Great Bamboo Peak.
Time slipped away silently, like sand through one's fingers.
In the blink of an eye.
Half a month had passed.
For the two greenhorns who had only just joined the sect.
These past two weeks had been the most novel experience of their lives.
By day, they battled Black Bamboo.
By night, they sat cross-legged in meditation, wrestling with Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao.
The back mountain of Great Bamboo Peak.
"Crack."
A stalk of Black Bamboo toppled over.
Lin Jingyu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his chest heaving.
He planted his hatchet in the ground and put his hands on his hips, his face brimming with pride.
It hadn't been easy.
After half a month of cultivation.
He had finally chopped through a stalk of Black Bamboo.
"Phew..."
A long exhale came from nearby.
Zhang Xiaofan was panting furiously.
The Black Bamboo in front of him already had a huge notch cut into it.
He just needed to push a little harder.
Then he, too, could finish his work for the day.
"Not bad, Xiao Fan!"
"You're almost through that blasted bamboo, too."
Lin Jingyu walked over and patted Zhang Xiaofan on the shoulder.
"Still not as fast as you."
"But I feel like I've gotten quite a bit stronger."
Zhang Xiaofan scratched his head, wearing his trademark, honest grin.
Nearby.
Ye Xuan lay on a branch, still chewing on a twig.
Hearing the two little ones talking.
He couldn't help but curl his lip.
Getting stronger?
Wasn't that only natural?
After the two little ones took Marrow Cleansing Pills.
Their bodies had both improved considerably.
That made it easier for them to cultivate Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao.
Lin Jingyu in particular.
It had taken him only two days to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Now.
In just half a month.
Lin Jingyu could circulate his energy through a complete cycle.
By Ye Xuan's estimate.
At most, it would take two months.
Lin Jingyu would officially reach the Jade Purity Realm First Layer.
As for Zhang Xiaofan?
Although he couldn't match Lin Jingyu.
Compared with the Zhang Xiaofan in the original story.
The Zhang Xiaofan of today was cultivating much faster.
First.
Zhang Xiaofan had taken a Marrow Cleansing Pill.
His originally mediocre aptitude had improved greatly.
Second.
Zhang Xiaofan wasn't cultivating Great Brahma Prajna!
In the original story.
The reason Zhang Xiaofan's cultivation progressed so slowly was that he practiced Buddhist-Dao Dual Cultivation.
Two completely different arts clashed inside his body.
It was like two cars crashing head-on on a one-way road. How could they possibly make good time?
But things were different now.
He was cultivating only Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao.
And with that stubborn determination of his to see things through.
Zhang Xiaofan's future achievements would be limitless.
If he could maintain this attitude.
And with a senior brother like Ye Xuan.
The Zhang Xiaofan of the future would surely surpass the Gui Li of the original story.
"Seventh Senior Brother!"
Just then.
Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan had arrived beneath the tree where Ye Xuan was.
The two greeted him in unison, their manner extremely respectful.
Ever since Ye Xuan had demonstrated his "snapping bamboo with a dry twig" trick half a month ago.
In the eyes of the two little ones, their lazy Seventh Senior Brother had become a master who kept his true abilities hidden.
"Get back to practicing."
"Don't mind me."
"I'm pondering the great truths of life."
Ye Xuan waved a hand lazily.
He hadn't been idle these past two weeks, either.
Of course,
He hadn't been busy cultivating.
He'd been thinking about something.
That damn sign-in mission.
[Qingyun Sect Ancestral Hall]
Those words were like a thorn lodged in Ye Xuan's heart, impossible to pull out.
What kind of place was that?
It was a forbidden area of the Qingyun Sect!
Ordinarily, only Sect Master Daoxuan was allowed to go there and pay his respects.
Even worse.
A man known as the old gatekeeper—who was, in truth, an unparalleled powerhouse—was holed up there: Wan Jianyi.
Although Ye Xuan now had the cultivation of the Shangqing Realm, along with the Nine Heavens Divine Weapon, the Myriad Ancient Cauldron.
In front of Wan Jianyi.
Ye Xuan was still just a child who hadn't grown up.
If he sneaked over and Wan Jianyi caught him.
How was he supposed to explain himself?
Sigh!
Just thinking about it gave him a headache!
Ye Xuan rolled over, and the branch creaked.
"I need to find a way to get in openly and legitimately..."
Inside Shou Jing Hall.
The atmosphere was a little strange.
Tian Buyi sat in a Grand Tutor Chair.
He held a teacup, originally intending to maintain the dignity of the Peak Master.
But when he heard that Lin Jingyu could already circulate his energy through a complete cycle.
The corners of Tian Buyi's mouth seemed to have a mind of their own. No matter how hard he tried to suppress them, they kept curling upward.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!"
"You can circulate a full cycle after just half a month."
"Eighth, your aptitude is even better than I thought!"
"My painstaking efforts to teach you have paid off!"
Tian Buyi said "excellent" three times, then set his teacup on the table.
Beside him, Su Ru rolled her eyes at Tian Buyi.
Teaching?
Whether it was Eighth or Ninth.
Seventh had been responsible for both of their cultivation.
How could her husband say such a thing with a straight face?
"Seventh."
"You've worked hard these past two weeks, too."
"You may look lazy most of the time, but you haven't slacked off when it comes to keeping your junior brothers on track."
Tian Buyi had remembered that, too.
He hurriedly praised Ye Xuan, who was standing nearby.
Ye Xuan smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.
"Master..."
Just then.
A timid voice came from the corner.
Everyone turned to look.
Zhang Xiaofan stood there with hunched shoulders, twisting the hem of his clothes, looking uneasy.
He glanced at the spirited Lin Jingyu, then at the imposing Tian Buyi.
"I... I sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, too."
At last.
Zhang Xiaofan gritted his teeth, as if summoning all the courage he could muster.
As soon as he spoke.
The atmosphere in Shou Jing Hall fell completely silent.
The smile on Tian Buyi's face froze.
Su Ru's hand, raised to pour tea, stopped in midair.
Song Daren's mouth fell open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
Even Tian Ling'er, who had been munching on fruit nearby, stared at Zhang Xiaofan with wide eyes.
"What did you say?"
"You sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, too?"
Tian Buyi flashed over to Zhang Xiaofan's side.
He grabbed Zhang Xiaofan's wrist and placed two fingers on his pulse.
A gentle stream of spiritual energy entered his body.
A moment later.
Tian Buyi's small eyes widened until they were round as bells.
"Th-this is impossible!"
The meridians in his body were clear and unobstructed.
Although the spiritual energy wasn't as abundant as Lin Jingyu's.
There was already a trace of pure spiritual power slowly circulating inside Zhang Xiaofan.
Spirit Induction into Body!
He really had achieved Spirit Induction into Body!
Everyone had seen Zhang Xiaofan's aptitude when he joined the sect.
That really was a case of a rotten log that couldn't be carved...
Ahem, no, he was just as plain and unremarkable as they came.
By all rights,
with talent like that, it would take more than half a month.
Even sensing spiritual energy within six months would be cause for celebration.
But now...
Tian Buyi abruptly turned his head toward Ye Xuan, who was still swinging his legs on the large bluestone nearby.
The Marrow Cleansing Pill!
It had to be that Marrow Cleansing Pill!
He'd known the pill was extraordinary and could purge impurities.
But he'd never imagined its effects would be so powerful.
It had practically transformed a block of wood into a fine piece of lumber!
"Good! Excellent!"
"Heaven favors Great Bamboo Peak!"
"Who says Great Bamboo Peak only takes in good-for-nothings?"
"Anyone who dares say that again, I'll slap them silly!"
"..."
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