Chapter 538 - 538: Magma Essence

After considering what was troubling Dai, Chu Qingyun thought for a moment.

He then searched through the Alchemy Dao inheritance he'd received and found a certain elixir.

A Spirit Level elixir: the Celestial Spirit Pill.

On the path of the Martial Dao, the transitions to the fourth and seventh levels were always major hurdles.

This was because breaking through from the third to the fourth level, or from the sixth to the seventh, wasn't just a minor realm advancement—it was a breakthrough into a whole new tier.

The Celestial Spirit Pill's effect was to increase, to a certain degree, the success rate of breaking through to the Seventh-Level Martial Spirit Realm.

Dai had tried to break through to the Seventh-Level Martial Spirit Realm many times, but he always fell just short, never quite making it.

If he could successfully refine the Celestial Spirit Pill and help Dai break through to the Seventh-Level Martial Spirit Realm...

...then a respectable fellow who had comprehended the Intention Realm would no longer be bullied by a mere Seventh-Level Martial Spirit.

Besides, Chu Qingyun himself was already a Sixth-Level Martial Spirit.

Though he was confident in his own ability to break through, it was still a major leap from the Earth Spirit Realm to the Celestial Spirit Realm. It couldn't hurt to be better prepared.

With this elixir in mind, Chu Qingyun immediately looked up the materials needed to refine the Celestial Spirit Pill.

But a moment later, his brow furrowed.

The Spiritual Medicines needed to refine the Celestial Spirit Pill weren't a big problem. Although there were a few rare Tier Three Spiritual Medicines on the list, he should be able to buy them in the sect. It would just cost a bit more Primordial Spirit Liquid.

But one of the main ingredients was likely to be a problem.

Magma Essence.

According to the senior's Alchemy Dao inheritance, Magma Essence was a relatively rare Celestial and Earthly Treasure, usually found forming in Molten Rock Districts or volcano groups.

The trouble was, once Magma Essence was removed from its place of origin, its power would continuously dissipate.

There was no way to preserve it long-term unless one possessed a very profound Sealing Technique.

"Everyone, please wait a moment. Do any of you have Magma Essence, or know where to find some?"

Chu Qingyun suddenly called out to the new disciples who were about to disperse, posing his question.

These new disciples held Chu Qingyun in high regard.

After all, for a newly-enrolled disciple to dare stand up to the older ones—and severely injure them at that—required not just strength, but immense courage.

But when it came to Magma Essence, they could only look at each other in confusion.

Clearly, none of them had it; most had likely never even heard of it.

Chu Qingyun sighed helplessly at this. 'If there's really no other way,' he thought, 'I'll have to go ask around at the Pill Institute. The Alchemists there should be more knowledgeable about this sort of thing.'

"Chu, we've never heard of Magma Essence, but you could try the Outer Sect Trading District. They sell almost everything there, so you might get lucky,"

a new disciple suggested.

He had unconsciously addressed Chu with the respect due to a senior, even though he looked a bit older.

Among Martial Artists, strength came first.

The title of "senior" wasn't just based on who joined the sect first, but was also a term of respect for those with greater strength.

It was still early, so after thanking the disciple, Chu Qingyun headed for the Outer Sect Trading District with Mu Xiaoxiao and Dai.

"Chu's strength is incredible. He's so young, yet he can easily defeat a Seventh-Level Martial Spirit. And he's the champion of the Celestial Martial City Pill Battle Conference!"

"He's really down-to-earth, too. Not like some people who get arrogant as soon as they have a little power."

"I'm so jealous of that Mu Xiaoxiao... She gets to be with Chu all the time..."

Many of the new disciples sighed with admiration as they watched them go.

"Xiaoxiao, have you guys been to the Saint Extreme Tower yet? Do you know what it does?" Chu Qingyun asked Mu Xiaoxiao on the way.

Mu Xiaoxiao shook her head. "We can't get in yet. You can only enter the Saint Extreme Tower after you've gone through the trials on the Saint Extreme Road, which determines how many floors you're qualified to ascend."

"The Saint Extreme Road trials are held once a month, but each person only gets one attempt every six months, so every chance must be taken seriously."

"This month's Saint Extreme Road opens in seven days."

Chu Qingyun nodded. Combined with what Qi Hao had told them before, he now had a general understanding of the Saint Extreme Road and the Saint Extreme Tower.

The more trials you passed on the Saint Extreme Road, the higher the floor you were qualified to access in the Saint Extreme Tower.

And the higher you went in the Saint Extreme Tower, the greater the boost to your cultivation and the more efficient your training would become.

And since you only got one chance at the Saint Extreme Road every six months, it was just as Qi Hao had said: your first attempt was crucial.

After joining the sect and gaining access to its resources, a disciple's strength was certain to skyrocket.

If you could supplement that growth with access to a high floor in the Saint Extreme Tower, your power would increase even more dramatically. But if you could only access the lower floors, you might miss out on a golden opportunity.

Mu Xiaoxiao was quiet the whole way, completely lacking her usual energy.

Chu Qingyun had a good idea why she was in this state.

It was a common phase for new disciples who had just joined the sect.

Before joining the sect, they were often the top geniuses of their respective dynasties, or from the great families and powerful factions in other sect territories and the Blood-soaked Land.

They had no rivals among their peers and could even hold their own against those in higher Realms.

But after joining the sect, that reality changed in an instant.

Take Mu Xiaoxiao, for example. Some random, clearly low-ranking Seventh-Level Martial Spirit from the Outer Sect had been able to fight her to a draw.

This inevitably left her feeling dejected, perhaps even starting to doubt herself.

"By the way, Xiaoxiao," Chu Qingyun said, trying to make small talk. "When we turned in our Secret Manuals and Secret Techniques a couple of days ago, it looked like you didn't hand in a single one."

He had noticed it at the time but hadn't pointed it out.

The others had all assumed she was part of his group and that they had turned everything in together.

Mu Xiaoxiao just hummed in acknowledgment, not saying anything more.

Her situation was different from that of Zhou Wushang and Zhou Jianxiong.

Zhou Wushang had relied on the strength of many people to obtain those Secret Manuals and Secret Techniques, so he and Zhou Jianxiong didn't dare to keep a single one for themselves, terrified the news would leak.

As for Mu Xiaoxiao, only she knew exactly how many Secret Manuals and Secret Techniques she had obtained. Dai probably didn't even know.

Plus, with Chu Qingyun turning in all the Secret Manuals and Secret Techniques he'd gotten from the No-Life Gang, she had the perfect cover to keep hers without raising suspicion.

Taking them back to her family's faction would be far more worthwhile than turning them in to the sect for a handful of Saint Extreme Points.

Mu Xiaoxiao remained sullen, and Chu Qingyun was at a loss.

'Making small talk isn't my strong suit, anyway,' he thought.