High above Tianyu Peak, Chen Guangsu, Li Manrou, and over a hundred other Xuandong Mountain disciples who had rushed over upon sensing the disturbance stood atop the mist-shrouded clouds. Overlooking the grand hall nestled in the mountain and the vast, sea-like vortex of spiritual qi, shock stirred in their hearts, leaving an indescribable sensation.
"Dao Foundation in three days, Golden Core in half a month, Yin Spirit in one month! It has been a full two hundred years since I entered our teacher's sect, yet I still haven't attained a Yin Spirit and become an indoor disciple. Alas, can the difference between one person and another truly be this vast?" a Daoist at the Golden Core realm sighed forlornly.
"In my view, Senior Brother Huang must possess a body naturally attuned to the Dao! That is why he encounters virtually no bottlenecks in his cultivation."
"So-called Dao bodies are mysterious and abstruse. Whether such a thing even exists in this world remains in question."
"It's only because Senior Brother Huang's body and soul are perfectly unified and his spiritual light is clear and pure. Otherwise, I would suspect he was some mighty figure who seized a body to cultivate anew."
"If only I had even a tenth of Senior Brother's talent, I would have crossed the threshold of the Yin Spirit long ago..."
While the crowd discussed among themselves, inside the warm chamber of the mountain's grand hall, Huang Tian sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. Surging spiritual power flooded into his body. His expression remained serene, while a jade-like radiance emanated all around him.
*Pfft—*
With a faint, nearly imperceptible sound, a miniature figure draped in five-colored radiant robes leapt out from the top of his head. Rising through the boundless river of spiritual qi, it flew straight out of the hall and climbed into the layered clouds above.
Seeing Huang Tian's Yin Spirit project out of his body, the Daoists atop the clouds were both astonished and delighted, hastily offering bows.
"Senior Brother Huang!"
"Greetings, Senior Brother Huang!"
"Congratulations on attaining the Yin Spirit, Senior Brother!"
Huang Tian smiled and returned their greetings.
"Junior Brother's natural talent is extraordinary. In just over a month, you've caught up with me. Senior Sister truly envies you to no end," Li Manrou remarked with feeling.
Long Ling lightly tapped her and said exasperatedly, "If you had devoted even a fraction more of your mind to cultivation, how could you still be in the Yin Spirit realm? You would have advanced to the Yang Spirit long ago."
As the daughter of Master Yuyang, Li Manrou undoubtedly possessed far more resources than others. Yet she could never sit still and had no heart for cultivation; otherwise, she wouldn't have lagged behind the other indoor disciples.
At those words, Li Manrou offered an embarrassed smile.
Standing nearby, Eldest Senior Brother Chen Guangsu wore a complex expression. Looking at Huang Tian, he struggled for a long moment before finally squeezing out a question: "Junior Brother, with this breakthrough of yours, I assume you've depleted all your pills?"
Huang Tian's eyes lit up. Eldest Senior Brother was truly "perceptive" and "considerate"!
"To tell the truth, Senior Brother, all the spirit pills and herbs gifted by you and our fellow disciples have been ingested by me. Not a single one is left."
Chen Guangsu understood. Flipping his hand, a brand-new qiankun bag appeared in his palm. With a casual toss, the qiankun bag landed steadily in the hands of the miniature Yin Spirit figure.
"Inside are various precious pills and spiritual herbs. Before coming, I took them specifically from the sect treasury. They are enough to support your cultivation all the way to the peak of the Yang Spirit realm."
Ever since Master Yuyang went into secluded cultivation, the Xuandong Mountain sect treasury had been managed by Chen Guangsu, allowing him to requisition resources at will.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Clutching the qiankun bag, Huang Tian expressed his gratitude in delight. This feeling of focusing wholeheartedly on cultivation without having to worry about procuring resources was simply wonderful!
Seeing Huang Tian receive so many precious pills, the disciples felt envious, but they also took it as a matter of course. A rare, peerless prodigy rightfully deserved the very best resources—that was the proper way to nurture talent.
"Besides these spirit pills, I will also impart the Yang Spirit and Great Ascension chapters of the Yang Origin True Brightness Scripture to you."
Chen Guangsu pressed two fingers together and tapped forward. A beam of flowing light sank into the miniature Yin Spirit's glabella, and Huang Tian immediately found a vast amount of information appearing in his mind.
