The blue pool, once blocked by the formation, could now be clearly scanned with divine sense. Both Golden Core cultivators, as well as Melody Qin and Sprout, gazed at the pool with longing.
Joe Di swept his divine sense over the pool, confirming there was no problem before speaking, "I suspect taking the water itself won't be of much use. Let's seize the time to cultivate here."
Finishing his words, Joe Di was the first to step into the pool. A bone-chilling cold seeped through him—even Joe Di could feel the icy water.
After the initial cold, an intense surge of spiritual energy followed. At this moment, neither the two Golden Core cultivators nor Melody Qin cared about the biting chill. They frantically absorbed the spiritual source within the blue pool and began cultivating.
Joe Di couldn't help but admire Melody Qin's talent. After only a few cycles, he noticed she had reached the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment. Moreover, her cultivation progress was almost immediately perceptible.
Not only Melody Qin, but Chong Xun and the other Golden Core sixth-layer cultivator were also rapidly advancing in their cultivation.
Joe Di was secretly amazed. He wondered what the spiritual source in this blue pool was made of to have such astonishing effects.
Sprout, having reattached his severed arm, was also frantically absorbing the spiritual energy within the pool. While Sprout normally absorbed spirit stones slowly, when it came to the blue pool's spiritual source, Joe Di could clearly sense Sprout's cultivation aura rising swiftly.
Even the beetle hiding on Joe Di's shoulder leaped toward the blue pool.
Joe Di did not cultivate. Instead, he collected the formation flags and restored the pool's protective array, then began walking toward the opposite side of the pool.
Both Golden Core cultivators and Melody Qin were immersed in frenzied cultivation—Joe Di couldn't be bothered to wake them. He also understood that everyone had tacitly agreed to let him claim whatever treasure lay on the other side.
The deeper Joe Di walked, the denser the spiritual source became. At the same time, he could feel the pool water growing colder and colder.
Joe Di kept tossing out array flags, carving out a path through the blue pool.
About an hour later, Joe Di finally saw the opposite shore of the pool. A fist-sized blue pearl hovered above the edge.
Joe Di swept it with his divine sense—the biting cold emanated from within the blue pearl.
This was definitely a treasure. Joe Di raised his hand to grab the pearl, but the moment he reached out, he sensed fluctuations in the rules. The pearl didn't simply float in midair; a natural grand array surrounded it.
If he tried to take the pearl without disabling the protective array, even his hand might be shredded.
Joe Di simply sat beneath the pearl, letting his divine sense slowly seep into the protective array around the blue pearl. He began to carefully study the spatial array surrounding it.
Time passed slowly as Joe Di became completely absorbed in the study of the spatial formation.
The arrays he had set up before were all traceable—at the very least, his array flags had to be placed in specific positions and triggered with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
The spatial array surrounding the pearl had no discernible traces—Joe Di saw no array flags, no array base, no array core...
But Joe Di was certain the spatial protective array existed. The World Tome's opening stated that all matter composing the universe is tangible. If you can't perceive its form, it's only because your perspective is too limited and your strength insufficient.
Once your strength is sufficient, you can sense the dimensions within space—then you can tear through space at will and traverse from one realm to another.
......
Outside the blue pool, three Golden Core cultivators watched Joe Di and the others disappear into the pool, their expressions grim.
"Brother Huang Ping, are we just going to wait here for nothing?" One of the remaining three cupped his fists toward the Golden Core seventh-layer cultivator, sounding anxious.
Huang Ping was the Golden Core seventh-layer cultivator who had previously negotiated with Joe Di. After Joe Di refused him, he didn't dare make a move and could only wait here.
Hearing his companion's words, Huang Ping withdrew his gaze from the blue pool and said, "There's fierce activity outside—clearly, many people are attacking the Spatial Severance Array at the valley entrance. No matter how strong that array is, it can't withstand a crowd's assault. Wei Kai was right earlier; we can't just wait here, or we'll have come for nothing. But the spatial array above the blue pool definitely isn't something we can cross. If we're careless, we'll die here..."
