The Surging Waves Technique erupted, waves churning and surging directly towards the two Tianshi, both obscured by bamboo hats. Three successive waves of power, each more ferocious than the last, burst forth amidst the crashing sound of the tide. Primal energy roared outward, slamming brutally into the pair, an overwhelming force suddenly unleashed!

Thud-thud!

Two dull impacts sounded. The two uninvited Tianshi, who had appeared late at night, were struck simultaneously. They seemed completely unprepared for Ji Changkong to strike first, their reaction speed lagging by a beat. Under the onslaught of the three towering waves, they staggered backward, their backs shattering the wooden door, before being flung headlong into the hotel corridor.

Creak!

Bai Qingya’s door flew open instantly. Her tall figure flashed as she reached Ji Changkong’s doorway. Seeing the two hat-wearing Tianshi sprawled on the floor of the corridor, she quickly asked, “Who are these two?”

“Enemies!”

With a sharp cry, Ji Changkong strode forward, passing Bai Qingya, and rushed in close to one of them. The Heavenly Thunder Force erupted from his hand, a fierce and aggressive burst of power slamming brutally down onto the man’s shoulder.

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone shattering echoed from the man’s shoulder. This fellow was surprisingly tough; without even a grunt, he swiftly retreated.

“Seeking death!”

Bai Qingya snorted coldly. Her body moved gracefully as she pursued the two attempting to dodge. With a sweep of her slender jade hand, a pure white light sliced a beautiful arc through the void, striking the back of one of the men with full force.

Boom!

The man shot forward, crashing through a wooden door and landing inside the opposite guest room.

“Quick, let’s go!”

To Bai Qingya’s surprise, Ji Changkong did not press the attack. Instead, he urged in a low voice, grabbing her luminous wrist and pulling her swiftly across the corridor, sprinting toward the hotel exit. Sudden shrieks of panic erupted from within the hotel as travelers staying there cried out in alarm, calling for help. The two Tianshi wearing bamboo hats stumbled out of the hotel and swiftly vanished into the shadows of the night.

...

“They were just two Tianshi of the Three Potentials realm, Changkong. There was no need for us to flee. With the aid of your miraculous medicine, my injuries are healing rapidly; we could have easily subdued them both, not to mention you were here,” Bai Qingya said, frowning in confusion from the shadow of a mansion wall.

Releasing Bai Qingya’s soft jade wrist, Ji Changkong appeared alert and wary, as if facing a great threat. He lowered his voice, “The two Three Potentials Tianshi are nothing to fear. However, just outside the hotel, there was one more lurking. That person was likely the main player, with a high cultivation level, definitely beyond what you or I can handle.”

Bai Qingya looked bewildered and asked curiously, “No way! I didn't sense anyone outside just now. How did you know?”

“That person’s cultivation exceeds yours! If I’m not mistaken, you should be in the Five Elements Heaven realm, but the opponent was at the ** Heaven realm! Never mind that your injuries haven't fully healed—even if you were completely recovered, you probably couldn't have detected his presence!” Ji Changkong said gravely.

At this, Bai Qingya froze. After a long pause, she asked with a strange expression, “You are right, I am indeed in the Five Elements Heaven realm. But you are only a Three Potentials Tianshi; how could you sense the movement of a ** Heaven cultivator? Changkong, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

Shaking his head, Ji Changkong replied, “It won't be wrong!” He paused, then added, “The secret technique I cultivate as a Tianshi is somewhat special; it is extremely ** to fluctuations in Primal Energy. Within a certain range around me, any Tianshi, as long as my mind is perfectly clear, I seem to be able to sense them.”

At these words, Bai Qingya’s mouth fell slightly open, her face filled with astonishment. She had never heard of any Tianshi secret technique capable of such magic!

“He’s coming!”

With another sharp cry, Ji Changkong once again grasped Bai Qingya’s luminous wrist, his expression heavy. He urged anxiously, “Go, retreat immediately!”

“Let’s head west!”

