Chapter 72

Gathering the Celestial Star Earth Essence proved to be more difficult than expected.

In theory, the absolute number of Celestial Star Earth Essence in the Golden Summit Lake was not small. However, the lake's surface area was vast, and the Celestial Star Earth Essence itself was very small. The difficulty of gathering enough of it was evident.

Although Xiao Sheng had already resorted to violent means, continuously pulling up lava pillars to search for the possible presence of Celestial Star Earth Essence, this method was essentially like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Although he managed to obtain a single grain of Celestial Star Earth Essence on his first attempt at striking the lava and causing a pillar to rise, it wasn't so easy after that. Xiao Sheng struck the lava with his palms over a dozen times, all to no avail, and without any harvest. It wasn't until the twentieth attempt that he managed to gather a second grain by chance.

By this time, Xiao Sheng had been in the lava lake for more than a moment (fifteen minutes). Although, with his current cultivation, he could still persist for a quarter of an hour (thirty minutes), if he ventured too deep into the lake and expended too much strength, he might run out of energy on the return trip and be burned to death in the lava.

Moreover, summoning specific parts of the Golden Knight Armor in an extremely short time and then removing them after the action was theoretically feasible, but the mental energy consumption was unexpectedly greater than expected.

Actually, upon careful consideration, this was quite natural. Such precise and intricate movements required Xiao Sheng to maintain extreme concentration and focus. It was like a bow that remained fully drawn all the time, which would consume more energy than drawing it only when needed.

On the other hand, the timing of instant summoning and instant removal was crucial. In fact, by the time the eyes spotted the Celestial Star Earth Essence to be gathered, and the brain issued the command to summon, it was often too late.

Thus, several times, Xiao Sheng's summoning actions were either a step too late or a step too early, always failing to synchronize. The consequence was that multiple parts of his body were repeatedly burned by the scorching lava, requiring self-healing. This back-and-forth process severely drained his physical strength.

However, despite the various difficulties, there was no doubt that this was an excellent place for training.

Firstly, when both physical and mental strength were pushed to their limits and then restored, both aspects would show significant growth. This was like laying a solid foundation for a building; the more solid the foundation, the higher the building could be constructed.

Secondly, with life constantly under the threat of death, the mind would be forced to maintain continuous high concentration. Over time, this would become habitual, leading to a significant improvement in the techniques of mental energy manipulation.

Lastly, when a task was repeated hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times, all the procedures would be deeply ingrained in the body, becoming instinctive. At that point, Xiao Sheng would no longer need to think to summon the Golden Knight Armor. He would instinctively make the most correct response.

Therefore, Xiao Sheng did not complain or feel endangered. He persisted in the lava lake until the last moment, almost unable to withstand the high heat and being burned to death. Only then did he return to the shore to rest. After a brief recovery of his strength, he immediately re-entered the lake to endure the dual trials of lava and heavenly thunder.

That day, until the sky was completely dark, Xiao Sheng only managed to gather seven grains of Celestial Star Earth Essence. When he climbed back onto the shore, exhausted and covered in injuries, he was too weak to even speak. Lying on the grass, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, it was already dawn. Xiao Sheng, fully recovered, immediately jumped back into the lava lake with renewed vigor. That day, he gathered another fifteen grains of Celestial Star Earth Essence, but the number of times his body was burned by the lava was halved compared to the previous day.

On the third day, as Xiao Sheng was about to return to the shore, having reached his limits both mentally and physically, he was slightly careless and failed to notice the sky. He was struck by a sudden bolt of lightning.

At the critical moment, Xiao Sheng, despite overexerting his mental energy, immediately summoned the two arm guards of the Golden Armor and crossed his hands to block the strike. However, the destructive power of the heavenly thunder was immense. After this strike, Xiao Sheng was charred black and severely injured internally. Fortunately, the thunder did not strike continuously; otherwise, he would have lost his life.

With great effort, he returned to the shore. Xiao Sheng clenched his teeth and took out a small bottle containing a red liquid from his storage space. He uncapped the bottle and drank all the liquid inside—its effect was miraculous. In no time, Xiao Sheng was completely healed, as if he had never been injured.

This healing potion was purchased by Xiao Sheng during a visit to a parallel universe where deities and demons roamed. Although expensive, it was worth the price. Drinking the potion had the effect of reviving the dead and regenerating bones. One could say that as long as he had this potion, he had an extra life.

Unfortunately, at that time, Xiao Sheng was only a Martial Artist, and his strength was weak. The demons in that world were too powerful, so he could not explore more. The healing potion he bought was now down to the last bottle.

