When Li Mu left the Contribution Exchange Warehouse, he had exhausted all his contributions, returning with a full haul of high-tier spirit seeds and Five Elements Spirit Plants: Fire Scale Flame Fruit, Blue Spirit Moon Lotus, Golden Edge Sword Chrysanthemum, yellow vein essence fruit, and Green Vine Spirit Sunflower, as well as Yin and Yang Spirit Plants: Illusory Yin Grass and Jade Yang Spirit Fruit, all of which were fifth-tier spirit plants, estimated to mature in a hundred years.
In addition to the seven types of Spirit Plants, there were also vast amounts of auxiliary spirit materials to aid the growth of these high-tier Spirit Plants.
Upon returning to Seven Profound Sect, Li Mu immediately planted these Spirit Plants one by one in the prime Spirit Fields he had cultivated on the Seven Gods Mountain.
Spirit rain poured down, drenching the ten acres of Spirit Fields, rich with Spiritual Qi and water vapor.
The planted spirit seeds would bear fruit after a hundred years, and their plant spirit attributes filled Li Mu with deep anticipation as he cast his spells.
However, planting only ten acres of each Spirit Plant was clearly far from enough for Li Mu's goal; it would be best to increase the planting scale to about a hundred acres of each, which would ensure a stable Breakthrough to the Void Refining Realm.
Additionally, Li Mu also planned to plant a large batch of six-tier spirit treasures - Yan Yuan Spirit Grass and Mou Xing Spirit Grass, whose plant spirit attributes respectively represented Lifespan and star source, related to longevity and Divine Thought Cultivation Technique, and were equally indispensable precious resources, so the more planted, the better.
However, exchanging these rare Spirit Plants and spirit seeds, or purchasing the spirit materials that could aid the growth of Spirit Plants, all required a large amount of Sect contributions, which made Li Mu feel a hint of pressure; he took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the anxiety and urgency in his heart.
Currently, he was in Xuantian Sword Sect, with no safety concerns; earning Sect contributions and planting Spirit Plants could be done slowly.
Li Mu summoned his Wood Origin Clone, Golden Origin Clone, along with his five spirit beasts, arranging them next to the Spirit Fields on the Seven Gods Mountain to assist in caring for the Spirit Plants, while he himself plunged into the Artifact Refining Room to continue Artifact Refining and earn more Sect contributions.
In the world of cultivators, time seemed to lose its meaning.
Ten years passed in a flash.
Li Mu emerged from the Painting World Treasure Mansion and immediately released his Divine Thought to check on the Seven Gods Mountain, his five spirit beasts, and the condition of the Spirit Plants being cared for by his seven Soul Transformation Incarnations.
For ten years, Li Mu did not stop for a moment, constantly Artifact Refining and Alchemy, earning Sect contributions, and successfully planted fifth-tier Spirit Plants on all thousand acres of Spirit Fields on the Seven Gods Mountain's seven Ling Peaks, with several types of six-tier spirit treasures also planted on hundreds of acres.
To care for these high-tier Spirit Plants, Li Mu even specially refined seven Soul Transformation Incarnations, entrusting them to look after the high-tier Spirit Plants on his behalf, thereby allowing Li Mu more time to dedicate to other matters.
As Li Mu's Divine Thought spread, he immediately 'saw' many things on the Seven Gods Mountain.
First to catch his eye was the magnificent Combat Stage on Golden Sword Peak; this stage was an important venue for Golden Sword Peak Disciples to spar in martial arts and exchange Dao techniques, surrounded by a faint Sword Qi, ready to erupt with astonishing Sword Might at any moment.
At this moment, a fierce confrontation was taking place on the stage: Sect Master Fang Shixin, transformed into a golden light, charged towards the Green-Eyed Golden Ape, who had taken human form; the long sword in Fang Shixin's hand gleamed with dazzling golden light, each swing accompanied by the force of a thunderbolt, while the Green-Eyed Golden Ape maneuvered with its agile movements and powerful Physical Body strength, its golden staff striking with thunderous force, the two exchanging blows, locked in a fierce battle.
Fang Shixin cheered as he fought; it was clear that this was not the first time the man and the ape had sparred, as they knew each other's attacks like the back of their hands, making for an incredibly intense battle.
