Xueyan, like Xia Xueyan, also liked Wang Xiaoqiang. Now that she saw Xia Xueyan had become Wang Xiaoqiang's woman, with the two of them whispering sweet nothings under the moon and flowers, it made her incredibly jealous.

That day, Xueyan sat alone in a secluded garden of the Crystal Palace, secretly nursing her sorrows.

Yus Ziman came over and, with a smile, said, "Isn't this Sister Yuerong? Why are you sitting here all alone?"

Xueyan slightly eased her expression and forced a smile, "Little Mann, you're here. Come, sit with me for a while."

Yus Ziman sat down beside Xueyan.

"Ziman, aren't you angry at Xia Xue for monopolizing Wang Xiaoqiang?" asked Xueyan.

"Hehe, of course not!" Yus Ziman waved her hand dismissively, "We from the Merman Tribe are originally reserves for the harem of the great ancestor. The moment he arrived he chose me, which is an honor and a show of his favor towards me. I couldn't be more grateful. As for how many women the great ancestor wants or which woman he favors, that's none of my business... Hehe..." Yus Ziman laughed innocently.

"You're such a silly girl!" Xueyan stroked Yus Ziman's hair and said with a bitter smile.

"Sister Yuerong, you like the great ancestor too, don't you?" asked Yus Ziman.

Xueyan was momentarily taken aback. So she wasn't so naive after all, even being able to tell that I liked Wang Xiaoqiang. But she denied it with her lips, "What's there to like about Wang Xiaoqiang... How could I possibly fancy him..."

"Sister Yuerong, there's no need to hide it. Actually, everyone has noticed. If you're too shy to tell the great ancestor, then let me do it for you..."

Xueyan fell silent.

"No response means you agree, so I'm going to tell him right now," said Yus Ziman, standing up, but Xueyan quickly grabbed her hand, saying, "No, don't go."

Yus Ziman let out a soft sigh and gave up on the idea.

"Come, sit with me a little longer." Xueyan pulled Yus Ziman back to sit down, and the two women sat opposite each other, chatting.

The Crystal Palace was particularly quiet at night. The lamps of the Crystal Palace were made of Luminous Pearls, casting beautiful halos of light in the water, creating a dazzling effect.

While Xueyan was talking with Yus Ziman, on the gorgeous bed adorned with Luminous Pearls

"Ah, Little Qiang, I've noticed lately that Sister Yuerong has not been looking well. And, it seems like she's been distancing herself from me..."

"That can't be true, you two are as close as sisters," Wang Xiaoqiang said.

"Exactly, even though we're not related by blood, we're actually closer than sisters born of the same mother. Little Qiang, I... I really don't want any rifts between us," Xia Xueyan said despondently.

"Then you should talk to her and find out what's really going on," suggested Wang Xiaoqiang.

"Little Qiang, Sister Yuerong, she... she doesn't happen to like you too, does she?"

"Could I possibly be that great?"

"If she really does like you, then she must be jealous of me," Xia Xueyan said, pulling a face.

"Well, if that's really the case, would you mind if I took Yuerong in?" Wang Xiaoqiang probed tentatively.

"If it makes Sister Yuerong happy, then I'm actually willing," Xia Xueyan said, "In the future, Sister Yuerong and I will keep a tight grip on you, so you won't go looking for other women..." As she spoke, Xia Xueyan poked Wang Xiaoqiang's forehead with her slender jade finger, looking rather fierce.

...

Wang Xiaoqiang never forgot to cultivate. He discovered that the Five Elements Spirit Spring would become more vibrant and dynamic in the Immortal River than before, as if a fish had returned to the sea or a wanderer had come home, with a sense of belonging.

After all, the Immortal River was the home of the Five Elements Spirit Spring.

The Five Elements Spirit Spring nourished the Immortal River, and in turn, the Immortal River warmed and sustained the Five Elements Spirit Spring.

Therefore, cultivating in the Immortal River, the Five Elements Spirit Spring could grow stronger and divide more easily.

And for Wang Xiaoqiang, advancement came even faster.

That day.

Patterned Beasts were protecting outside the door.

Wang Xiaoqiang was alone in a secret chamber of the Crystal Palace, cultivating.

He took out both the Demon Crystals and Corpse Crystals from his Sumeru Ring and placed them together.

These Demon Crystals and Corpse Crystals had been captured from White Cloud City. He hadn't used them all up at the time and had been storing them in the Sumeru Ring ever since.