A few breaths later, Huang Tian digested it all and smiled. "Thank you for transmitting the method, Senior Brother!"
With cultivation methods and resources in hand, he now lacked for nothing!
"Think nothing of it. As an indoor disciple, being taught the complete technique is only as it should be." Chen Guangsu shook his head, hesitated briefly, and asked, "Junior Brother, do you... plan to continue your secluded cultivation in a moment?"
Huang Tian nodded. "Naturally, I will build on this momentum and advance to the Yang Spirit!"
At these words, everyone drew in a sharp breath in unison, causing the floating clouds in the sky to churn backward.
Having just entered the Yin Spirit realm, he already wanted to "build on this momentum"? Could such momentum really carry him through in a single push?
For any of them, advancing from the Yin Spirit to the Yang Spirit would take at least several centuries of bitter cultivation, with no guarantee of a smooth breakthrough—one might choke on that single breath and die trying.
Yet as for Huang Tian... at the thought of his terrifying cultivation speed, everyone fell speechless. It seemed he really might be able to charge straight into the Yang Spirit realm in one go!
The corner of Chen Guangsu's mouth twitched. "Th-then we shall await your good news, Junior Brother."
Huang Tian responded, bowed to the crowd all around, and then descended into the hall below. His Yin Spirit returned to his physical shell, and his eyes opened, their gaze clear and bright.
He opened the qiankun bag at his side, took out a porcelain bottle, uncorked it without hesitation, and swallowed all six spirit pills inside. The majestic medicinal potency erupted like an exploding furnace, surging madly into his limbs, bones, and meridians. Unhurried, he calmed his mind, circulating a secret technique to guide the medicinal power through his body. Soon, a hazy mist of spiritual light welled up within the warm chamber.
Meanwhile, up in the sky, those who had not yet dispersed exchanged glances.
"How long do you think it will take Senior Brother Huang to advance to the Yang Spirit?" someone whispered.
"Three to five years? That's already extraordinarily fast..."
"Your imagination is too small; you don't dare dream. I believe he can succeed in at most about a year."
"Indeed, breaking through to the Yin Spirit in a single month—with such aptitude, he might even step into the Yang Spirit within half a year!"
Listening to the discussions of her junior brothers around her, Li Manrou blinked and looked toward Chen Guangsu. "Eldest Senior Brother, what do you think?"
Chen Guangsu's eyelids twitched. "I don't know, nor can I guess. But I do know that if our teacher still hasn't ended his seclusion by the time Junior Brother Huang breaks through to the Yang Spirit, I will have to go ask him to come out."
Hearing this, everyone froze for a moment before instantly catching on. That was true: if Huang Tian broke through again, they had to invite their teacher, Master Yuyang, out. There was no other reason than the fact that if Huang Tian kept advancing by leaps and bounds like this, who knew if he might step into the Great Ascension realm one day!
And while Master Yuyang was known as a loose immortal, his realm was essentially still Great Ascension. While it was normal for a disciple's realm to catch up to their teacher's, for a disciple who had never even met his teacher face-to-face to match or even surpass him would be profoundly awkward.
Coughing lightly, Chen Guangsu said with a solemn expression, "Junior Brother Huang possesses the talent of a true immortal, yet he cultivates with such diligence. We must slacken even less. Now, let us disperse. Return and focus on your cultivation."
"Understood!"
Everyone answered in unison and flew off in all directions.
Only Chen Guangsu remained standing alone atop the clouds, a sense of urgency and deep dejection rising in his heart. *A true immortal! A true immortal! How exceedingly difficult it is! I reached the peak of Great Ascension over a hundred years ago, yet I have never been able to condense a Dao Seed, let alone trigger the Immortal Ascension Tribulation. I truly do not know when I will ever become an immortal who enjoys longevity and eternal vision!*
A sigh drifted softly down through the clouds...
Time flew by. In the snap of a finger, two and a half months elapsed. The scorching summer melted away, and deep autumn settled over the world.
