Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-228

Unlike Fei Ling Island and the Heaven of Seven Stars, which were both in closed spatial dimensions, the Fallen Rift was a natural wonder in the cultivation world. No one knew when or how it was formed, although it was rumored to have existed since the Heaven Cleaving Seven Primes created the world.

The Fallen Rift was located in the northernmost part of the East Ocean, and was a large archipelago formed from an endless number of islands of varying sizes, all rich in resources.

These resources attracted a large number of human and monster cultivators to the Fallen Rift, creating a land of chaos, making it a utopia for rogue cultivators.

Supposedly even Avatar Realm Great Ancestors were interested in the resources in the depths of Fallen Rift. Besides its rich resources, one of the Fallen Rift's wonders was its natural array formations formed by the forces of heaven-and-earth. No one understood the workings of the Fallen Rift, but they all marveled at its wonder.

During Lu Ping’s time in the East Ocean, he had come across many legends about the Fallen Rift, making him long to explore this mysterious place.

Hence, the map was a really good opportunity. Moreover, from the map, it seemed that the leader had found some good resources in the Fallen Rift.

Apart from the map, the other thing that grabbed his attention was the golden bell brought back by Lu Qin. Although Lu Ping wasn’t a smith, his friend Chen Lian was a professional Smith. Hence, he was still able to appreciate the quality of various mystic instruments.

The golden bell was only a high-grade mystic instrument, but it was made with top-grade spirit materials which gave it the potential to be upgraded to a top-grade mystic instrument at any time.

The golden bell was a good nascent mystic instrument. Although it was damaged under Lu Qin's attacks, it could still be restored with some time and effort. However, it was a gold-element mystic instrument, which wasn’t very suitable for him.

Lu Qin also brought back the mirror.

For some reason, Lu Qin was fond of cleaning up the battlefield by collecting the spoils of battle, in particular the shiny objects.

Lu Qin would be enthusiastic about these items and show them off for a short while, before getting bored and ignoring the items thereafter.

Lu Ping was interested in the mirror. The mirror was a strong defensive mystic instrument that could withstand great damage, whilst also being able to release a golden light that reduced the power of incoming attacks.

This Spirit Clipping Mirror was a top-grade mystic instrument that had the potential to be upgraded into a mystic treasure. It was even stronger than Lu Ping's Umbra. Unfortunately, once again, its element was incompatible with his cultivation method.

Hence, he wouldn't be able to unleash the full strength of either mystic instruments.

However, what Lu Ping cared the most about was the Crystal Jade Bottle and jade scroll that Chu Ting had traded to the leader for the Hundred Flowers Ominous Essence.

During the underground trade fair, the leader, who was also Participant 58, had specifically asked for medicinal pellets or pellet recipes that would help the core condensation. However, after some bargaining, it was clear that he didn't get either.

Lu Ping opened the Crystal Jade Bottle and saw a total of five pellets. The pellets were crimson red and intermittently flashed red light. They had a pungent smell that nearly caused him to choke.

As an alchemist, Lu Ping naturally recognized the medicinal pellets at once. They were Triple Turning Essence Pellets!

Triple Turning Essence Pellets were similar to Triple Turning Spiritual Pellets. They were both half-step Core Forging Realm pellets that required six pieces of thousand-year spirit herbs and they both had the same difficulty to concoct.

However, Triple Turning Spiritual Pellets were used to restore arcane energy, while Triple Turning Essence Pellets were used to recover injuries.

Lu Ping carefully examined the pellets one by one, and quickly discovered that these five medicinal pellets were made from the same batch. This meant that Chu Ting had at least a 50-percent success rate in concocting Triple Turning Essence Pellets.

Lu Ping was amazed at Chu Ting's alchemy. However, he wasn't really surprised.

After all, she had a high-grade cauldron and a heaven-and-earth spirit fire. Most importantly, she cultivated a secret technique that allowed her divine sense to transcend into divine revelation before even reaching the Core Forging Realm.

