Chapter 35 035 Eight Years of Hard Work Paying Off
A month later, Song Chi received a letter from home. As expected, her father spoke in a trembling tone, instructing her to be obedient, respectful to her teachers, and strictly adhere to the rules, never daring to be lazy or cause trouble. He added that being able to have a master was a blessing that even cultivators couldn't attain, and she must cherish it. Her mother, on the other hand, inquired about the figures and appearances of her senior brothers and sisters, probably wanting to make clothes for them again.
Her mother's craftsmanship was excellent, and her aesthetic sense was superb. But making clothes for Mo Shubai was one thing; if she were to send them over, wouldn't that cause a huge mess? This temporary balance was so precious; Song Chi only wanted to focus on cultivating her magic and didn't want any unnecessary trouble.
Therefore, in his reply, he only wrote about the need to diligently cultivate himself, without mentioning anything else.
Then Song Yun also sent a letter, and as expected, delivered some Qingxin Pills. However, they were all low-grade; he promised to send her mid-grade ones next time. He then instructed her not to force herself to practice the spell. He also mentioned that his poison pill technique was progressing rapidly, and he would soon achieve some success in alchemy. The implication was that he would soon become stronger and be able to protect her. It was best for her not to force herself to practice that spell.
However, Song Yun is a person with a strong sense of boundaries, so even when she gives advice, she does so in a roundabout way.
But at the end of the letter, he added, "Older men are often very cunning and untrustworthy; even those with divine looks are not to be trusted. Chi'er is still young!"
Song Chi: "..." She felt that the gossip about that scene at the Respect for Teachers Hall had somehow reached the Changyun Sect.
But they're separated by a vast distance, is it really necessary?
Why is this cultivation world so idle, spending all its time gossiping? Song Chi truly has nothing to say.
Of course, there's a possibility: as one of the four most handsome men in the cultivation world, Mo Shubai naturally attracts attention. Therefore, any slight disturbance he makes can cause a huge stir throughout the entire martial arts world. It's truly speechless.
This made Song Chi even more cautious. When he studied music thereafter, he dared not look at Mo Shubai even once.
Fortunately, Mingxia was particularly fond of gossip and secretly took photos of them many times. Later, she probably got bored and stopped taking photos.
Sure enough, the sect quickly stopped having any rumors about her and Mo Shubai's complicated relationship.
Time flies, and eight years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Perhaps thanks to the exceptionally rich spiritual energy of the Cloud Sea Pine Mountain Sacred Land, Song Chi actually reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage ahead of schedule. Of course, Ye Qingyu and his fellow genius disciples had already reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage two years ago.
As Song Chi had predicted, his cultivation speed suddenly slowed down upon reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. His daily progress gradually became a snail's pace.
Aptitude is indeed a matter of vastly different levels of talent. Ye Qingyu and the others continue to advance their cultivation at an astonishing pace; it seems they will likely reach the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage in just a few years.
Even those with spiritual roots exceeding ninety percent, upon reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, only experienced a 50% slowdown in cultivation speed, yet still achieved significant monthly advancements.
Song Chi then realized that improving his cultivation level had become a pipe dream.
As for magical techniques, she has learned all the musical pieces required for the Foundation Establishment stage. She also has time to perform spiritual plant quests.
Speaking of this spirit plant quest, she'd only been doing it for a few days. Her master had already sent her a lot of spirit stones, saying it was some kind of gift for the Flying Immortal Festival. He probably thought she was doing the quest because she didn't have enough spirit stones.
Song Chi had to tell her master that the main purpose of her mission was to train the sound cultivator's control over spiritual power.
Master nodded after listening. "Grandmaster saw the big picture from small details. The sound cultivation tasks he set up are indeed very suitable for sound cultivation to improve the subtle control of spiritual power."
After that, he stopped paying attention to her figure, bustling around the herb garden like a little bee every afternoon.
Because Wei Lingxiu was also doing tasks in the herb garden every day, just like her, the sound cultivator disciples felt that since even the disciples of powerful figures were doing tasks in the herb garden, there must be some hidden reason behind it.
Instead, it sparked a craze for sound editing tasks. An Yu had to give her a little special treatment so she could grab suitable tasks every day.
At first, Song Chi felt this was unfair. An Yu, however, smiled, saying that this was what disciples of a Venerable One deserved. "You should also get used to your current status!" she reminded her.
