Chapter 80 Insights

Jiang Li and his group were advancing on the official road, gradually approaching Heluo City.

Suddenly, more than a dozen knights and soldiers in black armor emerged on the road ahead, surrounding them.

The knights were highly skilled in horse - riding. Evidently, they were elite soldiers who had undergone strict training. The atmosphere immediately turned tense.

The leading knight had sharp eyes and a cold expression. He directly advanced step by step towards Jiang Li and his companions and said in a deep voice,"Who are you? Put down your weapons at once and submit to inspection!"

Jiang Li slightly furrowed his brows. Although the knight troop in front of him was menacing, he wasn't flustered. Judging from their attire, they were clearly from the government.

With a seemingly nonchalant movement, he quietly took out the token given to him by Princess Lean from his waist.

The token was engraved with the symbol of the Yongning Dynasty, a symbol of his identity.

Jiang Li spoke calmly, his voice steady yet carrying a sense of authority."I'm from the Yongning Prince. We're passing by here today and plan to take a short rest. This token can serve as proof. I hope you all stop."

The eyes of the leading knight flickered slightly. Evidently, he was shocked by the existence of this token.

The appearance of the token immediately made him halt his advancing steps, and a trace of respect flashed in his eyes.

He quickly turned around and gave a low - voiced command to the soldiers behind him, his tone changing significantly."The verification is correct. Make way immediately!"

The knights stepped back one after another, quickly clearing a path for Jiang Li and his group. The originally tense atmosphere relaxed accordingly.

The leading knight walked up to Jiang Li, clasped his fists in salute again, and said in a respectful tone,"I apologize for the rudeness. The reason we surrounded you all is that the situation in this area has been unstable recently. There is a sect called the 'Nether Shadow Sect' nearby. They often go out to plunder the common people, acting viciously and disturbing the peace of the local people. We were just being cautious to ensure everything is safe."

Jiang Li nodded slightly. He had already understood the situation at hand and also understood the other party's actions.

In this chaotic world, similar sect forces emerged in an endless stream, and these patrolling knights were evidently the local defense force.

The leading knight continued,"Since you are an envoy of the Yongning Prince, please follow us into the city. The public security is poor recently, and we will arrange everything for you." After saying that, he signaled to the other soldiers to lead the way.

Jiang Li replied politely,"Thank you."

The knights were very courteous. They led Jiang Li and his party into the city and arranged for them to stay at the safest inn in town.

The leading knight gave a few simple instructions and then took his leave, evidently having other urgent matters to attend to.

After arranging everyone into their respective rooms, Jiang Li also returned to his own.

As night fell, the moonlight streamed in through the window lattice, filling the room with a cool and quiet atmosphere. There was a hint of chill in the air.

Jiang Li sat quietly in front of the bed. In the moonlight, his figure seemed exceptionally serene, as if the entire world had come to a standstill around him. Only the faint sound of spiritual power circulating and his own breathing intertwined to form a peaceful melody.

The battle during the day still echoed in his mind.

That near - fatal confrontation, especially the damage to his soul and the excessive consumption of spiritual power, left his injuries still aching faintly. The pain, in the quiet of the night, became particularly distinct, as if a needle were piercing his heart, causing him to frown deeply.

"It's time to fully recover," he thought.

His gaze fell on the Yunling Gourd beside the bed. This item, one of the nine great treasures in the world, was exuding a faint yet undeniable aura at this moment.

Ever since coming into contact with this treasure during the day, Jiang Li had been filled with curiosity about it.

"Perhaps it's time to get to know you better," Jiang Li murmured to himself, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes.

He picked up the gourd and gently touched the runes on it with his fingertips. Immediately, a mysterious ripple of power spread.

The power didn't make him feel oppressed. Instead, it was gentle yet powerful, as if inviting him to enter an unknown realm.

Suddenly, Jiang Li's heart skipped a beat, as if something had flashed through his mind.

He suppressed this feeling, concentrated, and began to circulate the "Ren Yuan True Scripture," injecting his spiritual power into the gourd.

As the spiritual power flowed, the runes on the gourd started to flicker, and the faint light gradually grew brighter.

Closing his eyes, Jiang Li felt a powerful suction force coming from the gourd. This force wasn't just a simple absorption of spiritual power; rather, it created a strange resonance with his soul, as if some latent power was quietly awakening.

At that very moment, a strange vibration came from the gourd. Jiang Li's eyes snapped open, and his heart jolted.

The runes in the gourd seemed to become even more active, their flickering light growing increasingly intense. Jiang Li vaguely sensed that a strange power, one he had never come into contact with before, was awakening.

"What... is this?" Jiang Li was shocked in his heart, and his consciousness was engulfed by a strange feeling.

He clearly felt that the spiritual power and soul power in his body seemed to resonate in a wonderful way with the power in the gourd. That power wasn't merely about absorbing spiritual energy; it was more like some long - hidden cultivation method revealing itself to him.

However, the sudden change didn't make Jiang Li panic. Instead, it stirred his curiosity about the unknown.

At the same time, his soul seemed to be drawn by a strange force. The originally faintly - aching soul wound was actually gradually dissipating under the guidance of this force.

Jiang Li knew that this power didn't come from the suction of the Yunling Gourd but was rather some kind of invisible contract, quietly activating the latent power within him.

