Joe Di asked the two to wait above, then he jumped down.
As soon as he landed beside the azure plant, Joe Di immediately sensed the dense spiritual energy swirling around it. This energy was different from the rest of the area, as if it could cleanse one's mind.
Especially those small blossoms—their aura made one feel even more comfortable.
Joe Di directly picked two blossoms and handed them to Frank Pang and Tyler He, then said, "These flowers are extraordinary. Take them directly and cultivate up here. I'll go back down to train."
Frank Pang and Tyler He both practiced martial arts, while Joe Di cultivated the Dao and required more spiritual energy. The pit was richer in energy, so Joe Di let the two of them cultivate above.
"This must be something good. As soon as I got it, I felt my internal energy surge," Tyler He said excitedly.
"It feels a bit wasteful to just eat it directly, but we don't have a better way, so let's try it for now. And remember to turn off your locator. If I don't come up, don't disturb my cultivation down there," Joe Di reminded them before heading back to the pit bottom.
...
Celestia was already suitable for cultivation, but this pit was the most concentrated area of spiritual energy on the planet.
After Joe Di returned to the pit bottom to cultivate, he truly realized how much better training here was compared to Earth.
As energy circulated through his body, Joe Di felt spiritual power flow like water into every meridian, repeatedly washing away impurities and condensing true essence.
After half a day, even though Joe Di felt his cultivation rising rapidly, he still picked a blossom and placed it in his mouth.
Without the blossom, it wouldn't have taken long for him to reach the fifth level of Qi Refinement. Eager to improve faster, Joe Di decided to use a blossom.
After swallowing the blossom, it felt like a gentle, warm current spread through him. In that moment, not only did his cultivation speed multiply, but his understanding of the Dao also deepened greatly.
During cultivation, time seemed to slip by unnoticed.
Joe Di still couldn't go without food completely, but absorbing spiritual energy during cultivation eased his hunger significantly. Still, after several days without eating, he felt quite hungry.
Yet in this state of cultivation, hunger was easily forgotten.
When he reached the peak of the fourth Qi Refinement level, he faced almost no obstacles and broke through to the fifth level. After advancing, Joe Di could still sense the spiritual energy and essence from the Azure Spirit Blossom within him, merging with the energy he absorbed and continuously boosting his cultivation.
...
"Ha..." In just three days, Tyler He had advanced from the early Profound Stage to the mid Profound Stage. He couldn't help but laugh out loud. Fortunately, he quickly realized he shouldn't make noise, lest he disturb Frank Pang and Joe Di's cultivation.
He glanced at Frank Pang, who was cultivating on the other side of the pit, suppressed his excitement, grabbed a piece of dry bread, and continued to train.
After consuming the Azure Spirit Blossom, he advanced to the mid Profound Stage, feeling he'd only used a tenth of the blossom's essence.
...
Frank Pang sat on the other side of the pit; with Tyler He and Joe Di, the three formed a straight line.
At this moment, he was even more excited than Tyler He. He didn't eat the blossom right away, but first drank the other medicinal liquid Joe Di had given him.
Thanks to that bottle of medicine, it took him only two and a half days to advance from late Yellow Stage to the early Profound Stage.
Having just reached the Profound Stage, Frank Pang, like Tyler He, wanted to roar in celebration. Thankfully, he remembered Joe Di's warning not to disturb others' cultivation and restrained himself, then swallowed the Azure Spirit Blossom.
Frank Pang immediately sensed the extraordinary power of the Azure Spirit Blossom, and his cultivation soared.
The three of them cultivated here, completely forgetting about the passage of time.
Frank Pang and Tyler He occasionally ate something, while Joe Di relied solely on spiritual energy without eating at all.
...
At the First Base Camp of Celestia Martial Academy, Wu Cheng's expression was grim.
Today was their twelfth day on Celestia, two days past the agreed time. Only forty-one Elite Class students had returned.
Elite Class Five and Elite Class Six had a total of sixty-one students, but now only forty-one had come back. That meant twenty were still missing.
Of those twenty missing, Wu Cheng had only found two locators—nothing else. It seemed the law of the jungle came at too high a price.
Wu Cheng knew very well that if his methods were reported back to Earth, he'd be cursed as a tyrant and a brute by countless people. Their scorn alone could drown him.
