Who Could Possibly Compare to My Emei Disciple?

The cold sweat was no longer fine beads. Great drops rolled down, soaking his clothes.

Gu Shaoan clenched his teeth and desperately circulated his internal power.

It was like dropping an anchor amid raging waves, gripping tightly to that one foundation that kept his mind from falling into disorder.

It was amid this excruciating pain that changes quietly took place within Gu Shaoan's body.

In his Dantian, Gu Shaoan's Origin Internal Power continued to grow stronger under the nourishment of the medicine's effects.

As his Origin Internal Power strengthened, the amount of internal power in Gu Shaoan's body rose accordingly.

It further refined and devoured the medicinal power within his body.

It was not until half an hour later that Gu Shaoan finally consumed all the power of the Bodhi Exquisite Pill.

In its place, vigorous energy surged through his body.

The most obvious change was in Gu Shaoan's internal power.

Previously, the source of Gu Shaoan's internal power had been no larger than a fingernail.

Now, however, that source of internal power had grown to the size of an apple.

With the source of his internal power greatly increased, the power in Gu Shaoan's body had changed from a thin stream into the gently flowing creek it was now.

Gu Shaoan mobilized his internal power and lightly tapped one foot against the ground. His body rose silently like a flying bird, then leaped more than two zhang away.

It truly embodied the meaning of being as light as a swallow.

Watching Gu Shaoan adapt to and test the changes in his body in the courtyard, Miejue smiled.

Although a martial artist's constitution was the foundation that determined the speed of their internal cultivation, it was not the only measure.

A martial artist's constitution and comprehension complemented each other. Outstanding comprehension could also accelerate their understanding of internal cultivation, making their strength and internal power purer and naturally more powerful.

Gu Shaoan had only just begun cultivating, yet the Bodhi Exquisite Pill had already laid a solid foundation for him.

Combined with Gu Shaoan's extraordinary comprehension, as long as he continued working hard and cultivated the Emei Nine Yangs Technique to a profound level as soon as possible, he could still rank among the Heavenly Prodigies.

As she watched, Miejue suddenly thought of the Heavenly Sword.

And of the secrets within the Heavenly Sword that she still had yet to unravel.

I wonder whether the secret hidden inside the Heavenly Sword would help Shaoan. If it contains even more profound martial arts or medicines, then under Shaoan's guidance, Emei might well become the next Wudang and shake the world.

As her thoughts turned, Miejue sighed softly.

Once one had obtained Shu, one wished for Long as well. Human hearts were all greedy. When it concerned the Emei Sect, even Miejue found it difficult to remain above such desires.

Putting those thoughts aside, Miejue looked toward Gu Shaoan again.

Yet perhaps her attachment to the Heavenly Sword was simply too deep.

Miejue unconsciously imagined that the sword in Gu Shaoan's hand was not the Chengxin Sword, but the Heavenly Sword being held in the Wudang Zhenwu Great Hall.

She felt that only the Heavenly Sword, Emei's sacred sect weapon, was worthy of this exceptionally gifted disciple of hers.

But as she continued watching, an idea suddenly flashed through Miejue's mind.

The moment the thought surfaced, Miejue's body jolted.

As if she had thought of something, an excited look suddenly appeared on her face.

Gu Shaoan noticed nothing of Miejue's change. His attention remained focused on the changes in his strength.

After a short while, having finished testing himself, Gu Shaoan gained a general sense of the changes brought by his internal power.

It was no exaggeration to say that the increase in his internal power had greatly amplified the might of every martial skill he used.

Take Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon, for example.

When Gu Shaoan had used Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon before, it had been agile, but he had been utterly unable to move as lightly as he did now, crossing more than two zhang with a single effortless leap.

Likewise, as his Origin Internal Power strengthened and his cultivation deepened, the power of martial skills such as Willow Catkin Sword Technique and Sunset Swordplay would also increase greatly in Gu Shaoan's hands.

On top of that, his physique had improved, and his strength had increased by thirty percent. If Gu Shaoan faced the One-Eyed Third Boss from yesterday again, he could defeat him in five moves at most even using only Sunset Swordplay.

"I've grown stronger, but my hair is still just as thick."

Sensing the changes brought by his improved cultivation, Gu Shaoan could not help revealing a satisfied smile.

A moment later, after testing each of his martial arts in turn, Gu Shaoan finally returned his sword to its scabbard and went back to Miejue's side. Bowing sincerely, he said, "Thank you, Master."

Miejue smiled and straightened Gu Shaoan's body. "As master and disciple, why be so formal? But your improvement this time ultimately came from external aid. You must not slacken in the future."

Gu Shaoan nodded. "This disciple will certainly work twice as hard and will not disappoint Master's expectations."

"Good!"

Miejue nodded with a smile. The more she looked at Gu Shaoan, the more pleasing and satisfactory she found him.

Watching Miejue's face full of smiles and recalling what had happened over the past few days, Zhou Zhiruo could not help relaxing as she said, "We can finally return to Emei."

However, just as Zhou Zhiruo finished speaking, Miejue shook her head. "The plan has changed. We won't return to Emei for now. We're going to Wudang."

"Wudang?"

Not only Zhou Zhiruo—even Gu Shaoan was stunned when he heard Miejue's words.

Miejue replied firmly, "That's right, Wudang. We are going to reclaim what should have belonged to our Emei Sect."

As she spoke, Miejue turned her head toward Wudang.

"Zhang Sanfeng, your strength is extraordinary, and I, Miejue, admit that I am inferior. But among the third-generation disciples of your Wudang Sect, who could possibly compare to my disciple?"

As if she had thought of something, a smug smile unconsciously curled the corners of Miejue's mouth.

The gloom brought by yesterday's events was also swept away by more than half.

The bandits of Heimu Mountain had all been executed, but there was still plenty to deal with afterward.

Whether it was notifying the authorities or arranging for the women brought out of the bandits' den, everything required time to handle.

Throughout the process, Miejue kept Gu Shaoan and Zhou Zhiruo with her, occasionally offering guidance to prevent them from being at a loss if they encountered similar matters in the future.

Only after these matters had all been dealt with initially did Miejue, Gu Shaoan, and the others set off toward Wudang.

Five days later.

Outside Bailong Mountain.

Inside the carriage, Gu Shaoan sat cross-legged.

Steady streams of internal power continuously circulated through Gu Shaoan's body.

As the source of his internal power grew, the power of the Emei Nine Yangs Technique also began to reveal itself.

As Gu Shaoan circulated his internal power, each time the gently flowing power passed through his Meridians, a few strands would always lag behind, as though sweeping up afterward and soothing the Meridians along the way.

This was enough to extend the amount of time Gu Shaoan could cultivate each day by nearly an hour.

Fortunately, Gu Shaoan's Willow Catkin Sword Technique had already reached the "Perfect Mastery" level, so he no longer needed to practice it as tirelessly as before.

Otherwise, Gu Shaoan would have had to push back the time he spent cultivating martial skills to make room for cultivating internal power.

This was the problem every martial artist had to face.

From this, Gu Shaoan also understood why, decades ago, the Sword Sect and Qi Sect of the Huashan Sect—both of which had originally belonged to Huashan—had given rise to the conflict between sword and qi.

There truly was never enough time.