High-Grade Spirit Root, Mid-stage Qi Refining

Lu Yang sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion and pondered for a moment. He decided to wait until he actually got his hands on it someday before thinking about it further.

For now, cultivation was what mattered most.

He wanted to see just how effective the max-level Heavy Sword Instruction was for cultivation.

Without hesitation, he took out a Qi Nourishing Pill and tipped his head back to swallow it.

The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth. A warm, pure medicinal force spread through his belly, mingling and merging with the Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Cuisine still lingering in his body.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and formed a hand seal, then began circulating his cultivation method.

In the outer sect, a mountain path wound its way onward.

Lin Ying and Qin Nanyue walked side by side along the narrow gravel path, soon arriving at the outer sect's plaza.

All the way there, Lin Ying had seemed lost in a daze. Her gaze wandered, and her steps were unsteady, as though she were walking on clouds.

Qin Nanyue felt helpless at the sight and let out a soft sigh.

She suddenly reached out and slipped an arm around Lin Ying's slender, supple waist. Leaning close to her ear, she teased, her breath fragrant as orchids, "What's wrong? Has your soul still not flown back? Are you still thinking about that Junior Brother Lu of yours?"

The two had always been close sisters who told each other everything, so this degree of intimacy was perfectly normal to Lin Ying.

But Qin Nanyue's words brushed the tip of Lin Ying's heart like a feather.

Her pretty face, which had already regained its fair complexion, flushed again at a visible pace. Even her neck took on an alluring shade of pink.

She stiffened all over and protested in a slight panic, "What... what do you mean, my Junior Brother Lu? Junior Brother Lu isn't mine..."

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, until it was as faint as a mosquito's hum, her lack of confidence plain to hear. "Junior Brother Lu and I... don't have that kind of relationship yet..."

Qin Nanyue reached out with a slender jade finger and gave Lin Ying's delicate, flawless cheek an exasperated pinch. "Honestly, I think your Junior Brother Lu is the only thing your head has room for now."

"Do not!"

Lin Ying's guilty gaze darted around, too uneasy to meet Qin Nanyue's eyes.

Just then, she caught sight of Pill Peak's mountain gate close ahead. As though granted a pardon, she hurriedly broke free of Qin Nanyue's hand. "We're at Pill Peak! I-I'm going to make pills!"

Before she had finished speaking, she had already scampered away like a startled fawn, leaving Qin Nanyue with only a glimpse of her slender figure fleeing in a fluster.

Qin Nanyue gazed thoughtfully in the direction Lin Ying had gone.

Her first impression of Junior Brother Lu from their brief encounter today had been a good one.

But it was their first meeting, after all, and a person's heart was hidden behind their skin.

The cultivation world was full of people who looked respectable on the surface but were filthy behind the scenes.

No one knew whether this junior brother wore one face in public and another in private.

She reflected that a little vigilance was still necessary.

That silly girl Yingying was so bewitched she couldn't tell east from west.

But as Yingying's sister, she had to give the matter more thought on her behalf.

Should I... send someone to investigate Junior Brother Lu's background in secret?

Qin Nanyue walked aimlessly toward her residence, her gaze flickering as thoughts raced through her mind.

A moment later, she slowly shook her head and dismissed the idea.

Leaving everything else aside, Lu Yang had casually produced a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact as a gift, and one made specifically for pill refining at that. Even a direct descendant of a Golden Core clan could not afford such a gesture.

Junior Brother Lu's background was probably even more unfathomable than she had imagined.

If she rashly investigated him and happened to offend him, her cleverness would backfire.

Not only might that be bad for the Qin Household, it could also create a rift between Junior Brother Lu and Yingying.

Qin Nanyue thought it over again and again, but could not come up with a foolproof plan.

She sighed softly.

Forget it. From now on, I'll just keep a closer eye on Junior Brother Lu in the sect.

Given enough time, whether he's a man or a ghost will become clear.

Time slipped away silently like sand through fingers.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

That afternoon.

Lu Yang sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, as motionless as a rock.

Suddenly, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, surging into his body before turning into a breeze that swept out in all directions in an instant.

The gust set the thin white mist filling the room roiling, like waves rising across a sea of clouds.

When the breeze died down and the white mist settled once more, Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes.

A glint of light flashed deep in them and vanished.

He could feel that the Spiritual Qi in his Dantian was far more than twice as abundant as before.

An indescribable surge of wild joy flooded his heart like a tide.

Finally... I broke through!

Honestly, this breakthrough had taken a little longer than he had expected.

The max-level Heavy Sword Instruction was indeed far more efficient for cultivation than before. With pills and Spirit Cuisine to aid him, he had already reached the bottleneck to Mid-stage Qi Refining ten days ago.

As it happened, Lu Yang's Universal Experience had accumulated to a thousand points that very day.

He had chosen to upgrade his Spirit Root immediately, raising it to high-grade!

The stronger the Spirit Root, the thinner the bottleneck to a breakthrough. After his Spirit Root was upgraded, Lu Yang had distinctly felt the bottleneck grow much thinner.

Thus, he had spent only ten days refining his cultivation and assaulting the bottleneck before breaking through it!

He let out a long breath of turbid air that had accumulated in his chest, feeling indescribably refreshed all over.

He stood up and stretched comfortably, his bones cracking crisply.

Then Lu Yang walked over to the window and pushed it open.

At once, a breeze carrying the fresh scent of mountain vegetation brushed his face, bringing a trace of coolness.

Lu Yang felt his spirits lift at once, his mind clear and refreshed.

He gazed into the distance, where a sea of clouds rolled and drifted between the peaks.

Distant mountains appeared and vanished amid the mist, while golden sunlight spilled over the clouds, gilding them with brilliant rosy light.

Looking at the magnificent scenery, Lu Yang felt an unreal sense that a lifetime had passed.

A month ago, he had still been sick with worry and unable to eat or sleep over failing the assessment and being reduced to a menial disciple.

Yet in just one month, he had broken through the bottleneck and become a Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator!

A heroic spirit welled up in his chest and soared straight into the clouds.

The sky was high, the sea vast, and the future full of promise!

Perhaps because the great stone weighing on his heart had finally fallen, the irritation that had long built up inside Lu Yang was swept away, and his state of mind became much more open.

Looking again at the scenery outside the window that he had seen countless times before, he found it more beautiful and moving than on any previous day.

He quietly admired the changing sea of clouds among the mountains for a while. Then he withdrew his gaze, turned, and left his residence.

He planned to go to the assessment office.

Within the lodging area for entry-level disciples was a place specifically responsible for disciple assessments.

According to sect rules, once disciples broke through to Mid-stage Qi Refining, they could go to the assessment office and take the advancement assessment.

Once they passed, they could transform from entry-level disciples into true outer sect disciples.

Only from that moment onward would they be considered disciples truly acknowledged by the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect.