Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Thankfully, Qin Yu's target was still there. After killing a big red fire-breathing snake, Qin Yu continued to dig deeper into the cave. He finally made a discovery.

There was a green stretch of land in front of him. Although it was not a thick area, Qin Yu felt very satisfied with what he found.

The Lost Garden was like a world of its own. With the wills of many ancient creatures powering it, Saints could not enter it.

This was because Saints were very strong and could threaten the bloodline of the Lost Garden.

And most importantly, Saints had incredible sensory abilities and they could break through the aura field around the Lost Garden that hid sources of life.

Because of this, ancient creatures had paid a high price to become the last protection layer around the continuation of their bloodline.

As such, Saints could not enter the Lost Garden.

People had to count on their luck to find a source of life.

This had been the case for many years. While some had tried other methods, they ended in failure.

That was till today!

Qin Yu breathed in deeply. However, he still could not calm down completely and control his excitement.

Old Turtle was right. Qin Yu could definitely sense an aura from the source of life.

Qin Yu was very clear on what the implications of this were as he had already absorbed a source of life before.

This understanding made him excited.

"A big haul…I am really going to strike gold this time…" If the Lost Garden was a foggy maze that had many hidden treasures, it could be said that Qin Yu had found a device to clear the fog.

Qin Yu did not know how to navigate this maze fully and he also could not assess the grade of the source of life based on its aura.

Nonetheless, this was more than enough. While this ability may have seemed trivial, sources of life were very precious.

Even the lowest grade of source of life was enough to cause a cat fight among Saint circle cultivators. Everyone wanted to get their hands on them.

With Old Turtle's help, Qin Yu felt that he would definitely be able to get a big haul from this trip in the Lost Garden.

"Cough! Master, this is nothing much for my Shadow of the Abyss. But the toll it has on my power is significant…"

"Got it!" Qin Yu waved his hand dismissively and assured Old Turtle, "Relax, I will get you everything you need in the future."

Old Turtle deserved to be fed as many resources as he wanted. His arrogance, overbearing attitude, and sometimes offensive words were all fine as long as he could help Qin Yu's development.

Qin Yu felt as though his tolerance level for Old Turtle had increased drastically.

Old Turtle was very satisfied with Qin Yu's response. He felt as though his place in Qin Yu's heart was secured at a high position.

Stone pagoda?

That was an idiot who did not realize that it was being tricked. The stone pagoda had no place in competing with him.

His Shadow of the Abyss had a high and sturdy position.

Qin Yu would always listen to his words. Although he called Qin Yu master, Qin Yu was driven by his guidance.

This was the power of his Shadow of the Abyss; it had the privilege it deserved because of its power. Old Turtle had endured humiliation before and bore the burden of planning step by step to finally achieve his goal!

He had to remain calm and not be overly excited. He had to control his emotions.

"Mm, in that case, I will have to trouble master. I am a little tired and I will take a rest now. Master, you can start your cultivation."

Look, Qin Yu would do whatever he said.

He would do it without even giving an opinion.

As he expected, Qin Yu nodded and acknowledged, "Ok."

Without hesitation, Qin Yu leapt forward and stepped into the source of life.

In the next instant, an icy seal appeared, indicating that there was an owner of the source of life.

Far away in the darkness and emptiness, the stone pagoda was awoken. After confirming what Qin Yu wanted, it opened the Rule Trial Field.

In the past there were only a few who had the qualifications to use the Rule Trial Field. Furthermore, even if they had the qualifications to use the Rule Trial Field, the probability of success was low.

After all, the energy consumption of the field was immense. It would also take a toll on a cultivator's physical body. Invisible rules had to be comprehended, controlled and absorbed into a cultivator before it would slowly transform with time.

This placed high requirements on a cultivator's soul and physical body. If these conditions were not fulfilled, the more one comprehended rules, the more harm there would be to him.

It had not been long since the last time Qin Yu opened the Rule Trial Field. Did he not want to live? Was he not afraid that he would explode from the pressure?