Song Chi could only remain silent. She really didn't have time to compete for tasks, so she could only enjoy this small privilege.
In short, she has made good progress in both magic and teleportation. She has learned three new teleportation techniques and trained diligently; even Youqin thinks she has mastered them quite well.
But Song Chi had no confidence at all. In terms of actual combat, only Mo Shubai and You Qin were really holding back against her.
What good would that do?
So, after the cultivation progress became extremely slow.
When Song Chi arrived at the Cold Star Pavilion in the Xuan Yun Luo Feng Holy Land, the first thing he did was to fight Qi Zhenmo.
Good heavens, this kid's teleportation technique is incredibly fast and unpredictable. If she didn't activate that green-leaf magic treasure, she wouldn't be able to pinpoint his location at all. What's the point of playing music and controlling the field then?
She didn't want to reveal her secret weapon, so of course she didn't unleash her ultimate move. As a result, she suffered a crushing defeat and was even chased and laughed at by Qi Zhenmo for a long time.
"It seems that eight years of honing your sword skills haven't yielded very good results."
Song Chi rolled his eyes. This guy is no good.
Qi Zhenmo is too slippery to fight, it's not fun. Song Chi wants to test the effects of his sound cultivation, actually finding a sound cultivator is the fastest way.
The next day, she went to the Moonlit Bamboo Sea where Venerable Tonghua lived and came to find Ye Qingyu at Ximozhai.
This kid used to fight her to the death every time he was in the Qi Refining stage. Although he was a scoundrel, he was definitely the best candidate to test her skill level.
Ye Qingyu was drinking tea in the courtyard at the time, dressed in black, exuding tranquility. This was quite unlike his usual fierce demeanor and constantly mocking gaze.
Perhaps it's because eight years have passed, and this young man has grown from a boy into a young man, thus becoming more mature?
However, Song Chi's thoughts completely vanished after Ye Qingyu turned his head and saw her outside the courtyard, with a wicked smile as she gnawed at something.
The kid even glanced at the western sun to confirm that it was afternoon, not morning.
Then, in a mocking voice, he laughed, "Oh, where did this distinguished guest come from!"
Song Chi scoffed and stated her purpose directly: she had come to challenge him to a duel.
Ye Qingyu was quite decisive and took her directly to the training room. Half an hour later, Song Chi was beaten so badly he was left with his teeth chattering on the ground, his face flushed red.
Ye Qingyu was no better; he chased after her, laughing all the way through the bamboo forest.
You look like you're in so much pain!
"How many years has it been? Oh, eight years. I haven't been forgotten yet, which is truly delightful."
"However, you have indeed grown terrifyingly strong! Hmph."
His unique, guttural laughter made Song Chi really want to beat him until he was crawling on the ground.
Ye Qingyu is known for her sharp tongue, both in and out of the book.
Song Chi returned to the Scarlet Rose Pavilion, her heart aching with anger. She realized that this wouldn't do; if she didn't fully develop the strengths of that green leaf magic weapon, she would be completely overwhelmed by these genius disciples in other aspects.
And the opportunity to cleanse one's aptitude in the secret realm that follows is one she will truly have to snatch from the hands of a genius disciple.
After all, she still intends to follow the path she came from, firmly adhering to the scriptwriting route, leaving scripts with nowhere to go. She must seize another opportunity.
One dose is actually enough. As long as Song Yun cleanses his spiritual root to ninety, he can quickly raise his cultivation to the Golden Core stage and then refine the Hundred Flowers Cleansing Pill for the whole family. In this way, the goal will be achieved.
As for herself... if possible, she would still like to obtain a spiritual fruit that can cleanse her spiritual root aptitude. After all, as a disciple of a Venerable, it would be quite embarrassing to walk around the sect if her aptitude was lacking.
If she were still just an ordinary inner disciple, she truly wouldn't care whether she could continue to refine her aptitude.
In short, the disciple she wanted to rob this time was a genius like Shi Wan'er, who was a disciple of Venerable Qinglian, and whose spiritual roots were all ninety-nine.
This person is different from Yin Qiang, who is ruthless and not a good person.
This person, however, is actually a righteous disciple. He is a disciple of the Southeast Jade Ruins Holy Sect, named Wen Xiujin, and is a sword cultivator. Although he is a sword cultivator, he is obsessed with love. After his beloved senior sister entered the secret realm, he rushed to the person she liked, and the two of them sweetly explored the forest hand in hand.
