Chapter 16: Deep Sands of the Azure Sea

Li Qing did not yet know the exact effect of the Deep Sea Thick Earth on the Sea Suppressing Pearl.

Without seeing its actual value, he was unwilling to take the risk prematurely.

The only regret was that he did not know exactly how much Deep Sea Thick Earth was hidden within the thin, dark-skinned cultivator's storage bag.

Li Qing now understood profoundly what it meant to be unable to move a single step without spirit stones.

Since coming out this time, he had acquired a mid-grade Dharma tool, the Cold Water Sword, along with some medicinal pills; however, after purchasing the Deep Sea Thick Earth, he had once again returned to his initial state of destitution.

"Consider yourself lucky."

Li Qing watched the departing figure of the thin, dark-skinned rogue cultivator with cold eyes.

Sensing the tremor of the Sea Suppressing Pearl, Li Qing immediately walked toward an area far from the market.

***

Near the edge of the island, countless tall and thick giant trees grew densely together.

The massive, emerald-green canopies blocked the sunlight, leaving behind vast stretches of shadow.

At this moment, Li Qing sat quietly beneath a giant tree.

After confirming that no one was around, Li Qing took out the clump of pitch-black Deep Sea Thick Earth he had obtained from the previous transaction from his storage bag.

Upon taking it, he couldn't help but sniff it lightly once more.

It possessed a fresh scent similar to a faint medicinal herb, which was indeed a stark contrast to its outward appearance.

Li Qing controlled the Sea Suppressing Pearl to instantly absorb it into its internal sea region.

In the next moment, without the slightest hesitation, he focused his mind and entered the Sea Suppressing Pearl.

At this stage, he could not afford to miss even the slightest change.

Only by understanding the Sea Suppressing Pearl more deeply could Li Qing's path of cultivation become more stable.

In the blink of an eye, Li Qing's divine sense reappeared above the sea region within the space of the Sea Suppressing Pearl.

He saw a mass of pitch-black Deep Sea Thick Earth floating above the space of the sea region.

Suddenly, the originally calm sea surface began to churn with waves, as large surges swept toward the Deep Sea Thick Earth.

Wrapped within the seawater, the Deep Sea Thick Earth began to slowly dissolve.

Li Qing watched this scene with confusion in his heart.

Up to this point, he still had not felt any change in the Sea Suppressing Pearl itself.

He did not understand why the pearl had trembled in response to it.

Under his gaze, faint streaks of blue light actually began to emerge from within the dissolving Deep Sea Thick Earth.

Gradually, the blue power began to grow increasingly strong.

"This is...?"

Li Qing looked at the scene before him in disbelief.

After the pitch-black Deep Sea Thick Earth was completely washed away by the seawater, only dozens of blue specks of light remained in its original place.

Looking closely, these blue specks were actually fine mineral grains, like grains of sand.

Although the blue grains were tiny, they emitted a grand and profound aura.

No matter how minuscule this power was, its fundamental essence far exceeded Li Qing's imagination.

"Azure Sea Ghost Sand."

Li Qing suddenly thought of a true treasure.

As a behemoth among the Thousand Domains Archipelago, the Thousand Water Spirit Control Sect possessed countless records.

Among them were accounts of numerous treasures nurtured in the deep sea.

Azure Sea Ghost Sand was one of them.

Strictly speaking, Azure Sea Ghost Sand was a type of second-grade spiritual mineral.

However, if the quantity was sufficient, it could be considered a third-grade spiritual mineral.

The birth of Azure Sea Ghost Sand was extremely demanding; it was not a spiritual substance that could be born in ordinary sea regions.

Azure Sea Ghost Sand was a special kind of ore.

It could only slowly form in the profound depths of the ocean after undergoing long periods of erosion by undercurrents.

That was only the first step of its creation; it then required a long period of nourishment from spiritual qi to truly become Azure Sea Ghost Sand.

Li Qing had never expected that he could obtain such a precious treasure from the hands of an ordinary rogue cultivator.

Thinking of the characteristics of Azure Sea Ghost Sand, Li Qing understood why the thin, dark-skinned rogue cultivator had failed to notice its existence.