Li Mu's Divine Thought flowed over Golden Sword Peak, drawn by the fierce battle.
However, Li Mu did not linger on this battle for too long; his Divine Thought continued to spread, passing through layers of mountains and dense forests, and soon arrived at Fire God Peak.
At this moment, Qin Wentong was located in the heart of Fire God Peak—the Hundred Refinements Pagoda, where the Nine Dragon Artifact Refining Furnace within the pagoda was filled with scorching flames, each wisp of flame seemingly containing astonishing energy.
In the Hundred Refinements Pagoda, Qin Wentong and Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix were Artifact Refining together; Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix had taken the form of a red-dressed female cultivator, and a fifth-tier Spiritual Artifact floated above the Artifact Refining Furnace, the two seemingly discussing something, as if exchanging Artifact Refining insights.
Seeing this, Li Mu did not disturb Qin Wentong and Crimson Refining Fire Phoenix, but instead allowed his Divine Thought to continue exploring.
Soon, Li Mu's Divine Thought arrived at Wood Origin Peak, a mountain known for its wood-attribute cultivation; the Peak Master, who was also the Hall Master of the Hundred Herbs Hall, Fourth Elder Zhong Zilin, was currently a guest at the Azure Jade Ginseng King's residence. The two sat in a quaint tea room, sipping fragrant spirit tea, chatting idly, their laughter filled with ease and joy.
The Azure Jade Ginseng King seemed to sense Li Mu's Divine Thought, and a hint of joy flashed across his face.
Li Mu smiled slightly, using Divine Thought transmission to signal him not to make a sound, and then his Divine Thought left Wood Origin Peak and arrived at Spirit Spring Peak.
Beneath the Jade Spring Pool on Spirit Spring Peak, the Azure Moon True Dragon revealed its True Dragon body, coiled at the bottom of the pool in deep slumber, its dragon scales shimmering with a faint blue light against the water.
...
As his Divine Thought continued to spread, Li Mu checked each Ling Peak; he saw the seven Soul Transformation Incarnations diligently guarding the Spirit Fields, the high-tier Spirit Plants thriving under their meticulous care; the five spirit beasts had also fully integrated into Seven Profound Sect, each finding their own enjoyment.
Seeing these harmonious scenes, a smile unconsciously appeared on Li Mu's face.
Thus, Li Mu continued to immerse himself in the Painting World Treasure Mansion, deciding to continue his secluded Artifact Refining to complete the remaining ten thousand Spiritual Swords for Myriad Swords Mountain.
Over these ten years, Li Mu had refined hundreds of six-tier spirit treasures for Xuantian Sword Sect, earning massive Sect contributions and exchanging them for a large quantity of spiritual items; some were used for planting Spirit Plants, some for feeding the Painting World Treasure Mansion, and many spirit materials were taken by Li Mu to refine fifth and sixth-tier Spiritual Swords, to complete the ten thousand high-tier Spiritual Swords of Myriad Swords Mountain.
As long as ten thousand high-tier Spiritual Swords were gathered, Myriad Swords Mountain, this six-tier spirit treasure, had a very high probability of successfully advancing to a seven-rank dao tool.
Time flew by, and another year passed.
In the Painting World Treasure Mansion, the door to the Artifact Refining Room suddenly opened with a roar, and a magnificent Sword Intent erupted from within, instantly permeating the entire Treasure Mansion; this power was sharp and domineering, like an invisible sharp sword, pointing directly to the sky, making one's heart tremble.
As this Sword Intent erupted, Li Mu's figure slowly appeared; a hint of fatigue was on his face, but his eyes sparkled with excitement and satisfaction. He had finally refined the ten thousandth Spiritual Sword for Myriad Swords Mountain; the integration of ten thousand Spiritual Swords successfully triggered Myriad Swords Mountain's advancement, and Myriad Swords Mountain also underwent earth-shattering changes.
Only to see a Ling Peak fly out from the Artifact Refining Room, continuously enlarging, a hundred times, a thousand times, and in an instant, it transformed into a majestic thousand-zhang peak. This Ling Peak stood adjacent to the Five Elements Spirit Mountain of the Painting World Treasure Mansion, with a magnificent Aura that was breathtaking.
