The Pressure of a Genius

Because his mental energy had been too greatly depleted, the sun was already up by the time Zhou Qing got out of bed. After washing up in haste, he left the courtyard.

Sunlight was sliced by the sparse bamboo into countless flecks of light. The interwoven brightness and shadow made Zhou Qing feel as though he were in a dream.

Having solved the great problem that had plagued him for three years, Zhou Qing's heart and mind suddenly opened wide. The grace and splendor of the vast world poured into his eyes and heart all at once.

Now that he had cultivation to rely on, one day he would travel across Qionghua Continent, even the entire Dao Xuan World, and properly take in all the strange, wondrous, and dazzling sights this world had to offer.

At last, he had the confidence to make such a vow.

Though his cultivation was still shallow, now that he had entered the path, he had found the way forward. All that remained was to walk it steadily, step by step.

Zhou Qing followed the forest path to the Instruction Platform.

The other disciples had more or less all arrived.

Having spent a day together already, they no longer had yesterday's restraint. Moreover, having successfully sensed spiritual energy, they had gained some awareness of themselves as cultivators. The young men and women chatted animatedly beneath the morning light, all high-spirited and full of vigor, giving Zhou Qing the feeling of having returned to his student days.

The disciples quickly spotted him.

Of the sixty disciples, half had received his guidance yesterday, so they all greeted this "teaching assistant" warmly.

Zhou Qing smiled and responded to them one by one, slowly passing through the crowd until he returned to his own meditation cushion.

Wei Xu and Wang Xiaohu both stared blankly as he approached. Only after a while did they say, "Brother Zhou Qing (Brother Zhou), you're different from yesterday!"

Was it really that obvious?

Zhou Qing paused and asked, "How am I different?"

Wei Xu shook his head. "I can't quite put it into words. It's just an overall feeling. Your temperament seems purer, and your eyes have become sharper. When you walked over from afar just now, I seemed to see a faint halo around you."

Zhou Qing laughed. "That's too exaggerated. You must be hallucinating."

Wei Xu said, "Impossible. Miss Nie, do you think Brother Zhou is different from yesterday?"

He turned to ask Nie Yunxi on his right, only to find her hanging her head listlessly, with no interest in joining their conversation.

Wei Xu asked strangely, "Did you not sleep well last night?"

Nie Yunxi gave a bitter smile and shook her head. "Don't mention it."

Zhou Qing looked her over and noticed that her electromagnetic signal response was weak, while her face was somewhat pale. She seemed to show signs of injury.

A thought stirred in his mind. "I know what happened."

Nie Yunxi asked in surprise, "What do you know?"

Zhou Qing said, "Miss Nie must have secretly tried to sense spiritual energy last night and suffered from the backlash of spiritual energy."

"You were far too reckless. Didn't you hear Uncle Chen's warning? You must cultivate under the protection of an elder, or danger will arise."

Nie Yunxi's face reddened. "Yesterday, after succeeding in sensing spiritual energy with your guidance, I thought that since I had succeeded once, there should be no problem afterward. Who knew that distracting thoughts would suddenly arise? The spiritual energy went berserk and shook my spiritual root. Fortunately, I broke free from those distracting thoughts in time and steadied my mind again. Otherwise, it truly would have become a great disaster!"

As she spoke of last night's experience, Nie Yunxi still felt lingering fear.

Zhou Qing said, "Which rule in the cultivation world was not summed up at the cost of countless lives? Don't fool around like this again."

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhou Qing felt that something was off. His words sounded too much like a reprimand. Though he meant well, such words should not have come from a fellow disciple of the same generation.

Yet Nie Yunxi did not seem to find anything wrong with it. She merely nodded and said, "Yes. I won't dare do it again."

As they spoke, Chen Qingxuan descended upon Violet Cloud Mountain.

He was still riding that great white crane. When he reached the skies above the Instruction Platform, he leaped down and tucked the white crane into his sleeve, looking exceptionally carefree and elegant.

Chen Qingxuan was kind by nature. Everyone respected him but did not fear him, so Wang Xiaohu still dared to lean close and whisper, "I heard that this great white crane is actually a flying sword called the Flying Crane Sword. The white crane is only an illusion it manifests."

So Uncle Chen was actually flying on a sword?

Zhou Qing smiled. "Since when did you become so well-informed?"

Wang Xiaohu said, "I had nothing to do last night, so I went to chat with those fellows who look down their noses at everyone. They come from the Azure Cloud Sect and know quite a bit of gossip. We might find it useful in the future."

"They may act arrogant normally, but they're actually all very naïve. Say a few flattering words, and they really treat us as close friends, spilling everything they know."

At the end of the day, they were merely teenagers. Having grown up near the Azure Cloud Sect as descendants of the sect, how could they have seen the treachery of the human world?

Still, Wang Xiaohu was as clever as ever.

Zhou Qing raised a finger in a shushing gesture, signaling him not to continue lest Chen Qingxuan notice.

Chen Qingxuan had already noticed the commotion on their side.

He looked over with an amused yet exasperated expression, but then his face stiffened. He strode quickly to Zhou Qing's side.

Chen Qingxuan studied Zhou Qing with a grave expression. Only when all the disciples had been cowed by his stern demeanor, scarcely daring to breathe, did he finally ask, "You completed a Heavenly Cycle?"

Though it was phrased as a question, his tone was certain.

Zhou Qing had long expected that he would not be able to hide it from him.

For a cultivator who had only just entered the path, whether qi was circulating within his body was as clear to a Foundation Establishment cultivator as the lines on one's palm.

He smiled. "Last night, I pondered the cultivation method Uncle Chen had taught us. I was so excited that I could hardly restrain myself, so I gave it a try. Somehow, I was fortunate enough to succeed."

Only then did the disciples understand what had happened.

Zhou Qing had actually succeeded in completing a Heavenly Cycle!

While the others had only just sensed spiritual energy and could not yet maintain that state for long, needing diligent practice, he had already drawn qi into his body and successfully guided it with his mind, making it circulate through his body in a Heavenly Cycle!

The gap was simply too great.

For a moment, it was as if the disciples had been struck by a heavy hammer, and all of them felt somewhat defeated.

Wei Kuang felt that defeat most keenly.

Half a month earlier, he had already sensed spiritual energy under the watch of the sect elders and had begun attempting to complete a Heavenly Cycle.

This was a special privilege the sect had granted in recognition of his grandfather's contributions, and it was also meant to establish him as the Senior Apprentice of this intake.

Yet he still had not succeeded in completing a Heavenly Cycle.

Of the Twelvefold Gates, he had only just passed the Flying Pavilion of the ninth gate.

Breaking through the Flying Pavilion in half a month was a normal, somewhat fast pace, so he had not been anxious.

But compared to Zhou Qing, he felt as though he had sunk into the dust.

Chen Qingxuan said, "Yesterday, I told you not to cultivate in private, yet you..."

He had intended to reprimand Zhou Qing a little, but the words would not leave his mouth.

The cultivation world was a place that revered geniuses.

Whether one was a genius in spiritual roots or comprehension, as long as one reached a certain level, one would inspire awe in others, even if one's cultivation was still low for the time being.

Only he understood just how earth-shattering what Zhou Qing had accomplished was.

Circulating qi was by no means a simple matter.

He had emphasized it countless times already, and he would emphasize it countless times more in the future.