Immortal-Slaying Gourd

His gaze fell upon the wine gourd in his hand.

This gourd was something he had picked up in a dilapidated temple at the foot of a mountain six years ago, back when he was still an orphan.

At the time, he was parched and starving; seeing the gourd, he had taken it to hold water.

After he later ascended Green Cloud Mountain, he had used this same gourd to hold his wine.

For six years, he had never felt that there was anything unusual about the gourd.

But now, he discovered that the gourd's exterior seemed to have undergone some changes.

The once dull, grey surface of the gourd was now faintly shimmering with flowing light, and some archaic patterns had appeared upon it.

A sudden thought rose in his mind.

He bit his fingertip, squeezed out a drop of fresh blood, and dripped it onto the gourd.

Hum!

The moment the blood fell, the entire gourd suddenly erupted with a brilliant golden light!

Vague streams of information surged into his mind like a tide.

[Immortal-Slaying Gourd: A post-celestial spiritual treasure refined by the legendary immortal Yun Zhongzi, modeled after the primordial divine Innate Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife.]

[The gourd appears capable of devouring the spiritual energy of all things to refine and purify it.]

[The interior of the gourd forms its own space, containing a strand of Innate Geng Metal Sword Qi of infinite power.]

[The space within the gourd can be used to store items.]

Li Xiaoyu was stunned.

He finally understood!

So, it wasn't that his talent was lacking!

And it wasn't that he hadn't worked hard enough!

It was that all the spiritual energy he had painstakingly cultivated over these past six years had been devoured by this gourd!

The gourd was like a bottomless pit, sucking his cultivation dry, only to return it all to him today in the form of even purer spiritual energy!

"Haha! Hahahaha!"

Li Xiaoyu looked up to the sky and laughed, his laughter filled with exhilaration and relief.

Six years of frustration, six years of unwillingness, vanished into thin air at this very moment!

"So that was it!"

"So that was it!!"

He gripped the Immortal-Slaying Gourd tightly, feeling the surging power within his body.

This was the power that belonged to him!

This was the true him!

"Hahahaha!"

A flash of sharp light appeared in Li Xiaoyu's eyes as he looked toward the direction of Big Bamboo Peak.

Let the past friendships end here.

With a shift of his will, he channeled the spiritual energy of the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm within his body.

Using his finger as a sword, he drew a shallow line on the ground between Big Bamboo Peak and himself.

Severing the ties of affection, severing the past!

From this day on, he, Li Xiaoyu, would live for himself!

Li Xiaoyu turned and vanished into the night.

Li Xiaoyu did not alert anyone, returning quietly to his dwelling located in a remote corner of Morning Sun Peak.

It was a simple wooden hut; the courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and a thick layer of dust had accumulated on the stone table.

Ever since his cultivation had stagnated, this place had become the most desolate spot on Morning Sun Peak.

Li Xiaoyu did not care in the slightest. He pushed open the creaking wooden door to find the interior even simpler: a wooden bed, a table, a meditation cushion, and nothing else.

He walked over to the cushion, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and felt the changes within his body.

The fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm!

The surging spiritual energy flowed through his meridians like a river, a world of difference compared to the trickling stream it had been before.

His five senses had also become sharp; he could clearly hear the sound of autumn insects crawling on blades of grass a hundred meters outside.

With a slight movement of his will, the teacup on the table floated up gently, hovering in mid-air and moving according to his intent with fluid ease.

This was the Object-Driving Realm!

For six years, Li Xiaoyu had finally felt the joy of progress once again; the feeling was so unfamiliar, yet so intoxicating.

He sank his consciousness into his dantian, where the dusty Immortal-Slaying Gourd hung silently, appearing once again like nothing more than an ordinary wine gourd.

If he hadn't experienced it himself, who would have believed that this scavenged gourd was actually a legendary divine artifact?

Li Xiaoyu sighed in wonder.

He wondered if it was fate.

If not for Tian Ling'er's ruthlessness, if not for those words that trampled his dignity into the dirt, he might never have indulged in wine at the edge of the cliff, and thus would never have activated the gourd.

Everything felt like a preordained destiny.

"From this day forward, I, Li Xiaoyu, live only for myself, and for the pursuit of immortality!"

He made a vow in his heart, his Daoist resolve hardening in that very moment.

The night passed without incident.

Li Xiaoyu spent the entire night in meditation, stabilizing the realm he had just broken through.

As the morning light pierced through the sea of clouds and shone upon Morning Sun Peak, he slowly opened his eyes. A flash of brilliance flickered in his pupils before returning to calm.

Li Xiaoyu pushed open the door, picked up the broom in the corner, and began to sweep the fallen leaves and dust from the courtyard, as if sweeping away the gloom of the past six years.

Just then, a powerful aura surged into the sky from the direction of the Morning Sun Peak main hall.

It was the Peak Master of Morning Sun Peak, Shang Zhengliang.

Shang Zhengliang had not slept all night, his heart filled with disappointment toward Li Xiaoyu and irritation toward Tian Buyi.

As usual, he arrived at the Martial Arts Arena on the peak at the first light of dawn to inhale the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and begin his daily cultivation.

As a powerhouse of the Upper Purity Realm, Shang Zhengliang possessed a keen divine sense that could cover almost the entire Morning Sun Peak.

In the past, whenever his divine sense swept over Li Xiaoyu's residence, he felt only weak and stagnant spiritual fluctuations.

But today, when his divine sense habitually swept over that corner, it suddenly paused.

A completely different aura emanated from that wooden hut.

Although the owner tried his best to restrain it, its intensity and vitality were as conspicuous as a bonfire in the dark of night.

It was pure, condensed, and filled with a lively essence.

"Jade Purity Realm, fourth layer? The Object-Driving Realm!"

Shang Zhengliang opened his eyes abruptly, his face full of astonishment.

Thinking it was a mistake, he focused his divine sense once more to investigate.

It was correct!

It was absolutely certain!

That aura was the hallmark of the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm.

A storm surged in Shang Zhengliang's heart; after the shock came suspicion.

Breaking through from the second layer to the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm in a single night?

How could this be possible?!

The Taiji Profound Clarity Path of the Green Cloud Sect emphasized gradual progress and a solid foundation; such a leap was absolutely impossible.

Unless...

Shang Zhengliang's expression turned grim as a thought surfaced in his mind.

The Demon Sect!

Only those bizarre Demon Sect techniques could possibly cause one's cultivation to skyrocket overnight.

But the consequence of such a thing was usually the total destruction of one's foundation, or even falling into demonic madness, leading to eternal damnation.

"Wretch! How dare you practice the evil arts of the Demon Sect!"

Shang Zhengliang roared, his figure vanishing from where he stood.

He was shocked that Li Xiaoyu had such audacity, and furious that he had fallen so low, willing to ruin his own path for the sake of dignity.

The next moment, Shang Zhengliang appeared outside the gate of Li Xiaoyu's small courtyard.

When he saw the scene inside, he froze.

Li Xiaoyu was dressed in a cyan Daoist robe, holding an ordinary broom, quietly sweeping the fallen leaves in the yard.

His movements were not fast, yet they carried a rhythm; every sweep seemed to blend perfectly with the surrounding heaven and earth.

The morning light spilled onto Li Xiaoyu, stretching his shadow. His expression was calm and focused, devoid of the madness or violence associated with demonic corruption.

The anger in Shang Zhengliang's heart involuntarily subsided a little.

But he still did not lower his guard.