Seven Mysterious Spaces: My Rise to Power in the Cultivation World

As the thick fog dissipated, the enormous figure turned out to be not a ferocious beast, but a jagged, strange rock.

Zhuang Yu cursed himself for acting impulsively and being deceived by illusions.

Just then, a refreshing scent entered his nostrils, dispelling the post-battle heat.

He followed the scent, parted the last wisp of mist, and the familiar spiritual spring reappeared before his eyes.

The spring water still radiates a soft glow, like a dream.

Zhuang Yu was overjoyed. His insights at the Spirit Spring last time had benefited him greatly, and this return to the Spirit Spring might help him break through his current bottleneck.

He strode towards the spiritual spring, and the surging spiritual energy rushed towards him, making him feel refreshed.

"You're here again!" A clear and pleasant voice rang out.

Zhuang Yu looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl in a green gauze dress sitting on a smooth stone by the spring, swinging her fair little feet.

She had delicate features, long emerald green hair that cascaded down like a waterfall, and was surrounded by shimmering light, like a forest sprite.

It is the guardian spirit of the sacred spring.

"Long time no see," Zhuang Yu replied with a smile, feeling a great sense of warmth at the appearance of the spirit spring.

The elf smiled sweetly, revealing two cute little tiger teeth: "I feel that your aura has become much stronger this time! It seems you've gotten stronger again!" "I'm still a little short. I hope to find a breakthrough opportunity here," Zhuang Yu said truthfully. He felt that he was only one step away from the peak of Core Formation, but he could not break through.

"I can help you!" The elf blinked her bright eyes. "I can sense that the spiritual energy in your body is a bit disordered and needs to be sorted out." Zhuang Yu was overjoyed and quickly thanked her, "Then I'll trouble you." The elf lightly jumped off the stone, came to Zhuang Yu, and extended her slender finger to touch his brow.

"Close your eyes and feel the power of the spiritual spring," the elf's voice was soft and warm.

Zhuang Yu closed his eyes as instructed, and a cool sensation instantly flowed into his body...

"Next..." The elf's voice gradually faded, as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

Zhuang Yu closed his eyes and, following the instructions of the spirit spring, began to adjust his spiritual power.

The energy of the spiritual spring flowed continuously into Zhuang Yu's body through the elf's fingers.

This energy was pure and gentle, like a gentle stream, nourishing Zhuang Yu's meridians and cleansing his dantian.

He felt the spiritual energy within his body become more powerful and purer under the nourishment of the spiritual spring. The originally restless spiritual energy gradually calmed down and became docile and obedient.

Time passed second by second, and Zhuang Yu felt his strength was constantly improving, and the bottleneck of the late stage of Core Formation seemed to be loosening.

He was filled with excitement, as if he could see the dawn of a breakthrough.

The surrounding spiritual energy was also affected by Zhuang Yu, and began to fluctuate violently, forming a huge vortex that enveloped Zhuang Yu.

A powerful spiritual pressure spread out, bending the surrounding trees and even causing ripples on the surface of the spiritual spring.

Just as Zhuang Yu was about to break through to the critical moment, the spiritual energy within his body suddenly became disordered!

A powerful force surged through his body, causing him excruciating pain.

His brows were furrowed, large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his body trembled involuntarily.

"What's going on?" Zhuang Yu was startled and quickly calmed himself down, trying to control the chaotic spiritual energy.

"Not good!" The spirit of the spring also noticed the abnormality, and its expression changed. It quickly increased its power in an attempt to stabilize Zhuang Yu's spiritual power.

"Hold on!" The elf's voice was anxious yet firm. "This is the final hurdle to overcome. If you can get through it, you'll reach the peak of the Core Formation stage!"

Zhuang Yu gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain within his body, and desperately tried to control the chaotic spiritual energy.

His face was pale and his lips had lost their color, but he still did not give up.

He had only one thought in his mind: Breakthrough!

The help of the spirit spring also worked, and the chaotic spiritual energy gradually stabilized, but it was still constantly impacting Zhuang Yu's meridians, as if it would erupt again at any moment.

"Quick! Just a little bit more!" The elf's voice trembled slightly. "I can't hold on much longer!"

Zhuang Yu sensed that the elf's power was weakening, and he knew he had to break through as soon as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

He took a deep breath, concentrated all his strength in his dantian, and prepared for the final sprint...

"boom!"

A loud bang exploded inside Zhuang Yu's body... "Oh no..." the elf exclaimed.

