Before he left the Holy Land, Su Lianyue was only at the fourth level of the Body Forging Realm, but now she had reached the ninth level.
How long had it been? Less than ten days!
Gu Xuan asked, "How did your cultivation level improve so quickly?"
"I don't know, but every time I wake up, I find that my cultivation has improved for no reason," Su Lianyue replied, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"After waking up, you can improve your realm for no reason?" Gu Xuan was taken aback.
But immediately, he seemed to think of something and asked, "Have you encountered anything special during this period?"
Su Lianyue shook her head at first, but then quickly nodded again, leaving Gu Xuan puzzled.
"I don't know if this is special," she said, looking a bit shy. "In the past few days, every time I sleep, I have dreams. In my dreams, I become a very beautiful woman. She has a high status and strong strength, and there's a terrifying phantom of a real Phoenix behind her."
"D-dream?" Gu Xuan echoed, momentarily stunned. He then started to connect the dots.
According to her description of the [Recent Turning Points], she was on the verge of washing away all the lead and showcasing her talents in the upcoming outer door competition. As the time drew near, it seemed her destiny was gradually awakening, and her latent talents were beginning to reveal themselves. By the time the outer door competition arrived, her extraordinary abilities would likely fully bloom.
At that moment, Su Lianyue suddenly panicked and said, "Young Master, have I been possessed by an extraterritorial demon? I heard that many warriors who are possessed by demons experience a sudden surge in strength."
Concern flickered across her face.
"What are you thinking about?" Gu Xuan said, both amused and exasperated. "With your current realm strength, how could you be favored by extraterritorial demons?"
Su Lianyue pondered for a moment and felt that he was right, which helped her calm down.
...
The two continued to chat for a while. Su Lianyue mentioned that during Gu Xuan's absence, several inner disciples had come looking for him, but they left in disappointment when they found he wasn't there.
This surprised Gu Xuan. Although he had been in the Holy Land for over twelve years, he had always focused on his own cultivation and hadn't interacted much with other disciples. Why would anyone come looking for him?
"Maybe someone saw my strength and thinks I can be promoted to the inner sect, so they wanted to make a good impression in advance!" he concluded after some thought.
After that, he didn't dwell on it further. Having developed a relationship with Su Lianyue, Gu Xuan decided to enter a state of retreat.
With half a month remaining before the outer door competition, he wanted to take advantage of this time to further enhance his strength. Ideally, he hoped to advance to the Tong Xuan Realm before the competition. Although his current talent meant that his realm strength wouldn't affect his chances of becoming a true disciple, he still wanted to elevate his cultivation.
After all, the true disciples of the Holy Land of Absolute Beginning were all top geniuses. Regardless of talent and aptitude, they were all exceptional, and their realm strength was typically in the supernatural power realm. If Gu Xuan's realm was too weak, it would be somewhat embarrassing.
Not to mention, for Gu Xuan, the true disciple status was merely a stepping stone. His ultimate goal was to become the Holy Son of Absolute Beginning!
...
In the quiet room, Gu Xuan sat cross-legged.
He took out a bottle of elixir from his storage bag and swallowed one immediately.
As soon as the medicinal pill entered his stomach, it rolled down and released a thick medicinal power that radiated throughout his limbs and bones.
"Absorb!" Gu Xuan commanded himself, immediately activating the Taichu Body Forging Method to quickly absorb the energy contained in the medicinal pill.
The potent essence surged through him, and he focused intently, drawing it into his dantian and refining it. He could feel his cultivation level steadily rising, and with each breath, he became more attuned to the energy flowing within him.
This was the moment he had been waiting for, a chance to break through and solidify his foundation before the upcoming challenges. With determination in his heart, he pushed deeper into his cultivation, eager to reach new heights.
A large amount of spiritual energy surged around Gu Xuan, flooding into his body through the pores and limbs. The sound of aura rushing through his meridians echoed around him, reminiscent of crashing waves and a raging river, continuously flowing and scouring his very being.
In this state, his strength was increasing rapidly.
...
For the rest of the time, Gu Xuan dedicated himself to practicing day and night. After digesting each second-grade Qi-tonifying Pill, he would immediately swallow another one, repeating the process without pause.
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
On this day, after swallowing another Qi-tonifying Pill, Gu Xuan was once again using the Body Forging Method to enhance his cultivation.
Suddenly, the spiritual energy within him surged violently, uncontrollably, like a torrent breaking through a dam.
But rather than panicking, Gu Xuan felt a thrill of surprise.
He quickly ended his practice, took out the Qingsuo sword, and with a swift motion, cut his finger. A drop of scarlet blood welled up, glistening in the sunlight outside. It was heavy and viscous, falling to the ground with a metallic sound, like a steel ball striking the floor.
"Qi and blood are like mercury, and they will not disperse!" Gu Xuan exclaimed.
"This is... a sign of the perfection of the True Spirit!"
A bright light shone in his eyes.
In martial arts, transformation was key. The three realms of Body Forging, True Spirit, and Tongxuan represented a step-by-step evolution of the physical body.
Now that his True Spirit was complete, if a drop of his blood were to be poured into the body of an ordinary person, their blood vessels would burst, leading to instant death!
"Perfect Body Forging, tempering the bones, and moving with the sound of tiger and leopard thunder signify entering the True Spirit level!" Gu Xuan thought, excitement coursing through him. "The True Spirit refines blood and opens the dantian, nourishing a breath of vitality. When the blood is like mercury and the vitality is strong, I can condense the sea of dantian gas and enter the mysterious passage!"
With that thought, Gu Xuan prepared to break through in one go. However, just then, he sensed fluctuations in the vigilance formation outside his wooden house.
Someone was visiting!
Suppressing the vitality that was about to surge, Gu Xuan stepped out of his quiet room.
...
"Junior Brother Gu, my name is Chen Xuan, and these are my junior brothers, both of whom are inner disciples," the young woman in front of him introduced herself.
The three of them exuded a strong presence, each at the eighth or ninth level of the True Spirit Realm.
"Happy to meet you," Gu Xuan replied, nodding at the trio. He turned to Chen Xuan and asked directly, "Senior Sister Chen, is there something specific you need from me?"
"I apologize for the abrupt visit, and I hope you'll forgive my intrusion," Chen Xuan said, her demeanor polite. "I came here because I know that Junior Brother Gu is about to be promoted to the inner sect. I would like to invite you to join my Chen family as a guest!"
"Sorry, but I cannot agree to that," Gu Xuan replied without hesitation.
"Please don't be too quick to refuse," Chen Xuan urged. "Junior Brother Gu might not know that many inner disciples have family connections. Most of them serve as guest ministers in various families, which can enhance relationships among fellow disciples and improve their access to training resources."
"Now that you are a True Spirit Realm martial artist, you must understand that reaching this level without a true inheritance sequence and outstanding talent makes promotion very difficult, as the resources required are tremendous."
"If you cannot secure enough resources, you risk becoming mediocre... Who wants to be mediocre in the Holy Land?"
After pausing for a moment, Chen Xuan continued, "Junior Brother Gu, I assure you I come with sincerity. If you agree, my Chen family will provide 5,000 spirit stones annually as offerings. Once you reach the seventh level of True Spirit, that amount will increase to 10,000 spirit stones!"
"And if you reach the Tongxuan realm, you will receive 30,000 spirit stones every year!"
"Furthermore, the Chen family can assist you in sourcing all kinds of cultivation resources you might need. All we ask in return is that you help us when we require assistance."
"We guarantee that you will only be asked to intervene once a year at most, and we will compensate you accordingly... What do you think?"