On the way home, Han Shuangjiang repeatedly cast sidelong glances at Chu Huaixu, her heart filled with all kinds of conflict, all kinds of wild thoughts.
Later on, she even began to blame that Dead Fox a little.
“Making my heart all messed up like this!” she thought inwardly.
In the maple forest, a few leaves occasionally drifted down.
Chu Huaixu walked shoulder to shoulder with her, taking out the jade slip of 【Flying Profound】 from his Storage Token.
“This movement art was originally called 【Crane Form】, but I didn’t quite like that name, so I call it 【Flying Profound】 myself.”
“This technique is very strong. Among Profound-rank movement arts, it absolutely counts as a top-grade one. You’re also suited to learn it.”
“As for that other one, 【Thunder at Fingertips】, it’s too fierce and domineering. Since I follow the path of both internal and external cultivation, my physical strength gives it additional power.”
“By comparison, with Zhegutian in your hand, cultivating True Gang is actually not as good as practicing sword arts.”
“So, I still suggest you use some Contribution Points from me to go to the Scripture Pavilion and pick a Profound-rank sword technique.” Chu Huaixu said.Borrowing was inevitable. Big Ice Block, you’re destined to owe me a mountain of debt.
By her usual temperament, Han Shuangjiang would definitely have declined a few times.
But because of the words Chu Huaixu had said earlier, she directly accepted the jade slip of 【Flying Profound】 and, somewhat flustered, placed it into her Storage Token.
She even forgot to say thank you. While walking, her eyes kept fixed on the pile of maple leaves on the ground.
Her heart was in turmoil, utterly chaotic.
The lake of her heart that should have been calm was stirred by him until it rippled endlessly.
After they returned home, even Xu Ziqing noticed that the atmosphere between Senior Brother and Senior Sister Han seemed a bit strange?
“Senior Brother looks pretty normal, but why does Senior Sister Han seem like she’s avoiding him?
“Could it be that during this trip, Senior Brother made her angry?” Little Xu thought inwardly.
Three days passed in a flash.
Every midnight, Chu Huaixu was tormented into mental exhaustion by his future First Master.
He was also very curious. If he endured through thirty days and really gained Sword Intent, then what kind of Sword Intent would he develop?
“Big Ice Block’s is Reincarnation Sword Intent.”
“Then what about mine? What exactly is my unique trait?” he wondered.
During these days, Han Shuangjiang had returned to normal, no longer deliberately avoiding Chu Huaixu.
She borrowed some Contribution Points from him and exchanged them in the Scripture Pavilion for a Profound-rank sword art called 【Solemn Snow】.
This sword art carried an intense aura of murderous solemnity.
The sword moves were fierce, filled with bone-piercing cold.
Big Ice Block was now basically cultivating her method at night, and during the day, she practiced 【Solemn Snow】 and 【Flying Profound】 in the courtyard.
Just last night, she had actually broken through another Heaven.
At this speed, if she focused solely on cultivation instead of spending time on studying techniques, she could very well reach the Second Level before the Eastern Continent’s Grand Competition.
Chu Huaixu, holding onto his Experience Points, saw how diligently and tirelessly she cultivated and practiced the sword each day, so he deliberately let her be for a few days, choosing not to compete with her for now.
He truly worried that, with her strong temper, if provoked by him, she might end up training day and night without rest.
Among the three in their household, the most unpromising one was clearly Xu Ziqing. Even though he had obtained fortune from his Senior Brother, upgrading his False Spirit Embryo to a Third-grade Spirit Embryo, his cultivation progress remained slow.
Chu Huaixu gave him all the Dregs left from his pill refinement for medicinal baths, but after so many days, he still hadn’t broken through the Eighth Aperture.
“Still need pills!” he thought.
Fortunately, he had recently bought four more pill formulas at the Treasure Pavilion, one of which was perfect for the Qi-Opening Stage. He used the Medicinal Cauldron to refine twenty pills.
When Xu Ziqing received the pills and saw Chu Huaixu’s haggard look, he was so moved he nearly cried.
