The Taiyue Mountain Range stretches for a thousand miles, with lofty mountains and sheer cliffs, desolate and uninhabited.
Carson Flores found a hidden cave and burrowed in, even moving a huge boulder to seal the entrance for concealment.
Once the Water-Fire Mirror was taken out of the Space Ring, it would inevitably spurt out Spiritual Energy, perhaps causing a phenomenon in the sky. Although he had already left quite a distance behind, it was still wise to be cautious.
Who knew if the other party had any special means?
After making sure that the entrance was sealed, Carson Flores took out a flashlight, switched it to floodlight mode, and the whole cave was instantly as bright as day.
Only then did Carson Flores take out the Water-Fire Mirror from the Space Ring. As soon as the mirror appeared, a fierce column of Spiritual Energy burst forth, a spectacular sight to behold.
Such rich Spiritual Energy!
Carson Flores had been to the Jade Pool and the Five-Colored Pool, both places of rich Spiritual Energy, but compared to the energy spewing out from the Water-Fire Mirror, they were like a Great Witch in the presence of a Deity.
Carson Flores didn’t bother with the erupting Spiritual Energy, and took out a bottle of water to rinse the Water-Fire Mirror clean.
The Water-Fire Mirror looked like an ancient bronze mirror, with a smooth surface that was also slightly hazy; both sides were mirrors, but of different colors, one blue, the other red. Intricate and primitive patterns adorned the surface and the stand of the mirror.
After studying for a while, Carson Flores couldn’t find out how to control the Water-Fire Mirror.
Carson Flores let out a helpless sigh. In the end, he was just a Cultivator, not a cultivator of the Cultivation Realm, and didn’t possess the skills to use magical treasures that cultivators had.
In just a moment, the Spiritual Energy spewing from the Water-Fire Mirror had filled the entire vast cave to the brim, and the air was so rich with Spiritual Energy that even taking a single breath made one feel refreshed and invigorated.
Carson Flores looked at the Water-Fire Mirror, which showed no sign of stopping its release of Spiritual Energy, and pondered the fact that the entire area had undergone a seasonal inversion, clearly because of the Water-Fire Mirror. How much energy would it take to cause such a phenomenon in a region spanning hundreds of miles?
The amount of Spiritual Energy inside must be terrifyingly immense.
An idea sparked in Carson Flores’ mind: with such conditions, could he attempt to take the Breakthrough Pill and try to surpass the Innate realm?
Shirley Miller had told Carson Flores that above the Innate realm, one must condense the Spiritual Energy into a core, a stage known as the Golden Core Stage. The Golden Core Stage is where cultivators shed their mortal bodies and begin to possess a long lifespan; it is the true starting point of the great path. Only by entering the Golden Core Stage can one truly set foot on the path.
That’s why in the Cultivation Realm there’s a saying: "Below Golden Core, all are but ants."
Should he take the risk?
What if it doesn’t work out?
Carson Flores hesitated for just a few seconds before making his decision.
The Breakthrough Pill was found; the Water-Fire Mirror was seized. If he were to enter the Blessed Land of Cave Heavens, who knew what situations he might encounter?
An ounce of strength meant an ounce more of capital, of self-preservation.
Besides, having taken the Water-Fire Mirror, his identity might still be recognized. After all, Marco Hoffman had met him face-to-face, said he looked familiar, and what if he remembered him?
If his identity were exposed, he would be facing more than just the Hoffman Family, but potentially all the Cultivators of the world, even Kaenu Hail, and those cultivators from the Blessed Land of Cave Heavens.
If his strength wasn’t sufficient, they would surely eradicate him swiftly and cleanly.
He was placing his bet!
Success or failure hung by a thread!
If successful, he would have enough strength to protect himself; if not, he would make his escape at once!
When the Spiritual Energy in the cave became dense to the extreme, Carson Flores pulled out the Breakthrough Pill he had gotten from Wilson Weiss and swallowed it whole, biting it open.
The potency of the Breakthrough Pill surged through his body, making Carson Flores feel as if his body had become a black hole for Spiritual Energy, madly drawing in the surrounding Spiritual Energy.
The Spiritual Energy that filled the entire cave flowed into Carson Flores’ body like rivers into the sea, ultimately converging in his Dantian.
Inside the Dantian, colossal transformations were taking place, like the shifting of seas into mulberry fields, and as more and more Spiritual Energy gathered, it slowly turned into a viscous liquid and then gradually solidified.
Carson Flores rapidly absorbed Spiritual Energy, depleting the cave’s supply quickly, and though the erupting Spiritual Energy was fast, it couldn’t keep up with his devouring speed.
Carson Flores grew anxious and picked up the Water-Fire Mirror, pointing it directly at himself.
As Carson Flores crazily consumed Spiritual Energy, it seemed to trigger some switch in the Water-Fire Mirror. The energy gushed out at least ten times faster than before, pouring straight into Carson Flores’ body.
The transformation in the Dantian, which had slowed down, started up again.
After an indeterminable time of frenzied absorption, the activity within the Dantian finally began to settle.
In the Dantian, a dazzling golden inner core floated quietly, with an aura of gold flowing around it. Each flicker of light emanated a vast power, like the latent thunder of a forthcoming storm, though silent yet mighty and awe-inspiring.
Carson Flores slowly opened his eyes; they gleamed golden, twinkling like a deity’s.
Carson Flores leapt up, his mood exhilarated.