Chapter 6

As he watched the Moon Prohibition and Star Prohibition being blasted open, revealing two objects of different shapes, Ye Wuxie's eyes lit up.

He had a hunch about the fiery red light orb that emitted a fragrant aroma, so he first walked towards the dark rectangular box, which piqued his curiosity.

The touch was cool and smooth.

Ye Wuxie gently placed his right hand on the surface of the black box, and the first sensation was the temperature of the object. As his right hand slowly caressed it, he felt the texture of the black box.

"The touch is cool and smooth, but I can clearly feel rough patterns on the surface. What material is this box made of, and why does it give such a contradictory feeling?"

His eyes flickered, and he extended another hand. With a slight effort, Ye Wuxie easily picked up the floating dark box.

"About four feet long, one foot wide, dark black, rectangular, almost weightless—what is this thing?"

He carefully examined the dark rectangular box in his hands. Although he couldn't see anything special, the box gave him a very peculiar feeling, as if it should be extremely heavy.

"Hmm? There seem to be some patterns on the back?"

Flipping the box over, Ye Wuxie suddenly noticed some patterns on the other side.

"Kong, do these patterns look like stars in the sky? They seem to form a pattern!"

Ye Wuxie's voice was slightly doubtful. On the other side of the dark rectangular box, there were seven vague patterns that, when connected from top to bottom, resembled a spoon.

"This is... the Big Dipper."

Kong, who had been silent for a long time, slowly spoke.

Hearing Kong's words, Ye Wuxie's eyes widened as he examined the patterns closely: "No wonder these star-like patterns seemed familiar. It seems the maker of the box engraved the Big Dipper on it, though it's quite dim, perhaps just a pattern."

As he looked at the Big Dipper that resembled a spoon, Ye Wuxie subconsciously touched the position of the first star, Tian Shu, in the Big Dipper.

The moment he placed his hand on it, a bright light suddenly filled his vision, and he found himself in a radiant starry sky!

Surrounded by dazzling starlight, countless stars shimmered, and an ancient aura that seemed to embody time and eternity permeated the air!

In this starry sky, seven particularly bright stars formed a single entity, their light shining directly into Ye Wuxie's eyes—the Big Dipper!

"Seal the Gods with the Big Dipper! Refine the Dao with the Seven Stars!"

At the same time, an extremely ancient voice echoed, growing louder and spreading further, eventually drowning out the entire starry sky!

"Buzz"

The light dimmed again, as if he had just woken from a dream. When Ye Wuxie opened his eyes, he found himself still in the cave.

"Phew"

He exhaled heavily, his face filled with shock. The scenes he had just witnessed felt incredibly real. Looking at the dark rectangular box in his hands, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Seven Stars Refining Dao Box, what a name!"

"Your soul space was trembling just now, and you fell into a strange state, as if under a spell. It seems the box in your hands is no ordinary object."

Kong's voice, tinged with curiosity, echoed in Ye Wuxie's mind. Having been in Ye Wuxie's soul space, he couldn't have missed the state Ye Wuxie was in.

Ye Wuxie then recounted the scene to Kong.

"Seal the Gods with the Big Dipper, Refine the Dao with the Seven Stars, the Big Dipper, the ancient voice? This seems to be a mystery from the cosmos. The Seven Stars Refining Dao Box and I were sealed in the Moon and Star Prohibition. Could my past self have had a connection with the owner of this box? Or perhaps, my past self was the owner of the Seven Stars Refining Dao Box? Where did I come from?"

Kong's speculation resonated with Ye Wuxie. However, the matter was too extraordinary and beyond their current ability to investigate.

After that scene, the Seven Stars Refining Dao Box became a symbol of mystery in Ye Wuxie's eyes.

Seamlessly integrated, except for two small circular clasps on either side, there was no other gap, as if it had formed naturally.

"The Seven Stars Refining Dao Box must contain secrets, but I can't explore them for now. However, one day, when my cultivation is advanced, I might be able to uncover its secrets."

Ye Wuxie spoke quietly, and Kong nodded lightly, acknowledging that dwelling on this issue now was not wise.

"The Seven Stars Refining Dao Box was in the Moon Prohibition. Now, let me see what's in the Star Prohibition. Is it as I imagined?"

Placing the Seven Stars Refining Dao Box upright on the ground, Ye Wuxie turned his gaze to the fiery red light orb. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he approached it.

The fragrance from the fiery red light orb made Ye Wuxie's body tremble, and he felt a pull throughout his body. The Saint Dao Battle Qi within him seemed to circulate more rapidly, making him feel refreshed.

Reaching out his right hand, he touched a warm, smooth object within the fiery red light orb.

Grasping it firmly, he pulled his hand back and opened his palm, a hint of joy crossing his face: "It's indeed a pill."

In his palm lay a pill the size of a longan, entirely red, with occasional flashes of red light within it.

"Tsk, pills are classified by grade, with each grade divided into upper, middle, and lower ranks. In the entire Murong family, the pills given to ordinary Murong disciples for cultivation are only lower-rank first-grade Spirit Fusion Pills and Blood Qi Pills. The former refines internal yuan force, while the latter harmonizes internal blood and qi. Just the consumption of these two pills by all Murong disciples requires a significant amount of resources from the Murong family each month."

"Middle-rank first-grade pills must be obtained by Murong disciples through their own abilities, which is the purpose of the monthly competition. One is to test combat strength, and the other is to obtain better pills. Therefore, those with better talent and strength often strive to defeat their opponents and obtain better pills."

"However, some geniuses born with exceptional talent do not need to compete to obtain pills. They have the best pills and cultivation techniques, and their only task is to break through, break through again, and again. In the Murong family, Murong Tian is like this."

