if an underground volcano had erupted, the earth broke open. Large rocks were sent flying in every direction raining through the sky and onto the ground.

"I'm free! Woooo!" High in the sky, the two brothers saw a figure in ragged clothing. Xia Ye yelled as he looked up to the sun above him. It had been so long since he had seen it. "Haha…" Laughing, he heard the sound of something flapping its wings. It had whitish-yellow feathers and four wings instead of two.

Its silver eyes had locked onto Xia Ye, who was in the air as it let out a screech. "Attacked the moment I get out of that damn cave huh?" The Profound Beast raised its talons stayed outstretched, ready to grab onto the now-falling Xia Ye. "What is a Profound Beast like that doing out here!"

The Older Brother watched as it chased Xia Ye, who was falling out of the sky. "We should go, that guy is going to get eaten and it might come after us next." The Younger Brother wanted to leave but suddenly felt the Older Brother put his hand on his shoulder. "Wait for a second look." Pointing to the patch of sky above Xia Ye, it had suddenly turned dark as if storming.

Xia Ye looked at the incoming Profound Beast as he called out. "I wonder how much your Profound Core will fetch?" The two brothers watched as the clouds above crackled with lightning. "Well, either way, free money." Waving his hand, the storm clouds brimming with lightning flashed.

With a loud echoing bang, lightning suddenly descended above Xia Ye. The Profound Beast chasing after him didn't even have a chance to dodge. The lightning struck it as its entire body froze in the air. Its body turned from white to black in a mere second as the lightning faded. Flipping his body in the air Xia Ye landed on the ground cracking it.

Soon the Profound Beast's body did the same as the black clouds above shrunk and turned a bright yellow before flying down to Xia Ye. "Nice shot Nimbus." Xia Ye looked towards the Profound Beast and didn't hesitate to begin looting it. Taking its Profound Core, it quickly put it into his Spatial Ring.

"Now then who are you two?" The two brothers were standing too far away from Xia Ye now and quickly bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We're simply two brothers cultivating and exploring the world." The two of them had approached Xia Ye just in case he saw it as rude if they ran. Their eyes only needed to glance at the hole he made in the ground and the Profound Beast he had killed.

'To do something like that… His cultivation is way above ours despite being in the later stages of the late Spirit Profound Realm. Maybe he's someone who went into seclusion deep underground a long time ago?' That was their thought process, at least. "Oh, then I'm guessing you two can tell me where Crescent City is? It's been so long I forgot which way it is."

The Younger Brother immediately raised his head and pointed in a direction. He quickly told Xia Ye how far it was as well as a few other things. "I see well thanks. Oh, and you guys can keep that Profound Beast. I'm not feeling hungry." Flipping in the air, Nimbus quickly flew under Xia Ye's feet before increasing its speed and flying off. "So fast…"

The two of them stared in the direction Xia Ye went. Older Brother said something. "Did he have a tail?" The two of them questioned their eyesight as Xia Ye flew towards Crescent City. Enjoying the feeling of the wind against his face, he laid back on the Nimbus Cloud. "I was already feeling great before. But now that I'm outside I feel even better."

Within a span of only ten minutes, Xia Ye opened his eyes and sat up. In the distance, he could already see Crescent City. "I guess I should try and find that lizard first." Flying to the front gate of the city, he hopped off the Nimbus. The guards there looked at Xia Ye with narrowed eyes before spotting his tail.

"Hey aren't you that kid?" Xia Ye looked at the guard and recognized him slightly. "Oh, you're still working here." The guard's words were caught hearing Xia Ye's words as he nodded. "Yes but I'm surprised to see you here. It's nearly been eight months since you last arrived." Xia Ye's eyes bulged for a second as he coughed.

'Eight Months! You call eight months a few!' That meant it had already almost been ten or so months since he left Floating Cloud City. That was nearly an entire year, and he was unconscious for most of it. [It's just a few months, nothing to get excited over.] Xia Ye put his hand on his head as the guard looked at him. "Is everything alright?"

Xia Ye nodded, holding out his hand. "Ya, I'm fine. Do you happen to know where the pet I left here went?" Seeing where Xia Ye had pointed, the guard realized what he was talking about. "Oh, you mean the Wyvern? I think Young Master Ning took it in after he thought it was abandoned? Anyway, it lives in the training grounds of the HQ now."

Hearing that, Xia Ye smiled. "Perfect, I wanted to pay them a visit anyway." Seeing that Xia Ye entered the city through the gate, the guard shrugged. "A Lot of weird stuff has been happening lately. Well whatever, I'm sure it's fine." At the back of a building used at the residence for Crescent City's military and political affairs, a Wyvern was gorging itself on meat.

This was the training area, but a small portion of it was also used to house Profound Beast. This was where Ao Qin was being kept by Qing Ning. At Ao Qin ate, it suddenly heard a chuckling voice. "Looks like you took full advantage of me being dead huh?" Ao Qin immediately sat up as its eyes looked around. "Who's there! Show yourself!"

"I'm right in front of you." Ao Qin looked down only to see Xia Ye balancing in front of him on his tail. "Did you miss me?" Ao Qin seemed to have frozen as they roared. "Master! You're alive?" Xia Ye hopped onto his feet and nodded. "Of course. I only had a hole blown in my stomach, nothing serious."

Xia Ye joked about it, but he winced on the inside just thinking about how much it hurt when it happened. "You've already hit the Second Level of the Spirit Profound Realm? Looks like you enjoyed yourself quite a bit with me gone." Seeing Xia Ye's smile, Ao Qin shook their head. "Of course not Master I cried so much hearing your passing. I even refused to eat, I swear."

Xia Ye nodded. "Sure, Sure whatever you say." Suddenly Xia Ye heard the sound of someone's steps and voice behind him. "Hey are you enjoying yo-" Turning his head Xia Ye saw that it was none other than Qing Ning. He was frozen in place as Xia Ye turned and looked at him. "Oh there you are, I thought I would have to search the city to find you."

Qing Ning blinked before showing a look of utter confusion. "Xae Ye?"