"Lord Jiu Shen... you...you... How come you can perform our sect's Radiant Sword Slash?" Lu Sulan asked with a bewildered look.
"What's so surprising about that? Isn't that your sect's most lousy sword technique?" Jiu Shen replied indifferently.
Upon hearing his words, Lu Sulan had the urge to beat him up. 'What lousiest sword technique?! It's one of the strongest sword techniques in our Ice Cloud Sword Sect!'
Lu Sulan tactfully chose to remain silent. She then called another disciple's name.
The disciple she called was nervous especially after seeing how easily Jiu Shen was able to discern the flaws in their techniques.
After executing her sword technique, Jiu Shen told her about her flaws and he also displayed how it should be done.
The scene happened to all of the disciples that Lu Sulan called, making her heart turn numbed.
With a horrified look, she glanced at Jiu Shen.
She finally realized that this man was not just an Alchemy Saint. He might even be a 9th-rank Saint realm expert! She felt goosebumps all over her body when she recalled how she had deliberately opposed him earlier.
Jiu Shen returned the sword that he had borrowed from Xiao Hua before he glanced at Lu Sulan who was trying to conceal the dread in her heart. He then walked towards her at a normal pace, but to Lu Sulan, it felt as if it was an eternity.
Jiu Shen then gently patted Lu Sulan's shoulder causing the latter to almost jump in fright.
"You have great disciples, Sect Mistress Lu. Just train them according to what I have said earlier. Anyway, I shall not take much of your time. Farewell." Jiu Shen left after saying those words.
Lu Sulan glanced at his broad back with a complicated gaze. Would his arrival change her fate?
After seeing his abilities, she was now more certain that Jiu Shen indeed has the capability of concocting the Crimson Astral Blaze Pill. She was looking forward to the day when she would no longer feel a sense of discomfort and pain every time she cultivates.
Xiao Hua and the other disciples stared at Jiu Shen's disappearing back figure and bowed their heads respectfully. Although he was harsh on his choice of words, they were able to realize their mistakes easily. He had even demonstrated to them how their techniques should be executed. With his teachings, they were confident in improving their sword techniques.
Lu Sulan did not stop the actions of her disciples. After all, Jiu Shen helped them in recognizing the flaws in their sword techniques. With his intervention, it would save a great deal of time for them.
For young cultivators, time was precious. They would never forget Jiu Shen's help.
Meanwhile, inside his 'luxurious' guest room. Jiu Shen sat cross-legged while cultivating. Although he could not break through using normal means, he could still strengthen himself through cultivation.
The true essence inside the guest room was thick, but to Jiu Shen, it means nothing.
Jiu Shen gathered the true essence in his surroundings and refined them inside his dantian. His dantian was like a bottomless abyss that could not be filled even after cultivating for many years.
"This might be related to my new body being a Seamless Deity Physique. It looks like I have to rely on the system if I want to breakthrough realms..." Jiu Shen muttered to himself but he continued to patiently cultivate.
"Host, a Seamless Deity Physique can't be cultivated like this. Only with the system's help can you increase your strength. Host, work hard on completing your tasks!" The system's solemn voice echoed inside his head like a bucket of cold water.
He sighed and stopped cultivating his true essence. "Since I can't cultivate my true essence nor cultivate my soul force, then I might as well perceive the mysterious fourth realm of the Heart Realm, the Heartless Void. System, this is possible, right?"
Jiu Shen did not hear any reply from the system, but he did not feel discouraged.
That night, he tried perceiving the Heartless Void.
* * *
The glaring sun shone like a celestial fireball in the sky. Its scorching beams splashed onto the world basking everyone with its warm glow.
Jiu Shen opened his eyes with a regretful look in his face. "The Heartless Void is too profound. I might have been able to faintly recognize its intricacies when I had my previous cultivation, but with my current realm in this life, achieving a breakthrough in the Heart Realm is impossible..." He muttered and released a soft sigh.
"Today, I will go with Lu Sulan to the Alchemy Hall to check for the ingredients of the Crimson Astral Blaze Pill. Considering their background, they should have one set of the auxiliary ingredients I needed for the pill. As for the main ingredient... I wonder if they have one piece of Earth Origin Dragon Fruit..."
Jiu Shen thought about the four bonsai err... four spiritual plants inside his store. All four of it were 9th-rank spiritual plants, the Earth Origin Dragon Tree, but they haven't borne a single fruit yet.
With the system's show-off nature, it should have added a heavenly soil on the pots. But even if that's the case, it would still take two to three weeks before it can bear Earth Origin Dragon Fruits.
"If the Alchemy Hall does not have one piece of the fruit, then all we can do is wait for the spiritual plants in my store to bear fruits. But I need a ripe one...so in total, we need to wait for one whole month... In that case, do I really have to use my acupuncture on her to suppress the discomfort she feels? The question is, would that little girl even allow me to do my acupuncture on her?" Jiu Shen felt slightly annoyed in his heart, but he still looked serenely calm on the surface.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
Jiu Shen glanced at the door and felt the familiar aura of Lu Sulan. "Come inside, Sect Mistress Lu."
Lu Sulan came inside with dark circles under her eyes. Although it was faint and was covered by makeup, Jiu Shen could still perceive it with his acute eyesight.
With a tired and weary gaze, Lu Sulan spoke in a mild tone. "Lord Jiu Shen, it's time for us to go."
Jiu Shen nodded his head calmly and jumped out of his bed with a whooshing sound.