Heartbroken, he wandered alone, adrift and aimless. He didn't care if he encountered traps and was injured; he was content to die like that.
Since his senior sister could never love him, what was the point of him still living?
And so he wandered aimlessly all night, utterly exhausted, collapsing carelessly onto the stinking swamp. He just stared blankly at the sky, lost in a deathly sorrow.
As a result, a seemingly poisonous scarlet flower grew beside him, and after it withered, it bore fruit, which soon produced a sweet and fragrant, but ferocious scarlet, fist-sized fruit.
Wen Xiujin then decided to eat the fruit and die.
This is the Ruyi Immortal Fruit in the Golden Core Secret Realm, capable of altering one's aptitude. This fruit can change shape according to the mood of the disciple destined to possess it. For example, when Wen Xiujin no longer wished to live, it transformed into a large poisonous fruit.
Wen Xiujin ate the fruit, and while he certainly didn't die, he actually cleansed his spiritual root and upgraded it to the Heavenly Spiritual Root.
Later, he naturally rose to become one of the strongest young talents. And then, he will fall in love with Cui Xue Ruo, beginning his journey as her protector.
This is the only location of the Ruyi Precious Fruit mentioned in the book that is described very clearly. It includes the people, the place, and the time, all written down clearly.
Moreover, Song Chi felt that as long as he followed Wen Xiujin closely...
Given his mood, he might have asked for the fruit, and Wen Xiujin could have simply given it to her.
Of course, just in case, she figured if the other party didn't give in, she could also learn a little bit of boxing.
This was the only chance to clearly document this secret realm. She wanted to ensure absolute success!
And sword cultivators, aside from a few freaks, are undoubtedly the strongest of their generation. Can... this person defeat them?
Song Chi felt that she might have a better chance of winning by using cunning. She had even come up with a script: she and Song Yun would follow Wen Xiujin, and when the fruit grew, if Wen Xiujin wanted to die and went to pick it...
She believed that Song Yun, being kind-hearted, would definitely stop her. She then created a little accident so that Song Yun would pick the fruit.
The plan is wonderful. But if even the slightest mistake occurs during its implementation, it will fail.
Moreover, she was worried that if she wasn't strong enough, she wouldn't be able to keep up with Wen Xiujin. Then what was the point of scheming for the spiritual fruit?
Most importantly, that secret realm is extremely dangerous; without strength, it's impossible to survive the later stages. Because monster hordes can erupt within it, and many disciples have become prey. She didn't want to die such a tragic death.
So the next day, Song Chi, full of energy, went to fight Mo Feiyun.
Good heavens, this guy actually went along with her in every way, never really going all out with her.
Moreover, each sword move was more ornate and graceful than the last, and with each swift stroke past her, a faint smile would appear in his deep, still eyes, like a beautiful flower emerging from a deep pool, swaying gracefully.
But... she really wasn't there to see the male models.
Can we do a real one?
Although the fight ultimately ended inconclusively, Song Chi understood the difference in their strength. With Mo Feiyun's sword, she estimated... she wouldn't be able to dodge a single move.
Holy crap! This huge difference in strength is unbelievable!
On the fourth day, Song Chi, unwilling to give up, went to fight Dai Jia. He lost again.
Dai Jia even smiled and comforted her, saying, "You're already very strong, don't be discouraged. Besides, being the strongest sword cultivator of your generation isn't just a joke."
That's not a comfort at all.
After returning home, Song Chi realized this wouldn't work. Even if her master disliked her, she had to cultivate that evil wood-elemental music. This kind of hallucinatory music was more effective on people with richer emotions, and winning over someone as love-struck as Wen Xiujin would be a piece of cake.
She could also try playing music for him to ease his sorrow. She could even lull him into a daze with a song.
So Song Chi pretended to be seriously injured and arranged for the two boys to stay with Senior Sister You Qin. She decided to seal off the courtyard and go into seclusion for meditation.
The sealing array requires spending one's own spirit stones, but that's all I can do now.
Just in case, Song Chi also used a superior sealing formation, fearing that her master would discover that she was cultivating an unorthodox wood-based spiritual root immortal technique. She didn't want to be expelled from the sect because of this.
She secluded herself for three months, staying at home every day, working on her research behind closed doors.
During this time, due to excessive use of the green leaf magic treasure, Song Chi's face was flushed and his body felt hot all day long. He wanted to bite into everything he saw.
Fortunately, the boys were all sent away, otherwise they would have made a terrible mistake.