Across Xuandong Mountain, as far as the eye could see, the hills and plains were bathed in deep reds and rich ambers. Lush woods layered one upon another, and wildflowers and grass blanketed the earth. As a mountain breeze blew, countless fallen leaves fluttered like colorful butterflies. In the sky, spiritual birds flapped their wings, clutching spiritual fruits in their beaks as they played with the mountain spirits and wild creatures bounding below.
"Haha! In seclusion for three years, my Water-Fire Devil-Refining Great Mudra has finally reached great accomplishment!"
Inside a cave abode, Xiao Chong, clad in a black cloak, laughed heartily, his laughter echoing through the meditation chamber.
"Relying on this minor divine ability, even an ordinary Great Ascension cultivator might not be a match for me!"
High-spirited and full of vigor, he thought, *Once I leave seclusion, I'll spar with Eldest Senior Brother! Hehehe, he's always hiding his strength, only ever showing thirty or fifty percent of what he can do in front of others. This time, I'll definitely force him to go all out!*
Smiling as he walked out of the meditation chamber, his expression suddenly froze. "Why are there so many talisman letters?"
Waving his hand, he dismantled the protective array shielding his cave abode, and dozens of talisman letters swooshed inside.
Raising his hand to gather them, he released his divine sense and probed into the talisman letters.
"Second Junior Brother, recently our teacher gained another indoor disciple named Huang Tian. He—"
"Second Senior Brother, Senior Brother Huang broke through to the Dao Foundation in just a few days!"
"Second Senior Brother, in merely half a month, Senior Brother Huang attained the Golden Core again!"
"Second Senior Brother, Senior Brother Huang has reached the Yin Spirit..."
Every single talisman letter spoke of the same person and the same matter: Huang Tian had broken through again, and again, and again!
Xiao Chong's mouth dropped open involuntarily, and he fell into a daze.
*Whoosh—*
Suddenly, in the distance, a surge of qi expanded in all directions like a tidal wave, sweeping across the mountain.
"This is... someone is charging into the Yang Spirit realm!"
Sensing it briefly, he grew puzzled. "Why is this aura so unfamiliar? Wait, no!"
He looked down at the talisman letters in his hand and suddenly realized. But following that realization came utter bewilderment.
"Is... is it that Junior Brother Huang? Didn't the talisman letters say he only just formed his Yin Spirit two-odd months ago?!"
Swallowing hard, he moved in an instant, cutting through the air toward the place where spiritual qi was boiling over.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived at mist-wreathed Tianyu Peak. Only upon arrival did he discover that Long Ling, Li Manrou, and the other junior brothers and sisters were all already there.
"Second Senior Brother!"
"Second Senior Brother, you're out of seclusion?"
Xiao Chong gave a few brief replies before fixing his eyes below and asking, "The one charging into the Yang Spirit realm down there—is it that newly admitted Junior Brother, Huang Tian?"
Everyone nodded.
Xiao Chong remained silent, inwardly shocked. *Is this the 'talent of a true immortal' Eldest Senior Brother spoke of?!*
Glancing around, he asked curiously, "Where is Eldest Senior Brother? Didn't he come?"
Li Manrou showed a hint of awkwardness. "He went to ask Father to end his seclusion."
Xiao Chong froze, but quickly figured out why Chen Guangsu had done so. He couldn't help wanting to laugh, yet felt it improper to laugh aloud. Coughing lightly, he composed his expression, though the corner of his mouth still curled upward slightly.
Meanwhile, at Haoyang Peak.
Chen Guangsu stood before a cave abode. After pondering for a moment, he formed hand seals and released a ray of golden light. The golden light landed upon the protective array guarding the cave abode, slowly corroding a tiny opening.
Seizing the opportunity, he immediately sent a talisman letter flying through the opening into the cave abode.
In just a few breaths, the heavy doors of the cave abode slowly opened, and a middle-aged Daoist walked out. His face was lean and refined, his hair pinned with green jade, and he wore a green Daoist robe, appearing thoroughly cultured and elegant.
This person was none other than the founding ancestor of Xuandong Mountain, a loose immortal of seven tribulations, Master Yuyang!
"Teacher!" Chen Guangsu bowed respectfully.
Master Yuyang gave an acknowledging sound, his face clouded with shock and disbelief. "Is everything you stated in your talisman letter true?"
Chen Guangsu smiled helplessly. "If it were not true, how could this disciple dare interrupt your seclusion to call you out?"