Once Azure Sea Ghost Sand is successfully nurtured in the deep sea, it is wrapped in an outer layer that isolates spiritual energy.

Unless one is a true master of tool refining, it is nearly impossible to discover it through surface inspection alone.

Furthermore, some scattered grains of Azure Sea Ghost Sand were so tiny that they were indistinguishable from countless other fine grains of sand, making them extremely difficult to detect.

The Deep Sea Thick Earth itself contained some spiritual sand grains that were difficult to separate from the Azure Sea Ghost Sand.

Seeing the Azure Sea Ghost Sand in mid-air scattering into the surrounding sea region, Li Qing initially wanted to stop it, but ultimately allowed it to be absorbed by the Sea Suppressing Pearl.

He chose to look further ahead.

No matter how precious Azure Sea Ghost Sand was, it was insignificant compared to the Sea Suppressing Pearl.

Li Qing only felt it was a pity; once those tiny grains of Azure Sea Ghost Sand were sold, their value would start at several thousand low-grade spirit stones.

He calmed his mind and carefully sensed the changes within the space of the Sea Suppressing Pearl.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

After absorbing the Azure Sea Ghost Sand, the once calm sea region began to churn.

Spiritual runes began to appear on the spatial barriers surrounding the sea region.

Upon closer inspection, the area of the surrounding waters had expanded by dozens of feet.

Before Li Qing could even react, he noticed that the surrounding spiritual qi had become much denser.

It appeared that the Sea Suppressing Pearl's rate of absorbing spiritual qi had become more rapid than before.

As it stood, the concentration of spiritual qi had already begun to surpass that of Li Qing's cave dwelling within the sect.

Seeing this, Li Qing nodded in satisfaction.

It seemed that after its evolution, the Sea Suppressing Pearl had begun to evolve toward the legendary "Grotto-Heaven World."

The value of the Azure Sea Ghost Sand alone provided only temporary benefit to him.

It was nowhere near as practical as the increase in spiritual qi concentration.

Moreover, with the change in spiritual qi density, Li Qing could raise more spiritual fish.

This was a tangible benefit for him.

***

After withdrawing his consciousness, Li Qing sat quietly beneath the giant tree, a contemplative expression on his face.

He turned his gaze to his palm.

A tiny, grey insect egg lay quietly in his hand.

He had discovered it while the Deep Sea Thick Earth was being decomposed.

Li Qing did not know what species this egg belonged to.

However, based on his speculation, the appearance of this egg was undoubtedly related to the thin, dark-skinned cultivator.

Such an egg—an obviously unknown species—could not possibly exist in the natural growth environment of either Deep Sea Thick Earth or Azure Sea Ghost Sand.

Thinking of the dark-skinned cultivator, a strange look crossed Li Qing's face.

That man still possessed a significant amount of Deep Sea Thick Earth; according to the Sea Suppressing Pearl's perception, there should be plenty of Azure Sea Ghost Sand inside as well.

According to Li Qing's current guess, the Sea Suppressing Pearl could also grow by absorbing water-attribute spiritual objects.

The matter of the Azure Sea Ghost Sand had just confirmed this.

Based on his current observations, if he obtained all the Azure Sea Ghost Sand, the spiritual qi concentration after the Sea Suppressing Pearl's evolution might be no less than that of the core area of a first-grade spiritual vein.

By then, Li Qing's cultivation would certainly become much faster.

One must realize that in the core area of a first-grade spiritual vein, only certain late-stage Qi Refinement disciples from the outer sect are permitted to build cave dwellings.

Even among late-stage Qi Refinement outer disciples, one would need to be at least at the eighth level of Qi Refinement to qualify.

Li Qing couldn't help but feel a sense of regret for not taking the opportunity to inquire about the dark-skinned cultivator's background at the time.

Giant Tree Island was bustling with people and numerous cultivators; finding that man again would undoubtedly be extremely difficult, as rogue cultivators were inherently elusive.

"The Grey-Clad Butterfly is active... it's nearby."

(End of Chapter)