Twenty Years (No More Today)

Time flies, and twenty years have passed.

Golden Roc Peak: The door to a secret room opened, and Shen Long walked out, his brows furrowed.

He secluded himself for twenty years, focusing on cultivation, but his progress stagnated, and he was stuck at a bottleneck.

Bottlenecks are something every cultivator must experience, though they vary from person to person. He hadn't expected to be stuck at a bottleneck again, and he didn't know how to overcome it.

A deafening roar of thunder reached his ears, and he realized something. He strode out.

Once outside, he saw two enormous Thunder Cloud floating above Golden Roc Peak, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, and thick silver bolts of lightning striking down, heading straight for Golden Roc Peak.

A Golden-Winged Fire Ant is undergoing tribulation, attempting to break through to the Third Rank.

Shen Long took out his Communication Disk and contacted Lin Shan. In less than ten breaths, Lin Shan appeared in front of him.

"Congratulations, Uncle-Master Shen, on completing your seclusion."

Lin Shan bowed deeply.

Shen Long inquired about the situation of the Golden-Winged Fire Ant and learned that more than thirty Golden-Winged Fire Ant had attempted to reach the Third Rank and had all successfully advanced to the Third Rank.

He patted a golden Spirit Beast Bag at his waist, Golden-Winged Fire Ant Queen flew out, letting out a sharp and piercing screech. Thirty-three golden rays flew from all directions and landed in front of the Golden-Winged Fire Ant Queen.

Shen Long gave each of them a Beast Rearing Pill and put them all into his Spirit Beast Bag.

"Over the years, which fellow disciples have visited me?"

Shen Long asked.

Lin Shan took out a thick blue ledger, handed it to Shen Long, and gave a detailed report.

Shen Long flipped through the ledger. Lin Shan's records were very detailed, including the time of each visitor's visit, their name, and the purpose of their visit.

After a short while, the two Golden-Winged Fire Ant successfully passed the Lightning Tribulation and advanced to the Third Rank.

Two golden beams flew over and landed in front of Shen Long. Their bodies were charred black and their aura was weak.

Shen Long fed each of them a Beast Rearing Pill and then put them back into his Spirit Beast Bag.

"Hasn't Senior Sister Chen returned yet?"

Shen Long asked.

"She came back a few years ago. Senior Sister Chen successfully overcame her bottleneck and I heard she's trying to break through to the Golden Core Realm."

Lin Shan said.

Shen Long nodded, transformed into a streak of Red Escape Light, and flew away towards Ice Silkworm Valley.

Fifty miles after he left Golden Roc Peak, he discovered a large number of five-colored light spots in the void, as dazzling as fireworks.

He grabbed a handful of five-colored light spots and discovered they were pure Spiritual Qi.

These five-colored light spots converged in a certain direction, forming a huge vortex of Spiritual Qi.

"The Nascent Soul stage is forming; someone is attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm."

Shen Long recognized the origin of this strange phenomenon.

The Spirit Control Sect has a long Nascent Soul Realm, so it's not surprising that Core Formation Cultivator are attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

He increased his speed and arrived at Ice Silkworm Valley, sent a Sound Transmission Talisman, and waited quietly.

Soon, the Master Ice Silkworm appeared.

"Come on, your senior sister is breaking through to the Golden Core Realm. Let's go see her."

After saying this, Master Ice Silkworm transformed into a Escape Light and flew southwest, with Shen Long following closely behind.

In less than a quarter of an hour, they landed on the top of a steep peak, gazing at a distant Thunder Cloud. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, with thick silver bolts of lightning striking down one after another, their light blinding.

"It's no problem for Senior Sister to survive the Lightning Tribulation."

Shen Long said.

I hope so.

Master Ice Silkworm nodded. Shen Long's breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm attracted the Three-Colored Divine Lightning, and he couldn't guarantee that Chen Bing wouldn't also attract the Three-Colored Divine Lightning.

"Oh, right, this is the Law Treasure Ice Flood Dragon Claws that I crafted for you."

Ice Flood Dragon Master took out four giant claws that shimmered with white light and handed them to Shen Long.

"Ice Flood Dragon Claws! Thank you, Master."

Shen Long expressed his gratitude and accepted the four giant white claws.

Master Ice Silkworm looked Shen Long up and down, frowning as he said, "Why hasn't your aura increased? Are you stuck at a bottleneck?"

"Indeed, this disciple also doesn't know how to overcome this bottleneck."

Shen Long sighed.

"You're still young, don't worry about it. Whether you travel or engage in life-or-death battles, you can hope to overcome this bottleneck."

Master Ice Silkworm comforted her.

Shen Long nodded; he thought so too.

As the twenty-sixth Lightning Tribulation struck, the Thunder Cloud churned and surged, transforming into a thick, Silver Thunder Python that lunged towards a valley below.

Just as the Silver Thunder Python approached within ten feet of the valley, nine white, gleaming Flying Dagger shot out, striking the Silver Thunder Python one after another. The Silver Thunder Python's body exploded, transforming into a massive ball of silver lightning that engulfed the entire valley.

Ice Flood Dragon Master breathed a sigh of relief. Without any special lightning power, Chen Bing's Lightning Tribulation would not be a problem.

After a while, both Shen Long and Ice Flood Dragon Master could feel an astonishing spiritual pressure.