Hearing him say this, Master Yuyang mostly believed it. Releasing his divine sense to blanket the entirety of Xuandong Mountain, he immediately "saw" Huang Tian in the midst of his breakthrough, and he involuntarily drew in a soft breath.
*From a mere mortal to a Yang Spirit cultivator in a mere hundred-odd days! Such an exceptional talent, possessing the aptitude of a true immortal and even the promise of scaling the heights of a Heavenly Immortal—he's actually my disciple?!*
He felt as though an impossibly massive windfall had dropped right onto his head, leaving him dizzy. For a moment, the thought *Do I even deserve this?* actually crossed his mind.
"Teacher?" Seeing Master Yuyang dazed and staring blankly, Chen Guangsu called out softly.
Master Yuyang recovered his wits and feigned composure. "Mm, let us go to Tianyu Peak now. Huang Tian's breakthrough is proceeding smoothly; he should be finishing his seclusion shortly."
With that, he took a step forward and vanished from the spot. Chen Guangsu took flight and followed closely behind.
Before long, the two arrived above the layered clouds of Tianyu Peak.
"Greetings, Teacher!" the disciples hurriedly bowed.
"No need for formalities." Master Yuyang swept his sleeve, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and stroked his beard with a smile. "Good. During the period of my seclusion, none of you have neglected your cultivation. A day of practice brings a day of skill; only through steady accumulation over time can one make progress."
"We shall faithfully abide by your teachings!"
*Whoosh—*
As everyone spoke, the spiritual qi surging from all directions gradually subsided.
Inside the grand hall on the mountain, a figure walked out and flew straight up into the sky, arriving atop the clouds. It was none other than Huang Tian, who had just broken through to the Yang Spirit realm.
Recognizing Master Yuyang among the crowd at a glance, he stepped forward and said, "Disciple Huang Tian greets Teacher!"
"No need for formalities! No need for formalities, hahaha!" Master Yuyang laughed heartily, gazing at the jade-like youth before him with immense joy.
Seeing their master so utterly delighted, the surrounding disciples felt the corners of their mouths twitch slightly. In normal times, while Master Yuyang wasn't overly rigid, he rarely smiled before them, let alone laughed uncontrollably like this...
Seeming to notice the strange looks from his disciples, Master Yuyang cleared his throat and said, "Fine disciple, fine disciple! A Yang Spirit cultivator in just a hundred-odd days, and your magic power is so thoroughly solidified! Good! Wonderful!"
Praising him repeatedly, he looked Huang Tian up and down, growing more delighted the more he looked. With a flick of his hand, over a dozen treasures flew out from the qiankun bag at his waist.
"This is a Ten-Thousand-Li Relocation Talisman. One need only crush it to immediately flee ten thousand li away; even if a Great Ascension cultivator is caught off guard, they won't be able to catch you. This is a Thunder-Fire Smelting-Killing Talisman, which carries the might of my full-power strike.
"The Cloud Brocade Dharma Robe is a rank-six dharma treasure; donning it protects against water, wind, fire, and thunder. The Heavy Mountain Law-Suppressing Seal is also a rank-six dharma treasure, capable of suppressing and slaying enemy cultivators.
"The Clear Qi Nourishing Spirit Pill can nourish and soothe the soul when consumed. The True Origin Qi-Harmonizing Pill and Pure Dharma Spirit-Nourishing Pill can augment the magic power of Yang Spirit and Great Ascension cultivators... Take these dharma treasures, talismans, and pills, and keep them for self-defense and cultivation."
Huang Tian did not make a show of refusing. He accepted them directly and said sincerely, "Disciple thanks Teacher for bestowing these treasures!"
Seeing this, Master Yuyang was even more pleased and laughed aloud. "Apart from these items, is there anything else you require? Speak freely!"
Huang Tian pondered for a moment and said, "This disciple is quite curious about divine abilities..."
Hearing this, Master Yuyang suddenly realized. "Right, I haven't transmitted any divine abilities to you yet."
To every indoor disciple, and even certain nominal disciples of high comprehension, he would impart one or two minor divine abilities. It wasn't that he was unwilling to teach more, but rather that biting off more than one could chew was counterproductive. The more one tried to learn, the more scattered one's focus became, until in the end, none were mastered properly.
