Chapter 110: The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle
Chapter 110: The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle
A bizarre and outrageous scene suddenly unfolded outside the Tingxue Pavilion.
A man, his face wrapped in a cloth, actually knelt down and scrambled on all fours for three disgraceful circles amidst the laughter of the pavilion!
Though his features were hidden, the Chang’an City had no shortage of busybodies and well-connected figures. Word quickly spread that the man was none other than Zhou Xun—the prized disciple of Arms Master Zhang Baichi!
And so, his name instantly spread through the noble circles of Dusk Capital, becoming a laughing stock at dinner tables.
Zhou Xun left Chang’an City the very next day.
When he arrived, he was full of ambition, dreaming of establishing his own legacy here.
When he left, he was a nobody, departing quietly and somewhat disgracefully.
More importantly, his confidence suffered a severe blow.
That inner wound might prove harder to heal than the public humiliation.
…
However, Li Yi didn’t witness this satisfying scene.
His mindset had changed—Zhou Xun was no longer worth his notice.
Besides, he had his own troubles.
Five Mystic Crystals were an enormous windfall, and Li Yi had already planned how to use them.
“Softshell Turtle Dream Art” was the top priority.
Additionally, he wanted to deduce the “Dust Serpent Flicking Scales”—a move derived from the Five Beasts Exercise.
By now, Li Yi deeply sensed the profound nature of the Five Beasts Exercise—it directly strengthened bodily gifts like bone structure and bloodline!
Whether it was the “Mammoth Shakes the Mountain” or “Siren Splits the Tide,” both were mysteriously wondrous beyond words!
He didn’t know when the “Owlbeast Howls at the Moon” might awaken, but the “Dust Serpent Flicking Scales” move naturally made him envious.
True, that move had no price attached, but Li Yi believed five Mystic Crystals must surely be enough.
What he never anticipated was that the Heavenly Prophecy Ring would dare to embezzle them!
After the deduction of Softshell Turtle Dream Art succeeded, the remaining crystals vanished without a trace.
Immediately, the Heavenly Prophecy Ring underwent eerie changes—one moment scalding hot like fire, the next icy cold; now blazing like the sun, then dimming to night-like darkness.
This sudden transformation shocked Li Yi, leaving him baffled.
A few hours later, another strange shift occurred in the ring.
It began spinning silk like an autumn silkworm, cocooning itself before falling silent, sinking into deep slumber.
Li Yi grasped the meaning instantly.
Growth!
“According to Zhangsun, only objects with a magical soul—a spirit vessel—possess growth potential. But I’ve never sensed a spirit within this Heavenly Prophecy Ring… Could its spirit be too weak?”
Rubbing his chin, Li Yi looked puzzled.
“I hope after advancing, the techniques in this ring become cheaper! Otherwise, what’s the point of its upgrade?”
He grumbled inwardly.
Sadly, future events would prove this hope naive…
“Mastering the Softshell Turtle Dream Art is urgent! The final deadline for becoming a Spell Apprentice is less than a month away…”
Closing his eyes to focus, Li Yi banished distractions and immersed his mind in the spell’s oral phrases.
“Soft-Shelled Turtle—the origin (‘Yuan’). Mighty is the primal ‘Qian Yuan,’ source of all living things!”
A few ancient, rugged characters, vast and ethereal, instantly captured Li Yi’s attention.
Their meaning: The Soft-Shelled Turtle, boundless as the origin, is the creator of all beings!
“Yuan’s shape: treads the heavens below, bears the earth above; summons clouds and breathes mist; form blots out the sky, shadow covers the seas!”
“Yuan’s dream: sleep and awakening mark eons; thoughts flicker into countless wonders. Its dream, vast, contains the cosmos; its dream, long, hides endless time!”
These few words sketched the immense shape of the turtle and the unfathomable vastness of its dreams.
An indescribable aura of boundless majesty filled Li Yi’s chest.
He had assumed the art might resemble ‘gathering all rivers,’ but now realized he’d underestimated the turtle’s primordial grandeur!
“Truly profound and wondrous… But no wonder—the price of Softshell Turtle Dream Art is a hundred times that of the Alligator-Resting Art!”
“This Heavenly Prophecy Ring has many inexplicable quirks, but the principle of equivalent exchange is its core: you pay for what you get.”
“Enough daydreaming—time to cultivate!”
Focusing intently, eyes sharp, Li Yi meticulously pondered every word, reciting repeatedly, daring not slack off.
Its complexity and obscurity far surpassed the Alligator-Resting Art.
Reading through the night, he gradually became entranced, his expression turning dreamy and intoxicated!
