Consolation (Seeking Follow-up!)

"This flying sword isn't expensive—a standard model costs only two hundred Contribution Points—but when I asked for a custom flying boat, the old man opened his mouth and demanded five thousand Contribution Points!"

Chen Xian held a deep blue longsword in his hand, strolling slowly along the mountain path back to his courtyard, still clicking his tongue at the price the smiths at Heavenly Craft Peak had just quoted.

Even though he now had tens of thousands of Contribution Points in hand, he'd been poor his whole life, and spending half his savings in one go still stung a bit.

Just as he reached the courtyard gate, Chen Xian's steps suddenly halted, and his brow furrowed.

There, leaning against the gate, was a disheveled "beggar."

Drawing closer for a look, good heavens—a wave of alcohol fumes hit him square in the face.

"Lin Xiaoyan?"

Chen Xian rubbed his eyes hard.

This young man before him, with a scraggly beard, tattered clothes, and looking exactly like a refugee beggar, was actually Lin Xiaoyan, the chief disciple of Heavy Sword Hall.

"Grandmaster Uncle... I'm in pain..."

As if sensing someone approaching, Lin Xiaoyan muttered drunkenly in his sleep, clutching a half-empty gourd of wine tightly to his chest.

Seeing Lin Xiaoyan like this, Chen Xian could already guess the reason seven or eight times out of ten.

It looked like Lin Xiaoyan's [Betrothal Annulled] had kicked in!

Chen Xian let out a helpless sigh: "The lovesick fools of this world are more tormenting than the poison bugs of the Blood Demon Sect."

He shook his head, bent his old back, and with some effort, hauled the hundred-plus-jin lump of a man into the courtyard, then tossed him onto the bed.

Seeing that the kid was sleeping like a log, Chen Xian had no other ideas, so he simply grabbed a meditation cushion and sat down cross-legged.

"You've got a broken heart to heal, and I've got a life to cultivate—let's each mind our own business for now."

Chen Xian muttered, then slowly closed his eyes.

He was now at the peak of Dao Disciple Sixth Layer, and one more step forward would be the final threshold before entering the Dao Master Realm—Dao Disciple Third Realm Heaven.

First Realm Heaven: Guiding the Dao to build the foundation, refining Qi into the body.

Second Realm Heaven: Seven Orifice Qi Refining, Dao Power released outward.

Third Realm Heaven: Inner observation and outer exploration, Dao Consciousness breaking through its cocoon.

These two words, "Dao Consciousness," sounded vague and ethereal, but in Chen Xian's view, they were simply what people called spiritual power, soul power.

According to the description in the Dao-Guiding Art, Third Realm Heaven was divided into three steps.

The first step was Dao Consciousness resonating with the physical body.

One had to achieve stillness so profound it gave rise to movement, allowing Dao Consciousness to travel through the body like internal Dao Power, probing the finest details. Once mastered, with eyes closed, one could see blood flowing like mercury, examine meridians and bones—the physical body would hold no more secrets.

The second step was releasing it outward through the seven orifices.

This was essentially an upgraded version of listening to the wind and discerning positions. Even with eyes shut, every rustle of wind and blade of grass within ten zhang couldn't escape perception.

If one mastered the most difficult third step—releasing Dao Consciousness fully around the body—then one could achieve true "awareness before the autumn wind stirs the cicada." Any malice or killing intent would be warned of before it even touched the body.

Chen Xian focused his mind and held his breath, attempting to sink his awareness into his spine.

In an instant, the darkness before his eyes was replaced by a strange light.

He "saw" a spine bone carved like white jade, faintly tinged with a dark azure hue.

Inside that bone, strands of sharp, innate Sword Qi lay hidden, radiating a bone-chilling coldness.

This was his Mystic Jade Sword Bone!

Yet, after maintaining this for less than ten breaths, Chen Xian felt as if a red-hot steel needle had stabbed deep into his brain.

"Hiss—!"

He snapped his eyes open, face pale, drenched in sweat.

The excruciating pain, piercing through his very soul, made it hard even to breathe. He could only open his mouth and draw in air in thin, ragged gasps.

"No wonder Elder Wu said that Dao Disciple Third Realm Heaven is the true watershed."

"The agony of condensing Dao Consciousness is ten times more intense than Seven Orifice Qi Refining."

Only then did Chen Xian recall that Elder Wu from the lecture hall had mentioned that cultivating Third Realm Heaven could be aided by taking "Consciousness Returning Pills."

This kind of pill could warm and nourish the Sea of Consciousness, easing the pain.

"Tomorrow, I'll have to go to Pill Peak and buy two bottles of Origin Returning Pills. Otherwise, this efficiency is just too low."

After resting for a full quarter-hour, the stabbing pain in his mind gradually faded. Chen Xian, unwilling to admit defeat despite his age, closed his eyes again.

