Yu Nanqing summoned his Ice Profound Sword, which was one of his lifebound treasures. As he flew into the center of the field, a flash of white radiance erupted, and a white flood dragon immediately joined the fray. Now, two flood dragons—one black and one white—were locked in a fierce struggle against five golden dragons.
Yu Nanqing’s intervention significantly eased the pressure on Bai Fenghua. The latter had truly been struggling; no matter how much spiritual power he channeled, the crushing weight of his opponent's technique remained constant—neither increasing nor decreasing, yet always overwhelming.
Wandering Immortal Bugui parted his hands, and the shadows of the Wind-Returning Blade in the sky instantly split into two groups. Three golden dragons lunged toward Bai Fenghua’s black dragon, while the other two flew toward Yu Nanqing’s white dragon. The two sides became inextricably entangled in combat.
From time to time, the Wandering Immortal offered pointers, providing Li Xue and the other onlookers with profound insights.
Watching from the sidelines, Bai Ruihua felt an itch to join in. He released his magic treasure, the Black Accumulation Ring, and prepared to enter the fray. Wandering Immortal Bugui shouted to them, "All of you, come at me together! Today, I’ll play with you to your hearts' content!"
Seeing Bai Ruihua join, the Wandering Immortal unhurriedly summoned another, slightly superior high-grade flying sword: the Fire Cloud Sword. The Wind-Returning Blade was, after all, just an ordinary flying sword; having fought the Abyss-Lurking Sword and the Ice Profound Sword for so long, it had already reached its limit.
The Fire Cloud Sword was several grades better than its predecessor. The moment it was summoned, a crimson glow filled the horizon, illuminating the entire sky.
At this, Fairy Hongwei could no longer restrain herself. Seeing how effortlessly Wandering Immortal Bugui commanded two magic treasures with such ease, she summoned her Fire Phoenix Hairpin and charged toward the Fire Cloud Sword.
The moment the Fire Cloud Sword appeared, Bai Ruihua felt a mountain of pressure crashing down on him, leaving him momentarily breathless. The addition of the Fire Phoenix Hairpin allowed him to breathe a little easier.
A phoenix’s cry echoed through the sky as a massive firebird spread its wings and dove toward the Fire Cloud Sword. Simultaneously, a dragon’s roar resounded as a fire dragon spiraled to evade the bird, exhaling a plume of fiery mist toward the Black Accumulation Ring. Bai Ruihua immediately pinched a hand seal, and a black shield appeared in mid-air, blocking most of the mist.
Li Yuhong’s Ice-Spike Jade Slip also joined the battle, sending a white flood dragon to attack the fire dragon. Above the outskirts of the city, the air was filled with the cries of dragons and phoenixes. Red, black, white, and golden lights clashed in a dazzling display, enveloping the sky in a strange and wondrous brilliance.
Li Xue and the others watched from within the protection of God-Monarch Fengchi’s defensive treasure, the Phoenix Wave Shield. Had they not been shielded, they would have certainly been caught in the aftershocks of such a close-range battle. The cultivators who had come out from the city to watch the spectacle hovered at a distance. This breathtaking display of magical prowess—especially a multi-person duel—was the most exciting event since the start of the competition, and everyone watched with rapt attention.
When Wandering Immortal Bugui sensed a powerful expert teleporting toward them, the corners of his mouth curled slightly. He performed a hand seal, and both the Wind-Returning Blade and the Fire Cloud Sword erupted with brilliant light, knocking back the five opponents' flying swords. Simultaneously, he ceased his offensive and recalled both blades.
Bai Fenghua and the other four also withdrew their swords. They were still surging with adrenaline, their hearts pounding. Although they had exhausted seventy to eighty percent of their spiritual power, the fight had been incredibly satisfying. They felt a lingering sense of regret that the Wandering Immortal had stopped.
"Haha, Fellow Daoist Bugui, please forgive the intrusion! I hope I haven't interrupted your guidance of the juniors," God-Monarch Yuan’an said with a cupped-hand salute. He was one of the ten God-Monarchs of the Yuanshi Sect responsible for overseeing this assembly.
"Fellow Daoist Yuan’an is too polite," Wandering Immortal Bugui replied. He then turned to Li Xue and the others. "You lot should head back first."
After bowing to the three God-Monarchs, the group flew back into the city.
