For a minor cultivator who has only opened three orifices, these items were undoubtedly a huge fortune.
The ores and talismans were of no immediate use, so to improve his cultivation, he would have to rely on the Spirit Nourishing Pills and Blood Qi Pills.
Lu Ye placed the ores and most of the spirit pills and talismans into the storage bag given by the sect leader, then kept it close to his body. He divided the remaining items into two portions, placing them in the storage bags of Yang Guan and Zhou Cheng. One was tied around his waist for easy access, and the other was hidden in his chest as a backup.
Afterward, he changed into a clean set of clothes. The ones he had been wearing were already tattered and stained with blood from his fight with Yang Guan. If he had had a change of clothes, he would have discarded them long ago.
The new clothes brought a fresh start, and Lu Ye felt invigorated.
With everything prepared, he took out a Spirit Nourishing Pill, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it, refining the medicinal effects.
Soon, a warm current arose in his lower abdomen, as the pill's power began to dissolve and transform into Lu Ye's spiritual energy, surging into his orifices.
The originally not fully filled orifices gradually became full.
However, Lu Ye soon noticed something strange. There were some peculiar presences around him that were invisible and intangible, yet omnipresent. He could only sense them when he calmed his mind.
This reminded him of the time he sat on the circular array to test his talent.
Is this... spiritual energy?
Inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy is one of the main methods of cultivation for cultivators. Spirit stones can be depleted, and spirit pills should not be taken too often, otherwise, pill toxins can accumulate, and the process of refining essence into qi is inefficient. Therefore, many cultivators often cultivate by inhaling and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Spiritual energy is omnipresent in the world, it's just a matter of abundance.
However, since Lu Ye opened his orifices, he had only felt the presence of spiritual energy during the talent test, which was due to the spirit stones on the array.
Apart from that, he had never sensed the presence of spiritual energy.
Until now!
Why did he suddenly feel the presence of spiritual energy? It definitely wasn't because his cultivation had increased; there wasn't much difference between opening one orifice and opening three.
So, was it because the spiritual energy here was sufficiently dense, allowing him to detect it?
Lu Ye calmed his mind and sensed that the density of the surrounding spiritual energy was only slightly less than during the talent test, but much better than in the Evil Moon Valley or the outside world.
Is this the unique environment of the Spirit Stream Battlefield? This means that cultivators cultivating in the battlefield have a clear advantage.
Lu Ye vaguely understood the significance of the Spirit Stream Battlefield for cultivators.
In fact, his guess was correct. The spiritual energy in the Spirit Stream Battlefield is indeed much denser than in the outside world. This is still in the wilderness of the battlefield. If Lu Ye could go to the bases of the major sects, he would find that the spiritual energy there is even denser. The higher the grade of the sect, the denser the spiritual energy, and the faster the progress of cultivation.
This is also why new sects have been sprouting up over the years. After establishing a sect, one can obtain the Heavenly Opportunity Pillar, and thus have a base in the Spirit Stream Battlefield. Cultivating in the base is much more efficient than in the outside world.
Moreover, the bases of the major sects in the battlefield are not just for cultivation; they can also be used to cultivate spirit plants and herbs or for other purposes.
In a sense, each sect's base in the battlefield is the most important foundation of the sect.
Lu Ye currently knew little about the situation in the battlefield; he just found the presence of the surrounding spiritual energy novel.
However, he did not start cultivating by inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy, as it was inefficient.
Among the several methods of cultivation for cultivators, the most efficient is undoubtedly taking pills.
After a day, Lu Ye's three orifices were full again. He took a short break, took out the wolf meat he had cut earlier, roasted it, and ate it hastily.
The wolf meat was not tasty, even when roasted, it still had a gamey smell. But Lu Ye knew that he needed to focus on improving his strength and was unwilling to waste time hunting.
He almost continuously cultivated, taking one Spirit Nourishing Pill after another.
Half a day later, the barrier of the fourth orifice was broken. Three days later, the fourth orifice was full. Another three days later, the fifth orifice was full. Three days after that, the sixth orifice was full.
The massive consumption of Blood Qi Pills and Spirit Nourishing Pills opened Lu Ye's orifices one by one.
By the time he had consumed all the Spirit Nourishing Pills and Blood Qi Pills, Lu Ye had opened eight orifices, and only half a month had passed!
In half a month, he opened five orifices, maintaining a pace of opening one orifice every three days. Including the previous three orifices, Lu Ye was now an eight-orifice cultivator, just one step away from the first level of the Spirit Stream Realm!
Such a cultivation speed was extremely astonishing. Lu Ye did not know how fast others cultivated, but it was definitely not as fast as his.
Because in the past half a month, he had taken too many spirit pills.
At this point, he finally confirmed one thing: taking pills for cultivation did not pose a significant hidden danger. His spiritual energy remained pure, and there was no sign of the spiritual energy becoming dull or the accumulation of pill toxins as the sect leader had mentioned.
The Blood Qi Pills and Spirit Nourishing Pills were all consumed, and the barrier of the ninth orifice had not yet been broken, which made Lu Ye somewhat uncomfortable.
He tried to cultivate by inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy, but found that the efficiency was extremely low. He found it difficult to draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body.
Of course, it was not entirely ineffective. Lu Ye estimated that if he cultivated here for three to five months, he might have a chance to break through the barrier of the ninth orifice.
Three to five months is a long time, and there are too many variables. Lu Ye needed to quickly achieve the Spirit Stream Realm to barely have the qualifications to survive in the battlefield!
He secretly regretted that the sect leader had not prepared more spirit pills for him.
But he was thinking too much. For a beginner like Lu Ye, taking one Spirit Nourishing Pill every three to five days is the correct way to cultivate. As his cultivation gradually increases, he can increase the frequency of taking spirit pills.
The sect leader had prepared twenty pills for him at once, and with the ones he already had, it was enough for him to cultivate for a long time, not to mention the Blood Qi Pills.
Who could have known that he would take pills like eating beans, and consume all the spirit pills in just half a month.
No one cultivates like this in the world. For cultivators, inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy or using spirit stones is the orthodox and safe way to cultivate.