Sage of Humanity

Lu Ye didn't go to his own exclusive training room, but after a brief moment of discernment, he walked to the door of another training room and directly used his governor privileges to open the door.

A young girl cultivating inside jumped in shock, "Fifth Senior Brother, have I done something wrong?" She seemed to remember something and squatted down with her hands over her head. "I won't bother Sixth Senior Sister anymore. I'm not trying to compete with you for women; please don't hit me!"

"Hmm?"

Had he heard something unbelievable?

Moments later, Lu Ye left a Spirit Energy Gathering Spirit Rune covering one wall inside the training room, then turned and walked out, leaving the girl whose eyes had lost focus.

With so many training rooms, it was difficult for Lu Ye to install Spirit Energy Gathering Spirit Runes in every single room at once; he could only find time to install them when he could.

His initial goal was to set up one Spirit Energy Gathering Spirit Rune in each training room, then gradually add a second and a third.

After setting up a few rooms, Lu Ye entered his own exclusive training room, used the little spirit force remaining inside him to build a small funnel in his spiritual orifice, switched to the Bestial Gluttony Feast Technique, and threw two Spirit-Nurturing Pills into his mouth.

While cultivating, he read books brought from Madam Yun, occasionally constructing Yin Origin and Yang Origin on his fingers to strengthen his practice.

The spent spirit force quickly recovered, and with the area's richer spirit force, both recovery and cultivation efficiency increased more than twofold than before.

Lu Ye felt that if he dedicated himself entirely to cultivation, he could ascend to Level 7 in less than twenty days.

However, rapid advancement in cultivation might not always be a good thing; Li Baxian had warned him before to focus on consolidation. As cultivation progressed, one must improve holistically; merely advancing in level without corresponding strength was inadequate.

Lu Ye wasn't too worried about insufficient consolidation, but currently learning the Path of Spirit Runes and constructing the Yin-Yang Dual Origins required consuming spirit force. He also occasionally needed to install Spirit Energy Gathering Spirit Runes in other training rooms, which delayed his cultivation progress.

As he read through each book, Lu Ye fervently absorbed the knowledge within; constructing Yin-Yang Dual Origins became simpler and easier. However, he still fell short of the proficiency Madam Yun required to switch them effortlessly.

A day later, a somewhat weary Lu Ye set down the book in his hands and stretched lazily.

While studying the Path of Spirit Runes was fascinating, it could become dull over a long period.

Lu Ye thought for a moment, then took out the Breath Fruit Core from his storage sack. Just as he was about to activate his spirit force, he hurriedly drew the Boulder Mountain Saber and held it in his hand.

He wanted to test if he could bring the Boulder Mountain Saber into the Mirage Realm with him. During his last visit without the saber, he had nearly wasted fifty merit points, a substantial loss.

With his spirit force activated, his consciousness entered that peculiar little room; Lu Ye quickly looked down and found the Boulder Mountain Saber in his hand, bringing him great relief.

Using his previous experience, Lu Ye walked to the sole door and pushed it open.

As before, twisting script appeared on the door, stating that entering the Mirage Realm would cost fifty merit points.

Now wealthy and unflinching, Lu Ye effortlessly pushed the door open, felt a slight warmth from his seal, and fifty merit points were deducted.

Behind the door was a mist-filled expanse. Only about thirty meters around him was visible, the rolling, surging fog seemingly containing endless danger.

Lu Ye looked back but could see no trace of any door; the small space he had been in seemed merely a transitional area.

Strange noises emanated from the mist ahead, and he could faintly sense something rapidly crawling.

Immediately, Lu Ye staggered his feet slightly, crouched down, and pressed his hand on the handle of the Boulder Mountain Saber!

The fog ahead tumbled and surged as if something was about to break through.>Here it came!
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Lu Ye's spirit force secretly surged, and the next moment, a bizarre creature leaped high from the mist, lunging straight at him.

The attacking creature resembled a praying mantis; its four feet moved quickly, and its front limbs, like slashing machetes, flickered with sharp, cold light.

This was a mantis not in the least smaller than Lu Ye, with a color that was greenish-black. Its wings flapped behind it, lending it the ability to glide through the air.

Lu Ye had never seen such a huge mantis before. He had been startled by it the last time he entered this eerie place, and without a weapon then, he hadn't been able to stay here for long.

As the mantis lunged, its mouthparts constantly opening and closing, its serrated, sharp, and ferocious teeth seemed to promise a dire fate if bitten.

The distance between them rapidly closed, two mantis arms swinging, aimed at cutting off his head from the center.

Such a strike was not inferior to the full force of a combat cultivator at Level 6, making Lu Ye feel that it was linked somehow to his own strength, for he was also at Level 6.

When the mantis saber slashed towards him, Lu Ye had already ducked and slid out from under the mantis, slashing out a beam of saber light with the Boulder Mountain Saber in his hand.

Green insect blood splattered, innards scattered, and with a thud, the menacingly approaching mantis fell behind Lu Ye, its body almost split in half by a single strike.

