Breakthroughs in succession

Zhao Yi returned to his room, sat cross-legged in meditation, and slowly entered a meditative trance.

With a thought, Zhao Yi looked at the golden book and Jade Register above his dantian and sank his consciousness into it.

[Sect: Linghua]

[Fortune: 1]

[Registered in the Jade Register: 4]

[Spendable fortune: 4]

Huh? The sect's fortune has changed. I remember it was 0 before, but now it has increased to 1 point. What happened?

The Jade Tablet seemed to sense Zhao Yi's confusion, and a stream of information came through. As he absorbed the information from the Jade Tablet, Zhao Yi gradually understood what had happened.

This fortune was what the Jade Register had gathered from the four of them over the past year-in other words, the sect's fortune.

The more disciples the sect had and the stronger their cultivation, the more fortune it would gather.

The four fellow disciples' cultivation was too low. Over an entire year, only 1 point of fortune had been gathered from the four of them altogether.

The sect's fortune could be used to increase its disciples' fortune, but if the sect's fortune decreased, its disciples would be more likely to encounter mishaps while traveling or cultivating in meditation.

Therefore, the sect's fortune must not be used lightly!

By working hard to develop the sect and improve its strength, its fortune would increase, and its disciples would naturally benefit as well.

They would be more likely to find opportunities on their travels and advance their cultivation realms during meditation.

In short, an increase in the sect's fortune benefited its disciples, while a decrease worked against them.

The spendable fortune had increased by four points, confirming Zhao Yi's conjecture.

He had killed two cultivators at great completion of Meridian Opening and one at perfection of Meridian Opening, gaining four points of fortune. That meant each kill at great completion of Meridian Opening yielded one point of fortune, while a kill at perfection of Meridian Opening yielded two.

Zhao Yi felt that this should be how it worked. Without dwelling on it further, he checked Liu Yu's and the others' fortune and decided to add the fortune to Liu Yu and Wang Qing this time, so the two could break through as soon as possible.

At his thought, light flashed, and their jade pages changed.

[Name: Liu Yu]

[Fortune: 8]

[Spiritual root: Lower-Grade Water Spiritual Root]

[Realm: Minor achievement of Meridian Opening]

[Name: Wang Qing]

[Fortune: 8]

[Spiritual root: Lower-Grade Wood Spiritual Root]

[Realm: Meridian Opening stage]

With that done, Zhao Yi emerged from his meditative trance. His head felt heavy, and he gradually fell asleep.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. All was quiet on Linghua Island, and no cultivators arrived.

Liu Yu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled, and he could recover from his injuries in peace.

His use of the Boiling Blood Art had injured his meridians, but it did not hinder his walking, so there were no visible signs.

Of the few people on the island, apart from Liu Yu and Li Hai, both Zhao Yi and Wang Qing had entered seclusion.

Zhao Yi's injuries had healed a few days earlier. Taking a Spring Return Pill every day had naturally made his recovery extremely fast.

After emerging from seclusion, before he could even celebrate, Liu Yu urged him to deal with the Ghost Shark.

While the sea had yet to freeze, Zhao Yi, Liu Yu, and Wang Qing summoned the Ghost Shark over and put out poisoned bait.

While it was dazed from the poison, they killed it and brought its corpse back to Linghua Island.

All three agreed that it would be used as fertilizer for the fields, and neither people nor beasts would be allowed to eat its flesh.

After dealing with the Ghost Shark, Zhao Yi looked at the four bottles of Essence Origin Pills and half a bottle of Red Ginseng Pills in Liu Yu's hands. He pressed a hand to his forehead with a helpless, wry smile, filled with countless feelings. All the Spirit Stones they had earned this year had been spent on him.

Fighting now broke out frequently in the Yunsha Sea Region, and the situation was treacherous and unpredictable. The slightest misstep could mean the destruction of their home and sect. Linghua Island urgently needed a cultivator at perfection of Meridian Opening.

