Volume One: A Youth Steps into the World Chapter Nine: The Spiritual Pool

Chen Shikang gazed at the pool before him, lost in thought. He realized that the pool, saturated with spiritual energy, was none other than the legendary Spirit Pool. The Spirit Pool was formed from the essence of heaven and earth: energy condensing into mist, the mist gathering into liquid. For cultivators, simply soaking in the pool allowed the spiritual energy to continuously seep into their bodies, greatly aiding their advancement in cultivation. The effect surpassed even that of absorbing spirit crystals—just a single drop of the spirit liquid was equivalent to a top-grade spirit crystal.

This place had been discovered by a member of his family, who stumbled upon it in a remote valley. Upon realizing the pool’s extraordinary nature, he immediately returned to the Chen family to report to Chen Shikang. Upon hearing the news, Chen Shikang hurried over without delay.

Yet, he was troubled, for the town was home to more than just his family; it was unlikely he could monopolize the Spirit Pool for himself.

“Seal off this area first. No one is to enter,” he instructed.

“Yes, Clan Leader!”

But what Chen Shikang feared soon came to pass. No sooner had he spoken than two more groups appeared in the valley—the members of the Sun and Zhou families. It turned out that the Sun and Zhou families, noticing the Chen family rushing off in a particular direction, had sent people to follow. The three great families of the town maintained a façade of harmony, but each harbored their own ambitions. Any sign of movement from one family was sure to draw the attention of the other two.

Thus, as soon as Chen Shikang arrived, the other two families were not far behind.

Now, members of all three families stood around the Spirit Pool, their respective clan leaders among them. Seeing that the others had arrived, Chen Shikang knew it would be impossible to keep the Spirit Pool for himself.

He looked at the other clan leaders and spoke slowly, “Your families are well-informed indeed! I had scarcely arrived before you showed up. My compliments.”

The Sun family’s leader, Sun Zhengyun, laughed and replied, “Chen Shikang, our three families see each other daily. Whatever happens, we all know about it. Now that such a treasure as a Spirit Pool has appeared, do you really think you could keep it secret and claim it for yourself? Impossible, don’t even think about it.”

“Sun Zhengyun, from your tone, it sounds like you hold quite a grudge against me?”

“Hmph! Your Chen family has always acted lawlessly. I’ve long been displeased with you!”

“Well then, enough talk. Why don’t we let our skills do the talking?”

“I’ve been wanting to test myself against you for a long time. This is the perfect opportunity!”

“Zhou Yunshu, you’ll be our witness. Let’s make sure no one cries foul when they lose.”

Both sides squared off, the tension thick in the air.

Zhou Yunshu, leader of the Zhou family, saw the two preparing to fight and quickly intervened, “Let’s not be so hasty. It would only make us a laughingstock in front of our clansmen.”

“This brat has been itching for a lesson. If I don’t put him in his place, I’ll lose all authority in my family!”

“Arrogant fool! We’ll see who teaches whom a lesson.”

“Very well, come at me then!”

With that, both men began to channel their spiritual energy, ready to clash.

Zhou Yunshu felt his head ache at their childishness, but persisted in trying to stop them.

“Enough! The real issue here is how to determine the Spirit Pool’s ownership. As I see it, the pool can only accommodate three at most. I have a proposal—may I share it?”

The two immediately grew interested, lowering their stances and looking at Zhou Yunshu.

“What’s your idea?”

“Out with it!”

Seeing their attention, Zhou Yunshu continued, “My suggestion is that we hold a competition among the three families. Let our younger generation spar and compete. We’ll reward the top three with entry to the Spirit Pool. This way, everyone will be satisfied. What do you think?”

“That’s a good idea. The younger ones can have a chance.”

“Not bad. My boys can teach yours a lesson on my behalf.”

“What a joke! Your worthless brats are no match for mine. They’ll be knocked out one by one!”

“You’ll be lucky if any of your clan even place. Prepare to be embarrassed!”

Zhou Yunshu saw the argument flare up again and hurried to interject, “Let’s not quarrel. Since we’re agreed, let’s set a date—how about one month from now?”

Both men nodded in agreement.

“With that settled, let’s return home. Each family will leave men here to guard the pool, under mutual supervision.”

They exchanged glances, found no objection, stationed guards to keep watch, and led the rest of their people away.

Each clan leader intended to train their young talents intensively in preparation for the competition—a chance for their family’s youth to gain immense benefit from the Spirit Pool.

That evening, in the northwest of town, stood a grand estate marked by a plaque reading “Chen Family.” The Chen clan members gathered in the martial arena, talking among themselves, puzzled about the sudden assembly. When Chen Shikang saw most of the clan had arrived, he shouted, “Quiet!” At once, all conversation ceased and eyes turned to him.

