Night fell!
Su Yu sat cross-legged and began circulating the Purple Sun Art.
As the technique ran, wisps of pale purple Spiritual Qi seeped from the pores all over his body, slowly drifting through the Quiet Room and swirling like the mist of dawn.
Ever since he had broken through to the late stage of the first level of the Spirit Condensation Realm with the aid of a Beast Core, his cultivation had steadily improved over the past half-month, even without any deliberate training.
The doubled talent and comprehension brought by the Soul Light Orb changing from pale yellow to gold had made his cultivation speed far surpass that of ordinary people.
The third layer of the Purple Sun Art was several times more efficient than the Qi Nurturing Technique he had once practiced.
Now! Su Yu's eyes snapped open, a flash of Purple Glow flickering in his gaze before vanishing.
The spiritual power within him surged like a mighty river, finally breaking through its shackles to reach the peak of the first level of the Spirit Condensation Realm.
Without the slightest hesitation, he took a glistening white pill from the Jade Bottle: a Spirit Condensing Pill.
A faint halo flowed across the pill's surface, and it gave off a refreshing medicinal fragrance.
"The path of cultivation allows no standing still; fall behind, and you're left behind," Su Yu murmured to himself.
He knew well that in the Nine Heavens Continent, where the weak were prey to the strong, strength alone was the foundation.
To miss an opportunity—or even lose his life—out of stinginess with pills would be the height of foolishness.
The pill dissolved as soon as it entered his mouth, turning into a surging medicinal force that rushed through every limb and bone.
Su Yu felt his Sea of Consciousness roar. His spiritual sense spread outward like a tide, expanding from a radius of ten li to fifteen.
The spiritual power within him surged without pause, coursing through his meridians at more than twice its former speed.
The second level of the Spirit Condensation Realm!
The breakthrough came as naturally as water following its course, without the slightest resistance.
But before Su Yu could celebrate, he realized that the circulation path of the Purple Sun Art had suddenly changed.
The purple spiritual power within his meridians rearranged itself, forming a far more profound circuit.
The opportunity to reach the fourth layer! Su Yu's heart jolted. He immediately focused his mind and guided the flow of spiritual power with all his strength.
Purple qi blazed around him, gathering above his head into a small purple cloud before slowly sinking into his crown.
When the last wisp of purple qi returned to its place, Su Yu let out a long breath.
At that moment, the total spiritual power in his body was already comparable to that of an ordinary third-level Spirit Condensation Realm martial artist.
Even more astonishing, its purity had risen once more, and it showed faint signs of liquefying.
This was the hallmark of the fourth layer of the Purple Sun Art: spiritual qi turning to liquid.
The moon slanted westward, and Su Yu ended his cultivation and stood.
He pushed open the window, gazed at the pale light spreading across the horizon, and felt the surging power within his body.
At dawn, Su Yu stood before the mission wall in the Inner Sect Main Hall, carefully reading the Inner Sect Mission Regulations posted beside it.
The parchment was neatly written:
"All cultivation missions commissioned by outside parties must be completed and reported within sixty days of acceptance. Those who fail to return before the deadline will be deemed to have failed the mission and will have the corresponding Contribution Points deducted. Special missions are subject to separate rules."
His long fingers rested lightly on that rule as he pondered.
"Two months should be plenty of time..." Su Yu murmured.
But he had always been cautious. He knew the Nine Heavens Continent was fraught with danger, and even with his greatly increased strength, he dared not grow complacent.
After thinking for a moment, Su Yu turned and headed for the Contribution Hall.
Inside the Contribution Hall!
Su Yu's gaze swept slowly across the pills on display, pausing briefly when it passed over the Qi Condensing Pills.
The label showed a price of five hundred Contribution Points, yet the pill could only increase cultivation speed by thirty percent. He couldn't help frowning.
"Poor value for the price," he remarked softly.
Compared with such mild supplementary pills, directly refining Beast Cores was clearly more efficient.
He turned and entered the spirit weapon section, where all kinds of weapons gleamed coldly in the morning light.
Human-grade High-tier spirit weapons were priced at two thousand Contribution Points, but after trying several swords, Su Yu found they offered little improvement over his Lone Swan Sword.
I'd be better off improving my defenses.
An idea struck him, and he headed toward the armor display.
Seeing this, the attendant disciple immediately pointed to a Human-grade High-tier soft armor and recommended it enthusiastically. "Senior Brother, take a look at this. This is the Cicada Wing Armor, woven from century-old ice silkworm silk and refined black iron. It weighs no more than three jin, yet it can withstand a full-force strike from a Qi Refining Realm cultivator."
Su Yu took the silver soft armor, thin as a cicada's wing, and gave it a gentle shake in his palm. The armor rippled like water, becoming almost transparent.
He channeled a wisp of spiritual power into it to test it and found that it could dissipate thirty percent of even a Spirit Condensation Realm attack.
"Just what I wanted."
Su Yu immediately spent two thousand Contribution Points.
This armor could be worn close to the body without hindering movement, while providing an extra measure of safety.
With his remaining three thousand Contribution Points, he exchanged them all for ten Body Tempering Pills.
The pale golden pills gave off a faint medicinal fragrance, and each one cost three hundred Contribution Points.
Su Yu knew his own shortcomings well.
Although his strength had reached fourteen thousand jin after breaking through to the second level of the Spirit Condensation Realm last night, he was still far from the realm's limit of fifty thousand jin.
These Body Tempering Pills should be enough to take his physique to another level.
Su Yu had just stepped out of the Contribution Hall when he ran into a familiar figure.
Shen Feng stood at the foot of the steps, looking hesitant. In the end, he clasped his hands and said, "Junior Brother Su, about yesterday... I hope you can forgive me."
He had made a point of asking around about the young man's background.
Less than three months after joining the sect, Su Yu had claimed the top spot on the outer sect rankings. Grand Elder Mo Yuan had personally brought him into the inner sect, and word was that even the Disciplinary Elder had summoned him.
Such talent and potential had kept Shen Feng tossing and turning all night. In the end, he decided to apologize in person.
He hadn't expected to run into Su Yu here today.
"Yesterday?" Su Yu looked puzzled.
"Did something happen?"
"Ah... No, no, nothing!"
Seeing that Su Yu held no grudge at all, Shen Feng immediately relaxed and hurriedly smiled. "If you ever need anything, Junior Brother, just come to me."
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Su Yu gave a slight nod and walked past him.
Before you continue