Chapter 97, first published on Jinjiang Literature City, contains a hidden meaning.
Yao Sisi counted the lightning tribulations. The Nascent Soul stage usually involves nine lightning tribulations, with the power increasing as you progress. The timing of each lightning tribulation varies greatly; it's possible for two to fall consecutively, or for one to fall after a long time.
Just as Qi Mulei was about to finish his tribulation, the chubby Qin Fubao arrived late. As soon as he arrived, he found Yao Sisi and used his magical artifact to come to her side.
"What a coincidence! I just finished my tribulation too. It's a pity mine was the Golden Core Tribulation, but it's still a tribulation, no matter how big or small. What a joyous occasion! Senior Sister Yao, is there anything you'd like to give me?"
When Yao Sisi saw him asking for the gift without any hesitation, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and her tense nerves relaxed for a moment.
"Just call me Senior Sister whenever you want something. You usually call me Peak Master. As for gifts... naturally there are gifts. I'll give them to you all together after Young Master finishes his tribulation."
Qin Fubao noticed a male cultivator standing beside her that he wasn't very familiar with. He had only met this person once before and didn't know him well. He had heard that he was a friend she met in the mortal realm. He was stunningly handsome, a rare find even in the cultivation world where handsome men and beautiful women were everywhere. He wondered how Fellow Daoist Yao had encountered such good-looking people. Even Tang Yan, who was not far away, was uniquely handsome.
However, there are exceptions. For example, he's not good-looking; he'd be unremarkable if thrown out...
After receiving the gift, he said helplessly, "Your cultivation speed is too fast. I've been rushing to condense my Golden Core. Originally, I planned to condense my Golden Core before the age of 100, but you've led me to condense mine before the age of 50. At this rate, I can even dream of condensing my Nascent Soul before the age of 100."
Seeing that the spiritual light around him was still somewhat uncontrollable, Yao Sisi realized that he had rushed over as soon as he successfully advanced, showing that he cared a lot about the young master. So she smiled and replied, "Yes, yes, there is a good chance that you will form a Nascent Soul at the age of one hundred."
Qin Fubao: "And you, are you planning to become a deity before you turn 100?"
Yao Sisi shook her head: "I don't pursue speed; I leave everything to fate."
Qin Fubao: "..."
He moved a little closer to Yao Sisi, his eyes sweeping over her, a look of utter disbelief on his face: "What you said is really irritating!"
Yao Sisi smiled and teased him, "Give me some face. There are so many outsiders here today. You can't say I deserve a beating. You should praise me!"
Qin Fubao: "I don't want to, because your cultivation speed is fast. My brother has been nagging me about it so many times, even more so than those monks at Tianfo Temple. I'm starting to wonder if he's joined the wrong sect."
While looking at the thunderclouds gathering power in the distance, Yao Sisi comforted him, saying, "Your brother is just concerned about you. Besides, you're only at the Golden Core stage. It'll be easy for you."
Qin Fubao, feigning ignorance of human suffering, complained, "Don't even mention it! My brother threw me into the Demon Beast Canyon in the back mountains. I've been there for half a year, living a life of constant misery. I've lost so much weight around my stomach. Once Senior Brother Qi finishes his tribulation, we'll have a big feast, hehehe. I brought some good wine, a 500-year-old vintage, which I smuggled from my brother's warehouse, hahahaha..."
The two of them were chatting and no one else could get a word in edgewise. Moreover, unless one used their spiritual sense to eavesdrop, it would be difficult for ordinary people to hear what they were saying from such a distance. Only Ri Jiu and Tang Yan, who were close by, could hear them clearly.
Ri Jiu's gaze swept over the chubby boy a few times, already labeling him as a member of the Qi Mu Party. It was a pity that his own camp only consisted of Lan Lan.
But he felt uncomfortable dealing with these people.
How come this hypocrite has been gone for so long, yet I still see his shadow everywhere. It's so annoying!
During the tribulation, Qi Mu's longsword was cracked and riddled with holes. This sword wouldn't last much longer. It was his best sword at the moment, but he didn't have a natal spirit sword yet. If he had a natal sword, the tribulation would be easier.
The reason he didn't have a natal sword was twofold: first, he hadn't gathered all the materials, and second, he didn't want to forge it himself. It wasn't laziness; after all, no one would be lazy when it comes to natal swords. Everyone was eager to create the best they could within their capabilities, but he hadn't been in a rush...
