413: Chapter 412 Sixty-Five Special Spirit Stones

Buzz—A low hum echoed across the wilderness. The golden barrier, which was originally indestructible and had remained completely motionless despite the fierce onslaughts of Golden Core experts, began to slowly dim and dissolve.

Within just a few breaths, the entire barrier shrouding the spiritual spring completely dissipated, its flowing light vanishing into thin air without leaving a single trace of obstruction.

The moment the barrier completely dissipated, the clear spiritual spring in the center suddenly began to churn.

The one hundred special Spirit Stones that had been quietly floating in the spring water were all awakened by the Secret Realm's rules. Their entire bodies burst with brilliant golden light as they spiraled and danced above the surface of the spiritual spring, flowing with extremely pure Origin spiritual light. A torrent of Spiritual Qi soared into the sky, creating an incredibly shocking scene.

Every special Spirit Stone in the spring contained majestic Spiritual Qi. Attracting one another, they bobbed up and down, waiting for Cultivators to come and draw them in to compete.

The eyes of every Cultivator present were locked onto the special Spirit Stones in the spiritual spring, their eyes filled with burning desire.

The final struggle to determine the ownership of the Secret Realm had finally officially arrived.

Whoever could get sixty special Spirit Stones to surround them would become the master of the Spirit Stone Secret Realm.

And they would obtain ten million Spirit Stones every year.

At this moment, the Great Master of Artifact Refining, Master Refiner Chu Yanqiu, stepped forward slowly and stood directly in front of the spiritual spring.

He looked around and said, "Now, the spiritual spring is fully activated."

"Anyone holding a Secret Realm token may step into the range of the spiritual spring and use their own spiritual energy, in coordination with the token, to attract the special Spirit Stones within the spring."

"The rules remain unchanged. If a single person can attract more than sixty special Spirit Stones, they can directly claim ownership of the spiritual spring, take control of the entire Spirit Stone Secret Realm, and exclusively enjoy the Secret Realm's endless Spirit Stone resources!"

As his voice fell, the atmosphere in the area instantly tightened to the extreme.

Everyone knew that as long as they could attract more than sixty special Spirit Stones, they would soar to the heavens in a single bound, possessing a steady stream of Spirit Stones, and would never have to worry about cultivation resources again.

The experts rubbed their hands in anticipation, and the spiritual energy around the top Prodigies quietly surged. All of them were fully prepared to make their move and compete.

Master Refiner Chu Yanqiu looked around at the experts who were poised and ready, slightly raised his voice, and asked, "Who wants to try first?"

"I'll go first!" Before the voice could even fade, a purple figure leapt through the air, their posture light and elegant, landing steadily on the open ground in front of the spiritual spring.

The newcomer wore a luxurious purple robe, with a handsome and elegant face. His brow naturally carried the pride of a Prodigy, and the spiritual energy around him was pure and condensed, his aura steady and restrained. One could tell at a single glance that his talent was exceptionally high.

The moment the purple-robed man appeared, exclamations of surprise immediately rang out one after another. Many Cultivators present recognized his identity at a glance, and discussions instantly erupted.

"It's Wang Cheng from the Azure Cloud Sect!"

"So it's him, the top Prodigy of the Azure Cloud Sect, a once-in-a-millennium Genius!"

"I remember clearly, Wang Cheng is a rare Innate single Spiritual Root Cultivator. His cultivation talent is unmatched among his peers, and he is almost unrivaled within the same realm!"

"With such terrifying talent and his spiritual energy's purity far exceeding ordinary people, with his ability, attracting more than sixty special Spirit Stones should be a piece of cake, right?"

The Cultivators in the crowd all favored Wang Cheng. An Innate single Spiritual Root was already the ultimate symbol of cultivation talent, and combined with the careful nurturing of the Azure Cloud Sect, everyone assumed that Wang Cheng would most likely cross the threshold of sixty Spirit Stones directly and seize control of the Secret Realm in one fell swoop.

