The Ever-Longer Cultivation Method (8,000)

Yun Zihai originally wanted to rest, but after seeing Xu Bai do this, he was stunned.

He stretched out his hand and gestured across his neck; anyone could understand this gesture.

To kill and silence witnesses.

"Brother Xu, you're not going to just kill him, are you?" Yun Zihai asked instinctively.

"Otherwise what?" Xu Bai cracked his knuckles. "Are we just going to wait for him to return to the Imperial Palace with hatred in his heart, and then exaggerate our actions to the Seventh Prince?"

"But he is ultimately the Seventh Prince's man. If he dies in Yunlai Prefecture, it could cause a lot of trouble." Yun Zihai pondered for a moment, still somewhat disagreeing.

This fellow named Zhang Wang came to Yunlai Prefecture on the orders of the Seventh Prince Seventh Prince, who knew his background.

If he dies here, it will definitely arouse suspicion, and no matter how clean the process is, there won't be a good reason.

If the Seventh Prince were to use some underhanded tricks or schemes, they would really have a hard time dealing with it.

Of course, Yun Zihai wasn't afraid; he just felt there was no need to invite trouble unnecessarily.

"Who says there isn't a legitimate reason? Think carefully, who are we dealing with right now?" Xu Bai said pointedly.

Yun Zihai was slightly taken aback, then quickly realized. "I see. Brother Xu means to blame everything on Dark Building."

"I didn't say that, and I didn't touch him. He died at the hands of the Dark Building on his way back. It has nothing to do with us." Brother Xu shrugged, indicating that it was none of his business.

"I didn't hear or see anything either. It's getting late, I need to go back to the backyard to rest. Didn't you say you wanted to go shopping? Then take your time." Yun Zihai was quite knowledgeable about this business. He stretched, yawned, and immediately became sleepy before heading towards the backyard.

Xu Bai watched Yun Zihai's departing figure until Yun Zihai disappeared, then walked out of the Prefectural Office with a smile.

This person cannot be allowed to live, and absolutely cannot be allowed to leave Yunlai Prefecture alive; he must die here.

He came with the intention of giving Xu Bai a hard time, making Xu Bai travel a long way to see him, but now he has been severely punished by Yun Zihai.

At this moment, he must be furious. Once he returns to the Imperial Palace, he can fabricate whatever he wants, and then the blame will fall on Xu Bai.

Most importantly, there's no point in keeping someone like that around.

Suburbs.

Zhang Wang was currently heading towards Shadow Courier Station.

As he hurried along, his expression was particularly ferocious, and he would mutter to himself from time to time.

"Two vile women! They don't even respect me. I am the Seventh Prince's woman."

"You really think you're something special. This is your territory now. Once I get back to the Imperial Palace, I'll teach you a lesson."

"I'll go back and tell the Seventh Prince that you look down on him. Given Seventh Prince personality, he'll definitely make you pay the price."

After thinking about it for a while, Zhang Wang felt a little better. Although he still felt a bit annoyed, it was still better than the feeling he had just experienced.

The scenery around him was rushing past, and all he wanted to do was run to the Shadow Courier Station to replenish his energy, and then immediately return to the Imperial Palace to embellish the story and spread the word.

The surrounding woods were dense and lush, and as he ran, a cool breeze blew by, which was refreshing and dispelled the anger in Zhang Wang's heart.

As he ran, Zhang Wang even imagined in his mind that the two of them would definitely not have a good ending.

As he was running, he suddenly stopped, sensing that something was amiss.

A sound of footsteps echoed through the dense woods, passing him and approaching.

Ahead, on that wide strip of dirt, Xu Bai's figure flashed by and stopped in place.

Zhang Wang reacted quickly. When he saw the young man in front of him, he drew his giant hammer from his waist, stared at him warily, and did not make a move.

For some reason, when this young man appeared in front of him, he felt a faint sense of oppression. This oppression appeared inexplicably, like a heavy stone pressing on his heart.

He was a sixth-rank master. Although he wasn't famous in the martial arts world, he was at least well-known. The giant hammer in his hand was stained with a lot of blood.

In other words, he came from real combat experience and had killed quite a few people, so he could feel what that sense of oppression was.

This young man is terrifying; he exudes a chilling killing intent that seems to emanate unexpectedly.