However, it had virtually no effect.
She activated the green-leaf magic artifact, playing those wood-elemental melodies. It seemed to work; even ordinary grasses wanted to entangle and roll around together. But that was all. Even the two evil insects she had summoned, a male and a female, who were said to be shameless and liked to roll around together, flew away separately, showing no intention of entanglement.
The sight of the male and female flying off in different directions was a slap in the face, no explanation needed.
Song Chi decided to fight them head-on. She refused to believe she couldn't find a way to break through.
As a result, I kept failing the test for three months straight.
Then one night, in a fit of anger, she collapsed and couldn't get up.
She slowly got up, feeling utterly dejected. She took out her bamboo flute and played a fitting tune, the Great Compassion Mantra.
Then, good heavens, she discovered that the two evil insects had reacted.
She felt truly sorry for Buddha. She sat up straight and activated her wood elemental power, slowly sensing those most intense and mysterious secrets of heaven and earth that she had previously struggled to grasp. This time, however, she grasped them with far less effort.
And it allowed the two evil insects to meet successfully.
The Great Compassion Mantra sounds calm, but it actually carries a sense of desolation, as if the heart has turned to ashes. Everything returns to stillness, to the ancient Buddha and the solitary lamp before one's body—a profound and utterly silent emotion. It's hard to tell whether it's about saving someone or sending them off.
Anyway, Song Chi had known about it before. Listening to the Great Compassion Mantra when one's mind is at peace only brings greater tranquility, while listening to it when one is heartbroken only makes one more sad and tearful.
She was indeed in a bad mood tonight. Three months of relentless effort had yielded no results, which made her extremely frustrated. She was also tormented by that unfamiliar and repulsive desire, which only added to her vexation.
Therefore, this flute piece was probably the most emotionally rich one she had ever played in her life.
But seeing a glimmer of hope, she perked up immediately. A variety of mournful songs began to play.
She discovered that it was indeed easier to trigger the resonance of that green leaf magic weapon, and the unpleasant heat that had been surging up on her from time to time was no longer there.
The effect, ironically, stirred a tender affection within the two evil insects, a kind of silent, wound-licking tenderness. The way the two insects hovered and buzzed around each other—let's just call it that, for now, a kind of sensual affection.
That's a far cry from the hallucinatory effect. What she wants is for people to lose their minds, to be lost in the madness of love and lust.
Song Chi decided to check the library the next day. All the wood-spirit root immortal melodies that his master had set were fresh, beautiful, and full of life, depicting shimmering waters and misty forests.
This is completely at the opposite extreme from the breakthrough she found in deeply sorrowful music.
This is unreasonable!
She felt that she could find something in the more profound musical pieces that required higher levels of skill.
It's illogical that a great master like Huiji wouldn't have discovered this small breakthrough in her mind.
Furthermore, Cui Xueruo and her group found their master's sealed study in the library. Perhaps she could try her luck there, not to seize any special opportunity, of course. She just wanted to look at her master's musical scrolls and make a copy for her study.
As for the so-called opportunity that the female protagonist Cui Xue Ruo and Ye Qing Yu are destined to have to unseal the Flying Immortal Platform's seal, that's left to these fortunate individuals to strive for throughout the entire cultivation world. Good luck!
She simply wanted to become stronger, nothing more.
So, early the next morning, Song Chi broke the seal and went out.
Little did she know that she had been in seclusion for three months.
Venerable Xueqiao and the others became worried. After all, they knew that as soon as Song Chi finished learning the music, he rushed out of the other Venerables' sacred mountains with great enthusiasm and fought several geniuses.
The result was a crushing defeat!
The other disciples were alright. But that bastard Ye Qingyu really beat Song Chi terribly. He showed almost no mercy, relentlessly beating Song Chi for half an hour.
So much so that Song Chi's usually serene face turned ashen when she left the training room. Many of the bruises were from that bastard Ye Qingyu, inflicting them on her mouth and between her brows!
Her hair was also quite messy.
That's not all. This brat even dared to make sarcastic remarks.
"You've really grown terrifyingly strong!"
Such words would infuriate even a god. Poor Song Chi's face immediately turned red, but his strength was ultimately insufficient, and he had to retreat in pain.
After that, they fought two more battles. The one from the Mo family was a good one; he knew to give way a little.
But the difference in strength was undeniable. Song Chi was clearly devastated upon his return, and that very night he sent away the two attendants and entered seclusion, activating his strongest seal.