I just wanted her to refine it together.
Let her presence imbue her natal sword with the aura of her involvement.
He looked up at the sky; it was the last wave of lightning. He was sure he could withstand it.
Yao Sisi's gaze turned serious as she watched the final wave of lightning tribulation. She hadn't seen the young master in a long time and wasn't very clear about his strength, so she was somewhat worried.
This unease doesn't stem from distrust, but rather from the natural human tendency to worry about someone you care about.
She was prepared to rush away if things went wrong.
Qin Fubao, who was standing to the side, also fell silent. He couldn't help but worry. At the same time, the oppressive force of the heavenly tribulation in the distance made it hard for him to pass through. If he didn't want to support the other party, he wouldn't have stepped forward to face such a tribulation. He would have run as far away as possible.
Yao Sisi seemed to have noticed his predicament and raised her hand to release a protective shield in front of him.
Ri Jiu, standing to the side, took a breath. He really disliked this chubby boy. Since he arrived, he had been chattering away, completely ruining the ambiguous atmosphere between him and Si Si. And that wasn't all; he had even made Si Si worry about him and put up a protective shield for him.
Why did he even step forward when he's so weak! This kid who just formed his core is so annoying, acting all high and mighty...
He wouldn't let Sisi worry about these little things, but the little fat guy was right about one thing: their cultivation was progressing way too fast.
He is currently only equivalent to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm in humans, and there is no end in sight to the Nascent Soul realm.
This was already considered a relatively fast cultivation speed among the demon race. They were born with long lifespans, so their cultivation speed was not as fast as that of humans. However, he happened to encounter someone who cultivated very quickly among human cultivators.
What is he supposed to do?
If Sisi were to reach the Divine Realm at a hundred years old, then ascension would be much closer. But at a hundred years old… he would at most be at the eighth level, equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage in humans; ascension is still a long way off…
Wouldn't we be left far behind?
No, he absolutely wouldn't do that!
No wonder that hypocrite cultivated so diligently and left without a word; he probably didn't want him to know the reason!
Ri Jiu looked at the distant lightning tribulation with increasing displeasure. He could not delay any longer and had to go out to train and find some rare and precious materials to speed up his advancement.
He moved closer to Yao Sisi and asked in a low voice, "Sisi, I'm going out to gain experience in a while. Do you want to come?"
Yao Sisi's gaze remained fixed on the lightning tribulation. Upon hearing his words, she simply replied, "I won't be leaving the sect for the time being. I haven't done any sect missions in a long time. I might take on some weapon crafting missions to accumulate contribution points."
Ri Jiu pursed his lips, feeling a little wronged. He really didn't want to be apart from her for too long...
Time passed second by second. The final lightning tribulation had finished charging up and, as if it had a grudge against the person below, it slammed down on him. Qi Mu was completely exposed to the lightning, and all he could hear was the crackling sound. It felt as if his bones had been shattered by the lightning tribulation.
His slender body stood straight, and although he looked much smaller than the lightning tribulation, he was as resilient as a blade of grass in a strong wind.
It makes people believe in him that he will be able to pull through.
The mighty tribulation of lightning finally ended, and Qi Mu's face turned ashen. His body swayed precariously, and he only managed to stay upright by supporting himself with his sword. It wasn't until a thin layer of sweet dew fell from the sky that his body slowly recovered.
However, this nectar was pitifully scarce, as if Heaven had casually given it to him, but it was this small amount of nectar that allowed his body to recover quickly, preventing him from collapsing to the ground as soon as he left his sword.
He didn't want to look too pathetic in front of her, nor did he want to look too pathetic in front of others.
Once the tribulation passed, Yao Sisi felt relieved. Before she could take a step forward, the person who had been struck by the lightning had already slipped into the cave.
They probably want to stabilize their cultivation level as soon as possible; many people do this after just passing through a tribulation.
Qi Mu returned to his cave and took off his tattered robe. He was still wearing the robe issued by his sect, which had good defensive capabilities, but it was no longer intact after the lightning tribulation. The ragged clothes exuded a listless aura, which was very incongruous with the energetic person who had just survived the tribulation.
He changed into a crimson robe, his appearance was exquisite, but his defensive power was not as good as the previous one.
