Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments-Chapter 58 - 57: Flame Pool Secret Realm

On the morning of the ninth, numerous disciples had already gathered in the sect plaza.

Xiao Chen sized up the surrounding disciples. He was seeing many of them for the first time.

Even more people were sizing him up in return, their eyes filled with intense curiosity.

Elder Liu of the Spirit Medicine Garden had arrived early, so everyone remained silent, waiting quietly.

At 7:15 AM, another, unfamiliar elder appeared. "My apologies, Junior Brother Liu. I’m a little late."

Elder Liu smiled. "I just arrived myself."

He then addressed the crowd. "Some of you new disciples may not have met Elder Fu, so allow me to make an introduction."

"Elder Fu is one of the sect’s Honored Guest Elders. His mastery of Sword Techniques is sublime, and he has few rivals among those of the same cultivation level."

"Elder Fu will be leading our expedition to the Flame Pool Secret Realm."

Xiao Chen and the other disciples cupped their hands in salute. "Greetings, Elder Fu!"

Elder Fu gave a nonchalant nod, then waved his hand, tossing out a small, palm-sized boat.

The small boat swelled as it met the air, and in less than three breaths, it transformed into a Flying Boat over a hundred feet long.

The enormous hull hovered in mid-air, casting a vast, dark shadow that enveloped half the plaza.

THUD!

Though it settled gently to the ground, it still kicked up a large cloud of dust.

"All aboard! We depart!"

With that, Elder Fu leaped gracefully, landing atop the bow, which was a good fifty feet off the ground.

The disciples quickly filed up the lowered boarding ramp, getting a much clearer sense of the Spiritual Boat’s immense size once they were aboard.

The sixty or so people didn’t even fill the foredeck.

As the Spiritual Boat ascended into the sky, Xiao Chen saw a translucent, pale blue barrier materialize around its edges, shielding them from the rushing wind.

Looking down from the edge, he saw endless ranges of overlapping mountains stretching to the horizon.

"Xiao, would you like something to eat?"

Su Wanqing held out a Top Grade roasted sweet potato, its skin fragrant and slightly charred, its flesh a brilliant gold.

The Flame Pool Secret Realm was a full twelve hundred li from the sect. Even with the Flying Boat, the journey would take six hours.

Once the two elders had retired to the rear cabins to rest, the disciples on deck became much more lively.

Xiao Chen shook his head. "I already ate this morning."

"Oh, all right." Looking slightly disappointed, Su Wanqing began to nibble on it herself.

Su Yuanpeng watched her with pleading eyes. "Wanqing, I woke up late this morning and didn’t have time to eat."

Su Wanqing gave him a gentle smile. "It’s fine, Yuan Peng. With Spiritual Qi, a Cultivator can go three days without eating and not starve."

"Xiao, we meet again. I was called home last time, so I never had the chance to congratulate you on entering the Inner Sect."

Liu Benxin came over as he spoke.

Xiao Chen waved a hand dismissively. "It’s only a matter of time before you join the Inner Sect yourself, Junior Brother Liu. It’s nothing worth congratulating."

With Liu Benxin was a tall senior sister, who smiled teasingly. "Junior Brother Xiao, you’re a hard man to find."

Her smile was gentle and graceful, leaving Xiao Chen completely baffled.

It was Su Wanqing who greeted her first. "Hello, Senior Sister Liu."

Liu Benxin made the introduction. "This is my older sister, Liu Shi Qing. She’s also a disciple of Bishui Peak."

To be honest, ever since joining Bishui Peak, Xiao Chen still hadn’t gotten to know all of its disciples.

This was mainly because Elder Qi, unlike Steward Chen, didn’t hold regular gatherings that would allow the disciples to meet one another.

Xiao Chen opted for a compliment to avoid any awkwardness. "So you’re Senior Sister Liu. I’ve long heard of your natural beauty, and seeing you today, you are as lovely as a lotus rising from the water."

Su Wanqing immediately piped up, "And what about me?"

Xiao Chen glanced at her. "You, Junior Sister, are... energetic and full of life."

Su Wanqing was a little dumbfounded. ’Those all sound like nice words,’ she thought, ’but why does it feel like he’s not complimenting me at all?’

"Junior Brother Xiao, which pool are you planning to visit? Will you be staying in the outer area, or hunting for Fire Crystals?"

Liu Shi Qing asked with a smile, "If you’re heading deeper in, perhaps we could team up?"

Xiao Chen answered honestly, "I actually know nothing about the Flame Pool Secret Realm. Could you tell me a bit about it, Senior Sister?"

"I’ll explain!"

Su Wanqing jumped in. "The Flame Pool Secret Realm is believed to be the remains of a Major Sect from ancient times. To this day, it still contains numerous Restrictions."

"Its most important feature is that the Secret Realm forbids any Cultivator above the Qi Refining Stage from entering."

"Once open, the Secret Realm usually remains accessible for ten days. However, if too many people enter, it will cause that duration to shorten."

’No wonder they limit it to sixty people. So that’s why.’

Liu Shi Qing added succinctly, "The Secret Realm is divided into an outer perimeter and an inner core. The perimeter has hot spring pools that can be used for Body Tempering. The core has Fire Crystal Ore, where you can mine Fire Crystals."

"However, the Fire Crystal Ore is protected by Guardian Spirit Beasts. To get the Fire Crystals, you have to hunt them first."

Xiao Chen had already heard that one could undergo Body Tempering in the Flame Pool Secret Realm.

By soaking in the pools and resisting the encroaching Fire Qi, one could use the special Spiritual Qi within to heal latent injuries and strengthen one’s physique.

So his main question was, "What’s a Fire Crystal?"

The moment he asked, the other four exchanged surprised glances.

Then they remembered that Xiao Chen had come from a Loose Cultivator background and had probably never used Fire Crystals to aid his cultivation.

It couldn’t be helped. The Xiao Chen they knew just didn’t seem like a Loose Cultivator, no matter how you looked at him.

Liu Benxin cleared his throat. "Fire Crystals are one of the special resources of our Li State. Normally, they can only be mined deep within the volcanic mountain range to the southwest."

"These crystals contain an extremely pure form of Fire Spirit Qi that is very easy for Cultivators to absorb. Loose Cultivators also call them Fire Spirit Stones."

"In fact, for Qi Refining Cultivators, Fire Crystals are significantly more potent than Spirit Stones."