Wang Xiaoqiang tallied the amount with his Divine Sense, counting over a thousand Demon Crystals and a hundred Corpse Crystals.

Back when Wang Xiaoqiang was in the Immortal Realm, these crystals could have helped him quickly advance in levels, but now that was no longer the case.

Now Wang Xiaoqiang was at the First Level of the True Immortal Realm, and with a different tier of cultivation base, upgrading had become increasingly difficult. As for cultivation materials such as Demon Crystals and Corpse Crystals, their effectiveness wasn't as significant at the level of the True Immortal Realm.

However, these Demon Crystals and Corpse Crystals in front of him were still enough for Wang Xiaoqiang to ascend two ranks and reach the Third Stage of the True Immortal Realm in one go.

Now that Wang Xiaoqiang had become Lord of the Immortal River, attracting undue attention was inevitable. It wasn't certain that others wouldn't be envious. Moreover, having made an enemy of Medicine God Valley, it was certain that they would invade again, so Wang Xiaoqiang must enhance his realm.

His current strength and cultivation base, combined with his Magic Treasure techniques, allowed him to contend with masters at the Fifth Stage of the True Immortal Realm. But if someone at the Six Stages came, it would become considerably difficult to deal with.

Therefore, enhancing his strength was an absolute necessity.

With this in mind, Wang Xiaoqiang released the Spiritual Spring within his body to absorb the Demon Crystals and Corpse Crystals.

Wang Xiaoqiang had 279,200 Spiritual Springs within him but only let out 79,200 Spiritual Springs, which pounced on the Demon Crystals and Corpse Crystals. Then, like cats that had smelt fish, they frantically started to suck and nibble.

Suck suck suck... suck suck suck...

As the number of Demon Crystals and Corpse Crystals kept reducing, the 79,200 Spiritual Springs continued to expand until, after having consumed their fill, they all returned inside Wang Xiaoqiang's body.

Then, the 79,200 Spiritual Springs emitted faint sounds of cracking.

Pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop...

The 79,200 Spiritual Springs split into two, becoming 158,400 Spiritual Springs, which, added to the 200,000 Spiritual Springs inside his body, amounted to 358,400 Spiritual Springs.

All 358,400 Spiritual Springs quivered together,

And then...

Spiritual Power within Wang Xiaoqiang boomed and surged like mountains, rivers, and seas, washing over the meridians and acupoints throughout his body. Eventually, the rolling and tumbling Spiritual Power condensed within him into dozens of Gang Qi Vortices.

Suddenly, a Gang Qi Vortex burst out from above Wang Xiaoqiang's head and with a boom, it shot up, tearing off the top of the secret chamber.

One by one, those Gang Qi Vortices continued to spin within Wang Xiaoqiang. Like hot air balloons, they lifted his body and he began to ascend.

This was not ascension driven by Wang Xiaoqiang's own will; his body was being lifted by the internal Gang Qi Vortices.

This was the most apparent sign of leveling up.

This ascent was faster than when he initially advanced to the First Stage of the True Immortal Realm; he flew higher and the sensation was even more exhilarating.

This was what was meant by the feeling of becoming an immortal, the supposed ascent of an immortal.

Finally, when the ascent reached a certain height, the internal Gang Qi Vortices abruptly dispersed with a bang, transforming into Spiritual Power that, like a giant whale sucking in water, were all drawn back into the Spiritual Springs. Then, like the number of stars in the sky, the Spiritual Springs began circulating inside Wang Xiaoqiang along some mystical trajectory.

Wang Xiaoqiang stood mid-air, just like an immortal.

By now, his cultivation base had broken through to the Second Stage of the True Immortal Realm.

One must know that each level up within the True Immortal Realm requires at least ten years, but for Wang Xiaoqiang with the Five Elements Spiritual Spring, it took less than an hour.

Rapid advancement indeed brought pleasure. However, such swift leveling up also severely affected the meridians in his body. So, although there were still plenty of Demon Crystals and Corpse Crystals left, Wang Xiaoqiang decided not to continue ascending. Instead, he planned to enhance his Body Refining Techniques first to strengthen the meridians within his body, laying a foundation for rapid advancement in the future.

So he collected the remaining Demon Crystals and Corpse Crystals back into the Sumeru Ring and then returned to his chambers to rest, conserving his energy for tomorrow's Body Refinement.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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