Venerable Xueqiao couldn't understand. She was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator; what was she doing in seclusion?
With her rudimentary understanding of sound cultivation, how could she possibly create her own immortal techniques?
It would be better to come to him; he could give her some extra help, and maybe things would improve. Of course, she'd only get a little stronger; her aptitude is what it is, she can't beat a top genius like the Ye family.
Poor child.
"How can someone be so competitive!"
He summoned his two disciples, Mo Shubai and You Qin, and asked Venerable Xueqiao to come up with a solution. He couldn't help but grumble in this way.
Mo Shubai felt this most acutely. In these eight years… he hadn't even met Song Chi's gaze once!
His temperament seemed to have increased considerably along with his cultivation level.
He considered himself to be quite mild-mannered. He even had a servant deliver seasonal fruits and vegetables to the Scarlet Rose Pavilion to show that he no longer harbored the aloofness he had previously displayed.
But it was no use. Although Song Chi would return the greetings, he still avoided eye contact with him. His attitude towards him remained as respectful as it had been at Qing Academy.
But there was absolutely no sense of closeness.
You Qin had seen all of this, of course. All she could say was that this junior sister was stubborn, but also adorably so.
I initially thought she was only stubborn in matters of the heart. But now it seems she's even more stubborn than most people when it comes to cultivation.
"Do you have any ideas on how to persuade them?" the Master asked.
What can be done? Only after she goes into seclusion, comes to her senses, and accepts her fate will she understand. In the world of cultivation, talent is an insurmountable mountain.
Venerable Xueqiao knew his two disciples were helpless, and he couldn't tell Song Chi the harsh truth. With her talent, there was no way she could defeat a genius disciple.
Then he turned the jade mirror.
Good heavens, so early in the morning. Those brats are sneaking around spying on the Scarlet Rose Pavilion again.
Ye Qingyu was severely reprimanded by the Jiang family's son.
"You know she's a strong-willed person, yet she still hit her so hard."
The Su family member chimed in, "Even more venomous!"
That's absolutely true. It's said that this brat from the Ye family almost destroyed someone's Dao heart in the secret realm last time because of his foul mouth. That brat, tsk tsk!
Now that he can't see him, he feels sorry for him.
For the past two weeks, this member of the Ye family has been coming to guard the place every day, using various secret techniques to become invisible. Doesn't he realize that this is someone else's sacred ground, allowing him to truly become invisible and deceive his master?
The Mo family member was much more upright. He would stand in the woods for a while each morning and evening, and then leave. But the way he looked at the Scarlet Rose Pavilion was always so gentle.
His expression and demeanor even prompted Venerable Yuheng to remark with great emotion.
"If this child's feelings cannot be fulfilled, I'm afraid his Dao heart will be destroyed."
Venerable Xueqiao did not respond. The Dao heart of a sword cultivator is the most resilient; how could it be destroyed so easily?
"She's only at the Foundation Establishment stage; consuming only fasting pills for three months is detrimental to her health. We need to find a solution!"
As Venerable Xueqiao was still muttering to himself, the seal stirred.
Then the girl in white walked out, looking refreshed. Her expression was as serene as ever. As soon as she appeared, Venerable Xueqiao, who had been preparing for the girl to come and seek his guidance, waved his hand, intending to send his two eldest disciples back.
Unexpectedly, Song Chi turned a corner and hurriedly left Yunhai Songshan, heading straight to the southeast.
That's where Venerable Tonghua's Moonlit Bamboo Sea is located. Could it be that he truly succeeded in his seclusion and, upon emerging, went to seek revenge on that Ye family brat?
That's quite a temper.
Ye Jia was trying hard to hold back at the time, but everyone could see that every pore on his body was wide open, and he was overjoyed.
With a flick of his sleeve, he swiftly leaped back.
If the beating goes on any harder this time, Venerable Xueqiao might have Venerable Tonghua punish this brat. What kind of fellow disciple does that?
But to his surprise, as he probed with his divine sense, he discovered that Song Chi suddenly made a turn and headed due south.
At that moment, Ye Qingyu, that brat, almost stumbled and fell down the mountain.
Jiang's son, suppressing a laugh, darted past Ye Jie. The other two, though wearing cold expressions, couldn't hide their amusement.
These jealous people, sigh!
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Author's Note: [Three-colored cat head][Three-colored cat head] is here!
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