Breaking Through Beneath the Bamboo, Everyone Advanced

Elsewhere.

Ah Rou sat cross-legged on the eastern side of the purple bamboo, her hands forming seals as she circulated the Moon Palace Jade Rabbit Medicine-Pounding Heart Sutra Tang Ling had taught her.

This cultivation method was exceptionally compatible with her Soft Bone Rabbit true form. She had cultivated tirelessly day and night for three months and had vaguely touched upon the threshold of Foundation Establishment, yet she had always lacked that final step.

Now, enveloped by the pure spiritual energy radiating from the purple bamboo, the invisible bottleneck within her suddenly loosened slightly.

Ah Rou's heart stirred. She hurriedly calmed her mind and sank all her awareness into her body.

The spiritual power of the Moon Palace Jade Rabbit Medicine-Pounding Heart Sutra was cool and enduring like moonlight as it slowly flowed through her meridians. With every circulation cycle, the spiritual energy grew denser, and another crack appeared in the bottleneck that had trapped her for so long.

No one knew how much time passed.

"Crack, crack—"

A series of crisp sounds that only she could hear exploded within her sea of consciousness.

Foundation Establishment—breakthrough!!!

After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, her cultivation did not stop rising. Instead, it continued to climb, advancing all the way to the peak of early Foundation Establishment before finally slowing.

Ah Rou abruptly opened her eyes. Spiritual power surged from her body like a tide, gathering behind her into the translucent phantom of a jade rabbit. The rabbit was snow-white from head to toe, its eyes glittering like rubies as it exuded an ancient and pure aura.

A ten-thousand-year soul beast had taken human form, cultivated spiritual power for three months, and today finally stepped into Foundation Establishment.

"Mother!" Xiao Wu cried out in delight, waking from her cultivation as she threw herself forward and hugged Ah Rou's arm. Her little face was full of joy. "You broke through!"

Ah Rou gently stroked her daughter's hair, her eyes growing moist.

She turned to Tang Ling, who sat beneath the purple bamboo leisurely sipping tea. Her lips moved, but the thousand words in her heart ultimately became just two words: "Thank you!!!"

Tang Ling nodded slightly without speaking.

Ah Yin sat on the western side of the purple bamboo, circulating the Azure Emperor Longevity Art. She had taken human form from a Blue Silver Emperor and was naturally attuned to wood-element spiritual energy. Cultivating beneath this Innate Purple Bamboo was more effective for her than for anyone else.

The purple bamboo belonged to the wood element and was naturally compatible with her origin. The spiritual energy that seeped from between the bamboo leaves flowed into her body like fish returning to the sea, autonomously circulating along the route of the Azure Emperor Longevity Art with almost no need for her deliberate guidance.

The spiritual power within her grew wildly at an almost greedy pace.

Peak Level Nine Qi Refinement, early Foundation Establishment, peak early Foundation Establishment... mid Foundation Establishment.

Ah Yin did not even notice that the corners of her lips had curved upward in a satisfied smile.

She liked this feeling.

The feeling of being wrapped in wood-element spiritual energy was like returning to a time long, long ago, when she had still been a Blue Silver Grass rooted in the deepest part of the Star Dou Forest, basking in sunlight and rain as she grew freely.

Tang Hao sat opposite Ah Yin, circulating the Nine Revolutions Pure Yang Art.

This technique was fierce and domineering, emphasizing the use of pure yang fire to temper the muscles and bones and forge the soul. It complemented his Clear Sky Hammer martial soul perfectly. Tang Hao had once been a Titled Douluo. His combat experience was exceedingly vast, and his understanding of strength far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Beneath the purple bamboo, every circulation cycle of the Nine Revolutions Pure Yang Art restored some of his internal injuries and damaged meridians. Although he still had a long way to go before making a complete recovery, his cultivation had already returned to the level of a Soul Douluo.

More importantly, he saw hope—not merely the hope of recovering his strength, but the hope of surpassing his former self.

Xiao Wu returned to her spot, took a deep breath, and suppressed the excitement in her heart.

Her mother had broken through. She could not fall behind either.

The Moon Palace Jade Rabbit Medicine-Pounding Heart Sutra began circulating once more, and her terrifying Heaven Spiritual Root aptitude revealed itself completely at that moment. The spiritual energy radiating from the purple bamboo poured into her body like rivers flowing into the sea, forming a small spiritual-energy vortex around her.

Her cultivation had already reached the peak of early Foundation Establishment and was steadily progressing toward mid Foundation Establishment.

While Tang San was still spacing out, Tang Ling, Ah Rou, Ah Yin, Tang Hao, and Xiao Wu broke through one after another.

Everyone was advancing.

Only Tang San was still stuck in place.

Tang San was so angry he wanted to vomit blood.

Just then, a breeze brushed past the purple bamboo.

