Sage of Humanity

Without the need for Lu Ye's command, Yiyi immediately entered a state of meditative cultivation, her body's glow fluctuating brightly and dimly, changing along with the glow. As the light changed, the surrounding spirit mist continuously surged into her body.

Amber was even more direct, revealing its true form, opening its huge maw, and taking a fierce inhale.

The naked eye could see the spirit mist turning into a stream of air as it was sucked into its belly.

Though it was their first time being led to this place by Heaven's Augury, they knew their time was limited. Even if Lu Ye ranked first, he would not stay in this place for more than half a Shichen, and they only had this opportunity once a month, so naturally, they had to cherish it.

Lu Ye then began to construct Spirit Energy Gathering Spirit Runes within his own spiritual orifice.

He had experienced similar situations twice: once during the Dragon Spring Body Tempering at Hundred Peaks Mountain, and another time in the Soul Cleansing Pool of Xianyuan City, both being similar environments.

In such an environment, his method could play a huge role.

With the speed at which Lu Ye was constructing spirit runes and his focused mind, it took only a moment to complete all three hundred and twenty small spirit energy gathering funnels.

What came next didn't require his attention anymore; these small funnels would naturally draw the surrounding mist into Lu Ye's body, transforming it with the flow of his own spirit force.

A warm sensation meandered throughout his body—the spirit mist here was indeed effective, and Lu Ye could feel his physical body and psyche gradually growing stronger.

However, if one were to compare, the spirit mist here was not as potent in strengthening the physique as directly devouring the blood strands within that Scale Armor!

And for bolstering the psyche and soul, not as beneficial as the Soul Cleansing Pool of Xianyuan City.

As for enhancing the purity of spirit force… Lu Ye could not tell, for his spirit force had always been impeccably pure.

Overall, the spirit mist of Heaven's Augury Pond seemed to be like a weakened version combined from Dragon Spring and Soul Cleansing Pool.

But this did not mean it was useless to Lu Ye. On the contrary, it was very useful, because devouring the blood strands in the Scale Armor was a very violent process of strengthening the physique. Initially, Lu Ye did not dare to devour them directly. Amber would lay motionless for a while after each devouring…

It was not until both the man and the tiger's strength gradually grew that they were able to withstand it.

Moreover, the blood strands in that Scale Armor had now been consumed completely. Lu Ye once thought that the blood strands stored in the armor were extremely abundant, but with his and Amber's continuous use, and later providing it for the use of Giant Armor, over time, the Scale Armor had completely lost its function, and now the Scale Armor was merely a plain ornament.

The enhancement of physique and psyche by the spirit mist of Heaven's Augury Pond was a very mild state that wouldn't make one feel uncomfortable. Immersed in it, one's whole body could relax, and one might even feel like taking a nap.

After constructing the small spirit energy gathering funnels in his spiritual orifice, Lu Ye took out several array banners and cast them around, setting up a spirit energy gathering array within Heaven's Augury Pond to increase the gathering speed of the spirit mist.

The effect was evident, with the mist in the pond becoming denser.

He still didn't stop there. Having the experience from the Soul Cleansing Pool in Xianyuan City, he wanted to know if he could perform a similar operation here, condensing the spirit mist into a liquid to take away.

Considering the density of the spirit mist in the pool, it should be feasible.

Lu Ye hurriedly stimulated his spirit force again, constructing a large Spirit Energy Gathering Spirit Rune, then controlling it to form a large funnel.

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The thick spirit mist was drawn in, converging into the funnel, then climbing onto the walls of the funnel, condensing into a liquid and flowing out from the funnel's lower spout.

Lu Ye took out a jade vial and placed it at the spout of the funnel, ready to collect the dripping Spiritual Liquid.

However, just then, an invisible force swept through, instantly destroying the large funnel.

Lu Ye frowned.

Undeterred, he stimulated his spirit force to construct another large funnel...

This time, as soon as the large funnel formed, that invisible force reappeared, once again destroying the funnel.

Not only that but deep within, Lu Ye spontaneously felt a sense of being watched, as if there were a pair of eyes in the darkness focusing on him. Should he show any further untoward actions, there would surely be some unpleasant results.

Is this Heaven's Augury?

Lu Ye's heart was shaken.

Ever since he began his path of cultivation, he had often heard the term Heaven's Augury. Cultivators' daily cultivation life is inextricably linked with Heaven's Augury. All along, he had thought that Heaven's Augury was just some obscure, supreme rules or principles that existed above all beings.

But now it seemed that his understanding might be incorrect. This Heaven's Augury… was it alive?

His body became somewhat stiff, and that imminent disaster feeling was extremely unpleasant. Lu Ye stimulated his spirit force, tentatively attempting to construct a large Spirit Energy Gathering Funnel again, but as soon as it began to take shape, he inexplicably panicked, his heart pounding erratically in his chest as if it would jump out of his throat.

Dispersing his spirit force, that feeling of panic disappeared.

Lu Ye immediately determined that Heaven's Augury did not allow him to take the spirit mist from this place, hence the warning!

Was it necessary?

But upon further thought, the spirit mist was a reward from Heaven's Augury for those strong on the Spirit Stream Ranking who had stayed for a full month and were qualified to be led here. If he were to take the spirit mist away from here, what kind of reward would that be?