Hearing the praise and high expectations from all around, Wang Cheng's eyes were filled with confidence.

He also believed that with his single Spiritual Root talent, attracting sixty or seventy special Spirit Stones would be effortless.

Without any further delay, Wang Cheng stepped lightly, his figure flashing as he stood directly in the core position right in front of the spiritual spring. He tightly gripped the Secret Realm token in his palm, slowly channeling his spiritual energy into it.

Buzz—The token's golden light flared. Immediately after, the entire spiritual spring beneath his feet violently churned, the spring water surging in waves, and the spiritual light at the bottom of the spring fluctuated wildly.

Everyone held their breath and focused, their eyes glued to the spiritual spring, fully expecting a large batch of special Spirit Stones to soar into the air.

But in the next instant, only thirty-three gold-plated special Spirit Stones slowly flew out of the spiritual spring, leisurely rising into the air to encircle Wang Cheng, rotating slowly. Their spiritual light was average, lacking any strong resonant power.

Thirty-three.

Still a full twenty-seven stones away from the sixty needed for control.

After a brief, dead silence, the crowd instantly erupted into uncontrollable laughter and mockery.

"Hahaha, I thought he was so amazing, but it's only thirty-three?"

"A single Spiritual Root Prodigy is only at this level? That's really disappointing."

"I thought he could directly take the Secret Realm, but he barely got over half. What a waste of anticipation."

"Just a single Spiritual Root, and I thought he was some incredible Prodigy!"

The harsh laughter flooded into his ears, exceptionally clear.

Wang Cheng stood in place, his face turning red and white in an instant, embarrassed to the extreme.

He had been full of confidence, fully believing he could attract at least sixty-five or more Spirit Stones, easily taking the lead and thoroughly shocking everyone.

But reality slapped him hard in the face; his final score was barely over half.

Having completely lost his face as a Prodigy, Wang Cheng felt both ashamed and annoyed deep down, yet he had no way to argue. He could only slink back into the crowd.

Before long, several other self-important Sect Prodigies could no longer hold back. They stepped out of the crowd one after another, wanting to step forward and try, wishing to surpass Wang Cheng's score and reach the control line of sixty Spirit Stones.

There were core direct disciples of top Sects, Loose Cultivator Geniuses who had been laying low for a long time, and extraordinary talents with mutated Spiritual Roots. Each of them was a highly watched cultivation leader in their respective regions. Usually, their cultivation journey was smooth sailing, and they believed their spiritual energy affinity far exceeded ordinary people, meaning they would surely attract more special Spirit Stones.

One Prodigy after another stepped up to the front of the spiritual spring platform. They activated their tokens, pouring all of their pure spiritual energy into the spiritual spring, doing their utmost to resonate with the special Spirit Stones inside.

But the results disappointed the crowd time and time again.

The second to go up, a Prodigy with mutated dual Spiritual Roots, only managed to attract twenty-one special Spirit Stones after fully exerting his spiritual energy. He was even worse than Wang Cheng and could only leave the stage in frustration.

Afterward, several more Prodigies stepped forward.

However, the highest among them only attracted thirty stones, failing to even match Wang Cheng's score.

As several consecutive rounds of testing concluded, the area in front of the spiritual spring fell into a complete silence. The Cultivators who had been full of anticipation and chatter earlier now cast aside their contempt, their expressions becoming incredibly solemn.

Originally, everyone thought that as long as they were Prodigies of the same generation, attracting sixty special Spirit Stones would not be difficult. Many even felt that the top experts could easily meet the target.

But now, having witnessed a succession of Geniuses fail one after another, with the highest score being only thirty-three, everyone finally understood that wanting to attract sixty Spirit Stones was far more difficult than they had imagined.

This was not a simple competition of cultivation level or the quality of one's Spiritual Root, but a test of the Cultivator's own Origin compatibility with the Secret Realm's spiritual spring, as well as the strength of their Divine Soul foundation.

