Cultivation Begins with Skill Points-Chapter 170: Let’s Call It a Spirit Stone for Now

"Such vast and pure power, what is this thing?"

Zhong Lin’s eyes were fixed intensely on the jade in his hand, full of shock.

As the True Qi circulated, a trace of pure energy flowed out of the jade, immediately absorbed by his True Qi without the need for refinement. In just a short moment, all the True Qi expended in the recent battle was restored, with a slight improvement even.

This is simply like a portable charger!

Upon closer inspection, nothing special was discovered. From the outside, it just looked like an ordinary piece of jade, but the energy it contained was impossible to ignore.

"It feels similar to the spirit stones from cultivation novels in the past life, yet this is clearly just a Martial Arts World, with no legends of immortality!"

Zhong Lin felt increasingly unfamiliar with this world; first, there was something akin to an inner core found within the Two-headed Mutant Beast, and now there’s a treasure similar to a spirit stone. If he wasn’t certain there were no legends of "immortals" in this world, Zhong Lin might have doubted his own understanding.

"There’s another possibility."

Zhong Lin glanced at the Black Iron Ring he always carried with him, which contained a remnant soul, a legendary old master.

"In the cultivation novels of the past life, there is a scenario where cultivators live isolated from the masses, unknown to the world. Only those with great fortune could encounter fortuitous opportunities and transcend mortal ties to tread the path of immortality. So is it possible this place is like that?"

"Furthermore, according to some miscellaneous records within the Sword Cauldron Sect, the land beneath our feet is surrounded by sea, vast and expansive, such that an ordinary person couldn’t traverse it in a lifetime. But if it truly is a cultivation world, then by the ’cliché’ setting of cultivation novels, isn’t the land beneath us just an island?"

Zhong Lin’s mind kept whirling with ideas, though his daydreams were not unfounded given the coincidental existence of these things resembling inner cores and spirit stones.

He shook his head vigorously to clear away these absurd thoughts.

"To find the answer, I must start with the remnant soul within this Black Iron Ring. It’s close, very close. Now that the Heavenly Essence Fruit has been picked, I can start refining the Breakthrough Pill upon returning. With this elixir’s power, I can break through the First Grade Realm in one fell swoop and achieve the Grandmaster Realm. Then I can study the remnant soul within the Black Iron Ring." Zhong Lin mused to himself.

The Grandmaster Realm is already the limit of Martial Arts. Only by reaching the Grandmaster Realm would Zhong Lin have the confidence to face the unknown entity that is the remnant soul.

After some searching, Zhong Lin found a total of eleven spirit stones at the bottom of the pond... hmm, let’s call them spirit stones for now!

These spirit stones varied in size, with the largest being like the one in Zhong Lin’s hand and the smallest only the size of a fingernail, each varying in the amount of energy they contained.

Removing his only pair of briefs, he wrapped the spirit stones with them, preparing to return to shore.

Suddenly, his heart wavered, and a look of struggle flashed across his face.

These spirit stones were very valuable. Zhong Lin was confident that, by harnessing the power contained within, he could quickly advance himself to the peak of the First Grade Realm, and then use the Breakthrough Pill to surpass into the Grandmaster Realm.

Even Master Yin Daoyan could benefit from their power, and Zhong Lin was willing to share, as Yin Daoyan had treated him extremely well, even exceptionally well.

Zhong Lin mainly worried that Master Yin Daoyan was too straightforward or, rather, too loyal to the sect, and might report the existence of the spirit stones to them, leading to the sect’s coercive demands to hand them over, as they were undoubtedly too precious.

Zhong Lin’s gratitude was towards Yin Daoyan, and he didn’t feel that strong a connection to the sect these days, so he naturally prioritized himself when it came to such valuable items.

Hiding them was impossible as they were too conspicuous. After all, Zhong Lin only came down wearing a pair of shorts, and taking these out, others weren’t blind.

Zhong Lin didn’t have the option of leaving them here to retrieve later. Apart from taking months to come and go, once he left, returning to the sect to refine the Breakthrough Pill would consume a lot of time, not to mention the many pressing matters in between, making it too troublesome to retrieve them later.

Of course, Zhong Lin could choose not to tell the truth, simply claiming they were ordinary jade stones, and Yin Daoyan probably wouldn’t question much.

But...

"Forget it, Master has been incredibly gracious to me. What should be said must be said. At worst, I’ll just walk slower on the way back, using these spirit stones to elevate my cultivation to the perfection of the First Grade, then after breaking through with the Breakthrough Pill, let’s see who dares to take my things. I’ll beat them until they shit themselves." freewēbnoveℓ.com

Having thought this, Zhong Lin no longer hesitated and sprang out of the Cold Pond like a fish swimming swiftly.

"Zhong Lin, are you okay?"

Seeing Zhong Lin emerging from the Cold Pond, Yin Daoyan quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The worry on his face faded away, and his gaze settled on Zhong Lin’s bare body, full of amusement.

"Not bad, not bad, the endowment is quite generous, not inferior to your master."

Zhong Lin: "..."

Since when did Master start behaving like an old rascal?

Ignoring Master’s teasing, Zhong Lin threw the spirit stones onto the ground with a splash, then put his briefs back on.

As True Qi coursed through him, a mist of Water Qi rose from his body, drying everything, including his briefs, instantly. Picking up the clothes from the side, Zhong Lin put them on and finally exhaled with relief.

Even in front of his master, being naked in front of another man was still a bit embarrassing.

"Master, I found some good stuff under the pond."

"These jade stones?"

"Yes."

Zhong Lin picked one up and handed it to Yin Daoyan, "Master, try circulating your inner breath."

Although puzzled, Yin Daoyan followed the instructions and gave it a try.

The next moment, Yin Daoyan exclaimed in shock, "This... the power in this jade is so strong, what is it?"

"Master hasn’t seen it before either?"

Zhong Lin had hoped that Yin Daoyan, with his wide experience, might know something, but it seemed he was disappointed.

"I’ve never heard of it. I get it, the energy in this jade must have seeped into the pond, nurturing two Heavenly Essence Fruits. It’s a treasure!"

Yin Daoyan’s eyes burned brightly, fixated on the jade in his hand.

"Not only that, Master, didn’t you notice the energy within the spirit stone is extremely precise? You can directly absorb it without refinement, enhancing your inner breath, and increasing your cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Yin Daoyan tried it immediately and, upon confirming it, was even more excited.

"Good stuff, you call it spirit stone? Fitting name indeed, who would’ve thought there were such treasures in the world, truly a diverse world brimming with wonders!" Yin Daoyan laughed heartily.

Zhong Lin pondered momentarily before speaking, "Master, can we not tell the sect about the spirit stones for now?"

Yin Daoyan looked at Zhong Lin, then laughed and slapped the back of Zhong Lin’s head, scolding playfully, "You sly boy, you think your master is that rigid? Such treasures should be kept for ourselves first."