That night, he cycled through repeated bouts of agony and inner observation.

His Dao Consciousness slowly grew tougher, and his Sea of Consciousness's endurance gradually strengthened.

By the time the sky began to lighten with the pale glow of dawn, he could finally maintain his inner observation state steadily for a hundred breaths.

According to the Mystic Cloud Dao-Guiding Art, only when he could sustain inner observation for nine hundred and ninety-nine breaths without losing focus would he truly step into Dao Disciple Seventh Layer.

Chen Xian did the math—at this rate, it would take him at least another ten days to half a month.

"Slow... still too slow."

He rubbed his beard and muttered, dissatisfied with his own cultivation speed.

Little did he know, ordinary disciples could get stuck at the seventh level of Dao Disciple for half a year or more!

Most disciples, after entering the sect, would break through the first six realms within a year, only to stall at the Third Realm Heaven and Dao Master Breakthrough.

If they couldn't break through to Dao Master and enter the Inner Sect within three years, they'd have no choice but to leave the sect in regret.

Chen Xian's speed was already heaven-defying! And he still wasn't satisfied—if word got out, he'd probably be drowned in the spit of every disciple in the sect.

The sky was fully bright now.

Lin Xiaoyan stumbled out of his room, holding his head with a pained expression.

His eye circles were black as charcoal, and he looked like a wilted vegetable.

Chen Xian was leisurely brewing a pot of Hundred Spirit Flower Fruit Tea in the courtyard. Seeing him come out, he pointed at the stone stool across from him: "Awake? Come have some tea to wash away the alcohol. Drinking too much not only harms the body but also dulls the mind."

Lin Xiaoyan sat down like a wandering ghost, his voice hoarse: "Uncle-Master... Wanru, she called off the engagement."

"She smashed the Love Token Jade Pendant I gave her into pieces, right in front of everyone. In her eyes, am I really that inferior to Tang Yu, that alchemist?"

Hearing Tang Yu's name, Chen Xian paused slightly, the image of that sickly handsome man surfacing in his mind.

So the misunderstanding between Lin Xiaoyan and Tang Yu still hadn't been resolved.

But explaining now was useless.

Zhou Wanru liked Tang Yu, not Lin Xiaoyan, and in his current state, Lin Xiaoyan wouldn't listen to any explanation anyway.

He took a sip of tea, reached into the fruit plate, picked up a candied hawthorn stick, and spoke leisurely:

"Xiaoyan, you just don't get it."

"In matters between men and women in this world, it's like this candied hawthorn in my hand. If you think it's sour, it's because the sugar coating is too thin. If you think it's bitter, it's because the hawthorn core has rotted."

Lin Xiaoyan blinked: "Huh?"

Chen Xian didn't explain. He just stood up and patted his shoulder meaningfully: "As the old saying goes, a man's tears don't fall easily, only when he's truly heartbroken. But your tears are way too cheap."

"Zhou Wanru thinks Tang Yu is better than you, so she called off the engagement. Regardless of her character, she's reaching for higher ground."

"And you? Drowning yourself in drink and neglecting your cultivation—aren't you just proving her judgment right, that she left a self-destructive waste?"

Lin Xiaoyan held the teacup in his hands, staring at the brightly colored candied hawthorn in Chen Xian's hand, a thoughtful look on his face.

Seeing no reaction from him, Chen Xian took the teacup from his hand and pressed the candied hawthorn into his palm.

"If you have any ambition, turn your grief and anger into motivation. Cultivate until you become a Venerable or a Saint."

"When you're draped in brocade robes and she regrets it, begging you to take her back, you piss on the gate of the Zhou Mansion without looking back—that's what a real man does, understand?"

Lin Xiaoyan listened, stunned. Though he felt the Uncle-Master's words were a bit crude, the stifling anger in his chest inexplicably eased just a little.

Seeing his expression soften slightly, Chen Xian didn't press further.

This kind of thing—no matter how much others talked or advised—was useless. Lin Xiaoyan had to digest it himself.

He turned aside to fetch a pot and started making a new batch of candied hawthorns.

Recently, the new version of the candied hawthorns had been selling like hotcakes, supply unable to meet demand.

Lin Xiaoyan just sat there dumbly, watching the Uncle-Master skillfully boil sugar, skewer the fruit, dip it in syrup, and one by one, glossy red candied hawthorns took shape in his hands.

He looked at the one in his own hand, hesitated, then took a bite.

The hawthorn was sweet and sour, quite delicious. As he ate, his expression suddenly shifted: "This... a Blood Vitality Pill?"

By nearly noon, two hundred candied hawthorns were finished.

Jian Shan and Duan Cui appeared at the courtyard gate right on time.

But when Chen Xian opened the door, his face darkened.