And this kind of carelessness is the most deadly.

He had seen similar situations with some people before, people who were so terrifying that he avoided them like the plague.

"Who are you, and why are you blocking my way?" Zhang Wang thought for a moment, then decided to ask first.

"Me? I'm Xu Bai. I heard you were looking for me. I was resting at the Prefectural Office when Lord Yun came over and told me about this. I thought I couldn't let the Seventh Prince's people be wronged, so I quickly came after him." Xu Bai acted very kindly and patiently explained, as if he didn't want to offend anyone.

Zhang Wang was completely stunned on the spot.

This truly illustrates the saying, "The flowers you carefully plant may not bloom, while the willows you plant unintentionally may thrive."

He went through all sorts of hardships just to see Xu Bai, but he didn't get to see him and was even punished. But unexpectedly, he ran into Xu Bai on his way back.

Moreover, judging from Xu Bai's expression, he didn't seem to want to antagonize him; on the contrary, he was very friendly and wanted to befriend him.

Sometimes, the more friendly you act, the more the other person thinks you're easy to bully.

Just like now, Zhang Wang was certain that Xu Bai would not antagonize him, so he became somewhat arrogant.

"So you're Xu Bai. I've been looking for you for ages and even got a beating. Do you know how angry you've really been today?" Zhang Wang's tone became extremely fierce as he pointed at Xu Bai, almost ready to unleash a torrent of curses.

"Brother, calm down first." Xu Bai laughed. "Let's talk business first. After we finish, you can blame me however you want. What exactly does the Seventh Prince want with me?"

Mentioning this, Zhang Wang seemed to have just remembered the important matter. He didn't want to waste any more time on nonsense and quickly got to the point.

"I've come to make you submit to the Seventh Prince."

Zhang Wang finished his sentence in a very simple way.

After Zhang Wang finished speaking, the surroundings became quiet. Xu Bai did not reply, but stared at Zhang Wang with great interest.

A gentle breeze blew through the woods, and Zhang Wang felt uneasy under Xu Bai's gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zhang Wang couldn't help but ask.

"Is that all?" Xu Bai asked.

This question was very strange, Zhang Wang was completely baffled.

Besides this, is there anything else that's important? And isn't this considered important? But since Xu Bai asked, he could only answer.

"That's right, it's about this." Zhang Wang raised his head, tilting his chin at Xu Bai with an arrogant air.

"I'm not going," Xu Bai said cheerfully.

Zhang Wang was taken aback. "What did you say?"

He wondered if he had misheard; Xu Bai had rejected him so easily.

Then, he seemed to think of something.

Both the Ninth Princess and the Sixth Prince were very optimistic about Xu Bai and even tried to win him over.

Could it be that this person is so arrogant and ignorant because of this reason?

"Boy, arrogance is no good. Do you know that things are different now? His Majesty has lifted the original restrictions on the royal family, and it's not limited to sixth-rank experts anymore." Zhang Wang said with a disdainful look, "You should know your own status and not think too highly of yourself."

In his view, since His Majesty the Emperor had opened up new conditions for the royal family, some of the original rules were no longer applicable.

Some people are like that; they always feel like they're in high demand.

"It's your good fortune to be favored by the royal family. Don't be so arrogant." Zhang Wang continued disdainfully, "For someone like you, being able to curry favor with the royal family is a golden opportunity to rise to the top. Don't be so ungrateful."

As he spoke, he looked disgusted, as if he really disliked Xu Bai, who was asking for exorbitant prices.

Xu Bai stroked his chin. "I thought it was something serious, but it turns out it's this. Okay, I understand."

These words were spoken so casually, as if it were a trivial matter.

"You know?" Zhang Wang was taken aback. "Give me a straight answer, will you agree or not?"

Xu Bai Zhang Wang at Zhang Wang strangely. "Why should I talk about these things with someone who is about to die?"

A person who is about to die?

Zhang Wang's expression became even more blank, but he quickly realized what was happening and a sense of crisis rose in his heart.

Does this mean the other party wants to kill him?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he noticed that Xu Bai opposite him was walking with strange steps, exuding a murderous aura.

"If you had spoken politely, I would have let you go back alive, but you insisted on courting death."

A voice reached Zhang Wang's ears, and then he saw that Xu Bai had already arrived.