"Dean Wu, we've lost too many people this time." Wang Chuan, who was at the late Earth Stage, had also encountered a fiend beast and only escaped with Yu Jie after being injured.
It wasn't unheard of for students to be lost during academy trials, but those were always special circumstances. This time, it was Wu Cheng's decision to enforce the law of the jungle.
Wu Cheng took a deep breath and said slowly, "If humanity from Earth wants to grow strong here, we must go through a period of bloodshed. Let that process begin with us."
Yu Jie's hair was a mess. Though this wasn't her first trial, this time she sensed that Celestia had changed dramatically. Some powerful fiend beasts had entered the Earth Federation's designated safe zone.
What made her feel even more guilty was that Frank Pang hadn't returned. Though his cultivation was average, he was warm-hearted and didn't have the arrogance of other Elite Class students. If she could do it over, she would have taken time to escort Frank Pang to the base before leaving.
Wu Cheng looked at the many battered Elite Class students with a stern face. Deep down, he had no regrets about his decision.
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In just a dozen days, these students had changed completely from when they first arrived. Now, they all carried a fierce aura of aspiring to be strong. Two half-step Earth Stage students had even broken through to Earth Stage. Wu Cheng believed that if the trials continued, these students would eventually become the backbone protecting Earth.
Even if only ten remained, those ten would be the hope for the future.
"Students, I believe you've all had your own experiences these past days. I also trust you've learned a lot—things I can't fully explain myself."
Wu Cheng pointed toward the depths of Celestia, his tone heavy. "Before, there were hardly any powerful fiend beasts inside the red line—maybe one or two passing by. Now, I believe you've all seen them. This means the time when these beasts will attack Celestia Plaza is close, and Earth doesn't have many true experts. I won't say more; just remember, Earth is in extreme danger. We won't wait for the others—continue your trials, and gather at the second base in ten days."
...
Crack! Joe Di heard a faint sound from his sea of consciousness, and immediately sensed it expanding again. At the same time, his cultivation broke through the fifth level of Qi Refinement and entered the sixth.
Joe Di extended his divine sense, enveloping a radius of a thousand meters.
With his divine sense, Joe Di saw that Frank Pang and Tyler He had stopped cultivating and were excitedly talking. Joe Di leapt up and landed on the edge of the pit.
"Brother Joe, you finally came up! How did you get so skinny?" Frank Pang admired Joe Di so much that calling him 'Brother Joe' felt natural.
Tyler He was just as excited as Frank Pang. He still couldn't believe how quickly his strength had grown in just twenty days.
"Frank Pang, have you and Tyler He reached about the same level? What stage are you at?" Joe Di could tell at a glance that both had made huge progress and their strength was now similar.
All the Elite Class members were geniuses, but before, they'd never had outside help. With the Azure Spirit Blossom, both men's cultivation leaped forward.
"We're both at half-step Earth Stage now—just one step away from truly reaching Earth Stage," Frank Pang replied, his eyes shining.
If his cultivation wasn't solidly at half-step Earth Stage, he'd think he was dreaming. His greatest fortune was meeting Joe Di; it was thanks to him that he advanced so quickly.
"This guy's a monster—he went from late Yellow Stage to half-step Earth Stage in just twenty-two days, and now his strength is almost the same as mine," Tyler He said, calling Frank Pang a monster, though deep down he was proud of himself too.
"Actually, Tyler He and I reached half-step Earth Stage after fifteen days, but then we stopped making progress, so we just stopped cultivating," Frank Pang said, scratching his head and grinning.
"It's been more than twenty days?" Joe Di was surprised that his brief closed-door cultivation had lasted that long. Relying solely on spiritual energy for twenty days, it was no wonder he'd lost weight.
"Go ahead and turn on your locator." Joe Di didn't take out his own locator, since he had no intention of returning.
Hearing Joe Di's permission, Frank Pang quickly took out his locator and turned it on. Tyler He didn't have one, so he watched Frank Pang's.
"Dean Wu sent more than a dozen urgent notifications, telling us to return immediately. The last message said to meet at the second base. Tyler He and I still want to stick with you," Frank Pang said, looking up at Joe Di.
Tyler He looked at Joe Di with the same eagerness; clearly, the two had already discussed it.
......