Ten thousand Spiritual Swords flew out from the dark black mountain body, circling and dancing in the air, emitting deafening 'buzzing' sword cries; these sword cries intertwined, as if forming a stirring movement, making one's blood boil; ten thousand Spiritual Swords continuously circled Myriad Swords Mountain, their momentum vast, forming a tornado-like swirl, as if paying homage to this peak, celebrating the Sword Mountain's promotion.
Li Mu looked at the ten thousand Spiritual Swords in the sky and the newly appeared thousand-zhang peak with surprise, his heart filled with shock and awe, knowing that Myriad Swords Mountain had triggered its advancement state and was about to usher in an unprecedented transformation and sublimation.
Li Mu gazed at Myriad Swords Mountain at this moment; under his Heavenly Talent - Identifying Myriad Spirits, Myriad Swords Mountain's attributes and status were displayed on the panel one by one.
【Myriad Swords Mountain (Advancing)】
【Grade: six-tier spirit treasure】
【Characteristics: Myriad Swords Heavy Peak, Size as Desired, Xuantian Sword Domain, Myriad Dao Sword Qi, Nurturing Myriad Swords.】
【Status: Containing Myriad Swords, Spirit Treasure Spirit Prospering, Sharpening Advancement in progress.】
【Based on the seven-tier spirit ore - meteorite crystal nucleus, with ten thousand high-tier Spiritual Swords as the formation, refined into a formation artifact with the momentum of a sword formation; this artifact weighs: thirty-five million catties, contains myriad swords, forms its own Sword Domain, nurtures Sword Intent, enhances sword quality, the more Spiritual Swords it contains, the faster the growth of the artifact's sword spirit; this Spirit Treasure has successfully contained ten thousand Spiritual Swords and is currently advancing to a Seven-Order Dao Weapon.】
Myriad Swords Mountain, controlling the sword dragon formed by ten thousand Spiritual Swords, spun wildly, its continuously rampant Sword Qi destroying the Painting World Treasure Mansion, presenting a state of pain, as if for some insufficient reason, it was unable to enter the advancement state for a long time.
Li Mu frowned, somewhat puzzled.
Just then, the space of the Painting World Treasure Mansion suddenly shook, and a Five Elements pressure forced the Sword Qi that had been rampaging throughout the space back, stopping Myriad Swords Mountain's frenzy.
Li Mu's spirits lifted; this situation was the masterpiece of the Treasure Mansion Spirit of the Painting World Treasure Mansion. Had the Treasure Mansion Spirit awakened?
The next moment, within the space of the Painting World Treasure Mansion, five-colored spiritual light gathered, and soon, a five-colored spiritual dragon flew out from the Five Elements Spirit Mountain, appearing beside Li Mu, with a hint of fatigue on its face, its gaze vigilantly looking at Myriad Swords Mountain, as if sensing danger.
“Hiss!”
The Treasure Mansion Spirit of the Painting World Treasure Mansion chirped at Li Mu, as if greeting him, or perhaps complaining.
“Oh! You mean, Myriad Swords Mountain needs to go outside to advance? It can't complete its advancement within the Treasure Mansion Space?” Li Mu looked at the Treasure Mansion Spirit of the Painting World Treasure Mansion, understanding its meaning.
“Hiss!” The five-colored spiritual dragon nodded in response.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu's heart sank; he had originally thought that after refining ten thousand Spiritual Swords, Myriad Swords Mountain would be able to smoothly advance to a seven-rank dao tool, but he never expected that Myriad Swords Mountain would still have to undergo the tribulation of the Dao Artifact.
It was only after the Treasure Mansion Spirit's hint that Li Mu suddenly realized that Myriad Swords Mountain's advancement to a seven-rank dao tool was not a simple promotion process, but rather required experiencing a thrilling Dao Artifact Tribulation; currently, within the Treasure Mansion Space, Myriad Swords Mountain could not receive the Heavenly Dao's Dao Artifact Tribulation test, and was in a state of agitation.
