Chapter 183 - Bitter Cultivation   The two rested after they finished their meal and woke up when dawn was approaching.

“URGGGGGH! That felt great!” Li Wuyou stretched his waist, he was refreshed. He had recovered from yesterday’s fatigue and his injuries had also gotten much better.

“Here, that’s for you.” Lin Yun handed two jade pendants over to Li Wuyou when he woke up. The jade pendants flickered with four stars. They belonged to the seeded candidates.

“Did a kindhearted person leave it behind?” Li Wuyou chuckled.

“That’s right.” Lin Yun smiled. He knew that Li Wuyou was using Elder Bai Ting’s joke.

“So, how am I going to use it?” asked Li Wuyou.

“Crush it and bring it near your jade pendant. It will absorb the stars from the two jade pendants. My jade pendant has already reached nine stars.”

Li Wuyou’s eyes lit up and he did as Lin Yun said, allowing the stars in his jade pendant to grow into nine stars. He laughed, “Snatching from others seems to be much faster than hunting demonic beasts.”

Then, Lin Yun took out a white pellet and looked at Li Wuyou, “Do you need this?”

“What is it?” asked Li Wuyou.

“A strengthened version of the Xiantian Pellet,” replied Lin Yun.

Spreading his hands out, Li Wuyou smiled, “Thanks, but I’ve never used any pellets since I started cultivating. It’s taboo for me to use them before reaching the Profound Martial Realm. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to enjoy it.

Lin Yun couldn’t help being surprised when he heard that. Li Wuyou had never consumed any pellets? That… was really weird. Pellets were the basic resources for cultivation, and everyone needed it regardless of their identity. But Li Wuyou reached the sixth stage of the Xiantian Realm without taking any pellets?

“You don’t have to be so surprised by it. This is a requirement of the cultivation technique that I’m practicing, the Astral Star Art. We can’t allow our physical bodies to be tainted by pellets. But it’ll be fine after reaching the Profound Martial Realm. At that time, my cultivation will soar leaps and bounds with the help of pellets.” Li Wuyou wasn’t surprised by Lin Yun’s doubts.

“But won’t your cultivation be slowed down?” asked Lin Yun.

“Well, there are pros and cons to it. It doesn’t matter if my aptitude is powerful enough. Sects like the Sword Firmament Sect don’t place much importance on cultivation. Even a fifth orifice like yourself could become a seeded candidate, while many Profound Martial Realm geniuses weren’t even considered.” Li Wuyou smiled.

“I noticed that and I found it pretty strange,” replied Lin Yun. Li Wuyou wore a smug and explained, “Cultivating is something that burns resources. You can start cultivating as long as you have a good background. Big Brother Lin, how long has it been since you started cultivating?”

“Two years,” said Lin Yun. But the time would be shorter if he had to remove the time he was a sword slave.

“Hehe, doesn’t everything make sense to you now? Someone like Wang Yan has been cultivating since the age of six. He spent more than a decade reaching the seventh stage of the Xiantian Realm. But reaching the Profound Martial Realm required comprehension and accumulation. He can’t make a breakthrough by relying on resources alone.” Li Wuyou paused briefly and continued, “But it’s a whole different story with the Profound Breaking Pellet. I’m guessing that Wang Ning had relied on the Profound Breaking Pellet. So why would the Sword Firmament Pavilion hold him in high regards?”

“There’s actually such a magical pellet?” asked Lin Yun.

“Don’t underestimate the foundation of those clans. But not all of them will use the Profound Breaking Pellet. Reaching the Profound Martial Realm is the same as your body undergoing a transformation. The whole process is just like a butterfly breaking from its cocoon and the effects will be decreased if you’re using external help.”

Lin Yun looked at Li Wuyou. He felt that Li Wuyou wasn’t as simple as he looked. He must have some background. “Wait, you can’t consume pellets because the Astral Star Art requires your physical body to be untainted, right?”

“Yeah, only in the Xiantian Realm,” replied Li Wuyou.

“Then you might be able to take this one,” said Lin Yun, looking at the white pellet in his palm. The Xiantian Pellet had been re-refined by him without any impurities in it. So it could be directly absorbed by the cultivation technique.

“Are you serious?” Li Wuyou’s eyes lit up, albeit he had some doubts.

