txolops Chapter 61 Reaching a Bottleneck
Chapter 61 Reaching a Bottleneck
"It came without any effort..."
Aside from the simulation, Zhou Qing was in a good mood.
His main purpose in plotting to steal the essence of the Blood Sea True Man was to obtain the Core Formation chapter of the "Mountain and Sea Manual".
As for this person's vast memories, that's secondary.
After all, the Core Formation chapter is related to Zhou Qing's path of cultivation and serves as a guide for further advancement in the future.
So far, Zhou Qing has not seen any martial arts technique that is stronger than the "Mountain and Sea Manual".
This ancient mountain and sea lineage cultivation method has many benefits, except that it is a bit difficult to cultivate.
Unless absolutely necessary, Zhou Qing was unwilling to give up and switch to other cultivation methods.
As Zhou Qing had anticipated, even if he successfully obtained the Blood Sea True Man's essence, he was unsure whether he could acquire the Core Formation chapter of the "Mountain and Sea Manual".
Even if a Core Formation stage cultivator only has a wisp of soul left, it is not something a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator like him can search for.
Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to search a soul, they might be caught by the true spirit and suffer severe damage at the level of divine consciousness.
Without searching the soul, how could Zhou Qing expect the Blood Sea Immortal's spirit to truthfully reveal the Core Formation chapter of the "Mountain and Sea Manual"? Even if the other party dared to say it, Zhou Qing dared not easily believe it.
If a large pit is left inside, Zhou Qing would probably have to waste a simulation opportunity to correct it.
But now, having obtained the Mountain and Sea Sect's "Mountain and Sea Manual" and many other inheritances from the Mountain and Sea Secret Realm itself, Zhou Qing finally felt a little relieved.
Collecting his thoughts, Zhou Qing continued to look at the ever-changing illusory characters.
You gaze at the jade in your hand, your face lost in thought.
[The jade not only records many of the Mountain and Sea Sect's traditions, but also the whole story.]
[Back then, the sect leader of the Mountain and Sea Sect fought a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator and was severely injured, which is how Blood Sea True Person managed to pick up the pieces.]
Even so, the Sect Master of the Mountain and Sea Sect used the third-order grand formation left in the secret realm to forcibly obliterate the Blood Sea True Person's physical body and golden core.
[In the end, due to the recurrence of his injuries, he did not have time to personally annihilate the essence of the Blood Sea Immortal, so he could only seal it within the Mountain and Sea Ring, intending to slowly wear it down with the help of the power of the secret realm's grand formation and time.]
"So that's how it is..."
You sighed inwardly.
The sect leader of the Mountain and Sea Sect knew he was about to pass away, and that most of the sect's disciples had been slaughtered by True Man Blood Sea.
[They can only leave behind many of their own family's traditions, hoping that future cultivators will acquire them, as they are unwilling to see the Mountain and Sea Sect's heritage completely severed.]
"Something must have gone wrong in the middle, or perhaps Blood Sea Immortal had some other backup plan that shattered half of the statue that sealed the Blood Sea Ring..."
You can probably guess what will happen next.
"It's a pity that the female cultivator wasn't mentioned..."
[According to the information you gathered, the reason why the two brothers, Blood Sea Immortal and the Sect Master of the Mountain and Sea Sect, became enemies was because of a female cultivator.]
The jade stone left behind by the sect leader of the Mountain and Sea Sect did not contain any relevant information.
[The exploration of the hidden realm of mountains and seas proceeded in an orderly manner.]
Two months later, a Foundation Establishment cultivator finally arrived.
The Foundation Establishment level force closest to the Mountain and Sea Secret Realm is Wushan Market.
However, Ouyang Shen, the head of Wushan Market, suffered a significant drop in strength due to his failed breakthrough. Even though he already knew about the secret realm, he dared not come in person and only sent some Qi Refining stage cultivators from the Ouyang family to explore it.
[The Foundation Establishment level forces that are a little further away are all quite a distance from the Mountain and Sea Secret Realm, and the travel time is not short.]
[The back-and-forth of messages, coupled with various confirmations, resulted in the arrival of the first Foundation Establishment cultivator three months after the secret realm opened.]
"So it's Master Wang! I've heard so much about Master Wang!"
The Foundation Establishment cultivator who arrived was a burly man with a thick beard, at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment.
[Fourth level of Foundation Establishment, belonging to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, significantly stronger than the early-stage Foundation Establishment.]
