As Simple as Breathing

The moment that sword was mentioned, the hall fell silent for a few breaths.

In the end, it was Sect Leader Xiang Yan who spoke first:

"Who can say for sure whether she'll earn its recognition?"

"When her cultivation reaches the First Realm, we'll know."

"But regardless, taking in a new disciple with a Profound Yin Physique is indeed a blessing for our Dao Sect."

"Our Junior Uncle has always kept to himself, wandering the mountains for years—finally, he's done something practical."

At the mention of Junior Uncle, everyone wore a mix of helpless and amused expressions.

Ninth Elder Nangong Yue spoke up then: "Since this Han Shuangjiang has a Profound Yin Physique, what about this Chu Huai Xu who came up the mountain with her?"

At that, all eyes turned sharply to Li Chunsong, brimming with curiosity.

For this boy to be chosen alongside a Profound Yin Physique by Junior Uncle, he must have something extraordinary about him.

Fifth Elder Zhao Shuqi urged him on: "Sixth Junior Brother, stop dragging it out. We're not buying your act—spit it out!"

Li Chunsong, standing in the center of the hall, opened his mouth as if to speak, then only sighed and raised a hand:

"Him? Let's not even talk about him! Let's not!"

Everyone exchanged glances, looking at each other in confusion.

Great Elder Lu Pan furrowed his brow, deepening the lines on his forehead, and said with displeasure: "Old Six, if you're told to speak, then speak!"

Among all the senior brothers and sisters, only Junior Sister Chu Yinyin wasn't afraid of Big Senior Brother Lu Pan. Even Second Senior Brother Xiang Yan, now Sect Leader, feared him deep down.

Li Chunsong immediately forced a smile, rubbing his hands together: "Big Senior Brother, it's not that I don't want to tell you. Really. There's nowhere to start!"

"Anyway, from what I can see now, he should be a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus." The Sixth Elder spread his hands.

"What do you mean 'should be'?" Lu Pan's brow stayed tight. Ever serious and meticulous, he was far from satisfied with such an unclear answer.

"Because I have no idea why Junior Uncle sent a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus up the mountain. And you haven't seen this kid—let me tell you, he's handsome as hell, and tall too." Li Chunsong squinted, as if revealing some earth-shattering secret.

"What?!" The assembled Dao Sect bigwigs were genuinely startled.

The reason was simple: they all knew their Junior Uncle too well.

Junior Uncle had many little flaws.

One of them was jealousy!

He was short, plain-looking, yet fancied himself a romantic.

He disliked men who were too handsome, especially tall and handsome ones.

Why had Sect Leader Xiang Yan been so favored by Junior Uncle back then?

In private, they'd speculated—Second Senior Brother was ugly as sin and bald to boot. Those were definitely plus points.

Under those circumstances, for Chu Huai Xu—a mere Pseudo-Spirit Fetus—to still be chosen by Junior Uncle, he must have something astonishing about him!

Just for that, their curiosity and attention toward Chu Huai Xu quietly surpassed even Han Shuangjiang and her Profound Yin Physique!

Sect Leader Xiang Yan asked with concern: "You've handled all the entry procedures, right? And chosen an Aperture Opening Stage technique?"

Nangong Yue added from the side: "For a Profound Yin Physique, I recall the best match is the 'Ice Purity Art,' isn't it?"

Li Chunsong waved a hand, a bit helpless: "Do you think I wouldn't know to pick the 'Ice Purity Art'? Such a small matter, I've handled it properly. Rest assured."

"But as for this Chu Huai Xu, I doubt any of you could recommend something either?" He raised an eyebrow.

No one could argue with that.

A Pseudo-Spirit Fetus—whatever you pick is the same.

Even if Junior Uncle came, he'd be at a loss.

Too hard. This problem was too hard!

"Ahem, it's just the Aperture Opening Stage—no harm done. When he formally steps through the gate of cultivation and charges into the First Realm, we'll discuss it thoroughly and pick a new Cultivation Technique for him." Xiang Yan's words settled the matter.

At that, everyone nodded in agreement.

Seeing the groundwork laid, Li Chunsong started rubbing his hands again in the center of the hall.

"I reckon they're already in their rooms cultivating by now."

"Since everyone seems in good spirits today—Small bets are for fun—how about we wager on something?" He rubbed his hands even harder.

Enforcement Elder Lu Pan immediately snorted: "Sixth Elder, a nation has its laws, a sect has its rules. Our Dao Sect has never encouraged such behavior. Sect rule number seventeen: privately setting up a gambling ring fines one hundred silver; any participant fines fifty."

"Don't break the rules!"

Sixth Elder Li Chunsong grinned at once: "I understand, I understand."

With that, he pulled a hundred-tael silver note from his Storage Token, walked over to Lu Pan, and offered it with both hands.

The Enforcement Elder stared at him sternly, then swept his gaze across everyone in the hall.

One by one, silver notes were drawn from Storage Tokens, wrapped in spiritual energy, and floated onto his table.

