68: Chapter 68 The Elder Emerges from Seclusion

Time flew by, and half a year passed.

Xia Shaoxin felt that his Cultivation was gradually changing, and practicing his Cultivation Technique was becoming easier and easier.

Usually, after taking a three-flower spirit gathering pill, he would Circulate the Heavenly Cycle in the Spirit Cave about three or four times an hour, totaling twelve or thirteen times throughout the night.

Gradually, the speed of Circulating the Heavenly Cycle increased, and he could complete fifteen cycles in one night.

He suspected this was the effect of the three-corpse three-insect body refining pill.

He could not help but think: "The Body Refining pill can temper the body and make it more compatible with Spiritual Qi. Can I stop taking the three-flower spirit gathering pill now?"

One night, he mustered up his courage and did not take the three-flower spirit gathering pill.

The Spiritual Qi moved slightly slower within his body.

He resisted the urge to take it, wanting to see if his body had truly improved.

An hour passed quickly. Based on his situation when he first arrived, he should have fainted, but he felt no fatigue at all.

He continued to Cultivate, and after another hour, that long-lost sense of fatigue finally began to creep in.

But it wasn't severe and was bearable. He continued to Cultivate until the time was up, completing a total of twelve cycles, the same as when he only took the three-flower spirit gathering pill, yet he had not fainted.

Although the number of times he Circulated the Heavenly Cycle was fewer, he was greatly encouraged, as it proved that his Cultivation Aptitude had indeed improved.

He thought to himself, "The three-flower spirit gathering pill is a temporary Medicinal Pill. I can give it up now. By refining two fewer batches of pills each month, I can do other things."

"Relying on the three-corpse three-insect body refining pill to slowly improve my Physique, sooner or later, I will be able to reach the level of what the Chiyan Sect calls a Genius."

A month later, he entered the Spirit Cave to Cultivate. He had only Circulated the Heavenly Cycle once when he suddenly sensed that many people had arrived outside.

Liu Tingting went to the door of every Spirit Cave and said softly, "The Elder is about to conclude seclusion. Once you finish Circulating the Heavenly Cycle, come out immediately and do not disturb the Elder."

He didn't know why everyone had to avoid the area while the Elder was in seclusion.

On this mountaintop, everyone had lived together for almost a year, keeping to themselves.

Liu Tingting's words caused a small ripple in Xia Shaoxin's mood. Suddenly, he felt the Spiritual Qi being drawn in through his wrists increase significantly, and its speed of movement within his body accelerated.

He could not stop his Cultivation, and instead, he had to increase his effort.

He initially thought it was just a fluctuation of Spiritual Qi caused by his emotional disturbance, but he didn't expect the fluctuation to grow larger and larger.

What was originally a thin stream suddenly became a torrent.

Usually, when the Spiritual Qi circulated to the Dantian, it would gradually dissipate, and a warm sensation would arise in an area about the size of a thumb within the Dantian.

It felt as if he had eaten a piece of hot tofu that had fallen into his Dantian.

After finishing Circulating the Heavenly Cycle, the warm sensation would disappear and turn chilly.

This chilliness would be very uncomfortable, and his body would become sluggish and fatigued. He would have to rest before he could perform Qi Intake again to warm up his Dantian once more.

The cycle would continue all night until his body sent a signal that it could no longer perform Qi Intake, marking the end of the day's Cultivation.

Afterward, he would have to rest for several hours before he could Cultivate again.

Today, however, a new situation arose: the Spiritual Qi flowed into his Dantian and surged in all directions.

He felt that the area of his Dantian had expanded.

After completing one cycle, he couldn't rest; the Spiritual Qi being absorbed through his wrists was endless and simply wouldn't stop.

Now, Circulating the Heavenly Cycle wasn't counted cycle by cycle; it was in a constant state of circulation.

He only felt dizzy and his head was pounding, his body unbearably hot, as if it were about to burst.

"Liu Tingting is disrupting my Cultivation like this; I must settle the score with her later."

But he couldn't stop now; he could only force himself to endure, guiding the Spiritual Qi into his Dantian, the speed increasing ever faster.

The other Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters in the other Spirit Caves finished their Cultivation one after another and came to wait at the entrance of Jingsi Courtyard.

"Who is still Cultivating tonight?" Deacon Wang asked.

