Taking one Pure Spirit Pill each day, Liu Yu advanced in cultivation far faster than before.
He took only one a day because, with his current cultivation, that was exactly how much medicinal potency he could refine in a day.
If he took too many pills, the medicinal potency he could not refine would accumulate in his body, gradually forming pill toxins.
Pill toxins posed a tremendous obstacle when breaking through realms and bottlenecks.
The more pill toxins accumulated, the harder a breakthrough became.
But even taking just one pill each day was already comparable to the treatment enjoyed by direct descendants of great Lineages or core disciples of major sects!
Time passed, and half a month went by.
Liu Yu could clearly feel that his magical power had increased a little, taking him another steady step along the path of the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.
Today was the day he had arranged to visit Preaching Peak with Senior Brother Shang, so he ended his cultivation early and left his cave abode.
The hour of the Ox had only just begun, and the sky was still dark.
Outside his cave abode, Liu Yu took out his newly acquired Giant Wood Sword.
He infused it with magical power, and in the blink of an eye, it grew into an azure broadsword roughly twenty feet long and two feet wide. It became a streak of azure light and carried him toward Green Bamboo Peak.
Green Bamboo Peak lay between Greenwood Peak and Preaching Peak, not far from Greenwood Peak.
After roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, it came into view.
Liu Yu did not head straight up the mountain. Instead, he landed at a small pavilion in the bamboo grove at its foot, drawing in spiritual energy to replenish his expended magical power.
They had arranged all this through a Voice-Transmitting Talisman.
He did not have to wait long. About a quarter of an hour later, Senior Brother Shang appeared overhead on a fan-shaped magical artifact.
Senior Brother Shang's full name was Shang Chuanjiang. He was twenty-six, at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, and belonged to the "Lineage faction."
He was a member of the Shang Household, a Foundation Establishment Lineage within the sect. However, he was not a direct descendant and received little support in cultivation resources.
He had a square face, slightly dark skin, and a lean frame. He resembled a weathered veteran of the mortal world and looked quite seasoned.
"Ha ha!"
"Junior Brother Liu, it's been months! I hope I haven't kept you waiting!"
A hearty laugh reached Liu Yu before the man himself arrived.
Senior Brother Shang walked into the bamboo pavilion with a smile and greeted Liu Yu.
Noticing the changes in Liu Yu's cultivation realm and magical artifact, he was deeply surprised.
He had not expected that, in just three months apart, this Junior Brother Liu would not only advance a layer but also replace his weapon with a mid-grade magical artifact.
That was not something an ordinary Outer Disciple could accomplish!
"Have you been well, Senior Brother Shang?"
"I only just arrived myself. We shouldn't delay-let's set off."
"If we reach Preaching Peak early, we might even secure good seats closer to Martial Uncle."
Liu Yu cupped his fists in greeting and conversed with him easily.
Then the two mounted their magical artifacts, becoming two streaks of light, one azure and one white, that vanished into the horizon.
Shang Chuanjiang had always felt that this "Junior Brother Liu" was somewhat different from the other disciples.
Some of his novel ideas galloped through the heavens like an unbridled steed, so astonishing they defied belief, and Shang Chuanjiang had benefited greatly from them.
Thus, he deliberately cultivated their friendship and maintained good relations.
Preaching Peak stood in the northern part of the Primordial Yang Sect. At just over five hundred zhang tall, it was not particularly high among the Primordial Yang mountains.
Yet it was a place familiar to many Outer Disciples.
Every other month, on the fifteenth, the sect arranged for a Foundation Establishment steward to give a lecture there.
The lectures could cover anything from the essentials of Qi Refining cultivation to techniques for learning various spells.
Of course, the precise subject depended on the Foundation Establishment Martial Uncle's mood.
The lecture site lay on a cliff of Preaching Peak.
There was a plaza there, nearly a hundred zhang long and wide, with meditation cushions arranged across it.
Against the cliff wall at the inner end, seven or eight zhang above the plaza, stood a small platform. That was the Foundation Establishment Martial Uncle's designated seat, overlooking the entire plaza.
By the time Liu Yu and Shang Chuanjiang arrived, the hour of the Rabbit was nearly over.
The sky was fully light, and a great red sun rose slowly in the east, shining upon all things.
Although the two had set out early, the journey was long. When they reached the cliffside plaza, people were already seated near the lecture platform.
A rough count showed about two hundred Outer Disciples already waiting there.
There is never a shortage of diligent, hardworking cultivators on the road to immortality!
Looking at his fellow disciples who had arrived even earlier, Liu Yu silently reminded himself to stay vigilant.
Having been fortunate enough to obtain the Immortal Mansion, he had all the more reason to cultivate diligently, lest he squander this heaven-sent opportunity!
There were both men and women in the plaza. Whenever disciples encountered familiar fellow disciples, they greeted them softly or nodded in acknowledgment.