Now it was everyone else's turn to stare at him.

Lu Pan remained solemn, unmoving as a mountain.

In the end, it was Ninth Elder Nangong Yue who gave him an out: "Oh, Senior Brother, don't be such a killjoy. It's rare we're all in high spirits today—join in a little."

The Enforcement Elder, with deep frown lines etched into his face, let out another snort, slapped a banknote onto the table—smack!—and said, "Last time!"

Inside the Dao Sect's main hall, Li Chunsong started the proposal: "How about we bet on how long it takes them to open their first acupoint?"

Zhao Shuqi waved a hand dismissively: "What's there to bet on? Han Shuangjiang has a Profound Yin Physique. She just needs to circulate the Ice Purity Art through her body once, and she'll open the acupoint naturally."

"Right, with her physique, it's like having all nine acupoints open from birth. Now it's just a matter of clearing out some bodily impurities. Her acupoints are practically nonexistent," Nangong Yue added.

"Betting on her is no fun." Li Chunsong started rubbing his hands again, his face even flushing slightly. "If we're betting, let's bet on the Pseudo-Spirit Fetus!"

At that, everyone exchanged glances.

Hiss! A Pseudo-Spirit Fetus—that really was anyone's guess.

"So how do you want to bet?" Zhao Shuqi asked.

"Three days as the limit?" Li Chunsong suggested.

"Fine, I bet he breaks through the first acupoint within three days!" Xiang Yan spoke up first.

"I'll bet within three days too."

"Count me in."

"Three days should be enough," even Lu Pan said.

Now Li Chunsong was panicking.

I wanted to bet on within three days too!

"No! He's a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus! Breaking the first acupoint within ten days would be impressive, and that's only with body refinement. Why are you all betting on three days?" He was getting flustered.

"Because he's the one Junior Uncle chose," Nangong Yue replied matter-of-factly.

"Exactly, exactly!" Zhao Shuqi chimed in.

Seeing Li Chunsong at a loss for words, they asked with a grin, "You weren't planning to bet on three days too, were you?"

"What else?" Li Chunsong was genuinely speechless.

Xiang Yan, that ugly bald head, suddenly had a bright idea and asked, "Sixth Junior Brother, how long did it take you to break through your first acupoint back then?"

Li Chunsong lifted his chin: "I may not have a top-tier spirit fetus like the Profound Yin Physique, but I was born with all nine acupoints open. Naturally, it only took one circulation of my technique."

"Then why not have a little more faith in Chu Huai Xu?" Xiang Yan said in his grating voice.

Hearing this, Li Chunsong's gambling addiction flared up.

—There's no kid crying every day!

I refuse to believe it! Every time I think fortune favors the bold, it's this hard to come by!

"Junior Uncle, bless me," he muttered inwardly.

This guy, known among players as the Charitable Gambling King, flushed even redder: "I bet he opens the acupoint with a single circulation of his technique!"

Everyone laughed in unison and bet against him.

As mentioned before, the Aperture Opening Stage, full name Aperture Forging Body Stage.

Take that Xue Hu, whom Chu Huai Xu killed with one slash—why is it said that a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus only has the path of body refinement?

Because even if someone with a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus spends money to buy an Aperture Opening Pill and takes it, they still need to constantly temper their body through external force.

Those with a true spirit fetus absorb the pill's effects, spreading it to their limbs and bones.

No body refinement needed—just popping pills makes them stronger.

A Pseudo-Spirit Fetus can't spread the Aperture Opening Pill's effects throughout the body, so they rely on body refinement for external stimulation.

This process is painful and torturous.

Most people can't even stick to daily exercise, let alone the excruciating pain of body refinement.

Even worse, many with a Pseudo-Spirit Fetus spend a fortune on Aperture Opening Pills, take them, and persist with daily body refinement, only to maybe open two or three acupoints in the end.

After all that effort, they're just a bit stronger than an ordinary person, with slightly better physical fitness.

Only by entering the First Realm does one truly become a cultivator—a world apart from mortals!

Xiang Yan, a powerhouse of the Eighth Realm, had just secretly scanned Medicine Mountain with his divine sense. He'd already detected that all nine of Chu Huai Xu's acupoints were completely blocked, sealed tight.

One circulation of the technique takes about the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Blocked that tightly—how could it open?

The bet was officially on.

The Great Cultivators in the hall spread their divine senses to perceive the current state of Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang.

"Oh, that little girl has already opened her acupoint!" Nangong Yue smiled. "Looks like she can't wait to start cultivating."

On the other side, Chu Huai Xu had just finished reading the little booklet and calmly spread out the jade slip, preparing to cultivate the Sword Refining Art.

The hall fell silent. Everyone closed their eyes, patiently sensing with their divine senses.

But not long after, they all opened their eyes at once, expressions of disbelief on their faces.

Because Chu Huai Xu's first acupoint had opened.

And it only took three breaths.