Gradually, he would get used to it.
As long as he could make it work once, he could do it countless times.
Qi Refining Stage Two!
Yun Shu opened the door. The night sky outside was already strewn with stars, and he stepped out.
In the Inner Sect, he had only the title of an Inner Sect Disciple. Like most Inner Sect Disciples, he had no teacher to personally instruct him.
His master was a pillar of the sect, and had always remained hidden in the Menial Disciple Area.
The Menial Disciple Area had never been a focus of attention for the other Immortal Sects. Besides, with his master's vital energy now depleted, even if experts from other sects saw his face, they might not recognize him.
Yun Shu bowed from afar in the direction of his master's residence, then headed for the Outer Sect.
"I'm here to take on some assignments," Yun Shu said.
The Fat Steward jolted awake. "What assignments?"
Then he raised his face, one side of which bore a pink mark from sleeping on it. "You're here. Didn't you join the Inner Sect? What, aren't you used to the assignments there?"
"It's not that I'm not used to them. It's just that some I can't complete, while others I have no way of completing," Yun Shu replied.
"That's more like it. What's so good about the Inner Sect? You have to face that bunch of old men all day, all with long faces. They're not easy to get along with." The Fat Steward laughed as he handed over a bamboo slip.
"Take a look. Which assignment do you want?"
"If you take a Grade A or B assignment, I can speak to the Inner Sect directly and have them give it to you. After all, some Grade A and B assignments are issued jointly by the Inner and Outer Sects." The Fat Steward leaned on the counter as he spoke.
Yun Shu nodded slightly, then slowly unrolled the bamboo slip in his hands.
Starting with Grade C, Yun Shu looked them over one by one.
"I'll take this one, this one, this one, and this one."
Yun Shu accepted five Grade C assignments in a row before finally stopping.
He had finished going through the Grade C assignments.
It wasn't that he couldn't take any more; he simply didn't have enough time.
Grade C assignments had a three-day deadline. Completing five of them in that time was already impressive.
Next came Grade B.
Yun Shu began to consider his options.
Most Grade B assignments could only be taken by cultivators at the Qi Condensation Stage. At least, from what Yun Shu could see, there were still plenty he would struggle to complete even with his current strength.
He had never tested how much stronger someone at the Qi Condensation Stage was than a Body Tempering cultivator. He would need a great deal of practice to find out.
It was even possible that Qi Condensation cultivators weren't all that much stronger than Body Tempering cultivators.
The Spiritual Energy he had just condensed wasn't necessarily much stronger than the vital energy he had honed for countless hours.
After entering Qi Refining, most of a Body Tempering cultivator's vital energy had merged into the body, forming the foundation for cultivation. But Yun Shu could still use his vital energy.
Not only could he use it, he could even unleash considerable power with it.
The Immortal Path and the Martial Path were ultimately different. Yun Shu's vital energy couldn't merge with the Immortal Path.
But he had discovered that the method his master had taught him was a way to cultivate immortality through the Martial Path.
In other words, he tempered his body with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, transforming his vital energy into Spiritual Energy.
It was an unconventional method, distinct from traditional Immortal Dao Power. But its level was roughly the same. When your punch could kill a Qi Condensation cultivator, you had reached the Martial Path equivalent of the Qi Condensation Stage.
After thinking it over, Yun Shu took three.
They were all assignments that he could accept at his current level and that offered fairly generous rewards.
"These eight?" The Fat Steward raised his brows slightly, then stared at Yun Shu in astonishment. "You've reached Qi Refining?"
Yun Shu nodded slightly.
"A genius of the Martial Path. I didn't expect you to reach Qi Refining so quickly, too. But with your Triple Spiritual Root aptitude, you may run into obstacles on the Immortal Path." The Fat Steward sighed.
Yun Shu smiled faintly without replying. He had heard those words countless times lately, but they still couldn't stop his headlong charge forward.
Nothing could hold back his progress.
He could still break through the Human Body Limit and enter Qi Refining in a single day—and even advance further within Qi Refining, reaching the second stage.
"These eight are worth about three hundred Origin Nurturing Pills in total." The Fat Steward returned Yun Shu's Jade Token. "Good luck."
"Thanks."
Yun Shu smiled and said no more.
