Lu Ye checked the information on the battlefield mark. If he remembered correctly, before coming to the Sky Splitting Gorge, his merit points were 34. Now they had increased to 142, a total increase of 108 points.
These were all earned from slaying Nine Stars Sect cultivators. If it weren't for being tied up by Luo Ji in the last few days, he would have gained even more.
He didn't know what the merit points were specifically for, though he could ask Chu Tian. However, doing so might easily expose some things, so Lu Ye didn't plan to ask anyone. Regardless of what these points were for, he would figure it out once he returned to the Crimson Blood Sect's base.
In terms of assets, he had ten pieces of magnetic ore, one map, 135 Spirit Nourishing Pills, 251 spirit stones, 31 healing pills, 22 Small Rejuvenation Pills, nine spirit talismans, and one small bell spirit artifact. Additionally, there were four unopened storage bags.
The Small Rejuvenation Pills were found in Luo Ji's storage bag, with the name of the pill written on the bottle. Lu Ye had seen Luo Ji take them during rest periods, so he was certain that these spirit pills were beneficial to cultivators. The spirit talismans were all defensive and auxiliary. The four storage bags belonged to the Nine Stars Sect's young master and his group, but Lu Ye guessed that only the young master's storage bag had any value, while the other three were probably not worth much.
The exact situation would only be known once someone opened the storage bags.
The resources in his possession seemed plentiful, but in reality, they were not abundant. As a Spirit Creek Third Layer Realm cultivator, opening one spirit orifice required about 15 spirit pills. With the assistance of the Taotie Feast and the Spirit Gathering Spirit Pattern, the consumption would be less, and the efficiency would be higher.
What he needed to do now was to recover quickly. After a good night's sleep, his physical strength and mental state had recovered significantly, but the consumed spirit energy would not return.
Curious about the effects of the Small Rejuvenation Pills, Lu Ye took one and converted his cultivation technique to the Taotie Feast. He refined the pill's power while constructing the Spirit Gathering Spirit Pattern on his spirit orifices to speed up the recovery process.
When all his spirit orifices were reinforced with the small funnel-shaped spirit patterns, a noticeable intangible pulling force emanated from his chest and abdomen, gathering the surrounding spiritual energy. This was the effect of the 29 Spirit Gathering Spirit Patterns working together.
He confirmed the effects of the Small Rejuvenation Pills, which were much better for recovery than the Spirit Nourishing Pills. No wonder Luo Ji took these spirit pills every time he rested. He cursed inwardly, realizing that disciples from major sects indeed had a rich background, and the spirit pills they consumed were different from others.
In just over a day, after consuming six Small Rejuvenation Pills, his spirit energy was fully replenished.
At this point, he took out the jade slip given to him by the woman with the double buns from the Mystic Sect to study.
The name of this Earth-grade cultivation technique was the Red Lotus Soaring Technique. According to this technique, one could open 180 spirit orifices. What surprised Lu Ye was that this technique also included several spells, though these spells required a certain foundation of spirit energy to cultivate, which he currently lacked.
This thing shouldn't be cheap, but the Mystic Sect only sold it to him for two spirit stones, so he felt he had gotten a good deal.
Lu Ye currently had 29 spirit orifices and was at the Spirit Creek Third Layer Realm. To advance to the Fourth Layer Realm, he needed to open at least 45 spirit orifices, meaning he needed to open at least 16 more.
In fact, it wasn't that simple, as he needed to account for the non-overlapping parts of the cultivation techniques. Therefore, Lu Ye needed to open 18 more spirit orifices to advance to the Spirit Creek Fourth Layer Realm.
Only then could he completely convert the Golden Cicada Freedom Technique to the Red Lotus Soaring Technique.
Eighteen spirit orifices, conservatively estimated, would require about 250 spirit pills. Given the number of spirit pills he had, it was far from enough, but he still had spirit stones.
After some thought, Lu Ye sent a message.
As for whom to contact... he only had one person to turn to.
"251 spirit stones, to buy some Spirit Nourishing Pills and food!"
He didn't plan to linger here any longer. The journey to the Crimson Blood Sect's base was long and would take a lot of time. The earlier he set out, the sooner he would arrive.
The sect leader was probably very worried about his safety.
When he left Qingyun Mountain, he had only opened 21 spirit orifices. Now he had opened 29, and both Amber and Yi Yi had grown. He had been delayed in the Sky Splitting Gorge for about ten days, and it was time to continue his journey.
At the Spirit Creek Third Layer Realm, he already had sufficient self-preservation capabilities in the outer area of the battlefield.
As for cultivation, he could cultivate while traveling, which wouldn't hinder anything. Especially since he now knew the correct way to use the Spirit Gathering Spirit Pattern, his spirit energy would gradually increase even without consuming spirit pills.
However, before setting out, he needed to convert the useless items in his possession into useful ones.
He didn't need many spirit stones, so converting them into spirit pills would be best. As for food... both he and Amber had large appetites, so he needed to stock up.
Chu Tian quickly replied: "No problem, is Brother Ye leaving?"
He clearly sensed something.
"Yes," Lu Ye replied.
"Prepare in the morning, I'll come to you."
After ending the message with Chu Tian, Lu Ye continued to study the Red Lotus Soaring Technique, determining the next spirit orifice to open.
With repeated surges of spirit energy, the barrier of the 30th spirit orifice was broken.
Lu Ye didn't continue his cultivation but started practicing with his saber. In the past few days, he had been too busy fighting Luo Ji to practice.
However, after starting to practice today, Lu Ye clearly felt a difference. His saber movements were more natural and smooth...
He vaguely felt that this was a benefit from the life-and-death battles of the past few days.
Amber and Yi Yi had returned. The two sects nearby had ended their declaration of war, and the Sky Splitting Gorge was now quiet, with no fear of being ambushed.
Amber lay on the ground, finishing her dried meat, waiting for Lu Ye to feed her.
At the beginning of their journey, Amber only needed two Spirit Nourishing Pills per day, but as her strength increased, so did her consumption. Now she needed about four Spirit Nourishing Pills per day.
As for Yi Yi, she didn't consume anything. She was a companion spirit of Amber, and as Amber grew stronger, so did she!
Two hours later, Lu Ye sheathed his saber and sat by the campfire to eat roasted meat, tossing two Spirit Nourishing Pills to Amber. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "Yi Yi, does Amber know any spells?"
When he and Luo Ji were facing off in the corridor, Yi Yi had gone to harass Luo Ji, but was forced back by a golden arc. At that time, Yi Yi let out a cry, and Amber, thinking she was injured, roared in Luo Ji's direction.
That roar not only disturbed Luo Ji but also made Lu Ye feel as if someone was hitting him on the head with a small hammer...