I Can See Through Everything-Chapter 487

"Soul-Molding Clay? A disciple actually managed to find such a thing?"

Lu Qing looked at the record of spiritual materials in the ledger, his face filled with delight.

"This was obtained not long ago when a small-scale secret realm opened in a remote province. Some disciples ventured inside to explore and happened to acquire it.

That disciple did not know the true purpose of this spiritual clay—he simply found it intriguing and offered it in exchange for merit points."

The First Holy Lord explained.

"So it came from a secret realm—no wonder." Lu Qing suddenly understood.

Indeed, how could a spiritual material like Soul-Molding Clay be easily found?

However, if it originated from a secret realm, it made perfect sense.

Secret realms were one of the greatest sources of fortune in this world, producing all kinds of extraordinary treasures.

"Three seniors, I would like to exchange for this Soul-Molding Clay. Would that be possible?" Lu Qing asked without hesitation.

"Of course. Little Daoist Lu, your merit is unmatched on Sacred Mountain. Whatever spiritual material you wish to exchange for, it is entirely up to you."

The First Holy Lord nodded without hesitation. Then, as if struck by curiosity, he asked, "Does Little Daoist Lu need the Soul-Molding Clay to refine a Puppet Avatar?"

"Precisely," Lu Qing did not deny it. "Senior Third Holy Lord once bestowed upon me a legacy from the Heavenly Puppet Sect. I found it quite interesting and have always wanted to try my hand at refining one.

However, I lacked the necessary materials, so I had to set the idea aside. I never expected to see Soul-Molding Clay here today."

Within the inheritance of the Heavenly Puppet Sect, there were various materials for refining Puppet Avatars.

However, all of them were difficult to acquire.

Thus, Lu Qing had yet to attempt making one himself.

That was until today—when he saw the Soul-Molding Clay.

Soul-Molding Clay was one of the finest primary materials for refining Puppet Avatars. It was even superior to the materials used for the Puppet Avatars of the three Holy Lords.

If refined properly, a Puppet Avatar crafted from Soul-Molding Clay would undoubtedly be formidable.

"Shall I have someone send the Soul-Molding Clay to you later?" The First Holy Lord inquired.

"There is no rush. I am heading out for a while, so I will retrieve it upon my return."

"Very well."

The First Holy Lord nodded and did not ask further about Lu Qing’s plans.

Among those on Sacred Mountain, Lu Qing had the greatest freedom of movement.

Even the Three Holy Lords never interfered with his comings and goings.

…

After bidding farewell to the Three Holy Lords, Lu Qing transformed into a streak of flowing light and soared into the azure sky, flying toward the Eastern Sea.

It did not take him long before he arrived over the vast, deep waters of the Eastern Sea, ten thousand miles from the shore.

Lu Qing did not conceal his aura.

Thus, as soon as he arrived, a massive figure slowly surfaced from beneath the waves.

"Senior Dragon Tortoise, it has been a long time." Lu Qing greeted with a smile.

"It has been nearly ten years. Lu Daoist, your cultivation has grown even more profound."

The Ancient Dragon Tortoise sensed Lu Qing’s presence, a hint of surprise flashing in its ancient eyes.

Though it still could not discern Lu Qing’s true cultivation level,

as a former Nascent Soul Cultivator, it had an intuitive sense of the unknown.

It could tell that Lu Qing had become even stronger.

In fact, it faintly sensed a dangerous aura emanating from him.

Clearly, in the past ten years, Lu Qing’s cultivation had advanced tremendously—

to the point where he had become a threat.

"Humans… truly blessed by the heavens.

Born so weak, yet once they embark on cultivation, their strength grows at a rate far beyond that of spirit beasts and exotic creatures."

The Ancient Dragon Tortoise could not help but sigh internally. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

It had been the same in the previous Cultivation Era.

It had cultivated arduously for over twenty thousand years before finally stepping into the Nascent Soul Realm.

Yet, among humans, many prodigies required only a few hundred or a thousand years to achieve the same feat.

The speed of human cultivation vastly exceeded that of spirit beasts.

This was also why, when Lu Qing first proposed exchanging for its bloodline, the Ancient Dragon Tortoise did not react with anger.

Besides the fact that Lu Qing’s offered terms were enticing enough,

it simply did not wish to make an enemy of such a mysterious, unfathomable, and endlessly potential-filled peerless prodigy.

"Senior Dragon Tortoise, in your transmission, you mentioned that you were willing to make a trade. Do you truly mean it?" Lu Qing asked.

"Indeed. Of course, that depends on whether what you offer is tempting enough for me." The Ancient Dragon Tortoise rumbled.

"Rest assured, it will not disappoint you, Senior."

Lu Qing finished speaking and flicked out a jade slip, sending it drifting downward.

The Ancient Dragon Tortoise caught it.

Upon examining it with its divine sense, it saw a dazzling star map within.

"Senior Dragon Tortoise, this jade slip contains a star map,

which I obtained after slaying an extraterrestrial intruder.

It records the locations of countless worlds beyond our own.

Senior, having lived through the previous Cultivation Era, you should understand this—

after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, further progress in cultivation becomes exceedingly difficult, nearly impossible.

The reason for this is that the origin of our world is insufficiently strong.

It cannot nurture powerhouses beyond the Nascent Soul Realm.

Thus, for cultivators who wish to break through further, the best option is to leave this world and seek cultivation in a greater realm.

Otherwise, remaining here will only lead to the inevitable Five Decays of Heaven and Man—

the calamity of spiritual energy depletion that occurs once every ten thousand years.

However, the starry skies are vast, filled with countless dangers and unknowns.

Without a star map as a guide, even a Nascent Soul Cultivator could easily become lost in the cosmos.

If Senior is willing to trade, I will give you the star map detailing the location of our world within the greater cosmos."

The Ancient Dragon Tortoise stared at the star map within the jade slip, listening to Lu Qing’s words in silence.

What Lu Qing had said about cultivation beyond the Nascent Soul Realm deeply resonated with it.

Having personally lived through an entire Cultivation Era,

it naturally understood that Lu Qing spoke the truth.

Back in the previous Cultivation Era,

the Ancient Dragon Tortoise had already stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm.

Yet, for the following ten thousand years, all the way to the decline of that era,

its cultivation barely progressed.

Because once one entered the Nascent Soul Realm, further cultivation became exponentially more difficult.

It was akin to fumbling in utter darkness—almost impossible to advance.

Not just for itself, but also for the two human Nascent Soul cultivators it had known.

They had once discussed this very issue and concluded the same—

this world's origin energy was insufficient to support their breakthroughs.

That was why, during the previous Cultivation Era, some Nascent Soul cultivators had attempted to cross through Astral Winds, break through the World Membrane, and explore the starry skies—

only to find endless void.

…

After a moment of silence, the Ancient Dragon Tortoise finally opened its mouth and spat out three jade bottles.

"Inside these are three portions of my true blood.

As per our agreement, this should be enough to exchange for your star map."