11: Chapter 11 The Three-Year Term

Four days later, it would be the three-year deadline, and it just so happened that the sect would hold assessments and evaluations then.

As for the phoenix feather gold, it was a better spiritual item than the Jue Zhongqing, and Yu Xiu planned to exchange it for contribution points after entering the Inner Courtyard.

However, these four days should not be wasted. Fortunately, seventy of the one hundred contribution points exchanged for the Jue Zhongqing remained, so he made a trip to the Scripture Pavilion, spent twenty contribution points, and exchanged them for twenty basic Cultivation Technique sword manuals.

Basic Cultivation Technique sword manuals were cheap, requiring only one contribution point each, but they could only be exchanged with contribution points. Therefore, before this, Yu Xiu had practiced a full sixteen basic Cultivation Technique sword manuals.

'Continue developing.'

In the Qingwei Sword Sect, basic Cultivation Techniques were not worthy of names. There were three hundred and forty-two basic Cultivation Techniques in the Outer Courtyard, simply named Basic Cultivation Technique 1 through 342.

The names were plain and unadorned.

[Basic Cultivation Technique Sword Art, Part 17: Minor Achievement (26/100)]

With 149 Comprehension Ability, practicing a basic Cultivation Technique sword manual, reading it once, resulted in Minor Achievement.

'In the future, when my Comprehension Ability breaks through two hundred or five hundred, I fear that just one glance at these basic Cultivation Technique sword arts will lead to Major Achievement, or even Perfection.'

Yu Xiu was excited, and as he turned the sword in his hand, it already stirred up layers of sword light.

Basic Cultivation Technique Sword Art Part 17 + 50

[Basic Cultivation Technique Sword Art, Part 17: Major Achievement (24/100)]

Basic Cultivation Technique Sword Art Part 17 + 50

[Basic Cultivation Technique Sword Art, Part 17: Perfection (Sword Sense +1)]

Comprehension Ability + 1

Lifespan + 1

Four times, just practicing it four times, and a basic sword art had already reached Perfection!

"149 Comprehension Ability is indeed beyond the ordinary." Yu Xiu took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

No, it was no longer 149 Comprehension Ability, but 150.

Practicing basic sword arts four times didn't take much time for the current Yu Xiu; he could finish it in just over a quarter of an hour.

Twenty basic sword arts, 20 Comprehension Ability, 20 years of Lifespan, could be obtained in about three hours.

If only there were enough contribution points...

Unfortunately, the contribution points were not enough!

Otherwise, over the next three days, practicing eight hours a day, Yu Xiu's Comprehension Ability could break three hundred and approach the four hundred mark.

"Contribution points, I need a large amount of contribution points!"

Yu Xiu couldn't help but look at the wooden box in the room, which contained the 'phoenix feather gold'.

But in the end, Yu Xiu restrained himself; while development was important, strength could not be neglected.

The phoenix feather gold had to be saved for entering the Inner Courtyard to exchange for Medicinal Pills to improve his strength.

Only with sufficient strength could he quickly earn more contribution points, exchange for more Cultivation Technique sword manuals, and increase his Comprehension Ability and Lifespan further.

This was a virtuous cycle.

Furthermore, every time his strength broke through a realm, he could choose a Cultivation Technique sword manual and a sword art for free, which also meant more Comprehension Ability and Lifespan.

Moreover, the higher the level of the Cultivation Technique, the more Comprehension Ability and Lifespan it would add!

But Yu Xiu still couldn't resist; in the afternoon, he went to the Scripture Pavilion again and exchanged all fifty of the remaining contribution points for fifty basic Cultivation Technique sword arts.

The next day, at night.

[Basic Cultivation Technique Sword Art, Part 84: Perfection (Sword Sense +1)]

[Basic Cultivation Technique Sword Art, Part 85: Perfection (Sword Sense +1)]

[Basic Cultivation Technique Sword Art, Part 86: Perfection (Sword Sense +1)]

Seventy contribution points had been exchanged for seventy basic Cultivation Technique sword arts, all of which had now reached Perfection.

Comprehension Ability + 70

Lifespan + 70

Sword Sense + 70

[Comprehension Ability: 219 (149+70)]

[Lifespan: 16/294 (224+70)]

[Sword Heart: Hidden Edge (2/500)]

'Comprehension Ability has broken two hundred, and Lifespan is about to break three hundred!'

Yu Xiu felt his mind becoming clearer and clearer, as if flashes of inspiration were constantly passing by. When he casually went through some sword arts, various ideas seemed to emerge—where it could be improved, what could be omitted, and where it could be merged into one move...

