Chu Feng circulated his Mystic Art within the Essence Pool, and his aura began to surge rapidly. Energy infused with Spiritual Energy, Yuan Force, and Mystic Force continuously poured into his body, absorbed by him.
Under this torrential flood of energy, not long after breaking through to Yuan Martial Eighth Level, Chu Feng felt another opportunity for breakthrough. He pressed forward without hesitation and successfully stepped into Yuan Martial Ninth Level.
At this moment, Chu Feng was beyond ecstatic. The Essence Pool was truly incredible—at this rate, he felt that reaching the Xuan Martial Realm was entirely within reach.
However, just moments after entering Yuan Martial Ninth Level, Chu Feng helplessly realized that the once-torrential energy was dwindling. In the end, he couldn't feel even a trace of it anymore.
"Hm?" Chu Feng opened his eyes and extended his Mental Power outward. He discovered that the energy in the Essence Pool hadn't actually diminished—it was just as abundant as before. So why couldn't he absorb it anymore?
"You kid, there seems to be something special about your body," the Dragon Daoist said from the edge of the pool. In his deep gaze, there flickered a hint of shock.
"Ancestor, what do you mean by that?"
Chu Feng was both surprised and puzzled. What shocked him was that the Dragon Daoist could actually perceive the uniqueness of his body; what confused him was that the energy in the Essence Pool was clearly still there—so why couldn't he absorb it?
"This Essence Pool is very special. Although the energy within it is abundant, there is a limit to how much one person can absorb."
"Under normal circumstances, as long as a person has decent comprehension, the energy provided by this Essence Pool is enough to raise them from Spirit Martial First Level all the way to the peak of Xuan Martial."
"Of course, depending on each person's talent, the time required varies—some may take decades, while others might only need a few years, or even less."
"You, kid, are obviously the fastest I've ever seen at absorbing this pool's energy. So fast, in fact, that in a single instant, you devoured energy that would normally take others years, even decades to absorb."
"This terrifying method of devouring isn't merely a matter of talent. Even if you had cultivated a demonic art, it still wouldn't be possible. Which means your body is something extraordinary—so special that it can automatically devour the purest energy for its own use. Am I right?" The Dragon Daoist smiled as he analyzed the situation.
"What you say is correct, Ancestor. My body is indeed somewhat special. As long as I have abundant resources at my disposal, my cultivation can increase at extreme speed. That's the reason I was able to break through to this level in just one year."
"However, the higher my cultivation grows, the more terrifying the resources I need become. Just as you described—I devoured in an instant what would take others decades to absorb, and what I absorbed was extremely pure."
"Yet the energy that would let others reach the peak of Xuan Martial only managed to raise me from Yuan Martial Seventh Level to Ninth Level." This time, Chu Feng no longer kept it hidden, acknowledging the truth of his special constitution.
First, before the Dragon Daoist, it was truly difficult to conceal anything—the other party's experience was far too vast, and very little could escape his notice.
Furthermore, since the Dragon Daoist was willing to help him increase his cultivation, Chu Feng was secretly hoping that the Ancestor's mighty cultivation might allow him to produce even more powerful cultivation resources within the Emperor's Burial. If so, that would be even better.
"Everything has its pros and cons. On the path of martial cultivation, the greatest pitfall is seeking quick gains. Relying solely on devouring Yuan Medicines, Mystic Medicines, and other cultivation resources to boost your power can indeed raise your cultivation dramatically in a short time, but breaking through future bottlenecks becomes much harder."
"You, however, are not bound by this limitation. You can freely devour cultivation resources to increase your power without any adverse effects—this is an advantage others do not possess."
"That said, to raise your cultivation, you must pay a far greater price than ordinary people. That is the downside. Whether this special trait is a blessing or a curse—that is entirely up to you to decide," the Dragon Daoist said with a smile.
"I understand." Chu Feng nodded, for he had grasped the deeper meaning behind the Dragon Daoist's words.
He was telling Chu Feng that this unique constitution could be either a good thing or a bad thing, and which it was depended entirely on Chu Feng himself. In other words, it came down to Chu Feng's own ability. The implication was clear—the Dragon Daoist would no longer provide cultivation resources to help him. If Chu Feng wanted to increase his power, he would have to rely on himself.
"Chu Feng, as a Spirit World Master, aren't you curious about how I managed to survive after becoming a spiritual consciousness?" the Dragon Daoist suddenly asked with a smile.
"Your powers are vast, Ancestor. Surely you must have had some special means to ensure your eternal preservation," Chu Feng replied respectfully.
"Haha, eternal preservation? You think too highly of me. On the path of martial cultivation, reaching a certain realm does indeed allow one to seize life from the heavens and extend one's lifespan."
"However, that benefit only comes after reaching the Martial Sovereign realm, and the lifespan gained differs depending on each person's talent."
"Under normal circumstances, a Martial Sovereign can live a hundred years longer than an ordinary person—easily. But unfortunately, I never reached that realm. And even if I had, two hundred years have long since passed. I should have turned to dust long ago."
"But Chu Feng, you are correct about one thing—I do possess special means that allow me to persist after death. To be precise, it's all thanks to a treasure I found within the Emperor's Burial."
The Dragon Daoist smiled faintly and continued walking deeper into the great hall. Seeing this, Chu Feng quickly followed. After walking for five thousand meters, a crystal coffin appeared before them, enveloped in a soft, ethereal glow. Inside lay a corpse.
And the face of that corpse was identical to the Dragon Daoist standing beside Chu Feng—except this one was a physical body, not a spiritual consciousness. After a thousand years, the Dragon Daoist's remains were perfectly preserved.
"Chu Feng, look—the pearl in his hand! That pearl is what kept his corpse from decaying and his spiritual consciousness from dissipating," Eggy reminded him.
At that moment, Chu Feng also noticed that in the Dragon Daoist's hand was a pearl roughly the size of an egg, and the ethereal glow surrounding the crystal coffin was emanating from that very pearl.
"This treasure, although it couldn't save my life within the Emperor's Burial, has kept my corpse intact and my spiritual consciousness undying after death. Truly a wondrous artifact."
"But no matter how miraculous a treasure may be, it cannot defy heaven. So in another hundred years, my spiritual consciousness will weaken and my body will decay. Even with special means to delay the process, I would merely be clinging to a few remaining moments."
"That is why, Chu Feng, the real reason I brought you here is because I have a favor to ask of you." Suddenly, a look of earnest pleading appeared in the Dragon Daoist's eyes as he turned to Chu Feng.