What was more, Zhao Yi possessed innate divine strength. If he could break through to perfection of Meridian Opening, he would surely stand a cut above other cultivators at that level.

In his room, Zhao Yi swallowed the last Red Ginseng Pill. It dissolved as soon as it entered his mouth and flowed slowly down.

Several breaths later, a powerful surge of spiritual energy erupted from it. Zhao Yi gave a muffled grunt and continuously circulated the Spirit Origin Body-Nourishing Art, furiously absorbing the immense spiritual energy in his abdomen.

As he circulated the art, the spiritual energy was steadily refined and merged into the true qi within his body.

After a long while, as the final surge of spiritual energy was refined, Zhao Yi united his mind and spirit and directed his true qi to charge at the last meridian.

Under repeated assaults, the meridian, once as narrow as a mountain trail, slowly widened. The rugged mountain path became a great road reaching the heavens.

With success in sight, Zhao Yi focused all his attention and charged meticulously at the final barrier.

Crack!

He faintly heard a crisp sound as his powerful true qi surged through the meridian in a mighty torrent.

The spiritual energy mingled within it began to flow and merge, internally and externally, through the greater and lesser celestial circuits. The abundant spiritual energy began penetrating the meridians throughout his body, gradually repairing the tears Zhao Yi had caused while forcing his breakthrough.

Perfection of Meridian Opening!

Only one step away from the Spirit Attraction Stage!

After reaching perfection of Meridian Opening, his true qi would circulate on its own at all times. During its circulation, spiritual energy would continually strengthen Zhao Yi's physique and expel impurities from his body, making it purer.

Of course, the Spirit Cuisine he needed every day would also increase until a balance was finally reached and stabilized.

He opened the door. It was the dead of night. He took a deep breath, and a plume of white mist came whistling out.

Looking toward the rooms throughout the Taoist temple, he concentrated his mind and could hear the breathing in each room without much effort.

Liu Yu's breathing was the weakest, followed by Wang Qing's, and finally Li Hai's.

Sensing that his junior brothers' auras were all much stronger than before he entered seclusion, Zhao Yi smiled. Everyone was working hard!

He reached out to close the door, only for it to creak!

Zhao Yi immediately glanced toward Liu Yu's door. Sure enough, Liu Yu emerged from his room with a guarded expression.

"Senior brother, why have you come out of seclusion? Could you have succeeded?"

Liu Yu asked softly.

Looking at Liu Yu in his close-fitting martial clothes under the moonlight, Zhao Yi saw that he had apparently slept fully dressed again. He smiled and nodded. "Of course. I couldn't let all those pills go to waste!"

"Here, there are six Essence Origin Pills left!"

As he spoke, he casually tossed the jade bottle to Liu Yu.

"Your aura has improved since before I entered seclusion. Put these six Essence Origin Pills in your gourd and add Spirit Spring Water to dilute their spiritual energy before taking them. They'll give you a helping hand, too."

Liu Yu raised a hand to catch it, then tucked it into his robe.

"All right, get some rest. I'll take a walk around the mountain!"

Liu Yu nodded and turned back into his room, while Zhao Yi strolled out of the Taoist temple.

Gazing at the sparse stars in the sky, Zhao Yi wandered along the mountain trail by the dim moonlight. Three months had passed since he last emerged from seclusion to kill the Ghost Shark.

The spring chill was still biting. The thick snow on the mountain had yet to melt, and no one had walked the trail for a long time.

The snow rose past his calves. Zhao Yi walked steadily along the trail, leaving a footprint with every step as he headed toward the summit.

From afar, he looked like a resolute climber scaling a snowy mountain.

That description was indeed apt. What cultivator was not a climber on the path to immortality?

The Immortal Venerable offered salvation to all living beings and flung wide the gates of cultivation. The path to immortality was right there, beneath their feet!

Fierce winds swept the summit, leaving little accumulated snow. Zhao Yi stood at the mountaintop, gazing at the harbor below and the flickering light of the nearby lighthouse, countless thoughts running through his mind.

