Chapter 36: The Limit of the Divine Pill

Deep within the snowy cavern, Lin Fan and his companions traversed the frigid, winding corridors until they finally emerged into an open space.

There was no snow here, only a secluded pool. Growing in the center of those frigid waters were two bright yellow spirit herbs. Lin Fan and the others stood at the edge of the pool, their eyes locked intently upon the pair of herbs. These plants seemed unlike any medicinal herbs Lin Fan had ever seen; they radiated a faint, ethereal glow, as if they were the brightest stars in the night sky.

"Is this the Void Pellet Transformation Grass?" Lin Fan asked. His voice echoed clearly through the vast, empty cavern.

"Indeed," Gu Ningyun replied with certainty, her eyes shimmering with excitement that she could not mask. "This is the legendary grass that grants a Divine Pellet Realm martial artist the chance to break through to the Yuan Mansion Realm."

Lin Fan approached slowly. The two herbs stood independently, their leaves shaped in curious spirals, each one appearing as if carved from pure gold, exuding an extraordinary aura.

"There are two stalks. You shall take one, and the other should go to Han Feng," Lin Fan said. "He is already at the limit of the Divine Pellet Realm. If he consumes this, there is a very high probability he will step into the Yuan Mansion Realm. With two Yuan Mansion powerhouses guarding the team, the road ahead will be much smoother."

Han Feng. Before Lin Fan had joined, he was the second-strongest warrior in the group, second only to Gu Ningyun, and a loyal follower of hers. Furthermore, he was upright, generous, and held in high esteem by the entire team. It was the consensus that he should be the one to consume the herb. As for Lin Fan taking the other, no one questioned it. Had it not been for Lin Fan’s strategy, they likely would have perished at the hands of Huo Shan. The group felt nothing but boundless gratitude toward him. Energy bracelets could be replenished, but if life were lost, everything would truly be gone.

As the spirit herb came into his possession, a wisp of its medicinal essence seeped into Lin Fan’s bracelet, causing the color of the cyan band to deepen. It would likely require many more herbs of this caliber to shift it into blue.

"Let us find a place to rest and recuperate. Huo Shan suffered a great loss this time and will certainly not let it go. We must reach our peak before he recovers. Han Feng, yours is the most important task. I hope that in half a month, you will stand before us with the cultivation of the Yuan Mansion Realm."

Hearing Gu Ningyun’s admonition, the righteous-looking Han Feng nodded solemnly. He swept his gaze across the group, cupped his hands, and declared, "I shall not let you down!"

...

"A pity, still a hair’s breadth away!"

Time flew by, and over half a month passed. Lin Fan awoke from his meditation and sensed the surging spiritual power within him. He sighed softly; this period of seclusion had brought his cultivation to the limit of the Divine Pellet Realm, yet he remained just a step away from the Yuan Mansion Realm. It was the same level of power he had reached before entering the Divine Abyss Secret Realm.

However, back then, he had not yet practiced the Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art, and the density of his spiritual energy was far weaker than it was now. Had he not been part of a team, he would have seized this opportunity to remain in seclusion until he broke through. But he had others waiting for his return. One must lose some things to gain others; while he had not ascended to the Yuan Mansion, he had gained a loyal band of comrades.

"With my current cultivation, I should be able to hold my own against a Yuan Mansion expert," Lin Fan thought, rising to his feet. The disappointment vanished in an instant, and a satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "This region is teeming with seventh-rank spirit beasts. I wonder if I might encounter one that possesses beast fire. If I can refine a source of beast fire, I will have no rivals below the Divine Soul Realm!"

The Heaven-Burning Qi Refining Art relied on smelting the world’s myriad fires to nourish oneself. Lin Fan had never forgotten his mission to collect beast fires, and since arriving at this assessment site, he had been constantly hoping to encounter a beast that carried one. Sadly, after a month, he had yet to hear of any such creature.

Stepping out of his cultivation chamber, Lin Fan found the others already gathered, as if waiting for him.

"You’ve finished your seclusion," Gu Ningyun said, her gaze landing on him with a smile. "Not bad, you’ve reached the limit of the Divine Pellet Realm. I thought you might insist on forcing a breakthrough to the Yuan Mansion Realm."

Lin Fan shook his head. "Cultivation requires things to happen naturally. Given my foundation, forcing a breakthrough to the Yuan Mansion Realm would have caused quite a few complications."

"Indeed. I meant to tell you that before you went into seclusion, but I trusted that your mindset would lead you to that realization. It seems I was not wrong about you."

Lin Fan smiled without further explanation. In truth, his foundation was robust enough to risk the breakthrough, but he did not wish to keep the others waiting too long. It was just as well; by consolidating his current cultivation, his foundation would be even more secure, and he would not waste much time when the true moment for breakthrough arrived.

"Brother Lin Fan!"

It was Han Feng. The former second-in-command of the squad had successfully broken through to the Yuan Mansion Realm. However, his aura was somewhat unstable, likely due to a lack of time to consolidate his new power.

What surprised Lin Fan was that Han Feng’s demeanor seemed to have changed. He had once been honest, simple, and upright; now, he felt like a sharp sword, his edge fully exposed.

"Is this the confidence brought by power?" Lin Fan wondered, feeling a slight sense of unease. Fortunately, the man remained respectful when greeting him.

"Brother Han Feng, congratulations!" Lin Fan replied with a salute. He turned his gaze toward the others, noticing that the colors of their bracelets had changed significantly. The bracelets that had been drained by Huo Shan and reduced to their original white had reached a bright yellow, with faint green starlight flickering within—a clear sign they were on the verge of turning green.

"During your seclusion, I led them to hunt many spirit beasts nearby," Gu Ningyun explained. "After Han Feng finished his breakthrough, we intercepted several seventh-rank beasts. That is how we managed to raise their bracelets to this level."

Lin Fan nodded. The energy contribution from seventh-rank spirit beasts was indeed substantial; in a sense, they were the primary source for fueling the bracelets.

"Where to now?" Lin Fan asked, patting the small head of Gu Ningxiang before turning to Gu Ningyun.

Gu Ningyun licked her lips, her beautiful eyes shimmering with intensity. "News arrived from the west two days ago. A ruin has appeared—rumored to be the final resting place of a Divine Soul powerhouse. Are you interested in taking a look?"

The final resting place of a Divine Soul powerhouse?

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Fan’s eyes. He had learned much about Divine Soul experts during this time. He knew that when such a powerhouse passed away naturally, their soul would form a "Spiritual Essence." If an ordinary cultivator could refine this essence, it would be of immense help in condensing their own divine soul in the future. Some called this the "knocker on the door" to the Divine Soul Realm, while others called it a "direct ticket." In short, refining such an essence meant a seventy percent chance of stepping into the Divine Soul Realm.

"I am definitely interested!"