As the lightning dissipated, the valley was razed to the ground by the Lightning Tribulation. Chen Bing stood amidst the scorched earth, enveloped by a faint White Light Screen.

Her face was slightly pale, and she exuded a powerful spiritual pressure.

Ice Flood Dragon Master and Shen Long arrived, their faces beaming with joy.

"Congratulations, Senior Sister, on advancing to the Golden Core Realm. This bottle of Bright Moon Pill and this Law Treasure, the Ice Moon Blade, are a small token of my appreciation."

Shen Long took out a Cyan Storage Bag and handed it to Chen Bing.

"This is too precious, junior brother."

Chen Bing declined.

"We're from the same sect, why are you being so polite with me?"

Shen Long said nonchalantly.

A bottle of Bright Moon Pill and a Law Treasure are nothing to him; he can earn them easily.

"Your junior brother gave it to you, so just accept it! If you get anything good in the future, just think of your junior brother."

Master Ice Silkworm said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Chen Bing no longer declined, thanked him, and accepted the Cyan Storage Bag.

After chatting for a while, they returned to Ice Silkworm Valley, where Chen Bing entered a secret chamber to regulate her breathing and consolidate her cultivation.

Shen Long and Master Ice Silkworm arrived at the Ice Silkworm Pavilion and discussed their bottlenecks.

"Don't rush. First, talk to your fellow disciples about how to overcome this bottleneck. Exchange ideas with them about Daoist techniques, such as through sparring. This is also a way to overcome the bottleneck. If all else fails, then you can go out and travel."

"Master Ice Silkworm suggested."

"That's what I'm planning too. If all else fails, I'll go to the North Sea Cultivation World to hunt Demon Beast. Perhaps I can break through this bottleneck in the midst of life-or-death battles."

Shen Long said.

After chatting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Shen Long took his leave.

He arrived at a steep, red peak. The area above the mountainside was shrouded in a red mist. At the foot of the mountain stood a Golden Stele more than ten feet tall, inscribed with the three large characters "Red Flood Dragon Peak," which read "The residence of the True Man Red Flood Dragon."

Shen Long sent a Sound Transmission Talisman, and soon after, red mist surged and billowed, and the voice of the True Man Red Flood Dragon rang out. "Junior Brother Shen, long time no see, come on up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the red mist transformed into a red ladder, which landed in front of Shen Long.

Shen Long walked up the red cloud ladder, which suddenly rolled up and pulled him into the red mist. He felt a blur before his eyes and found himself in a quiet courtyard. The True Man Red Flood Dragon sat in a red stone with a smile on his face.

"Junior Brother Shen, what a rare guest! Please have a seat."

The True Man Red Flood Dragon gestured for Shen Long to sit down.

Shen Long sat down and chatted with True Man Red Flood Dragon over tea.

"Senior Brother Han, I'd like to spar with you, purely in terms of physical strength, what do you say?"

Shen Long asked politely.

He wanted to see just how strong he was; True Man Red Flood Dragon was in the Core Formation Late Stage.

"A spar! Alright! Let's spar at the foot of the mountain! One punch to decide the winner!"

The True Man Red Flood Dragon agreed.

They arrived at an open area at the foot of the mountain. Their bodies glowed red and crackled with a "crackling" sound as multiple red scales grew on their skin.

Shen Long's right fist shone brightly with red light as he threw a punch straight at True Man Red Flood Dragon. True Man Red Flood Dragon was not afraid at all and swung his right fist to meet the punch.

The two fists collided, producing a deafening roar and unleashing a powerful shockwave that cracked the ground. The True Man Red Flood Dragon was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of Essence Blood, his face filled with disbelief.

Both cultivate the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Technique, but his cultivation level is higher than Shen Long's. In terms of physical strength alone, even if he is not as good as Shen Long, he shouldn't be this much worse!

"You flatter me, Senior Brother Han. Here, take this bottle of Golden Ganoderma Pill."

Shen Long took out a Cyan Porcelain Bottle and tossed it to the True Man Red Flood Dragon.

He didn't use his full strength, only about 70% of his power.

He consumed the Corpse Bead of Core Formation Late Stage Corpse King, and also took the Vajra Bone Tempering Pill and Golden Sun Jade Liquid, making his physical body exceptionally powerful.

The True Man Red Flood Dragon caught the Cyan Porcelain Bottle and asked, "Junior Brother Shen, how many drops of Essence Blood have you condensed so far?"

Every cultivator has a certain amount of Essence Blood in their body. Body Cultivator have more vigorous Qi and Blood, and therefore more Essence Blood. The more Essence Blood they have, the stronger their physical body becomes.

"More than a hundred drops!"

Shen Long said.

The True Man Red Flood Dragon gave a wry smile and said, "It seems you held back a bit when you sparred with me. I only condensed a little over eighty drops of Essence Blood."

"I've taken quite a few body-strengthening elixirs, so it's nothing compared to Senior Brother Han's."

Shen Long said modestly.

"That's true, but it's not easy for Body Cultivator to condense a drop of Essence Blood. In terms of physical strength alone, there are few Core Formation Cultivator who can rival you. I estimate that only Barbarian Race of the same level can compete with you."

"The True Man Red Flood Dragon sighed."