He was, after all, a sixth-rank expert, and his reaction was quite fast.

Zhang Wang almost instantly raised the giant hammer in his hand, blocking it at his chest, while his eyes were fixed on the long sword at Xu Bai's waist.

He knew that Xu Bai's swordsmanship was very strong.

Therefore, we are always on guard.

But the next moment, he realized he was wrong, and very wrong at that.

Xu Bai's hand emitted a dark light from his Vajra Heart Demon Body, which he pressed onto the giant hammer, producing a loud bang.

Centered on Xu Bai's hand, the force spread outwards along the giant hammer, carrying unparalleled destructive power.

"You!" Zhang Wang was utterly shocked. He looked up and stared at Xu Bai in disbelief. "You're a fifth-rank official!"

Judging from the immense power above, it was much stronger than him, and he had figured out the opponent's true strength.

Impossible, absolutely impossible! According to previous intelligence, the opponent's strength was at most a seventh-rank expert. How could he have become a fifth-rank expert in such a short time? Is he cultivating?

This is just eating and drinking! With such a rapid improvement in cultivation level, there's still time to eat and drink!

Zhang Wang felt the force of the recoil, which instantly sent him flying.

His back slammed into a big tree, but the tree couldn't stop him at all and instantly turned into a sky full of debris.

His speed did not decrease; he crashed into the large trees in the dense forest one after another, traveling nearly a hundred meters before finally stopping.

This dense forest was instantly cleared out, leaving a terrifying area. The destructive power of a fifth-grade expert was already clearly demonstrated.

"Puff!"

Zhang Wang spat out a mouthful of blood, and retreated in terror as he watched Xu Bai approach.

But he is now seriously injured, his legs are weak, and he can't even stand up.

"Don't kill me! I'm the Seventh Prince's man!" Zhang Wang stared at Xu Bai with a face full of fear, and could only beg for mercy, even bringing up the Seventh Prince: "If you kill me, you will offend the Seventh Prince."

He thought that these words would at least make the other party hesitate, allowing him to seize the time and find a way to save his life.

To his surprise, the other party showed no expression upon hearing this, but instead uttered four words that filled him with utter despair, sending a chill through his entire body.

"So what?"

These four simple words were accompanied by Xu Bai's fist, which was enveloped in dark light.

"Boom!"

The roaring sound was incessant.

This punch was powerful and heavy; everything within a hundred meters radius of Xu Bai's fist collapsed.

Zhang Wang's bones were shattered, his skin was cracked, and he had lost all signs of life.

Xu Bai shook his head, looked at the corpse in front of him, and slowly said, "In the next life, be a more low-key person."

The surrounding trees had been reduced to dust. Xu Bai yawned, cleaned up the scene, and left.

The place returned to silence; apart from the mess on the ground, there was no one else to be seen.

Upon returning to Yunlai Prefecture, they happened to encounter Yun Zihai.

"Finished with your work?" Yun Zihai coughed and asked.

He rested for a while and felt much better; unlike before, he didn't cough after saying just a few words.

Xu Bai nodded, and seeing Yun Zihai's extremely weak appearance, he frowned as if he had thought of something and said, "Your body seems to be getting weaker and weaker despite your increased strength. I've heard that your Azure Cloud Academy has a method for strengthening the body. Why don't you use it?"

The so-called Body-Strengthening Method was something Xu Bai had previously observed in Spring Flower Brush.

Finally, this exercise was combined with the Kidney Hammering Technique, becoming the Strengthening Kidney Method.

This technique was specially created by the Academy Dean for scholars. It can be learned at the sixth rank and can improve one's physical fitness.

Although it can only help one reach the sixth rank at most, it should still be useful for someone like Yun Zihai.

Upon hearing this, Yun Zihai gave a wry smile, "I know that what Brother Xu is talking about is probably the Body-Strengthening Method. Unfortunately, I have learned it, but it has no effect on me at all. I am born with a deficiency and there is no way to make up for it later."

"Was it very damaging?" Xu Bai asked.

Yun Zihai shook his head and said, "There wasn't much damage, but my body is getting worse and worse. Perhaps when I break through to the first rank, it will bring about an improvement. That's what the dean told me."

At this point, he stopped talking about the topic, as if he didn't want to elaborate.

