When Earth Awakened, I Became a Sword Saintess

Chapter 63 : Seeking Spirit

63: Seeking Spirit

Yuyin walked over to the middle-aged man, who was still unconscious. The terrifying aura that had been emanating from him had completely vanished.

"He's just an ordinary person now. How did the Fierce Ghost control him?"

If Yuyin's memory served her right, when the eight Fierce Ghosts carried her to this world, they should have been in their physical forms, not spirit bodies. Yet, people still couldn't see them... So why did the lead Fierce Ghost appear before her as a spirit body after they left?

"Perhaps coming here in his physical form requires too great a cost, and it was unnecessary just to warn me?"

"Regardless, the Ghost King must have a way to exert a substantial influence on this world."

Yuyin scanned the unconscious man from top to bottom. Aside from the injury she had inflicted, there was nothing unusual about him. She used the tip of her shoe to roll the man over.

"Hmm?"

Something fell out from inside the man's shirt.

It was a small, strange clay figurine.

Yuyin observed it carefully and picked up the clay figurine. A wave of gloomy, moderate Primordial Power washed over her. The figurine seemed to want to attach itself to the skin on her chest, but Yuyin's Primordial Energy was now quite strong, and she easily suppressed the power. The figurine was helpless against her.

This strange clay figurine had a simple, primitive form, somewhat like an artifact from the ruins of the Grand River Basin five or six thousand years ago, but it emanated a dangerous Primordial Power.

"It seems the Fierce Ghost likely possessed him through this ancient artifact... In that case, this man might just be an innocent person?"

Yuyin wrapped the clay figurine in a piece of cloth and tucked it into her bag. She changed back into the clothes she had worn for the climb up the mountain. Of course, she didn't change her underwear; she hadn't brought a spare.

Underwear is close-fitting. Having absorbed Yuyin's Primordial Energy and Spirit Water, it was no longer ordinary fabric. When met with a strong impact or tearing, the Primordial Energy on the surface of Yuyin's body protected her own body and, by extension, her underwear. Furthermore, for a woman, exposing her body is as damaging as being injured, so a woman's subconscious circulation of Primordial Energy naturally provides stronger protection for these areas. As for outer clothes, they are relatively less important and not in direct contact with the skin, so they don't receive as much protection.

Seeing that the man's injuries, while serious, were not life-threatening, Yuyin packed up her tent, went down the mountain to report to the police, and then drove away.

It was already four in the morning. Driving on the deserted highway, Yuyin thought about many things.

She had really wanted to say to the Fierce Ghost's face that she would wait for the Ghost King on the dueling ring, but she held back. Right now, she was still far from having the strength to directly oppose the Ghost King. Although Yuyin guessed that this three-year agreement likely meant the Ghost King didn't have the power to take her away before then. Otherwise, why not just carry her to the Ghost King's domain? Why leave her here? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?

But just in case, Yuyin had held back, silently carving those words into her heart.

Yuyin didn't dislike being a woman, but she would never be a woman who meekly submitted to a domineering power!

She would absolutely never become the Ghost King's woman!

"To say no now would only be for a moment of gratification. Besides causing unnecessary trouble, it would be useless. The key is to be able to truly say no to the Ghost King in two and a half years!"

The sports car sped through the night on the empty road. Streetlights continuously swept past the windows. The look in Yuyin's eyes was resolute.

The lead Fierce Ghost was just a spirit body projection, yet the pressure it exerted was immense. The strength of its physical form was probably far greater than that of terrifying masters like Zhang Henglong or Mr. Du. So how powerful was the Ghost King...?

Yuyin didn't know. With her current level of knowledge, she couldn't judge.

Two and a half years. That wasn't a long time.

"I must seize every opportunity to enhance my strength. This time, after entering the Lingdu Source Martial Academy, I must devote myself wholeheartedly to cultivation! Even if others say you'll regret not dating in college... I have no time to think about those things."

Besides, she was a girl now, and she would absolutely never accept a man. So, who would she date?