"Lin Yang! Senior Brother Lin! Senior Brother Lin!"
Yun Shu continued to pound on the door.
Soon, a head poked out from inside. "Junior Brother Yun?"
"Didn't you already join the Inner Sect? Why are you still..." Lin Yang's expression was complicated.
"Were you going to ask why I'm still coming to see you?" Yun Shu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I still haven't broken through to Body Tempering Stage Six." Lin Yang sighed, then opened the door wider. "Come in."
Lin Yang got dressed as he poured a cup of water and set it on the table.
"I've got some Outer Sect assignments here. Take a look first." Yun Shu dumped a pile of tokens onto the table with a clatter. "Just come with me, and I'll give you the reward for one of the assignments. It should help you break through to Body Tempering Stage Six quickly."
"Your strength is decent, and it's not easy to find people. I've always thought highly of you. The Body Refining Realm isn't easy to advance in, either. Once I've finished these assignments, I'll help you make progress." Yun Shu smiled. "And even though I've joined the Inner Sect, don't feel pressured about it."
"After all, I was stronger than you from the first time we met, so my attitude toward you has never changed."
Lin Yang: "..."
He might have been telling the truth, but hearing it out loud still hurt, didn't it?
Lin Yang even realized sadly that Yun Shu was right. From the very first time they'd gone on an assignment together, Yun Shu had acted as if it were no big deal, and he had even been stronger than Lin Yang!
Back then, it was only because of Yun Shu's strength that they had managed to get the herbs out from under the giant serpent's nose. There was no arguing with that.
For some reason, Lin Yang felt a bit of a gap opening up between them.
Was he getting farther and farther behind Yun Shu? Their strength had once been close, and even if Yun Shu was stronger, there had been a limit. Now, he was so strong it was off the charts.
But Lin Yang quickly adjusted his attitude and finished getting dressed.
"Tell me, where are we going first this time?" Lin Yang asked.
"Here." Yun Shu pointed to the first token. "I've arranged these in order. They form a loop around Myriad Sword Pavilion, so we can finish in the shortest time possible. Let's try to complete them all within half a month."
"Good. When do you want to set out?" Lin Yang looked it over, then nodded.
"Now," Yun Shu replied.
"Good!"
After settling things with Lin Yang, Yun Shu was glad his errand boy was still useful.
Dawn was breaking.
Two figures emerged from the mountains.
Yun Shu held a purple sable in his hand. A lightning-shaped mark stood out on its forehead, giving it a strikingly beautiful appearance.
Its eyes were lively, darting about like glossy grapes.
"Senior Brother, take it." Yun Shu held out the purple sable.
But Lin Yang didn't dare take it.
"J-Junior Brother Yun, is this a Demonic Transformation-level Demonic Beast? Why does it seem to have the beginnings of human consciousness?" Lin Yang asked, his voice trembling.
There was only one reason: the pressure the purple sable exerted on him was overwhelming.
When a creature's aura overwhelmed someone across the divide between species, there was only one explanation: the purple sable's strength far surpassed his own!
Even an ordinary Demonic Beast on the verge of Demonic Transformation couldn't give him such an oppressive feeling. There was no doubt about it—the purple sable before him had reached the Demonic Transformation level, on par with a Human Race cultivator at the Qi Condensation Stage!
What did the Qi Condensation Stage mean? It meant someone who could truly wield Immortal Arts.
Moreover, after undergoing Demonic Transformation, Demonic Beasts could also use some simple techniques.
"It's undergone Demonic Transformation. The sect wouldn't accept a Lightning Sable that hadn't." Yun Shu glanced at the purple sable and spoke with a hint of regret.
These purple sables were extremely hard to find, and they were incredibly fast. Even using Ghost Shadow Steps, he had almost lost track of it.
But purple sables had one distinctive trait: once they fixed their sights on someone, they would retaliate relentlessly.
After one of the purple sables doubled back to launch a sneak attack, Yun Shu finally seized his chance and captured it.
Even now, the Lightning Sable still refused to submit. It kept looking for a chance to slip away.
Lightning Sables had many uses. The most common was to skin them and use their pelts for sleeves. But such little creatures didn't yield much fur, so a large number of Lightning Sables were needed.
They could also be used for their blood, which was used to draw Talismans capable of attracting lightning.
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