Lu Qingyun heaved a sorrowful soft sigh in his heart, "Keqin has not returned for the past three days…"
He was smiling bitterly to himself.
He was probably not in her heart at all. If he was then she would have told him where she was going and would not disappear as she pleased.
Although they were now a secret couple now but he did not feel they were a real couple yet. They simply did not have any time for each other and moreover they were only a couple for just a few days.
But now, he no longer had any wishful thoughts anymore and decided to devote all his time into his cultivation and martial training.
As he walked to the practice chamber, he had chanced upon Lie Xingyuan.
She was immediately asking, "Senior brother, shall I prepare lunch for you?"
Lu Qingyun smiled gently, "No need. Xingyuan…"
"Yes senior brother?" she asked and hastily added. "If senior brother has anything to ask of me, please do not hesitate to tell me."
He gave a soft sigh, "I will be preparing myself intensively for the martial tournament. Therefore I will be in the practice chamber until I am done. If…"
He began to hesitate for a while before he said with another sigh, "Please let Keqin knows when she has returned."
"I will." Lie Xingyuan promised him.
As he walked to the practice chamber, Lie Xingyuan was sighing secretly. For the past three days, senior brother was looking so lost and soulless.
He must be pinning for sect leader's whereabouts but until now, she had not returned.
She muttered, "Sect leader must be very upset with him…"
Then she was gasping secretly, "He shouldn't have…done that thing on her right?" A thought had suddenly crossed her mind before it vanished as quickly as it came. "No, senior brother isn't that sort of a man. He will not force himself on her…"
She stared blankly after him.
It was alright if senior brother did not have her in his heart.
She muttered, "As long as I have him in my heart, it doesn't matter if he has me in his heart. Because he is the senior brother who has helped me the most. Because he is Lu Qingyun that I've known…"
When Lu Qingyun was in the practice chamber, he quickly began to meditate first. It was because he had been thinking a lot of things for the past couple of days and was too distracted to do anything. Therefore he had to clear his mind of all distractions and clear his mind of…Keqin…
The hours had quickly passed and he had finally opened his eyes.
He was ready to begin his cultivation practice.
He had only one thing in his mind now and that was to practice hard for the upcoming core protégé martial tournament that would be coming in the next couple of days.
It was nigh time for him for him to do so.
Thinking back, he still could not believe that he had advanced from a lowly first realm cultivator to an initial fourth realm immortal celestial in less than three months.
If this was in the past, he would not believe it.
All these because he had met her…
No! He must not think of her anymore and quickly cast thoughts of her away.
So once again, he focused his mind to his cultivation.
"So I'm now a fourth realm cultivation expert now…"
The fourth realm was the energy level of the cultivators. At this level, the profound strength of the cultivators could be manifested in many ways.
Absurd martial power caused by the surge of profound strength.
A strengthening of the cultivator's profound aura that enhanced the spirit sense and profound presence.
The ability to channel profound strength into external profound energy through weapons known as sword energy.
Among these three abilities, the third ability was the hardest to gain because it got nothing to do cultivation level but was an indirect manifestation of the energy level. There were a great many high level cultivators in the sixth and seventh realms that could not gasped the sword intent to use sword energies and that did not hinder them at all.
In fact for those geniuses that had grasped the sword intent in the fourth realm or above to use sword energies, it was more a curse than a blessing. It was always a temptation to pursue to highest level of the sword intents and hence, their real cultivation progression would then be slowed down or even hinder.
Moreover the advancement of a cultivator's sword intents often could not keep up with the pace of progression of a high level cultivator's formidable aura that could use their profound aura to suppress the sword energies that were used against them.
As he reached into his inner spiritual reservoir to draw his profound strength, he was suddenly startled. "Yan'Er, I am now an upper fourth realm expert now?"
Yan'Er quickly appeared as she hovered around him lazily. She was suddenly gasping, "That is right. Master, you are an upper fourth realm expert now. You have skipped two small realms…"
There was a pleasant surprise on her as she clapped happily.
Lu Qingyun looked curiously at her, "You're not the one who…erm…is cultivating?"
Yan'Er smiled weakly, "I can't. Master, do you know that your spiritual force is so dry lately that your Yan'Er cannot cultivate at all!"
That was the truth.
Three days ago, Lu Qingyun had totally expended all his profound strength to duel with Qiuxiang Hanyu and 'running all over the place'.
Once a cultivator had reached the fourth realm, each of the smaller realms was like an impassable barrier that could take years, even decades and centuries to overcome to the next smaller realm. There were many geniuses of the heavens that were struck at the fourth realm if they would not be able to obtain the necessary cultivation resources.
Lu Qingyun sighed softly. He knew what had exactly happened.
It was due to the powerful effect of the Seven Hearts Hollow Pill. It was a most precious divine pill that was hardly obtainable by most cultivators and yet he had taken one, because of her again…
It just that he did not expect the Seven Hearts Hollow Pill to work so well that it could even raise his weak fourth realm foundation to the upper echelon. This was truly a miracle.
