Chapter 189: Reaching the Outward Journey Stage

Services like seclusion rooms are usually only available in high-end hotels. Their creation involves many elements—typically, a proper seclusion room must have a spirit gathering array, an isolation array, and a defense array.

The spirit gathering array, as the name suggests, is designed to concentrate spiritual energy, enabling the user to make breakthroughs more quickly. There are various types of isolation arrays, all of which serve to suppress the fluctuations in spiritual energy that occur during power upgrades, preventing outsiders from detecting them. They also isolate the user from external sounds and energies, providing a undisturbed environment for cultivation.

As for defense arrays, there are many types as well, primarily aimed at protecting the user during cultivation by encasing the entire seclusion room and shielding it from external interference. The setup of such arrays usually requires expertise from professional array masters, and the cost of deploying them is quite high.

Therefore, using a seclusion room is expensive. The one Ye Feng was using cost one low-grade spirit crystal per day—something ordinary people could never afford!

Although Ye Feng’s seclusion room didn’t look impressive on the outside, with its entirely dark stone walls, it had only a white stone platform in the center. The only light source in the room was a white night pearl hanging from the ceiling.

Though called a seclusion room, its conditions were actually far harsher than those of a prison cell. The room was only about ten square meters, with completely enclosed walls and ceiling—no windows, just one door. The small size of the room meant that the arrays in use could be scaled down, reducing costs associated with their setup and operation. The enclosed space and monotonous layout forced the user to focus solely on cultivation, as aside from the dark walls and ceiling, there was only the night pearl to focus on.

Ye Feng walked around the room to get familiar with its surroundings before stepping onto the one-square-meter stone platform.

There was a switch on the side of the platform to activate the spirit gathering array. Before Ye Feng entered the room, the hotel’s staff had already informed him of everything related to using the seclusion room. In fact, this was the only switch that the user needed to activate on their own—also the only thing to pay attention to when using it.

Ye Feng sent his mental energy into the void, searching for the pill that Ed had mentioned could directly enhance strength.

“The Sanpin Shengling Pill requires 1,000,000 points of Level 2 Domain Value. After taking it, a cultivator at the Yuan Ying stage can directly advance to the Chuqiao stage in a short period.”
“Confirm purchase!”
“Purchase successful. 1,000,000 points of Level 2 Domain Value deducted.”
Ye Feng looked at the golden pill the size of a quail egg in his hand, smiled bitterly, and shook his head. “Using pills is indeed the fastest way to level up, and I really need to boost my strength right now!”
Ye Feng pressed the button on the side of the platform with his left hand to activate the Spirit Gathering Formation, then put the pill in his mouth.
The golden pill dissolved as soon as it entered his mouth, flowing down his throat through the base of his tongue and then into his abdomen. In just a moment, Ye Feng felt a warm current spreading from his abdomen throughout his body.
Not daring to neglect it, he immediately gathered that warm current and guided it along the pathways within his body. If anyone else were here, they would surely see golden light flashing all over Ye Feng’s body. The paths taken by the energy within his body could be clearly seen through those lights.
At this moment, Ye Feng carefully controlled the flow of spiritual energy within his body, not daring to make the slightest mistake.
While taking the Shengling Pill could elevate one’s cultivation level, it also carried a certain risk of destroying one’s cultivation. Ye Feng had long known that pills that forced such rapid advancement had extremely powerful effects. Therefore, he didn’t dare to relax even for a second.
Ye Feng carefully controlled the spiritual energy emitted by the pill, guiding it to surge wildly within his body before directing it into his dantian. Stimulated by the energy in his dantian, the Yuan Ying within Ye Feng began to grow visibly—originally the size of a palm, it slowly expanded.
After several cycles had passed, a sound of something breaking suddenly came from above the Yuan Ying.
This sound startled Ye Feng. By now, his Yuan Ying had reached about a foot in height, yet the breaking sound originated from the top of it.
Ye Feng sent a trace of his mental energy to investigate what was happening. The moment his mental energy reached the Yuan Ying, a golden light shot out from its top and spread throughout the entire Yuan Ying in just one breath.
When Ye Feng’s mental energy probed the Yuan Ying again, the infant-like entity had transformed into a three-year-old child, staring at him with big eyes.
Ye Feng knew that this change in the form of his Yuan Ying meant he had successfully advanced to the Chuqiao stage.

However, the growth of the Yuan Ying did not stop there but continued. In just a few breaths, the appearance of the seemingly three-year-old child changed again. Although its height remained around one foot, it was growing in appearance. Ye Feng realized that the effects of the pill had not yet fully worn off. He immediately remembered that taking the Sheng Ling Dan would result in an entire level upgrade. In other words, his current state as a mid-stage Yuan Ying would be elevated to mid-stage Chu Qiao before the effects of the pill would end. At this moment, he was only in the early stage of Chu Qiao. Realizing this, Ye Feng focused his mind once more and took control of the flow of spiritual energy within his body. As the heat in his abdomen gradually dissipated, Ye Feng knew that the effects of the pill were almost over. He slowly withdrew his mental energy and reached out to his Yuan Ying. The Yuan Ying within him now resembled a child of seven or eight years old. Ye Feng was well aware that he had reached mid-stage Chu Qiao. Only then did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief. He closed his eyes slowly, allowing the spiritual energy guided by the Spirit Gathering Array to enter his body and let the spiritual energy circulate on its own. Ye Feng did not immediately take the fourth-grade Sheng Ling Dan, as his cultivation had just risen to mid-stage Chu Qiao, and he still needed some time to consolidate it. Not long after closing his eyes, a golden light came from the “Wu Dian” in his sea of consciousness. Ye Feng was delighted. “New content has appeared in the ‘Wu Dian’?” He immediately sent his mental energy to investigate. It was a new diagram showing the flow of energy, with pathways that were several times more complex than his previous ones. Ye Feng was eager to try it out. Every change in the energy flow within his body allowed him to clearly sense his own progress. Not only did his speed of absorbing energy increase dramatically, but his attack power also rose significantly. Compared to techniques and moves, obtaining new energy flow pathways was what Ye Feng looked forward to the most.