It's like going to a feast where being able to eat a lot is a skill, but taking food home is not acceptable.

Realizing this, Lu Ye gave up his previous idea. Although it was a pity, since Heaven's Augury did not permit it, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't compete with Heaven's Augury in a battle of wits and bravery, as he would be the one to suffer in the end.

What particularly concerned him was whether Heaven's Augury actually had its own consciousness, or, to put it another way, whether it was truly a living being.

Setting aside the doubts in his heart, Lu Ye found a spot to sit down and wait peacefully.

Other cultivators cultivate by holding on to the primeval and focusing their minds, free from distractions. After all, if not focused enough, one is unable to absorb nature's spiritual energy.

But Lu Ye's cultivation was always different; he did whatever he needed to do. As long as the small spirit energy gathering funnels were there, he didn't need to worry.

Quietly perceiving and meditating, his body and psyche continued to grow stronger.

Lu Ye had never felt time pass so quickly before. When his vision blurred and the environment changed from the Heaven's Augury Pond to the wooden house courtyard, Lu Ye realized that one hour had already passed.

On inspecting himself, even though Lu Ye's physique and psyche were already strong, the half an hour he spent in the Heaven's Augury Pond had given him a significant boost.

By a conservative estimate, both his body and psyche had improved by at least ten percent.

This improvement might sound small, only a mere ten percent, but in actuality, it was terrifying, because Lu Ye's foundation was already strong. An increase of ten percent on such a strong base brought a considerable gain.

Without mentioning anything else, if he were to fight Szi Guang now, he was confident that he could defeat his opponent without getting injured.

Of course, this had to do with the techniques he used. Others went inside focusing solely on absorption, and even with great talent, their efficiency couldn't be much higher.

He was different. Not to mention the more than three hundred small funnel spirit runes enhancing his spiritual orifice, he had also set up a spirit energy gathering array. Not only did he reap a lot of benefits, but Yiyi and Amber also benefited from it.

"Lu Ye, Lu Ye, you seem to have gotten paler," Yiyi said, curiously sizing up Lu Ye as if she had discovered a new continent.

"Nonsense!"

Lu Ye's face darkened as he reached out to pinch Yiyi's cheek, squeezing it firmly.

"Hmm, it feels better than before."

Lu Ye wondered if, by continuing to cultivate in this way, Yiyi could become indistinguishable from a living person. Although she now looked no different from anyone else, no matter what, she was still just a Spiritual Body.

Being pinched by Lu Ye, Yiyi couldn't escape and could only cry for help, "Sister Hua Ci, save me!"

Hua Ci, who came out of the house upon hearing the noise, slapped away Lu Ye's hand and protected Yiyi behind her, "Why are you always bullying the child?"

Yiyi peeked out from behind Hua Ci, stuck her tongue out at Lu Ye, and wore a triumphant expression as if to say, someone's got my back.

She then said to Hua Ci, "Sister Hua Ci, I said Lu Ye got paler, and he didn't believe me. Look, isn't it true?"

Hua Ci took a serious look at Lu Ye, and under his nervous and uneasy gaze, she said, "Your blood Qi is much more vigorous, with a healthy glow to your face. It looks like you have good fortune coming..."

She then glanced at Amber, "Amber too. Is the effect of Heaven's Augury's reward so obvious?"

"If it weren't obvious, why would those 9th Heaven cultivators still linger on the Spirit Stream battlefield? So, you should go challenge the Spirit Stream Ranking."

"Can I defeat you and claim the top spot?"

Lu Ye suddenly realized, "You sure have great ambitions! But to defeat me, I'm afraid you'll never have the chance."

With the Talent Tree, he was immune to all poisons, making Hua Ci's most powerful method ineffective against him, so naturally, she couldn't defeat him.

Only then did Lu Ye understand that Hua Ci's reason for not challenging the Ranking was because he currently held the top spot of the Spirit Stream Ranking. Her aspirations, like her generosity, were grand, aiming for the first place on the Spirit Stream Ranking.

If that were the case, she would definitely wait until he ascended to Cloud River before making her challenge.

Lu Ye could imagine the scene when that time came...

He felt sorry for the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators.

As it stood, his occupation of the top spot on the Spirit Stream Ranking with 8th Heaven cultivation already humiliated the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, but if Hua Ci were to rank first as a healing cultivator, not only would it be a disgrace to the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators, but the Haotian Alliance would also lose face...

When has a healing cultivator ever appeared in the top fifty of the Spirit Stream Ranking?

Lu Ye had no doubt that Hua Ci had the strength to take the top spot on the Spirit Stream Ranking, as she now had the qualifications to challenge the top thirty.

With both body and psyche enhanced, he needed some time to adjust. Once Hua Ci and Yiyi left, Lu Ye simply took out the Boulder Mountain Saber and practiced his Single Flash Saber Technique.

After swinging the saber once, Lu Ye felt the difference. It wasn't just the increased power of that single strike, but more importantly, his chest didn't hurt anymore.

It must be known that he had been pierced through the chest by a spear from Szi Guang. Although he recovered quickly with Hua Ci's treatment, Hua Ci was still of low cultivation at the moment. Even if she did her best, there were still some lingering issues at the site of Lu Ye's injury.

Previously, every time he practiced the Single Flash technique, there was a painful sensation in his chest.