Zhuang Yu gritted his teeth, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, but he still persevered.

The chaotic spiritual energy surged wildly within his body, like a runaway horse, each impact causing him excruciating pain.

He felt as if his meridians were about to be torn apart, and his dantian felt like it was about to explode.

But he knew he absolutely could not give up, otherwise all his efforts would be in vain.

He mobilized all his spiritual power, doing his utmost to suppress the chaotic force.

Gradually, through his tireless efforts, the chaotic spiritual energy began to calm down and was no longer as violent as before.

Zhuang Yu felt as if he had just gone through a life-or-death struggle, and his whole body was exhausted.

He slowly opened his eyes, and the sight around him surprised him.

The once tranquil spring was now surging with waves, its surface rippling as if it were boiling.

A dazzling light surrounded his body, as if a god had descended.

"I... broke through?" Zhuang Yu felt the surging spiritual power within his body, his heart filled with unbelievable joy.

He clenched his fists, feeling an unprecedented power. He knew that he had successfully broken through the bottleneck of the late stage of Core Formation and reached the peak of Core Formation!

The strange phenomena around the spiritual spring became increasingly apparent, with rays of light and auspicious clouds dotting the sky, as if celebrating his breakthrough.

Even the spirit of the spring showed a relieved smile.

“Congratulations,” the elf’s voice was weak but full of joy, “you have succeeded.”

Zhuang Yu stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt the powerful energy within him. A confident smile appeared on his lips.

He knew that he had become stronger, stronger than ever before!

He looked at the spirit of the spring, about to express his gratitude, but noticed that the spirit's expression was a little off.

"What's wrong?" Zhuang Yu asked with concern.

The elf shook her head, forcing a smile: "It's nothing, I'm just... a little tired."

As soon as she finished speaking, she swayed and almost fell.

Zhuang Yu reacted quickly and caught her.

“You…” Zhuang Yu looked at the elf’s pale face and a bad feeling rose in his heart.

The elf smiled weakly, extended a slender finger, pointed to the center of the spring, and said in a faint voice, "There..."

Zhuang Yu looked in the direction the elf was pointing and saw a hazy light slowly rising from the center of the spiritual spring, radiating a heart-palpitating energy fluctuation.

Within the light, a crystal-clear bead could be faintly seen, radiating a soft glow, like the most dazzling star in the night sky.

"This is..." Zhuang Yu looked at the bead, his heart filled with doubt.

“This is the Heart of the Spirit Spring,” the elf said weakly. “It contains the purest energy of the Spirit Spring and can help you further enhance your strength.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yu was overjoyed.

He quickly reached out to take the bead, but the instant his fingers touched it, a powerful force jolted him back several steps.

"Be careful!" the elf exclaimed. "The Heart of the Spirit Spring can only be obtained by the chosen one; otherwise, one will be devoured by its powerful backlash!"

Zhuang Yu steadied himself, took a deep breath, and tried to approach the Heart of the Spirit Spring again.

This time, he mobilized all his spiritual power to form a protective shield to resist the power of the Spirit Spring Heart.

He slowly reached out and carefully touched the heart of the spiritual spring.

This time, he was not knocked back; instead, he felt a surge of pure energy flowing into his body through his fingers.

This energy was more powerful and purer than the spiritual spring energy he had absorbed before, making him feel that his strength was increasing rapidly.

He greedily absorbed the energy of the Spirit Spring Heart, feeling his body brimming with power, as if it were about to explode.

He couldn't help but look up to the sky and roar, his voice echoing throughout the entire valley.

"Hahaha..." Zhuang Yu laughed heartily, his laughter filled with joy and confidence.

He knew that he had become stronger, stronger than ever before!

After absorbing the energy of the Spirit Spring Heart, Zhuang Yu felt that his strength had reached the peak of the Core Formation stage, and he was only one step away from the Nascent Soul stage.

He was filled with excitement and anticipation.

He turned to look at the spirit spring, only to find that the spirit had vanished, leaving behind only a patch of emerald light that slowly dissipated into the air.

Filled with gratitude, Zhuang Yu bowed deeply in the direction where the elf had disappeared, expressing his respect and thanks.

He left the Spirit Spring, knowing he had become stronger, but the path of cultivation was still long.

He gazed into the distance, his heart filled with anticipation for the future.

He didn't know what challenges awaited him next, but he was fearless.

He walked with firm steps toward the distance...

"Who goes there?!" Zhuang Yu suddenly shouted.