Both he and Han Shuangjiang thought it was all from Chu Huaixu refining pills.
The pillar of their household truly was a little too overworked.
In terms of learning techniques, though Han Shuangjiang’s talent wasn’t as heaven-defying as Xu Ziqing’s, it was still far above ordinary people.
In just a few days, she had already grasped the basics of both 【Solemn Snow】 and 【Flying Profound】.
Since she really lacked actual combat experience, Chu Huaixu volunteered to spar with her.
The two only used 【Flying Profound】—she was responsible for fleeing, he was responsible for chasing.
The result was always that she failed to escape.
No matter how Big Ice Block tried to dodge, Chu Huaixu could always quickly catch up and then lightly tap her shoulder.
“You look rather devastated?” he laughed.
“I know you’ve already reached Small Accomplishment with the movement art, while I’ve only just started. But even so, you’re still far faster than me.” She couldn’t figure it out.
“You don’t train your body, so you don’t understand.” Chu Huaixu once again spoke up for body-trainers.
“Your movement art relies purely on spiritual energy. But since I cultivate both inside and out, because of body training, my speed itself is already very fast.” He spoke as if it were only natural.
My explosive power far exceeds your imagination.
At such times, Xu Ziqing could only stand off to the side by himself, unable to join in.
Inwardly, he felt envy, only hoping to quickly break through to the First Level.
With the help of pills, Little Xu had already broken through the Eighth Aperture.
Once all nine apertures were open, he could enter the Scripture Pavilion.
Chu Huaixu had already prepared the next batch of Spiritual Pills for him.
Whether he could obtain the Wooden Token leading to the summit of Hidden Spirit Mountain depended entirely on his own fortune.
“All I can do is this much.” Chu Huaixu thought.
Another seven days passed.
Today, the Dao Gate’s Outer Sect was exceptionally lively.
The reason was simple—the matters regarding the Eastern Continent’s Grand Competition had finally been announced.
More than half of the Outer Sect was heatedly discussing the event.
“A First Level Grand Competition? To select the strongest First Level of the Eastern Continent?”
“And then they’ll have to face the champion of the Western Continent?”
“Why only a Grand Competition for the First Level, but not the Second Level?”
“Registration begins in ten days. At my First Level Second Heaven, it seems I don’t even need to go…”
“I heard the rewards for the top ten will be very generous. That’s what the people from the Enforcement Team said.”
“Really?”
Many First Level disciples who considered themselves strong were already eager to try, rubbing their fists and preparing.
From the level of grandeur and the amount of attention this time, it was obvious that the higher-ups would be placing great emphasis on this Grand Competition.
Who wouldn’t want to make a name for themselves before the Sect Master and the Elders?
If one could catch their eye, then upon entering the Inner Sect in the future, there would even be the chance to enter the Gentleman Temple!
The Nine Outer Sect Stewards also began to get busy with this matter.
The heaviest workload naturally fell to Niu Yuanshan.
Such was the lot of an undercover steward—always the most diligent, always the most burdened.
Old Niu had not seen Chu Huaixu for a long time.
Yet his heart was still tied to him.
By now, Niu Yuanshan’s understanding of Chu Huaixu’s current state was actually far from complete.
“I wonder how his cultivation is progressing now?”
“He should be signing up for this Grand Competition, right?”
“Will he be able to seize this chance to become famous, then catch the eye of an Elder, and in the future be taken as a disciple?”
“In that way, the 【Organization】 would finally have its own man inside the Gentleman Temple.”
All his thoughts would, in the end, conclude with a resounding slap: “Pa—!”
Then, loyal Old Niu would recite the “Admonition” in his heart.
Niu Yuanshan was nearly one hundred percent satisfied with Chu Huaixu.
The only thing he felt lacking was that, as far as he knew, Chu Huaixu had never once descended the mountain to report at the nearby secret location, nor had he sent even a single piece of information to the 【Organization】.
“He seems to have only been quietly lying low all this time?”