"Brother Xu, we haven't made any moves these past few days. The other side has calmed down. It seems he wants to wear us down," Yun Zihai.

The most important thing right now is to resolve the Dark Building issue; everything else can be put aside for the time being.

"Why are you panicking? There's no need to panic about this at all." Xu Bai said, "Don't forget, we can proceed as usual, as if nothing ever happened. You can also slowly manage Yunlai Prefecture, but the other side can't. Perhaps if they receive orders, they will have to take risks."

Being in the dark while we are in the light is a huge disadvantage for us, but once the enemy has even the slightest clue, the outcome could be reversed.

They only need to guard their leads; they don't need to do anything else. They can continue doing their own thing as usual and just wait patiently.

Yun Zihai continued to manage Yunlai Prefecture as usual, and Xu Bai just focused on his progress bar as usual; he didn't need to worry about anything else.

The longer the opponent drags it out, the more disadvantaged they will be.

Xu Bai was hoping they would stall for time so he could fully understand the mental cultivation manual, the Nameless Saber Scripture, and the Pottery Jar. That would make things much simpler.

Thinking about this, what Xu Bai was actually most curious about was that Pottery Jar.

Some things are like opening a blind box; the anticipation is highest when you don't know what's inside.

For example, he knew that the Nameless Saber Scripture was nothing special and that he just needed to keep grinding, but he didn't know what the Pottery Jar was, so he became even more curious.

"It's nothing, I'll be going now. Don't worry too much, just keep things running as usual." Xu Bai said, "Anyway, Chu Yu and I are here, we can help you if anything happens, why are you worrying so much?"

"I understand," Yun Zihai.

In fact, he was a carefree person, but he considered Yunlai Prefecture to be extremely important, as it was the first place he had governed autonomously.

Even a carefree person will feel nervous when doing something that is extremely important to them, and Yun Zihai is a case in point.

After chatting for a while, the two went about their business.

For the next few days, everything remained calm and there was no further news.

The Chen Family continued with their own affairs as always, without any outrageous behavior or any clues.

It was as if the other party was testing their patience, seeing who had more patience.

In the chase between hunter and prey, patience is sometimes a very important factor. Whoever has more patience may be the key to defeating the enemy.

With Xu Bai's words from last time in mind, Yun Zihai gradually began to relax.

Meanwhile, Xu Bai continued his daily routine as usual.

In the morning, I would give Chu Yu a morning lesson. When I had nothing to do, I would hold the Gale Wind Art and work hard to improve the progress bar.

Day after day, night after night, Xu Bai's life became extremely regular.

And today, he has finally ushered in the most important moment.

—The progress bar for the Gale Wind Art is finally full!

Looking at the pale blue smoke in front of him, Xu Bai took a sip of tea.

These past few days of hard work paid off; I finally finished this book and completed another task.

After a light blue mist appeared, a line of text formed in front of him.

[You observe and comprehend the Gale Wind Art Gale Wind Art. ]

As the smoke appeared, the words gradually faded and disappeared into Xu Bai's mind.

A flood of information arrived, but this was not the end of it.

When the text disappears, new text appears.

[Mergeable options found, currently in progress.]

[Inverted Purple Firmament Chaos Yin Yang + Gale Wind Art = Inverted Purple Firmament Gale Wind Yin Yang Chaos.]

[Merger successful.]

After the text appeared, it truly disappeared, and as the text vanished, a large amount of information was absorbed into Xu Bai's mind.

No new fusion phenomena occurred. When Xu Bai had fully grasped all the information, the latest attributes appeared before him.

The next moment, the latest attribute panel appeared in front of him.

[Name: Xu Bai]

[Realm Level: Fifth Rank Loose Cultivator.]

[Severing and Rupturing Two Styles (Tier 3): Max Level.]

[Inverted Purple Firmament Gale Wind Yin Yang Chaos (Tier 5.5): Max Level.]

[Maple Leaves Like Rain (Tier 2): Max Level]

[Four-Directional Step Technique (Tier 3): Max Level.]

[Cosmic Shift (Tier 4): Max Level]

[Vajra Heart Demon Body (Tier 4); Max Level.]

[Strengthening Kidney Method (Tier 4): Max Level.]

[Hundred Poisons True Explanation (Tier 3): Max Level.]

