Half a Year's Growth

After returning to Little Bamboo Peak, Su Changqing entered Quiet Heart Cave once more and began his secluded cultivation.

Time flew like an arrow; the sun and moon raced by like a shuttle.

Immersed in cultivation, Su Changqing felt that time galloped past like a white horse. Before he knew it, half a year had passed.

In a small room on Little Bamboo Peak, Su Changqing wore white robes as pure as snow, his hair loose around his shoulders. The entire room was filled with all kinds of manuals, each one looking rather worn from repeated reading.

He rested his chin on one hand while the other flipped through a sword manual called "Clear Wind Sword Dao," reading with great relish. Deeply absorbed, not even the slightest rustle of wind or grass around him could make him stop.

In less than half an hour, he had finished reading the entire "Clear Wind Sword Dao" and picked up another manual to continue.

You comprehended the "Clear Wind Sword Dao." Under your Unrivaled Insight, the "Clear Wind Sword Dao" was successfully deduced into the "Gale Sword Dao."

Gale Sword Dao: Of all martial arts under heaven, only speed is invincible. This sword dao focuses on swiftness like the wind. Draw the sword like a flying immortal and slay enemies in the instant before they can perceive it.

You comprehended the "Turtle Breath Technique." Under your Unrivaled Insight, the "Turtle Breath Technique" was successfully deduced into the "Heaven Concealment Method."

Heaven Concealment Method: Deceive the heavens and cross the sea, conceal your aura, and hide beneath the sky. Even great powers cannot see through your Cultivation Level. It is a supreme art of aura concealment.

You read the "Compendium of Basic Formations." Under your Unrivaled Insight, you successfully created the "Nine Star Immortal Slaying Formation."

Nine Star Immortal Slaying Formation: Borrow the nine stars of the heavens as the foundation of the formation, with mountains, rivers, sun, and moon as its formation eyes. Gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy as the force driving the formation. Once completed, it can overturn mountains and seas, its destructive power far beyond that of ordinary formations.

You read "Gu Yizi's Alchemy Notes." Under your Unrivaled Insight, you successfully created the "Spirit Fire Gathering Pill Technique."

As Su Changqing comprehended one manual after another, notification sounds of improvement continued to ring in his mind.

By evening.

Su Changqing set down the last book and rubbed his slightly sore wrist. Smiling faintly, he said, "With this, I have finally comprehended all the spell and technique manuals on the first floor of the Qingyun Sect Library."

Over the past half year, the childishness in Su Changqing's face had gradually given way to sharper features. His once obedient and adorable appearance had slowly become handsome and refined. Dressed in white and standing there, he resembled an immortal banished from the mortal world.

His appearance was not the only thing that had changed.

His Cultivation Level had risen again and again over the past half year. Just last week, he had reached the peak of the tenth level of the Qi Refining Realm, only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

This Cultivation Level had already caught up to Senior Sister Lu Xueqi, the disciple his master valued most.

He had heard that Lu Xueqi herself had only broken through and entered the Foundation Establishment Realm a few months ago!

Going from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment in half a year—he had discreetly asked Shuiyue whom such a cultivation speed could compare to.

Shuiyue had merely smiled silently before saying,

"According to the records, Patriarch Qingye also took a full ten months to advance from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, yet he became someone who changed an era. If someone truly could advance from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment in half a year, then that person would surely be destined to attain the Great Dao. However, I have never heard of anyone like that."

Su Changqing nodded in agreement.

So my cultivation speed is now even faster than Patriarch Qingye's.

If word got out, it would be utterly shocking. Both the righteous and demonic paths would likely be stunned at once, and some great powers might even come personally to capture me for research.

Fortunately, he stayed on Great Bamboo Peak every day and had learned some techniques to conceal his aura, hiding his Cultivation Level.

Whenever anyone asked, he merely brushed it off by saying that he had only recently entered the Dao, never revealing that he was already on the verge of Foundation Establishment.

Besides that, during his spare time over the past half year, he had borrowed many cultivation manuals and scriptures from the Qingyun Sect Library, learning formations, alchemy, body-tempering arts, sword dao, and more.

With Unrivaled Insight by his side, he had comprehended all of those formations, alchemy arts, and cultivation scriptures into even stronger versions.

As a result, his combat strength could not be measured against others of the same realm.

And let it not be forgotten that he cultivated the Wuji Xuanqing Dao, which was even more profound than the Taiji Xuanqing Dao. Although Su Changqing was only at the tenth level of the Qi Refining Realm, if he truly encountered Foundation Establishment cultivators, he might not be unable to exchange a few moves with them.

However, none of that could make Su Changqing stop moving forward. The most important thing now was to break through Qi Refining and reach Foundation Establishment.

"If I want to break through to Foundation Establishment, I'm afraid secluded cultivation alone won't be enough in the short term. I need to find a way to speed things up."

Su Changqing stood up, his gaze flickering as he fell into thought.

The Wuji Xuanqing Dao was far more profound and powerful than the Taiji Xuanqing Dao, but it was also more difficult to cultivate. To break through a major realm, one either had to spend more time allowing one's Cultivation Level to naturally overcome the bottleneck, or rely on a breakthrough item to directly advance.

If he wanted to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm now,

he could either wait another month or so for the bottleneck to break naturally, or find a heavenly treasure called the Desolate Immortal Orchid and use it as a medicinal catalyst to refine a Foundation Establishment pill.

Su Changqing had seen records of the Desolate Immortal Orchid in the Qingyun Sect Library. It was described as an extremely precious medicinal herb, exceptionally rare in existence.

Moreover, it could only be found in Nine Yin Mountain, a hundred li from the Qingyun Sect. Even after reaching Nine Yin Mountain, one still needed a measure of fate to find it. Those without affinity might search for half a year or even ten months without finding a single stalk.

"It has been half a year since I came up the mountain. It is time to go out and gain some experience."

Having thought it through, Su Changqing made up his mind.

At present, aside from his Cultivation Level, he had already cultivated nearly every other method to the peak he could currently attain. Rather than remain trapped in the Qi Refining Realm, unable to break through, he might as well descend the mountain and gain experience.

The next day.

Su Changqing changed into a new set of clothes. Handsome and refined, with determination in his large eyes and confidence on his face, he looked mature and steady.

He first went to the small hall on Little Bamboo Peak to find his master, Shuiyue, intending to request leave to descend the mountain for experience.

Yet when Su Changqing entered the hall, he saw only his senior sisters cultivating. Shuiyue was nowhere to be seen. Not knowing where she had gone, Su Changqing walked over to Wen Min and asked, "Senior Sister, why don't I see Master?"

"Junior Brother, Master has gone to the Sect Main Hall today on business. If you need to find Master, you can go to the Sect Main Hall."

Wen Min stared at Su Changqing in slight surprise. After recovering, she answered him seriously.

Her little junior brother usually cultivated either in Quiet Heart Cave or in his own room, so she did not see him often. But why did she sense a different change in him every time she saw him?

"Oh, thank you, Senior Sister Wen Min. I have something to discuss with Master, so I'll go find her first and won't disturb you any longer."

Having received his answer, Su Changqing quickly left. When no one was watching, he took out his Flying Sword and flew toward the Sect Main Hall.