Hehe. While cultivating and advancing was a satisfying feeling, a cultivator would suffer when his physical body could no longer endure the stresses on it. As it thought about Qin Yu's attitude towards him, the stone pagoda decided to maintain its silence.

This time, he wanted to have a good laugh at Qin Yu.

Did he want to open the Rule Trial Field? Sure, it could do that. As long as Qin Yu provided enough energy, it could open an enormous-sized field.

It would wait for Qin Yu to come begging for help!

The stone pagoda came to its senses. The Rule Trail Field opened and Qin Yu allowed his mind to enter it.

The stone pagoda scoffed.

It waited.

And waited.

And continued waiting.

After a long time, nothing went wrong!

The entire process for Qin Yu was smooth and the speed at which he comprehended rules was faster than before.

How could this be?

The stone pagoda was in disbelief. After a pause, it decided to use its ability to sense Qin Yu's current state.

It was stunned.

Source of life… it was another source of life…No wonder Qin Yu could comprehend rules so quickly. No wonder he could easily withstand it…

However, since when were there so many sources of life?

A source of life would maintain its state no matter how much time passed. There was only one explanation for this and the stone pagoda was in awe.

Luck!

Unless Qin Yu had some godforsaken luck, the stone pagoda could not imagine how he would be able to obtain two sources of life in such a short period of time.

It had accumulated a lot of wisdom after living for so long. Even if it did not want to admit it, a lucky bastard like Qin Yu would become really successful as long as he did not meet his demise.

This also meant that the stone pagoda may never be able to escape Qin Yu's hands.

As it thought about this, the stone pagoda felt pitiful. It seemed like its future was destined to be bleak.

Nonetheless, Qin Yu was now its master. As he grew stronger, someone would eventually find out about this darkness.

If Qin Yu did not admit it, would anyone believe it? The stone pagoda thought otherwise.

This meant that the stone pagoda was bound to Qin Yu and it had to carry the burden on Qin Yu's shoulders too.

As it had this thought, the stone pagoda suddenly felt a refreshing feeling sweep over it.

While it did not want to admit it, after so many years, people and things would eventually come to an end.

In the past, the stone pagoda did not know the extent of things it could do nor what to do. However, it seemed like it had made the right choice.

The stone pagoda could hide in the dark and have Qin Yu take the front seat. Qin Yu had to grow stronger, otherwise he would be overwhelmed by the obstacles that came his way.

That's right!

The stone pagoda was gleeful. It considered itself to be smart. Qin Yu, that brat had always been disrespectful to it.

This did not bother the stone pagoda much. From that moment onwards, the stone pagoda decided it would help Qin Yu voluntarily.

Heh, the stone pagoda was overjoyed with its scheme against the ignorant Qin Yu.

The Rule Trial Field had different grades of power. Opening it was just the beginning.

There were other blessings it could bestow on the cultivator. It could clear the cultivator's mind and increase his speed of comprehending rules.

This obviously came with a cost as well.

At first, the stone pagoda would never have even considered giving these additional blessings in the Rule Trial Field. Now it was beaming in anticipation.

To reap rewards, one had to be fearless and be willing to sacrifice.

The stone pagoda decided to aid Qin Yu this time to enhance his cultivation speed. Would Qin Yu blame it if he found out about the stone pagoda's real motives in the future?

The stone pagoda was doing this for Qin Yu's benefit and Qin Yu had no means of turning it down. Once again, the stone pagoda patted itself on the back for its cleverness.

Like the previous time when he was trapped in Stranded God Canyon, Qin Yu stood before the stone wall of rules. All of a sudden, he felt his mind clear and he could understand the rules much easier than before.

He squinted and held his breath as he continued reading the rules. The strange feeling was still there. He had not lost his mind over staring at the uncountable rules on the stone wall. His comprehension ability had definitely improved.

He concentrated and focused on the strange feeling. This sudden change was beneficial to him.

If that was the case, why was he hesitating? Perhaps this phenomenon was due to the increased grade of the source of life.

Time was precious and he had to treasure all the cultivation time he had.

Qin Yu threw his suspicions aside and continued to stare at the wall. His eyes sparkled brilliantly as he comprehended the rules.

