Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 1808 - 950: Harvest (Part 2)

A few days later, Li Yuanba encountered the Red Demon over the oceans of the Central State Continent and took it under his wing.

As for the "Infinite Fire Peak," it shifted hands once more and returned to Li Yuanba’s side.

The reason for sending the Red Demon to Li Yuanba was because, in the current situation, only Li Yuanba might encounter enemies of Half-step Great Power Level.

Although the Duke of Thunder performed excellently in battles against half-step great powers, it couldn’t guarantee that he could suppress them in every battle.

If it weren’t for the fact that Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao mistakenly assessed the relationship between the Duke of Thunder and Li Yuanba, and if he had launched a strong attack on Li Yuanba at the start, the outcome would have been very different.

However, with the Red Demon at his side, it was a different story. The Red Demon not only had powerful long-range attacks but also provided Li Yuanba with close-range defensive power.

Despite obtaining the Red Demon, Li Yuanba did not become complacent, and he stayed humbly within the mountain gates of the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.

Sixty days after the attack incident by Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao, Sword Elder came to visit him.

"Sword Elder, please have a seat!" Li Yuanba invited Sword Elder into the hall of the cave dwelling and said.

This time, it was rare for Sword Elder to come in person, indicating that the energy expended by his avatar in sealing a spatial rift had been replenished, as his true form was seldom seen afterward.

"Quickly, get me a cup of Inquiry Tea!" Sword Elder said without any courtesy, pointing at the table in front of him.

He had learned from Jian Wuwei that Li Shizhen’s original name was Li Shiming, and that he and Li Yuanba were friends back on the Beishu Continent.

Although he had previously obtained several servings of fourth-grade Inquiry Tea, such precious tea could only fully exert its effects when awarded to the great cultivators of the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.

Sword Elder drank the fourth-grade Inquiry Tea more for the pleasure of the palate.

But here with Li Yuanba, Sword Elder would not be shy, knowing that Li Yuanba definitely had more fourth-grade Inquiry Tea.

Li Yuanba chuckled and brewed a cup of fourth-grade Inquiry Tea for Sword Elder.

Receiving the cup, Sword Elder took a gentle sip, exhaling a long breath with a look of satisfaction on his face.

"This time, I’ve discussed with some old folks from the Central State Continent, and the Infinite Sect over there will offer an ’Infinite Immortal Fire’ as compensation. The other seven super forces have agreed to give you access to the related classics for ascending to a Half-step Great Power level. However, you’ll need to sign a confidentiality contract to view them!" Sword Elder said triumphantly, setting down his cup.

"Then what do I need to do?" Li Yuanba, upon hearing the conditions, pondered and asked.

"You must refrain from participating in missions related to the super forces of the Central State Continent!" Sword Elder replied with some helplessness.

There was no other choice; Li Yuanba’s strength was simply too overwhelming.

With the record of slaying a half-step great power, Li Yuanba’s prowess had been deemed beyond that of a peak great cultivator.

If Li Yuanba continued to suppress the other super forces on the Central State Continent, they might retaliate against him, possibly even involving avatars of great powers.

Considering Li Yuanba’s age and strength, if allowed to continue unchecked, the super forces of the Central State Continent could face suppression for thousands of years.

This was a situation that no super force could accept, and Sword Elder had to compromise.

"Actually, you’re getting a bargain. Just a single ’Infinite Immortal Fire’ is worth it. You probably don’t even know what ’Infinite Immortal Fire’ is, do you?" Seeing Li Yuanba’s indifferent expression, Sword Elder continued to explain.

Li Yuanba really wanted to tell Sword Elder that he had previously acquired an ’Infinite Immortal Fire,’ but since he couldn’t explain its whereabouts, it was better not to mention it.

"The ’Infinite Immortal Fire’ is a fifth-grade Immortal Fire. Besides being used as a Heavenly Mechanism Treasure to construct a Grotto Heaven, it is also a rare higher-grade alternative to Spiritual Fire!

The classics on ascending to a Half-step Great Power level from those super forces will significantly assist you in your ascension process.

