Li Mu was unaware of the major events happening in Xuantian Sword Sect. After some communication with Xue'er, the location of Dark Spirit Star obtained from the Nine Nether Kun Whale was vague and uncertain.
With no other options, he could only embark on an unknown journey following those coordinates.
In the gloomy Star Domain, the Nine Nether Kun Whale swayed its large tail, moving silently forward, with another Nine Nether Kun Whale closely following behind. They were like phantoms traversing between the stars, speeding towards a certain direction.
Inside the Painting World Treasure Mansion, in the small courtyard beside the spirit rice field, Xue'er hummed a tune while roasting Spirit Beast meat. Li Mu, meanwhile, lay in a rocking chair nearby, holding a yellowed ancient book, engrossed in reading. Occasionally, he would look up at Xue'er, his eyes full of tenderness and a smile.
The beautiful scenery of the pastoral courtyard, the busy Xue'er, and the fragrant aroma of roasting meat… presented a warm and tranquil environment.
"Li Dage, the meat is ready, quickly try it!" Xue'er walked up to Li Mu with a beaming smile, holding a plate of fragrant Spirit Beast meat, inviting him with a joyful expression.
Li Mu stood up, looking at the golden-crisp, charred-outside and tender-inside Spirit Beast meat on the plate, and praised with a smile: "Xue'er's cooking skills are truly getting better and better. This Spirit Beast meat alone makes one's appetite soar."
Saying that, Li Mu picked up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth. He was immediately conquered by the crispy, tender, and juicy roasted meat, mixed with various spices, praising endlessly: "This taste is simply several times better than that of some of the great spirit chefs in the Sect. Xue'er, you are truly amazing."
"It's not as good as Li Dage says. I just like cooking, and if I can make you happy with your meal, I'm very happy. Li Dage, have another piece."
Xue'er smiled brightly, personally picked up a piece of Spirit Beast meat, carefully blew on it to cool it, and brought it to Li Mu's mouth.
Li Mu smiled and opened his mouth to receive it. The tacit understanding and warmth between them reached their Peak at this moment. At this point, a thought couldn't help but cross his mind: it wouldn't matter if he couldn't find his way back to Qi Ling Star; living like this forever wouldn't be bad either. But then, Li Mu shook his head with a bitter smile, casting this thought aside.
The crisis of depleted Spiritual Qi was imminent. Xuantian Sword Sect and even the entire Cultivation world faced unprecedented challenges. Moreover, there were still seven Secret Realms on Qi Ling Star, where numerous high-grade Spiritual Plants were cultivated, which were crucial for his advancement to the next Realm. And there were still seven Soul Transformation Clones waiting for him to refine.
Thinking of this, Li Mu completely abandoned the idea of living in seclusion. His gaze turned to the spirit rice field where two types of sixth-grade Spiritual Plants were cultivated, filled with urgency.
In another five years, the Mou Xing Spirit Grass would enter its mature phase and could be harvested.
Just wait a little longer!
…
Time flew by. Five years passed in a blink of an eye, and the Mou Xing Spirit Grass had quietly entered its mature phase. Every stalk of Mou Xing Spirit Grass in the field emitted dazzling starlight, like countless stars in the night sky, radiating powerful Star Power and vibrant life force.
Li Mu stood by the spirit rice field, his gaze deep, a barely concealed nervous smile on his face, revealing his anticipation for the upcoming harvest.
Xue'er stood by, silently watching, her eyes fixed on Li Mu. Sensing his excited mood, she couldn't help but feel a little strange and somewhat puzzled.
Li Mu's dedication and emphasis on the Spiritual Plants he cultivated far exceeded that of some experienced spirit rice farmers; it could even be described as obsessive.
Although Xue'er didn't understand, she knew that every decision Li Mu made had a deeper meaning, so she chose to silently support him.
The next moment, Li Mu was seen forming hand seals. With a flash of golden light, his Gold Blade Technique cut through the roots of one Mou Xing Spirit Grass after another, harvesting a large section at once. Xue'er quickly released her Divine Sense to do the finishing work, summoning jade boxes from her storage ring and carefully placing the sixth-grade Mou Xing Spirit Grass, which Li Mu had roughly harvested, into them one by one, then putting them back into her storage ring, busy and delighted.
Li Mu was indifferent to Xue'er's busyness. At this moment, his entire focus was on the Plant Spirit light clusters left behind after the Mou Xing Spirit Grass harvest.
At this moment, countless silver light clusters, like scattered stars, were densely distributed throughout the harvested spirit rice field. They emitted a soft and pure starlight, abundant and dense, converging into an extremely magnificent sight.
Li Mu smiled broadly. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, he absorbed the silver light clusters into his body one by one.
With a whoosh, countless brilliant silver light clusters seemed to respond to Li Mu's call, instantly transforming into countless dazzling streams of light. Like tired birds returning to their nests, or fish in a rapid current, they surged into his body with endless vitality, jostling to be first.
Each of these light clusters contained an extremely rich Plant Spirit attribute. They were not only the essence condensed from nature but also a symbol of life force between heaven and earth.
