"Hahaha…"
Seeing Bai Zihe trapped, Xiao Junlin burst into laughter.
He laughed heartily, unreservedly.
As he laughed, he stared at Bai Zihe within the formation, his eyes full of mockery.
Only when his laughter had sculpted eight-pack abs onto his waist did Xiao Junlin finally speak to Bai Zihe, "How is it, Bai Zihe…"
"Do you find my formation acceptable?"
Bai Zihe narrowed his eyes slightly, "A mere trick of the trade."
"Is that so?"
A cold glint flashed across Xiao Junlin's face. He scoffed, "Since you consider it a mere trick, why don't you try to get out then!"
In fact.
At the beginning, Xiao Junlin had indeed been shocked by Bai Zihe's strength.
The sword he borrowed from Qin Changkong, though only usable once, possessed the power of a cultivator at the Tribulation Stage.
Such a formidable sword move…
Yet it failed to subdue Bai Zihe, proving that Bai Zihe was truly extraordinary.
Therefore, he had no choice but to beg for mercy, or face certain death.
After all…
Even if he had managed to transmit a message to Qin Changkong via a jade slip, Qin Changkong would not have arrived in time to save him; he would have been killed by Bai Zihe.
Thus, he had to find another way.
Xiao Junlin quickly came to this realization.
The spirit stone mine…
This was indeed true, he was not deceiving Bai Zihe. Currently, only he alone knew about it, and he had not revealed it to anyone.
Then…
Xiao Junlin feigned deep remorse and determination, his resolute demeanor successfully fooling Bai Zihe and luring him here.
These were all true.
The only thing he concealed was the formation he had set up here.
A formation capable of trapping even a Tribulation Stage cultivator.
This was not some profoundly mystical formation; it was merely adapted to the terrain, utilizing the exceptionally abundant spiritual energy here to become nigh-unbreakable.
He had established this formation long ago.
It was originally intended to prevent others from entering this place, thereby trapping them and ensuring the secret would not be leaked.
Now, it was perfectly suited to trap Bai Zihe!
A series of performances, pre-arrangements, a mixture of truth and falsehood, making it difficult to discern.
Ultimately, it succeeded in ensnaring Bai Zihe.
And now.
He had many options.
The simplest was to keep Bai Zihe trapped here indefinitely, then return to the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect to request reinforcements. Any elder would be able to easily kill Bai Zihe.
Another approach, if he maintained his composure, was to leave Bai Zihe trapped here and focus on excavating his own spirit stones.
After transferring all the spirit stones, he would leave Bai Zihe to fend for himself.
This was a plan that Xiao Junlin favored.
"It's a pity…"
Xiao Junlin stared at Bai Zihe within the formation and chuckled, "This formation may not excel at other things, but its ability to trap people is formidable!"
"Especially…"
"The fact that it's adjacent to a spirit stone mine, with a continuous influx of spiritual energy, makes this formation virtually flawless."
"Unless, of course, your strength can withstand the spiritual energy of an entire spirit stone mine. But is that even possible?"
"Hahahaha…"
Xiao Junlin grew increasingly arrogant as he spoke, then erupted into laughter, "Bai Zihe, enjoy yourself thoroughly."
Bai Zihe couldn't be bothered to listen to his drivel.
"Swoosh!"
Bai Zihe extended his right hand, and the Heaven-Slaying Sword appeared upon it.
Then, with a sudden thrust, he struck the shimmering, crystalline barrier.
To his slight consternation.
The barrier was indeed as sturdy as Xiao Junlin had claimed. Even a sword qi that resembled a rainbow piercing the sun, released by the Heaven-Slaying Sword, could not cause the slightest ripple.
"It's useless."
Xiao Junlin saw his actions and sneered, "Bai Zihe, just stay put inside and wait for your death!"
With that,
Xiao Junlin ceased paying attention to Bai Zihe and began collecting spirit stones.
Last time, he had come here in a hurry, and with Qin Changkong nearby, he had not dared to excavate too aggressively.
But now, it was different.
He would dig as much as he could, and take as much as he could carry.
"Fifty, a hundred, a thousand…"
"Mid-grade spirit stones, high-grade spirit stones!"
Xiao Junlin muttered as he excavated.
There was no helping it.
For cultivators, obtaining spirit stones was akin to ordinary people counting money.
This feeling was irresistible.
"Swish…"
Inside the trapping formation, Bai Zihe had taken a seat.
"Hum…"
The next moment, he began to cultivate with full concentration.
Breaking through the trapping formation was essentially a trivial matter for him; if he wished, he could do it.
For example…
The 'Heaven and Earth Splitting' technique!
This move could even cleave chaos itself, so what was a mere trapping formation?
And with such dense spiritual energy in this place, not cultivating would be an insult to heaven, earth, and himself!
"Rumble—"
As Bai Zihe began to cultivate,
A massive vortex of spiritual energy instantly formed around him.
It was as if…
A divine dragon was roaring, a gluttonous beast was devouring, a spectacular and awe-inspiring spectacle.
The sheer magnitude of the disturbance caused the surrounding spirit stone mine to collapse. Subsequently, countless spirit stones flew from a distance and attached themselves to the barrier.
Not only that,
These spirit stones also began to rapidly melt.
No, not melt.
Rather, the spiritual energy within them was being meticulously extracted, thread by thread, and then integrated into the barrier. The barrier, in turn, continuously dissolved, being absorbed by Bai Zihe. Finally, it transformed into pure true essence, circulating between his dan tian and meridians.
This immense spectacle…
Startled Xiao Junlin, leaving him utterly bewildered.
"This, this…"
Xiao Junlin watched as spirit stones flew towards Bai Zihe, all transforming into spiritual energy that flowed into him, and was ultimately absorbed by Bai Zihe. His eyes widened.
His mouth hung open, as if an invisible fist had propped open his jaw, preventing him from closing it.
"Swish…"
Bai Zihe paid no heed to Xiao Junlin.
He merely felt.
That this method of cultivation was far faster than absorbing spirit stones piece by piece.
Soon, the meridians within his body were nearing saturation, indicating his imminent arrival at the peak of the early stage of the Integration Realm.
Since this was the case…
A bright spark flashed in Bai Zihe's eyes, and he absorbed the pure spiritual energy of this realm with even greater fervor.
"Rumble…"
The next moment, the spiritual energy materialized, emitting a deafening roar as it collided and melted.
Then…
It all entered Bai Zihe's body.
"Clang…"
Invisibly, a sound seemed to resonate, both within Bai Zihe and deep within his soul.
He had broken through.
From the early stage of the Integration Realm to the mid-stage of the Integration Realm!
This speed…
Was achieved in just a few days.
From the moment he left Penglai Immortal Island, no more than three days had passed.
"Swish…"
After breaking through, Bai Zihe did not cease.
He absorbed the pure spiritual energy of this world with even greater abandon and insatiable hunger.
"Not good!"
Xiao Junlin was immediately alarmed.
A grim look flickered in his eyes as he gazed at Bai Zihe.