Yi Tianyun was overjoyed to learn of the other passage. ’I’ll come back to absorb this Spiritual Vein next time,’ he thought. If he continued absorbing like this, breaking through to the peak of the Spirit Pill Stage wouldn’t be a problem. Then he could use that upgrade item to easily break through to the Core Formation Stage.

He still had an upgrade item he hadn’t used, one that was effective for any level within the Spirit Pill Stage. He definitely wouldn’t use it right away; he would wait until he reached the peak of the Spirit Pill Stage. Higher levels required more experience, so using the upgrade item then would undoubtedly yield the greatest effect.

The rewards for fighting above one’s level were indeed good, but the price to be paid was also quite high.

"Stay here for now. I’ll be back for you later. Don’t wander off, understand?" Yi Tianyun instructed.

"Mmm, I understand, Big Brother." Ren Zhirou nodded. She didn’t ask to go with him, simply finding a spot to the side to sit down, her brow furrowed as if she was deep in thought.

She had just woken up from a deep sleep and had no idea how long she’d been out. It was normal for her memories to be a bit jumbled, or perhaps she’d suffered some kind of shock that had confused her. Still, to be able to injure a Core Formation Stage expert, her opponent must have been even more terrifying.

After seeing that she was alright, Yi Tianyun jumped into the water and quickly swam back to where he’d come from. Without hesitation, he shot into the opening of the cave and was immediately ejected by the gushing spring water.

In the blink of an eye, he was violently spewed out from the water, just like before. However, since the outside was a lake, he wasn’t sent flying through the air this time.

He had just emerged when a voice called out to him: "Young Master Yi, where are you? Time is up, please come out of the water now!"

Elder Yun was shouting for him from above. Soon, Yi Tianyun emerged from the water.

"You’re finally out. Your time is up, let’s get going." Elder Yun sighed in relief when he saw Yi Tianyun swim up out of the water.

"My apologies, I got too absorbed in my cultivation," Yi Tianyun said, offering a casual excuse.

"Young Master Yi, you’ve actually absorbed a lot already. If you keep absorbing at this rate, you’re going to suck this place dry." Elder Yun’s helpless tone was tinged with a hint of surprise.

Yi Tianyun looked back and saw that a great deal of Spiritual Power had indeed been drained from the area. The entire lake had become diluted, starting to resemble plain lake water. If he continued to absorb from it, it would surely be reduced to an ordinary lake.

"I didn’t absorb that much..." Yi Tianyun shrugged. ’The amount here really isn’t that much,’ he thought to himself. ’No wonder they restrict it so strictly.’

Besides, this place had already been depleted quite a bit in the past. Now, after he had absorbed just a little, it was basically almost finished. Who knew how long it would take to recover even a little.

"The Celestial Spirit Jade Pool isn’t what it used to be. Absorb for a little too long and it’s all gone. That said, your absorption speed is just too fast. Look, it’s already starting to turn clear," Elder Yun said with a sigh.

Under Elder Yun’s guidance, they left the area, and the large gate closed behind them.

"Elder Yun, I was wondering, what does it cost to enter the Celestial Spirit Jade Pool?" Yi Tianyun inquired.

"You want to go in again?" Elder Yun chuckled. "But then, most Cultivators love these kinds of training grounds. The price is quite high, though. Generally, a medium-grade Soul Artifact can be exchanged for two days’ time, while a low-grade Soul Artifact only gets you half a day."

"That price is still acceptable..."

Yi Tianyun couldn’t forge medium-grade Soul Artifacts, but low-grade ones were no problem for him. He could just toss out ten of them and come back in to absorb more.

"The price indeed isn’t too expensive, but the Spiritual Power inside is limited. At most, it will be gone after ten days," Elder Yun said helplessly. "The recovery speed is much slower than before. It will take several months for it to recover to a normal level."

"It seems the Celestial Spirit Jade Pool’s situation isn’t so good anymore," Yi Tianyun shook his head. ’Looks like even with the other entrance I found, I won’t be able to absorb for too long before it runs dry.’

The only truly valuable thing was that secret chamber, built entirely from Jade Spirit Stones. The experience it contained would surely be substantial.

"Exactly. Otherwise, the restrictions wouldn’t be so strict. Without a special contribution, you really can’t get in," Elder Yun said with a smile. "So for Young Master Yi to be able to stay inside for five days is already a huge reward. Others are very envious."

Yi Tianyun nodded. The reward for first place was indeed excellent, far better than any of the other prizes.

"By the way, Pavilion Master Li instructed me to give this to you when you came out." As he spoke, Elder Yun took out a token and handed it over. "This is a Guest Minister Token. He hopes you will become an Honored Guest Elder of the Star Pavilion. You won’t be required to do anything."

Yi Tianyun pondered for a moment before accepting it. "Alright then, I’ll be an Honored Guest Elder."

Although the Zhu Family hadn’t left a good impression on him, the Main Pavilion here was quite decent. At least, they treated him well. Building a good relationship with them wouldn’t be a problem. After all, in the Celestial Realm Continent, the Star Pavilion’s status was not low.

"Yi Keqing, welcome aboard." Elder Yun congratulated him. "From now on, you are the youngest Honored Guest Elder in our Star Pavilion."

"Then the honor is all mine," Yi Tianyun said with a smile. This wasn’t unexpected. At his age, there were very few Divine Rune Masters who could compare to him, so becoming the youngest Honored Guest Elder was only natural.

"Pavilion Master Li also mentioned that if you were willing to become an Honored Guest Elder, you should stay for the VIP banquet. What do you say?" Elder Yun said with a smile.

"I’m very sorry, but I have other matters to attend to," Yi Tianyun said apologetically.

"Alright, in that case, I won’t keep you. If you can make it, you can attend a bit later. It’s scheduled for roughly next month," Elder Yun said with a smile. "This is a very grand VIP banquet, jointly hosted by several third-grade factions. I hear the Netherworld Empire will also be in attendance. This is a rare opportunity, so, Yi Keqing, if you have the time, you should try your best to be there."

"The Netherworld Empire?" Yi Tianyun’s eyes narrowed. ’That’s an extremely domineering Empire. For them to attend this VIP banquet... now this is getting interesting.’

"Yes, the Netherworld Empire is sending a minister, apparently to announce something important." Elder Yun thought for a moment, then smiled. "So, Yi Keqing, you should come if you can. It would be a shame to miss it."

"Alright then. If I have time, I’ll be there," Yi Tianyun said, not giving a definite answer. If it were tomorrow, he would definitely be too busy, but next month? He might just be free.