Ninety-one years
The Secret Realm of Liyuan, beside the Eye of Chaos.
The tender lotus seedling of yesteryear has now grown into a graceful and elegant giant lotus with buds ready to bloom.
The lotus stem is thick and strong, with a chaotic luster flowing through its veins. Nine lotus leaves unfold, receiving the pure spiritual power gushing out from the source eye.
The topmost buds are tightly closed, layered and wrapped, with a rosy glow within, as if gathering strength and waiting for the final moment of bloom.
But the day it blooms still seems far away, like a mirage, visible but unattainable.
Since the three lotus seeds returned to their origin and chaos was reunited, eighty-one years have passed in the blink of an eye.
For ordinary people, this is almost an entire lifetime.
For cultivators with long lifespans, however, it is by no means a fleeting moment.
The scene near the source remains almost unchanged every day.
Ye Wuyang arrived on time as always, standing silently beside the blue lotus like an ancient, unchanging ice sculpture.
The chill emanating from him became increasingly restrained and profound, no longer as sharp and piercing as it had been at the beginning. Instead, it transformed into a more stable field of extreme cold, gently enveloping the blue lotus bud and calming the mind in its unique way, soothing every possible agitation in the flow of spiritual energy.
Shen Yunzhou's sword intent of annihilation has also been cultivated to a state of perfection. It is no longer sharp, but has transformed into a gentle drizzle and a soft breeze, silently nourishing each lotus petal and nurturing its inner spirituality.
He often gazed at the closed flower bud for a long time, sensing the fluctuations of her soul with his sword heart, tempering her essence in his unique way, making it more pure and resilient.
Ji Qianqiu's enthusiasm was never diminished by time. He still tirelessly traveled through various realms, collecting all sorts of rare treasures and spiritual objects, then laboriously carried them to the source eye, piling them into small mountains. "Junior sister! Look! I've found some good stuff again! Ten-thousand-year-old warm jade marrow! Soaking it in water will definitely be very nourishing!" "And this! Seven-colored phoenix feather grass! It smells so good! It will definitely taste delicious in soup!" Although his "feeding" was still simple and crude, often being criticized by Xiao Liuli as "the ceiling of the dark cuisine world" and "the first thing to poison you when the host wakes up" due to its strong medicinal properties or strange taste, his honest and sincere heart, like aged wine, only became more mellow and never changed.
Xie Chen's changes were perhaps the most significant.
His deductive techniques have reached a state of perfection through 81 years of repeated practice and optimization.
The virtual star chart spun at his fingertips, perfectly predicting every minute cycle of the Azure Lotus energy fluctuations, achieving true on-demand feeding.
Fang Yan had long since matured from the impetuous youth he once was, becoming much more composed. However, his daily habit of coming to the lotus pond and nagging at the green lotus remained unchanged. "Little sister, a few ignorant fools from the Immortal Realm came today wanting to form an alliance, but Father turned them away..." "Mother brewed a new batch of Hundred Flower Wine, and saved the best for you. Drink it when you wake up..." "Brother almost lost his breath while cultivating yesterday. Sigh, you're still the best..." He rambled on about family matters and interesting anecdotes from the outside world, as if his sister could actually hear him, even if she was asleep.
Over the past eighty-one years, Xiao Liuli has evolved from the initial boisterous little system into a skilled "energy coordinator" and "chief吐槽官" (complaint officer). She busily coordinates the various spiritual energies flowing in from the outside world within the lotus heart every day, while also providing real-time commentary:
"Host, host! Today's supply of Frost Essence is stable, the temperature remains constant at -250 degrees Celsius, and the Ice Block is performing well! Thumbs up!"
"Sword God Bro's 'Fine Rain Sword Intent Massage' is spot on, Soul Power Condensation +0.0001%! So comfortable!"
"That big oaf is here again! Carrying a bucket... uh... that smells like a mixture of stinky tofu and durian—chaotic beast milk?! Host, we don't want to drink this! Absolutely not!"
"Star Lord is awesome! Feeding him three grams of Star Sand on time, and the energy absorption efficiency has reached its peak! If only Star Lord could take the lead every day!"
"...Everything is running normally, energy balance is being maintained...but...host, you've been asleep for eighty-one years, when are you going to wake up? This system is so bored..."
The men no longer openly competed for the position of the array's core, nor did they deliberately interfere with each other. Instead, they transformed their competition into a covert contest to see whose aura could be more easily accepted by Qinglian, and whose treasures could evoke more joy in Qinglian.
If Ye Wuyang noticed that Qinglian seemed to be responding more actively to Shen Yunzhou's gentle sword intent, he would silently adjust the output of his own cold energy, trying to match Qinglian's rhythm more perfectly.
If Shen Yunzhou sensed that Ye Wuyang's cold aura seemed to be more favored by Qinglian, his sword intent would become more gentle and subtle, like a spring breeze and rain, attempting to integrate into or even dissolve that coldness in a more imperceptible way.
Whenever Ji Qianqiu saw Xie Chen deduce a new, highly effective formula, he would gather his strength and immediately plunge into some dangerous place, vowing to find a rarer and more powerful alternative material in an attempt to surpass his opponent.
Xie Chen, on the other hand, always maintained that confident smile, recording everyone's contribution data, constantly optimizing his energy, and ensuring that his plan was always one step ahead, maintaining a subtle advantage in a way that was almost like a dimensional reduction attack.
The long wait did not diminish their resolve; instead, it deepened their initial obsession and strengthened their connection with Qinglian, making it seem as if it had become an indispensable part of their lives.
However, this peace, which had lasted for eighty-one years, was quietly shattered on this day.
Xie Chen, who was deducing the energy ratio for the next stage, suddenly felt a slight disturbance in the virtual star chart at his fingertips. His gentle brows furrowed slightly, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "Hmm? Strange... In recent deductions, I've always felt a faint external force... as if trying to probe the flow of energy in the Source Eye?" His perception was extremely sharp, and he immediately caught the anomaly.
Almost simultaneously, Ye Wuyang's icy gaze suddenly rose, looking towards a certain boundary in the void of the secret realm. His divine sense swept across it: "...There are indeed villains, their auras concealed, lingering and spying on the outer perimeter of the secret realm." His voice carried a hint of killing intent.
The Frost Chant sword in Shen Yunzhou's arms emitted a low hum. His eyes sharpened, and the sword energy silently locked onto a certain direction: "Sneaky and furtive... their intentions are not good, they should be killed." A chilling killing intent spread out.
Ji Qianqiu was fiddling with a newly found spiritual herb when he heard this. He suddenly raised his head, swung his battle axe, and roared in a gruff voice, "Where is he? Who dares to cause trouble? I'll go chop him up!" His fiery temper flared up at the slightest provocation.
Just then, Fang Qingyu's communication jade talisman lit up, and a solemn voice entered everyone's ears: "Chen'er, Wuyang, Yunzhou, Qianqiu, Yan'er... Recently, there seems to be an unknown force active outside the barrier surrounding the secret realm. Their movements are mysterious, and their intentions are unclear. Protecting the Azure Lotus is of paramount importance to you all. Do not act rashly. I have already dispatched more elders to lead teams to conduct close patrols. Report to me immediately if there is any unusual activity."
Xie Chen's expression turned solemn. Starlight rapidly circulated and deduced at his fingertips. He said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid the remnants of the Celestial Court are still harboring evil intentions... or perhaps some ancient beings that have been dormant for a long time and are extremely sensitive to the aura of the Chaos Origin have been quietly awakened... Although the energy fluctuations of the Green Lotus nurturing have been carefully concealed, it has been going on for too long, and I'm afraid it has already... been leaked."
The chill emanating from Ye Wu instantly became bone-chilling. He looked at the quietly standing blue lotus and said, "Anyone who dares to disturb her peace... will die."
Shen Yunzhou's well-defined fingers gently brushed across the scabbard of the Frost Chant sword, the sword's sound deep and dangerous: "Perfect... it has been silent for too long, the blade... thirsts for the blood of villains."
Ji Qianqiu grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, and a crimson light shimmered on his battle axe: "You've come at the perfect time! My axe has been sitting idle for so long it's almost rusted! Perfect for stretching my muscles!"
Even Little Liuli, who had been complaining inside the lotus heart, sensed the tense atmosphere outside. Her voice carried a hint of nervousness and worry: "Host, host! It seems like bad guys are coming! Do they want to steal things? Or do they want to cause trouble? But don't be afraid! These big oafs and the most reliable Star Lord are all here! I... I will also help you manage your energy and strengthen your defenses! We will definitely not let the bad guys succeed!"
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