Sage of Humanity

There were also some invitations asking him to retreat to their residences for cultivation.

This was not about currying favor or anything of the sort. Currently, Lu Ye who was in considerable trouble, especially since he now ranked first in the Spirit Stream Ranking, made the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge even more determined to kill him. No matter which sect residence he went to for cultivation, it wouldn't bring much benefit to them. The only possibility was that they would be targeted by a joint effort from the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge.

In response to these invitations, Lu Ye naturally refused them all.

The Ten Thousand Poisons Forest was the best hiding place for him at the moment. As long as he didn't show himself, the people from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge wouldn't be able to find him, yet he could strike them unexpectedly at any time.

Although the nature's spiritual energy here wasn't very rich, as long as Lu Ye had enough elixir pills, the speed of his cultivation wouldn't slow down much.

After ending the communication, Lu Ye focused on drinking porridge.

Hua Ci came every day to treat his injuries, and within three days, Lu Ye's injuries had significantly improved.

During his spare time, he cultivated and read books; suddenly, his days became peaceful, devoid of previous disturbances. And Lu Ye surprisingly discovered that he quite adapted to this kind of life and even enjoyed it.

It was only then that he realized deep down he was not someone who liked causing trouble. Compared to that kind of risky and thrilling life, he preferred peace and quiet.

But… in the world of martial arts, one cannot control their own fate!

Outside in the small courtyard of the wooden house, Lu Ye held the Boulder Mountain Saber with spirit force boiling around him, frantically surging into the blade.

Although he had been invincible during the recent ranking contest and hardly met any opponents, in his battle with Szi Guang, he realized a problem he was currently facing.

That was the lack of a decisive finishing move!

It could also be called a trump card.

The Fire Phoenix Spirit Runes certainly qualified as one, but with his current strength, it was difficult to activate at will. The last time he managed to do so had involved extensive preparation. Also, the side effects after activating the Fire Phoenix Spirit Runes were severe; he had ended up lying in bed under Hua Ci's care for many days.

What he needed now was a trump card that he could handle and deploy on his own.

The last shot from Szi Guang had given him quite an enlightenment. He also recalled the scene when he had gone to the Loyal Heart Sect, battling a 9th Heaven sword cultivator who from start to finish had only struck once, concentrating all his power in that one sword strike, which was similar in essence to Szi Guang's final shot, both delivering a burst of massive spiritual energy in an instant.

This method was not hard to deploy. In the final moments of his fight with Szi Guang, Lu Ye had already grasped the essence, which allowed him to block that devastating shot.

What he needed to do now was familiarize himself with this technique and perfect it to ensure it could be deployed at any time during a battle.

The fire blazed, the long saber burned as the Boulder Mountain Saber buzzed. As Lu Ye slashed down, it seemed as if the space in front of him split apart, and the ground even split with a new crack!

He hadn't activated the Sharpness spirit runes, but the force of this saber strike was much greater than before.

Lu Ye frowned, not quite satisfied with this strike because it consumed a lot (not just the spirit force, but also physically), and after making this slash, his right arm was somewhat sore. Such a strike, he could at most make three times in quick succession before his right arm would probably be too sore to lift.

In a battle against a strong opponent, if such a situation occurred, defeat wouldn't be far off.

Although unsatisfied, since he had just started practicing, there were still many aspects that could be improved.

This counted as a technique and also a type of saber skill.

Since it was a saber skill, it should have its own name.

Naming it was a problem…

Lu Ye pondered, recalling the fleeting sharpness as the saber fell, and an idea formed in his mind.

Let's call it "Single Flash."

The practice of saber skills, aside from being persistent and diligently studying, had no shortcuts.

In the small courtyard, Lu Ye occasionally picked up the Boulder Mountain Saber to practice, then took elixir pills to recover. He would continue practicing once the soreness in his right arm subsided.

Though this method might slow down the progress of his cultivation, for Lu Ye, the level of cultivation had never been the most important aspect. He had already proved this by reaching the top of the Spirit Stream Ranking with his 8th Heaven cultivation. If he could practice Single Flash to the extent that he could use it spontaneously, slowing down his cultivation speed was worth it.

As days passed, Lu Ye gradually mastered Single Flash. However, the physical toll of this saber technique was still unresolved, making it difficult to use against strong opponents.

Lu Ye never felt that after topping the Spirit Stream Ranking, he had no more rivals. He would still advance to Cloud River, and the situation in Cloud River battlefield was much more complex than the Spirit Stream battlefield. Even if he could move freely in the Spirit Stream battlefield, he would still need to be cautious in the Cloud River battlefield.

During these days, several powerful fighters from the Haotian Alliance were holding their ranks in the Spirit Stream Ranking steadily. Except for Szi Guang, who had taken the second place in the Spirit Stream Ranking, there was only that female archery cultivator who became fourth. No significant changes occurred for the others, and as for Lu Ye, no one came to challenge him from start to finish.

Both Szi Guang and the female archery cultivator knew they were no match for Lu Ye and naturally wouldn't stir trouble without cause.

Half a month later, Lu Ye had opened up to three hundred and twenty orifices, and it had been forty days since his promotion to the 8th Heaven. Previously occupied with climbing the rankings, he had little time for cultivation. Recently, he had been practicing saber skills, which also slowed down his cultivation pace. So, despite so many days passing, he had only managed to open twenty orifices.