He had been in this world for twenty-six years and had finally reached the threshold of soaring through the heavens and burrowing through the earth.

His grandmaster and master had both reached perfection of Meridian Opening in their forties, then remained there, unable to advance another inch.

That was due both to their own shortcomings and to a shortage of Spirit Stones and spiritual resources.

Actually... ah!

Once they had disciples, who could bear to spend Spirit Stones and spiritual resources on themselves anymore?

Ever since his master took in Zhao Yi and the others, apart from Jade Essence Rice, he had never taken another pill or eaten another grain of spirit rice, devoting himself wholeheartedly to supporting his disciples' cultivation.

A master, a master-both teacher and father!

At that thought, bitterness welled in Zhao Yi's heart, and he clenched his fists.

Back during the Demon Cultivator attack on Azure Cloud Island, if he had not coveted the dead cultivators' Storage Bags and tried to fish in troubled waters, how could his master have been killed by Demon Cultivators on Azure Cloud Island?

It was all my fault!

Recalling his master's voice and smiling face, Zhao Yi's heart bled, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

Zhao Yi knelt on the ground and gazed into the distance, choking with silent sobs.

"Master! It was all my fault! Your Yi'er knows he was wrong!"

After a long while, Zhao Yi wiped the frozen tears from his face and said softly, "Master, in this life, I will protect Linghua Island and my junior brothers, and bring Linghua Island to greatness, fulfilling the wishes you and Grandmaster left behind!"

He rose, rubbed his frozen face hard, and turned to walk down the mountain.

At daybreak, Liu Yu and Li Hai came out for their Morning Cultivation and found Zhao Yi already waiting in the main hall. They then sat cross-legged on their cushions and began their Morning Cultivation.

After finishing their Morning Cultivation, the three sat in the pavilion. The red-clay stove burned gently, its charcoal glowing a deep blue, without a trace of smoke.

The mountain winds were strong and bitingly cold, but the three were cultivators, after all. Even Li Hai, who had yet to formally begin cultivating, did not feel cold.

"How far are you from great completion of Meridian Opening?"

Zhao Yi looked at Liu Yu.

"I've opened sixty-two meridians in the lesser celestial circuit now. The rest will probably take at least four months."

Zhao Yi nodded, then turned to Li Hai, looking at the slender youth before him, with sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, and a composed face.

Comparing him to the dark-skinned child he had first met, he could not help praising him inwardly. What a handsome young man. A pity he's growing ever more reserved. At his age, he should be a little sunnier.

"Li Hai, you're sixteen this year, aren't you?"

"Eldest senior brother, I'll be sixteen in another two months."

A faint smile appeared on Li Hai's composed face.

"Mm. Wait until you turn sixteen before breaking through to the Qi Nurturing Stage. Spend these remaining two months further strengthening your foundation."

"Yes, eldest senior brother!"

Zhao Yi nodded and continued, "Now we're just waiting for Wang Qing. I wonder when he'll come out of seclusion."

"Probably soon. I gave him all the Essence Qi Pills."

Before Liu Yu had finished speaking, a burst of laughter came from inside the temple.

"I'm finally out of seclusion! Being cooped up was driving me mad! Huh? Where is everyone? Come out and welcome me! I successfully broke through! Hey, where is everyone?"

Hearing his voice, Zhao Yi burst out laughing. What a coincidence, a real coincidence-he had emerged from seclusion just as they finished talking about him.

"Wang Qing, we're over here in the pavilion!"

Before long, a blue-robed young man came racing over at a run and a skip, then plopped down.

Without so much as a greeting, he picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup, blew on it a few times, and took a large gulp.

"Refreshing!"

Setting down the teacup, Wang Qing said to the three, "Well? That was a quick breakthrough, wasn't it?"

"Quick, very quick! Your second senior brother and I had only just become Meridian Opening stage cultivators when we were twenty!"

"Ha ha!"

Laughter and cheerful voices filled the pavilion as the four sat together.