This was the lethality of Lu Ye's strike enhanced with Sharpness, sure to be fatal to anyone of the same cultivation level if hit.

Before he could steady himself, though, movement noises came from the crawling within the mist to both sides, and shortly after, two mantises charged out of the mist, almost simultaneously pouncing toward Lu Ye.

Intent on testing the power of his new spirit runes, his legs suddenly flashed with light as he boosted with Move-Like-The-Wind, abruptly increasing his sprinting speed and quickly getting face to face with one mantis, raising his saber and chopping downward, this strike dodging the opposing mantis saber's block, shattering its head.

The second one was already upon him; he immediately turned around and cleaved with his saber, which was directly blocked by that mantis's mantis saber.

The Hefty Weight Spirit Runes silently enhanced the Boulder Mountain Saber, overpowering the already less strong mantis making its body stagger before Lu Ye took the opportunity to thrust a direct stab, burying half of the saber blade into the mantis's mouthpiece. When he drew the saber out, the mantis was twisting and wriggling on the ground as a hissing sound came from its mouthpiece.

Lu Ye, panting, heard more movements from within the mist and soon, three mantises emerged from three different directions…

The fight had never stopped since the beginning, and the number of mantises Lu Ye had to deal with incremented by one every time.

Everything here felt extremely real; as Lu Ye slashed those mantises, he could smell the pungent scent of their fresh blood, feel its very realistic touch when it splattered on him, and even the crimson blood would flow from his own wounds when injured.

Lu Ye didn't know exactly what place his Breath Fruit Core connected Mirage Realm was, but everything here seemed no different from the outside world.

The only difference was that here, one would not truly die after dying in battle, and the bodies of the mantises he killed would disappear in a very short time.

This place seemed solely meant for cultivators to temper their combat skills.

He had tried it with Shui Yuan, who also agreed it was something.

Being able to temper his combat skills in such an environment was nothing short of a dream come true for Lu Ye. His cultivation had advanced too quickly and his training time too short, which meant his experience in crossing hands with other cultivators was limited, despite having fought his way here, a deficit that combat here could help compensate.

With the Mirage Realm, although his opponents were mantises and not cultivators, the feeling of treading on the edge of life and death was the same, as was the pain of being wounded.

Here, Lu Ye could fully exert all he had learned, seeking out his deficiencies amidst fervent battle.

The mantises gradually increased to nine, and Lu Ye felt he was approaching his limit. In such a confined area, even if he varied the usage of his spirit runes, he inevitably faced being overwhelmed. The sharp mantis sabers left deep, bone-visible wounds on him, even slicing open his abdomen, causing his organs to spill out.

Eventually, after killing three out of the nine mantises, a mantis saber pierced right through Lu Ye's head!

The sensation of death in that moment was exceedingly real.

Back in his private training room, Lu Ye suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for air. Even with the experience of previous times knowing that death in the Mirage Realm wouldn't truly kill him, the intense palpitations were still overwhelmingly strong.

Simultaneously, his mind throbbed unbearably, as if a needle was poking inside it.

This was also why Hua Ci looked at him with such resentment after testing the Breath Fruit Core.

The sensation of death was too terrifying for anyone to want to experience.

He checked himself; the injuries from the Mirage Realm were not present, but his spirit force had been greatly depleted. It seemed that in the Mirage Realm, everything else may be illusory, but the depletion of spirit force and accumulated fatigue were real.

Also, after dying there, the mind would ache, probably due to some depletion of mental energy.

Therefore, after entering the Mirage Realm, it was not possible to re-enter a second time soon after; it required a day to recuperate.

The effects of the Breath Fruit Core were myriad and unpredictable; Lu Ye's Breath Fruit Core might not have connected to any rich Spirit Vein or increased his cultivation efficiency, but the enhancement of his combat skills through feeling deaths repeatedly was a benefit not interchangeable with any other.

Elder brother really had an eye for this; at that time, of the nine fruits on the Breath Fruit Tree, he just chose this one.

Continuing his cultivation, recovering his spirit force, he took out food from his storage sack to replenish his physical energy.

Days passed by, and apart from occasionally returning to his sect headquarters to enjoy the delicacies made by sister Shui Yuan, Lu Ye stayed in the training room, studying the tomes brought back from Madam Yun, building up the Yin-Yang Dual Origins, and hewing mantises daily in the Mirage Realm, living a truly fulfilling life.

After gradually getting familiar with the mantises' combat techniques, Lu Ye quickly improved. He managed to kill those large creatures in the shortest time with the least consumption, and in these fierce battles, he gradually mastered the use of his newly acquired spirit runes.

It wasn't until five days later that Lu Ye left the training room as usual, inquired about the current affairs at Heaven's Augury Hall from a junior brother, confirmed that his post was undisturbed, and returned to the sect headquarters.

He fetched Amber and rode it straight to Bright Heart Peak.

He had finished reading those dozen or so tomes, and the building and switching of the Yin-Yang Dual Origins had met Madam Yun's requirements; it was time for the next step.