Turning to the gathered disciples, he said, "Taking advantage of this opportunity, I will explain several Daoist methods and divine abilities to you all. If you judge that you can grasp the basics, then study them; if you cannot find a way in, then let them go. Ordinary spells practiced to perfection are not necessarily inferior to minor divine abilities. Do not aim too high and overreach yourselves. Do you understand?"
"We understand!" everyone answered in unison.
Immediately following, Master Yuyang took the lead and flew toward Lecture Peak, with everyone else following close behind.
About a quarter of an hour later, except for those truly at critical junctures in seclusion, every disciple of Xuandong Mountain had been summoned and gathered at Lecture Peak. Because of this, Huang Tian saw Eighth Senior Sister Wei Gongqing for the first time—a woman whose looks were not particularly striking, but whose brows and eyes possessed an air of resolute determination.
The two exchanged nods across the distance in greeting, then each took a seat on a prayer mat. Once everyone was seated, Master Yuyang sat upright upon the high platform, pondering which minor divine ability to explain first. As his gaze casually swept past Xiao Chong, he said, "Xiao Chong, I recall you were previously in secluded cultivation practicing the Water-Fire Devil-Refining Great Mudra. How far along have you progressed?"
Xiao Chong smiled with a touch of pride. "Replying to Teacher, this disciple has practiced this method to great accomplishment!"
As he spoke, he slowly parted his palms. In the palm of his left hand, a cluster of red-gold flame emerged from nothingness, while in the palm of his right hand, a stream of dark water condensed.
The red flame flew out from his palm and unfolded in midair, turning into nine flaming petals with golden light flowing across them. The dark water rose and transformed into nine ice-crystal lotus leaves, their veins woven like silver threads, reflecting countless images.
The petals and leaves of water and fire interlaced and overlapped, coalescing into an extraordinary lotus several zhang in size. The wondrous lotus slowly rotated, giving off a holy aura capable of suppressing all evils.
"Not bad," Master Yuyang said with satisfaction. "It is just that you haven't fully grasped the true meaning within it, so you haven't reached perfection. This minor divine ability is called Water-Fire, but in truth it embodies the sun and moon, yin and yang. Water is the moon and yin; fire is the sun and yang..."
He explained the true meaning within it in meticulous detail, demonstrating it himself at the same time.
"...That is the gist of it. Have any of you gained any comprehension?" After his demonstration, he looked around at the crowd below the platform and asked.
Wherever his gaze fell, the nominal disciples bowed their heads in shame; Chen Guangsu appeared placid; Xiao Chong was deep in thought; Long Ling and Wei Gongqing frowned deeply; Li Manrou smiled; and Huang Tian's eyes shone with brilliance.
"Eh?"
Master Yuyang exclaimed in surprise, "Huang Tian, have you comprehended something?"
Everyone turned their gaze toward him. Huang Tian answered candidly, "Disciple has indeed gained some comprehension."
"Then go ahead and demonstrate it. Do not worry about making mistakes; I will guide you," Master Yuyang said.
"Yes!"
Huang Tian also parted his palms. In his left palm rose a cluster of illusory flame, while above his right palm floated a burst of crystal-clear dark water.
*Whoosh—*
Suddenly, as if a gentle breeze had blown past, the fire in his left palm swelled against the wind, rising high into the heavens and billowing outward, dyeing a stretch of the sky completely crimson.
The water in his right palm splashed onto the ground, covering a hundred li in frost and ice in an instant. Yet this frost did not harm the vegetation in the slightest, resembling a jade mirror, translucent and luminous.
*Crash—*
In the next moment, the sky full of fiery clouds converged like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, falling into Huang Tian's left palm. The frost across the land melted like spring snow, retracting into his right palm. A flash of clear light washed over him as he returned to ordinary serenity, save for deep within his eyes, where red glowed on the left and blue gleamed on the right, as if harboring the sun and moon, containing yin and yang...
"P-perfection?!!"
Everyone present stared with wide, stunned eyes.
Xiao Chong, in particular, was completely numb. *I slaved away for three whole years just to advance this minor divine ability from minor accomplishment to great accomplishment, yet you watched for a brief moment and reached perfection!*
*Is this even reasonable?!*
Chapter 189