A cultivator's Bitter Sea lives up to its name, desolate, lifeless, and devoid of vitality. Yet at the center of Ye Fan's Bitter Sea, there was a tiny golden speck of light, dazzling like the first rays of dawn, full of vibrant life.
Just as Pang Bo had said, this golden speck emitted faint divine energy. Though the fluctuation was extremely weak, it was clearly extraordinary, vastly different from the Seas of Bitterness in others. It was radiant like the essence of a rainbow and stood out as something truly unique.
"Could it be that you've already connected with the Life Wheel?" Pang Bo speculated that Ye Fan might have opened a path linking the Bitter Sea to the Life Wheel beneath it, allowing divine springs to gush forth and thus creating such a miraculous phenomenon.
"I haven't opened any such passage, there's no divine spring surging upward." Ye Fan shook his head, denying the guess. He was certain this was truly his Bitter Sea, not divine energy from the Life Wheel.
Pang Bo was repeatedly amazed. "This is astonishing. The Primeval Desolate Sacred Physique truly is different from the rest. Could it be that a golden Bitter Sea is unique to people with this physique?"
"It's only the initial opening of the Bitter Sea. I don't even know if I can continue cultivating." Ye Fan wasn't so overjoyed that he lost his rationality.
He then turned inward to examine the Bitter Sea carefully. Though only the size of a sesame seed, the golden sea glowed brightly. Surrounding it was silence, darkness, and emptiness, like a land of the dead. Yet the golden light could not be extinguished, like a full moon hanging alone in the void. This sight filled Ye Fan with hope. Maybe one day, he could open up a vast and boundless golden Bitter Sea, banishing the darkness and deathly stillness, and reviving it with flourishing vitality.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo discussed the matter at length. They agreed that Ye Fan's physique was far too unusual, like a bottomless pit. It required a massive amount of Hundred-Grass Liquid just to begin forming the Bitter Sea. Unlike ordinary people, he didn't need to worry about overly potent medicine damaging the sea, his Bitter Sea was a deep abyss that could not be easily filled.
This realization presented a problem. Most new disciples were allowed one bottle of Hundred-Grass Liquid every three months, only four bottles a year. But Ye Fan had already used up fifty-nine bottles just to form that tiny golden speck. That was more than what others would use over ten years. It was a staggering amount.
According to Elder Wu Qingfeng, the further one advances in cultivation, the harder it becomes, each step forward demanding ten times the effort and resources of the last.
Thinking of this, Ye Fan was stunned. This principle surely applied to the consumption of Hundred-Grass Liquid as well. If he already needed dozens of bottles just to begin, it was terrifying to imagine how much he'd need to continue cultivating.
"Don't worry, there's always a solution." At this point, Pang Bo's eyes lit up with an idea. "You could tell Elder Wu Qingfeng that you're able to cultivate. If a Sacred Physique from before the Desolate Era can be cultivated, it would shake the State of Yan and even the entire Eastern Wilderness. The elders of Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven would be shocked and would do everything they could to support you."
Ye Fan pondered deeply for a moment, then shook his head. "No, we can't tell them."
"Why not?" Pang Bo was puzzled.
"First, Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven doesn't have the strength to intimidate the entire Eastern Wilderness. If the news leaks, I'll definitely be killed. Second, I suspect that although my golden Bitter Sea is extraordinary, I probably won't be able to continue cultivating, it's likely still a wasted body."
Pang Bo thought it over and completely agreed with the first point. If word got out, it would likely bring disaster.
"As for the second point, aren't you overthinking it?"
Ye Fan shook his head. "I now understand why this physique, even though it occasionally appears after the Desolate Era, is rarely successfully cultivated. Just the resource consumption alone is beyond what most sects can afford. Early stages are manageable, but cultivation is a long road. Each step requires ten times more resources than the last. With such exponential growth, even ancient sacred grounds or clans with legacies from the Desolate Era would struggle. In fact, it might not even be worth it. The same resources could raise many other outstanding disciples."
"So this is why the Primeval Desolate Sacred Physique is considered uncultivable and labeled a wasted body?" Pang Bo was shocked.
Ye Fan thought for a while and said, "That's just one issue we're seeing at this early stage. I believe there are even more difficult and demanding challenges to come. Otherwise, those sacred grounds and ancient bloodlines wouldn't have given up so easily."
"How could it be like this…" Pang Bo was stunned, feeling that Ye Fan's future looked grim and his cultivation path would be incredibly tough.
But Ye Fan didn't look discouraged at all. He said, "If the Primeval Desolate Sacred Physique could be cultivated easily, it would lose its meaning. The harder the path, the more it proves its extraordinariness. I'll go against the current, climb cliffs, and cross the abyss. I'll go as far as I can. Maybe I'll get a glimpse of the summit."
In the days that followed, Ye Fan and Pang Bo trained even harder, trying to improve their cultivation.
During this time, Elder Wu Qingfeng summoned Pang Bo to the rear mountain of Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven and formally recognized him as a future Immortal Seed, encouraging him to work hard. Once his divine spring gushed forth from the Bitter Sea, the elder would accept him as his final disciple.
After being recognized, Pang Bo could now receive eight bottles of Hundred-Grass Liquid per month, a massive upgrade compared to the four bottles per year he used to get. As he advanced further, the supply would increase to meet his needs. He no longer had to worry about running out of Hundred-Grass Liquid.
While in the rear mountain, Pang Bo earnestly asked Elder Wu Qingfeng many questions, mainly to help solve the mystery of Ye Fan's golden Bitter Sea.
Elder Wu Qingfeng shared many secret tales about the Bitter Sea, saying that some exceptionally gifted people did indeed show strange phenomena during the process of opening it.
"What kinds of phenomena?"
The elder listed more than a dozen types, but none involved a golden Bitter Sea.
Eventually, Pang Bo couldn't hold back and directly asked, "When opening the Bitter Sea, is it possible for there to be waves like a tsunami, divine rainbows everywhere, and the sea itself turning into a golden ocean?"
"Impossible!" Elder Wu Qingfeng shook his head. But then he hesitated and said, "Perhaps... there are ancient legends that the re-emergence of a 'God Physique' in the Eastern Wilderness might display such unmatched signs, but even that shouldn't produce such a grand spectacle."
Lately, there had been rumors that a rare God Physique had reappeared in the Eastern Wilderness, not just one, in fact. It was said that they were all still developing and hidden away by sacred grounds or ancient clans. Even Elder Wu Qingfeng had heard these rumors more than once.
"Those rare prodigies have all been taken in by the sacred grounds and ancient clans…" Elder Wu Qingfeng sighed, sounding somewhat helpless.
When Pang Bo returned, he relayed everything he had heard to Ye Fan. At the end, he said, "It seems the golden Bitter Sea really is exceptional. Even those so-called God Physiques probably didn't display such massive phenomena when first opening their seas. I really hope you can keep cultivating, one day, you'll surely be able to match those elite disciples raised by the sacred grounds and ancient clans."
After hearing this, Ye Fan remained silent for a long time, then looked at Pang Bo and said, "I think I should leave Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven."
"Why?" Pang Bo was stunned, he had no idea why Ye Fan suddenly made this decision.
"I came to Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven to learn how to cultivate. Now that I've gained that knowledge, this place is no longer suitable for me. I need to go elsewhere and try my luck."
"No way, if you leave, I'm going too." Pang Bo firmly objected.
"You've already been recognized as an Immortal Seed. Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven will do everything it can to support your growth. There's no need for you to leave. But I'm different. With my physique, staying here will lead nowhere."