Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 802 - Second-Level Nascent Transformation Realm

Although they hadn't cultivated in the past few years, they still retained their knowledge of cultivation. It was rare for someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm to cause such a massive commotion in his breakthrough, and they now understood how Liu Wuxie had obtained the first rank in the fourth stage.

Spirit stones were converted into concentrated liquid, flowing into the desolate world. The number of laws increased from three thousand to four thousand, each one dense and powerful. Since Liu Wuxie cultivated these new laws, they resonated strongly with him.

His aura continued rising, nearing the second level's late phase. The spiritual pill could help someone at the True Profound Realm to make a breakthrough—let alone someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm.

This breakthrough consumed only one hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones, thanks to the favorable environment. Had he been in the Liu Clan, it would have required at least three hundred thousand to achieve the same result.

After three days, Liu Wuxie finally stabilized his cultivation. As he stepped out of the hut, he saw Jiang Le and Jiang Rong seated on a faraway stone bench while Yu Zhibai crouched on the ground, playing with mud.

Perhaps his breakthrough had caused a surge of spiritual energy throughout Heavenly Gate Peak, allowing them to recover their injuries faster.

Even though with difficulty, Shen Rong could walk alone, while Jiang Le had discarded one of his clutches.

"Junior Brother, congratulations on your breakthrough!" Jiang Le and Shen Rong stood up immediately at the sight of Liu Wuxie.

"Senior Brother, when we arrived, I saw a field of spiritual rice growing on the side of Heavenly Gate Peak. Why hasn’t anyone harvested it now that it’s fully ripe?" Liu Wuxie asked, sitting down with a smile.

Spiritual rice was a scarce grain imbued with dao runes. Whether eaten raw or cooked, it could help enhance one's cultivation.

In the cultivation world, a handful of spiritual rice could be exchanged for a hundred spirit stones. This demonstrated its immense value, as cultivators could extract dao runes from the rice, saving a vast amount of time.

However, growing spiritual rice required strict conditions, and the environment required dense spiritual energy to facilitate growth.

Few places in the True Martial Continent could produce spiritual rice, and even the Liu Clan had to buy it from other sources if they wanted to eat it.

On his first day at Heavenly Gate Peak, Liu Wuxie had noticed a vast field of spiritual rice growing on the mountainside. If harvested, it could sustain their group for a long time, allowing them to absorb the dao runes within to enhance their cultivation.

However, Jiang Le and Shen Rong’s expressions darkened at the mention of the spiritual rice.

"It doesn’t belong to us," Jiang Le said with a bitter smile. Though the rice was planted on Heavenly Gate Peak, they had no claim to it. Over the years, with their injuries leaving them crippled or weakened, they lacked the strength or ability to cultivate crops.

"Why is it growing on Heavenly Gate Peak if it doesn’t belong to us?" Liu Wuxie frowned. If they could use such a large field to cultivate spiritual rice or spiritual herbs, it would provide them with a substantial income. They could rely on the harvest to sustain themselves even without taking on missions.

Unlike the other peaks, which had many disciples, few places were suitable for growing spiritual rice. However, Heavenly Gate Peak was backed by the Myriad Phase Cavern, where the density of spiritual energy surpassed that of the other six peaks.

"It's a long story..." Shen Rong sighed.

Since they had some free time, he explained Heavenly Gate Peak’s situation to Liu Wuxie. Now that he was a member, he had the right to know.

"Three years ago, disciples from White Dragon Peak approached us, asking to rent the field. They promised us thirty percent of the harvest and would handle all the work," Shen Rong explained.

"That sounds like a fair deal," Liu Wuxie said, nodding. It was a win-win arrangement. They lacked the time and strength to tend to the field, so allowing others to cultivate it in exchange for a share seemed reasonable. Thirty percent per year was no small sum.

"It is, in theory. But we haven’t received a single grain of spiritual rice in the past three years," Jiang Le replied with a wry smile, shaking his head. The deal had been too good to refuse, yet they had never received their promised share.

"You're saying the White Dragon Peak has taken over the field?" Liu Wuxie asked, his gaze turning cold. He was now a disciple of the Heavenly Gate Peak, which meant he had a share in the spiritual field.

"Yeah," Jiang Le and Shen Rong nodded.

"Our master didn't intervene?" Liu Wuxie asked. Even if his three senior brothers wanted to, they could not do anything; they could only hope their master would help them.

"Master doesn’t concern himself with such matters," Jiang Le replied, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. "The White Dragon Peak disciples told us that if we wanted our share, we would need to go to White Dragon Peak and take it ourselves."

Jiang Le and others had endured this humiliation for three years, and Elder Madman had no intention of interfering in disputes between disciples. The message from White Dragon Peak disciples was clear: disciples of the Heavenly Gate Peak didn’t deserve it, and if they dared to set foot on White Dragon Peak, they wouldn’t leave alive.

"This is outrageous!" Liu Wuxie slammed his palm on the stone table, his anger surging.

"Junior Brother, don't be reckless!" Jiang Le quickly grabbed Liu Wuxie's arm, fearing he might storm off to White Dragon Peak and endanger himself.

Conflicts between disciples were common at the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, and unlike other sects, the academy encouraged them. Pushing disciples to their limits ensured faster growth.

"Let's go harvest the spiritual rice," Liu Wuxie said. He wouldn't allow such a vast field to be taken away. Three years had passed, and this was the fourth. Since they had never received their rightful share, he had every reason to take it all.

Without any hesitation, Liu Wuxie strode toward the field.

It was too late for Jiang Le and Shen Rong to stop him, and they had no choice but to follow him.

Liu Wuxie's heart pounded excitedly when he looked at the golden spiritual rice, which was no different from pure spirit stones. With a wave of his hand, a large portion of the rice flew toward him, each grain emitting a faint spiritual energy fluctuation, infused with traces of dao runes.

When he popped a few grains into his mouth, they instantly melted into liquified spiritual energy, flowing into his body. Shortly after, he soon sensed the laws in his body had become even more refined.

"What exquisite spiritual rice!" Liu Wuxie exclaimed in excitement. If he could consume it daily, he couldn't imagine how fast his cultivation would rise.

By the time Jiang Le, Yu Zhibai, and Shen Rong arrived, Liu Wuxie had already harvested most of the spiritual rice and stored it in his interspatial ring. The field stretched across several acres, meaning he now possessed hundreds of pounds of spiritual rice—a fortune worth ten million high-grade spirit stones.

"Senior Brother, what should we do? Should we stop him? After all, we can't afford to offend those people," Shen Rong said, seeking Jiang Le's opinion.

"You should know the Heavenly Gate Peak's rules. We rise and fall together, and we will stand by our Junior Brother regardless of his actions," Jiang Le said, shoving a handful of spiritual rice into his mouth. He could instantly sense his pain alleviating.

Yu Zhibai was already gobbling down the spiritual rice, enjoying every bite. As his soul sea grew stronger, he gave off a faint radiance.

On a distant mountain, an unkempt old man stood as he observed everything happening in the spiritual field but did not attempt to intervene.

"Go on and make a scene. The bigger, the better. No one will lay a hand on you four as long as I'm around," Elder Madman muttered with a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Ten disciples chatted at the foot of the mountain as they made their way to Heavenly Gate Peak's side.

"This year's harvest looks great. If we handle it well, we will each receive half a pound of spiritual rice as a reward," said a youth leading the group up the mountain. After all, obtaining half a pound of spiritual rice just by harvesting it was enough motivation for them.

"I ate half a pound of spiritual rice last year and reached the True Profound Realm. If I can get another share this year, it shouldn't be an issue for me to reach the second-level True Profound Realm," the ten youths discussed among themselves as they climbed the mountain.

"S-Senior Brother Li, look over there!" a disciple exclaimed, his voice trembling. Everyone turned their heads, only to see that a vast portion of the spiritual rice had already been harvested. At this rate, it would take only a few more minutes for the entire field to be emptied.

"Quick, hurry up!" The youth called Senior Brother Li shouted urgently. He was the only one among them who had reached the True Profound Realm, and last year’s spiritual rice harvest had played a crucial role in his breakthrough.

Less than two minutes later, they arrived at the spiritual field, only to witness Liu Wuxie finishing up his harvest. As he gathered the last stalk of spiritual rice, he took a deep breath, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"Who gave you the audacity to steal our White Dragon Peak's spiritual rice?!" Li Shan stepped forward to question Liu Wuxie as he didn't recognize the latter.

"Your White Dragon Peak's spiritual rice?" Liu Wuxie smirked with a hint of mockery. "How amusing; why is it growing on the Heavenly Gate Peak?"

This was the Heavenly Gate Peak's territory; everything here belonged to them.

"How dare you?! The two peaks signed an agreement granting us the right to manage this field!" Li Shan barked, his expression darkening. He didn't recognize Liu Wuxie and assumed he was from another peak, here to steal their spiritual rice.

"An agreement, you say? Then tell me, what exactly is stated in this agreement?" Liu Wuxie questioned with a mocking smile.

"The Heavenly Gate Peak will let us manage the field, and we will give them thirty percent of the harvest each year," Li Shan said hesitantly. The agreement had worked well in their favor for the past four years, and there had never been an issue—until now.

Liu Wuxie's smile deepened, and he continued to question, "Then tell me, have you ever paid the Heavenly Gate Peak their rightful share?"

If the Heavenly Gate Peak had received thirty percent of the harvest, they would have accumulated hundreds of pounds of spiritual rice by now. But in reality, they had received nothing.

Li Shan knew that White Dragon Peak had monopolized the field for the past three years, but he was merely a lackey—it wasn’t his decision to make. The true mastermind operated from the shadows.

"Listen, boy. I don't care who you are, but hand over the rice, or you'll regret it!" Li Shan growled, his patience wearing thin. Failure wasn't an option, as they would die if they returned empty-handed.

"Go back and tell your master this—if White Dragon Peak wants to continue this partnership, we're open to discussions. Consider this year's harvest as payment you owe us for the past three years. As for the remaining twenty percent, we'll let it slide," Liu Wuxie replied with a wave of his hand.

After all, this was the fourth year, meaning they were owed one hundred and twenty percent of the total harvest. On top of that, White Dragon Peak should have compensated them with an additional twenty percent. Liu Wuxie was already being generous by letting it slide.