The bamboo leaves swayed gently in the wind, and a wisp of pale purple mist seeped out from between the bamboo joints. The mist was so faint that it was nearly invisible to the naked eye, yet it carried an indescribable rhythm, like an ancient silent melody drifting leisurely into Tang San's ears.

It was an exceptionally subtle sound.

It was not the rustling of wind through bamboo leaves, nor the chirping of insects and birds, but some deeper rhythm that seemed to have existed since the beginning of heaven and earth. It was as though someone had struck an ancient bell from an unimaginably distant place, its lingering resonance crossing endless time and space to reach this very moment.

Tang San's body suddenly stiffened the instant the sound rang out.

The sound waves pierced through his eardrums, traveled down along his meridians, and finally gathered in his dantian.

There, the internal force of the Mysterious Heaven Skill seemed to have had its strings plucked by an invisible hand, releasing a faint hum that only he could hear.

That humming echoed the Dao sound emitted by the purple bamboo, playing an unnamed melody within Tang San's dantian. The internal force of the Mysterious Heaven Skill he had cultivated for six years suddenly began to circulate on its own in a way he had never experienced before.

It was no longer as clumsy and sluggish as before. Instead, it was as light as a butterfly spreading its wings, dancing through his meridians.

Every circulation cycle landed precisely on the beat of the Dao sound.

The cultivation formulas he had once found obscure and difficult to understand now became clear and transparent, as though someone had used a key to open doors that had been sealed in dust for ages.

Was this the true Mysterious Heaven Skill?

Tang San's mind completely immersed itself in this wondrous state.

He even forgot Ah Rou, Ah Yin, and Tang Hao around him, forgot what he had lost. He only felt as though he had been running through a long, dark tunnel for six whole years, when suddenly, he saw a glimmer of light at the end.

The bottleneck at the peak of the first layer of the Mysterious Heaven Skill quietly shattered beneath the wash of that sound.

Second layer.

Tang San abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing within them.

He felt that the Mysterious Heaven Skill within his body had undergone a qualitative transformation at that moment.

If the Mysterious Heaven Skill had previously been a trickling stream, then now it was a surging river. The depth of his inner power was at least ten times what it had been before!

What delighted him even more was that his Soul Power was growing in tandem.

Level eleven. Level twelve. Level thirteen.

The three powers drew upon and nourished one another. Martial blood and vitality provided the physical foundation for Soul Power; the growth of Soul Power in turn fed back into the circulation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill; and the breakthrough of the Mysterious Heaven Skill accelerated the condensation of martial blood and vitality. In the end, his Soul Power steadily settled at level thirteen.

A smile rose on Tang San's face, one that came from the bottom of his heart.

He had broken through. He had finally broken through.

He raised his head and saw Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu was sitting beneath the Purple Bamboo, closest to its stalk. Dense spiritual light, almost tangible, swirled around her. Her cultivation aura was more than a level stronger than before—she had clearly reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

Middle-stage Foundation Establishment.

One minor realm higher than Tang San had been before his breakthrough.

Tang San's smile could not help fading somewhat.

Everyone was breaking through. Everyone was becoming stronger. His own breakthrough was merely a wave in the vast sea. Without the Purple Bamboo, it might have taken him several more months—or even longer—to break through this bottleneck.

Tang San's gaze involuntarily shifted toward the Purple Bamboo.

The bamboo still stood quietly beside the courtyard wall, verdant from top to bottom, its joints distinct as it swayed gently in the wind.

It looked like an utterly ordinary bamboo plant, perhaps only a little straighter and greener than normal bamboo. Yet it was this seemingly ordinary bamboo that had allowed his long-stagnant Mysterious Heaven Skill to break through in one stroke.

And this bamboo could originally have been his.

His foster father had said that if an innate spiritual root was refined, becoming an immortal or a god would be as easy as drinking water.

He could originally have possessed it.

He could originally have used it to forge his first Soul Ring and gain power stronger than a thousand-year Soul Ring.

But now, it was only an ornamental plant in his foster father's courtyard. And he could only mooch a trace of the spiritual energy it leaked from the very outer edge.

The smile on Tang San's face faded bit by bit. His shoulders slumped as well, as though the spirited edge from moments ago had vanished.

"Picking up sesame seeds and losing a watermelon." He suddenly recalled that old saying.

A thousand-year Datura Snake Soul Ring, the finest possible first Soul Ring.

The achievement he had once taken such pride in now seemed so pale before this Purple Bamboo.

Sesame seeds. A watermelon.

He had picked up the sesame seeds. And that watermelon he had thrown away grew right in his foster father's courtyard, where he could see it, where everyone could enjoy it, but where it could never belong to him again.

"Whew..."

Tang San lowered his head and exhaled, then slowly clenched his fists.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that everyone thought he would simply stay silent forever.

