Former Interstellar Mercenary In Urban Cultivation World
Chapter 1014: Countdown to Survival

"That vision we just witnessed—do you think it was because of martial uncle or martial aunt?" Seongwoo Jin asked curiously.

"Why can’t it be both?" Renshu Chang asked.

Seongwoo Jin, caught off guard by the question, thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with a reason why it couldn’t be both.

"The odds of it being both are too low. Those birds seemed to appear specifically when martial aunt was breaking through. It’s likely because of her," Jirandai Tang said plainly.

"Fair point," the others nodded in agreement.

Taeseon Lei opened his eyes, his cold gaze sweeping over them. "If you don’t want to cultivate, you can move to the edge and stand guard. Make sure no one approaches us."

"In your dreams," Seongwoo Jin and Jinhwa Hou replied simultaneously.

"Then shut up," Taeseon Lei snapped.

The two of them fell silent, grudgingly complying.

"Wait, something’s still happening," Jirandai Tang’s voice cut through the quiet suddenly.

Other sects hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but those nearby felt it distinctly.

"Her power is still increasing at an incredible rate."

"Looks like we can’t afford to slack off either." Jirandai Tang closed his eyes and resumed meditating immediately after speaking.

Taeseon Lei followed suit, his sense of urgency evident. Both were prodigies who had previously held a two-realm advantage over the others.

Seongwoo Jin and Jinhwa Hou exchanged looks and then, in rare unison, focused on their cultivation.

But it wasn’t over yet. Amalia herself could feel it too. Even after breaking through to the peak of the Soul Formation stage, her body continued absorbing the Immortal Spring at the same rapid pace.

Her meridians swelled painfully, stretched to their limits by the overwhelming influx of energy. It felt as if her veins had turned into torrential rivers, brimming with inexhaustible power.

"It’s no wonder the wandering spirits below are so desperate to reach the Immortal Palace. The Immortal Spring truly lives up to its reputation. Advancing two levels at once, and one of them being a major breakthrough across a daunting realm—it’s a sensation few could ever fathom," Amalia thought to herself.

Amalia pondered silently, sensing that Kenny Lin’s aura had also become more stable. He, too, had broken through.

Amid their various thoughts and motives, two weeks had already passed in the Immortal Spring.

During these two weeks, everyone had achieved breakthroughs. Those who entered the Path of All Immortals were all the geniuses and prodigies of the Mystic Void Continent. They didn’t lack comprehension, only the resources to make breakthroughs.

On this particular day, the Immortal Spring space began to quake suddenly, with the tremors growing more intense by the second.

The shaking roused everyone from their cultivation.

"What’s happening?"

"Look below! Those wandering spirit at the Body Integration Stage are leaving the Immortal Spring!"

The group moved to the edge of the upstream area and saw that the wandering spirit had retreated to the plaza outside the Immortal Spring space. Over a dozen Body Integration Stage wandering spirit stood there, staring coldly at them.

"We’re doomed! Those wandering spirit are lying in wait for us. If we go out, we’ll die for sure."

"I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to die!"

"The Immortal Spring is expelling us. It’s probably not up to us to decide."

Panic quickly spread through the crowd, drowning out the earlier joy of their breakthroughs.

"If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have been greedy for the Immortal Spring. Even if I gained unparalleled cultivation or found Immortal treasures, what use is it if I can’t take them out alive?"

"Shut up!" Jinhwa Hou snapped impatiently, reaching for his wine gourd, only to remember it had long been confiscated.

"It seems we have no choice but to leave. The wandering spirit outside are eyeing us hungrily. The odds don’t look good," Amalia said as she gazed at the wandering spirit on the plaza.

Suddenly, her expression froze slightly as a thought struck her. "By the way, how long have we been inside the Path of All Immortals?"

"Nearly a month, I’d say," Kenny Lin calculated as he replied.

"A month... then it must be close to the time when the Path of All Immortals closes," Amalia said, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes.

"You mean, we could use the closing of the Path to force an exit and escape this place?" Jirandai Tang immediately caught on to her line of thought.

"That should work. But now we need to figure out exactly how much time remains until it closes," Amalia replied.

"This place only has daylight and no night, so it’s hard to calculate down to the minute," Taeseon Lei said, shaking his head.

"Indeed, we can’t measure the time precisely. Any misstep could cost us our lives at the hands of the wandering spirit," Eunbyeol Ling added.

Even though they had all broken through to the Deity Transformation Stage—some well beyond the early stage—against Body Integration Stage opponents, the outcome would still be grim.

"I know," Amalia suddenly said, her voice cutting through the rising tension. "There are exactly ten minutes and fifty seconds left until the one-month limit."

Everyone stared at Amalia in disbelief. They didn’t question how she knew the exact time, assuming she just had an uncanny sensitivity to it.

"How do you know that?" Kenny Lin asked bluntly.

The group perked up, ears twitching in curiosity.

"It’s this watch," Amalia replied calmly.

Time in the Mystic Void Continent wasn’t the same as on Earth. A day here had 30 hours, divided into 15 hours of daylight and 15 hours of night. To measure time more precisely, Amalia had crafted a new timepiece based on its internal mechanisms. Not even Kenny Lin knew about this, as she had made it during a bout of boredom one day.