Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

Chapter 214: Divine Soul Limit

After taking comprehensive stock of his current state, Han Yu identified two specific areas that still required his attention.

Although his Spirit Breath, essence blood, physical body, and divine soul—every aspect of his personal cultivation—had kept pace, and he possessed an array of external methods like spirit beasts, formation flags, and puppets, he lacked an effective countermeasure against poison.

He did possess the Ziling Fruit, a raw material for crafting detoxification pills, but according to Yuan Shengjiao, even standard detoxification pills could not withstand her Hundred Flowers Poison. Extrapolating from this, even if Han Yu could kill a poison user before they struck, any poison he failed to neutralize immediately would likely remain incurable.

This was a significant hidden danger.

Beyond the issue of detoxification, there was the matter of resources. Once he stepped into the Foundation Establishment realm, his Spirit Breath would transform into Foundation Establishment Spiritual Energy. At that point, resources like the Qi Refining Spirit Boosting Pill, Qi Gathering Pill, and Mystic Heart Fruit would no longer play a significant role in his cultivation.

If Han Yu wanted his cultivation to continue progressing smoothly, he needed to acquire pills and spirit fruits suitable for the next realm before leaving.

These two matters demanded his immediate attention.

Ten days passed.

Han Yu sat holding a newly replicated Sword Heart Spirit Crystal, once again tempering and condensing his divine soul.

Sword intent overflowed in the depths of his heart, while sword qi swirled and crisscrossed around his body.

When he opened his eyes, a cold gleam of sword light seemed to flash within his pupils, his gaze sharp and piercing. A tangible streak of sword qi, shaped like a blade, moved at the command of his divine soul, fluid and obedient.

With a mere thought, the sword qi struck like an extension of his own arm, cleanly slicing through a hardwood target used for technique practice in the room.

The offensive power of a sword cultivator was indeed sharp and fierce.

Han Yu imbued this freely controlled sword qi into his flying sword. The blade already contained a Sword Heart Spirit Crystal; now, stimulated by the circulation of Han Yu’s sword qi, the entire weapon emitted a faint, shimmering luminescence. It floated before him, darting and sweeping through the air solely under the command of his divine soul.

With a subtle mental impulse, the flying sword retracted its spiritual light and returned to his hand.

Clearly, this flying sword possessed far greater spirituality and quality than when Chen Ying had first gifted it to him. It had truly become Han Yu’s exclusive bonded weapon.

Judging solely by sword technique, sword intent, and sword qi, Han Yu was now as pure and orthodox a sword cultivator as one could find. Few disciples of the Spirit Sword Sect at the Qi Refining stage could likely rival him.

Han Yu also sensed that his divine soul, tempered once more by the Sword Heart Spirit Crystal, had reached the absolute limit of what he could currently condense.

Without having yet achieved Foundation Establishment, his divine soul was strong enough to directly manipulate sword qi and flying swords. Furthermore, after being tempered by sword intent, his divine soul had developed a heightened, intuitive perception.

“It is time to establish my foundation.”

That night, after condensing his Star Luo Threads, Han Yu found Sect Leader Qi gazing at the night sky, as he often did after finishing his cultivation.

“How are the celestial phenomena today?” Sect Leader Qi asked.

“The bright star in the south hasn’t entered the center yet; it remains in the south,” Han Yu said, looking up at the seven bright luminaries overhead. “The two bright stars in the east and west are also still far in the distance.”

He paused, observing the changes. “But the bright star in the north has already entered the central region.”

“The celestial phenomena show there are now four stars in the center.”

Hearing this, Sect Leader Qi couldn’t help but smile slightly. “If the Central Heaven Domain corresponds to the center of the celestial map, then the Heaven-ordained person from the north has entered the Central Heaven Domain. With four figures like the Giant Demon Star suddenly stirring up chaos there, the nine great sects—Myriad Phenomena Sect included—will surely have headaches!”

He then vented a complaint to Han Yu: “The Myriad Phenomena Sect is truly a scourge. Without any real evidence, relying solely on conjecture, they’ve forced us to engage in this endless guessing game.”

Han Yu deeply agreed.

Blind guessing was meaningless. In the end, improving one’s own cultivation was the only down-to-earth reality.

As they spoke, Han Yu felt a sudden intuition and looked up at the starry sky again.