No matter how strong an ordinary Prodigy's talent was, it would be difficult for them to cross this threshold.

Among the crowd, many Cultivators who had originally intended to step forward and try silently abandoned the idea, not daring to rashly step up and humiliate themselves.

Master Refiner Chu Yanqiu stood to the side of the spiritual spring, looking at the silent crowd. His expression remained calm, as if he had long anticipated this outcome.

Just as everyone was secretly alarmed, believing that no one today could seize control of the Secret Realm, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi of the Heavenly Sword Sect stepped out from the crowd.

The moment he appeared, every Cultivator in the area instantly held their breath, all eyes focusing on him.

"It's Senior Xuanyangzi! There's hope now!"

"Xuanyangzi's cultivation is sky-high and his Divine Soul is profound. He can definitely cross the threshold of sixty stones!"

"He is the Sect Head of the Heavenly Sword Sect, so he will definitely be able to attract more than sixty Spirit Stones!"

"Xuanyangzi's talent is also the best among his generation!"

Everyone pinned their hopes on Xuanyangzi, all believing that he would be able to attract sixty or more Spirit Stones.

Xuanyangzi's expression was indifferent. Without any unnecessary words, he walked slowly to the front of the spiritual spring, raised his hand to grip the Secret Realm token, and poured his deep, pure spiritual energy into it without reservation.

Buzz—The entire spiritual spring churned frantically, sending huge waves into the air. The one hundred special Spirit Stones at the bottom of the spring vibrated violently at the same time, and a dense crowd of golden Spirit Stones soared into the air from the spring water one after another, flying toward Xuanyangzi from all directions.

One, ten, thirty, fifty... The Speed of the Spirit Stones gathering far exceeded everyone before him. Golden light enveloped Xuanyangzi's body, creating an incredibly shocking scene that left the present Cultivators deeply thrilled. But—

Just as everyone thought he was about to break through sixty stones, the gathering of Spirit Stones suddenly came to a halt.

In the end, a total of fifty-eight brilliant, flowing special Spirit Stones floated quietly in front of Xuanyangzi, circling and spiraling. Their spiritual light was extremely powerful, yet they could not attract even one more.

The spiritual spring gradually calmed down. The remaining special Spirit Stones still lay at the bottom of the spring. No matter how Xuanyangzi circulated his spiritual energy or boosted his Divine Soul, he could no longer attract them in the slightest.

The entire area instantly fell silent, followed by a wave of sighs and regrets rising from all sides.

"What a pity, he was only two stones short!"

"He was just one step away, yet he failed to meet the standard. What a shame."

"Only two stones away from owning the entire Spirit Stone Secret Realm."

"Xuanyangzi's talent is still slightly lacking!"

Everyone felt sorry for Xuanyangzi. A hair's breadth away, he had missed out on a massive Opportunity.

Looking at the fifty-eight Spirit Stones in front of him, a trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed in Xuanyangzi's eyes. He sighed softly, waved his hand to disperse the Spirit Stones, and silently retreated back into the crowd.

Seeing that even someone like Xuanyangzi—a top Golden Core Late Stage Senior who had cultivated for many years and possessed a profound foundation—could only attract fifty-eight Spirit Stones despite giving his all, the other Prodigies stood in place, no longer wishing to challenge it.

At this moment, everyone truly realized that the trial of this Spirit Stone Secret Realm was harsh to the extreme.

If even the Sect Head of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi, could not pass, how could the remaining young Prodigies and ordinary Cultivators stand a chance?

The crowd's mood was low, and many already felt that absolutely no one today could seize control of this Spirit Stone Secret Realm.

Just when a dead silence hung over the entire area, Chen Erniu walked out from the crowd.

Seeing Chen Erniu take the initiative to step out, the Cultivators in the crowd were first taken aback, and then they shook their heads in unison. Their eyes were filled with doubt, even carrying a hint of indifferent contempt.