【Heavenly Talent - Plant Spirit Absorption activated. You absorbed a Plant Spirit. Divine Soul power +39, star source +227】
【Heavenly Talent - Plant Spirit Absorption activated. You absorbed a Plant Spirit. Divine Soul power +31, star source +190】
【Heavenly Talent - Plant Spirit Absorption activated. You absorbed a Plant Spirit. Divine Soul power +33, star source +210】
...
In an instant, the Plant Spirit Absorption notifications appeared densely, like a cascading waterfall, on the log panel.
Li Mu laughed heartily, overjoyed. A single Gold Blade Technique harvested four or five acres of Mou Xing Spirit Grass, and the star source gained was an astronomical figure.
In addition to the massive star source attribute, there was also an accompanying Divine Soul enhancement effect, which greatly exceeded Li Mu's expectations, making him pleasantly surprised.
At this moment, Li Mu closed his eyes and concentrated, deeply experiencing the changes in his Divine Soul. An unprecedented surge of power, as dazzling as the rising sun and as surging as deep-sea waves. This source of power was the miracle brought by the Plant Spirit Absorption Heavenly Talent.
The Plant Spirit attributes from four or five acres of Mou Xing Spirit Grass instantly increased his Divine Soul's power by about 5%. Although this change seemed subtle, it was enough for Li Mu to feel a qualitative leap, as if a door to a higher Realm had opened.
Li Mu suddenly opened his eyes. What he saw was the vast, boundless thousand-acre spirit rice field dotted with silver light. The Mou Xing Spirit Grass covering it was like scattered stars, each containing rich Plant Spirit attributes, quietly waiting for him to harvest.
There were still about 995 acres of Mou Xing Spirit Grass unharvested. If all of them were harvested, and all the Plant Spirits from 995 acres of Mou Xing Spirit Grass were absorbed by him, what kind of scene would that be? His Divine Soul would be nourished by endless Plant Spirits simultaneously. How many times would his Divine Soul's strength increase then?
Could his Divine Soul undergo a qualitative change because of this, thus stepping into a Domain he had never touched before?
An indescribable excitement surged in Li Mu's heart. Gazing at the thousand-acre spirit rice field densely planted with Mou Xing Spirit Grass, he seemed to see his Divine Soul power about to make a qualitative leap.
Li Mu took a deep breath, forcing his excited emotions to calm down. He refocused his mind and cast spells to harvest the Mou Xing Spirit Grass again.
As Li Mu's thoughts moved, the Gold Blade Technique was cast once more. This time, he controlled the rotation of the Gold Blade Technique more precisely, locking onto each stalk of Mou Xing Spirit Grass.
Golden blade light streaked through the spirit rice field like flashes of lightning, passing by in an instant. Wherever it passed, the Mou Xing Spirit Grass fell one after another, and clusters of silver Plant Spirit light flew up from below, integrating into Li Mu's body, instantly being devoured.
...
This time, Li Mu did not stop. He cast dozens of Gold Blade Techniques in a row, and in a short while, he harvested all thousand acres of Mou Xing Spirit Grass and collected all the Plant Spirit light clusters.
【Heavenly Talent - Plant Spirit Absorption activated. You absorbed a Plant Spirit. Divine Soul power +44, star source +271】
【Heavenly Talent - Plant Spirit Absorption activated. You absorbed a Plant Spirit. Divine Soul power +32, star source +218】
【Heavenly Talent - Plant Spirit Absorption activated. You absorbed a Plant Spirit. Divine Soul power +33, star source +210】
...
Massive notifications kept appearing on the panel's log. Li Mu absorbed countless Plant Spirit light clusters, and the intensity of the fluctuations emitted by his Divine Soul rapidly ascended, like the dawn before daybreak, or like a vast, surging, boundless ocean formed by countless small streams and rivers converging.
As the last ray of Gold Blade Technique light dissipated, the entire thousand-acre Mou Xing Spirit Grass field was empty, with only Li Mu floating amidst the spirit rice field, his eyes tightly closed, radiating powerful Divine Soul power, appearing extraordinarily transcendent.
Xue'er's small mouth was slightly agape as she looked at Li Mu in disbelief, clearly sensing his Divine Soul becoming several times stronger in an instant.
How is this possible!
Xue'er's eyes were filled with a mixture of shock and pleasant surprise. She clearly sensed that Li Mu's Divine Soul had undergone a qualitative leap, more significant and powerful than advancing to the Body Integration Realm or even passing the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Tribulation, which brought about a complete transformation.
Li Mu slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to contain a sea of stars, profound and bright.
Li Mu smiled slightly and gently waved his hand. The surrounding Spiritual Qi fluctuated with his movement, revealing a powerful control over spiritual energy, comparable to having cast a Law Domain Divine Ability.
Xue'er's eyes widened. She clearly felt again the extent to which Li Mu's Divine Soul power overflowed with a wave of his hand, several times stronger than before. That vast, ocean-like Soul Power fluctuation made her feel a slight palpitation.
"Li Mu Gege, you... you've become so strong!" Xue'er finally couldn't help but run to Li Mu's side, looking up at him, her eyes sparkling with admiration and joy.