After healing his injuries, Xiao Sheng was fully alert and jumped back into the lava lake. He would not make the same mistake again. Although several bolts of heavenly thunder struck without warning, Xiao Sheng managed to dodge them all, emerging unscathed. Unfortunately, that day, he only gathered eight grains of Celestial Star Earth Essence.

Although training here had many benefits, Xiao Sheng did not forget that he came here to gather Celestial Star Earth Essence. Only by collecting enough of this precious material could he ensure that he would not be affected by external forces when facing the Son of the Eastern Wasteland at the Empress's birthday banquet.

There were now less than two weeks until the Empress's birthday. However, at the current rate of gathering, it was certain that he would not collect enough Celestial Star Earth Essence before the Empress's birthday.

To speed up the gathering process, Xiao Sheng sought advice from the female strategist, Yu Xuanji, who had been observing from the sidelines. The female strategist explained, "Although the Celestial Star Earth Essence is rare, it is not unheard of. Many people know that the Golden Summit Mountain in the northern border has this precious material. Those with the ability and need to gather it are not few, even if they are not many.

Over the years, the Celestial Star Earth Essence along the lake's edge has been almost completely gathered. To obtain a large amount of Celestial Star Earth Essence at once, one must either venture deep into the center of the lava lake or dig down to the lake bottom. There is no third way."

Lava comes from the earth's core. The deeper one goes into the lake bottom, the higher the temperature of the lava. Moreover, the lava is constantly flowing, making it impossible to dig holes like in ordinary soil. With Xiao Sheng's current Second Stage of the Master Realm, the Chaotic Spirit Stage, he could not directly dive into the lava to search for the Celestial Star Earth Essence hidden at the bottom. Therefore, he had to take the second path and search in the center of the lake.

Having made up his mind, Xiao Sheng immediately acted. He pushed forward to the center of the lake without considering how he would return.

The deeper he went, the more dangerous the environment became. The lightning and thunder in the sky were so dense that they seemed to never stop. The sulfuric fumes from the lava bubbles bursting around him were so thick that he could hardly breathe. The lava splashing in all directions was impossible to avoid.

The center of the lava lake was a completely different world from the shore. Xiao Sheng's body was extensively burned by the lava, with charred flesh exposing white bones. The scene was like a cruel torture, making one feel as if they were in hell, worse than death.

However, Xiao Sheng's expression remained calm, and his mind was undisturbed. No physical pain could affect his spirit. The separation of body and spirit was a profound and indescribable state.

At that moment, a deafening thunderclap echoed in the sky. Lightning split the air, illuminating everything in a blinding white light. The air was filled with electric currents, making Xiao Sheng's skin tingle and his scalp prickle. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen massive lightning bolts, as thick as water buckets, struck the lake surface just twelve to thirteen steps in front of him.

The thunder caused a thousand waves. The lava lake surface was violently torn open, forming a huge crater several dozen feet deep. Tons of lava, like meteorites of heavenly fire, whistled in all directions. Being hit by any of them would result in certain death, either by burning or crushing.

However, in the middle of the crater, a large cluster of fluorescent green light appeared. It was the Celestial Star Earth Essence! At first glance, it was as large as an adult water buffalo's head and weighed at least a hundred pounds!

Never in a million years did Xiao Sheng expect to find such a large piece of Celestial Star Earth Essence in the center of the lava lake. It had been hidden in the lava for who knows how many years. Now that it had suddenly appeared, it was a heaven-sent opportunity, and he could not let it go.

Without hesitation, Xiao Sheng's eyes flashed with determination. He stomped the ground forcefully, using the explosive power to propel himself forward like an arrow. In a flash, he flew over the lava crater and reached out to grab the Celestial Star Earth Essence. A cool sensation confirmed that he had it in his hands.

With the prize in hand, he did not linger. Xiao Sheng mustered all his strength and sprinted forward. A white shadow streaked across the sky, and it took a while for the continuous explosions to catch up. Despite the vast area of the lava lake, it seemed too narrow in the face of such incredible speed.

In an instant, Xiao Sheng had crossed the entire Golden Summit Lake, from the southern shore to the northern shore. He used his last bit of strength to leap out of the lake and climb onto the shore. He collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, too exhausted to even look at his prize.

At that moment, a figure flashed nearby. The person silently approached Xiao Sheng and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Such a large piece of Celestial Star Earth Essence! We're rich! We're really rich!"