Mountain Cultivation, Each Grows

After leaving his dorm, Qin Haoxuan felt that he hadn't cultivated at all during the afternoon spent reading notes, causing his body to feel like it was burning again, his flesh and blood seemingly on the verge of spontaneous combustion. He just wanted to find a place quickly to meditate and absorb spiritual power to neutralize the heat from the medicinal effects in his body, gaining temporary comfort.

The medicinal effects of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus were too potent, not subsiding in just a day or two. It also made him re-evaluate the value of the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley and understand why Taichu chose to establish its sect here. If Taichu could one day enter the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley, how much would it advance?

However... it seemed that according to the elders, without thousands or tens of thousands of years, no one would be able to enter the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley.

As early winter approached, the mountain nights were biting cold. Frost covered the ground as soon as the sun set. Ordinary people would only feel the cold here, but Qin Haoxuan, shirtless, still felt intensely hot despite the chill of the winter night.

He circulated the Great Dao Heart Seed Demon Technique, drawing a large amount of spiritual power into his body. Although the spiritual energy in Spirit Field Valley wasn't as potent with heat toxins as that in the Lava Cellar, it was still very concentrated. He was now very skilled at neutralizing the restless medicinal effects in his body with spiritual power, then, as if it were an extension of his own arm, injecting this spiritual power, imbued with the medicinal effects of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus, into the Immortal Seed in his dantian. He was nourishing the immortal seedling, which had already sprouted some fine tendrils but was still some distance from truly rooting.

If it were anyone else cultivating under such high load and for such extended periods, their body would have long since collapsed. But with the One-Leaf Golden Lotus as his foundation, Qin Haoxuan didn't need to worry about any of that. In the chilling bushes, he cultivated until the next morning, sleepless for a night, yet he was energetic and showed no signs of fatigue.

In the middle of the night, the middle-aged man with the full beard quietly visited again. Seeing Qin Haoxuan still diligently cultivating, with barely any fluctuation in the spiritual energy around him, unlike the boiling spiritual energy of a Purple Seed disciple's cultivation, he sighed inwardly while admiring him. "This child is diligent, but unfortunately, his talent is too poor. The spiritual power he absorbs in a night is less than what a Purple Seed disciple absorbs in a single breath. However, if he can persist like this for a long time, and with some opportunities, he might achieve something."

Zhang Kuang was also awake all night, just like Qin Haoxuan.

News of how he was intimidated by Qin Haoxuan's invincible aura during the day somehow reached the ears of Sect Master True Lord Huang Long.

Every Purple Seed disciple was a rising star of the Taichu Sect, a future genius of the cultivation world. True Lord Huang Long naturally didn't want him to develop a psychological shadow after being intimidated by Qin Haoxuan, which would cause significant trouble for his future cultivation. Thus, he sent someone to bring Zhang Kuang to his cultivation place, Hidden Dragon Temple.

Hidden Dragon Temple was where the Sect Masters of Taichu Sect had cultivated for generations. It was situated above a spiritual eye, which was a place where spiritual power was most concentrated, created by the essence of heaven and earth, greatly benefiting cultivators. It was comparable to some weaker blessed lands. Moreover, spiritual eyes were very rare; there might not be one in ten or eight large mountain ranges. The vast Xianglong Kingdom only had one spiritual eye on Emperor Huang Peak.

This was also one of the reasons why Li Jing and Zhang Kuang coveted the position of Sect Master. Having treatment that others didn't, including this spiritual eye, any one of the three Purple Seed disciples who occupied it could far surpass the other two after three to five years of cultivation!

As the Sect Master's secluded residence, Hidden Dragon Temple was not a place anyone could enter. The guiding Daoist stopped near a patch of purple bamboo forest, looking at Zhang Kuang with envy. "Beyond this purple bamboo forest is Hidden Dragon Temple."

Zhang Kuang bowed respectfully to thank him, showing none of his usual arrogance in front of the Menial Disciples. He knew that people who could appear in such important sect locations, even a guiding Daoist, could be extremely powerful individuals. It was best not to offend such people!

Following the guidance, after passing through this deep purple bamboo forest, he indeed saw a six-sided pagoda built with black and white bricks and tiles, only four stories high. Purple light flickered above the pagoda's roof, a sign of spiritual energy so concentrated it had turned into clouds.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but think that cultivating in Hidden Dragon Temple for ten days to half a month would be absolutely more effective than cultivating outside for three months! His ambition couldn't help but swell, and he secretly vowed to win the position of Sect Master, just so he could cultivate in Hidden Dragon Temple day and night in the future! But he knew who he was about to meet. He took a deep breath, suppressed his inner trepidation, and put on an even more humble smile as he entered the holy land in the hearts of every Taichu Sect disciple – Hidden Dragon Temple.

The first feeling upon entering Hidden Dragon Temple was the density of the spiritual energy; it was so thick it was almost suffocating!

Sect Master True Lord Huang Long, wearing a silk Daoist robe, sat cross-legged in the center of a giant Bagua diagram within the pagoda. The spiritual energy around him, as he absorbed it, was so dense it was almost tangible. As Zhang Kuang approached, the overwhelming spiritual energy felt like smooth silk, gently brushing against his skin.

Sensing Zhang Kuang's arrival, True Lord Huang Long exhaled deeply and ceased his absorption. The viscous, silk-like spiritual energy dissipated instantly as he withdrew his power. He then opened his eyes, glanced at Zhang Kuang, and said softly, "Sit."

