Ye Xuan had exhausted all his strength to defeat Liu Ruoxi. At that time, his cultivation was at the 5th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm. Now that it had advanced to the 7th Layer, it meant he could, at most, defeat a genius Cultivator at the 3rd Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. And that was the absolute limit. If the opponent possessed some extraordinary trump card, he might even be in danger of dying. Of course, if the opponent’s innate talent was inferior to Liu Ruoxi’s, he might have a chance to defeat a Cultivator at the 4th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. But this was almost impossible. The innate talent of geniuses was never weak by any stretch.
"Xuan’Er, perhaps you will grow stronger in the future, but there is only one month left until the family competition," Gongsun Yanran’s voice sounded again.
"One month? Mother, do you mean the Three-Star Secret Realm, which opens once a decade, will open in a month?" Ye Xuan finally understood why his grandfather hadn’t mentioned this matter. With such a short timeframe, it was simply impossible for him to enter the top three. He could indeed hold his own against Liu Ruoxi at the 1st Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. However, no matter how incredible he was, he couldn’t possibly advance four layers in a month and defeat a powerhouse at the 5th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm, right?
At least, that was what Gongsun Wenjin thought. Gongsun Wenjin had no idea that Gongsun Yanran had long prepared resources for Ye Xuan—enough to raise his cultivation to the 9th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm. Breaking through four layers in a little over a month wouldn’t be a difficult task for him at all. It was just that the resources Gongsun Yanran provided were far from enough for Ye Xuan’s specific needs.
"Yes, it begins in a month. Xuan’Er, do you want to participate in the competition? It’s not entirely out of the question. At the 5th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm, you were able to fight Liu Ruoxi. With the resources I’ve given you, it’s enough to raise your cultivation to the 9th Layer."
Ye Xuan said honestly, "Mother, your resources aren’t enough."
"What? Not enough? Is your constitution special, Xuan’Er, making your consumption greater than an ordinary person’s? It’s my fault; I should have thought of this. If only I had left you more resources back then." The last time Ye Xuan said it wasn’t enough, she thought he was joking. But this time, she didn’t think so. She only felt a pang of self-blame.
"Mother, don’t be like this. I’m already very content with the abundant resources you gave me."
"Brother, do you need resources? Then take mine. My cultivation is weak right now anyway, so I can’t use the Super Spirit Pills yet," Ye Ling’Er’s voice rang out.
Ye Xuan patted her head and smiled. "How could I use your resources? Besides, it still wouldn’t be enough."
The consumption required for Ye Xuan to advance was indeed far too massive. Unless he went to a Two-Star Secret Realm right now and obtained a large number of level-four or level-five Beast Pills, he wouldn’t make it. In that case, there might still be time. As long as he raised his cultivation to the 9th Layer, he would have some confidence. If he could break through into the Demon Spirit Realm, he would be fully confident. Unfortunately, the Two-Star Secret Realm would only open after the Three-Star Secret Realm.
What should he do then? How could he rapidly raise his cultivation within a single month? The medicinal herbs on his person could, at most, push his cultivation to the 8th Layer. Reaching the 9th Layer would be far too difficult unless he had a fortuitous encounter.
Ye Xuan shook his head, temporarily tossing these worries to the back of his mind. "Alright, everyone can disperse now."
After the Ye Family members scattered, Ye Xuan turned to Ye Zeyun. "Grandpa, do we still have enough resources? If not, I can practice Alchemy for everyone."
"We still have some, but not much."
"Alright. I still have some herbs on me, so I’ll continue refining Elixirs for you all when I’m free." As Ye Xuan spoke, he sighed inwardly. He suddenly felt it would be great if a person could clone themselves. He hadn’t even refined enough Elixirs for himself, yet he had to refine them for the Ye Family too. If anyone else in the Ye Family possessed the Fire Attribute, he would definitely pass down his Alchemy Technique. It would save him from having to play the role of both father and mother all by himself. Being the Patriarch wasn’t so easy after all.
