61: Chapter 61 The Overbearing Senior Brother

An hour passed, and having completed several rounds of Circulating the Heavenly Cycle, usually by this time, a massive sense of exhaustion would descend like a mountain, dispelling all his energy and spirit.

Yet tonight, he felt not a hint of fatigue.

Two hours had passed, and his spirit remained full.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "Immortal Medicinal Pills are truly wonderful!"

However, relying on this to assist in Cultivation was indeed not very cost-effective.

Outside, Senior Brother Chen Jingrao's impatient voice drifted in: "Junior Sister, why hasn't he come out yet?"

He was speaking almost right against the door panel.

It seemed Liu Tingting hadn't left either, but she didn't respond.

"Could he have fainted inside?" Chen Jingrao asked. "Should we open the door and take a look?"

Liu Tingting said sternly, "You cannot interfere with Junior Brother's Cultivation."

According to Cultivation theory, the higher one's cultivation base, the more one fears being disturbed.

When Circulating the Heavenly Cycle, Spiritual Qi enters the body and is refined into True Qi in the Dantian. That Spiritual Qi is ethereal and indistinct; once emotions become agitated, it is very easy to suffer a disruption of Qi.

In severe cases, it could lead to Qi Deviation.

Forcibly opening the door while someone is Cultivating is an action strictly prohibited by the Sect.

Xia Shaoxin was concentrating on his Cultivation, and the voices outside had already become a distraction.

If it were any other occasion, he should stop Cultivating immediately. Xia Shaoxin thought, this is the Sect, everyone here follows the rules, and since they were just talking, it was unlikely they would break down the door.

Although the outside sounds were a distraction, they were also a sharpening, just right for training his ability to resist interference.

He continued to steady his mind, focusing on the circulation of Spiritual Qi.

Nearly two hours later, Chen Jingrao's voice came again: "I heard he is a Bug Catcher from the Poisonous Swamp Mountains; that he is able to Refine Qi is truly a miracle."

Liu Tingting said, "The Heavenly Dao is fair; no matter one's background, everyone has the Opportunity to Cultivate. However, it is too rare for a Bug Catcher to Refine Qi. Junior Brother Xia is also a talented person, but unfortunately, he is held back by his background. Otherwise, his achievements would not be lower than ours."

Chen Jingrao snorted coldly: "The truth is, he is a Bug Catcher by origin, lacking a pure essence; his future will always be limited."

Liu Tingting did not refute this; it was a widely accepted theory.

Hearing this from inside, Xia Shaoxin felt very uncomfortable.

What the two of them said was not wrong, but he had the Shangqing Profound Mirror to make up for his flaws, and today was proof of that.

"Tell me honestly, when he usually Cultivates in the Spirit Cave, is it only for one hour?" Chen Jingrao pressed.

Liu Tingting hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "At most, it is one hour and the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

"Then why hasn't he come out today?"

"I don't know. Perhaps Junior Brother Xia's ability to endure Spiritual Qi has improved."

"Nonsense, how could it improve in just a few days!"

Chen Jingrao suddenly thought of a possibility, knitting his brows as he asked, "Does he know we are waiting for him, so he isn't Cultivating at all?"

Liu Tingting said in surprise, "How is that possible?"

"And how do you know it's not possible! He doesn't have the ability to endure for so long. Either he has fainted inside, or he is simply sleeping in there, refusing to come out on purpose!"

"There's no need to do that, right?" Liu Tingting didn't believe it. "Who would be so disgusting?"

Chen Jingrao said angrily, "It must be so; I will open the door and drag him out!"

Liu Tingting cried out, "Senior Brother Chen, what are you doing? You cannot do this."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Jingrao rushed to the door of the Spirit Cave in a few steps, slapped his palm against it, and forcefully blasted the door open.

He saw Xia Shaoxin with his eyes wide open, shouting in shock, "Senior Brother Chen, what are you doing?"

The Spiritual Qi inside the Spirit Cave, influenced by the Formation, was surrounding Xia Shaoxin, but it was suddenly disrupted. The Spiritual Qi leaked out, causing violent fluctuations within his body.

