Chapter 631: Pool Eyes

Seeing that Master Hong was about to be unable to hold on, Zhang Xuan stopped paying attention to Wu Zhen, who was acting cheeky beside him, and continued to transmit his voice.

Having confirmed his suspicions, Wu Zhen no longer bothered him and quietly watched.

A few minutes later.

Feng Yu, Luo Zhao, and Chen Yue, their faces swollen like pig heads and covered in injuries, lay on the ground and voluntarily conceded.

They had no choice but to concede. This Master Hong could always anticipate their moves, beating them until they had no power to fight back. If they continued, not to mention winning, it was hard to say whether they could even keep their lives. It was better to just concede.

The three were in a miserable state, their injuries so severe that even their parents wouldn't recognize them. However, Master Hong was not much better off—his face was swollen, his eye bags red and puffy, his body swaying, and his face covered in blood... If not for a willpower sustaining him, he would have surely collapsed long ago.

"Good, since Master Feng, Master Luo, and Master Chen have conceded, the three slots go to your three factions!"

Seeing that Master Hong had indeed won, Ye Qian was full of surprise.

He didn't have Wu Zhen's insight and hadn't noticed the trick. He thought Master Hong had defeated the three solely by his own strength, and couldn't help but feel admiration.

"Master Wu, since Master Hong is injured, may I ask for a cup of medicinal wine?"

Seeing Master Hong approaching with a disfigured face, Zhang Xuan felt guilty and went to Master Wu.

If it weren't for this fool constantly calling out to him, Master Hong's injuries would have been within controllable limits, and he wouldn't have ended up like this, nearly dead.

"Hmm."

Master Wu also felt a bit embarrassed, took out the medicinal wine, and poured a cup.

Casually injecting a stream of true energy into the cup, Zhang Xuan had Master Hong drink it.

True energy can be preserved for a long time in the human body, but in wine, it dissipates quickly. That is to say, the gourd of wine in Master Wu's hand still had some effect now, but as time passed, it would turn into ordinary liquor and lose its efficacy.

Before long, Master Hong's injuries slowly recovered.

The Heaven's Path true energy, infused into the wine, flowed along the meridians, and even after being consumed, it could still take effect.

"Thank you, Master Wu and Master Zhang!"

With his injuries healed, Master Hong felt refreshed and quickly cupped his fists.

He had truly thought he wouldn't make it, but unexpectedly, Master Zhang's guidance was so effective that he easily defeated the three.

Those were masters of the same rank as him... Even in one-on-one combat, he might not necessarily win. To defeat three at once, even if severely injured, it was worth it!

With the four vassal states competing against each other, just this one victory would allow the Hongfeng Empire to hold its head high!

"You're too kind..."

Master Wu waved his hand, looking at Zhang Xuan with great curiosity.

But he knew this was not the time to ask, so he said no more.

"Master Wu, could we also have a cup of medicinal wine?"

As Zhang Xuan and the others returned to their seats, Master Feng and Master Luo approached.

They had seen how Master Hong improved immediately after drinking the medicinal wine and were extremely envious. Now they came to ask for some as well.

"Alright."

With a twitch of his eyebrows, though somewhat reluctant, Master Wu still took out the wine gourd and poured a cup for each of the three.

"Thank you, Master Wu!"

Taking the medicinal wine, the three quickly drank it, feeling a spicy sensation rush up their throats.

After waiting a while, they found that their injuries hadn't changed much and couldn't help but ask, "Master Wu, did you grab the wrong gourd..."

"Wrong? This is the same one as before..."

Master Wu frowned. "Maybe your injuries are more severe and require external application."

With that, he poured another cup for each of them.

"That makes sense."

Earlier, when Master Zhang pierced Master Bi's arm, he used external application. Perhaps their injuries were more serious than Master Hong's, and internal consumption was no longer effective.

Thinking this, they again raised the wine and evenly applied it to the injured areas.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!

The wine carried a burning sensation, causing them to grimace in pain. After waiting for a long time, the wounds still hadn't improved; instead, they showed signs of festering. Feng Yu, Luo Zhao, and Chen Yue were all baffled.

Wasn't this a miraculous healing remedy that would restore them to their original state as soon as it was applied?

Why did it not only have no effect but also cause convulsive pain in the wounds, accompanied by occasional itching?

They had clearly seen Master Hong recover after drinking it. Could it be that Master Wu was biased and gave them too little?

"Master Wu, maybe the medicinal wine is still a bit insufficient. Could you give us a few more cups..."

Full of doubt, Luo Zhao couldn't help but speak again.

"Get lost!"

Master Wu raised his eyebrows.

What nonsense? Master Hong only gave me this much medicinal wine, and you guys, cup after cup, drinking and applying, endlessly, right?

After cursing, he was also puzzled. Could it be that their injuries were more severe, so the effect was weaker?

That must be it!

Regardless, their mental state was much better than before.

In fact, he didn't know that Zhang Xuan had previously infused true energy into the entire gourd. Although most had dissipated, there was still some effect.

Luo Zhao and the others, each having two cups, though not fully recovered like Master Hong, had mostly healed—the bleeding stopped, and they could walk without any problem.

"..." Seeing him angry, Luo Zhao and the others dared not say more and quickly walked back.