……

Old Turtle's expression stiffened as he felt the wave of energy from the stone pagoda. He had underestimated it.

The stone pagoda was able to directly influence a person's soul and enhance Qin Yu's cultivation speed. With Qin Yu's thirst for cultivation, he would definitely look highly upon the stone pagoda when he discovered its powers.

Old Turtle had initially ignored the stone pagoda, but it seemed that he was wrong.

No, no way!

He had unleashed the Shadow of the Abyss and he was determined to control Qin Yu. How could he tolerate someone else interfering?

However, if the stone pagoda had such powers, why did it wait till now to showcase them?

As he pondered this puzzling detail, Old Turtle's expression grew solemn. He gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.

That damn stone pagoda. It must have decided to step in after seeing Qin Yu's potential.

Old Turtle was sure of his conclusion. It must have been because Qin Yu had found two sources of life in quick succession and his cultivation was rapidly improving.

Damn stone pagoda. All this was because of his own hard work!

If Old Turtle had not used the Shadow of the Abyss, how would Qin Yu have become the man he was today? However, the stone pagoda was now competing with him to influence Qin Yu. Old Turtle cursed at the stone pagoda.

If they were in the abyss, Old Turtle would have smashed the stone pagoda to pieces without a second thought.

Yet, this was his own wishful thinking. Old Turtle also felt that there was more to the stone pagoda than he knew.

Fighting against it now could result in more trouble. He could not afford to be reckless at present.

Since he could not defeat his enemy on physical grounds, he had to compete against the stone pagoda through a fair competition.

With the Shadow of the Abyss and a lifetime of wisdom, Old Turtle was sure that he held a solid position in Qin Yu's heart. Why should he be afraid of the stone pagoda?

He had to strategize against his enemy and go all out with his tactics.

Old Turtle started to ponder carefully. He was wondering why the stone pagoda chose to remain silent after helping Qin Yu.

This silence seemed to be the stone pagoda's plan to conceal his intentions. But why was this the case? Would that bastard be some magnanimous being who did not expect anything in return for help? Old Turtle was in disbelief.

There was no way this could be true.

The stone pagoda's silence could only mean that it was waiting for Qin Yu to discover things by himself. The benevolent actions that the stone pagoda did would make it seem generous.

Qin Yu would be moved by the stone pagoda's actions and he may even feel guilty with his previous attitude towards the stone pagoda. At this point, Old Turtle reflected on his earlier actions.

Compared to the stone pagoda, Old Turtle would seem way stingier.

Old Turtle partly rejoiced at his discovery. His careful and cautious nature had paid off again. He was lucky that he discovered the stone pagoda's schemes early and he was prepared to prevent the stone pagoda from getting his way.

He could change his plans.

Old Turtle decided to be nicer to Qin Yu. At the very least, he had to pay careful attention to his attitude until he crushed the stone pagoda.

It was unimaginable that the stone pagoda could help Qin Yu in his cultivation. Although Old Turtle could do it too, he had to maintain his demeanor and gain respect from Qin Yu.

Thankfully, they were in the Lost Garden currently.

Qin Yu's primary goal here was to obtain sources of life. This was the most important ingredient for raising his cultivation.

Hehe!

The Shadow of the Abyss was the primary key to discovering sources of life.

Just this ability alone placed Old Turtle above the stone pagoda.

He had to continue searching.

Not only did he have to find more sources of life, he had to ensure that the sources of life he discovered were of a high grade. He believed that he would be able to gain Qin Yu's respect with the Shadow of the Abyss.

However, increasing his sensory skills to identify the grade of sources of life came at a great expense to his energy.

Old Turtle was someone who feared death and he was hesitant when it came to using energy. After all, energy was what drove his existence.

He soon suppressed his doubts.

Great things required a sacrifice. He was going to do it!

Old Turtle did not know that these same thoughts were echoed by the stone pagoda not long before.

Aside from the common sacrifice they made, their thought processes were completely different.

The stone pagoda had not pondered over the matter much and its intention of remaining silent was not to let Qin Yu know that he was the one who provided a helping hand.

A misunderstanding was hence formed.