Bai Qingya called out softly. “Westward, a thousand zhang away, the City Guard is stationed. This is the Imperial City of the Water Cloud Nation. The City Guard is staffed by experts from various great families and sects. Whoever is coming will certainly not dare to act recklessly near the City Guard!”

“Good!”

Under the clear moonlight, Ji Changkong and Bai Qingya dashed across the wide street. After only a hundred zhang, a patrol of night-duty City Guards approached them head-on. At that precise moment, Ji Changkong clearly sensed that the ** Heaven cultivator who had been pursuing them suddenly turned around, abandoning the chase.

...

The next day.

The two changed to a different hotel, one situated right next to the barracks where the City Guards rested. Many Tianshi, experts in the Four Symbols Heaven and Five Elements Heaven realms, were stationed there. Having survived the previous night’s danger, both used the daytime bustle to wander through Skywater City. They returned to the hotel before dark; Bai Qingya continued to use her spiritual medicine to recover her injuries, while Ji Changkong diligently focused on his cultivation.

Ji Changkong still could not infuse Primal Energy into his blood, nor could he use Primal Energy to generate blood. Unable to grasp the core of the issue, he discussed it thoroughly with Bai Qingya, but she could not offer a satisfactory explanation either. She advised him to temporarily skip the blood cultivation and proceed directly to the latter three stages: spirit, perception, and willpower.

According to Bai Qingya, blood cultivation, while having an impact on later realms, was not overwhelmingly crucial. Cultivating the latter three first might—through a chance breakthrough—allow him to grasp the secret of blood cultivation later, provided he managed to resolve that bottleneck before entering the Four Symbols Heaven realm.

Ji Changkong finally adopted her suggestion, temporarily setting aside the cultivation of the blood to focus directly on spirit, willpower, and perception. His subsequent cultivation met with no abnormality; rather, it proceeded quite smoothly. Within a few days, Ji Changkong grasped the fundamentals of cultivating spirit, willpower, and perception, feeling refreshed. He could now consistently break free from the illusions that arose spontaneously, and his perception grew increasingly acute.

Spirit, willpower, and perception actually refer to the fundamental essence of the Soul. During cultivation, Ji Changkong experienced various illusions... The misfortunes of his youth, his resentment toward his parents, the helplessness of being unable to condense Primal Energy—all sorts of sorrow, bitterness, and loneliness manifested as terrifying scenes that repeatedly appeared in his mind, threatening to influence his true heart. The cultivation of spirit, willpower, and perception meant using the spirit to carefully savor the illusion, using powerful willpower to resist it, and using perception to extend outward... The cultivation of spirit, willpower, and perception was, in essence, the process of forming the Soul. Only by cultivating these three aspects to completion could the Soul truly be forged. Because spirit, willpower, and perception were the very foundations for forming the Soul! In the Three Potentials Heaven realm, the formation of the Soul was a necessary step; without it, one could never enter the subsequent realms. This was because, in every future realm, Soul cultivation would be indispensable. Higher, more profound realms demanded an even stronger Soul, which had to continuously expand so that it could develop various divine abilities. Only once the Soul was formed could a Three Potentials Tianshi use Primal Energy to solidify matter! After several days of cultivation, Ji Changkong’s spirit, willpower, and perception had greatly improved, but he was still a considerable distance from fully forming his Soul.

...

Eight days later, Bai Qingya’s injuries were mostly healed. Her entire demeanor was vibrant, radiating intoxicating allure. Under the bright, clear sky, Bai Qingya sought out Ji Changkong and dragged him out onto the street. As they stepped onto the thoroughfare, Ji Changkong immediately sensed numerous Tianshi among the crowds, rushing urgently toward a single direction. After several days of cultivation, his perception had become sharper. With a moment of focused sensing, he could detect Tianshi even ten zhang away.

“What’s going on? So many Tianshi rushing to one place—has something happened?” Ji Changkong asked, frowning in surprise.

“The Spirit Treasure Assembly officially begins today!” Bai Qingya smiled sweetly. “Did you forget the purpose of our coming to Skywater City?”

So that was it. Ji Changkong smiled, and together with Bai Qingya, they joined the ranks of the rushing Tianshi, heading directly towards the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.