By his own calculations, this would not happen at all.
He was actually expecting that the Seven Hearts Hollow Pill to only solidify his newly attained fourth realm foundation and that was good for him already.
If Qin Keqin was here now, she would not have believed it either. It was because miraculous divine pills could only help this much and it was all dependable on the foundation of the cultivator.
Celestial Shi Guanyin had needed a Seven Hearts Hollow Pill for a breakthrough to the intermediate fifth realm golden celestial level and it was only because she was already at the peaked initial fifth realm level.
For Lu Qingyun to breakthrough to the intermediate fourth realm level, he had to first solidify his cultivation inner sea and that mean that he had to be a peaked initial fourth realm level first.
But now, he had actually jumped all the way to the upper fourth realm level. If this was not a miracle then what it was?
His calculations were indeed correct. The Seven Hearts Hollow Pill could enhance his profound strength by 30% and that was not enough for any breakthrough. But it could indeed give him a good foundation and would make his fourth realm cultivation a lot easier.
And that was Qin Keqin's intention as well.
But because Lu Qingyun had the Annihilating God Seed within his inner elixir sea, the gain of his profound strength was being accelerated; the Annihilating God Seed was a better facilitator in absorbing the Seven Hearts Hollow Pill and it was now releasing the annihilating profound force into him, effectively doubling his existing profound strength.
And because Lu Qingyun had totally expended all his profound strength to his limits 3 days ago, the gain of his profound strength was tripled and not doubled.
In normal circumstances, it was rare for anyone to be able to use more than 70% of their profound strength without feeling terribly tired.
Even Qin Keqin was hoping that Lu Qingyun could exercise around 30% of his profound strength when he had dueled with Qiuxiang Hanyu.
But Lu Qingyun was eager to catch up with Qin Keqin and he had gone over his physical and mental limits without a care. Only by his sheer strength of will, he did not collapse from exertion.
Because of this, the Annihilating God Seed was able to further absorb the Seven Hearts Hollow Pill and had greatly enhanced his profound strength by tripling it!
Yan'Er was in a deep slumber lately as she had no mood to cultivate especially when she had seen her master was in depression lately and moreover she was waiting for the depleted spiritual reservoir to be replenished.
She stared blankly into her master's spiritual reservoir as she muttered, "Master, your spiritual sea is so vast now…"
Lu Qingyun smiled weakly, "But I don't see any difference."
Yan'Er said cutely, "That is because it isn't full yet. It may need more time. In fact, it is only 1/3 full now."
As Lu Qingyun exercised his profound strength, he was muttering. "Weird. Why is that I'm now feeling that there is an added strength guiding me when I am exercising my profound strength?"
Yan'Er was looking greedily into his inner spiritual sea as she laughed jovially, "Master, it is your Annihilating God Seed. It is now manifesting into your profound strength. It is no longer a seed anymore."
Lu Qingyun: ???
Yan'Er said delightfully, "It has now been nurtured. Not only is Yan'Er much stronger now, so is Master."
Summoning his profound strength from his inner spiritual sea, Lu Qingyun formed a wisp of spirit flame in his hand and was startled that his golden roc flame was now twice as formidable. This was not the result of him reaching the fourth realm but something else.
He knew that he could be able to use his golden roc flame once he had reached the energy level of the fourth realm but this flame was even more powerful than any sword energies that he had seen. In fact, this could even be on the same level as the energy level of a sixth realm expert!
Yan'Er was looking pleased that her master was now able to drawn upon her strength and she had decided that it was now her turn to be lazy.
Lu Qingyun seemed to share the same thoughts as her and he said to her, "Don't be lazy Yan'Er. The world of cultivation has many strong opponents. I'll still need your spirited help. Only when you and I are one, can we truly unleash our full strength."
Yan'Er began copy Qin Keqin as she rolled her eyes. It was not a yes or a no reply but an amused look.
Lu Qingyun heaved a soft sigh as Yan'Er expressions were like Qin Keqin. So he said, "Don't copy her. She won't like it."
Yan'Er continued to roll her eyes as she hovered around, not caring at all.
Lu Qingyun: …
It was as though Yan'Er was saying to him, "Big Sister Keqin isn't around so she won't know. And you are lying to me, master!"
With a soft sigh, Lu Qingyun said. "Yan'Er, I like to make further progression on the Flaming Crimson Sword and I'll like you to help me."
Yan'Er was delighted as she clapped her hands, "Woah! Finally!"
She was jumping for joy because she could cultivate her spirit at the same time while Lu Qingyun was practicing with the Flaming Crimson Sword. This Flaming Crimson Sword was of the fire element and aligned completely with her aura. There were immerse benefits to her growth and moreover this was a golden opportunity for her to absorb the profound energy of the annihilating force at the same time.
"Quick! Master, what are you waiting for?"
Lu Qingyun was smiling weakly at her enthusiastic expressions, "I haven't even taken out the cultivation slip out yet."