Chapter 280 Spirit Pool

In a quiet valley deep in the secret realm, the time for the Spirit Pool to open finally came. This place is wrapped in rich spiritual energy, and the air seems to be filled with a surging power fluctuation. The Spirit Pool is a quiet and mysterious lake, with no waves on the surface, and the occasional ripples seem to carry a faint glow, as if luring people to come closer. The lake is surrounded by ancient stone pillars, engraved with complex runes, as if guarding the power of the Spirit Pool from leaking out.

Ye Fan stood in the crowd, staring at the quiet lake, unable to hide a trace of excitement in his heart. He knew that the Spirit Pond was the most precious existence in the spiritual realm. It was rumored that as long as one could enter it, even for a moment, it would bring a huge improvement. For many practitioners, the power of the Spirit Pond was almost an irresistible temptation, a shortcut to a higher realm. However, Ye Fan also knew that the Spirit Pond was not a place that everyone could enter. The expressions of the practitioners around him were different, full of expectations and tension. After all, this opportunity was only open to ten people, and there were more than hundreds of practitioners present.

Around the Spirit Pond, many practitioners had already started talking in low voices, discussing the upcoming choices. Ye Fan heard several practitioners talking beside him:

"It is said that this spirit pool has extremely surging spiritual energy, which can not only help us improve our cultivation, but can even help us break through bottlenecks. As long as we can enter the spirit pool, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" An elderly cultivator was excited, his eyes full of desire.

"A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? I think it's a once-in-a-century opportunity! The time when the Spirit Pool is open is extremely limited. The last time it was opened was a hundred years ago. The ten people who can enter the Spirit Pool are all the most powerful in their respective sects. Who wouldn't want such an opportunity?" Another young cultivator echoed, with some eagerness in his tone.

Some practitioners seemed much calmer. A man in luxurious robes said coldly: "Stop dreaming. Those who can enter the spirit pool are always the strongest. If you don't have enough strength, you will be repelled before you even reach the spirit pool." He glanced at the crowd around him with a hint of contempt, as if he had regarded most people as insignificant opponents.

Ye Fan was shocked. It turned out that the rules of the Spirit Pool were so strict. The competition for ten places would definitely be a fierce contest. At this moment, he looked around and his eyes fell on the powerful cultivators around him. These people not only represented different sects and forces, but also some powerful cultivators from outside the Heavenly Domain. They came from afar to compete for the opportunity to enter the Spirit Pool.

Next to the Spirit Pond stood a tall stone tablet with several lines of ancient characters engraved on it, which were the rules of the Spirit Pond. People looked at it and whispered:

"The spirit pool is open for one day, during which time the spiritual energy will continue to dissipate and finally close at sunset. The cultivators who enter the spirit pool must absorb the spiritual energy with all their strength. If they can persist for more than a quarter of an hour, the spiritual power in their bodies will be greatly improved." When Ye Fan heard this, he was even more excited, but he knew that he had to win the competition to have such an opportunity.

At this time, several famous talented disciples began to appear around the Spirit Pond. They had a strong aura, firm eyes, and a hint of pride in their confidence. These people were elite disciples from various major sects, with extraordinary talents, and were determined to win the Spirit Pond. They knew each other well, stood together and talked, but from time to time they glanced around with cold eyes, as if they regarded most people as insignificant.

"I heard that the spiritual practitioners from your Liuyun Sect are here too. I wonder if they can gain anything from the spiritual pool?" asked a woman with a cold and arrogant temperament. She was from the Qingshuang Sect and had a cold aura about her, like the cold frost in the cold winter.

"Haha, Fairy Qingshuang is being modest. With your strength, if you want to enter the Spirit Pond, I'm afraid no one will dare to stop you." Standing next to her was Luo Xuanming from the Tianjian Sect. He had a high level of cultivation and a sharp aura like a sword. His laughter was full of confidence. "However, the one who can survive this battle for the Spirit Pond must be the best of our generation."

The monks around couldn't help but show awe on their faces. They were all famous geniuses and had extremely high status in their respective sects. Ye Fan listened to the conversation of these people and secretly clenched his fists. These people in front of him were indeed extraordinary, but he was not willing to give up the opportunity to enter the spirit pool. With the fighting spirit rising in his heart, Ye Fan secretly decided that even if he was in danger, he would do his best to fight for a place.

As time passed, the aura of the Spiritual Pond became stronger and stronger, and the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to become substantial and enveloped the lake, emitting a bright and lustrous light. All the cultivators held their breath, waiting for the moment when the Spiritual Pond would open.

