Breaking Through Is As Easy As Drinking Water

The night deepened, and the moon slanted toward the west.

Unknowingly, a faint, fish-belly white began to emerge on the horizon.

Su Yun slowly withdrew his energy and opened his eyes.

At this moment, his cultivation had firmly stabilized at the second level of Qi Refining.

One night.

From a mortal with no cultivation to crossing two realms in one go, stepping into the second level of Qi Refining.

If this were to get out, the entire Azure Cloud Sect would be in an uproar, and everyone would be scared witless.

One must know that for an ordinary disciple to step from a mortal to the first level of Qi Refining, it takes at least a month or two, and up to half a year.

Even a genius with a high-grade spirit root would need ten days to half a month to make a breakthrough, and even more time to go from the first to the second level.

Even the Heavenly Spirit Root recorded in ancient texts would take at most two days per level; it was absolutely impossible to break through two realms in one night like him.

He had completely shattered the common sense of the cultivation world.

Su Yun felt the abundant spiritual power within his body. He was full of energy, without a trace of the fatigue that comes from a night of arduous cultivation; instead, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

He was satisfied to the extreme.

It was simply fantastic.

He couldn't help but secretly feel a bit smug.

The world says that cultivating immortality is difficult, with every step a struggle.

In his view, cultivating immortality was just like that—not difficult at all.

With a Heavenly Spirit Root as a foundation, plus the Thousandfold Amplification from his Mythical Entry, and resources to spare, breaking through was as simple as drinking water.

But after the pride faded, Su Yun quickly calmed down.

He rubbed his chin and pondered to himself.

His cultivation speed was truly too monstrous.

Rushing from a mortal to the second level of Qi Refining in one night was far too shocking.

If it were to spread, it would inevitably attract the covetousness and suspicion of countless people.

The cultivation world was never a kind place.

It was a place where the strong preyed on the weak, and human hearts were unpredictable.

For now, he had the backing of the Azure Cloud Sect and seemed secure, but a tall tree catches the wind.

Once his heaven-defying talent was fully exposed, it would inevitably attract the covetous eyes of reclusive old monsters and powerhouses from other sects.

They would covet his Heavenly Spirit Root and his cultivation secrets.

By then, even with the Azure Cloud Sect backing him, he would inevitably be mired in trouble, or even face a fatal disaster.

With the Thousandfold Amplification, his breakthroughs would only get faster and faster, with no bottlenecks to speak of.

With everything going smoothly, his realm would soar.

This kind of speed could not be displayed normally.

He had to learn to hide his light and conceal his true cultivation.

Developing in a low-key manner was the way to go.

Thinking of this, Su Yun's eyes flickered.

Breath Concealment Art.

If he could learn a secret technique for concealing his breath, he could hide his cultivation aura at will, showing only normal talent in front of others so as not to be too eye-catching.

This way, he could cultivate in peace and avoid unnecessary trouble.

He just didn't know if the Technique Pavilion of the Azure Cloud Sect had any such secret manuals for concealing one's aura.

When he had time during the day, he would go to the Technique Pavilion to look around and see if there was a suitable breath concealment technique.

Hide his sharp edge and cultivate steadily.

It wouldn't be too late to show his true colors once his strength was sufficient.

Daytime.

The sky was bright, and sunlight spilled over Azure Cloud Mountain.

Su Yun washed up briefly, changed into his personal disciple robes, and planned to head to the Lecture Hall.

The reason was simple.

He had been transmigrated for too short a time.

Even though Chu Fan had explained the sect rules to him yesterday, he still only had a half-baked understanding of the broader common knowledge of the cultivation world, the division of realms, the identification of spiritual herbs, and the taboos of cultivators.

Having others lecture was easy to understand and suitable for filling in the gaps in his foundation.

Even if his talent was heaven-defying, he could not afford to lack common knowledge.

He had to avoid making a fool of himself later on.

Half an hour later.

Lecture Hall.

This was a spacious wooden hall, furnished with rows of wooden tables and chairs.

At this moment, the hall was packed with newly initiated disciples.

Everyone sat upright, listening quietly to the elder lecturing on the platform.

A shadow flickered at the entrance, and Su Yun strolled in at a leisurely pace.

His personal disciple attire was highly recognizable.

The gazes of the hundreds of disciples in the room instantly locked onto him in unison.

Swish.

Everyone stood up subconsciously, bowing and cupping their hands with respectful tones.

"Greetings, Senior Brother!"

The elder on the platform paused his lecture, glanced at Su Yun, and allowed the greeting to proceed without interruption.

Su Yun kept his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent and his gait composed.

He gave a slight nod in casual acknowledgment, his aura fully displayed.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Su Yun's mouth.

Heh heh.

Who wouldn't love this kind of prestige?

He did not head for the empty seats in the back, but walked straight to the front row and sat down.

Following that, the class continued.

The elder on the platform spoke in a detailed yet dry manner.

He lectured on everything from the three calamities of mortals to the nine grades of Qi Refining.

