The next day.
When Chen Yu woke, a trace of fatigue lingered in his eyes.
His attempts to cultivate the Earth-Warding Art last night had not gone smoothly. Entering meditation was hard, and cultivating it was harder still. The normal cultivation method yielded no experience points whatsoever. It seemed he would have to find another way.
Besides that...
Chen Yu glanced around with an odd expression.
Probably because a faint smell had still lingered in his room last night,
he had dreamed that he had become Poop Superman.
"..."
He dared not dwell on the scenes from that dream.
Chen Yu fell silent for a moment, thinking, I still need to join the Heavenly Union Association. Although my little trick drove everyone away last night...
At that thought, he opened the window a crack.
The birds and beasts that had scattered were back again.
He closed the window.
"Oh well."
"I'll spend the next few days cultivating in seclusion."
"I'll go out once Senior Sister Lü has arranged things with the Heavenly Union Association and I can take their assessment."
So Chen Yu thought.
He had already stocked enough dry provisions and water in his room to last a week. The Immortal Ruins at Little Bamboo Peak had only just disappeared, so this was hardly a suitable time to go there anyway. Better to use this opportunity to cultivate diligently and break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining as soon as possible.
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Chen Yu began studying the Earth-Warding Art...
Time
passed.
First day of seclusion. Sunny.
"Studied the Earth-Warding Art today. No progress."
"A boring day."
Second day of seclusion. Sunny.
"A sudden flash of inspiration today! I think I've found the key to cultivating the Earth-Warding Art!!!"
Third day of seclusion. Sunny.
"Never mind. It was an illusion."
"Chen Yu, oh, Chen Yu, you must never grow complacent on the path of cultivation! Think about how you cultivated the Qi Guiding Art and the Flame-Transforming Art before. Believe in yourself!"
Fourth day of seclusion. Overcast.
"Today I saw two ants fighting inside my room. The black one bit the brown one and killed it. The victor dragged the corpse away with its head held high, while the loser lay stiff as a speck of dust. Watching them, I suddenly felt that the cultivation world was no different. The weak are meat for the strong-nothing more than somewhat larger ants fighting one another..."
"Speaking of which, there seemed to be one or two fewer disciples keeping watch outside today."
"I suppose even senior brothers have their troubles."
Fifth day of seclusion. Sunny.
"I have a very strong feeling... those hundred points were wasted. The Earth-Warding Art is too hard to cultivate. Several days straight without any progress. I really want to dig a hole and bury myself... Huh?"
"Eh!?"
"Hiss!!!"
"..."
Over the past few days, Lü Yanyan had been helping Chen Yu contact the Heavenly Union Association.
The Heavenly Union Association was the only authorized organization within the Dao Sect's Outer Sect. It had existed for over a hundred years, and its requirements for admission were extremely high.
Even just signing up required spending ten points to seek out connections and pull strings.
Fortunately, Lü Yanyan's years in the Dao Sect had not been wasted. Thanks to her outstanding figure and pretty face, she was on good terms with plenty of Outer Sect disciples. Of course, not in that sense-they were merely ordinary friends. Although some senior brothers did indeed harbor those sorts of intentions toward her, Lü Yanyan had greater ambitions. She knew her figure and looks were her most important resources, and naturally would not give them away lightly.
She was helping Chen Yu partly because she had her eye on his points, and partly because she wanted to invest in his potential.
It was only ten points, after all.
She could simply pretend she had never sold him any "Happy and Carefree" services, and that he had earned those points himself with his clue. If this handsome junior brother really managed to enter the Heavenly Union Association, or even break into the Outer Sect Genius Ranking within a few years, her investment would pay off handsomely.
"Junior Brother should still be cultivating in seclusion."
Now that arrangements with the Heavenly Union Association were settled, Lü Yanyan headed toward Chen Yu's residence.
News that Chen Yu had found a valuable treasure in the Immortal Ruins and received a reward of 140 points was already common knowledge on Emerald Cloud Peak. Many eyes were fixed on him, so naturally, all sorts of information about him had spread as well.
Soon, Lü Yanyan arrived outside Chen Yu's room.
She saw the many disciples nearby.
She walked over.
Reaching Chen Yu's door,
she knocked softly.
"Junior Brother."
"Don't waste your breath." A male disciple sitting on the steps nearby spoke with his eyes closed. "I've been keeping watch here for days, and I haven't seen him respond to anyone."
Clearly, he had taken Lü Yanyan for another "beggar."
Lü Yanyan remained expressionless.
She merely knocked on the door again.
"Junior Brother."
"Senior Sister Lü?"
A slightly muffled voice came from inside.
Lü Yanyan smiled.
"It's me."
"Oh, the door isn't locked. Come in."
"All right." She turned her head aside and glanced at the man who had just spoken, saying with a hint of disdain, "I'm not like you lot."
With that, she swayed her hips and pushed open the door.
She walked inside.
The moment she entered and saw the situation in the room, Lü Yanyan froze.
The bed, stools, and other places where a person would normally sit were all empty. Instead, in a corner of the room, a person was staring at her with his eyes open, his entire body buried below the neck, leaving only his head exposed.
Fortunately, it was not nighttime. Otherwise, the sight would have been genuinely unnerving.
Lü Yanyan quickly turned around and shut the door.
Looking at Chen Yu, she did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Junior Brother, what are you..."
"If I told you I was cultivating, would you believe me?"
Lü Yanyan's mind stalled for a moment. What cultivation art requires burying yourself in the ground? A sprouting technique?
Still, she said with a smile,
"Yes."
Judging by her expression, she was clearly lying.
Senior Sister Lü had suddenly come looking for him at this time, so there was most likely news from the Heavenly Union Association.
Thus, Chen Yu stood up out of the pit,
wearing a set of white underclothes beneath the dirt rather than being naked. As he rose, countless clumps of soil fell away, and he brushed the remaining dirt off his clothes.
Whether Lü Yanyan believed him or not, Chen Yu really had been cultivating.
Who would have thought that after days of failing to find a way to cultivate the Earth-Warding Art, he would stumble upon it just as he was about to lose his mind?
Burying his body in a pit not only kept him pressed close to the earth, but also allowed him to feel its weight and solidity. Combined with the faint sensation of his dantian becoming more compact under the pressure... he had begun cultivating the Earth-Warding Art under these absurd conditions.
Although he had only cultivated for a single day,
at this moment,
Chen Yu's information panel read:
[Name: Chen Yu.] [Age: 18.] [Level: fifth layer of Qi Refining (59/60).] [Spiritual root: false spiritual root.] [Martial skill: "Qi-Concealing Art."] [Cultivation arts: "True Essence Profound Canon," "Flame-Transforming Art," "Earth-Warding Art."] [Currently available experience points: 10.]
He only needed to allocate a single experience point to his level, and his cultivation would reach the sixth layer of Qi Refining!
However, with Senior Sister Lü present, Chen Yu did not rush to break through.
Although he had the Qi-Concealing Art, the surging spiritual power inside him would briefly manifest at the instant of his breakthrough, and she might notice something unusual.
After brushing the dirt off himself, Chen Yu addressed Senior Sister Lü, whose slender branches bore such ample fruit. "Senior Sister, did you come today because of the Heavenly Union Association?"
Hearing that, Lü Yanyan nodded with a smile.
"That's right."