He saw that the bright star from the north was still in the center, but the star originally located slightly north within the central cluster had suddenly moved to the north.

The center once again held three stars, and the north had regained one.

Han Yu reported this shift to Sect Leader Qi.

Sect Leader Qi pondered. “Based on this phenomenon, and the news we previously received about the Giant Demon Star concealing his tracks… does this mean the person from the Northern Heaven Domain invaded the Central Heaven Domain, while the Giant Demon Star of the Central Heaven Domain, feeling outmatched by the nine great sects, fled to the Northern Heaven Domain?”

“That is indeed possible,” Han Yu said. “If these events correspond one-to-one, it’s not good news for us—it would imply the celestial phenomena are terrifyingly accurate.”

“As for the Heaven-ordained person in our Southern Domain, we still don’t know who it actually is.”

“If it corresponds to the position of the southern star, then neither Bai Shiqi nor I fit the criteria, since we have remained in Wanchun Valley and never moved.”

“Even Lu Yun… after all this time, he should have been taken to the Joyous Union Sect in the Central Heaven Domain, right? Could he still be lingering in the Southern Domain?”

The truth was truly difficult to penetrate.

If Lu Yun really was the Heaven-ordained person, was he still within the Southern Domain?

Given his lazy and unreliable nature, picturing him as the figure destined to overturn the nine great sects was even harder than imagining Han Yu doing it.

Setting the matter aside, Sect Leader Qi asked about Han Yu’s progress at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

Han Yu felt that stating his Spirit Breath, divine soul, body refinement, and blood refinement had all reached their absolute limits might sound too astonishing and abnormal. Instead, he simply said, “I feel all aspects are nearly prepared. If I took a Foundation Establishment Pill now, I might succeed.”

Sect Leader Qi nodded. “Your cultivation speed is already fast, but it is best to wait a little longer. A forced breakthrough is inherently inferior to a well-prepared one. If you rely on the Foundation Establishment Pill and external forces to barely succeed, your foundation will be weaker.”

“This is a crucial moment that dictates your future Potential and progress. To use a common saying: ‘Sharpening the axe won’t delay the work of cutting firewood.’ It is more important for you to sharpen your axe first.”

“If there are any deficiencies, mention them now. We can help you check for gaps and fill them.”

Han Yu nodded and brought up the two issues he faced before Foundation Establishment.

“This disciple feels that although my strength is not weak, there are indeed still gaps.”

“First, regarding the Star Luo Traction Technique: I have completed condensing eight Star Luo Threads, and while the ninth thread has manifested, it has been delayed and refuses to fully condense.”

“Second, I lack defenses and countermeasures against poison.”

Sect Leader Qi looked surprised. “Poison? Have you not consumed the Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid, cultivated the Green Wood Protection Technique to completion, and reached the Novice level in the Wood Spirit Body Refinement Technique?”

“Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid inherently possesses detoxifying effects. Combined with your strengthened physique and the extraordinary nature of the Green Wood Protection Technique, generally speaking, poisons at the Qi Refining stage should have no effect on you.”

Han Yu was surprised. “Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid can detoxify?”

“Naturally,” Sect Leader Qi said. “You consumed two or three bottles—dozens of drops—of Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid. That amount should be sufficient to counteract many poisons.”

“I estimate that with your physique and the Green Wood Protection Technique, any Qi Refining stage opponent trying to poison you would be defeated by you before the poison could take effect.”

Han Yu nodded slowly.

In his heart, however, he was doing a different calculation. I didn’t drink dozens of drops… added up, I drank at least a basinful, if not a whole bucket.

He wondered just how much poison that amount could counteract.

“However,” Sect Leader Qi continued after some thought, “since you are about to leave the sect, the situations you will face will not be simple. You might be surrounded, or you might face Foundation Establishment stage cultivators using poison…”

“Tomorrow, I will have Elder Wen teach you the basics of administering and neutralizing poison.”

“As for your Star Luo Threads, we will think of another solution.”

Hearing this, Han Yu quickly expressed his gratitude.

Sect Leader Qi nodded slightly, but his mind drifted to a different matter.

He, who had once reached the Foundation Establishment stage, had never told him how many Star Luo Threads he possessed… but he had a distinct feeling he hadn’t condensed as many as nine.

And he was a disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Sect.

This child, Han Yu… how is he trying to condense nine Star Luo Threads while still at the Qi Refining stage?

Truly strange.