From low-level spiritual herbs to common demonic beasts.

It was all the most basic, simple knowledge—hardly even qualifying as an introduction.

The monotonous sound of the lecture echoed in his ears.

Su Yun propped his chin up, his eyelids fighting each other.

He was nearly dozing off.

He endured the entire class until it finally ended.

As soon as the bell rang, Su Yun didn't stay a moment longer.

He stood up and left.

Hundreds of disciples watched him go, none daring to utter a single word.

Leaving the lecture hall, Su Yun headed straight for the west side of the sect.

Technique Pavilion.

Standing halfway up the mountainside, it was a five-story wooden tower.

Constructed entirely of dark red timber with archaic eaves, it was guarded by two disciples at the entrance.

Su Yun walked slowly up the steps.

"Halt, please present your token."

The two guards reached out to block him, their attitudes respectful yet strictly adhering to the rules.

Su Yun casually produced his white jade Personal Disciple Token.

The two guards immediately bowed and stepped aside.

"Personal Disciple, please enter!"

The Azure Cloud Sect had strict grading for its Technique Pavilion.

The first and second floors were open to outer disciples.

The third and fourth floors were open to inner and core disciples.

The fifth floor was restricted to elders and the Sect Master.

As the Sect Master's personal disciple, Su Yun had unrestricted access to the first four floors, excluding only the forbidden top level.

He stepped inside the pavilion.

The air was permeated with a faint, stale scent of ink.

Rows of tall wooden shelves stood densely packed together.

The shelves were filled with jade slips, ancient books, and animal skin scrolls.

They were diverse and varied in type.

Fist techniques, footwork, spells, sword arts, body tempering, and secret arts.

Everything one could imagine was there.

The first floor was entirely composed of the lowest-level basic breathing techniques and rudimentary martial arts.

The second floor held common spells, which were inexpensive, capped at a few dozen contribution points.

Su Yun couldn't be bothered to look, his footsteps never faltering as he headed straight for the third floor.

The third floor had very few people; it was quiet and desolate.

Here, high-level basic cultivation methods, mid-grade spells, and secret arts were stored.

All were sealed within jade slips and reinforced with spiritual energy to prevent damage.

Su Yun prepared to find three things.

An offensive spell.

A physical body tempering technique.

A secret art for concealing one's aura.

He browsed row by row along the wooden shelves, his fingertips brushing over each jade slip.

The names, grades, and required contribution points were marked on them.

He picked up a mid-grade spell jade slip at random.

He checked the price.

Su Yun couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Nearly two hundred contribution points?"

Truly expensive.

An ordinary outer disciple performing the simplest herb-gathering or mountain-patrolling tasks.

Even if they worked themselves to the bone for half a year, they might not necessarily save up two hundred contribution points.

A single mid-grade spell could drain an ordinary disciple's savings for half a year.

He continued to browse.

A moment later, his gaze locked onto a golden jade slip.

[Golden Blade Technique]: Low-tier mid-grade spell.

Condenses one's own metal-attribute spiritual energy into a sharp golden blade to kill enemies from a distance.

Fast speed, strong penetration, low spiritual energy consumption.

Most suitable for low-tier cultivators with metal spiritual roots.

Price: Two hundred contribution points.

It fit his current self perfectly.

He took it.

Immediately after, he found a body tempering technique.

[Dark Iron Bone Tempering Art]: Low-tier mid-grade body tempering technique.

Uses both medicinal power and spiritual energy to temper bones and flesh, strengthening the body's durability.

When cultivated to completion, the physical body is comparable to a magic tool, resistant to blows and hits, providing a massive advantage in close combat.

Price: One hundred and fifty contribution points.

It was just right for his dual-cultivation path.

The last technique.

In the most remote corner, Su Yun found the [Breath Concealment Art].

The introduction was brief and overbearing.

Conceals aura, hides cultivation level, and masks fluctuations in spiritual energy.

When cultivated to perfection, even a mighty expert at the Spirit Transformation level would be unable to see through his true cultivation.

Price: Six hundred contribution points.

The most expensive one.

And also the most necessary.

Su Yun knew this clearly in his heart.

This technique was worth far more than its price.

In the mortal realm, Spirit Transformation was already the ceiling of cultivation.

To be able to deceive the eyes of a Spirit Transformation old monster—what kind of concept was that?

Life-saving, hiding one's clumsiness, playing the pig to eat the tiger.

It was universally applicable.

Six hundred contribution points was not expensive at all.

Adding the three items together, it came to nine hundred and fifty contribution points.

The one thousand contribution points given by his master were nearly bottomed out.

Su Yun gritted his teeth.

He did not hesitate.

He exchanged for them all.

Wealth and material possessions were all fleeting.

Only strength, secrecy, and trump cards were the hard truths.

Especially the Breath Concealment Art; he had to secure it.

His current cultivation speed was too heaven-defying; the sooner he could hide it, the safer he would be.

He had to avoid being targeted by those with ulterior motives and inviting a fatal disaster.