# Chapter 290: Spirit Pool
Clearly!
Wu Liang had no idea what the Marrow-Cleansing Spiritual Fruit did. He grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth!
"How much per pound? Doesn't really taste like anything?"
"Greenhouse grown, right? Let me tell you, these little tomatoes taste sweeter when grown in the fields..."
"Whoa!"
Wu Liang's mouth gaped open, his eyes nearly popping out!
He could clearly feel that his speed of absorbing and transforming spiritual energy had increased significantly compared to before!
It had even jumped an entire level!
Before, his talent was only A, but now it was at least A+! Or maybe even S!
"Th-this..."
Jiangnan rolled his eyes: "If you could grow this stuff in a greenhouse, I'd buy as many pounds as you have!"
Wu Liang was shocked: "This tomato... can improve talent? How is that possible? This..."
Xia Yao looked nervous: "Shh~ Don't make it known, got it?"
Zhong Yingxue was amazed: "So many? All for us?"
She really didn't know what to say anymore!
Back then, just a few of these had caused a sensation throughout the entire underground world!
Even Dao Heaven rank experts couldn't resist!
Now Jiangnan had taken out so many at once. Was this not ridiculously wealthy?
Jiangnan grinned: "We're all family, eat up!"
Xia Yao, though drooling, still said: "Xiao Nan, you eat first!"
"I've already hit my limit! I took them out for you all to eat!"
"Training in the Spirit Pool is a rare opportunity; don't waste it!"
Wu Liang was deeply moved. Someone who could take out such precious treasures to share with everyone...
It showed that Jiangnan truly treated them like family!
So there was no need to be polite!
Zhong Yingxue only ate two before it had no effect anymore! Her talent had been raised to SSS+.
And Xia Yao reached her limit after three!
Wu Liang, however, ate four before reaching his optimal state!
Seeing Xiao Mila's eager expression, Jiangnan picked up the remaining one: "Come! Mila! Ah~"
"Ah-wu~"
Jiangnan originally planned to feed it to her as a snack!
After all, Mila's talent was already top-tier!
But unexpectedly, Mila's speed of absorbing spiritual energy increased yet again!
She seemed on the verge of breaking through to Gold Four Stars!
This startled Jiangnan. Mila's talent was already SSS+!
How could it still improve?
So SSS+ wasn't the limit?
Scared, Jiangnan dared not feed her any more!
"Mila! After entering the Spirit Pool tomorrow, you must not absorb any more spiritual energy, understand? Otherwise it'll hurt more and more!"
Xiao Mila looked at Jiangnan, seeming to understand, and nodded.
The next morning!
The group set off from the hotel. The streets were noticeably livelier!
There seemed to be more people, though it might have been an illusion.
Jiangnan didn't pay it any mind.
At the foot of Kunlun Mountain, the contestants had all put on thick down jackets, ready to depart.
And when they saw Xiao Mila sitting on Jiangnan's neck, wrapped up like a zongzi in her down jacket...
One by one, they scowled.
Was Nan Shen really planning to bring a kid to compete?
Hey hey hey!
Wasn't the Association going to stop this?
But Chen Xuan seemed to have tacitly approved!
No kidding!
The urgent document had come down last night, okay?
Who dared to interfere with Jiangnan?
Forget bringing a kid to compete!
Even if Jiangnan needed baby formula or diapers during the competition, they'd have to deliver them!
Because the Spirit Pool was located near the mountain peak at an extremely high altitude, the mountain path was hard to traverse.
The contestants rode extra-long cable cars directly to the Spirit Pool in groups.
From the cable car, the town's scenery was in full view.
At the southeastern corner, the eight side-by-side cooling towers of the nuclear power plant were extremely spectacular, quite a sight to behold.
Just the cable car ride took over three hours!
Finally, they reached the Spirit Pool.
Here, the Yulong Base had been established, with extremely tight security.
Jiangnan didn't think Dracula would have any chance to strike.
Deep within the Yulong Base was a heavy iron door embedded in the granite mountain face.
At this moment, all the contestants wore expressions of excitement and anticipation.
Beyond the iron door lay the Spirit Pool!
The hydraulic press activated, and the iron door opened.
The group followed deep into the cave, walking for nearly an hour.
Finally, they reached the end of the cave!
A super huge underground cavern!
And at this moment, Jiangnan was completely stunned by the scene before him!
The underground cavern's diameter was definitely over a thousand meters!
The rich, almost misty spiritual energy was firmly locked within the Spirit Pool!
Not a trace escaped!
Because of years of spiritual energy saturation, the cave walls had almost turned to jade!
But what truly shocked Jiangnan was that the cavern floor was densely covered with strange symbols!
Countless symbols combined to form three concentric circles nested within one another!
And at the center!
The spatial fluctuations were intense—that was the entrance to the Yulong Spirit Ruins!
Rich spiritual energy surged out from the entrance!
Then spread outward!
At the very core, the spiritual energy was densest!
Then it decreased outward. The spiritual energy density in Zone One was almost three times that of Zone Two!
Zone Two was three times that of Zone Three!
It was as if divided by some invisible force!
This made Jiangnan speculate!
Could this bizarre scene be related to those tadpole-like symbols on the ground?
At this moment, Jiangnan thought a lot.
These symbols weren't left by modern times!
Who drew them? Ancient people?
But the spiritual energy recovery had only happened a little over twenty years ago!
And what about the Spirit Ruins?
Jiangnan realized...
His understanding of this world was just the tip of the iceberg...
Chen Xuan's expression was solemn: "Everything you see today is top secret!"
"Before coming, you all signed confidentiality agreements! If any of this leaks out, you will face legal punishment!"
"Now! Go to your respective areas and cultivate!"
At once, the contestants could no longer contain themselves!
They rushed madly toward the Spirit Pool!
All the struggle in the tiered competition was for this moment!
Watching the fifteen teams in the first tier head toward the core area with the richest spiritual energy...
Everyone was envious!
A threefold difference in spiritual energy!
How much ground would they lose over half a month?
At this moment, Chu Tianba strutted proudly past Jiangnan!
Looking down on him: "Earlier, I was thinking of teaching you a lesson!"
"But it seems, there won't be a chance now!"
"Fifteen days from now, we won't even be on the same level! You're only fit to lap up the scraps I leave behind! You little trash!"
Jiangnan rolled his eyes: "You never miss a chance to show off, do you?"
"If you're so great, does your dad know?"
Chu Tianba wasn't angry at all: "Go ahead and curse! Haha! When I'm three to five stars ahead of you, you'll know what regret means!"
With that, he stepped into the core area, unbearably arrogant.
Xia Yao pouted: "Hmph! What's he so cocky about?"
Zhong Yingxue: "Xiao Nan! Ignore him! Let's just cultivate!"
At this moment, Wang Yan looked at Jiangnan and grinned slyly, raising his eyebrows.
His expression seemed to say, "I was right, wasn't I?"
Still want to cooperate?
In fifteen days, you won't even be qualified!
Time was precious. The contestants all sat cross-legged, absorbing spiritual energy as much as possible.
For the next fifteen days, aside from necessary meals, sleep, and bathroom breaks, they would just sit and cultivate!
Some hardcore competitors had even brought compressed biscuits, coffee, and Red Bull!
Damn it!
They weren't even going to sleep!