Chapter Thirty-Seven: Advancement

Li Mu slowly awoke, and at once sensed something unusually different around him.

His vision seemed to have expanded greatly; the minute patterns of talismans upon the restriction array were now perfectly clear, and even the abundant spiritual energy nearby appeared visible to his eyes.

But it was not only spiritual energy. He suddenly realized he could see into himself.

He discovered, to his astonishment, that he could perceive his own interior. The true force within his body unfolded like a painting; each strand was so vivid that he could observe it in its entirety.

It was as if he could discern all things, everything before him rendered transparent.

Such a sensation was utterly novel, unheard of in his experience.

Yet soon, clarity dawned—it was not sight, but the sense of spiritual consciousness.

For cultivators who reach the Spirit Foundation stage, the most significant advancement lies in spiritual consciousness. Spiritual consciousness is not confined within the body; it can extend outward, perceiving all within its radius. Compared to the senses of eyes and ears, spiritual consciousness is far superior; as one’s level rises, it can sense events hundreds of miles away. Of course, for now, Li Mu could only maintain a range of ten meters, and it was rather exhausting, but he was already satisfied.

It allowed him to see himself clearly.

Examining his body again, he was shocked to find that his energy pool and meridians had expanded to four times their original capacity, if not more.

This meant his reservoir of true force had increased fourfold, his circulation speed accelerated, and his strength was vastly enhanced.

This was the Spirit Foundation stage—indeed, incomparably stronger than the Qi Condensation stage.

Li Mu let out a long sigh. Though his body still carried traces of the agony he had just endured, everything had been worth it.

He did not realize that his Spirit Foundation process had been far more arduous than that of ordinary cultivators, and thus, his gains were greater as well. Most cultivators using spirit materials for foundation building would at most expand their energy pools threefold, and those using Spirit Foundation Pills even less.

Suddenly—

A flame appeared in Li Mu’s hand, the familiar spell of Fire Ignition.

Within seconds, the flame gathered, and Li Mu nodded in satisfaction. At the Spirit Foundation stage, the casting speed of such spells was twice as fast. In terms of power, it was similar, but now inside the spirit-gathering array, he dared not experiment recklessly.

He was about to extinguish the flame in his hand when he noticed a faint streak of purple within the fiery red.

Bringing the flame closer and probing it with his spiritual consciousness, he confirmed that the purple strand carried the aura of the Purple Peach. The purple patterns intertwined with the fire, making it burn hotter than before, its form more substantial, unfazed by the breeze.

Was this the attribute imparted by the spiritual material?

Li Mu wasn’t certain. Using spirit materials for foundation building can indeed grant cultivators special enhancements, but the chance was pitifully small, and he doubted his luck was so exceptional.

Perhaps the spiritual energy of the Purple Peach was not entirely absorbed.

Li Mu withdrew the flame, invoked the Cleansing Spell to remove all dirt and bloodstains nearby, and sat cross-legged once more.

For now, he did not dwell on the matter; more pressing affairs awaited.

The Divine Myth Spirit Tower, at the Spirit Foundation stage, could unleash the abilities of the fifth and sixth floors. He had long awaited this moment, and now, finally, it had arrived—his emotions surged uncontrollably.

As soon as he entered the spirit sea, a familiar prompt sounded: “Attention: Spirit Tower upgrade. Divine Myth Spirit Tower now grants access to fifth and sixth floor abilities.”

The Spirit Tower before him was now surrounded not only by yellow light, but an additional ring of radiance, making it appear even more extraordinary and wondrous.

Li Mu focused on the fifth floor.

“Upgrade?”

What did it mean? He curiously inserted a top-tier five-colored stone.

“This material is already at peak grade, incapable of further upgrade.”

Li Mu instantly understood, and nearly leapt in excitement.

Upgrade meant elevating the grade of materials—from inferior to intermediate, from superior to top-tier.

Such power was unimaginable. Li Mu examined the Spirit Tower carefully, considered for a moment, then inserted the finest Moon Blossom.

He knew well that top-tier materials were exceedingly rare in this world, belonging entirely to a realm without a market. Any graded material, once reaching top-tier, would command a price a hundred times, even a thousand times greater. For example, a superior Moon Blossom could sell for ten thousand intermediate spirit crystals, while a top-tier one would fetch half a million.

Seeing the Moon Blossom, he suppressed his excitement—he would be wealthy, truly wealthy.

“After inspection, this material is a third-grade superior. Upgrade to top-tier?”

“Confirm!”

After a brief silence, the Spirit Tower did not behave as he expected; instead, it emitted light and completed the upgrade.

“Insufficient tower value. Upgrading a third-grade superior to top-tier requires two hundred points of tower value.”

What? Two hundred points? He only had a hundred! Was this some kind of joke?

Li Mu was stunned, his earlier joy evaporating.

Soon, another prompt appeared: “Activate tower value enhancement. Each third-grade or higher top-tier material increases tower value by at least ten points. Each superior spirit crystal increases tower value by at least two points.”

So that’s how it works? There was still hope!

Li Mu composed himself and calculated carefully. A third-grade or higher top-tier material, even the poorest, was worth at least ten thousand intermediate spirit crystals. To reach two hundred tower value points, he would need at least one hundred thousand intermediate spirit crystals. Moreover, top-tier materials were hoarded by others, rarely put up for sale. Considering this, he could not remain calm; the threshold was too high, and at present, it was beyond his means.

He would have to wait.

Ah, but there were superior spirit crystals.

It seemed simpler, but reality was far more difficult.

Superior spirit crystals contained abundant, pure spiritual energy, with almost no impurities. Cultivators who used them for cultivation advanced much faster and better than those relying on third-grade spirit-gathering arrays, and they could be used freely without restriction. For this reason, superior spirit crystals rarely functioned as hard currency; even two thousand intermediate spirit crystals could scarcely be exchanged for one superior crystal.

Most materials were priced by tens or hundreds of thousands of intermediate spirit crystals, not by superior crystals; thus, it was nearly impossible for cultivators to use superior spirit crystals for purchases.

Superior materials were already considered high-grade.

Indeed, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world—top-tier materials are not so easily obtained. Li Mu restrained his wild emotions and shook his head ruefully.

He took out the Moon Blossom, refraining from further insertion. For him, superior materials were not so hard to come by; what was difficult was acquiring top-tier ones—no need to attempt again.

He inserted a pellet of intermediate-grade Spirit Condensation Pill.

The light green pill was circled by a blue rune.

“After inspection, this material is a third-grade intermediate pill. Upgrade to superior?”

“Confirm!”

Blue and golden radiance intertwined, and a pill popped out—the blue rune upon it was noticeably deeper, some even penetrating to its core.

“Upgrading a third-grade intermediate pill to superior consumes one hundred points of tower value.”

Excellent, this was achievable. Li Mu nodded in satisfaction.

His delight returned—pills could be upgraded as well. This would bring many changes to his future plans, making them more feasible.

He wondered, though, if treasure artifacts could also be upgraded.