However, the burly man with the thick beard dared not underestimate you in the slightest. You are not only a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but also a second-tier alchemist and a member of the Alchemy Hall of Azure Moon Immortal City.
"Fellow Daoist Gu," you greeted him as well.
The burly man with a thick beard was named Gu Zhuo, and he was the Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Gu family.
After exchanging pleasantries with you for a while, Gu Zhuo brought up the secret realm below.
After discussing with Gu Zhuo, you decided to send your respective Qi Refining stage cultivators to explore. As for the other rogue cultivators? They will still need to hand over 50% of the profits, which will be split equally between you and Gu Zhuo, both Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.
[As time passed, Foundation Establishment stage cultivators arrived one after another.]
The Foundation Establishment cultivators who arrived generally accepted your and Gu Zhuo's agreement to allow your Qi Refining subordinates to enter the secret realm for exploration.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators themselves can simply sit outside and wait for the harvest.
......
[In the twenty-first year, at the age of thirty-seven, you secretly sent Ye Feng to the merchant guild's stronghold in Wushan Market.]
You deliberately erased Ye Feng's memories before and after entering the secret realm.
For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, modifying or forging the memories of a lower-level cultivator might be very difficult.
However, erasing or destroying a memory, especially a recent one, is not difficult to achieve.
[In the twenty-second year, you are thirty-eight years old, and the exploration of the Mountain and Sea Mystery Realm has entered the middle and late stages.]
Based on the experience of the previous two simulations, the secret realm was basically drained by numerous cultivators by the fourth year after its emergence.
[In the twenty-third year, you are thirty-nine years old, and you have clearly noticed that the rewards from exploring the secret realms have significantly decreased.]
In the three years since the secret realm appeared, your cultivation has not been greatly affected. Your cultivation has mainly relied on the high frequency of consuming pills to make progress.
Even while stationed outside the secret realm, you can continuously consume elixirs to cultivate.
[In the twenty-fourth year, you are forty years old. After confirming that the secret realm has been basically emptied, you return to Biyue Immortal City and let You Rou lead the Merchant Guild to carry out the final cleanup work.]
[You also took stock of what you've gained over the past four years.]
[Leaving aside the many inheritances of the Mountain and Sea Sect for the time being, the total value of the spiritual herbs, materials, and magical artifacts harvested within the secret realm alone exceeds 150,000 spirit stones. If we add the 50% of the profits taken from the rogue cultivators, as well as the income from the sale of pills and magical artifacts, etc.]
[In the four years since this secret realm appeared, you have collected nearly 300,000 spirit stones.]
Even the entire fortune of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't reach this figure.
【The Mountain and Sea Secret Realm, although it is the old lair managed by the Mountain and Sea Sect, has long been wantonly destroyed by True Person Blood Sea】
[Furthermore, with the passage of hundreds of years, the medicinal properties of many precious ancient medicines have been severely diminished. Before the sect leader passed away, he took the most precious items with him... In reality, the amount of treasures and resources that can be left in the secret realm is lower than that of a normal Core Formation level power.]
In fact, the most valuable items in the Mountain and Sea Secret Realm are the Mountain and Sea Inheritance set and the Mountain and Sea Ring that you obtained.
[Having suddenly become rich, you start paying attention to Core Formation spiritual items, preparing for your future attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage.]
In the twenty-fifth year, at the age of forty-one, in addition to cultivating the "Mountain and Sea Manual," you began to cultivate many secret techniques passed down within the Mountain and Sea Sect.
[In the twenty-sixth year, you are forty-two years old, and your array formation skills have reached the middle grade of the first rank.]
Are you sure your talent in array formations is really just average?
In the twenty-seventh year, you are forty-three years old, and you vaguely sense that you are approaching the peak of the third level of Foundation Establishment.
[In the twenty-eighth year, you are forty-four years old and have already cultivated to the peak of the third level of Foundation Establishment.]
[In the twenty-ninth year, you are forty-five years old and still at the peak of the third level of Foundation Establishment.]
You haven't sensed any trend towards a breakthrough.
You continue your cultivation.
[In your thirtieth year, at forty-six years old, you still cannot reach the fourth level of Foundation Establishment.]
[You realize that you have encountered a hindrance in your cultivation path. The third to fourth levels of Foundation Establishment are the early to mid-stages of Foundation Establishment, and many Foundation Establishment cultivators encounter insurmountable bottlenecks here.]