Senior Brother Chen Jingrao snorted coldly, "That Bug Catcher hasn't come out yet."

Deacon Wang frowned, "He probably doesn't understand what it means to conclude seclusion. I will go urge him again."

Thus, he went to the Room Ding Spirit Cave and said angrily, "The Elder has been in seclusion for three years and has accumulated a vast amount of True Qi. Tonight, the Elder is preparing to make a Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment in one go. The power of the five Spirit Caves affects each other; come out immediately!"

Only then did Xia Shaoxin understand what it meant for the Elder to conclude seclusion.

It meant going all out for a final gamble.

This moment was indeed critical; no one could remain at the scene.

Liu Tingting thought he understood, but how was he to know that "concluding seclusion" meant "an all-out Breakthrough"?

However, even if he had understood, it was too late.

He could not control the Spiritual Qi; he couldn't even speak.

His whole body was tense, as if he were being blown down a hillside by a fierce wind, and he couldn't stop even if he wanted to.

"Should I go and pry the door open?" Senior Brother Chen Jingrao asked.

Deacon Wang was alarmed, "You must not! The five Spirit Caves influence each other. If you open the Spirit Cave door, it will cause violent fluctuations."

Liu Tingting said self-reproachfully, "It's all my fault. If I had known, I wouldn't have let him go in."

Deacon Wang sighed, "You can't be blamed either. The Elder didn't communicate beforehand, and the alarm was triggered suddenly. The Elder must have encountered an unexpected situation and couldn't fully control it."

A Senior Brother said, "I was sleeping in my room when I suddenly heard the alarm bell in the main hall ringing, so I rushed over. The Elder probably didn't anticipate having to make a Breakthrough tonight either."

Everyone was full of anticipation.

Would the Chiyan Sect produce a Foundation Establishment powerhouse?

If they succeeded in Foundation Establishment, even if they didn't become the Sect Head of the Chiyan Sect, they would at least be the Grand Elder, becoming the face of the Chiyan Sect from then on.

The status of the Xueyan Cliff Disciples would naturally rise accordingly.

Moreover, they would become the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Yue Kingdom, commanding the entire Yue Kingdom; who would dare to say no?

By then, the Cultivation resources for all the Disciples would increase.

Everyone was lost in their imagination.

Liu Tingting still couldn't forget her duty as a guard and said timidly, "The five Spirit Caves actually form a Formation. When a great cultivator makes a Breakthrough inside, it will cause immense fluctuations in Spiritual Qi. I didn't manage to call everyone out in time; I am truly ashamed."

Someone asked, "What will happen to Xia Shaoxin if he refuses to come out?"

Deacon Wang said calmly, "Rest assured, it won't affect the Elder. It's just that, given his Aptitude, how could he withstand such a massive shock of Spiritual Qi? He will most likely be crippled."

Senior Brother Chen Jingrao chuckled, "He was originally just a Bug Catcher; it's already a miracle that he managed to become an Inner Sect Disciple. As long as it doesn't affect the Elder, it doesn't matter."

Liu Tingting let out a soft sigh.

This couldn't be blamed on anyone else; if he didn't come out himself, he was asking for it.

Senior Brother Chen Jingrao, still eager to talk, continued in a low voice, "If the Elder succeeds in Foundation Establishment, everyone will benefit. As for that Bug Catcher, heh heh, it'll be lucky if he doesn't die inside."

Liu Tingting glared fiercely at Senior Brother Chen Jingrao, "Senior Brother Chen, stop talking; you'll disturb the Elder."

Senior Brother Chen Jingrao glared back at her, but he closed his mouth nonetheless.

"Everyone sit further away and be ready to provide support at any time," Deacon Wang instructed. So, everyone retreated outside the courtyard, sat on the ground, and kept a close watch on the situation inside the courtyard.

At this moment, no one cared about the life or death of the person inside the Room Ding Spirit Cave.

Xia Shaoxin felt as if he were controlled by the Spiritual Qi and could not stop the circulation.

The Spiritual Qi surged into his body, scouring his meridians as he Circulated the Heavenly Cycle. Before the previous Spiritual Qi had finished circulating, new Spiritual Qi was already being absorbed.

It surged and scoured within his body, and he could barely restrain the Spiritual Qi from going astray.