Pain. This wasn’t a physical pain, but a mental one.

A tidal wave of pain crashed through his mind. Within moments, Qin Ya’s clothes were drenched in cold sweat, yet his expression remained placid, betraying not a hint of his suffering and causing the nearby Ting Xiao Sword Spirit to marvel inwardly.

’Not bad, not bad at all. To endure this much pain on his first time using the Quenching God Array... This boy’s mental fortitude is even greater than I imagined.’

Divine Thought, unlike True Essence, cannot be refined using the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi from the surrounding world. This is because the void contains a multitude of energies—yin, yang, cold, foul, and more. While insignificant compared to the vast sea of Primordial Qi, these energies still introduce too many impurities, making ambient Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi unsuitable for refining Divine Thought.

Divine Thought can only be refined using pure Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

The Primordial Qi contained within Primordial Stones happens to meet this standard. This is one of their functions, and the reason so many Extraordinary Martial Artists are so fervent in their pursuit of them.

Ting Xiao’s Quenching God Array could increase the speed at which a Martial Artist absorbed Primordial Qi to refine Divine Thought by more than tenfold. But in turn, the pain was dozens of times more intense.

The fact that Qin Ya could bear it without making a single sound was a testament to his rare strength of character.

Soon, four hours had passed.

The light of the Quenching God Array had grown exceedingly faint. As Qin Ya absorbed the last wisp of Primordial Qi from the Primordial Stones, they instantly shattered into fragments.

Qin Ya’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.

Though the change was faint, Qin Ya could distinctly feel that his Divine Thought had grown stronger by a sliver. Unsure of how significant this result was, he turned a questioning gaze toward the nearby Ting Xiao Sword.

"Very good," Ting Xiao said. "By my estimation, with the help of the Quenching God Array, your speed at refining Divine Thought is roughly fourteen times that of an ordinary Martial Artist."

Fourteen times!!

Qin Ya was stunned. ’With the help of the Quenching God Array, my speed at refining Divine Thought is actually fourteen times faster than an ordinary Martial Artist? What does that even imply? It means my Cultivation is fourteen times faster than others!’

Even the stoic Qin Ya could not hide his astonishment.

’Heavens, the effect of this Quenching God Array is so powerful... It’s unbelievable!’

His lips dry, Qin Ya asked Ting Xiao, "Ting Xiao, what are the origins of this Quenching God Array? What Grade of Array is it?"

He reasoned that for the Quenching God Array to have such a terrifying effect, its Grade couldn’t possibly be low. Even with Ting Xiao’s guidance, it shouldn’t have been so easy for someone like him, who had never studied Arrays, to deploy it.

"Heh. I’m afraid I’m the only one in the whole world who knows this Array."

A hint of pride crept into Ting Xiao’s tone as he spoke. "Ten thousand years ago, I accompanied the Thunder Sword King in exploring a ruin, and we acquired this Array from an ancient mural. It has no Grade, but its effects are extraordinary."

"More importantly, it’s not very difficult to set up."

Ruins, an ancient mural... Hearing this, Qin Ya fell into thought. ’Ruins from that era ten thousand years ago... who knows how many tens of thousands of years must have passed since they were created. Perhaps it was left behind by some powerful, ancient civilization that specialized in Arrays.’

As for Ting Xiao’s claim that he was the only one in the world who knew it...

’Heh. So that’s why no one had heard of such an Array back then. Ting Xiao and the Thunder Sword King must have destroyed the mural after they learned from it, ensuring it didn’t spread and became their exclusive technique. Never mind now, ten thousand years later... those ruins have likely crumbled to dust.’

"Reaching fourteen times the cultivation speed isn’t just thanks to the Quenching God Array—your own Talent is a major factor. It’s a pity you don’t have a cultivation method specifically for Divine Thought. Otherwise, that speed could be pushed even higher."

Ting Xiao let out a sudden sigh.

Qin Ya smiled faintly. Cultivation methods for Divine Thought were incredibly rare—even more so than Spiritual Artifacts. One could only hope to stumble upon one by chance, not actively seek it out. He was already more than satisfied with the Quenching God Array.

"Alright, continue your Cultivation."

"This time, increase the amount of Primordial Stones. Add another five hundred pounds."

At these words, Qin Ya used six hundred pounds of Primordial Stones to set up another Quenching God Array. Possessing over 1.3 million pounds of Primordial Stones, he naturally didn’t mind the cost.

With Ting Xiao standing guard, Qin Ya could cultivate without distraction, free from worry about the various Fierce Beasts on Liubo Island. Soon, the sun sank below the western mountains, and the sky grew dark. Night fell, but Qin Ya continued to cultivate. The night passed without incident.

「The next day」

The morning sun rose, casting a million brilliant rays across the sky.

Immersed in his Cultivation, Qin Ya slowly opened his eyes. In that instant, a light so dazzling and brilliant flashed within them that it seemed to dim the rising sun itself.

Immediately, his Divine Thought surged outward like a tide, covering a hundred-meter radius in the blink of an eye. Within that range, his surroundings were rendered in perfect, minute detail. The perception of his Divine Thought hadn’t expanded much, but Qin Ya could feel its intensity had increased significantly.

He stood up and waved his sleeve. A gust of wind swept out, blowing away the shattered Primordial Stone fragments on the ground and leaving no trace of the Quenching God Array’s arrangement.

Although one couldn’t deduce the layout and function of the Quenching God Array from a pile of stone fragments alone, there was no need to invite unnecessary trouble.

After erasing all traces of the Quenching God Array, Qin Ya stood his ground. With a sudden thought, his True Essence Qi Sea began to churn, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi started to boil. A thousand zhang, two thousand, five thousand... he quickly reached yesterday’s limit of six thousand zhang. Qin Ya could feel a faint ache in his Divine Acupoints.

But he didn’t stop.

With a low cry, the range of his control expanded again: six thousand and fifty zhang!

WHOOSH! His Divine Acupoints trembled violently, and only then did Qin Ya stop. His face was slightly pale, but his expression was radiant. A control range of six thousand and fifty zhang—a full fifty zhang more than yesterday.

Fifty zhang might not seem like much, but countless Extraordinary Martial Artists would cultivate day and night just to increase their control range by that same amount. Qin Ya, however, had achieved it in a single night.

The Quenching God Array, with its full fourteen-fold boost, was truly phenomenal!

"How is it?" the Ting Xiao Sword Spirit asked from the side.

"Good. Very good!"

Qin Ya smiled faintly. He reached out and clenched his fist in the empty air. A sonic boom—BOOM!—tore through the air, sending visible ripples spreading outward.

Glancing at the rising sun, Qin Ya said coolly, "It’s about time. Ancient King and Yur Piaoyun must be getting impatient. They should be coming for me soon."

He wasn’t in any hurry. He simply sat on the high cliff, took out a flask of fine wine, and sipped the good liquor while admiring the rising sun, occasionally exchanging a few words with Ting Xiao beside him. Time trickled by. About an hour later...

The hand Qin Ya was raising to his lips paused, and a small smile played on his lips.

’They’re here.’

In the distance, high in the sky, two dark figures approached, using a Sky-Controlling technique. One was dressed in ornate golden robes, his attire immaculate, and he exuded a majestic aura. The other, by contrast, was a complete mess.

His gray robes were thrown on carelessly, and his face was covered in a patchy beard that resembled a clump of overgrown weeds. He looked utterly slovenly, and standing next to the man in the ornate robes, the pair created a strangely jarring sight.

’How did those two ever become friends? They don’t match at all.’