"Wow! Master, you've become so terrifying!"
Xiao Bai also flew out from somewhere at this moment, her round black eyes staring intently at Li Mu.
As a seventh-grade Gu Spirit, specializing in feeding on soul bodies, no one at this moment understood better than she what kind of change Li Mu's Divine Soul had undergone. It was stronger than those Peak Body Integration Cultivators, almost comparable to a Dao Lord.
At this moment, a burst of five-colored spiritual light gathered, and the Painting World Treasure Mansion Spirit - Five-Colored Flood Dragon also appeared, circling and swirling around Li Mu, joining in to watch the excitement.
As the Treasure Mansion Spirit of the Grotto-Heaven Supreme Treasure refined by Li Mu, it was also very happy that its master had suddenly become so powerful.
"Alright! Alright! Go do what you need to do, stop flattering!" Li Mu said to the Five-Colored Flood Dragon circling around him, feigning seriousness, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upwards slightly, clearly finding his companions' reactions both amusing and comforting.
Upon hearing this, the Five-Colored Flood Dragon was not annoyed. Instead, it let out a joyful Dragon roar, seemingly expressing its delight at Li Mu's increased strength in its unique way.
Afterwards, it transformed into specks of spiritual light and disappeared before Li Mu.
"Xue'er, clean up properly!" Li Mu glanced at the large amount of sixth-grade Mou Xing Spirit Grass scattered in the spirit rice field, indicating: "I need to go into seclusion for a period of time."
"Okay!"
Upon hearing this, Xue'er readily agreed, then quickly walked towards the spirit rice field and began to diligently clean it up.
The numerous sixth-grade Mou Xing Spirit Grass emitted a faint, dim glow, and their Star Power and vitality had significantly decreased. Xue'er found it a bit strange, but connecting it with Li Mu's sudden surge in Divine Soul, she didn't pay much attention to it.
Although most of the medicinal properties of these sixth-grade Mou Xing Spirit Grass had been lost, they were still extremely precious Cultivation resources. Xue'er carefully picked them up one by one, packed them into special jade boxes, ensuring that each Spiritual Plant remained in its best condition.
"Xiao Bai, control the Kun Whale well. There's no need to rush forward. Wait until I come out before doing anything!"
Li Mu continued to instruct Xiao Bai.
"Understood, Master." Xiao Bai spread her wings, circled once in the air, and then disappeared without a trace.
Seeing this, Li Mu nodded in satisfaction, then turned and entered the Cultivation room, preparing to add points to upgrade the Star Cloud Contemplation Method.
Li Mu sat cross-legged on the Cultivation platform, his Divine Sense immersed in the character panel.
【Ding, you consumed one free proficiency point and one star source. Star Cloud Visualization Art-Star God Chapter +1.】
...
【Ding, you consumed one free proficiency point and one star source. Star Cloud Visualization Art-Star God Chapter proficiency +1. Star Cloud Visualization Art-Star God Chapter level increased to: Level Two. Your Divine Soul has grown. Divine Sense detection range expanded by 82%. You comprehended Divine Sense Divine Ability: Divine Soul Star Transformation】
...
【Ding, you consumed one free proficiency point and one star source. Star Cloud Visualization Art-Star God Chapter +1.】
...
【Ding, you consumed one free proficiency point and one star source. Star Cloud Visualization Art-Star God Chapter proficiency +1. Star Cloud Visualization Art-Star God Chapter level increased to: Level Three. Your Divine Soul has grown. Divine Sense detection range expanded by 110%. You comprehended Divine Sense Divine Ability: Star Cloud Divine Diagram】
...
As Li Mu continuously added points to upgrade the Star Observation Method, his mind couldn't help but sink into an unprecedented and wonderful state.
Inside the Cultivation room, time seemed to freeze. Everything from the outside world was isolated, leaving only Li Mu immersed in the vast and boundless Star Sea of Divine Sense, a faint smile gracing his lips.
As the Star Cloud Visualization Art-Star God Chapter continuously upgraded, a faint starlight gradually appeared between Li Mu's eyebrows. Although the light was inconspicuous, it contained astonishing power and profound mysteries. This starlight was the transformation of his Divine Soul Primordial Spirit, indicating that Li Mu was gradually approaching a higher Realm of Divine Soul.
At this moment, Li Mu's Divine Soul seemed to be nourished by the power of the stars, becoming increasingly solid and powerful. In his Sea of Consciousness, the originally calm-as-a-mirror ocean of Divine Sense was now turbulent with waves. Countless specks of starlight, like a pouring Milky Way, converged into magnificent Star Cloud patterns.
These Star Cloud patterns were the concrete manifestation of Li Mu's current Divine Soul power and Divine Sense strength, indicating that he had mastered more profound techniques for utilizing Divine Sense.
However, Li Mu still didn't stop adding points to the Star Cloud Contemplation Method. The amount of star source obtained after the mature harvest of a thousand acres of sixth-grade Mou Xing Spirit Grass far exceeded his original expectations. It seemed he could directly upgrade the Star Cloud Visualization Art-Star God Chapter to max level, until it reached Major Achievement Perfection. (End of Chapter)