The little groups, however, remained as distinct as the clear Jing River and the muddy Wei, with very little mingling.
Those of the Lineage faction gathered together, while those of the Outer Courtyard faction clustered into their own group.
As for the master-disciple faction, they had their masters' guidance and naturally had no need to attend these lectures often.
Thus, few of them came, and they did not form a group.
Liu Yu counted as a disciple of the Outer Courtyard faction, but he was an insignificant figure on its fringes.
None of the cultivators from the Outer Courtyard faction attending this time were particularly familiar to him, so he did not join them.
When he saw someone he knew, a slight cupping of his fists or a nod sufficed as a greeting.
The two found seats fairly close to the lecture platform and began quietly exchanging insights on cultivation.
It was called an exchange, but given the difference in their cultivation and backgrounds, Shang Chuanjiang did most of the talking while Liu Yu listened.
Still, an occasional unique observation from Liu Yu gave Shang Chuanjiang a refreshing new perspective.
Time gradually passed, and more cultivators entered the plaza. In the end, roughly two thousand Outer Disciples arrived.
Excluding those performing sect duties or cultivating in seclusion, those who had grown too old and abandoned cultivation, and those unable to come for other reasons, two thousand was neither particularly many nor particularly few.
Although two thousand people sat cross-legged in the plaza, it was not noisy.
Even familiar fellow disciples only exchanged quiet greetings, not daring to raise their voices.
Preaching Peak was an important sect site, and loud disturbances were strictly forbidden!
Any disciple who violated the rule would immediately be taken away by enforcement cultivators. Not only would they face severe punishment, but they would also be forbidden from setting foot there again for the rest of their lives!
Across the plaza, everyone wore the gray robes of Outer Disciples. Not a single white-robed inner sect disciple was present.
That was because the inner sect had Inquiry Peak, and its disciples were generally at Late Qi Refining. Foundation Establishment stewards lectured there every month.
Naturally, the knowledge imparted there was far more profound than at Preaching Peak, so inner sect disciples generally did not come here to listen.
These differences in treatment spurred many outer sect disciples unwilling to settle for mediocrity to cultivate diligently, striving for promotion to the inner sect!
Time passed, and the sunlight gradually grew stronger.
Suddenly, a streak of blue sword light bearing an astonishing presence tore across the sky, approaching the cliffside lecture platform in an instant.
The blue flying sword radiated an astonishing chill, with wisps of white mist appearing around it in the sunlight.
On its sky-blue blade, lines of runes formed an extraordinary ice bird. Its imposing aura far surpassed that of any magical artifact Liu Yu had ever seen!
The blue flying sword swiftly shrank, its light gradually fading, and a figure as proud as a plum blossom standing in the bitter cold appeared before everyone.
She was a woman as cold as frost, dressed in a flowing blue gown with wide sleeves. Her eyes shone like stars, and her jade-like face was flawless.
A White Silk Ribbon tied back her long, jet-black hair.
"Cold Moon Fairy!" "A high-grade spirit artifact!"
Low exclamations rose from the crowd from time to time. Some recognized the newcomer and stared, transfixed.
It's actually Bai Yuxuan, the Cold Moon Fairy, one of the Primordial Yang Twin Beauties!
At first sight, Liu Yu, too, was briefly dazzled.
But he had seen plenty of "beauties" in his previous life and quickly regained his composure, identifying the newcomer in his mind.
The Primordial Yang Twin Beauties was a title bestowed upon the most outstanding female cultivators in the Primordial Yang Sect's Foundation Establishment Realm.
Anyone who earned that title was an exceptional figure among her peers, possessing not only profound cultivation but also beauty found in scarcely one among ten thousand.
"I never expected Martial Uncle Bai to give this lecture!"
"Getting to behold Martial Uncle Bai's peerless beauty alone makes this trip worthwhile!"
Beside him, a cultivator murmured to himself, a trace of infatuation in his eyes.
Hearing this, Liu Yu understood and smiled inwardly.
The Primordial Yang Twin Beauties were immensely famous and had countless admirers.
Had people known beforehand that the Cold Moon Fairy would be giving this lecture, the two thousand present would probably have doubled!
There were certainly no few cultivators who wished to behold the Cold Moon Fairy's beauty!
Bai Yuxuan's face was cold as frost, her expression indifferent and utterly unruffled.
Her starry eyes shifted as she cast a cool glance over the plaza.
Then her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she released the powerful spiritual pressure of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, pressing down upon the many Outer Disciples present.
Thank you to Xiaoye Cangxue, Shaosonghua Mochen, the esteemed Yinian ^v^ Luan Tianji, Yinian Buwang, Fanren Mi Zining, Fellow Daoist Li, and all the other readers for your recommendation votes!
Every recommendation vote motivates the author to keep updating! Changting bows in thanks!