"By the way, Grandpa, the Night Moon Tree is about to bear fruit. Based on the number of flowers in bloom, there will definitely be quite a few fruits. You should start thinking about who to nurture with them. Barring any accidents, these fruits can cultivate over a dozen powerhouses at the 9th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm."
"What! The 9th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm!" Ye Zeyun’s eyes widened before he frowned and asked, "Ye Xuan, shouldn’t these fruits be distributed equally?"
Ye Xuan pondered for a moment before replying, "No. If we distribute them equally, the effects will be too diluted. Let’s cultivate a few powerhouses first. Think about who you want to nurture."
"What is there to think about? Of course, we’ll nurture the younger generation like Ye Shanhan, Ye Wen, and Hua Xiaoyu." Ye Zeyun then cast a glance at Ye Yiwei and the others. "You guys don’t have any objections, right?"
Ye Yiwei and Ye Yihe immediately spoke up, "No objections, absolutely no objections!"
"That’s good."
At this moment, Ye Xuan spoke again. "Grandpa, we should also nurture a few outstanding youths from the Side Branches. As I said before, both the Direct Lineage and the Side Branches must be taken care of. Additionally, tell the family members who don’t receive resources not to worry. Let them know I will provide the resources they want."
"You don’t need to worry about these things. I won’t let our people’s morale waver. Oh, right, the medicinal herbs you asked me to find have all arrived. They’re all in this Qiankun Bag."
When Ye Xuan returned yesterday, he had asked his grandfather to send people to collect the supplementary herbs needed to refine the Super Spirit Pills.
"Thank you, Grandpa. I’ll get to work then. Mother, keep an eye on Liu Ruoxi. Don’t let her run away." After leaving these instructions, Ye Xuan headed to the underground training room.
Next, he needed to continue his Alchemy. He wondered how many more Elixirs he could refine with the remaining Qishan Evergreen Ivy. Once a Spirit Medicine was cut, the longer it was left unused, the more its medicinal efficacy would dissipate. He hoped it would be enough for him to advance one layer in his cultivation.
Ye Xuan summoned his Pill Furnace and began practicing Alchemy.
Two days passed in a flash.
The Qishan Evergreen Ivy was completely consumed, and Ye Xuan only managed to refine fifty furnaces of Super Spirit Pills. In other words, over these past few days, even while wrapped in his Spiritual Qi, the Qishan Evergreen Ivy had still lost a quarter of its energy. Originally capable of refining two hundred furnaces of Elixirs, it ultimately only yielded one hundred and fifty.
In total, he obtained 2,250 Super Spirit Pills. Among them, 1,900 were of Supreme-grade, and 350 were of High-grade. Although Ye Xuan’s Alchemy skills had already reached a masterful level, he was still unable to ensure that every single Elixir was of Supreme-grade quality.
"It’s still not enough," Ye Xuan shook his head. These Elixirs were simply not enough to push his cultivation to the 8th Layer. Even if he added the Super Spirit Pills his mother gave him, it still wouldn’t be enough.
Moreover, unless absolutely necessary, Ye Xuan had no intention of consuming High-grade Elixirs, let alone the Mid-grade ones his mother had provided. Supreme-grade and High-grade might only differ by a single tier, but the amount of Elixir Poison in them was ten times less. The reason Supreme-grade Elixirs were so precious lay exactly in this aspect. Ordinary Cultivators might not fear Elixir Poison, but Ye Xuan cared immensely.
This was because Elixir Poison could affect a person’s constitution and innate talent—it could make them stupid! This "stupidity" wasn’t the idiocy that ordinary people perceived. Rather, it manifested as a mental block or a lack of comprehension when it came to Alchemy or cultivating Martial Techniques. The more of a genius someone was, the more attention they paid to this. The Elixirs they consumed had to be at least High-grade.
With a thought, Ye Xuan took out three stalks of Starry Night Grass and ten Smiling Flowers. "There are still eighty portions of raw materials left. This should be enough."