A cultivator’s Sea of Bitterness, true to its name, was barren and desolate — deathly still, without a single pulse of life. Yet at the very center of Ye Fan’s Sea of Bitterness, that tiny golden speck of light radiated brilliantly, like the dawn of the morning glow, brimming with vibrant vitality.

Just as Pang Bo had said, this tiny golden Sea of Bitterness pulsed with faint threads of divine power. Although extremely faint, it was clearly extraordinary — compared to the Sea of Bitterness of others, it could be called miraculous, gorgeous as the very essence of a rainbow arc, utterly unlike anything else.

“Could it be that you have already connected with the Wheel of Life?” According to Pang Bo’s inference, Ye Fan might have carved open a channel linking all the way down to the Wheel of Life beneath the Sea of Bitterness, causing the divine spring to well upward in a steady stream, thus creating such a miraculous scene.

“I have not carved open any channel, and no divine power spring is welling upward.” Ye Fan shook his head, refuting his speculation. He could confirm with certainty that this was indeed the Sea of Bitterness — not a divine spring flowing up from the Wheel of Life.

Pang Bo sighed repeatedly and said, “This is truly astonishing. The Desolate Ancient Holy Body is indeed extraordinary and unlike ordinary people. Could it be that a golden Sea of Bitterness is exclusive to those who possess this constitution?”

“I’ve only just taken the first step in opening the Sea of Bitterness. I still don’t know whether I’ll be able to continue cultivating.” Ye Fan had not let joy cloud his reason.

He then began to gaze inward, carefully examining the condition of the Sea of Bitterness. The sesame-seed-sized golden Sea of Bitterness was surrounded by a silence like a dead land — encompassed by boundless darkness and emptiness, yet unable to entirely swallow its radiance. That speck of light hung there like a bright, clear moon suspended in the sky. This filled Ye Fan’s heart with boundless hope: perhaps one day he could carve open a vast and boundless golden Sea of Bitterness, completely banishing the darkness and death energy, causing that desolate land to burst forth with vigorous life.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo discussed the matter at length, and agreed: Ye Fan’s constitution was far too extraordinary, like a bottomless abyss — it required enormous quantities of Hundred Herb Fluid to open the Sea of Bitterness. This was completely unlike ordinary people; he had no fear of the medicinal power being too intense and piercing through his Sea of Bitterness. His Sea of Bitterness was simply a bottomless chasm that could not be filled.

Upon reaching this conclusion, both of them were immediately troubled. Ordinary newly initiated disciples consumed one bottle of Hundred Herb Fluid every three months — no more than four bottles per year. Yet Ye Fan, having just carved open the tiniest speck of a Sea of Bitterness, had consumed a full fifty-nine bottles — enough to last other disciples more than a decade. It was genuinely alarming.

According to Elder Wu Qingfeng, the path of cultivation grew ever more arduous with each step upward, and every advance in the later stages required ten times the cost of the earlier stages.

The moment Ye Fan considered this problem, his mind went somewhat blank. This principle certainly applied to the consumption of Hundred Herb Fluid as well. He was only at the very beginning, and already required dozens of bottles consumed simultaneously. When he eventually achieved mastery in his cultivation, the number would be truly staggering — truly beyond imagination.

“Don’t worry, there will always be a way to solve it.” At this point, Pang Bo seemed to recall something and his eyes immediately lit up. “We could tell Elder Wu Qingfeng that you are able to cultivate. If a pre-Desolate Ancient Holy Body can truly be cultivated to completion, it would be enough to shake the Yan region, to shake the Eastern Desolation — it would be utterly unimaginable. I believe the elders of the Spirit Void Cave Heaven would be absolutely astonished and would spare no effort to provide you with everything you need.”

Ye Fan thought about it carefully and thoroughly for a moment, then ultimately shook his head and said, “We cannot tell them.”

“Why?” Pang Bo was puzzled.

“First, because the Spirit Void Cave Heaven is not powerful enough to overawe the Eastern Desolation. Once the news leaks out, I will certainly die. Second, because I suspect that although the golden Sea of Bitterness is miraculous, I am very likely unable to continue cultivating in a sustained manner — I may still amount to a废 body in the end.”

Pang Bo thought it over carefully and fully agreed with the first reason — word truly could not get out, otherwise there really would be a danger of being killed.

“As for the second reason, I think you’re overthinking it.”

Ye Fan shook his head and said, “I finally understand now why this constitution occasionally appeared in the post-Desolate Ancient era yet was so difficult to cultivate to completion. This level of consumption alone is something no ordinary sect can bear. The early stages might still be manageable, but the path to immortality is long. Every advance requires ten times more than the step before — as that cost multiplies tenfold at every step along the way, forget reaching the later stages, even barely reaching the middle stages would amount to an astronomical figure beyond imagination. Even those holy lands and ancient clans that have passed their legacies down since the Desolate Ancient era would find it enormously taxing. One could even say the returns would not justify the investment — at this level of consumption, one could cultivate many other outstanding disciples instead.”