But he doesn't need to go to any dangerous places. This kind of robe is enough for moving around within the sect. For now, he only needs to be exquisite and handsome, so that people can see him. Other things don't need to be considered for the time being.
As for the spirit sword at hand, it still needs to be patched up and used. It will be needed until the natal spirit sword is finished.
After tidying himself up, he sat cross-legged in his cave to consolidate his cultivation until the next day, when everyone outside had left, and he was finally able to go and see the person he wanted to see cleanly.
...
Yao Sisi's cave is located on the mountaintop. Over the years, she has continuously tidied it up, making it look quite picturesque.
The cave walls are carved with auspicious mythical beasts. Not far from the cave, a large tree has been transplanted. It is so thick that it would take several people to hug it. Not far from the large tree, there is a small tree, which is a seedling of a seventh-grade spiritual tea tree.
She had told Tang Yan that the sapling was valuable, and that anything above grade five was rare. However, after comparison, she found that it was actually an even more precious grade seven spiritual tea sapling.
She needs to be irrigated with spiritual spring water every few days, but she doesn't have any now. The spiritual spring that originated in her space was destroyed by lightning tribulations several times, and the spirit is on its last legs without anything to nourish it. It hasn't dared to cause trouble for many days.
She had no choice but to buy the sacred spring water from outside...
That's how she learned that spiritual springs are actually graded, and the concentration of spiritual energy they contain varies. The ones she bought were the more common ones, and the prices weren't too expensive. She bought a gourdful at a time, which could water the saplings many times and last for several months.
Now that she's reached the Nascent Soul stage, coupled with her status as a peak master, she has far more resources than others, not to mention that she can also refine weapons.
If it weren't for her rapid cultivation speed and shorter accumulation time—which is common for other Nascent Soul cultivators to form their nascent souls at three to five hundred years old—their resources would certainly be richer than hers, given several hundred more years of accumulation.
Even if these seniors don't have many skills, as long as they work hard and do more sect missions, they won't lack basic resources. What everyone lacks are rare resources.
For example, if her spirit tea tree can produce tea, then grade seven spirit tea will be a rare resource.
If it weren't for the fact that the spirit of the artifact liked to devour spiritual objects, she would have really wanted to bring the spirit tea sapling into the space to accelerate the time array inside, which would also speed up the tea-forming process, resulting in a considerable income.
Yao Sisi had just finished watering the spirit tea tree when Qi Mu came over.
He looked quite well, his spiritual energy was perfectly balanced and controlled; the young master had truly made progress over the years.
Yao Sisi said, "You've changed so much in just three days! You've reached the Nascent Soul stage so quickly. If I had known this, you would have taken me with you. Maybe my cultivation would have been faster."
Qi Mu's hands were hidden in the wide sleeves of his robe, and a look of depression flashed across his face as he pondered something.
He wasn't telling the truth. His eagerness to advance was simply because he didn't want to stand behind her. He wanted to fight alongside her instead of helplessly begging for help: "At the time, I just felt a bit inspired by sword intent, so I wanted to go outside to hone my sword skills. I didn't mean to advance quickly. The fact that I advanced really surprised me."
Yao Sisi: "Sword intent is very difficult to cultivate. If I hadn't insisted on coming to Xuanyun Sect back then, would you have gone to Immortal Sword Sect? Now look what's happened, they've wasted their time on someone as talented as you without even realizing it!"
Qi Mu pursed his lips. He didn't regret coming here with her at all; on the contrary, he was glad he had come. "It's all fate. Maybe there are quite a few fellow cultivators in the Immortal Sword Sect who are suitable for magic cultivation!"
Yao Sisi said, "So what are your plans next? If not, I'll call people over so we can have a good get-together. You've been gone for over ten years, and Liu Yuan has been missing you terribly. Qin Fubao next door also keeps mentioning you."
Qi Mu really wanted to ask, "Have you been thinking about me?", but the words that came out were, "I might have to go to the Immortal Sword Sect in a while to get the cultivation technique. I'll be staying with you guys for the next few days and won't be going anywhere. By the way, Sisi, cough, do you really think I cultivate quickly? I guess I'm quite talented!"
So... am I qualified to stand next to you?
Yao Sisi paused: "Is it just my imagination? I feel like there's something hidden in what the young master said?"
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Author's Note: As soon as I receive a comment urging me to update, I'm instantly motivated to do so!
Let the demands for more updates come even more fiercely!
Awoo~
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