I Know You're Anxious, but Don't Rush

At Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, Fang Qing began cultivating by popping elixirs.

The earliest stages of cultivation seemed difficult to get into, but once one got started, they became simple.

Every day, aside from reading the Dao Scripture, Fang Qing refined rare treasures such as Hundred Herb Liquid, turning them into the power he needed to open up his Bitter Sea.

The more his Bitter Sea was opened up, the faster he would reach the Life Spring realm. It was a process that could not be rushed.

Fang Qing was not in a hurry, but Pang Bo was growing anxious.

They had all arrived together. Fang Qing had already begun cultivating, while he was still studying the Dao Scripture. The gap between them was simply too great.

Though he did not want to compare himself too much with others, he did not want to fall too far behind either.

So Pang Bo began studying with determination.

Whether it was day or night, Pang Bo read.

"I wasn't even this diligent when I was in school!"

Pang Bo sighed heavily as he read.

"Endure the hardship for now, and things will get better. You don't want Brother Fang to be flying already while you still haven't finished reading the Dao Scripture, do you?"

Ye Fan progressed very quickly. He studied day and night as well, learning far faster than Pang Bo.

The Dao Scripture was only a few thousand characters long. In a few more days, he would probably understand it completely and begin cultivating.

"Pang Bo, you still have to suffer a little in the beginning."

Fang Qing ended his cultivation for the day, stood up, and paced a few steps before smiling at Pang Bo. "Once you get through the early hardships, you'll see how wonderful it is. The more you cultivate, the sharper your mind and memory become. You'll be able to remember anything at a glance. As for this Dao Scripture, I can already recite it backward without a mistake."

As he spoke, Fang Qing truly began from the end of the Dao Scripture and recited several hundred characters backward.

Pang Bo and Ye Fan checked carefully and found that he really could recite it backward flawlessly, without getting even a single character wrong.

The two were stunned once again.

They knew Fang Qing had a good memory, but surely it could not be this good.

Even for poems and ancient texts they had studied in the past, including the Chu Shi Biao, though they had memorized them, they could not recite them backward fluently.

They could not even remember the final character of the ending off the top of their heads.

Yet Fang Qing could recite the Dao Scripture backward. It was utterly monstrous.

"Brother Fang, once your Cultivation Level reaches great success, you have to give me a few Saintesses and Xian maidens."

Pang Bo chuckled.

"Sure."

Fang Qing smiled as well.

The three talked until midnight. Bright Moon hung high in the sky, its pure radiance spilling down like rippling water and seeming to drape the earth in a thin veil.

The three looked toward the Starry Sky. The stars here were completely different from those on Earth. No matter how they looked, they could not see any familiar constellations or the familiar Starry Sky.

They had come to the Other Shore of the Starry Sky. The past was simply too distant to be found again.

"When I was young, I did not know the moon, and called it a white jade plate."

"People have joys and sorrows, partings and reunions; the moon has its dark and bright, full and waning phases."

"I raise my head to gaze at Bright Moon, then lower it and think of home."

In this moment, they truly understood how ancient poets had felt when writing poetry. Of course, none of them had the feeling of "When I was young, I did not know the moon, and called it a white jade plate."

Comparing the moon to a white jade plate was something only a wealthy young master like Li Taibai could have thought of. Ordinary people could at most compare the moon to a plate. Where would they get a white jade plate?

The three gazed at the moon and contemplated their thoughts, before returning to cultivation the next day.

Eleven days passed in a row. Elder Wu Qingfeng took care of Fang Qing again and gave him five bottles of Hundred Herb Liquid.

Elder Wu Qingfeng watched Fang Qing's growth every day, worried that consuming too much Hundred Herb Liquid would harm his foundation.

Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened. Elder Wu Qingfeng found that Fang Qing was quite capable of absorbing Hundred Herb Liquid, and his cultivation improved greatly, which pleased him immensely.

However, one matter left Elder Wu Qingfeng somewhat regretful.

The other disciple who had arrived this time, Ye Fan, had also finished reading the Dao Scripture and could begin cultivating.

Yet Ye Fan's aptitude was actually the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body.

The Ancient Desolate Sacred Body had been praised in ancient times as an unparalleled physique, peerless throughout the ages.

In those ancient times, nine generations of such figures had appeared in succession. Every one of them had been invincible above and below heaven, shaking the ancients and dazzling the present.

If an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body had appeared in that era, it would certainly have been cultivated with everything they had, regardless of cost!

But the era had changed. Since the Ancient Desolation, over endless years, although the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body occasionally appeared in the world, it no longer possessed its former might and could no longer look down upon the heavens as it had before the Ancient Desolation.

It could even be said that the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body had become utterly ordinary in this age. It was simply unsuited to cultivation, and no one had ever succeeded in cultivating it.

"The Wheel of Life is silent, while the Bitter Sea is as solid as divine iron. It cannot be shaken or opened!"

After investigating for a long time, Elder Wu Qingfeng revealed an incredulous expression.

He tried sending his life essence into Ye Fan's Bitter Sea and striking at Ye Fan's Wheel of Life, but it remained utterly immovable.

"Elder, please help him. Give Ye Fan one more push. Maybe he'll succeed in the next moment."

Hearing that Ye Fan could not open his Bitter Sea, Pang Bo became extremely anxious.

"It is not that I refuse to help. There is truly nothing I can do. With this kind of physique, no one can guide it for him. He can only rely on himself."

Wu Qingfeng had already used all his strength to guide him, but there was still no effect whatsoever.

"How could this happen? Could you... try again?"

Pang Bo pleaded with an ingratiating smile.

"This physique was called the number one Sacred Body before the Ancient Desolation. There must be a reason for that, one beyond the understanding of people like us. I simply do not know why it can no longer display its former glory. To cultivate it, perhaps some unique method is required."

Wu Qingfeng pondered.

"Elder, you absolutely must not give up. If you manage to comprehend it, perhaps you can restore the supreme might of the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body. Then Lingxu Grotto-Heaven will surely soar to great heights and might even become a Holy Land!"

"Since he has entered Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, I will not give up on him. But how far he will ultimately go, I cannot guarantee."

Wu Qingfeng paid no attention to Pang Bo's grand promises. Having lived for most of his life, he was always the one offering others visions of a bright future; he would not be swayed by someone else's empty promises.

Still, he hoped Ye Fan could cultivate. After spending these past dozen days together, he had already discovered that Ye Fan was a promising prospect as well.

Elder Wu Qingfeng left to look through more records.

Only the three of them remained.

"Ye Zi, don't lose heart. Your Bitter Sea is tougher than other people's, so opening it may be much harder. But once you succeed, it will definitely be stronger too."

Fang Qing comforted Ye Fan.

"Thank you."

Ye Fan thanked him politely, and he was not all that dejected.

"An egg broken from the outside becomes food; an egg broken from the inside becomes life. It may sound like empty encouragement, but it can still be useful."

Fang Qing added.

"Thank you."