Thinking about alchemy, Lu Ping couldn't help but touch the interspatial ring on his hand!

Inside the ring was a top-grade cauldron, the River Inclusion Cauldron, which he had obtained from the Seven Star Palace.

However, even with his unrivaled arcane energy in the Ninth Layer Blood Condensation Realm, Lu Ping still struggled to supply the massive amount of arcane energy needed to concoct pellets using it.

To an alchemist, this was undoubtedly a kind of torment. But at the same time, it was also motivation for him to improve his cultivation base.

Lu Ping placed the Crystal Jade Bottle aside and checked the violet jade scroll.

This wasn’t his first time seeing violet jade scrolls. These jade scrolls were mostly used by Core Forging Realm Enlightened Masters, with the contents usually sealed with divine revelation.

However, this violet jade scroll wasn’t sealed, so Lu Ping could read the contents with his divine sense.

He calmed his mind, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in the contents of the scroll, as Lu Dagui carried him towards the north.

The snake trio dived underwater and played on their own, while Lu Qin was happily flying in the clouds.

A long time later, Lu Ping finally opened his eyes, looking as if he had just returned from another world. In fact, studying a pellet recipe was truly just like entering a new world.

This was because pellet recipes were a special way of communication between alchemists. They weren’t the same as ordinary jade scrolls.

Besides the list of spirit herbs, the recipes also contained the alchemists' experience and insights whilst concocting the medicinal pellets. This knowledge was incomprehensible to normal cultivators, but was incredibly precious to an alchemist.

However, the passing of this knowledge would consume the divine revelation in the recipes. So, every time the recipes were read, the divine revelation would diminish until it was eventually used up.

Hence, alchemists would always be very careful and cherish every opportunity to study a pellet recipe.

The pellet recipe he just studied was for a medicinal pellet known as the Reverie Pellet.

It was graded as a half-step Core Forging Realm and required 24 pieces of thousand-year spirit herbs. Unlike ordinary pellets, Reverie Pellets weren’t used during a breakthrough, rather they were used before.

Consuming a Reverie Pellet would bring a cultivator into a realm of enlightenment, submerging the cultivator in the reverie of becoming a Core Forging Realm Enlightened Master.

The cultivator would gain the feeling of what it was like to be in the Core Forging Realm. This would undoubtedly smoothen a cultivator's breakthrough to the Core Forging Realm.

Lu Ping kept the pellet recipe away and was very satisfied. He let out a whistle to call Lu Qin, and kept Lu Dagui back in the spirit pet pouch. Then, he sat on the Verdant Luan's back, and headed towards the Fallen Rift.

The Fallen Rift was too far away. It would take Dagui at least a month to reach, whereas Lu Qin could reach there in days.

A few days later, a graceful bird flew in the clouds above an archipelago that stretched all the way to the horizon and seemingly had no end.

Despite knowing that the Fallen Rift was a natural wonder, Lu Ping was still astonished by the grandeur and natural beauty.

This was the Fallen Rift!

On the boundless ocean, there was a large chain of over a thousand islands. The islands were of all sorts of shapes and sizes, and were irregularly scattered around.

A perennial fog covered the entire archipelago. The deeper into the archipelago, the thicker the fog.

There had never been a clear description of how large the Fallen Rift actually was, because no one had ever been able to travel through the archipelago from one end to the other. It was rumored that not even Avatar Realm Great Ancestors would be able to.

The Fallen Rift was filled with reclusive experts, some of them were so strong that even Avatar Realm Great Ancestors had to be wary.

Lu Ping got down from Lu Qin, and stood on Dagui's shell once more. He glanced around and saw a few islands covered by forests, with various kinds of sounds coming from them.

Lu Ping took out the map and checked it carefully. Then, Dagui moved through the waters between the islands.

The water was calm and quiet, but as they passed by, there would occasionally be turbulent waves and a pool of blood underwater. Black shadows moved past him in the water, which vaguely looked like snakes.

Lu Ping ignored the happenings around him and continued to navigate according to the map.