Zhu Zhuqing sat cross-legged and began cultivating the Nine Nether Profound Technique.
She continuously absorbed spiritual energy and converted it into Soul Power. As she cultivated the Nine Nether Profound Technique, Zhu Zhuqing entered a mysterious state.
This was related to her cultivation method. The Nine Nether Profound Technique and the God-Elephant Prison-Suppressing Force were somewhat similar.
Both taught that the body was composed of particles, but this technique was even more abstruse and mysterious.
Compared with the God-Elephant Prison-Suppressing Force, the Nine Nether Profound Technique seemed even less like something humans could cultivate, because it had originally been created for the Nether-Entering Witch Clan.
They were naturally more sensitive to spiritual and nether energy.
"Use energy to guide the spirit; let profound energy enter the meridians. Nether rises, nether falls—thus, new life is born."
The Nine Nether Profound Technique was much gentler than the God-Elephant Prison-Suppressing Force. In that mysterious state, Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power rose quickly, but it was also suppressed just as fiercely.
She had learned this from Luo Xiaoshi's advancement. It benefited both the quality and quantity of her Soul Power.
"First circuit, second circuit..."
Zhu Zhuqing clearly needed quite some time.
Chen An, meanwhile, had already emerged from seclusion.
He awoke in the secret realm but chose not to leave immediately. He wanted to test his strength.
It was a matter of caution, too.
"Whew, Level 93. I just broke through, and I'm already at this level? Not bad."
Once the Level 90 bottleneck was broken, the next hurdle was Level 100.
The levels in between were subject only to normal limits, so after absorbing the God-Condensed Soul Ring he had formed from his origin source, he had naturally reached Level 93.
"I doubt anyone can surpass my set of Soul Rings."
Thinking this, he summoned his Martial Soul and brought out his Soul Rings to admire them.
The ninth Soul Ring was red, and the eight before it were all the same color.
But his Soul Rings couldn't be compared to ordinary hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings. Even among those, there were differences.
What's more, his were an even deeper crimson than before, with a lifespan nearing a million years.
As the saying went, a hundred yuan was a hundred yuan, and nine hundred and ninety-nine yuan was also a hundred yuan.
"All nine Soul Skills strengthen the body, and my Mastery of All Weapons has improved even further. Not bad, not bad."
Chen An was quite satisfied with the result. The only thing he regretted, just a little, was that he hadn't reached a million years.
But it didn't take much thought to understand why. He would probably have to reach Level 100 before he could attain a million years.
So that tiny regret wasn't really a regret at all. It was just greed at work.
After leaving the secret realm, he felt a little surprised.
"Huh, can my breakthrough affect the academy, too?"
The moment he came out, he sensed that the spiritual energy had grown denser. There could be no other explanation; it had to be his doing.
Before building the academy, he had already stripped the surrounding several kilometers bare of every heavenly treasure. And if this was some kind of spiritual-energy revival, that was even less likely.
At his level, he would surely have sensed it in advance.
As for whether someone had helped, he thought about the forces capable of doing so. None could have completed the work in just a few days without anyone noticing.
"Looks like that's it."
Once he had his answer, he stopped thinking about it. His several wayward disciples immediately came to mind.
Especially Ning Rongrong. He still hadn't taken her to the Technique Pavilion or taught her any martial arts. What a blunder, what a failure of duty.
He felt bad about it himself.
"Ah, I'd better go check on my little rebels first."
That was just how people were. At first, they called someone their sweetheart, but after a while, it became "Mrs. Ox."
Having made up his mind, Chen An went to check on his chief wayward disciple, Zhu Zhuqing, who was always thinking of ways to trick her master into doing work.
"Huh, I can't find her? Surely that silly girl hasn't gotten into trouble."
Chen An spread his divine sense and surveyed the entire academy. He located Little Stone and Ning Rongrong.
They were both practicing, but he couldn't find Zhu Zhuqing.
Still, considering how clever the girl was, the protective talisman he had given her, and the fact that nothing had happened at the academy, he felt reassured.
"I'll wait, then."
He returned to his office and rested for a while. Breaking through was exhausting, after all.
In the end, he still didn't stay put for long before heading out again. Perhaps taking on disciples and students had changed his mindset.
"Heh."
The students were all working hard on the training grounds.
Most were practicing the basics. Chen An had arranged it that way based on how Luo Xiaoshi and Zhu Zhuqing had performed when they first started training.
A few with better foundations were practicing techniques, but they were all working on the Arhat Golden Body.
Chen An passed them and walked straight toward Luo Xiaoshi, who was practicing the Five-Tiger Eight-Trigram Staff. As he drew closer and took a look, his brows furrowed. Something felt off inside Little Stone's body.
After mulling it over, his brow eased, and he watched Luo Xiaoshi continue practicing.
A few moves later, his brows furrowed again. He called out,
"Little Stone, that move's not quite right. Raise the staff three inches higher, and turn the upward sweep into a thrust."
Luo Xiaoshi had nearly brought the Five-Tiger Eight-Trigram Staff to mastery. He was just one step away from breaking through.
Hearing the advice, Luo Xiaoshi instinctively followed it. After changing the move, he struck once, and the wooden dummy was pierced through, the staff lodged inside it.
"Whew, whew."
He had poured himself into that strike, and now he was struggling to catch his breath.
But Chen An was very pleased. Little Stone's staff intent had grown stronger, and his Five-Tiger Eight-Trigram Staff had reached the great mastery stage.
Only after resting for a few breaths did Luo Xiaoshi notice Chen An's presence.
"Teacher, you're out of seclusion!"
At Luo Xiaoshi's shout, Ning Rongrong came over, too.
She had noticed Chen An earlier, but since he was giving Luo Xiaoshi pointers, she had held back rather than interrupt. The moment he finished, she hurried over.
"Greetings, Master."
"Good girl."
Seeing how obedient Ning Rongrong was, Chen An was even less pleased with Little Stone. He wasn't steady at all. And why all the fuss? It was as if Chen An's emergence from seclusion were some shocking event.
"By the way, where's your senior sister? Why can't I find her?"
Chen An was still concerned about this. Luo Xiaoshi answered honestly,
"Senior Sister went to the Cultivation Room. She said she was going to break through to Level 30."
Ning Rongrong added,
"That's right, Master. But Senior Sister went to the Cultivation Room yesterday, and she still hasn't come out. I'm a little worried."
Once he learned she was in the Cultivation Room, Chen An immediately understood. This was another case of him using too much force. To guard against interference from divine sense and the like, he had set the Cultivation Room's defenses extremely high. He hadn't expected to shut himself out, too.
Now, unless he used force to probe, he really couldn't find out what was happening.
"If you're worried, why don't we go take a look together?"
At that, Ning Rongrong was delighted. That was exactly what she had in mind.
Seeing how pleased Ning Rongrong was made Chen An happy, too. He turned his gaze to Luo Xiaoshi, as if asking, "What about you?"
Luo Xiaoshi fell silent for a moment, then immediately said,
"I'll go, too."
Chen An nodded, forming a small judgment in his mind.
When they arrived at the Cultivation Room, there were quite a few rooms in use—about ten or so. Most of those students were close to Level 20. Zhu Zhuqing was the only one in the entire academy at her stage.
Chen An barely needed to probe to know that Zhu Zhuqing wasn't in this outer ring. The students there absorbed spiritual energy weakly and slowly.
Besides, the spiritual energy here was being drawn toward the rooms deeper inside.
A little farther in, and he could more or less pinpoint where she was.
"Looks like things are stable so far."
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