Upon returning to the guest courtyard, Li Yuhong, Bai Ruihua, and the other Nascent Soul cultivators immediately went into secluded meditation. During the duel, Wandering Immortal Bugui had offered various pointers that had benefited them immensely. They intended to race against time to comprehend these insights, hoping to achieve a breakthrough during the assembly.
Li Xue returned to the Dream Realm and began to meditate to regulate her breath. After watching countless magical duels, she had gained her own realizations. she began to cultivate, circulating the Snow Dance Divine Art and the Divine Breath Clarity Art. During her trials in the Chaotic Star Sector, Li Xue had already reached the Great Perfection of the mid-Golden Core stage. As she resumed her cultivation, signs of an imminent breakthrough quickly appeared. She took out a high-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill and swallowed it. Under the tempering of her spiritual power, the Golden Core in her dantian grew larger and larger until it reached full maturity.
In the spirit fields of the Dream Realm, Li Lin was tending to spiritual herbs. He had long ago reached the Great Perfection of the late Golden Core stage and was only waiting to refine a Nascent Soul Pill before entering seclusion to charge for the Nascent Soul stage. The aptitude of a Heavenly Spiritual Root provided an absolute advantage before the Nascent Soul stage; the speed of cultivation was incredibly fast.
Suddenly, the aura of the entire Dream Realm began to circulate at high speed. Li Lin closed his eyes to sense it and could clearly feel the five-element spiritual energy gradually increasing. He opened his eyes and looked toward the Snow Whisper Cottage with a smile. Was his mother about to break through to the late Golden Core stage? That was wonderful!
Yun Xi flew down from the cliff and landed before Li Lin, asking excitedly, "Xiao Lin, is the Mistress about to break through?"
"Mhm!" Li Lin nodded, unable to hide his joy, his usual coldness replaced by a warm expression.
Yun Xi smiled as she looked toward the cottage. She could sense the change, but her perception wasn't as deep as Li Lin’s, who was the master of the Dream Realm.
Ten days later, Li Xue emerged from the Snow Whisper Cottage and looked at the scene before her in surprise. The Dream Realm had doubled in size again. The lake had extended outward, the forest had expanded, and even the cliff had grown larger, with the faint silhouette of a mountain peak now visible. So, the master’s advancement could also cause the Dream Realm to expand? But why hadn't there been such a significant change when Xiao Lin advanced? Li Xue found it strange.
"Mistress, you possess the Five Spiritual Roots. Expansion only occurs when all five types of spiritual energy reach a certain level," Black Yan explained from the side.
"Then why did it expand when Xiao Yin advanced? She is only the essence of the wood attribute," Li Xue asked, still somewhat puzzled.
"Xiao Yin’s advancement was a coincidence. The other attributes had already reached a certain level, and with the purity of the wood essence being sufficient, the forest appeared," Black Yan added.
Dongfang Jing, standing nearby, asked, "Does that mean we just need essences of different attributes?"
Black Yan replied, "Only spiritual entities like Xiao Yin will work. Oh, and that Earth Essence also counts as a type of earth spiritual entity."
At this, everyone understood. It seemed they would need to pay more attention to such information during future travels to help the Dream Realm grow. The Dream Realm had already become their home.
Afterward, everyone came forward to congratulate Li Xue on reaching the late Golden Core stage. Li Xue was very happy; she was now one step closer to the Nascent Soul stage.
The second round of the spell competition had begun. The Nascent Soul cultivators who made it to this round were all masters of combat, and the competition was exceptionally fierce.
When God-Monarch Fengchi saw that Li Xue had broken through to the late Golden Core stage in just a few days, he was secretly shocked. He marveled that the woman he had set his sights on was truly extraordinary. To advance so quickly with a Five Spiritual Root aptitude made him hold her in even higher regard. He found himself unable to let her go, yet he dared not act rashly.
"Is this an alchemy furnace?" Li Xue looked at the magic treasure Fengchi handed her. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a furnace.
"Yes, this is the Spirit Heart Furnace. It is an ultra-high-grade furnace and also a lifebound treasure that I obtained during my travels in my younger years," Fengchi explained.
Li Xue swallowed hard. She had wanted to replace her furnace for a long time. As an alchemist, she had been sharing the Purple Sun Tripod with Li Lin since arriving on Planet Goldstar; her old Purple Smoke Furnace had long been obsolete. However, she hadn't been able to find a suitable one. After reaching the Golden Core stage, the best furnaces were lifebound treasures that could grow with the user’s advancement. Such a furnace would be much easier to handle and would significantly increase the success rate of pill production.