'Now, if I were to practice Qi Circulation Realm Cultivation Techniques, it should be much faster.'

Even if it were a Qi Sea Realm Cultivation Technique, he would definitely be able to master the basics with just one glance.

He was very much looking forward to entering the Inner Courtyard and the time when he would practice Qi Sea Realm Cultivation Techniques.

Two days later.

"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"

Early in the morning, three consecutive bell tolls rang out, echoing throughout the entire Outer Courtyard.

On Mianzhu Mountain, Disciples everywhere were either nervous, pale, or feeling a sense of urgency, while others walked out with confidence and high spirits.

The vast majority of them headed towards the mountaintop after hearing the bell.

"Is it time for the assessment and evaluation again?"

"Those Senior Brothers who joined three years ago are going to be under pressure!"

"If you haven't broken through the Leakless Realm in three years, it means that blind hard work has no real meaning; it would be better to go out and gain experience sooner."

"Heh, Yin Demons and evil spirits are everywhere outside the mountain. They call it gaining experience, but what use is it for fellow Disciples in the Leakless Realm to go?

"If you're not careful, it's a situation of certain death. Unless one reaches the Qi Sea Realm, no one wants to go out and gain experience."

"Some people break through both the Leakless Realm and the Qi Circulation Realm within three years and can go straight into the Inner Courtyard!

"And some people enter the Leakless Realm within three years but just spin in circles at that realm, unable to make any progress. The gap between people is just too big!"

"I heard that among the Disciples who have been here for three years, there are three with extremely astonishing talent. Within just one year, they crossed both the Leakless Realm and the Qi Circulation Realm and went straight into the Inner Sect. Now that three years have passed, I fear they are already about to break through the Four Stages of Ascending Dragon and enter the Main Sect!"

"You must be talking about Senior Brother Zhu Wenjiu, Senior Brother Feng Zhiyuan, and Senior Brother Zhang Yundu!

"We should not try to chase after such figures; we can only look up to them. In the future, they will definitely become peerless figures of the Great Four Passes, or even beyond the Great Four Passes. It's hard to see even a few of them among the Outer Courtyard Disciples in ten years!

"But there are still Senior Brother Shan Yu, Senior Brother Liu Qingchuan, Senior Brother Zhao Hong, and Senior Sister Xu Rou, who broke through both the Leakless Realm and the Qi Circulation Realm within three years. They can still be our targets, and there is hope to catch up!"

"Even if we can't catch up to those people, we must at least avoid becoming like those fellow Disciples who couldn't break through the Leakless Realm within three years, otherwise we'll only be able to go out and gain experience, with life and death uncertain!"

On the martial arts arena at the mountaintop, Disciples gathered.

Some were Disciples whose three-year term had expired and needed to be assessed, and some were just there to watch the excitement—it was a huge crowd.

When Yu Xiu arrived, he couldn't even squeeze into the front and could only line up towards the back.

Just then, the crowd became restless and automatically cleared a path.

A tall and straight youth walked over. His appearance was ordinary, but his aura had a cold, sword-like quality that made people afraid to get close.

"It's Senior Brother Liu Qingchuan! With this assessment, he should be entering the Inner Courtyard!"

"That's right, I heard that he already broke through the second pass, the Qi Circulation Realm, a month ago and entered the third pass, the Qi Sea Realm!"

"Now, in this Outer Courtyard, no one is stronger than him."

Yu Xiu watched as Liu Qingchuan walked through the crowd that had automatically parted for him and went straight to the very front. Not only were the Disciples not dissatisfied in the slightest, but they were all filled with awe and envy, and there were those with burning gazes who were pursuing Liu Qingchuan as their goal.

He thought about it; he originally had the idea of taking the opportunity to follow in Liu Qingchuan's footsteps and squeeze into the front, but he stopped his footsteps to avoid being accused of forcing himself to show his face or trying to ride on Liu Qingchuan's coattails.

Although he didn't care much, he didn't want to bring trouble upon himself for no reason.

A moment later, the crowd became restless again.

Another young master, 'Senior Brother Shan Yu', arrived. Compared to Liu Qingchuan, Shan Yu's figure was more robust, with thick eyebrows and large eyes; he didn't look like a Sword Cultivator, but more like a Body Cultivator.

"This Senior Brother Shan Yu gives off such a strong sense of oppression!"

"Senior Brother Zhao Hong and Senior Sister Xu Rou have also arrived."

Then he saw a young man and a young woman coming together. The man was handsome and the woman was pretty, and the two were chatting and laughing freely, looking very much like a Jianghu couple, which made people envious.