“Beyond compare…”
After one whole night, Li Yi sighed softly, his spirit still soaring.
Though finished, he didn’t rush to cultivate. Instead, he closed his eyes and savored the text again—once, then twice more.
“Enter the dream!”
Uttering these two simple words with a faint smile, Li Yi closed his eyes and drifted into a sleep-like trance.
Soon, swirling blue light radiated outward, and the colossal form of a great turtle rose behind him, immovable as a mountain.
The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle!
Its shape resembled a Dragon-Turtle, but immeasurably vaster, ancient, and imbued with profound truths, making it mystically superior to Dragon-Turtles or giant turtles by a hundredfold! Even against the Black Tortoise, it held its own!
The patterns on its back mirrored the river map of ancient China; its shell ridges aligned with the Nine Provinces’ mountains; scales on its four claws matched oceanic tides; its two eyes, like sun and moon, held cosmic wonders.
Finally, Li Yi understood what “source of all beings” truly meant!
One Soft-Shelled Turtle embodied one entire Nine Provinces!
The titanic turtle stood immovable, yet violent, roaring elemental tides surged toward it like water seeking low ground!
Unlike the Alligator-Resting Art, which actively hunted, the Softshell Turtle Dream Art drew the elemental tides effortlessly to itself.
Its profound sophistication defied imagination.
Beneath the phantom turtle, a single drop of mana pierced through Li Yi’s skull, flowing straight down to his chest and belly.
This mana was azure-blue—transparent and clear, almost like the primal Chaos Breath of ancient lore.
“Hmm?”
Upon examination, Li Yi clearly felt its astonishing quality and purity, surpassing even the three energy streams within him!
“Wait! I recall… the formula includes a method to refine all three energies into the Great Soft-Shelled Turtle Aura…”
Muttering this, his expression shifted as he formed several strange hand signs.
Instantly, a storm erupted within him!
The Ancient Alligator and Dragon-Turtle phantoms roared skyward, manifesting vividly!
Ordinary mana coalesced into a strange, draconic beast that stood between the other two.
But all three were instantly crushed beneath the massive turtle!
The Dragon Turtle submitted; the beast grew docile; the Ancient Alligator gave one rebellious shriek before being forcefully subdued to its knees.
Suppressed by the Great Soft-Shelled Turtle, like stones beneath a millstone, all three energies were ground down, integrated, and condensed into pure drops of mana that trickled gently down.
“Underestimation again…”
Eyes still closed, a bitter smile touched Li Yi’s lips.
The quality of this Great Soft-Shelled Turtle Aura exceeded all imagination!
Even Dragon-Turtle Qi or the Ancient Alligator Qi barely exchanged one-for-one, while ordinary mana required three parts for one.
Logically, his “Bearing the Stele” bloodline gift already compressed his mana intensely. Yet, the Great Soft-Shelled Turtle Aura was this formidable!
Had he known this outcome beforehand, he wouldn’t have neglected his meditation practice lately.
“Forget it. At least there’s still time!”
Saying this to himself, Li Yi settled his mind, simultaneously converting energies while meditating afresh.
The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle’s eternal rumble and the Ancient Alligator’s defiant roar echoed unceasingly…
…
Unaware of outside matters, Li Yi engrossed himself in cultivation like a mountain hermit.
The deadline swiftly approached.
Little did he know that while he secluded himself, trouble sought him out.
Outside the Star Radiance Tower, a large crowd steadily gathered.
Their movement headed toward the Outer Manor Disciples’ quarters, seemingly directly toward Li Yi’s dwelling.
No one knew who shouted first, but that one cry served as a signal, immediately echoed by countless others.
“Protest! Protest! Unfair academy practices!”
“Exactly! Without rules, chaos reigns! Li Yi hasn’t reached Spell Apprentice status—he should be expelled!”
“We agree!”
For a moment, the crowd seethed—eyes glaring, teeth gritted, united in outrage.
“What rabble dares raise such clamor! Matters of the Precipice are not for Outer Manor Disciples to discuss. Leave at once!”
A furious shout boomed as a snow-robed man appeared suddenly.
“It’s Zhangsun Shenji!”
“A scion of the Zhangsun Clan…”
The protesters paled visibly.
Zhangsun Shenji frowned. This hidden rule existed in previous years without protest.
Clearly, someone was pulling strings behind this!
“That argument rings false! This rule was established with Dawn Cliff’s founding. Can it be changed so freely?”
Hearing this voice, Zhangsun Shenji’s expression changed drastically.
“Yu Qian!”