He was still forty orifices away from the 9th Heaven cultivation.

While practicing saber skills in the courtyard, Lu Ye suddenly stopped his movements and looked up into the sky, sensing the descent of Heaven's Augury in the mysterious beyond!

Since his return to the Spirit Stream Ranking, thirty days had passed, and it was time for Heaven's Augury's blessing.

These days, he had stayed inside the wooden hut without leaving, essentially waiting for this day to arrive. Regarding the strong on the Spirit Stream Ranking receiving blessings from Heaven's Augury, he had asked many about it and knew the process that would follow, even though it was his first experience.

Now he was only worried about one thing, whether Amber and Yiyi would receive the blessing with him!

However, upon careful consideration, Amber was his beast pet, recognized by Heaven's Augury, and Yiyi was the minion spirit of Amber. During the challenge for the Spirit Stream Ranking, both had participated in every battle. Now that the time of blessing had arrived, they should not be left behind.

Just as he was thinking this, Yiyi and Amber ran out from the wooden hut.

"Lu Ye, Lu Ye, I think I felt something, and so did Amber," Yiyi said, experiencing Heaven's Augury for the first time and feeling somewhat bewildered.

"Just don't resist," Lu Ye advised.

Hua Ci, hearing the commotion, came out and looking each other in the eyes, quickly came to an understanding, "It's time?"

Lu Ye nodded.

As their conversation ended, the figures of Lu Ye, Amber, and Yiyi quickly began to fade and disappear.

In a misty land, the three vanished figures abruptly appeared.

This was the place where Heaven's Augury's blessings were distributed, the Heaven's Augury Pond!

The mist in the pond was not nature's spiritual energy but a type of energy that was extremely beneficial to cultivators.

Absorbing and refining that mist not only tempered a cultivator's body but also enhanced the strength of their psyche, and purified the pill poison accumulated within their bodies, thus increasing the purity of their spirit force. The many benefits were profound and numerous.

Every strong cultivator on the Spirit Stream Ranking who held a place for one month was drawn here by Heaven's Augury to receive the baptism and thereby become stronger.

Therefore, when Lu Ye had challenged Szi Guang, he had mentioned that he had received baptisms from Heaven's Augury several times already, as Szi Guang had been on the Spirit Stream Ranking for several months.

Depending on the rankings on the Spirit Stream Ranking, the duration a cultivator could stay here varied. The higher the ranking, the longer the stay; conversely, the lower the ranking, the shorter the stay.

Lu Ye had inquired from Yooi Lianzhou and found out that his time in the Heaven's Augury Pond would only be about one incense stick's time. Once the time was up, Heaven's Augury would transport him back to his original place.

As for the top of the ranking, Yooi Lianzhou wasn't quite sure.

Lu Ye had asked the Second Senior Sister to inquire from Feng Yuechan, and according to her, her several visits to the Heaven's Augury Pond didn't last longer than half an hour.

This was also why the strong cultivators on the Spirit Stream battlefield were keen on the Spirit Stream Ranking. Being on the ranking provided not just fame but tangible advantages as well.

The spirit mist here could temper the body, strengthen the psyche, and boost the purity of spirit force—each aspect vital for a cultivator's future and strength.

It can be said that undergoing a baptism in the Heaven's Augury Pond could significantly enhance a cultivator's future prospects.

And the rule that higher rankings in the Spirit Stream Ranking allowed for longer stays in the Heaven's Augury Pond created a phenomenon where the strong got stronger!

This was probably an implicit encouragement by Heaven's Augury, concentrating more rewards on those with exceptional talents!

Those 9th Heaven cultivators, already at the limit of the Spirit Stream Realm, why don't they choose to advance to Cloud River?

Lu Ye previously naively thought that those 9th Heaven cultivators wanted to solidify their foundation in the Spirit Stream Realm for a while. But now, he realized that this idea wasn't entirely wrong, just not comprehensive enough.

Those 9th Heaven cultivators all yearned to climb onto the Spirit Stream Ranking. Merely relying on themselves for consolidation couldn't compete with the baptism of Heaven's Augury. That's why the 9th Heaven cultivators were not in a hurry to advance to Cloud River, all eyeing the Spirit Stream Ranking.

However, this kind of baptism also had its limits. Each person's situation was different. When the baptism from Heaven's Augury no longer had much effect on those strong on the Spirit Stream Ranking, they would choose to advance to Cloud River, rather than waste time. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

Generally, a cultivator qualified to enter the Heaven's Augury Pond could do so three to four times; beyond that, even if there were more opportunities to enter, refining this spirit mist would not greatly benefit them.

In the past, there was a rumor that Feng Yuechan, Li Baxian, and Yanh Xing, because they occupied the Spirit Stream Ranking for too long, were disliked by Heaven's Augury, and so after the initial few times, they were excluded from the monthly Heaven's Augury Baptisms.

In fact, it wasn't that Heaven's Augury disliked them, but because the spirit mist here had no more effect on them, so Heaven's Augury no longer drew them here.

At the Heaven's Augury Pond, Lu Ye turned his head to look around and found that Amber and Yiyi were beside him. He felt greatly relieved!