Xia Shaoxin exerted himself and struck out with a palm. Chen Jingrao was caught off guard and was sent staggering back.

With a snap, the door closed again.

"You dare strike me?" Chen Jingrao was shocked. A Bug Catcher at the first layer of Qi Refining dares to attack me?

Liu Tingting had already pulled Chen Jingrao away from behind.

"Senior Brother, you have committed a fault."

Chen Jingrao said with a cold face, "So what? He is just a Bug Catcher who succeeded in Refining Qi by sheer Luck. He was fortunate to be taken in by the Sect, just muddling along as an Inner Sect Disciple at the Lower Stage of Qi Refining. Would the Sect really punish me for such a trivial matter?"

He glared at Liu Tingting: "Don't you go around talking nonsense!"

Liu Tingting was so angry her eyes went blank: "If I don't say anything, can't Junior Brother Xia report it himself?"

"Report it to whom? To the Deacon?" Chen Jingrao mocked.

Liu Tingting was choked and had nothing to say.

The Deacon probably wouldn't do much, and with the Elder in seclusion, there was no one in charge at Xueyan Cliff.

Chen Jingrao also refused to leave; he just stood in the courtyard, wanting to see what the situation was with Xia Shaoxin.

Inside the Spirit Cave, Xia Shaoxin had struck a palm, not only forcing Senior Brother Chen back but also causing his own True Qi to become chaotic and his blood to surge.

It took a great deal of effort to stabilize his breath.

For the remaining time, he was unable to Cultivate; he could only calm his body.

Fortunately, he was able to circulate his True Qi again at the end, so there shouldn't be any major problems, which finally put his mind at ease.

The seemingly small incident just now was actually a matter of life and death.

He didn't understand why Senior Brother Chen would so rudely interfere with his Cultivation; it was simply a disaster for no reason.

Thinking about it carefully, it was the same as with others; the root cause was looking down on him.

A Bug Catcher who accidentally achieved a Breakthrough in Qi Refining, exploited a loophole in the system, and sneaked into the Sect—so what?

At most, he would just muddle along at the Lower Stage of Qi Refining until he died, merely adding to the nominal strength of the Chiyan Sect.

Liu Tingting was Elder Qian's beloved disciple, yet this Senior Brother Chen didn't even hold her in high regard; he seemed to be an Inner Sect Disciple with some strength.

He was still too weak and lacked the ability to hold a grudge against them.

Thinking of this, he wasn't so angry anymore. He calmed his heart, Circulated the Heavenly Cycle once more, used the Spiritual Qi to nourish his body, and completely calmed those restless sensations.

The three hours of Cultivation time were coming to an end.

Senior Brother Liu, who was to take over for Xia Shaoxin, had also arrived. Seeing the two standing in Jingsi Courtyard, the atmosphere was very strange.

Junior Sister Liu was here every day, which wasn't strange, but what was Chen Jingrao trying to do?

The three exchanged a few pleasantries, but had no interest in further conversation.

Click. Room Ding opened. Chen Jingrao squinted his eyes, seeing Xia Shaoxin walk out very comfortably, stretching his back.

That last round of Circulating the Heavenly Cycle had been very comfortable.

Senior Brother Liu politely cupped his hands: "Is this the new Junior Brother Xia? This is our first time meeting."

Indeed, when Senior Brother Liu usually came, Xia Shaoxin was already slumped in his own room, fast asleep, so they had never met.

Xia Shaoxin hurriedly returned the salute.

Senior Brother Liu had no time for small talk and walked into Room Ding.

Only Liu Tingting and Chen Jingrao remained, looking him up and down with puzzled expressions.

"How were you able to Cultivate for so long today?" Liu Tingting asked.

Xia Shaoxin said, "I was just feeling unwell the past few days."

"Ah?" Liu Tingting couldn't believe this reason.

"Nonsense, you brat weren't Cultivating inside at all; you were sleeping the whole time, right? You are playing me for a fool."

Chen Jingrao's sword-like brows stood straight up, and he sternly demanded an answer, looking extremely distressed, without mentioning at all how much his sudden opening of the Spirit Cave door had affected Xia Shaoxin.