Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Secluded Cultivation for Three Months

At the sight of the Sect Array, Jiang Xu was so moved he could have cried.

That Ding Shiping was just relentless!

He hadn’t stopped talking for a single moment the entire journey! 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Arriving before the Sect Array, Shan Lanlan and Ding Shiping took out their Identity Tokens and passed through smoothly.

Only then did the group of four finally let their hearts, which had been lodged in their throats, settle back into their chests.

With the protection of this Grand Array, as long as a Foundation Establishment expert didn’t show up in person, no one could really do anything to them.

Even if a Foundation Establishment expert did come, breaking through the first layer of the Grand Array would alert the Elders of the Profound Origin Sect, so their safety was still guaranteed.

With that, Shan Lanlan no longer conserved her Magical Power, pushing the speed of her Magical Artifact to its maximum for the rest of the trip.

Because of the effects of his Silent Meditation, and the fact that his Realm was a layer higher than Shan Lanlan’s, Ding Shiping consumed less Magical Power at the same speed.

So, Ding Shiping took the initiative and asked Shan Lanlan to hand Zong Ziqi over to him, lightening her burden.

And at the same time, he gained a new audience.

...

This way, Ding Shiping was no longer held back by Shan Lanlan, and their overall speed increased significantly.

They soon returned to the Outer Sect area within the sect.

The Profound Origin Sect was laid out like any other sect.

The entire grounds were divided into several major areas.

The central-most area was where the True Disciples, the various Elders, the Sect Leader, and the Supreme Elder resided.

Moving outward from there were the concentric layers of the Inner Sect area, the Outer Sect area, and the servant area.

The layers of the Sect Array were distributed in the same manner.

It was just that they weren’t visible under normal circumstances.

After reaching the Outer Sect area, Shan Lanlan and Ding Shiping set Jiang Xu and Zong Ziqi down.

"This is as far as we’re taking you."

With that said, they prepared to pilot their Magical Artifacts toward the Inner Sect.

"So, is our mission considered complete or not?" Jiang Xu asked hurriedly.

"It should be. Just go to the General Affairs Hall to collect your mission reward when you have time."

Shan Lanlan said hastily before speeding away into the distance.

Watching his seniors fly away, Jiang Xu glanced at Zong Ziqi.

"Fellow Daoist Zong, what do we do now? Just go back like this?"

"What else can we do? You’re at the Qi Cultivation Early Stage, and I’m at the Body Refining Early Stage. What do you think we can possibly do?"

Jiang Xu had to admit he had a point.

This whole trip started with a bang and ended with a whimper.

He still hadn’t figured out how he’d been chosen to go in the first place.

Nor did he understand what had ultimately happened.

But even though Jiang Xu was completely in the dark, he understood that no matter what had happened, his current goal remained unchanged.

And that was to raise his Cultivation and strength first!

...

After parting ways with Zong Ziqi, Jiang Xu first went to the General Affairs Hall and asked the Outer Sect Steward about his mission.

The answer he received was exactly what Shan Lanlan had said.

The mandatory sect mission, which occurred once every three months, was now resolved.

The reward for this sect mission was also given to Jiang Xu—a full ten Spirit Stones!

On top of that, Jiang Xu hadn’t yet collected this month’s stipend for Outer Disciples, which was five Spirit Stones.

He collected it all at once, for a total of fifteen Spirit Stones!

’This trip was a huge win. It only took about three days, and I got a Tier One Middle Grade Magical Artifact, the Seeking Technique, and still have these one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones left. I even got to eat some Spiritual Food along the way.’

Back in his residence, Jiang Xu glanced into his Storage Bag, feeling absolutely ecstatic.

’I can’t just squander these Spirit Stones! Who knows when another good opportunity like this will come along!’

Jiang Xu calculated inwardly.

’My current Cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer is really not enough. I have to raise my Cultivation as soon as possible. The main expense for these Spirit Stones will be buying Qi Replenishing Pills to raise my Cultivation.’

’I hit a bottleneck going from the Qi Cultivation Second Layer to the Third Layer. The bottleneck for breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer will definitely be even tougher. I’ll inevitably need to buy an Elixir that can help with the Realm Breakthrough, and that’ll be another expense!’

’Once I break through to the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage, I’ll have to start learning the Exorcism Spell and try to control a Magical Artifact.’

With so many things to plan for all of a sudden, Jiang Xu felt a mix of pain and pleasure.

’The sect mission is done, too. I should be free for the next few months. Why don’t I just not step out the door and go into secluded cultivation for a few months straight!’

Jiang Xu couldn’t shake the feeling that Yan Chunyu’s strange behavior was unusual, and this gave him a sudden sense of urgency.

Only by increasing his strength could he truly feel at ease!

...

「Three months later.」

The height of summer had turned to late autumn.

It was as if the stage of nature had quietly changed its scenery.

The summer sky had been bright and scorching, endlessly clear and sunny. But now, the sky had become deeper and more mysterious, often a pale shade of blue that gave one a sense of tranquil and profound calm.

Jiang Xu opened his door, looked at the sky, and sighed inwardly.

’Without realizing it, I’ve been in this world for five months already. I’ve even gotten a year older...’

Then he looked down at his chest.

The mark that had once been there had also vanished with the passage of time.

Jiang Xu opened his panel.

[Name]: Jiang Xu

[Lifespan]: 20/100 years

[Realm]: Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer: 1/100

[Cultivation Technique]: Cangmu Skill (Mastery): 400/400

[Skills]:

Talisman Dao: Dust-removal Talisman (Beginner): 15/100; Cold Ice Talisman (Mastery)

Magic: Spirit Rain Technique (Skilled); Small Cotton Needle Technique (Mastery); Light Body Spell (Mastery); Concealing Breath Spell (Mastery); Golden Light Spell (Skilled); Spiritual Eye Technique (Mastery); Healing Technique (Skilled); Giant Strength Technique (Skilled);

Exorcism Spell (Skilled); Seeking Technique (Skilled)

Martial Dao: Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill (Skilled); Wind and Thunder Swordsmanship (Mastery)

[Limit-Breaking Points]: 9.776

(Note: From now on, skills in the skill list that have reached maximum Skill Level, such as 200/200, will no longer be displayed to avoid clutter. The panel usually won’t be fully expanded unless there’s a major change. P.S.: Showing the panel once is only a hundred-odd words, so it doesn’t count as padding the word count, hmm.)

During these three months, Jiang Xu had been popping Qi Replenishing Pills like candy. He went through nine bottles, a total of ninety pills.

One bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills cost five Spirit Stones and contained ten pills, so that was a cost of 45 Spirit Stones.

It was thanks to these Spirit Pills that Jiang Xu was able to reach maximum Skill Level for the Qi Cultivation Third Layer within three months.

In fact, when Jiang Xu reached the peak of the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, he had originally planned to spend a large sum on a Spirit Pill to help with the Realm Breakthrough.

But to his surprise, on the very night he reached the peak, he broke through to the next realm while he was cultivating...

This phenomenon left Jiang Xu completely baffled.

He had clearly struggled like hell with the bottleneck for the Qi Cultivation Third Layer.

After some careful investigation, Jiang Xu finally understood what had happened.

It turned out that after reaching the Mastery level, the Cangmu Skill had modified its own operational path, automatically adapting to Jiang Xu’s body.

This was equivalent to the Cangmu Skill beginning to transform into a Cultivation Technique exclusive to Jiang Xu.

That was why he had been able to break through the bottleneck to the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage so easily.