Chapter 391: Chapter 230: Heaven and Earth’s Misty Rain, Spring Breeze Crossing Cicada! (Part 2)

"The comprehension flow can actually strengthen the Vast Qi?"

Su Mu’s eyes lit up. Initially, he discovered that the comprehension flow after each breakthrough could alleviate the soreness of his muscles. As his comprehension level continued to improve, the comprehension flow could also be used to temper his bones and tendons, speeding up this process.

However, Su Mu also found that the comprehension flow could not be used to directly enhance Power. Yet today, he discovered that it could be directly used to nurture the Vast Qi.

The Vast Qi was a power cultivated from the Confucian cultivation method in the ancient scrolls of Shuangbai Academy, a power akin to the Power for Martial Artists and Spiritual Qi for Daoist Cultivators.

This discovery naturally surprised and delighted Su Mu, though a trace of hesitation also flashed through his mind. According to his original plan, he intended to visit the Vajra Temple after handling the Cyan Cloud affairs to see if he could resolve the conflict between the Vast Qi and the Vajra Secret Realm within him.

"Since it has come, let it be. I’ll give you all this flow!"

The Pharmacist once said that Confucian cultivators enter the world to help others, taking it as their duty to nurture Vast Qi and support the world. Their cultivation is extremely slow compared to other methods, but the stronger the dynasty’s destiny, the stronger the Confucian cultivator becomes.

The strength of Confucian cultivators in a prosperous era is undeniable; relying on destiny, they can even cross major realms to contend with cultivators from other methods!

Su Mu did not know the current state of the Great Yan Dynasty’s destiny, but he thought it should last for many more years.

Thus, owning such a unique cultivation advantage, to squander it would be a great waste, too unjust!

"Then cultivate!"

With this thought, Su Mu quickly made a decision. He was never indecisive, and in recent days, he had actually tried it out. Once the Vast Qi was cultivated, it could not easily dissipate.

Since he had already embarked on this path, he would follow it to the end; when the carriage reaches the mountain, there will be a road.

If there is no road, then he would blaze a path with supreme comprehension!

With a quick turn of thought, Su Mu’s mind became clear. He poured the comprehension flow produced by Qingfeng Crossing Cicada directly into the Vast Qi in his Dantian. The Vast Qi, like a spark receiving firewood, immediately conveyed a joyous emotion.

It also began to grow at an astonishing speed visible to the naked eye. Within ten breaths, after the flow was completely digested, the faint white smoke-like Vast Qi in the Dantian swiftly expanded and differentiated into five strands. Although it was still far weaker compared to the Gangjin Pill, it was overall four times stronger than initially.

The Vast Qi moved as he willed, rising from his Dantian.

"Vast!"

With Su Mu’s low murmur, the white smoke flowed from his fingertips, condensing into a gentle, peaceful, white light. Su Mu squinted his eyes, observing carefully.

"Indeed, the Vast Qi cultivated by the Confucian method does resemble the light of destiny."

At this moment, Su Mu pointed a finger, and the white light at his fingertip drifted lazily away, dissipating completely into the world less than a foot away.

"It’s a bit weak."

Surprised, Su Mu soon realized that perhaps he hadn’t yet mastered the true usage of the Vast Qi; after all, he hadn’t forgotten Liu Zhengyuan’s ’rightness’ character. Without it, even if he didn’t die, he would have ended up severely injured under Tao Xingzheng’s mutual destruction.

Su Mu withdrew his slender fingers, and a thought suddenly arose in his mind. Now that Li Feiyu’s identity could no longer be used, and the path of the Demon Slayer Bureau’s Golden Order naturally couldn’t be followed, perhaps he could try to become a scholar at Qingzhou Academy.

For one, he could learn the methods of Confucian cultivation from the Academy, and for another, he could adopt a new identity to integrate into Qingzhou.