"Brother Huang, Brother Wei, do you think they didn't cross above the pool, but went through it instead?" The Golden Core fourth-layer cultivator suddenly asked; his cultivation was the lowest among the three.
Huang Ping's eyes lit up at this, and he exclaimed excitedly, "That's right! Why must we fly over the pool? We can walk through it! The protective array outside the pool seems different from the one above it. If we join forces, I refuse to believe we can't break this array."
Sometimes the truth is just a hair's breadth away—once someone points it out, it's no longer mysterious.
The three Golden Core cultivators attacked the blue pool together. Though it wasn't as easy as it was for Joe Di, after a little over an hour, the pool's edge cracked with a sharp sound, and a surge of intense spiritual energy burst forth.
"What a place!" All three ignored everything else and nearly leapt into the blue pool simultaneously.
The pool's dense spiritual source left them no room for hesitation—they sat down at once and began frenzied cultivation.
All around the pool were restrictive seals and various protective arrays. Melody Qin and the other Golden Core cultivators were cultivating in the blue pool, but none could see each other.
As for Joe Di, he had already reached the opposite shore. Unless they fought their way through, no one would see where he was.
Cultivating in the pool could almost guarantee a breakthrough within a short time. Only a fool would waste such an opportunity running around instead of cultivating.
Even if there were more treasures on the opposite shore, at best they'd only help raise cultivation. Since they could advance right here in the pool, why bother wasting time competing with that ruthless Joe Di?
.......
It was now the fifth day since they'd entered the pool. Sprout's arm had fully healed, and for the first time, he felt cultivation was so smooth—he was just a step away from reaching the third tier. At this moment, his only thought was to break through; once he did, even encountering Golden Core cultivators wouldn't mean he'd be so easily captured.
Melody Qin had a master at the late Soul Ancestor stage, and Trueblade Sect was one of the Northern Domain's top sects. In terms of cultivation resources, Melody Qin lacked nothing.
But now she truly understood that having abundant resources didn't mean her cultivation could always progress. No matter how great her talent, cultivating with ordinary spirit stones and pills was nothing compared to cultivating in the blue pool.
As soon as she entered the blue pool, she broke through to Foundation Stage Four. Now, after five days of cultivation, she had reached Foundation Stage Six.
If she told anyone she'd gone from Foundation Stage Three to Foundation Stage Six in just five days, no one would believe her.
At the same time, Melody Qin was well aware that she wasn't the only one making progress. That cultivator named Chong Xun had an aura fluctuation so strong it was clear he'd also advanced a tier.
Melody Qin wasn't about to waste a single opportunity—she absorbed the spiritual source with even greater intensity, cultivating as if this chance might only come once in a lifetime.
......
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Dozens of spatial wind blades blasted out of the natural grand array, once again claiming the lives of more than ten people.
Yet the other cultivators kept relentlessly attacking the Spatial Severance Array blocking the valley. Everyone knew there was a top-tier treasure on the other side. Besides, word had spread that eight people had already made it through the array.
"Crack!" With the attacks of nearly two hundred people, the Spatial Severance Array finally emitted a sharp cracking sound.
"The grand array is about to break—everyone, keep pushing! Once we break through, I can go claim the best treasure!" shouted a latecomer Golden Core eighth-layer cultivator.
When this Golden Core eighth-layer cultivator arrived, both the six Golden Core cultivators escorting Sprout and Joe Di had already crossed over.
As a Golden Core eighth-layer cultivator—one of the highest-ranked in Skyveil—he couldn't bear the thought of missing out on the best treasures. He immediately rallied all the cultivators present to attack the Spatial Severance Array.
After several days of effort, the Spatial Severance Array finally began to crack.
Even without his urging, everyone knew the Spatial Severance Array was about to be shattered.
Nearly two hundred magic treasures blasted the array at once. Though dozens more spatial wind blades erupted, killing several more, the combined effort finally broke the array.
Nearly two hundred people surged forward, madly rushing toward the blue-glowing cavern ahead.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)