[Comprehension (Max Level)]

Looking at the attribute panel in front of him, Xu Bai stroked his chin. He really wanted to complain about something: why was the name of this cultivation method getting longer and longer? But it was just a complaint; long as it was, the effect was still quite good.

In addition to retaining its previous characteristics, it has added a new method: transforming True Yuan Power into gale force.

Xu Bai thought for a moment, then raised his hand and waved it toward the backyard.

At this moment, he was sitting inside the house, quite a distance from the backyard.

When he waved his hand, his True Yuan Power surged rapidly, circulating within his body in a very special way.

The next moment, an invisible gale appeared, and a huge crater appeared on the ground in the backyard.

"It's quite powerful." Xu Bai withdrew his hand, feeling very satisfied.

Now that he had a ranged attack technique, he was naturally very satisfied.

Yun Zihai also heard the commotion and quickly ran to the backyard. When they saw the deep pit in the backyard, their expressions changed.

"Brother Xu, don't tell me you've mastered both of the cultivation manuals I picked out for you!" Yun Zihai exclaimed in disbelief as he ran up to Xu Bai, his face full of surprise.

Xu Bai pondered and said, "If I haven't miscalculated, I should have learned it."

Yun Zihai: "..."

Well, after spending so much time around Xu Bai, the setbacks I've experienced are pretty normal.

It can be said that you are constantly being bombarded with surprises.

In just a few days, he has comprehended the fifth-level mental cultivation technique; this is simply something no ordinary person could do.

"Brother Xu, tell me honestly, is it really not some great figure reincarnated?" Yun Zihai had this thought again. He had asked this once before, but he still wanted to ask now.

I can't not ask. At least admit it. If you admit it, I'll feel a little better.

"Sigh, Brother Yun, I understand your thoughts." Xu Bai patted Yun Zihai on the shoulder and said, "But I really am not."

Yun Zihai shuddered, took a deep breath, silently turned around, and said, "I'm going to get back to work."

These four simple words convey a sense of helplessness that is difficult to understand.

Spending so much time with Xu Bai made me forget that I was a genius.

Back in the day, I was considered a brilliant and outstanding person at the Academy.

Yun Zihai encouraged himself as he walked.

Xu Bai watched Yun Zihai's departing figure, silently took a sip of tea, and then took out the Nameless Saber Scripture that Chu Yu had given him.

Next, all that's missing is the attack method.

As for that Pottery Jar, it's strange and intriguing, but it's not very reliable. What if it produces a bad skill? Wouldn't that be a waste of time? Let's focus on getting the skills that are clear and useful first, and we can deal with the others later.

Thinking of this, Xu Bai opened the Nameless Saber Scripture and watched the progress bar slowly increase.

But after reading for less than half an incense stick's time, he suddenly put down the book and frowned.

He had been engrossed in the Liver Gale Wind Art and hadn't paid attention, but now he noticed something: why hadn't Chu Yu arrived yet? She should have brought breakfast long ago, but he hadn't seen her at all.

"That's strange. I made such a big commotion just now, but she didn't show up." Thinking of this, Xu Bai walked to the backyard and went to Chu Yu's room.

The door was tightly closed.

Xu Bai was about to raise his hand to knock on the door, but before his hand could even fall, he heard a voice from inside.

"Okay, okay, I understand."

"Don't worry, Mother, I'm doing well here, and he even gives me money to spend."

"My money? My money was all taken away by Dad. Hmm, Mom, don't worry, I will definitely study hard and help Dad after I've learned it well."

The preceding content sounds perfectly normal.

Xu Bai stood at the door, wondering if Chu Yu and her mother had some kind of remote communication method. This thought only lasted for a moment, because the next moment, Chu Yu's words made him understand why. "By the way, Mother, take good care of yourself down there. You must watch over me carefully. I will grow up."

Xu Bai: "..."

He now knows what's going on.

It turns out that Chu Yu's mother had already passed away.

Although Xu Bai wasn't exactly a good person, he still showed basic respect.

Eavesdropping at this time is not a good idea.

Thinking of this, he turned and left, heading towards his room.

What he didn't know was that right after he turned to leave, another female voice rang out in the room.

"What did you say! That old bastard Chu Sheng took all your money?"

