Dao Foundation Middle Stage

Chu Zhuo stood still, his expression unchanged, but his aura subtly deepened.

He raised his head and looked at the white-clad figure sitting cross-legged amidst the sea of clouds.

Shen Xiu'an did not deliberately release his aura, but when his sword intent spread out from his body, the clouds within dozens of miles all retreated and dared not approach within three zhang of him.

Chu Zhuo remained silent for a moment.

He did not look at the Divine Sense that flowed from the depths of Deer-Sleeping Peak, nor did he pay attention to the few distant observing auras in the Void.

He simply looked at Shen Xiu'an and said, "Brother Shen, what do you think I should do?"

Shen Xiu'an sat on a cloud, looking down at him.

"Brother Chu."

"You and my junior brother are dueling with swords, with a third-grade Spirit Artifact as the prize, and the fortuitous opportunity I'm seeking as the prize as well."

You never lifted a finger yourself; you just pushed Xu Sanchi ahead of you.

"If Xu Sanchi wins, the fortuitous opportunity to Suspended-Qi Fruit Projection will fall into the hands of your Sword-Illuminating Mystic Peak."

He paused slightly, his gaze falling on Chu Zhuo's face.

Chu Zhuo remained calm and did not offer any explanation.

Shen Xiu'an continued, "My junior brother is still young and his cultivation is not yet deep, while you are a person with Dao Foundation Perfection Stage, bringing the second-ranked person on the One-Mystic Ranking with you, and plotting with such scheming. If this matter gets out, it will probably not look good on Sword-Illuminating Mystic Peak."

Chu Zhuo finally lowered his eyes and remained silent for a few moments.

Then he asked, "What does Brother Shen want from me?"

Shen Xiu'an did not answer immediately.

He simply raised his right hand slowly, brought his index and middle fingers together, and gently drew a line in the Void.

A sword light emerged from his fingertips and suddenly surged.

It flew from Shen Xiu'an's fingertip, plunging into the surging sea of clouds, cleaving through the hundreds of feet of clouds around it, revealing a straight path.

The sword did not strike Chu Zhuo; it merely hovered there.

But the sliver of sword light suspended in the Void caused Chu Zhuo Zhuo's sword intent to tremble.

Chu Zhuo silently watched the sliver of sword light.

He knew what that sword light meant.

Shen Xiu'an is the eldest disciple of Deer-Sleeping Peak, possessing the cultivation of the Fourth Profound Paths and having perfected all four Profound Root.

His swordsmanship was infamous within the Dragon-Offering Sect, ranking second on the Dragon-Transformation Four Profound Rankings, second only to the young master of the main Dragon-Offering.

If he were to truly draw his sword, Chu Zhuo would have no chance of stopping him.

"Brother Shen, was that sword strike meant for me, Chu?"

Chu Zhuo spoke, his tone remaining calm.

Shen Xiu'an did not answer; he simply gazed at Chu Zhuo.

The sword light suspended in the Void slowly faded away, leaving only the split sea of clouds that lingered for a long time.

Chu Zhuo took a deep breath.

He slowly took something out of his sleeve.

It was a thin booklet.

The booklet is entirely bluish-gray, with no title on the cover, only four characters engraved in tiny print in the lower right corner: "The Sword-Seeking Secret Canon".

Chu Zhuo held the booklet in his palm and slowly handed it to the figure in black standing in front of the Water-Curtain Cave.

"Junior brother."

"Today's events were due to my lack of foresight."

He tossed the booklet toward Chen Lingxi.

The booklet transformed into a beam of blue light and landed on the stone steps in front of the Water-Curtain Cave.

This scripture belongs to my former fellow disciple.

After Chu Zhuo finished speaking, he didn't look at Shen Xiu'an again, nor did he look at Chen Lingxi.

With a flick of his sleeve, clouds rose beneath his feet, propelling him into the sky. In an instant, he disappeared into the depths of the sea of clouds cleaved by the sword light.

In the Void, the Divine Sense that had flowed from the depths of Deer-Sleeping Peak remained silent for a moment before dissipating one by one.

The area in front of the Water-Curtain Cave was quiet again.

The disciples who had been watching, including the seven or eight brothers, gradually came to their senses.

They looked at each other without saying a word, but instead bowed respectfully to the dark figure in front of the Water-Curtain Cave before disappearing on the clouds.

Before long, only a surging sea of clouds and a reversed curtain of water remained in front of the Water-Curtain Cave.

Chen Lingxi picked up the precious scripture.

Shen Xiu'an.

He had completely concealed his sword intent, and when he landed in front of the Water-Curtain Cave, his aura was just like that of an ordinary cultivator.

"Junior brother! I never imagined you had already mastered the Heavenly-Law Edict. Your progress is astonishingly rapid!"

Shen Xiu'an was usually stern and rarely smiled, but at this moment a clear smile appeared on his face.

"Senior brother! I've had another fortuitous opportunity, and I've managed to master this Heavenly-Law Edict."

Chen Lingxi smiled slightly, "It was only recently completed."

Shen Xiu'an nodded slightly, then looked Chen Lingxi over again before finally agreeing, "Okay!"

