Cold sweat no longer beaded finely but rolled down in great drops, soaking his clothes.
Gu Shao'an clenched his teeth, doing his utmost to circulate his inner force.
It was like dropping anchor chains amid raging waves, desperately holding on to that last shred of mental clarity.
And amid this excruciating pain, changes quietly began taking place within Gu Shao'an's body.
Within his dantian, Gu Shao'an's Original Inner Force was continuously strengthened by the medicinal effects.
As his foundation grew stronger, the amount of inner force in Gu Shao'an's body also rose with the tide.
Further refining and absorbing the medicinal power within his body.
Not until a quarter of an hour later—half an hour later—was the Bodhi Exquisite Pill's medicinal power completely consumed by Gu Shao'an.
In its place, vigorous energy surged through his body.
The most obvious change was in Gu Shao'an's inner force.
If the source of inner force within Gu Shao'an's body had previously been no larger than a fingernail,
then now, that source of inner force had grown to the size of an apple.
With the substantial increase in his inner force source, the inner force in Gu Shao'an's body had changed from a thin stream of water into a gently flowing brook.
Mobilizing his inner force, Gu Shao'an lightly tapped the ground with one foot. His body rose silently like a bird, then leaped over two zhang away.
It truly demonstrated what it meant to be as light as a swallow.
Watching Gu Shao'an adapt to and test the changes in his body within the courtyard, Miejue's eyes were filled with amusement.
Although Bone Structure was the foundation that determined the speed at which a martial artist cultivated internal arts, it was not the only measure.
A martial artist's Bone Structure and comprehension complemented each other. Exceptional comprehension could also accelerate one's understanding of internal arts, making one's cultivation and inner force purer and naturally more powerful.
Gu Shao'an had only just begun cultivating, yet he already had the Bodhi Exquisite Pill to solidify his foundation.
Combined with Gu Shao'an's extraordinary comprehension, so long as he remained diligent and swiftly cultivated the Emei Nine Yang Skill to a profound level, he could likewise rank among the Heavenly Prides.
As she watched, Miejue suddenly thought of the Heavenly Sword.
And of the secret within the Heavenly Sword, one she had still been unable to unravel.
"I wonder whether the secret contained within the Heavenly Sword could help Shao'an. If it holds more profound martial arts or medicines, then under Shao'an's leadership, Emei may well become the next Wudang and shake the world."
Her thoughts turning, Miejue sighed softly.
One gained Shu and desired Long; human hearts were greedy. When it came to the Emei Sect, even Miejue could not escape such worldly desires.
Pushing aside those thoughts, Miejue looked at Gu Shao'an again.
But perhaps her obsession with the Heavenly Sword ran too deep.
Miejue actually began to imagine, without realizing it, that what Gu Shao'an held was not the Chengxin Sword, but the Heavenly Sword being held in Wudang's True Martial Grand Hall.
She felt that only a sect-protecting divine weapon of Emei like the Heavenly Sword was worthy of her incomparably gifted disciple.
But as she watched, an idea suddenly flashed through Miejue's mind.
The instant that thought surfaced, Miejue suddenly shuddered.
As though she had thought of something, excitement abruptly appeared on her face.
Gu Shao'an noticed none of Miejue's changes. His attention remained focused on the changes in his strength.
After a while, following a round of testing, Gu Shao'an had roughly grasped the changes brought by his inner force.
It was no exaggeration to say that the increase in inner force had greatly enhanced the power of every martial skill Gu Shao'an used.
Take Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon, for example.
When Gu Shao'an had previously used Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon, it had been agile, but it had been far from allowing him to move as lightly as a swallow, crossing more than two zhang with a single light leap.
Likewise, as his foundation grew and his cultivation became deeper, martial skills such as Willow Leaf Swordplay and Sunset Swordplay could also become much more powerful in Gu Shao'an's hands.
Furthermore, his muscles and bones had improved, increasing his strength by thirty percent. If Gu Shao'an faced that one-eyed Third Leader from yesterday again, he could take him down in five moves at most, even using only Sunset Swordplay.
"I've grown stronger, but my hair is still as thick as ever."
Feeling the changes brought by his improved cultivation, a satisfied smile could not help appearing on Gu Shao'an's face.
After testing each of his martial arts in turn, Gu Shao'an finally sheathed his sword, returned to Miejue's side, and bowed sincerely. "Thank you, Master."
Miejue smiled and straightened Gu Shao'an's body. "Why be so formal between master and disciple? Still, your current improvement was ultimately gained through external means. You must not slack off in the future."
Gu Shao'an nodded. "This disciple will certainly work twice as hard and not disappoint Master's great expectations."
"Good!"
Miejue nodded with a smile. The more she looked at Gu Shao'an, the more pleasing and satisfactory she found him.
Watching the smiling Miejue and recalling the events of the past few days, Zhou Zhiruo could not help letting out a sigh of relief. "We can finally return to Emei."
But just as Zhou Zhiruo finished speaking, Miejue shook her head. "The plan has changed. We won't return to Emei for now. We're going to Wudang."
"Wudang?"
Not only Zhou Zhiruo—even Gu Shao'an was startled by Miejue's words.
Miejue replied in a firm tone, "That's right. Wudang. We're taking back what rightfully belongs to Emei."
As she spoke, Miejue turned to look in Wudang's direction.
"Zhang Sanfeng, your strength is indeed extraordinary, and I, Miejue, admit that I am inferior. But among your Wudang's third-generation disciples, who could possibly compare to my disciple, Miejue's?"
As though she had thought of something, a smug smile unconsciously curled at Miejue's lips.
Even the gloom left by yesterday's events was swept away by more than half.
The Mountain Bandits of Blackwood Mountain had all been exterminated, but there were still many matters to handle afterward.
Whether it was notifying the authorities or settling the women brought out of the bandits' den, everything required time.
Throughout the process, Miejue kept Gu Shao'an and Zhou Zhiruo with her, occasionally offering guidance so they would know how to handle similar matters should they encounter them in the future.
Only after these matters had been initially dealt with did Miejue, Gu Shao'an, and the others set off toward Wudang.
Five days later.
Outside White Dragon Mountain.
Inside the carriage, Gu Shao'an sat cross-legged.
His gentle inner force continuously circulated through his body.
As his inner force source grew stronger, the formidable aspects of the Emei Nine Yang Skill began to reveal themselves.
Whenever Gu Shao'an circulated his inner force, after the gently flowing energy passed through his meridians, several wisps would always lag behind, as though tidying up after it, soothing the meridians along the way.
It was enough to extend Gu Shao'an's daily cultivation time by nearly an hour.
Fortunately, Gu Shao'an's Willow Leaf Swordplay had now reached the "smooth and effortless" realm, so he no longer needed to practice as tirelessly as before.
Otherwise, he would have had no choice but to push back the time he spent training martial skills to make room for cultivating internal arts.
This was a problem every martial artist had to face.
And from this, Gu Shao'an also understood why the Mount Hua Sect's Sword School and Qi School, both originally part of Mount Hua decades ago, had come into conflict over sword and qi.
There truly was not enough time.
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