“Could this be the reason why the Desolate Ancient Holy Body cannot cultivate and becomes a废 body?” Pang Bo’s expression turned to one of astonishment.

Ye Fan thought for a moment and said, “This reason is only what I’ve discovered at the very beginning of the cultivation process. I believe there are certainly far more reasons than this — otherwise, those holy lands and ancient clans would not have given up so readily. There are very likely even harsher and more formidable conditions or reasons that exist.”

“How can this be…” Pang Bo sat there in a daze, feeling as though Ye Fan’s future was dim and the path of cultivation extremely arduous.

Yet Ye Fan showed not the slightest trace of dejection. “The Desolate Ancient Holy Body — if it could be cultivated to completion so easily, it would lose its meaning. The more arduous the path ahead, the more extraordinary it proves to be. Going against the current, scaling cliffs, leaping across deep chasms — I’ll go as far as these steps will carry me. Who knows, perhaps I might glimpse the very peak.”

In the days that followed, Ye Fan and Pang Bo trained even more diligently, striving to elevate their own cultivation.

During this period, Elder Wu Qingfeng summoned Pang Bo to the rear mountain of the Spirit Void Cave Heaven and formally designated him as a Celestial Seedling, encouraging him to cultivate diligently and to cause the divine spring to well up through his Sea of Bitterness as soon as possible. At that point, the elder would accept him as his last and final disciple.

After being formally designated as a Celestial Seedling, Pang Bo could receive eight bottles of Hundred Herb Fluid per month — compared to the previous allotment of only four bottles per year, this was a tremendous improvement in treatment. Moreover, as his cultivation continued to advance, the supply would be gradually increased to meet his every need, with no concern about any shortage of Hundred Herb Fluid.

In the rear mountain of the Spirit Void Cave Heaven, Pang Bo earnestly consulted Elder Wu Qingfeng on many questions. His main purpose was to help Ye Fan unravel the mystery of the golden Sea of Bitterness.

Elder Wu Qingfeng spoke at length about the secret lore surrounding the Sea of Bitterness, saying that in this world, some individuals of breathtaking talent did indeed produce various extraordinary manifestations when opening their Sea of Bitterness.

“What kinds of extraordinary manifestations are there exactly?”

Elder Wu Qingfeng spoke of over a dozen kinds — yet he made no mention of a golden Sea of Bitterness.

In the end, Pang Bo could no longer restrain himself and asked directly, “Is it possible, when opening the Sea of Bitterness, for the waves to crash to the heavens, for ten thousand divine rainbows to appear, and for the Sea of Bitterness to become a golden ocean?”

“Impossible!” Elder Wu Qingfeng shook his head — but then hesitated, and said, “Perhaps the legendary ‘Divine Body’ said to have reappeared in the Eastern Desolation might possess such a peerless and extraordinary manifestation, yet even that should not produce such a tremendous commotion.”

Recently there had been circulating rumors that some rare kind of Divine Body had reappeared in the Eastern Desolation — and not just a single case. It was said that all of them were still growing and had been carefully concealed within holy lands or ancient clans. Even Elder Wu Qingfeng had heard these rumors on multiple occasions.

“Those rare geniuses of the age have almost all been taken in by those holy lands and ancient clans…” Elder Wu Qingfeng seemed deeply resigned.

After Pang Bo returned, he recounted everything he had heard to Ye Fan, and concluded, “It seems the golden Sea of Bitterness is indeed truly extraordinary. Even the legendary Divine Bodies said to have reappeared in the Eastern Desolation would not necessarily produce such a tremendous commotion at their first opening of the Sea of Bitterness. I truly hope you can cultivate onward without obstacle — at that point, you would certainly be able to contend with the geniuses nurtured by those holy lands and ancient clans.”

After Ye Fan finished listening, he pondered for a long time. Then he looked toward Pang Bo and said, “I think it is time for me to leave the Spirit Void Cave Heaven.”

“Why?” Pang Bo was greatly surprised, not understanding why he would suddenly make such a decision.

“I came to the Spirit Void Cave Heaven to learn how to cultivate. Now this place is no longer suitable for me to remain in — I need to go elsewhere and seek out other opportunities.”

“No — if you’re leaving, I’m leaving too.” Pang Bo firmly objected.

“You have already been designated as a Celestial Seedling. The Spirit Void Cave Heaven will do everything to nurture you — there is absolutely no need for you to leave. I am different. With my constitution, staying in the Spirit Void Cave Heaven will lead to no development whatsoever.”