Chen Shikang cleared his throat and announced loudly, “I know you’re curious about what has happened. Listen closely, especially the younger ones—one month from now, there will be a competition between the three families. Only those under the age of fourteen may participate. The top three will be granted entry to the Spirit Pool for cultivation.”

“A three-family competition?”

“The Spirit Pool?”

“You mean the pool where spiritual energy condenses into liquid?”

The clan was abuzz with shock and excitement.

“If any among you come in first place, I will reward you with one thousand lower-grade spirit crystals to aid your cultivation. Moreover, you shall be a candidate for the next clan leader!”

At this, the crowd erupted.

“A thousand lower-grade spirit crystals? Did I hear that right?”

“First place can become clan leader? Tell me I’m not dreaming!”

In this remote town, spirit crystals were scarce—a thousand crystals was half a year’s income. Chen Shikang was indeed making a generous offer; the Spirit Pool was valuable enough to warrant such a commotion. Whatever else he was plotting, none could guess.

Having made his announcement, Chen Shikang dismissed the assembly and left.

The Sun and Zhou families likewise gathered their clansmen and made similar proclamations, each offering rewards in addition to entry to the Spirit Pool. Their younger members rubbed their fists in anticipation, eager for the upcoming competition.

By the next day, word of the three-family competition had spread throughout the town. Everywhere people gathered, the topic was on everyone’s lips, the news spreading like wildfire.

Fang Tian happened to be strolling through the streets, noticing people whispering excitedly. He drew closer to listen.

“Did you hear? The three great families are going to hold a martial competition.”

“What? A competition? Tell me more!”

“They say the families will have their youths compete for the right to use some Spirit Pool.”

“A competition among all three families? That’s a first. But what’s so special about this pool?”

“I hear it’s something that can help cultivators advance their level—a real treasure, in any case…”

Fang Tian listened with keen interest and, after returning to his inn, decided not to go out again for a while, planning to stay in the town a bit longer.

“So the Spirit Pool really has such wondrous effects?” he asked the old man Tian.

“Yes, Xiaotian. The Spirit Pool is also formed from the world’s spiritual energy. Judging by the concentration, it might even surpass the best spirit crystals. But unlike crystals, the liquid in the pool can permeate your body directly, no need for active absorption. It’s especially valuable for those who struggle with cultivation.”

“If I entered the pool, could I advance my level?”

“Indeed. You’ve already reached the peak of the first stage of spirit gathering. If you enter the pool, you could effortlessly break through to the second stage—though it depends if the pool has enough energy left for you to absorb.”

“Too bad it’s guarded by the three great families. Otherwise, I’d love to soak in it myself.”

“For now, focus on your cultivation. Don’t think about anything else.”

“All right, Old Tian. I’m still stuck at four hundred cycles in my body-forging training. I really have been slacking.”

“That’s true.”

“Oh, by the way, Old Tian, about the cultivation method you gave me—what grade is it? I never thought to ask before.”

“The technique I gave you is of the lower celestial grade. At your current level and with your talent, it’s just right for you.”

“Well, I’ll leave the arrangements to you, Old Tian. That saves me the trouble.”

With that, Fang Tian settled into his cultivation. He planned to channel spiritual energy into his left leg—so even if he encountered someone stronger, he could retreat unscathed.

Spiritual energy swirled around him as he calmly absorbed more power. After several hours, he gave a low shout and gathered the remaining spiritual energy into his second meridian.

“It worked! I’ve reached the second level!” Fang Tian exclaimed in delight. The bottleneck that had troubled him for half a month was finally broken.

Now the meridians in both his legs were open. With his increased speed and the Profound Frost Sword Technique, he could rush at opponents even more swiftly.

Satisfied with his progress, Fang Tian’s confidence grew. Remembering the past, his resolve was only strengthened.

He then turned his attention to the study of formation patterns. He discovered that to increase the number of patterns he could inscribe, he needed to boost the strength of the spirit array. His previous Falling Rain Formation was only a lower first-rank array.

He decided to find an open space and attempt a superior first-rank spirit array to see how many patterns he could inscribe. Last time, he was limited only by the quality of his array, not by his own abilities.

This time, he was prepared—just needed to find a suitable spot. The array’s range was large; he had to avoid being seen, lest he invite trouble.

With these thoughts, Fang Tian went out to search for a location.

Meanwhile, in the training grounds of the three great families, the young generation practiced their techniques and martial skills with renewed vigor, each determined to secure a place in the competition.