Human Clan Defender

HISS!

Feeling the Spiritual Energy that rushed at him, Shen Changqing took a deep breath.

Although he had felt the presence of rich Spiritual Energy on the first level, the concentration of that Spiritual Energy was worlds apart from what he felt upon opening the secret chamber's door.

Just moments ago, even standing before the secret chamber's door, Shen Changqing hadn't sensed such dense Spiritual Energy. It was only when he opened the door that the energy, seemingly sealed and accumulated for a long time, burst forth.

The ability to seal Spiritual Energy shows that the construction of the secret chamber is no simple matter.

From the outside, the door of the secret chamber seemed no different from an ordinary stone door. However, an ordinary stone door definitely couldn't seal Spiritual Energy. Therefore, the seemingly ordinary stone door before his eyes was anything but ordinary in origin, though Shen Changqing had no current desire to investigate its background.

He first flipped the sign on the door to display its front, then walked in and closed the stone door behind him.

The secret chamber was not large, probably only able to accommodate about three to five people. And at its very center, a yellow meditation cushion was placed.

Now, with the secret chamber's door closed, Shen Changqing was completely immersed in Spiritual Energy. The True Qi within his body stirred restlessly, and the mental exhaustion he felt began to recover considerably under its impact.

Spiritual Energy had always existed in the world. But the concentration of that ambient Spiritual Energy, when compared to what was now in the chamber, was like the difference between a small pond and a vast ocean.

Shen Changqing sat down cross-legged directly on the yellow cushion. The moment he sat down, an even stronger surge of Spiritual Energy rose from beneath the cushion, pouring into his body.

So the source of the Spiritual Energy in the secret chamber is actually beneath the cushion, and the spot where the cushion is placed is perfectly aligned with the Spirit Vein!

He took a deep breath. Without wasting any time, he focused his mind and began circulating his Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, absorbing this immense Spiritual Energy to replenish his own reserves.

Looking at his status panel, Shen Changqing currently had nothing more he could enhance. His Heavenly Martial Gang Qi had broken its limit, and his Invincible Golden Body had also broken its limit. After breaking their limits, these two were difficult to improve further solely through his own efforts. He could only use Slaughter Value to carve out a path forward.

Therefore, what he could do now was make progress with his True Intent.

He focused his mind, and his Inner Strength technique began to circulate. The Spiritual Energy filling the secret chamber was almost entirely drawn towards him, merging into Shen Changqing's body.

In that instant, his Flesh vibrated with Qi and blood, and the True Qi in his Dantian billowed. Wherever the Spiritual Energy passed, impurities in his Flesh and True Qi seemed to be expelled. But this was a secondary effect. The real effect was that the vast Spiritual Energy, once absorbed into his Flesh, was directed straight toward his Sea of Consciousness under the control of his will.

Instantly, Shen Changqing felt his Divine Sense in his Sea of Consciousness become like a small boat tossed on a vast ocean, or like parched earth finally receiving the nourishment of rain after a long drought.

Very quickly, his depleted spirit was frantically recovering. In less than half an hour, the consumption from his previous cultivation of Martial Dao True Intent was fully replenished.

This is much more powerful than the replenishment from Enlightenment Tea!

Shen Changqing was inwardly shocked, but he didn't waste time. Instead, he focused deeply, entering the Sea of Consciousness Space to start a new round of cultivation.

Bloody Heaven and Earth.

Bloody Iron Cavalry.

The Martial Dao True Intent he was cultivating primarily encompassed battle and slaughter.

Battle against Heaven, Fight the Earth.

Survive a hundred battles.

If other people were to cultivate this Martial Dao True Intent, Shen Changqing wasn't sure which aspect they might grasp. But his was realized amidst a battlefield of ten thousand soldiers, hence it was more inclined towards slaughter.

Destroy everything!

Slaughter everything!

That was the Martial Dao True Intent Shen Changqing had comprehended.

The Bloody Heaven and Earth represents destruction, while the Bloody Iron Cavalry signifies slaughter. My Divine Sense merging with the Bloody Iron Cavalry is like embodying the cavalry marching through a world of destruction, slaughtering all living beings, and thus comprehending the power of slaughter within it.

After slaying another Fierce Beast within the Bloody Heaven and Earth, he distinctly felt his own power growing stronger. A potent killing intent was brewing incessantly within him.

Inside the secret chamber, Shen Changqing sat cross-legged. The Spiritual Energy that once filled the chamber had now completely vanished, all of it absorbed into his body without the slightest leakage.

Suddenly, a vast voice resounded.

"Kid, your time is up!"

The voice, like rolling thunder, resonated within the secret chamber but did not leak outside.

Shen Changqing, seated cross-legged on the cushion, immediately opened his eyes. A faint blood-red glint flashed through them before his pupils quickly returned to their clear black and white distinction.

His time was up. He hadn't even realized three days had passed so quickly.

However, Shen Changqing also noticed something: the time he spent in the Bloody Heaven and Earth was indeed much longer than before. Previously, when he cultivated, it wouldn't be long before severe mental fatigue forced him to exit midway. But this time, there were no signs of such fatigue. If it weren't for Zhong Ning's voice waking him, he felt he could have continued cultivating in the Bloody Heaven and Earth indefinitely.

