Volume Two: Travels in the State of Qi - Chapter 159: Qualification

Upon arriving and taking a close look, Zhang Heng was quite astonished. This place resembled a sealed, massive iron egg. Aside from a small door at the entrance, the entire structure was completely enclosed without a single crack left open, seemingly out of fear that the spiritual energy within might leak out.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," all the soldiers knelt and saluted as the Emperor of Qi arrived.

"Rise," the Emperor of Qi waved his hand grandly.

Instantly, everyone stood back up.

"General Liu, open the door!" the Emperor of Qi commanded the leader of this place. The man addressed as General Liu was tall, imposing, and somewhat rugged in appearance, yet he possessed a formidable aura.

Although stationed here to guard the place, he was far from ordinary. He was the Grand Protector General of the Qi State, named Liu Tieshan, a cultivator at the ninth stage of the Void Return realm with immense strength.

Because the Imperial City Grand Tournament was underway and the palace gates were thrown wide open, a countless number of cultivators had flooded into the imperial palace in an instant. With so many people mingling about, the Emperor of Qi feared that someone might harbor malicious intentions toward the Immortal Spirit Spring, which was why he had dispatched Liu Tieshan to guard it.

Upon hearing the Emperor's command, Liu Tieshan retrieved a token from his bosom and inserted it into a seam in the iron door. The massive iron door let out a deep, rumbling sound before slowly swinging open.

Waving his long robes, the Emperor of Qi strode in first, closely followed by Wu Hong and Bai Chen. Next came Zhang Heng, followed by the representatives of the major sects.

Once everyone had stepped inside, the heavy door immediately sealed shut, as if anxious to prevent the internal spiritual energy from escaping.

Stepping into the interior of the giant iron egg, Zhang Heng instantly noticed the difference. Although it was a confined space, the air inside was surprisingly fresh. To put it another way, the spiritual energy contained within the air here was several times denser than that outside.

Upon first entering, the disciples of the various sects did not feel any particular awe, as their own sects were all established upon blessed lands of heaven and earth, and certain areas within their sects possessed spiritual energy even denser than this.

However, the further they walked inward, the more astonished they became, because the density of the spiritual energy increased with every step. The prominent figures from the major sects had visited this place before and thus remained unperturbed, but the younger cultivators had never witnessed such concentrated spiritual energy and began to exclaim in wonder.

At their current location, the spiritual energy was already over a dozen times denser than that outside, yet they had still not reached the very center. All the young disciples were filled with curiosity, eager to find out just how dense the spiritual energy at the deepest core truly was.

Following the Emperor of Qi, Wu Hong, and Bai Chen, the crowd continued walking deeper into the cavern.

Finally, they reached the center.

Ahead of them, a wide lake suddenly came into view. At the very center of the lake, spring water continuously bubbled upward, and the entire body of water constantly emitted a thick white mist—or rather, concentrated spiritual energy.

The density of the spiritual energy here was extremely high, easily reaching twenty times that of the outside world.

This, presumably, was the famed Immortal Spirit Spring.

Zhang Heng was dumbfounded. The Immortal Spirit Spring had been praised to the heavens by so many people and guarded by layers of heavy barriers, so he had expected something extraordinary. He never imagined it would simply be a fountain! At best, a fountain that emitted white mist.

While the concentration of spiritual energy here was indeed quite high, the spring water itself could not compare to the natural spiritual springs deep within the Dragon Burial Abyss, causing Zhang Heng's interest to wane instantly.

In contrast, the others wore expressions of great excitement, for even though their respective sects possessed many locations rich in spiritual energy, none of those places seemed quite as concentrated as this.

Was this the foundation of the Qi State as one of the Seven Ancient Kingdoms?

At this moment, the Emperor of Qi spoke: "Everyone, this is the Immortal Spirit Spring. The top eight finishers of this Imperial City Grand Tournament are all permitted to enter the spring to absorb spiritual energy for a time limit of one day. While the other disciples may not step into the spiritual spring itself, they may cultivate here in this area. As for the senior figures of your respective sects, you may cultivate freely or stand guard for your disciples."

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, many disciples immediately sat cross-legged to begin their cultivation. With spiritual energy so dense, naturally they were unwilling to waste a single moment.

Meanwhile, those who had secured a top-eight finish prepared to enter the spiritual spring for cultivation.