They did not believe at all that Chen Erniu would succeed.

After all, even the Sect Head of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi, had failed.

Could Chen Erniu's natural talent really be higher than that of the Sect Head of the Heavenly Sword Sect?

"Another person is going up to try? What a pity, it's bound to be a waste of effort."

"Even Senior Xuanyangzi stopped at fifty-eight. How could a nobody cross the red line of sixty? At most, he'll only manage around twenty."

"He's purely going up to join the buzz and humiliate himself."

Whispers broke out, and not a single person favored Chen Erniu.

In everyone's eyes, Chen Erniu was just an unremarkable, ordinary Cultivator. Since all the previous Prodigies and veteran experts had failed, his turn would only be a repetition of their mistakes, and it was impossible for him to attract any significant number of special Spirit Stones.

Facing the lack of faith and contempt from the crowd, Chen Erniu turned a deaf ear. His expression remained unchanged as he stood quietly before the spiritual spring and casually took out the Secret Realm token in his hand.

There was no eruption of vast spiritual energy, nor any earth-shattering surge of power. He simply and plainly injected a sliver of spiritual energy into the token.

Buzz—! But the moment the spiritual energy entered, the entire spiritual spring suddenly lit up with a pure white spiritual light that was far more dazzling and eye-catching than when Sect Leader Xuanyangzi had made his move. The surface of the spring moved without wind, whipping up monstrous spiritual waves, and the Spiritual Qi of the entire Secret Realm began to fluctuate wildly.

As if receiving an ultimate call from the Origin, the dense crowd of special Spirit Stones scrambled to break free from the spring water's constraints. They all soared into the air, rapidly gathering and circling around Chen Erniu like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

Thirty, fifty, sixty... The number of Spirit Stones skyrocketed all the way.

In the end, a full sixty-five special Spirit Stones, completely lustrous and radiating brilliant spiritual light, neatly encircled Chen Erniu. They slowly rotated, and the pure breath of the Secret Realm's Origin spread out in all directions, their overwhelming power crushing everyone who had stepped up before.

Sixty-five stones—far exceeding the control line of sixty. He had directly met the standard, and even had a full five stones to spare.

At this moment, the entire area fell into a complete, dead silence. All the Cultivators who had just shaken their heads in contempt and spoken with doubt froze in place, their eyes wide.

A pin drop could be heard throughout the area; only the soft sound of the flowing spiritual spring echoed across the open ground.

Only after several breaths did the crowd recover from their extreme shock, and they suddenly erupted. Exclamations and discussions swept through the area one after another, their volume far exceeding any previous commotion.

"Sixty-five! Did I see that right?! He actually attracted sixty-five special Spirit Stones!"

"Senior Xuanyangzi gave his all and only got fifty-eight, yet this seemingly ordinary Cultivator actually exceeded the threshold by five!"

"This is too ridiculous! What is his background? He has no reputation normally, so why is his compatibility with the spiritual spring so incredibly high?"

"Doesn't this mean control of the Spirit Stone Secret Realm is now in his hands?"

"Ten million Spirit Stones a year... this kid is going to strike it rich!"

The way everyone looked at Chen Erniu completely changed, turning from their previous indifferent contempt into extreme shock and deep bewilderment.

No one knew Chen Erniu's true background, and they could not fathom why an unknown Cultivator who seemed to have nothing extraordinary about him could easily crush all the Prodigies and veteran experts to effortlessly seize control of the Secret Realm.

At the same time, they were also extremely envious of Chen Erniu.

After all, after gaining control of the Spirit Stone Secret Realm, one could obtain ten million Spirit Stones every year.

At the same time, everyone believed that sixty-five was already the limit of this Secret Realm competition and that no one could surpass this score. Control of the Spirit Stone Secret Realm had already firmly landed in Chen Erniu's hands.

But right at this moment, Shen Shuying walked out from the crowd.