Chapter 500: Chapter 489: Sword Cultivator Father
In the deep sea of the outer sea, Ye Qiu was brought by Old Turtle to the entrance of a canyon.
"This is where the merfolk used to live?" The canyon was pitch-dark, with tremendous water pressure and icy cold water. It’s estimated that even a cultivator at the Golden Core Stage would not be able to withstand it here, only the merfolk, creatures bestowed with unique advantages, could thrive like fish in water.
"Yes, this is the place." Old Turtle was somewhat excited, but they slowed down, "However, this place is very dangerous, and there are many Arrays left by the merfolk."
"Did the merfolk really go to another world because of spatial turbulence?" Ye Qiu looked at the increasingly bright Merfolk Inner Core in his hand and asked, doubting the credibility of this rumor.
"I don’t know, they disappeared overnight." Although it had strong protective capabilities, the merfolk were the rulers of these waters, and it couldn’t linger here for long. When it returned after a few years, all the merfolk had vanished, and it didn’t know what had happened, let alone the outside speculation that the merfolk went to another world through spatial turbulence.
"Where is the person you mentioned before?" Ye Qiu guessed that this person was probably the elder that the Shopkeeper had been asking him to search for.
"Gone. One day he suddenly rushed into an Array and disappeared, never to be seen again," Old Turtle said truthfully. Ever since that person vanished, it searched here for hundreds of years to no avail. It was only by chance that it detected the presence of merfolk and thus sought out Ye Qiu.
"How did you know about the Merfolk Treasure?"
"One of the little merfolk told me before they disappeared, saying their clan had a small secret realm." Old Turtle had long coveted this secret realm, but had always been unable to access it.
Three hundred years ago, a human cultivator came here, somehow entered and found a Merfolk Inner Core, but after he went in again, he never came out.
Old Turtle wasn’t foolish, it also speculated that the secret realm might require something specific to open it. The first time that person entered without a Merfolk Inner Core, yet still managed to get in, so after failing to obtain a Merfolk Inner Core, it thought that Ye Qiu, being human too, might have a way to open the secret realm just like that person did.
"Let me out and remove the spiritual power shield; I can’t examine it thoroughly with it on."
Remembering the oath Ye Qiu had made earlier, Old Turtle released him as requested.
As soon as the spiritual power shield was lifted, the Merfolk Inner Core in Ye Qiu’s hand shone even more, and the ant-sized merfolk on it swam even faster.
"It should be right here, be careful." Ye Qiu hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly; once he opened the Merfolk Treasure, what would come next for Lin Shen?
Meanwhile, Lin Shen, who was off to gather cultivation resources, had again heard the rumors about him and Ye Sheng, and he was utterly annoyed.
"Disciple Lin Shen, I’ve heard that Disciple Ye Sheng made a bold statement in the Small Secret Realm saying that your fast cultivation with Five Spirit Roots is only temporary, and that your speed will slow down eventually—what do you think about this?" one meddler asked, moving closer despite Lin Shen’s cold demeanor.
Facing him with a chilly expression, and with a glare as sharp as Master Wu’an’s, Lin Shen snapped, "What’s it to you?"
"You..." The man, choked by Lin Shen’s attitude, stormed off with a flick of his sleeve. The others watched Lin Shen like they were watching a show, their thoughts echoing the rumors.
Even if Lin Shen was highly perceptive, he was still someone with Five Spirit Roots—how fast could one with Five Spirit Roots cultivate? Even if he possessed Exotic Treasures, he couldn’t compare to those with Single Spirit Root, right? Master Wu’an was already in the late stages of Nascent Soul and might ascend to the Great Thousand World any day now; could he protect Lin Shen for a lifetime? What would Lin Shen, with his Exotic Treasures, do then?
There weren’t a few thinking this way. Consequently, Lin Shen had not a single confidant in the Tianyan Sect. Even those who approached him often harbored ill intentions.
But Lin Shen didn’t care at all; accustomed to being cold-hearted, he always assumed the worst in anyone who tried to get close to him.
His Master was right, the Cultivation World was full of turbulent and deceitful figures; he needn’t pay them any extra attention. As for that Ye Sheng, if he can’t appreciate the situation, it wouldn’t hurt to teach him a lesson.
"Tsk, just wait, he will never catch up to Ye Sheng."
"Exactly, with such poor aptitude, who is he showing his cold face to?"
"I think he’s just a waste of the sect’s resources. With Five Spirit Roots, he probably won’t even reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime!"
Hearing these mocking words, Lin Shen walked farther away, but he etched the faces of these people in his memory. His cultivation was low now, but wait, one day he would make those who laughed at him regret it.
Ye Sheng, huh? He’s merely a Single Spirit Root, so what? Everyone will become a stepping stone for him.
Meanwhile, Ye Sheng, still training in the Small Secret Realm, was unaware that he was being thought of. He constantly sought battles with spiritual beasts and looked for ores suitable for Artifact Refining during his rest, enriching and strengthening himself through the training.
The gossips within the Small Secret Realm weren’t any less than outside. But after hearing enough, it didn’t matter to him; since he listened to Ye Qiu’s advice last time, Ye Sheng no longer took his desire to win too seriously.
Especially under the influence of Jin Quan recently. Although Jin Quan was their Senior Brother, he had the poorest aptitude among his fellow disciples. Yet he had never seen him feel disheartened or complain; living his life with clarity. Even Perfected Ming Shi, his own Senior Uncle, the Sect Leader of Tianyan Sect, Master Qin Guan, treated Jin Quan differently.
With Jin Quan as a role model, Ye Sheng’s state of mind also opened up. What did it matter that he was a Single Spirit Root? Remember, the Xuanyuan Realm where they lived was but a Small Thousand World. If he cared too much about his desire for victory, what would he do when he later reached the Great Thousand World? There must be even more geniuses there; was he going to let himself be angered to death? Should he challenge every single one?
Therefore, it was enough to just do one’s best, to cultivate wholeheartedly without regrets. Thinking too much can easily lead to Heart Demons, which is detrimental to cultivation and slows one’s progress.
Ye Qiu in the deep sea, searching for the Merfolk Treasure, had no idea his son had reached such profound realizations. He would definitely be extremely glad if he knew.
"You’ve been looking all day, why hasn’t there been any sign?" Old Turtle was extremely hopeful, as the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Right now, he was very anxious.
"We’ve waited for hundreds of years; what’s one more day? Stop blathering, the Divine Soul remnants on this inner core seem to be singing. We must be close."
Ye Qiu and Old Turtle’s expressions grew solemn as they cautiously moved forward step by step.
"Can you shrink? Just in case something unexpected happens and you can’t get through."
Feeling that he was not as clever as Ye Qiu, Old Turtle obediently shrank into a palm-sized little turtle and lay on Ye Qiu’s shoulder.
"The seawater here is two degrees colder than before, and it’s stagnant; definitely something peculiar."
Old Turtle squinted his eyes, smaller than green beans, and silently waited for Ye Qiu’s next move.