Right at that moment, a deep and resonant voice suddenly rang out. "Wait a moment."

Everyone looked around in confusion, searching for the source of the voice. To their surprise, it was Wu Fawutian, the master of the Heavenly Feather Manor. Although this man was only at the fifth stage of the Heavenly Origin realm, his combat prowess was by no means inferior to those at the sixth stage, making him a major expert among the crowd. What could he possibly mean by suddenly stepping forward to obstruct the process?

"Does Manor Master Wu have something on his mind?" the Emperor of Qi asked, equally puzzled.

"Your Majesty, I wouldn't dare presume to have ideas. However, I believe that my unworthy son, Wu Ba, though only at the eighth stage of the Nguyên Dan realm, is more than a match for ordinary practitioners at the ninth stage of the Nguyên Dan realm."

Saying this, Wu Fawutian paused for a moment.

Everyone knew he had more to say; he could not have halted the proceedings simply to boast about his son.

Wu Fawutian then continued, "Therefore, he is far more qualified to step into the Immortal Spirit Spring for cultivation than that rogue cultivator, Bu Jige."

At these words, everyone understood. Wu Fawutian was simply dissatisfied with the arrangement and was deliberately picking a fight.

Bu Jige felt a chill in his heart. Had the moment finally arrived?

In truth, he had anticipated this outcome long ago. He was merely a rogue cultivator with neither power nor backing, and his strength was not particularly impressive. Reaching the top eight was largely a matter of luck, so he had never truly expected to enter the Immortal Spirit Spring.

The Emperor of Qi narrowed his eyes and replied coldly, "Manor Master Wu, the young master's strength is plain for all to see. However, the rule that the top eight finishers of the Imperial City Grand Tournament earn the qualification to enter the Immortal Spirit Spring is a tradition handed down since ancient times, and the imperial family has always abided by it. Could it be that Manor Master Wu has an issue with the imperial family of Qi?"

As the ruler of a domain, the Emperor of Qi let his anger flare, causing an overwhelming pressure to wash over the crowd.

Yet Wu Fawutian was, after all, an expert at the fifth stage of силу Heavenly Origin realm; naturally, he was not intimidated by the Emperor of Qi and stubbornly stuck to his guns. "Your Majesty, rules are rigid, but people are flexible. I believe only the strong are truly qualified to enter the Immortal Spirit Spring. Why not let this Bu Jige spar with my son Wu Ba? Whoever wins gets to enter. How about that?"

The Emperor of Qi fell into contemplation as well.

To be fair, Wu Ba was indeed more qualified to enter the Immortal Spirit Spring than Bu Jige, given that everyone was well aware of Wu Ba's combat strength. If not for his own court of death in trying to target Zhang Heng, he likely would not have been eliminated so early.

As for Bu Jige, he was just a rogue cultivator whose advance into the top eight had relied heavily on luck.

Wu Fawutian seemed entirely dead set on this. It was hardly worth alienating a major sect purely for the sake of a rogue cultivator.

Left with little choice, the Emperor of Qi made a concession. "Manor Master Wu, you wish for Wu Ba to enter the Immortal Spirit Spring, and since everyone knows his strength, I will compromise. Let Wu Ba enter the Immortal Spirit Spring alongside those eight individuals. Would that satisfy you, Manor Master Wu?"

Ever since the exchange between the Emperor of Qi and Wu Fawutian, Bu Jige's heart had been lodged tightly in his throat.

The spiritual energy within the Immortal Spirit Spring was exceptionally abundant; cultivating inside for a single day would undoubtedly result in a massive surge in cultivation base. To say he wasn't tempted would be a lie, yet he was well aware of his own capabilities and had never dared to harbor extravagant hopes. It was only when the Emperor of Qi spoke those words that he finally let out a sigh of relief.

With the Emperor of Qi protecting him, he might actually make it inside after all.

The others also raised no objections to this resolution.

Yet, unexpectedly, Wu Fawutian remained unsatisfied. With a sarcastic tone, he remarked, "Your Majesty, the spiritual energy within the Immortal Spirit Spring is already limited, and having eight people cultivate inside is already pushing the absolute limit. To add yet another person would likely result in none of the others gaining any substantial benefits at all."

Although arrogant, Wu Fawutian's words were not entirely without reason.

The Emperor of Qi once again found himself tangled in a dilemma.