Without a steady supply of high-quality pills and powerful cultivation techniques, how could Murong Tian have surpassed other Murong disciples so much by the age of eighteen, condensing the Moon Soul and breaking through to the Ordinary Mortal Soul Realm? Besides Murong Tian's exceptional talent, pills and cultivation techniques are absolutely indispensable.

Feeling the warmth of the red pill in his hand, Ye Wuxie's thoughts flowed. Ten years ago, his treatment was even better than Murong Tian's, but after he chose to enter the state of extinction, everything disappeared. If not for Murong Changqing, Ye Wuxie wouldn't have even had the chance to obtain Spirit Fusion Pills and Blood Qi Pills in the past ten years.

Waste is never pitied by anyone.

"From the quality, this pill is at least upper-rank second-grade, and it might even be a lower-rank third-grade pill."

Examining the pill in his hand, Ye Wuxie carefully identified it. He was not a pill master and only had a basic understanding of pills.

However, this did not prevent him from making a rough judgment. If this pill is a third-grade pill that enhances yuan force, it would be his greatest gain from this trip!

Even in the Murong family, the best pill Murong Tian has taken is only upper-rank first-grade and lower-rank second-grade.

"This is a lower-rank third-grade pill, the Human-grade Spirit Burst Pill."

Kong's tone was very certain, echoing in Ye Wuxie's mind.

"Oh? Kong, you also know about pills?"

"Yes, in my residual memories, there are some scenes related to pills. Although I have forgotten the pill formulas, I can still identify pills."

Surprised by Kong's ability, Ye Wuxie felt a sense of joy. In the future, if he needed any specific pills, he could directly ask Kong, making him a living encyclopedia of pills.

This made Ye Wuxie even more curious about what kind of existence Kong was in the past.

"Human-grade Spirit Burst Pill, what is its effect? Can it enhance internal yuan force?"

Ye Wuxie asked the most critical question.

Hearing Ye Wuxie's question, Kong paused for a moment before slowly speaking: "The Human-grade Spirit Burst Pill, a lower-rank third-grade pill, has only one effect: to enhance the user's internal yuan force by three levels, limited to Body Tempering Realm cultivators."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wuxie was immediately shocked!

"You mean if I take this pill, my internal Saint Dao Battle Qi can immediately be enhanced by three levels?"

"Theoretically, yes."

"What do you mean by 'theoretically'?"

Kong's response was not as straightforward as Ye Wuxie had expected, leaving him confused.

"There is no power in this world that comes without a price. Just as you paid the price of ten years of extinction to condense the Holy Battle Law Origin, the Human-grade Spirit Burst Pill can enhance yuan force, but there is a prerequisite."

"What prerequisite?"

Kong's words did not make Ye Wuxie hesitate at all.

Without directly answering Ye Wuxie's question, Kong continued: "To enhance cultivation in the Body Tempering Realm, one must thoroughly refine the skin, flesh, tendons, bones, and marrow, ultimately reaching the Great Perfection of Body Tempering, where yuan force and blood qi are integrated, qualifying one to break through to the Ordinary Mortal Realm."

"However, cultivation is a step-by-step process with no shortcuts. Even if there are, they come at a great cost and carry significant risks. The Human-grade Spirit Burst Pill is a shortcut in the Body Tempering Realm, allowing one to enhance three levels without refining the body and blood qi. But if it were that simple, there would be no saying 'Heaven rewards diligence.'"

"The five stages of Body Tempering—skin, flesh, tendons, bones, and marrow—are five essential hurdles for cultivators. Each breakthrough is accompanied by intense pain. Surviving it means success; failing can result in minor injuries or even becoming a cripple. Therefore, cultivation is a gradual process, step by step, while the Human-grade Spirit Burst Pill enhances three levels at once. In other words, you are currently at the sixth level of Body Tempering, with tendons fully refined. Taking this pill would make you reach the ninth level, with marrow partially refined. However, breaking through three levels from bone refinement to marrow refinement involves immense pain and risk."

Ye Wuxie listened quietly to Kong's explanation. His expression became serious, but Kong sensed no fear in him.

"Taking the Human-grade Spirit Burst Pill gives you a fifty percent chance of success and a fifty percent chance of dying from the strain. This is a gamble with your life!"

After saying this, Kong fell silent, leaving the decision to Ye Wuxie.

"Snap"

Bending his legs, Ye Wuxie sat cross-legged on the ground, holding the lower-rank third-grade Human-grade Spirit Burst Pill in his right hand. His face was calm, showing no fear of the pill that could potentially kill him. Instead, he suddenly smiled: "Kong, do you know? In the ten years of extinction, I learned the most profound lesson: besides persistence and unwavering belief, once a choice is made, one must walk the path with determination, even if it's a dead end, I will find a way to survive!"

The young man sitting cross-legged had a handsome face, his eyes filled with determination and resolve. His words might sound naive to those who have experienced much, but no one knew how strong the ten years of extinction had made his spirit.

Even Kong did not know.

"Ten years ago, when I chose extinction, I understood that to find Uncle Fu and uncover my past, I must have great strength. So, I will pay any price without hesitation. Murong Tian wants to seize the Blood Dragon Jade; I won't let him have it! Gambling with my life? Ha, I'll take the gamble! I won't die, I will succeed."

His slightly obsessive words echoed in the cave. Kong remained silent, watching the young man swallow the pill that carried both the power of death and hope.

Ye Wuxie couldn't see that in the depths of his soul space, a golden lightning bolt shimmered with a beautiful light. In the lightning, a young man with a blurred face sat cross-legged, sighing: "Wuxie, you must live..."