Then he lifted his head. The disappointment and resentment had vanished from his face, replaced by a calmness utterly unfitting for his age. It was not the calmness of acceptance, but one that buried every emotion in the deepest part of his heart, encasing them in the hardest shell so that no one could see them.

"Foster Father," he said, turning and bowing slightly toward Tang Ling, "thank you for the help of your Purple Bamboo. I broke through."

His voice was steady and his tone respectful, without the slightest hint of anything unusual.

Holding his teacup, Tang Ling glanced at him. Just one glance. Then Tang Ling withdrew his gaze and continued drinking his tea.

"It's good that you broke through. Sit down and continue cultivating. The spiritual energy here will benefit all of you."

Tang San obediently sat down, closed his eyes, and began circulating his cultivation technique again.

His breathing was steady, his heartbeat was steady, and his expression was steady. Everything was so steady that he did not seem like a six-year-old child who had just experienced such extreme joy and sorrow.

Tang Ling withdrew his gaze and drained the remaining tea from his cup in a single gulp.

He looked at the figures cultivating beneath the Purple Bamboo, and an almost imperceptible smile curled at the corner of his lips.

The bamboo had been planted here. Every time Tang San came home, he would see it. Every time he saw it, he would remember what he had once missed. It was a continuous torment, subtle as spring rain. Like a thorn lodged in his heart—it would not kill him, but every breath would bring a faint ache.

Such torment was far more lasting than a one-time crushing blow, and far more... interesting.

Just then, Tang Ling's brow twitched slightly as he received a message from Bibi Dong. He set down his teacup, and his figure vanished from the courtyard.

The courtyard fell quiet again.

Xiao Wu was the first to jump up. She asked curiously, "Xiao San, when you broke through just now, it looked like your Soul Power increased quite a bit. What level did you reach?"

"Level thirteen."

"Level thirteen? Not bad." Xiao Wu rarely offered praise, but then her tone shifted. "But this auntie is already at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. According to Big Brother, middle-stage Foundation Establishment is roughly equivalent to the combat strength of a Soul Elder. You'd better work hard, Xiao San."

Soul Elder level. The bit of joy Tang San had felt from his breakthrough was shattered by those four words.

He took a deep breath and forced every emotion back down into his heart.

"I will, Great-Aunt."

His voice was steady, without the slightest ripple. Yet his fists silently clenched within his sleeves.

Xiao Wu did not notice the movement beneath his sleeves. She skipped over to talk to Ah Rou instead. Ah Rou watched her daughter with a smile, then glanced at Tang San, a faint, imperceptible worry flashing through her eyes.

At that moment, the courtyard gate was pushed open from outside.

Yu Xiaogang strode excitedly into the courtyard, unable to conceal the delight on his face.

He had gone into the mountains to investigate the so-called "legendary plant," only to return empty-handed. Yet on his way back, he had sensed an extraordinarily familiar fluctuation of spiritual energy.

It was an aura purer and of a higher grade than the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma his master had bestowed upon him.

He had followed the aura all the way here and found this courtyard.

The moment Yu Xiaogang entered, he saw everyone cultivating, as well as Tang San seated cross-legged.

"Xiao San, why are you all here?" Yu Xiaogang cried out in surprise.

Tang San explained, "Teacher, this is the courtyard of my adoptive father, Tang Ling."

Yu Xiaogang was about to say something when his gaze involuntarily fell upon the purple bamboo standing quietly beside Tang San.

His body suddenly stiffened. His pupils contracted slightly.

His mouth opened, closed, then opened again. He looked at the purple bamboo, then at Tang San, then back at the purple bamboo, as though confirming that he was not seeing things.

The bamboo was emerald green from top to bottom, its joints distinct. It swayed gently beneath the setting sun and appeared utterly ordinary, yet it continuously gave off spiritual energy so pure it was suffocating.

"This... this bamboo... Could this bamboo be..." Yu Xiaogang's voice trembled slightly. He turned toward Tang San, his eyes filled with an urgent need for confirmation.

Tang San fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded and told the master about the origins of the Innate Purple Bamboo.

After listening, Yu Xiaogang stood there in silence for a long time.

He looked at the purple bamboo, then at Tang San. His lips moved, but in the end, he merely let out a long sigh.

He had been through it before. More than anyone, he understood the bitterness of "almost obtaining it." But he also knew that this was not something others could talk Tang San through. Tang San could only work through it himself.

He patted Tang San on the shoulder without saying anything more.

"Come on. It's time for us to return to the academy."

Tang San nodded and followed the master toward the courtyard gate. When they reached it, he still could not help turning back for one last look at the purple bamboo.

It swayed softly in the lingering light of the sunset, its leaves rustling as though bidding him farewell—or mocking him.

Tang San turned around and strode out of the courtyard without looking back.