“Yeah, think it through.” Lin Yun handed the pellet over to Li Wuyou, but he didn’t continue to persuade Li Wuyou. This white pellet was precious to him as it consumed a lot of his spiritual energy just to refine one.

Over the past three days, he had only managed to refine ten of them without any rest. It was so bad that he looked haggard after finishing. So if Li Wuyou wasn’t willing to take it, it would be great for him to save one.

Swallowing a white Xiantian Pellet, Lin Yun sat down and closed his eyes. He wanted to make use of this time to refine the pellet to improve his cultivation. Wang Ning was right on his tail and just coming out alive would be a problem. Lin Yun wanted to make use of any opportunity he could to improve his cultivation. He had to reach the sixth stage of the Xiantian Realm as soon as possible to shorten his gap with the Profound Martial Realm.

When the pellet sank into the Iris Flower, pure medicinal energy was released as Lin Yun circulated the Iris Sword Sutra, allowing his cultivation to rise at a visible rate. In just two hours, Lin Yun had refined three white Xiantian Pellets and his aura had grown much stronger. He was even coming in contact with the threshold of the sixth orifice.

“What a powerful pellet!” Li Wuyou was shocked when he watched Lin Yun’s cultivation improving at a visible rate. Just a moment ago, Lin Yun was in the fifth orifice, but now, in just two hours, he was already reaching the sixth orifice. All he used were three pellets. This cultivation speed left Li Wuyou flabbergasted.

As Li Wuyou played with the white pellet in his hand, he noticed the small outline beneath the pellet. “Is this the Iris Flower? Wait… this isn’t a flower… it looks more like…” Li Wuyou contemplated the outline of the Iris Flower before suddenly making his decision.

“Big brother, you can’t lie to me… otherwise, my Astral Star Art will be finished…” Li Wuyou’s face showed a trace of anxiety before he shut his eyes and swallowed the pellet down. When the pellet traveled down his throat and into his stomach, his face was instantly covered with ecstasy. There was a star map in his Dantian, with three bright stars. Every single star had many other smaller stars and together they formed a galaxy.

The three galaxies were like a pair of fiery pupils in the massive star map. When the white pellet reached his Dantian, the medicinal energy began to release violently as he circulated the Astral Star Aart in his body. In that instant, many stars lit up under the medicinal energy from the pellet.

“Such a pill actually exists in the world?!” Li Wuyou rejoiced. He no longer hesitated and started circulating the Astral Star Art frantically.

On the other hand, Lin Yun had finished refining six pellets. When he opened his eyes, there was a flicker in his pupils. At the same time, he also emitted a powerful aura. He had finally made a breakthrough after being stuck in the fifth orifice for two months. He had now unlocked the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, and feet orifices. Now, he was only left with the heart orifice. Letting out a long breath, Lin Yun balled his hands into fists, sensing the violent spiritual energy coursing through his body.

“My spiritual energy grew five times more refined after unlocking another orifice… But this doesn’t seem enough for me to fight with Profound Martial Realm cultivators.” Lin Yun sighed. He didn’t have much joy on his face.

Although he wouldn’t have any trouble dealing with someone like Wang Ning, who reached the Profound Martial Realm by relying on the Profound Breaking Pellet, the odds of him winning wasn’t high against other Profound Martial Realm geniuses. What Li Wuyou said had greatly shocked his heart. Those people had been cultivating for years and he was still lacking, despite his sturdy foundation.

“So he ultimately took it.” Lin Yun smiled when he saw Li Wuyou cultivating. Li Wuyou was emitting a faint astral radiance. His body was like a piece of jade and he looked stunning. It was a sign that he had no impurities in his body. Through his eyes, Lin Yun could see a star map revolving in Li Wuyou’s Dantian. “His Astral Star Art must be related to his Martial Soul.”

Swissssssh!

The astral radiance returned to Li Wuyou’s body. When Li Wuyou opened his eyes, they were brimming with excitement as he exclaimed, “OH MY GOD! I nearly unlocked the heart orifice! A pellet like that exists in the world?!”

When he saw Lin Yun looking at him with a smile, Li Wuyou couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Rubbing his hands together, he walked up and asked, “Big brother, do you have a few more for me?”

A few more? Lin Yun rolled his eyes and stood up on his feet, “Stop dreaming. I only have three more, but I don’t mind giving you one if I’m in a good mood.”

“Don’t…” Li Wuyou started kissing up to Lin Yun.