In just a few dozen breaths, the barrier of the ninth spirit aperture was broken, and the spiritual energy that had been blocked outside flowed in steadily.
At this point, Lu Ye only needed to channel his own spiritual energy through the nine apertures, allowing the spiritual energy to form a small cycle within his body, and the Spirit Stream Realm would naturally be achieved!
This was also the ultimate goal of his efforts over the past month.
However, Lu Ye found that although the medicinal effects of the Barrier-Breaking Fruit had been consumed to a large extent, there was still a significant amount left. If he left it unchecked at this moment, not only might it affect his future cultivation, but at the very least, the remaining medicinal effects would be wasted.
This fruit was undoubtedly a rare and valuable item, and it would be a pity to waste it.
So, after a brief hesitation, he began to channel his own spiritual energy, attempting to locate the position of the tenth spirit aperture.
The Sect Leader had only helped him locate the position of the ninth spirit aperture, as he believed that with Lu Ye's talent, even with an ample supply of spirit pills, it would probably take two to three years to cultivate to the first level of the Spirit Stream Realm.
It wasn't that the Sect Leader looked down on him, but his talent was too low, and his cultivation efficiency was indeed very poor.
However, the Sect Leader didn't expect that Lu Ye would open nine apertures in just a month, and this was even with a lack of spirit pills. If he had enough Essence Cultivating Pills, his speed would have been even faster.
At this point, even without external help, with Lu Ye's own spiritual energy reserves, he could locate the position of the spirit apertures, though not as easily as the Sect Leader.
During this time, Lu Ye also took the opportunity to study the Golden Cicada Freedom Technique, so he had a rough idea of the positions of the subsequent spirit apertures. As long as his luck wasn't too bad, locating the position of the spirit apertures wouldn't be a problem.
After about half an hour of effort, Lu Ye finally located the position of the tenth aperture. He quickly guided the remaining medicinal effects of the Barrier-Breaking Fruit toward the tenth aperture, and the barrier of the tenth spirit aperture, like the previous ones, quickly dissolved.
After another few dozen breaths, the barrier of the tenth spirit aperture was broken, and the medicinal effects of the Barrier-Breaking Fruit were almost depleted.
Lu Ye continued to locate the position of the eleventh aperture.
After more than half an hour, Lu Ye took a deep breath and opened his eyes. At this moment, he could no longer feel the medicinal effects of the Barrier-Breaking Fruit, and the warm flow in his lower abdomen had completely disappeared. The barrier of the eleventh aperture had not been broken, but it had loosened significantly. In the future, when he cultivated, breaking the barrier would be much easier, so it wasn't without its benefits.
A single Barrier-Breaking Fruit had allowed him to open two apertures, and the barrier of the eleventh aperture had also loosened considerably, bringing him great gains.
Lu Ye suppressed the urge to immediately achieve the Spirit Stream Realm, as he had a vague feeling that although achieving the Spirit Stream Realm now was possible, if he could cultivate the newly opened ninth aperture to a full state, achieving the Spirit Stream Realm would be even easier.
At this point, he was no longer in a hurry.
He walked to the side, skinned and cleaned the dead rabbit, started a fire, and roasted it, enjoying a hearty meal.
Over the next few days, Lu Ye hunted and killed a large number of nearby beasts, consuming an astonishing amount of food daily. Everything he ate was transformed into his vital energy, which was then refined into spiritual energy and channeled into the ninth spirit aperture.
After about six days, in the cave, Lu Ye sat cross-legged.
Although he had eaten a lot of meat over these days, his body had not become fatter; instead, it had become more slender, and his originally well-fitting clothes had become slightly loose.
This was the result of refining vital energy into spiritual energy. Too much vital energy had been refined into spiritual energy, which was reflected in his physical appearance.
Although he had become slimmer, Lu Ye did not feel any discomfort. Instead, he felt stronger, with his muscles clearly defined, making him look robust and strong.
He had finally cultivated the ninth aperture to a full state.
After so many days of effort, today was finally the time for harvest, and Lu Ye couldn't help but feel excited.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm his mind, Lu Ye followed the cultivation route of the Golden Cicada Freedom Technique. He started with the origin spirit aperture, channeling its spiritual energy into the second spirit aperture, which then channeled its spiritual energy into the third spirit aperture, and so on, until the ninth spirit aperture.
The ninth spirit aperture was located near the origin spirit aperture. After the spiritual energy flowed into the ninth spirit aperture, Lu Ye guided it back to the origin spirit aperture, thus connecting the nine spirit apertures to form a closed loop, known as the Small Cycle!
If the spiritual energy stored in the spirit apertures was previously like stagnant water, it now became flowing water. The spiritual energy flowed from the origin spirit aperture through the other eight spirit apertures and back to the origin spirit aperture, circulating continuously.
Lu Ye immediately felt a different sensation.
However, he did not stop there but continued to guide the spiritual energy, repeatedly performing the Small Cycle.
The speed of the spiritual energy flowing through the nine spirit apertures gradually increased until it reached a limit. At that moment, Lu Ye's ears and eyes buzzed, and even though his eyes were closed, he was filled with a white light. Then, the white light faded, and his hearing and vision became sharp, giving him a sense of elevation and comfort.
A visible wave of energy spread out from Lu Ye, causing the sand and stones in the cave to fly.
The Spirit Stream Realm was achieved!
Lu Ye did not rush to open his eyes but quietly felt his current state.
Without guiding the flow of spiritual energy, his spiritual energy still flowed continuously through the nine spirit apertures, like a stream, circulating and performing the Small Cycle.
This was the hallmark of achieving the Spirit Stream Realm.
Unless Lu Ye died or his spiritual energy was depleted and his spirit apertures were damaged, the flow of spiritual energy would not stop from now on.
Slowly opening his eyes, he raised a palm and slightly channeled his spiritual energy. A faint glow immediately appeared in his palm, the light of spiritual energy. However, the feeling of his current spiritual energy was very different from before.
Although the amount of spiritual energy had not increased, the current spiritual energy was clearly more destructive.
Lu Ye could clearly feel that his strength had more than doubled. If he were to fight the large tiger again now, he was confident he could defeat it without using spirit talismans.
After a brief moment of thought, Lu Ye understood the reason.
In the past, although he had opened many spirit apertures, he could only channel the spiritual energy from one aperture at a time. If the spiritual energy in one aperture was depleted, he could only channel the spiritual energy from another aperture, and he couldn't channel the spiritual energy from two or more apertures simultaneously.
But now, with the nine apertures connected, the spiritual energy flowed in the Small Cycle. When he channeled the spiritual energy, it was no longer just the spiritual energy from one aperture but the combined power of the nine apertures.
Of course, the destructive power was not nine times greater, but it was at least one time greater.
As for the tenth aperture, although it had been opened, it belonged to the second level of the Spirit Stream Realm and was not yet integrated with the first level's nine apertures. It couldn't bring him a significant improvement, at most increasing his total spiritual energy reserves.
In essence, the cultivation of the Spirit Stream Realm was a process of quantitative change leading to qualitative change. When enough spirit apertures were opened and the spiritual energy flowed through them in the Small Cycle, there would be a significant leap in strength. Before this, the main effect of opening apertures was to increase one's spiritual energy reserves, not directly increasing strength.
This was common knowledge in cultivation, and every cultivator would be taught by their elders at the beginning of their cultivation. However, Lu Ye, stranded in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, had no one to guide him, so he had to rely on his own exploration and understanding.