Could it be—

Because there is a constant supply of Spiritual Energy, even if I consume energy while cultivating, the Spiritual Energy can replenish it constantly. This is unlike before, when I had to stop cultivating due to excessive consumption. As such, the effect of cultivating my Martial Dao True Intent is much stronger than when I used to cultivate.

Shen Changqing felt that these three days of arduous cultivation were equivalent to more than half a month of his previous efforts. After all, in the past, the actual time he could spend cultivating his Martial Dao True Intent was only a few hours at a stretch; exceeding that would lead to severe mental fatigue, forcing him to stop. Then, he would have to spend additional time brewing Enlightenment Tea to recover. Again and again, much time was consumed in this cycle. So, over a full day, the actual time spent truly cultivating amounted to only those few hours.

In contrast, cultivating non-stop around the clock in the secret chamber meant one day here was equivalent to three days of his previous cultivation.

More importantly, with an endless supply of Spiritual Energy, Shen Changqing discovered that the Bloody Iron Cavalry he wielded in the Sea of Consciousness Space constantly remained in a state of abundant power, unlike before when it would weaken with mental consumption. Consequently, slaying the creatures within the Bloody Heaven and Earth also became much faster.

Therefore, by a serious calculation, one day of cultivation in the secret chamber was equivalent to seven ordinary days. These three days of hard cultivation were equivalent to twenty-one days of his past efforts.

At this moment, Zhong Ning's slightly irritated voice sounded again.

"If you stay inside any longer without coming out, there will be an extra charge."

"..."

Shen Changqing gathered his thoughts and opened the door to the secret chamber.

The first level of the secret chamber was still empty. Zhong Ning's earlier words had clearly been conveyed using Divine Sense.

Divine Sense Transmission! This was a very advanced technique, achievable only after breaking through to the second realm of the Spiritual System.

Outside the Martial Hall, Zhong Ning saw Shen Changqing walk out, a faint smile on his face.

"How was it? Is cultivating inside the secret chamber vastly different from usual?"

"Um, yes, the effects are much stronger than before," Shen Changqing openly admitted.

In his Sea of Consciousness Space, the silhouette of a second petal had begun to emerge on the blood-red lotus. However, its form was so hazy that if one didn't look carefully, they wouldn't even notice the shadow of a petal. From nothing to something, from illusion to solidity. He inwardly estimated that it would still take a year and a half for it to fully form.

However, if he could practice in seclusion within the Martial Hall, this process would be much quicker. One month. If he could cultivate uninterruptedly for one month inside, Shen Changqing was confident that he could advance his Martial Dao True Intent from one-tenth to two-tenths completion.

Zhong Ning grinned. "Of course. Spirit Veins in this world are few and far between. The Spirit Vein in the Martial Hall was transported here by a powerful figure in the past. It is also the Martial Hall's greatest foundation, bar none. Anyone who could cultivate there uninterruptedly could break through to the second realm of the Spiritual System as easily as flipping their hand."

Shen Changqing strongly agreed with this. Suddenly, a hint of confusion appeared on his face.

"Elder Zhong, I am rather curious about something. If the Spirit Vein is really that powerful, why not let people cultivate in it indefinitely? I believe with that concentration of Spiritual Energy, it wouldn't be difficult to cultivate a Grandmaster at the peak of the Spiritual System!"

This question made Elder Zhong's expression turn peculiar.

"You're not the first to ask such a question. However, what you may not know is that the Spiritual Energy in a Spirit Vein is finite; it cannot be consumed indefinitely. If a large number of people were to cultivate non-stop, it would easily drain the Spirit Vein of its Spiritual Energy. If the Spiritual Energy is drained, then the Spirit Vein will be damaged. The Spirit Vein can only recover gradually if some Spiritual Energy is drawn out while a portion remains."

"But then you might ask, since the Spirit Vein cannot fully support everyone, why not concentrate its resources on one person? Pushing that individual to the peak of the Spiritual System could also be of significant value."

Shen Changqing nodded in response to Elder Zhong's rhetorical question.

Seeing this, Elder Zhong shook his head with a wry smile.

"You understand too little about the Spiritual System. Entering the Spiritual System is easy, but progressing is difficult. Whether it's Cultivating True Intent or achieving True Intent Manifestation, the initial thresholds are relatively low. But after True Intent Manifestation, reaching the true peak isn't something achievable through mere diligent cultivation alone. Truly powerful Spiritual System Grandmasters must undergo countless battles and tempering to cultivate a sufficiently strong Martial Dao True Intent. The Spiritual Energy in the secret chamber, at most, helps shorten the journey from Cultivating True Intent to True Intent Manifestation. This stage is still considered introductory; the real challenge lies in the path beyond True Intent Manifestation."

"For a newly advanced Grandmaster, the secret chamber is a treasure. But for a Grandmaster who has already achieved True Intent Manifestation, the Jade Wall on the fifth level is the true treasure!"