Zhang Kuang, about to perform a formal greeting, showed a flicker of struggle on his face at True Lord Huang Long's word "Sit." However, his mind wavered, and he ultimately performed a hasty bow before sitting down on the spot.

True Lord Huang Long was quite pleased with Zhang Kuang's reaction. Most people would have lost control under the influence of his spiritual sense. Zhang Kuang, indeed a Purple Seed disciple, had a more steadfast mind than ordinary people.

"This disciple was reckless, I beg the Sect Master's forgiveness."

After sitting for a moment, Zhang Kuang remembered his lapse and quickly confessed his fault.

"No need to dwell on it; this was just a small test I gave you." True Lord Huang Long smiled slightly, not using his spiritual sense this time. "I heard you had some unpleasantness with Li Jing today? And then you had a conflict with a weak seed disciple named... Qin Haoxuan?"

It was indeed about this. Zhang Kuang's heart tightened. He quickly changed from sitting to kneeling, prostrating himself before True Lord Huang Long. "My disciples' friends had a few words with Senior Brother Li Jing's friends, but under my intervention, the conflict was resolved. As for the conflict with Qin Haoxuan, it's because he and I come from the same place, and there were some past grievances."

True Lord Huang Long still smiled faintly. He raised his right hand, and a great force lifted the prostrating Zhang Kuang, causing him to sit up again.

"I didn't summon you here today to reprimand you. I just want to tell you that as a Purple Seed, your responsibilities are great and your mission is profound. Constantly bickering with a weak seed disciple can only affect your state of mind and hinder your cultivation! Your competitors should not be your fellow disciples Li Jing and Xu Yu. You should broaden your horizons, transcend the Taichu Sect, and look out at the entire cultivation world! This is my expectation for the three of you Purple Seed disciples."

True Lord Huang Long's words made Zhang Kuang's heart bloom with joy, and he suddenly understood!

That's right, as a Purple Seed disciple, why should I bother with Qin Haoxuan, a weak seed with limited future potential? Once my cultivation reaches a profound level, killing him will be as easy as flipping my hand!

The problem that had been troubling Zhang Kuang was instantly resolved. Qin Haoxuan, who had been like a mountain pressing down on his heart, now vanished!

"Thank you, Sect Master, for your guidance. This disciple will not disappoint."

Sensing Zhang Kuang's enlightenment, True Lord Huang Long also showed a satisfied smile. These three Purple Seed disciples were the hope for Taichu Sect's rise. He didn't want trivial matters or insignificant individuals to delay their bright future and the perfect opportunity for Taichu Sect's prosperity and rise!

True Lord Huang Long kept Zhang Kuang talking for a while longer, then had the guiding Daoist escort Zhang Kuang back to Spirit Field Valley.

It was already past midnight. As Zhang Kuang approached his own room, he felt something was amiss with Zhang Yang's room.

Having already succeeded in rooting, he was more sensitive to his surroundings. Zhang Yang's room was very close, only about a hundred meters away. Logically, even if Zhang Yang didn't snore, he should be able to hear his breathing from his room. But Zhang Yang's room was eerily silent, as if no one was there.

To confirm this, he walked to Zhang Yang's room and pushed the door open. The bedding on the bed was neatly arranged; he was indeed not in the room.

Recalling Zhang Yang's frequent inexplicable disappearances in recent days, and how he was rarely seen outside of class time, Zhang Kuang wondered if he was hiding something from him. Or perhaps he had found a place with concentrated spiritual energy to cultivate? This thought flashed through Zhang Kuang's mind, but he didn't probe further. Although Zhang Yang and he were only superficially friendly, he was just a Gray Seed, not worth worrying about! Just as Sect Master True Lord Huang Long had said, one had to broaden their horizons to go further.

What Zhang Kuang didn't know was that Zhang Yang had indeed found a place to cultivate, but it wasn't in Spirit Field Valley; it was in Gu Yun Hall.

After Gu Yunzi bribed True Lord Huang Long and obtained his approval to take Zhang Yang as his disciple, he couldn't stop thinking about the other three Purple Seed disciples, feeling increasingly uneasy. So, unable to wait for the initial three-month training period to end, he secretly brought Zhang Yang to Gu Yun Hall to cultivate.

Every day, he fed Zhang Yang various pills as if they were meals and personally guided his cultivation. Occasionally, he even used his own true qi to cleanse his body and strengthen his bones. With such an opportunity, Zhang Yang, in the past seven days, although not yet rooted, was second only to Zhang Kuang.

That night, Gu Yunzi secretly took him away again. Because Zhang Yang's realm was very close to the Rooting Realm, he wanted to help Zhang Yang root that night, so as not to fall too far behind Zhang Kuang.

"Embrace the One, discard distracting thoughts. I have already performed the final bone cleansing for you. Now you can begin rooting!"

Gu Yunzi's voice rang out, very serious, with a hint of tension, as if it were he, not Zhang Yang, who was about to root.

Zhang Yang opened his eyes, swallowed a pill the size of a longan placed before him, then sat in meditation, beginning to absorb spiritual power in preparation for rooting!

As Zhang Yang swallowed this pill, Gu Yunzi's plump lips couldn't help but twitch. This pill was called the Myriad Spirit Pill, and he had gone to great lengths to trade for it from the stingy Xia Yunzi. The Myriad Spirit Pill contained a massive amount of spiritual power, and its medicinal effects were very gentle, so even disciples in the Immortal Root Planting Realm would not suffer a backlash from its effects.