He praised her, saying, "Your Jade Tiger Sea-Reversing Sword Light just now was nearly as Killing Power as mine was back when I was in the Dao Foundation Middle Stage."

He paused, then continued, "And then there's your extraordinary Heavenly-Law Edict..."

"I thought you wouldn't be able to win this match, but I was wrong."

Chen Lingxi spoke like this.

But then Shen Xiu'an coughed a few times.

Chen Lingxi narrowed her eyes slightly.

When Shen Xiu'an coughed, his breathing seemed slightly disordered, as if he were injured?

Just then, Shen Xiu'an flipped his palm and took out a jade box from his sleeve.

The jade box was about the size of a palm, and its entire body was bluish-green. There were no patterns on it, only Spiritual Qi flowing on its surface.

Shen Xiu'an handed the jade box to Chen Lingxi.

"This treasure is called the Suspended-Qi Fruit Projection."

"It can greatly improve your aptitude, enhance your cultivation to the bone level, and even rebuild your Dao Platform."

Now that you have mastered your second great Divine Ability, this treasure can just help you break through to the Dao Foundation Middle Stage!

Chen Lingxi already knew that Shen Xiu'an had been away for so long because he had gone to find this fortuitous opportunity for him.

But with this fortuitous opportunity right before his eyes, Chen Lingxi still felt somewhat surprised.

He thought for a moment, then took the jade box. The instant the box touched his hand, he clearly sensed an extremely warm and pure spiritual energy constantly emerging within it.

Without a doubt, this Suspended-Qi Fruit Projection is an extraordinary and unimaginable fortuitous opportunity.

Chen Lingxi put the jade box into her Chaos Bag, then looked up at Shen Xiu'an.

"Senior brother."

Are you injured?

Shen Xiu'an shook his head. "It's alright, a few days of rest will do."

Chen Lingxi fell silent.

He stood there, gazing at the white-robed senior brother before him.

This person was usually prudent and rarely smiled; his infamous reputation was widespread on the Dragon-Transformation Four Profound Rankings.

But in front of Chen Lingxi, he was just a "senior brother" who cared about him a lot and even traveled alone for several years to find this rare treasure for him.

All of this was nothing more than a grand dream woven by True Person Xiang Shu for the disciples of Deer-Sleeping Peak using the Fate-Evolving Purple Radiance Cauldron Vessel of Destiny Manifestation.

But...

Their concern and affection for Chen Lingxi were so genuine and so unreserved.

Chen Lingxi stood before the Water-Curtain Cave, momentarily falling into an indescribable silence.

After a few moments, he raised his head to look at Shen Xiu'an and bowed solemnly.

"Thank you, senior brother."

Shen Xiu'an accepted the bow.

He looked at Chen Lingxi, a faint smile flashing across the depths of his eyes, which he quickly suppressed.

"No need to thank me," he said. "Junior Brother 'Dao Path is long, I will naturally protect you."

Shen Xiu'an for a moment, then suddenly spoke again, "I came back this time to take a look at you, and then I'm going into seclusion."

"Seclusion? How long will Senior Brother be in seclusion?"

Shen Xiu'an, "It depends on fortuitous opportunity."

He paused slightly, his calm eyes gazing at the surging sea of clouds, and slowly said, "I am not far from the Golden Grotto."

Chen Lingxi her face!

Golden Grotto!

The Realm of True Person!

In this vast Great Xuanzhuo Realm, those who can cultivate to the Golden Grotto are extremely rare.

Of all the more than two hundred peaks and thousands of disciples in the entire Dragon-Offering Sect, only a handful can actually enter the Golden Grotto.

Each of them is True Person who sits atop a peak and commands thousands of disciples.

His master True Person Xiang Shu, was none other than Golden Grotto.

The road was so long that he could hardly see the end of it.

But this Senior Brother Shen is already about to step into the Golden Grotto Realm.

At this moment, Shen Xiu'an lightly flicked his sleeves, and clouds rose from beneath his feet, lifting his figure up from the spot.

"Junior brother."

"If I don't leave seclusion, you should be careful in the Dragon-Offering Sect."

Here stand two hundred peaks, each independent and with its own agenda.

"Your victory over Xu Sanchi today is tantamount to disgracing the two True Person Immortals Sword-Illuminating Mystic Peak. You must be more cautious in your future actions."

"Senior brother, I understand." Chen Lingxi to Shen Xiu'an again. "Senior brother, please be extremely careful during your seclusion."

Shen Xiu'an nodded slightly, and his white robes suddenly flared up from the Void, transforming into a sword light that shot straight into the surging sea of clouds.

Silence returned to the Water-Curtain Cave.

Chen Lingxi parted the water curtain and returned to the cave.

He sat cross-legged on the blue stone and took out a turquoise jade box from his Chaos Bag.

The lid was opened gently.

A single fruit lay quietly inside the box.

The fruit was about the size of a chicken egg, pale blue in color, with a layer of misty sheen on it.

Suspended-Qi Fruit Projection.

Chen Lingxi a deep breath and put this rare treasure into her mouth!