"It seems this gourd is more complex than I thought," Jiang Li murmured, his gaze becoming profound.

Taking a deep breath, he concentrated, trying to guide that power to perfectly integrate with his spiritual and soul power.

However, at this moment, a powerful shock suddenly hit, causing Jiang Li's body to tremble slightly.

The speed at which the runes on the Yunling Gourd flickered increased sharply. The entire space seemed to be filled with this force, and Jiang Li even felt his consciousness becoming a bit blurred, as if he was falling into a state of nothingness.

"This isn't right..." Jiang Li realized that the power of the gourd had exceeded his control. He quickly adjusted the rhythm of his cultivation, trying to stabilize the flow of his spiritual power and avoid being sucked in by the gourd's power.

However, as soon as he made the adjustment, Jiang Li noticed that the air around him became extremely oppressive, and the signs of spiritual energy turbulence became more and more obvious.

As the suction of the gourd increased, the spiritual energy in the room began to fluctuate violently, even forming a powerful vortex that started to devour all the surrounding spiritual energy.

At this moment, the Yunling Gourd suddenly emitted a strong ray of light again. Jiang Li felt a dizzy spell, and the world in front of him began to distort, as if everything disappeared in an instant...

When he regained consciousness again, he found himself still sitting in front of the bed. The Yunling Gourd in his hand had returned to calm, and the light of the runes no longer flickered.

The whole process seemed like an illusion, or as if he had entered another space. Jiang Li's heart rate accelerated, and his mind was filled with countless questions: What on earth had happened?

Taking a deep breath, his gaze fell back on the gourd.

Jiang Li became even more curious. Unconsciously, the speed at which he output spiritual power from his hand increased a bit. The spiritual power continuously surged towards the Yunling Gourd. The light of the runes on the gourd became even brighter and started to flicker, as if responding to Jiang Li's exploration, or dancing merrily, eager to show its magic.

As the spiritual power continued to pour in, Jiang Li faintly felt a strange fluctuation coming from within the gourd. The fluctuation spread slowly along his arm to all the meridians in his body. At first, it was like a gentle breeze blowing across a lake, causing slight ripples. But soon, it was like a surging wave, rushing through his body.

Jiang Li was startled and immediately tried to cut off the supply of spiritual power. However, the suction force became even stronger, as if an invisible big hand was holding him tightly, not allowing him to break free at all.

Just when Jiang Li thought he might have overestimated himself, the fluctuation suddenly became gentle again. It flowed along the meridians and rushed towards the location of Jiang Li's soul.

The moment it touched the soul, Jiang Li felt a cool sensation spreading instantly. The pain remaining in his soul was much alleviated at this moment. The faint, nagging pain was like the remaining snow under the warm spring sun, quickly melting away.

Jiang Li was filled with astonishment. He calmed his mind and no longer resisted, allowing the fluctuation to circulate within his soul.

He attempted to circulate the Ren Yuan True Scripture once again, guiding the spiritual power in his body to blend and harmonize with this strange force from the Yunling Gourd.

During this process, he was惊奇地发现（可译为 surprised to find）that the spiritual power, which was originally like a trickle, now seemed to be nourished in some way. It became more robust, and the speed of its flow increased significantly. Each time it washed over his soul, the soul - repairing effect became more remarkable.

Under the influence of this strange force, the soul power released by the Snow Soul also became more active. The soul power, which was originally like a gentle thread, now intertwined into a fine net of soul power, tightly wrapping the soul. This not only accelerated the repair process but also seemed to build a solid defense for the soul, making the soul increasingly resilient.

With the combined effects of the spiritual power, the power of the gourd, and the soul power of the Snow Soul, Jiang Li gradually entered a state of emptiness, as if he had merged with the world around him.

He could clearly sense the spiritual energy floating in the surrounding air. As if summoned, these spiritual energy strands converged towards him one after another. They passed through the window lattice and the house, continuously integrating into his body and flowing into the "river" of spiritual power circulation.

In this quiet night, a faint halo faintly appeared around the house where Jiang Li was. The halo spread slowly outward with the house as the center, as if a mysterious aura was permeating.

If there were others present, they would surely be shocked by this strange scene, as if this place had become the core where the spiritual power of the world converged.

I don't know how much time had passed. Jiang Li felt that his soul had been repaired almost completely. The suction force of the Yunling Gourd gradually weakened and finally returned to calm. The light of the runes also dimmed slowly, returning to its simple and mysterious appearance. But at this moment, in Jiang Li's eyes, it seemed even more unfathomable.

Jiang Li slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of sharp light passed through his eyes as he inspected his internal condition.

"I've reached the middle - stage of Soul Master, and unexpectedly, I've also reached the initial - stage of Martial Master. How could it be so smooth?"

He picked up the Yunling Gourd again and carefully examined the runes, trying to find some clues from them, deciphering the usage methods of the gourd or more hidden functions.

After pondering for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. However, he became more proficient in using the gourd. It could float according to his thoughts. With a thought, it could absorb spiritual power, and with another thought, it could feed back power to him.

Now that he had the Ren Yuan True Scripture and the Yunling Gourd, his spiritual power would never be in a depleted state.

The moonlight outside the house still spilled like water. Jiang Li carefully put away the Yunling Gourd, got up and walked to the window, looking at the quiet night scene with a distant gaze.

"Jiang Zhenting..."