Yuyin slammed on the accelerator. The 911's headlights were dazzling, its engine roaring as it sped toward the gradually awakening Lingdu.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

On top of Dianshan Mountain, amidst the barking of dogs, the middle-aged man painfully blinked his eyes and slowly woke up. He sat up, his face blank.

"I... why am I here?" His last memory was still stuck in the rundown apartment, peeking through the crack in the door at the tall, beautiful girl across the hall...

Suddenly, a blinding flashlight shone in his face.

"That's him! The escaped convict."

"Take him down!"

Several police officers swarmed him, forcing him to the ground.

"Cuff him!"

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

After returning home, Yuyin stored the clay figurine safely.

Then she entered the God-Devouring Chess space. She wanted to see if there would be any changes after her breakthrough.

"What?"

As soon as she entered that celestial, spirit-rich realm of mountains and seas, she immediately noticed that the Primordial Energy value in the lower-left corner had disappeared.

In its place were several golden words.

"Spirit-Seeking Realm: New Stage"

"What's going on? Why can't I see my Primordial Energy value?" Yuyin could clearly feel that her Primordial Energy was as abundant as before. Although the Spirit Water was only a tenth of what it was, its power was several times greater than when it had been overflowing before the breakthrough.

Just as Yuyin was puzzled, the ancient female will spoke: "You have successfully broken through to the Spirit-Seeking Realm. A new chessboard world is about to open..."

"Spirit-Seeking Realm? What does that mean?"

"The Spirit-Seeking Realm is the first great realm for a mortal who has embarked on the path of postnatal cultivation to cross the threshold into becoming a true cultivator," the female will explained.

"I see... Then what about my Primordial Energy value?" Yuyin asked, concerned.

"In the Spirit-Seeking Realm: New Stage, the Primordial Energy and Spirit Water within the body are far more refined than before, and their power has increased dramatically. The key to cultivation will no longer be the accumulation of Primordial Energy, but the cultivation of the realm itself. When one cultivates with the same secret method to advance by a major or minor realm, the multiplier increase in Primordial Energy is the same."

"Therefore, the God-Devouring Chess space will no longer record the total amount of Primordial Energy. The higher the realm, the more refined the Primordial Energy, and the greater its total amount. Because you broke through with a Primordial Energy value far exceeding that of an ordinary cultivator, your Primordial Energy base is also larger than that of an ordinary cultivator. Consequently, every time you advance by a minor realm or break through to a major realm in the future, the increase in your total Primordial Energy will also be much greater than that of an ordinary cultivator."

"I see... is that so?"

Yuyin asked in sudden realization, "So does that mean, for example, if someone breaks through with a Primordial Energy value of 180, and after breaking through to a major realm with a certain secret method, it triples, their Primordial Energy value would be 540. But if someone uses the same secret method to break through with a Primordial Energy value of 300, their value after the breakthrough would be 900? The larger the base, the wider the gap becomes after multiplication?"

"That is correct," the female will said.

Yuyin thought about the secret method she had used for her breakthrough, which was optimized. The amplification effect of her breakthrough was likely better than those of lower-level secret methods. Add to that her higher base value, and the difference would be immense. Just comparing total energy, Yuyin estimated that she was at least twice as strong as an ordinary newly-advanced Source Martial Practitioner.

"So, can I also understand it this way: before breaking through to Source Martial Practitioner, everyone's Primordial Energy purity was more or less the same, so a higher Primordial Energy value basically meant greater strength. But after breaking through, advancing the realm not only increases the amount of Primordial Energy but also substantially enhances its quality. At that point, looking at the Primordial Energy value alone can no longer accurately reflect one's strength. The gap in realm has a much greater impact on power. And among ordinary cultivators of the same realm, the difference in their Primordial Energy values is not that large. That's why the Primordial Energy value is no longer displayed, replaced by the realm. Is that correct?" Yuyin summarized and asked, based on the female will's words.

"Correct. Of course, it is not an absolute rule," the female will said.