Ye Fan stared at the spirit pool with burning eyes. He knew that this would be a battle of life and death, the strong would be the king, and whoever could stand out would get the supreme opportunity brought by this spiritual lake.

In front of the Spirit Pool, a cultivator with an imposing bearing took the lead in proposing a bold suggestion: "Everyone, I have a suggestion! As everyone knows, the total amount of spiritual energy in the Spirit Pool is fixed. The fewer people enter, the more spiritual energy they can get. This time, the Spirit Pool only has ten places available. I think it would be better to reduce the number of people, which may maximize our strength!"

As soon as these words came out, the crowd was in an uproar. Reducing the number of people entering the spirit pool would indeed allow the remaining practitioners to absorb more spiritual energy, but this would undoubtedly make many people lose their chances. For those casual practitioners who originally hoped to try their luck, this was equivalent to directly cutting off their path, and the cruelty of the competition instantly increased by more than one level. In the crowd, many ordinary casual practitioners showed indignation on their faces. After all, their cultivation was relatively low, and if the number of places was reduced, their chances of winning would become even slimmer.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" A casual cultivator snorted coldly, staring at the proposer with unfriendly eyes, "You genius disciples from the big sects, relying on your high cultivation base, want to reduce the number of people so that you can absorb more spiritual energy. What about people like us? Even if we don't have the chance to compete for ten places, we shouldn't be excluded like this!"

Another casual cultivator echoed, "That's right! Originally, only a few people could enter the Spirit Pond. You still want to deprive others of the opportunity. Isn't that too selfish? The way of cultivation is not for one person to monopolize. The rule of the Spirit Pond is that ten people can enter. Why change the rules yourself!"

For a moment, the ordinary cultivators in the crowd were all angry, and many people looked at the proposer coldly, obviously very dissatisfied with such a proposal. Several young cultivators from small and medium-sized sects also shook their heads in opposition, thinking that this move was too overbearing.

But the proposer looked disdainful, sneered and glanced at the opponents, and said proudly: "In the cultivation world, strength is respected. The opportunity to open the spirit pool is rare, why waste it on those with mediocre qualifications? If you are not strong enough, you should retreat. Let those who are truly strong absorb the spiritual energy of the spirit pool. This is the optimal allocation of resources!"

After these words came out, many talented disciples were silent, with thoughtful expressions on their faces. For them, although this proposal was a bit overbearing, it was indeed beneficial to their own improvement. Moreover, many of them came from large sects and were very powerful. They really didn't want to have their resources divided by irrelevant people during such a precious opportunity. Therefore, some disciples from large sects began to show expressions of approval.

"That being said, this is a bit harsh." Luo Xuanming of Tianjian Sect frowned slightly and looked at the proposer. "I am not against this proposal, but the cultivation world also pays attention to the cycle of heaven and earth. If too many opportunities are taken away, it may damage the cause and effect. Since the spirit pool rule is that ten people can enter, then we should respect the rules and not change them at will."

This made many people in the crowd secretly breathe a sigh of relief, and they showed a hint of gratitude to Luo Xuanming. Although they knew that strength was the key, everyone still had expectations and hoped to gain a chance for themselves.

"Hmph, the strong are respected, this is the unchanging law of the cultivation world!" The proposer snorted coldly, no longer paying attention to Luo Xuanming, and turned to the other talented disciples, "What about you? Do you want a better opportunity to improve yourselves?"

Several talented disciples looked at each other, and seemed to hesitate for a moment. Finally, one of them said calmly, "I agree with your proposal. If we reduce the number of people, it will be beneficial to us. Cultivation is difficult. It is useless for those who do not have the strength to force their way into the spirit pool. It is better to leave the opportunity to those of us who are confident."

However, some other talented disciples chose to remain silent, obviously not very interested in such a proposal. The way of heaven emphasizes cause and effect. If you rashly deprive others of their opportunities, it will eventually affect yourself. Moreover, the rules for opening the spirit pool are fixed. If you change them at will, it may cause fluctuations in the spirit energy in the spirit pool, which will be counterproductive.

Ye Fan had been watching coldly from the sidelines, feeling somewhat disdainful. Although he longed to enter the Spirit Pool, he was not willing to seize the spot in this way. Cultivation should follow the way of heaven, rather than forcibly changing the rules for personal gain. A truly strong person does not gain opportunities by suppressing others, but by fighting for them with his own strength.

At this time, seeing the atmosphere gradually tense, the casual cultivators who raised objections looked determined, obviously unwilling to compromise. The proposer glanced around coldly, and finally snorted and stopped insisting.