"It should be feasible." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Su Mu nodded secretly and then imitated those students at Shuangbai Academy, shaking his head and reciting, "Spring slumber not knowing dawn, everywhere hear birdsong, night sounds of wind and rain, how many flowers fall... What a good poem!"

After reciting, Su Mu himself laughed but found it quite interesting. In his past life, he had read for more than a decade, so he could be considered a scholar.

"Let’s try Spring Breeze Crossing Cicada."

The scholar focused his mind, activating his Body Technique, and with one step, his figure flickered like a shuttle through dense raindrops. Ripples appeared in a small puddle seven zhang away, water splashed slightly, then the reflection of the Rice Hat Wanderer’s figure appeared.

This made the scholar’s eyes shine brightly. With successive steps, he could clearly feel the difference; the Spring Breeze Crossing Cicada far surpassed his previous three Lightweight Body Techniques in both speed and instantaneous burst, more than doubling in strength!

After the rain cleared, the bright noon sun poured over Great Mist Mountain, and the perennial mist in the mountain valley seemed to dissipate by a third.

Su Mu paused briefly in front of the dilapidated Mountain Lord Temple on the mountainside and glanced inside.

The temple had been re-webbed, and dust had once again covered the broken statue of the Mountain Monarch, indicating that after the Taiping Dao incident, the Yan family’s girl hadn’t returned to Great Mist Mountain but had left.

Retracting his gaze, the Rice Hat Wanderer continued forward, passing the Mountain Lord Temple and heading deeper.

A hint of red appeared within the deep mountain. Upon closer inspection, it was a straight, dragon-spine-like redwood with faint golden spots all over its body.

About to leave Cyan Cloud, Su Mu had come to take the redwood.

Illuminating the Fire Sparrow Pattern in his palm, Su Mu, even before approaching within a zhang, made the redwood flow with red light, conveying a kindred intimacy.

Though the golden spots’ sharpness still resisted as ever.

Ssss!

The golden spots on the redwood flared brilliantly, and invisible sharpness like a ferocious wind attacked, shredding the mountain’s wind around Su Mu within several feet into chaos.

The sharpness was two to three tenths stronger than before.

However, now Su Mu possessed the Jiao Tendons and Jade Bone, grasped some mysteries of the Secret Realm, and his physique was far stronger than when he had left. Besides, with Gang Force protecting him, the sharpness that could have easily cut through unactivated Inscribed Treasure Artifacts could no longer harm him at all.

Su Mu reached out his five fingers, directly ignoring the resisting sharpness, and lightly caressed the redwood.

"My luck’s not bad, came just at the right time... The seventh tree pattern is complete."

Last time he was here, the seventh Fire Sparrow-like pattern on this redwood’s trunk hadn’t fully formed. Now, not only had it formed, but the trunk had grown from the original seven feet to nearly eight feet.

"Rest assured, in my hands, Su Mu, you’ll be fully utilized, not left to gather dust."

The redwood conveyed even stronger joy, while the golden spots continued to struggle fearlessly.

With that, Gang Force surged through Su Mu’s fingers, and with his fist momentum suddenly appearing, he transformed his palm into a blade, chopping off the eight-foot redwood.

After taking the redwood, Su Mu felt a scorching surge of Fire Spiritual Qi and Metal Spiritual Qi burst from the tree roots underground.

The surrounding ground for several zhang was riddled with holes from the rampant Metal Spiritual Qi, and fiercely burned by the Fire Spiritual Qi.

Moments later, the tree roots collapsed and disappeared without a trace.

Su Mu, with a flash of spiritual light in his hand, stored the redwood in the Sumeru Ring. He then took a look at the cave where the Fire Sparrow’s body was before descending the Great Mist Mountain.

The vast outline of Great Mist Mountain spanned the border of Cyan Cloud and Changfeng counties, marking their junction. Su Mu then left Cyan Cloud, heading to Changfeng County.

"Wang Xuantian, you gifted me the map... I’ll see what you left in Qi Peak Mountain."