But Old Niu always managed to convince himself that indeed, it wasn’t yet the time for Chu Huaixu to shine.
He began to look forward to Chu Huaixu’s performance in the Eastern Continent’s Grand Competition.
“As for our Western Continent, barring surprises, the victor of this Grand Competition should be the heir of our peerless genius.”
“This Heir of King Rui is the only one in centuries to have cultivated the 《Eight Desolations Sun Ode》. When he broke through the First Level, he even triggered a heaven-and-earth phenomenon.”
“He also resembles our Moon Country’s founding Emperor by about seventy percent.”
“Over there in the Moon Country, many are saying he is the Emperor reborn.”
“The Imperial Family even seems intent on letting him enter the Emperor’s Mausoleum for enlightenment.”
“As for the Eastern Continent, I haven’t heard of any First Level cultivator who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.”
“This time’s Eastern and Western Continents’ Grand Competition, the champion is most likely going to fall to our Moon Country.” Old Niu’s aged heart felt at ease.
At that thought, even amidst his busyness in the Dao Gate, his mood was excellent.
“Let the Dao Gate and Eastern Continent handle this well.”
“The grander it is, the more humiliating it will be when they lose to His Highness the Heir.”
As a Moon Country man, Niu Yuanshan already felt invigorated just by imagining it, proud and elated.
Night gradually deepened.
Chu Huaixu was not sitting on the Meditation Cushion in his own room tonight, but instead stayed inside Xu Ziqing’s room.
“Are you ready?” He looked at Little Xu with a solemn expression.
Little Xu nodded, swallowing slightly.
“It will be very painful later. The pain of breaking through the Ninth Aperture will be stronger than all the previous ones combined. You must be prepared mentally.” Chu Huaixu said earnestly.
He himself relied on the system to upgrade, only needing to bear the consequences.
Xu Ziqing, cultivating on his own, would have all the pain flood in only after he succeeded in opening the aperture. But even so, the breakthrough process itself would be unbearably hard!
If he couldn’t endure it, all efforts would go to waste.
Xu Ziqing nodded solemnly at Chu Huaixu, saying, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I still have blood-deep vengeance unavenged. Even if it’s a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I will endure it!”
“Good! Before the aperture opens, you must grit your teeth and hold on! Once it’s open, you can shout as loud as you want. I won’t laugh at you.”
He spoke in all seriousness.
It had been quite some time since he last heard Little Xu’s pleasing screams.
“Mm!” Xu Ziqing nodded once more, his heart warmed by the care from his Senior Brother.
In fact, even Han Shuangjiang in the neighboring room, upon learning that Xu Ziqing would be opening the Ninth Aperture tonight, was waiting for that miserable wail.
Because once the sound was heard, it basically meant Junior Brother Xu had succeeded in breaking through.
At this moment, the delicate youth slowly closed his eyes, while Chu Huaixu sat by his side to protect him.
Spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged into his body, beginning to break through that final aperture, opening the Spirit Embryo Secret Store.
Chu Huaixu soon noticed sweat beading on the tip of his nose, his complexion growing pale.
Without great perseverance, one simply could not withstand the torment of this sinister cultivation.
As the minutes ticked by, Chu Huaixu saw Xu Ziqing’s body tremble unconsciously.
He was originally a youth with rosy lips and white teeth, but at this moment, his lips had no trace of color.
Perhaps it was because of his firm Dao Heart, or perhaps because of his blood-deep vengeance, that the youth kept gritting his teeth and persevering, circulating his Qi throughout his body.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth continuously tempered his body, as if he were immersed in a cosmic furnace!
At this moment, Chu Huaixu was not only protecting him. He was also curious about one thing, something he wanted to find out.
“When I broke through the Ninth Aperture, I stirred the sword in Hidden Spirit Mountain, causing the whole Dao Gate to quake, even Medicine Mountain trembled a few times.”
“So, if another person breaks through the 《Sword Refining Art》, will it be the same?”
Another stick of incense passed, and Xu Ziqing’s Ninth Aperture opened.