Chapter 137: The Three-Pass Training Tower

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Since Zhou Yi had managed, in such a short time, to advance directly from the Acquired Realm—or perhaps even from the Innate Realm—to the third stage of the Pseudo-Core Realm, then reaching the sixth stage within three months, though it sounded somewhat impossible, was not something Leng Feng was willing to risk.

Zhou Yi’s talent made Leng Feng envious. His decision to give the cultivation manual to Zhou Yi arose not only from that incredible possibility taking shape in his mind, but also from the impatience burning within him.

As for which of those two motives weighed more heavily, only Leng Feng himself could say.

…

The Northern Blackwater Manual was something even Leng Feng had coveted intensely. Yet because of his aptitude, he had never managed to find the way in. He had once wasted ten years on it before finally abandoning it in dejection.

The power of this manual, and the future it described, were enough to make anyone who saw it burn with envy.

But envy was one thing. To cultivate it, one needed the proper talent.

Leng Feng’s aptitude was actually far from poor. In fact, it could even be called excellent. After all, who would dare claim that someone who had reached his level possessed poor talent?

Even so, with Leng Feng’s gifts, ten full years spent studying it and nurturing his cultivation had still failed to bring him through the door.

From this, it was clear just how difficult the Northern Blackwater Manual was to cultivate.

Leng Feng did not believe that anyone could see this manual without being tempted. At the same time, he did not believe that, in this world, anyone could successfully cultivate it.

That was why he had confidently placed the manual in Zhou Yi’s hands. It would restrain the speed of his cultivation, allowing Leng Feng to safely get through these three months. Afterward, they could sit down and divide the spoils.

…

“How much farther?”

Ahead of him, Dugu Shang walked straight on, his expression somewhat solemn. After sorting out his own circumstances, Zhou Yi happened to look up and ask.

“We are almost there.” Though Zhou Yi had asked casually, Dugu Shang did not dare answer carelessly. He turned around and replied with utmost respect, “Another quarter of an hour or so, and we will arrive.”

“Oh.”

Zhou Yi answered and said no more.

The place they were heading to was called the Cultivation Tower. It was a unique structure on Peerless Island, and apart from the central region, the only cultivation tower on the rest of the island.

Of course, that did not mean there was only one cultivation tower in all the other regions. Peerless Island had six passes, and each pass possessed exactly one cultivation tower.

Their names differed according to their locations. Since the tower Zhou Yi and Dugu Shang were heading toward stood at the Third Pass, it was called the Third Pass Cultivation Tower.

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Earlier, after seeing the Northern Blackwater Manual, Zhou Yi had grown more and more excited the further he read, until his blood seemed to boil. Yet once the excitement faded, melancholy took its place.

The manual was indeed formidable, but its cultivation requirements were troublesome.

The first problem in cultivating the Northern Blackwater Manual was finding two things: Northern Blackwater True Astral Force and Northern Blackwater Earthly Fiend Force.

Where the hell was he supposed to find those?

Before today, Zhou Yi had never even heard of these two things. He had only learned of them after obtaining the manual.

But that was all he had gained: knowledge of their existence.

To cultivate the manual, these two substances were indispensable. Without them, even someone with the required talent could only sigh helplessly as they gazed upon it.

Still, asking when one did not know was a traditional virtue. As luck would have it, there was a native at his side.

Since the manual had been obtained on Peerless Island, the materials required for its cultivation should either be found there or at least have their whereabouts recorded there.

Zhou Yi subsequently asked Dugu Shang, and, as expected, Dugu Shang knew of both Northern Blackwater True Astral Force and Northern Blackwater Earthly Fiend Force.

In fact, aside from those two, he also knew about such things as Geomagnetic Primordial Mother, Taiyi Essence Gold, Magnetic-Chain Yellow Copper, Eastern Jia Wood, and various other treasures whose names alone sounded grand and imposing.

Contrary to what Zhou Yi had imagined, these essences of Heaven and Earth did not exist scattered throughout the world in various locations. Instead, they had been gathered in a single place.

That place was called the Cultivation Tower—the very place they were heading toward.

At first, Zhou Yi was somewhat puzzled. Later, he understood.

According to Dugu Shang, these essences of Heaven and Earth were said to have been refined personally by the master of Peerless Island. That was why they existed within the Cultivation Tower: the master himself had placed them there.

The natural essences of Heaven and Earth belonging to this world still existed as well, and, just as Zhou Yi had imagined, they were scattered throughout the various regions of the world.

When Zhou Yi heard Dugu Shang’s explanation, turbulent waves immediately surged through his heart.

“Refining the essences of Heaven and Earth oneself—isn’t that equivalent to taking the place of Heaven and Earth and doing what Heaven and Earth themselves should do?”

“What is Heaven and Earth?”

“Heaven and Earth are planets. If he has done what a planet does, doesn’t that mean that, in terms of the essence of life, he should stand on the same level as a planet?”

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One thought after another arose in Zhou Yi’s mind, and the shock in his heart grew greater with each passing moment.

“Equal to a planet…”

Zhou Yi suddenly froze. The instant this thought appeared, his entire body trembled. Every other thought vanished, leaving only this one to fill his mind completely.

“Being equal to a planet has another name here.”

His face was blank as he slowly uttered a single word:

“Golden Core.”

One star, one Golden Core. Since one had already attained a status equal to that of a planet, it meant that one possessed nearly equal strength as well. And since one possessed strength comparable to that of a planet, one had already reached the Golden Core Realm.

The reason Zhou Yi had remained so silent along the way was precisely because of this conclusion. Judging from the circumstances before him, Peerless Island clearly harbored no goodwill toward the two brothers.

That much was evident from the previous martial-world manhunt order. After arriving on Peerless Island, Song Hai was nowhere to be seen, even though Zhou Yi had watched him enter. It was obvious that Peerless Island had separated the two of them.

For that reason, Zhou Yi had also classified Peerless Island as one of his hostile forces. Before this, however, he had not cared much.

In Zhou Yi’s mind, he possessed the advantage of his mysterious cheat, while Song Hai’s talent was astonishing. Even if Peerless Island was vastly stronger than the two of them, it would not matter.

Zhou Yi believed that, given enough time, the two of them would eventually crush Peerless Island.

To him, Peerless Island was merely a minor boss, there to provide the two of them with experience. No matter how powerful it was, it was only formidable in the early stages.

It would be defeated sooner or later.

But now, Zhou Yi no longer held that view. The master behind Peerless Island might actually possess the strength of the Golden Core Realm. This…

Even with Zhou Yi’s talent, he did not dare claim that he would certainly reach the Golden Core Realm. And even if he truly did, who knew how much time it would take? Would his enemy simply stand by and watch him attain the Golden Core Realm?

Zhou Yi was not that naïve.

Having realized this, the question he now needed to consider was how to survive on the territory of such a formidable enemy as Peerless Island.

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