I also understand those old folks’ intentions: they want you to rapidly reach the stage of progressing to a Half-step Great Power so you no longer interfere in the affairs between the super forces, thus solving the big headache you posed!" Sword Elder explained further.

"Thank you, Sword Elder. But may I know how to replace the Spiritual Fire within me with ’Infinite Immortal Fire’?" Li Yuanba bowed to express his gratitude to Sword Elder and then asked.

He knew that Sword Elder had reached out to the great powers of the super forces from the Central State Continent for his sake, the intricacies of which he couldn’t even begin to fathom.

Upon hearing Sword Elder mention the ’Infinite Immortal Fire,’ Li Yuanba’s interest was piqued.

He and his true form, Li Shiming, had both attempted to refine the ’Infinite Immortal Fire’ to replace their internal Spiritual Fire, but without success.

"Knowing you are an Alchemy Master and have Spiritual Fire within you, I requested the refinement method when the Infinite Sect offered the ’Infinite Immortal Fire’!" Sword Elder replied with a smile.

With a wave of his hand, a jade box and a jade scroll appeared on the table.

The jade box was a restricted jade box. Upon opening it, Li Yuanba saw a flame of ’Infinite Immortal Fire’ within.

This ’Infinite Immortal Fire’ was weaker than the one he had obtained before. Given that the previous ’Infinite Immortal Fire’ had been cultivated by Half-step Great Power Zhao Zhao for who knows how many years, it was naturally stronger.

He picked up the jade scroll, and upon entering his divine sense, the first thing he sensed was a contract.

The contract mandated that the contents of the jade scroll should not be disclosed. Contracts in the cultivation world held strong restrictive powers; violating them could result in unexpected issues during cultivation or increase the power of the Heavenly Tribulation during ascension severalfold, so it was best not to breach them.

Li Yuanba discovered a Secret Technique for refining flames recorded within it.

This flame refining technique was not limited to refining ’Infinite Immortal Fire’ but could be used to refine nearly all flames.

The value of this flame refining technique was extremely high, as it was a core secret technique of the Infinite Sect. If not for their desire to resolve enmity with Li Yuanba, they most likely wouldn’t have offered such a core technique.

Of course, Sword Elder’s contribution was significant, as his involvement always secured more benefits for Li Yuanba.

While Li Yuanba was reviewing this secret technique, his true form, Li Shiming, also acquired it.

As for the non-disclosure clause of the contract, the relationship between the avatar and the true form was not considered a breach.

"Yuanba, negotiations with the Central State Continent are possible, but the super forces of the outer continents aren’t as easy to deal with, being too distant where my deterrence has limits. So, when you head to the outer continents, be extra cautious with your actions!" Sword Elder reminded him.

Since he couldn’t partake in missions concerning the Central State Continent, Li Yuanba needed to accumulate battle experience through missions from the outer continents.

Although the situation in the outer continents was somewhat better, many super forces still harbored malice toward Li Yuanba’s rise, viewing his emergence as a threat.

"I’ll be careful!" Li Yuanba nodded in acknowledgment.

"This is my sword token. Should you encounter a great power, activate it, and I’ll negotiate with them!" Sword Elder, after some thought, handed a sword-shaped jade token to Li Yuanba.

Li Yuanba accepted the sword token, noting its high-quality Spiritual Jade, which was of the highest fourth-grade, allowing it to contain a bit of Sword Elder’s energy.

The sword token was not meant for attacks; even with Sword Elder’s energy, its effectiveness against a great power would be minimal.

The primary function of the sword token was for Sword Elder to be aware of events and communicate with other great powers remotely through it.

In the cultivation world, great powers would generally show Sword Elder some courtesy.

This considerably enhanced Li Yuanba’s safety. With his power of having slain a half-step great power, he could venture fearlessly when not worried about interventions from great powers.

However, if Li Yuanba were to do something excessively out-of-line in the outer continents, even Sword Elder’s influence couldn’t ensure his protection.

"For the following days, you should visit the super forces to read their classics; these classics are for your eyes only!" Sword Elder said his part with a smile.

After speaking, he waved his hand, stood up, and Li Yuanba saw him off at the entrance of the cave dwelling.