"Has he gone too far? He even managed to fool me when he faked his death back then. I almost led the entire Ancient Moon Sword Sect to attack the Great Yue Kingdom. I haven't even settled accounts with him yet, and he still dares to take your money!"

"You wait, I'm going to find that bastard right now."

Inside the room.

Chu Yu sat on a stool, in front of her was a simple jade tablet, from which roars were being emitted.

Chu Yu was extremely flustered, not knowing where to put her hands, so she could only press them on her long, slender thighs, her fair fingers constantly fidgeting. "Mother, Father said that this is for my own good, and he also told me to come and find Xu Bai, because Xu Bai is a very good teacher."

Upon hearing Chu Yu speak, the female voice in the jade tablet paused slightly, but resumed after Chu Yu finished speaking.

"Sigh, it's all my fault. If I had stepped down as the head of the Ancient Moon Sword Sect back then, I could have spent more time with you."

There was a hint of guilt in his voice.

Chu Yu waved her hands repeatedly. "Mother, Uncle said you have something important to do, and I didn't blame you."

In some ways, Chu Yu is quite sensible and can distinguish between important and trivial matters.

"It's good that you don't blame me. I won't cause trouble for Chu Sheng. By the way, tell me about Xu Bai. I heard from Chu Sheng that this Xu Bai seems to be a rare genius."

The sound continued to come from the jade tablet.

Once this was brought up, Chu Yu started talking non-stop.

She recounted everything she knew about Xu Bai, and of course, it was all praise.

However, there's one thing I haven't mentioned yet.

It's about the emperor having someone predict Xu Bai's future, and the conclusion being that he was an exceptionally talented person.

This conversation lasted for a long time.

Chu Yu seemed to remember something, and with a cry of surprise, she stood up from her seat. "I forgot to attend the morning class today, and I also forgot to bring steamed buns."

As she spoke, she rubbed her hair in frustration, her long, black hair becoming slightly disheveled.

"Mother, I'll stop here for now, I have to go to my morning class," Chu Yu said pitifully.

There was no sound from the jade pendant.

Chu Yu had been silent ever since she started talking about Xu Bai, until now, when she spoke again.

"Then you should go quickly."

There were no excessive comments or instructions, just a simple sentence.

Chu Yu quickly agreed and prepared to disconnect from the jade pendant.

Unexpectedly, before she could close it, the jade pendant made a sound again.

"Your cousin will Yunlai Prefecture in a couple of days."

Chu Yu: "?"

"Your cousin has been at the Ancient Moon Sword Sect for a while now, and he's not too busy, so I asked him to come and keep an eye on you to prevent you from getting into any danger."

"No need," Chu Yu quickly refused. "My cousin is too boring. All he does all day is..."

But before she could finish speaking, the jade pendant stopped her.

"Didn't you say that the Ancient Moon Sword Sect was boring and you didn't want to come back? As long as you agree to this, I won't let you come back. Otherwise, I'll personally drag you back."

His words carried an undeniable air of authority.

At this point, with things already said to this extent, Chu Yu knew she couldn't escape, so she could only lower her head and agree.

The mother and daughter chatted for a while, until they stopped talking, then Chu Yu cut off the contact, opened the door, and walked towards Xu Bai's room.

When she reached the door, she realized she had forgotten to bring breakfast again. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she heard Xu Bai's voice.

"Come in. I've already asked Yun Zihai to bring breakfast. Let's eat while we serve it."

Chu Yu rolled her eyes and quietly entered the room, where she found a breakfast on the table.

After all that fuss, she was hungry, so she quickly went to Xu Bai and started eating in no time.

Xu Bai didn't say anything about this, and while Chu Yu was eating, he taught her.

As for what he overheard outside the room, he didn't ask any further questions. Since the other person had lost their mother, this matter couldn't be mentioned; mentioning it would be like reopening someone's wounds.

The teaching proceeded smoothly and soon came to an end.

Xu Bai picked up the Nameless Saber Scripture on the table again and began to read it carefully. While reading, he added, "Go back and think carefully about today's lesson."

Chu Yu readily agreed, wiped the stains from the corner of her mouth, and prepared to go out.

Unexpectedly, before she even reached the door, she saw Yun Zihai hurriedly walk into the house.

"Brother Xu, I have news." Yun Zihai said after entering the room.

Is there something wrong with the book review section? I can see your posts in the backend, but they're not in the book club.