Chapter One Hundred and Four: A Frightening Pace of Cultivation

“Your disciple?” Xiaming said in confusion. “How could he possibly be your disciple?”

The three old men gave embarrassed smiles. “We all took a liking to this young man, but none of us would yield, so...”

Xiaming said, “Since you have spoken, let us leave it at that.”

Master Mo feared that Li Jiansan might stir up some fresh trouble, so he lowered his voice and said into his ear:

“This youngster is no ordinary man. He is from the imperial capital. If this blows up, it will do you no good. By then, even the three of us old fellows may not be able to protect you.”

Li Jiansan asked in a low voice, “What exactly is that boy’s background? Even you old men are being so courteous to him?”

“To be honest, I do not know the details. But he was sent over by the Spirit Array Masters’ Guild. Word is, his origins are anything but simple.”

“He is going to the Elixir Vault with us too?”

Master Mo nodded. “Yes.”

“So keep a lid on it.”

“All right, all right, I understand.”

Li Jiansan paused. “Could he be the destined son of the imperial capital?”

Even the three old men did not know his background, and Li Jiansan could not help becoming curious about Xiaming’s identity.

The Elixir Vault lay in the deepest part of the Alchemists’ Guild. Powerful members of noble houses stood guard all around it. Not to mention outsiders, even alchemists of the guild could not hope to come within a single step of it.

The three old men led Li Jiansan, Xiaming, and the other disciples who had obtained the chance to cultivate to the front of the Elixir Vault.

These people were the finest young alchemists of their generation. In the future, they would become the pillars of the Alchemists’ Guild.

Everyone around them looked on with eager hope, wishing that they might reap great gains from the Elixir Vault.

The Elixir Vault opened once every three years. Each time, the alchemists who cultivated within it underwent a transformation of one degree or another.

Some gained alchemical insight and soared to prominence.

Others obtained tremendous strength and advanced by leaps and bounds...

“That is...”

Li Jiansan suddenly stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on the Elixir Vault.

There stood a colossal statue, entirely crimson in color. Its lifelike eyes seemed to sweep coldly across the entire place.

“All right, this is the Elixir Vault.”

Master Mo looked at the disciples around him.

“Inside are the formations left behind by our ancestors. They not only prevent the spiritual energy within the vault from leaking out, but they also carry immense pressure.”

“The spiritual energy at the center of the Elixir Vault is the most abundant, but likewise, the pressure there is the most terrifying.”

Master Mo paused, then continued:

“So how much you can improve depends entirely on how much pressure you can withstand.”

“All right, hurry in. You have twelve hours to cultivate inside.”

With that, Master Mo said no more and issued a solemn command.

At his words, the disciples who had qualified for the Elixir Vault stepped forward one after another and entered it.

Buzz.

The moment Li Jiansan took his first step into the Elixir Vault, his expression changed at once.

The surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy shifted abruptly. Li Jiansan could clearly feel that the spiritual energy beside him had become dense to a terrifying degree.

The spiritual energy here was more than ten times denser than outside.

Li Jiansan did not even need to deliberately cultivate; the spiritual energy around him was already pouring into his body endlessly.

“I never expected the spiritual energy in the Elixir Vault to be this rich. This really is a treasured land for cultivation. No wonder so many people would fight tooth and nail for a place here.”

Li Jiansan silently praised it.

Moreover, the medicinal power drifting out here was an extremely pure force, far more effective than swallowing elixirs by far.

Li Jiansan turned back to look. Just beyond the vault entrance, only a single step away, the density of heaven and earth spiritual energy was vastly different.

At that moment, Master Mo outside the vault said sternly:

“Listen well. Under no circumstances are you to rush toward the center of the Elixir Vault for the sake of cultivation. The pressure there is extremely intense. Even we may not be able to withstand it.”

“If you go too close, you may put your life in danger!”

After Master Mo finished speaking, some of the disciples inside the vault had already sat down cross-legged and begun cultivating on their own.

The rest continued forward. The nearer they drew to the center of the Elixir Vault, the greater the pressure they endured.

But at the same time, the spiritual energy became denser and denser, and their cultivation speed increased accordingly.

After a short while, the remaining disciples also stopped.

Only Li Jiansan and Xiaming continued onward.

Seeing this, the people around them could not help but stare:

“One is from the imperial capital, the other is the Little Elixir King. Both are geniuses.”

“Each one is a ruthless character. To keep moving forward under pressure of this degree is truly incredible.”

Li Jiansan walked for a while before slowly stopping.

Xiaming passed by him with a cold laugh. “Heh, is that all you have? Are you already finished here?”

Li Jiansan ignored him, sat down directly, and began cultivating.

Xiaming snorted and continued on, but after five steps, sweat began to bead on his forehead, and he, too, stopped in his tracks...

By now, everyone within the Elixir Vault had some distance between them, just enough that their cultivation would not interfere with one another, nor would anyone steal the spiritual energy beside another, affecting their practice.

After sitting down, Li Jiansan began to circulate the Heaven-Devouring Art and cultivate.

This terrifying technique, even at just its first level, granted him astonishing cultivation speed.

At this moment, inside the Elixir Vault, it was the perfect method to use.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Once Li Jiansan unleashed the Heaven-Devouring Art, the terrifying devouring force within his body drew in the surrounding spiritual energy like a stormy sea surging skyward.

Under such horrifying absorption, Li Jiansan could clearly feel the spiritual power within him rising at a shocking pace.

Buzz...

Not only that, but not long after Li Jiansan began circulating the Heaven-Devouring Art, the heaven and earth spiritual energy around him was drained clean in an instant.

Then the nearby spiritual energy continuously rushed in to replenish it, forming a tremendous flow of power that startled the cultivating disciples awake one after another.

“What is going on? Why did so much of the heaven and earth spiritual energy vanish all at once?”

“Yes, I felt it too just now while cultivating. The spiritual power around us was swept away in an instant.”

“Can spiritual energy in a sect just disappear like that?”

“Don’t make it sound so eerie. Could it be that someone’s talent is so monstrous that he devoured all the spiritual energy here at once?”

At those words, everyone’s expressions changed, and they were left dumbfounded.

“Then who do you think possesses such terrifying talent, to have consumed the spiritual energy here so quickly?”

Their gazes could not help but fall on Li Jiansan. Just as they were about to show looks of shock, someone suddenly said:

“Wait a moment. Xiaming was the last one to begin cultivating. It seems that when he started cultivating, the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy was swept away.”

After that person spoke, everyone turned their eyes to Xiaming, their faces unable to hide expressions of disbelief...