The Dao Artifact Tribulation is a test by the Heavenly Dao on Dao Artifacts, using the power of the Heavenly Dao to temper the Dao Artifact's main body and perfect its inherent Dao principles, thereby completely forming the foundation of a Dao Artifact. This process is extremely dangerous; even a slight mistake could lead to the Dao Artifact's destruction and all efforts going to waste.
In the Painting World Treasure Mansion, an independent space that forms its own Realm, Myriad Swords Mountain could not receive the blessing of the Heavenly Dao's power; it felt the opportunity for advancement but was restricted from breaking through its Bottleneck, and this restraint caused Myriad Swords Mountain to fall into a rage; to break free from the restraint, it began to manipulate myriad swords, frantically destroying the Treasure Mansion Space, attempting to escape this cage.
However, as an eighth-tier Dao Artifact, the Painting World Treasure Mansion's power was naturally extraordinary. The two Realm difference made Myriad Swords Mountain's resistance appear so pale and powerless; the Treasure Mansion Spirit of the Painting World Treasure Mansion easily suppressed Myriad Swords Mountain's resistance with its might, re-suppressing it within the Treasure Mansion.
Myriad Swords Mountain could not Undergo Tribulation and advance within the Treasure Mansion Space, but letting Myriad Swords Mountain leave the Painting World Treasure Mansion to Undergo Tribulation within Seven Profound Sect would undoubtedly trigger a series of chain reactions. As a supreme treasure about to advance to a seven-rank dao tool, Myriad Swords Mountain's power and the immense sword momentum it would generate would inevitably be impossible to hide from Seven Profound Sect, and even the entire Xuantian Sword Sect.
A seven-rank dao tool is an extremely precious treasure for any Sect; the power and potential it contains are enough to drive countless cultivators mad. Moreover, Myriad Swords Mountain, this six-tier spirit treasure, is too special; if it successfully advances to a seven-rank dao tool, if it becomes known, it will certainly attract the covetous gaze of countless people and cause unnecessary trouble!
Thinking of this, Li Mu couldn't help but feel a headache; he had originally thought that Myriad Swords Mountain could successfully advance within the Painting World Treasure Mansion, but he never expected so many twists and turns. Now, he had to face a thorny problem: how to allow Myriad Swords Mountain to safely Undergo Tribulation while not attracting the attention of Xuantian Sword Sect.
“Why didn't you have a Dao Artifact Tribulation last time you advanced? Can't Myriad Swords Mountain complete its advancement within the Treasure Mansion Space?” Li Mu frowned, looking at the Treasure Mansion Spirit, asking in confusion, hoping to find a solution from the Treasure Mansion Spirit.
“Hiss!” The five-colored spiritual dragon responded to Li Mu, its spiritual eyes looking at Myriad Swords Mountain with a look of disdain; clearly, the Treasure Mansion Spirit did not like this agitated Ling Peak.
After hearing the Treasure Mansion Spirit's response, Li Mu finally understood the crux of the problem: the Painting World Treasure Mansion was an Innate Dao Artifact, possessing the foundation of a Dao Artifact from the moment of its birth; therefore, during its advancement process, it did not need to undergo a Dao Artifact Tribulation. Myriad Swords Mountain, however, was different; it belonged to a six-tier spirit treasure advancing to a Dao Artifact, and if it successfully advanced, it would only be an Acquired Dao Artifact, thus requiring a Dao Artifact Tribulation to complete its Dao foundation.
Li Mu frowned, pondering inwardly, knowing that letting Myriad Swords Mountain Undergo Tribulation was unavoidable.
The only solution now was to leave Seven Profound Sect as soon as possible, leave the heartland of Xuantian Sword Sect, and go to a remote place to Undergo Tribulation. Only in this way could Myriad Swords Mountain's safe tribulation be ensured, while also avoiding trouble for himself.
Thus, Li Mu's figure flashed, leaving the Painting World Treasure Mansion, flying out of the Sect Leader's Mansion, and speeding along on his sword towards Xuantian Sword Sect's Sword Heart Peak.
Li Mu planned to use the Ancient Teleportation Array to leave Xuantian Sword Sect as quickly as possible, go to the Ten Thousand Stars Sea Region, and then find a suitable place for Myriad Swords Mountain to Undergo Tribulation. (End of this chapter)