The moment the fruit entered his mouth, it immediately melted into a warm, moist breath, flowing down his throat, through his chest and abdomen, through his Qi Sea, and finally into his Dragon-Stripping Dao Platform.

The moment the energy flowed into the Dao Platform, the newly formed Jade-Colored Profound Root on the Dao Platform immediately underwent a change, shimmering with brilliant light.

Chen Lingxi closed his eyes and activated the Dragon-Stripping Dao-Transformation One-Qi True Formula, guiding the gentle Qi of creation towards the depths of the Dao Platform.

Wherever his breath passed, his skin, muscles, tendons, bones, Essence Blood underwent subtle changes in an extremely slow yet determined manner.

The change was not obvious.

However, Chen Lingxi clearly sensed that his Root Bone, which had already had two Spirit Aperture opened by the Ancestral Mountain Mother Qi and had been Dragon-Transformation Immortal Ranking, now possessed an inexplicable clarity.

Meanwhile, the Dao Platform itself deep within his Dao Platform became even more solid at this moment.

Then, under the influence of the Qi of Creation, it became increasingly solid and substantial, and the Dao Origin within it also grew strong and solid!

"This treasure is indeed extraordinary. No wonder Senior Brother Shen, who is at the Dao Foundation Perfection Stage, had to return injured even after personally going there. It seems he was competing with quite a few others."

Chen Lingxi sighed inwardly, her breath becoming long and deep at that moment.

At the same time, the spiritual energy in his Dao Platform became even stronger, spreading out and entering his bones, flesh, and even his Consciousness Sea, making him clearer and more able to perceive the subtle changes in the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

"My aptitude and Root Bone have become increasingly stronger. If I were to make it onto that First Profound Ranking now, my innate talent and Dao Origin would definitely not be below 30."

With this thought in mind, Chen Lingxi continued to absorb the mysterious spiritual energy from the Suspended-Qi Fruit Projection, empowering herself, enhancing her Dao Origin, and solidifying her Dao Platform!

March flew by!

This is it. Chen Lingxi finally opened his eyes, and the Dao Origin around him was completely different from before.

Above the Dragon-Stripping Dao Platform, two Profound Root hang together.

One is the Thunder Prison, where the Weiji Thunderlight flows slowly along the veins of the leaves;

Secondly, it was born from the Heavenly-Law Edict, and its color is warm and lustrous. The light gold patterns on it are much clearer and brighter than before.

The Dao Platform is as deep and still as an abyss, Dao Origin is as vast and profound as the sea.

Dao Foundation Middle Stage!

Chen Lingxi opened her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I have only been in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm for twelve years, yet I have already reached the Dao Foundation Middle Stage."

Although my cultivation speed relies on many unimaginable fortuitous opportunity, I am still proud of it.

A slight smile appeared on Chen Lingxi's lips, "Now, I only need to cultivate step by step, allowing the second Profound Root in my Dao Platform to continue to grow and bear fruit!"

"And..."

Chen Lingxi's eyes flickered. "If fortuitous opportunity arises, we must do our best to seize it."

Chen Lingxi thought for a moment, then sat down cross-legged on the blue stone again, closed his eyes and focused his mind, sinking a wisp of consciousness into his Divine Chamber.

Sight-Roaming the Chan Zhaofu!

Chan Zhaofu is still in seclusion at the Dragon-Offering Sect, and occasionally one of his avatars can be seen searching for fortuitous opportunity elsewhere.

Chen Lingxi resumed his daily practice and leisurely Sight-Roaming.

A month passed in this way, and on this day, Chen Lingxi Sight-Roaming Chan Zhaofu.

The next moment, his consciousness was drawn by an irresistible force, passing through layers of Void, crossing countless mountains, and traversing countless miles of land, finally landing in a magnificent palace.

This was the residence of Chan Zhaofu.

The palace remained unchanged.

The dome hangs high, resplendent in gold, and the brocade curtains on the four walls drape to the ground.

The beautiful and aloof Dragon Palace Princess remained seated on the side of the hall, her eyes lowered, as if everything before her was none of her concern.

Chan Zhaofu sat on the Jade Platform, his snow-white brocade robe fluttering without wind. The faint golden light flowing over the robe made him look like a jade statue bathed in moonlight.

At this moment, he was slowly raising his right hand.

A stream of Dao Origin flowed from his right hand, forming a rune.

It is indeed Beholding Heaven's Fortune!

The radiance of the Beholding Heaven's Fortune illuminated the Chan Zhaofu, and in the next instant, Chen Lingxi's perspective turned completely dark, before the scene reappeared.

But it was that empty, desolate place.

In the distance, twinkling stars are constantly shining.

Chen Lingxi naturally knew where she was; this was the Great Luo Heaven within the Great Luo Heaven-Observing Mirror.

At this moment, the avatar of the Chan Zhaofu hovered in the Great Luo Void, a slight smile on his lips and a burning gaze in his eyes.

"I have enough Great Luo Dark Qi; today I can completely exchange it for that Cauldron Artifact Fortune."

Chan Zhaofu took a deep breath.

Chen Lingxi's heart stirred slightly.

"Cauldron Artifact Fortune?"