...

"Now that the slots are decided, it's time to allocate the areas!"

Seeing that the competition results were out and the slots were confirmed, Ye Qian looked around and said, "The Huaqing Pool gathers the spiritual energy of Mount Qingji and Dragon Scale River, which can nourish the soul and greatly increase one's soul power. Therefore, this spiritual pool is known as the holy land of the Huanyu Empire. Even members of the royal family cannot enter at will. It can only be accessed according to the rule of opening once every ten years."

"You all know this, so I won't elaborate."

Master Hong and the others nodded.

This was common knowledge, not a secret.

"The Huaqing Pool is a cultivation holy land, indeed excellent for nourishing the soul. But what you don't know is that it is also a place of great danger. With the slightest carelessness, one can die and have their path extinguished, with no one able to save them!"

Ye Qian's expression turned serious.

"A place of great danger? Die and have their path extinguished?"

"Isn't it said to be a spiritual pool with abundant spiritual energy?"

"Yes, how can there be danger?"

...

Everyone was stunned.

Even Luo Zhao, Feng Yu, and the others frowned.

Everyone had heard that the Huaqing Pool nourishes the soul and increases cultivation, but they had never heard that it was very dangerous.

What danger could a pool filled with spiritual liquid pose?

"The Huaqing Pool is indeed a spiritual pool, but its waters are extremely狂暴 and violent. Even a cultivator at the ninth level of Mortal Transformation would be easily killed upon entering! Back then, when our ancestors discovered this place, they sent people in to investigate, and none survived."

Ye Qian's expression was grave.

"Even a ninth-level Mortal Transformation cultivator would be killed?"

Everyone was shocked. "Then we..."

If even a ninth-level Mortal Transformation cultivator couldn't withstand it, wouldn't entering be suicide?

If so, why was it called a cultivation holy land?

"Everyone, don't worry. Let me finish."

Seeing their expressions, Ye Qian smiled. "The Huaqing Pool is very dangerous—I'm not exaggerating; it's the truth. However, there is a way. After years of exploration, at the cost of countless lives, our ancestors finally unlocked some of the pool's mysteries and found some safe areas. As long as one stays within these bounds, no matter how they cultivate, they won't be affected!"

"These areas are called Pool Eyes. Pool Eyes are where spiritual energy converges, making them very safe. However, they only appear once every ten years."

"Pool Eyes?"

"Appear once every ten years? Does that mean the Huaqing Pool opens once every ten years because of this?"

"That must be it..."

Hearing the explanation, everyone suddenly understood.

The fact that the Huaqing Pool only opened once every ten years had always puzzled everyone. They thought it was because the Huanyu royal family wanted to protect the pool, but now it seemed that wasn't the case—it was to prevent danger.

"The Pool Eyes are not large, only about two meters in diameter. Moreover, the spiritual energy that enhances the soul within them is limited. Once it is fully absorbed, the Pool Eye will collapse! That is to say, those who enter must leave once they sense that the spiritual energy is almost depleted; otherwise, once it collapses, they will never be able to get out."

Ye Qian said.

"Two meters in diameter? And there are limits? Then..."

Everyone was full of doubt.

There were fifteen slots in total. A Pool Eye with a diameter of two meters couldn't possibly accommodate everyone!

Moreover, there were limits. Who entered first and who entered later would also be problematic, wouldn't it?

"As you know, the soul is imprisoned within the physical body, like being trapped in a cage. It cannot increase indefinitely!" Without explaining their doubts, Ye Qian continued.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

For ordinary cultivators, the physical body acts like a cage, tightly locking the soul, unable to break free.

Even if one obtains methods to cultivate the soul, the soul can only be confined within the physical body.

It's like planting flowers in a pot—no matter how big the roots grow, they can only be confined within the pot.

"According to calculations, whether at the Spirit Fusion Realm or the Bridge Heaven Realm, three days is the limit. Even if one stays longer, it becomes ineffective. Moreover, three days is also the maximum time a Pool Eye can sustain. Therefore, the empire has set a three-day limit."

Ye Qian said. "The first place from the empire and the vassal states can stay for the full three days, the second place for two days, and the third place for one day!"

Everyone acknowledged.

This was exactly the reward promised before the master competition.

The first place could cultivate in the Huaqing Pool for three days, the second and third places for two days and one day respectively, decreasing in order.

"Previously, everyone must have wondered how a pool only two meters in diameter could allow fifteen people to cultivate simultaneously... Actually, each time the Huaqing Pool opens, there is not just one Pool Eye, but ten appear at the same time!"

"Ten?"

"That's right, ten! According to the previous rules, the five first-place winners each occupy one Pool Eye and cultivate for the full three days. The remaining second and third place winners share one Pool Eye—one for two days and one for one day. Ten Pool Eyes are just enough to be used, and all fifteen people can cultivate!"

Ye Qian continued.

Five first-place winners occupy five Pool Eyes, and the remaining five Pool Eyes are shared by the ten second and third place winners, with different durations—fair and just.

"However... this year is different."

At this point, he paused and shook his head. "Senior Wu, the Sixth Princess, and others each definitely need a separate Pool Eye, and I also need one separately. That takes up five... So, you can only divide the remaining five!"