Chapter 19: A Place to Break Through

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: A Place to Break Through

That night, they decided to leave the forest without any further delay.

If they stayed any longer, Ye Xuan and Qingyu might encounter more monsters, leaving him with insufficient time to cultivate in peace.

Ye Xuan leaped swiftly from one tree branch to another, avoiding every monster he spotted along the way.

His goal was to get out of the Scarlet Moon Forest as soon as possible.

Too many mysteries were hidden within the forest, and some of them might involve powers beyond Ye Xuan’s imagination.

That was why he had begun to consider the forest far too dangerous, whether because of its monsters or the mysteries lurking within it.

At the edge of the forest, Ye Xuan spotted the boundary separating it from the outside world.

He increased his speed and continued forward until he finally made it out of the Scarlet Moon Forest.

He landed on the ground, turned around, and looked at the forest behind him.

It was a forest shrouded in mist every night, an ecosystem inhabited by monsters of unpredictable strength and home to various spiritual beast clans and tribes.

As he thought about this, Ye Xuan instinctively turned to Qingyu and asked her something. It was related to what Ying Wei had told him before they parted ways.

"Ying Wei told me that the northern region is a dangerous place. Even the major clans don’t dare approach it."

"Do you know anything about that region?" Ye Xuan asked.

[What I know is that it’s a region filled with thorny trees. It’s indeed dangerous, but I don’t know which clan or tribe inhabits that place that reeks of rotting corpses.]

[You don’t need to worry about that. Your priority right now is cultivation.]

[Perhaps when you’re strong enough, you’ll be able to uncover the mysteries of this forest yourself.]

Ye Xuan listened to Qingyu. What she said made perfect sense.

He didn’t have time to worry about such things, especially since those mysteries had little to do with him or his current abilities.

Even so, he felt fortunate to have come to this forest. He had managed to cultivate to the peak of Qi Gathering, form a blood pact with Qingyu, and train his combat abilities.

If he had refused to come here earlier, he might never have gained all those benefits.

"You’re right."

"It’s time for me to find an ideal place to focus on cultivation!"

The two of them followed a dirt road toward another location.

Ye Xuan took out a map he had purchased from an equipment shop and examined it carefully.

Near the forest, there was a small lake not too far away.

The lake had no name, and there were no special records about it. Perhaps it was just an ordinary lake that posed no danger to him.

"We’ll go here. I hope it’s a safe place for me."

[I’ll protect you. You don’t need to worry, Ye Xuan.]

Ye Xuan rolled up the map and stored it in his bag of holding. He memorized the route to the lake, making sure he knew where to go.

With Qingyu still wrapped around his neck, Ye Xuan jogged away from the forest and followed the road leading to the lake.

It wasn’t difficult for him to find the place. Since it was located near a valley surrounded by hills, he had no trouble locating it.

It took him about two hours to travel from the forest to the lake. Moonlight reflected off the water’s surface, revealing a cluster of small islands in the middle of the lake.

The islands were lush with trees and vegetation.

Several animals, including deer, came to drink from the lake. It was a simple sight, but enough to suggest that the place was safe.

"Should I cultivate over there?" Ye Xuan asked, pointing toward one of the islands in the middle of the lake.

[That would be better.]

Ye Xuan looked around and spotted a wooden boat moored along the lakeshore.

It was still in good condition and even came with a wooden pole for pushing it through the water.

He approached the boat and used it to make his way across the lake.

Ye Xuan traveled over the beautiful, tranquil water, accompanied by blooming lotus flowers floating on the surface.

So far, nothing threatened his safety. There wasn’t a single monster in sight.

When he arrived at one of the lake’s five small islands, Ye Xuan stepped ashore and looked around.

The lush trees provided shade and a cool atmosphere in the middle of the island, while soft grass covered the ground.

Animals such as rabbits and weasels lived together peacefully.

"This might take quite a while, but I hope you don’t mind continuing to watch over me, Qingyu."

[I’ll do whatever it takes as long as you can break through safely and smoothly.]

Ye Xuan was pleased to hear that. He summoned his low-grade spirit stones and made them float around his body.

In total, he had more than a thousand of low-grade spirit stones to use for cultivation.

He directed strands of qi toward each spirit stone, causing them to crumble.

Ye Xuan immediately took advantage of the energy released by the low-grade spirit stones to cultivate.

He formed a hand seal and absorbed a large amount of spiritual qi essence into his body.

The energy flowed through his meridians and filled his dantian, where it was refined and condensed.

Qingyu leaped down from Ye Xuan’s neck and moved to another spot, continuing to watch over him.

She observed as spiritual qi flowed steadily into Ye Xuan’s body.

There were no significant fluctuations in the qi, as though he had already gained good control over the large amount of spiritual energy he was absorbing.

Although a human was present in their territory, the calm flow of spiritual qi didn’t make the other animals, such as the rabbits, feel threatened.

Some of them even fell asleep in Ye Xuan’s lap, seeking warmth from his body.

Everything seemed peaceful. The rabbits slept nearby, and the lake remained undisturbed beneath the moonlight.

Yet deep within Ye Xuan’s dantian, the spiritual qi had begun to gather at a single point.

The bottleneck separating Qi Gathering from Foundation Establishment was finally showing signs of movement.