Chapter 421 - What A Magnificent Tea (1/2)
"So quick?" Jun Sixie exclaimed in shock.
It had only been less than five years since Zhong Yue became a Qi Practitioner. Yet, in such a short time, he had risen from Spirit Nurturing all the way to Inner Core, and he was now even half a step away from Heavenly Dharma!
Does he need to be so fast?
Is this really happening?
Jun Sixie felt her heart pounding helplessly; she was the Water Innate Spirit Body, her cultivation progress could be said as half the effort, twice the result. She was extraordinarily gifted in her own right, but even so, she spent over ten years in the Inner Core level!
But her cultivation speed was still considered incredibly fast compared to the Qi Practitioners!
But just how long had Zhong Yue been in the Inner Core level? Two years at most. How could he already be on the cusp of stepping into Heavenly Dharma?
Was the Innate Sun Spirit Body really that strong?
Little did she know that Zhong Yue didn't have the Innate Sun Spirit Body or any kind of exceptional physique for that matter.
He only had the fortune to condense a sun spirit in the sun that was no weaker than one that someone who had the Innate Sun Spirit Body would condense.
Stepping into the Heavenly Dharma level was a natural progression for him. His foundation was more than stable enough for him to break through to the next level. It was only that his attainments in the Heavenly Dharma's Avatar that were lacking; otherwise, he would already be in the Heavenly Dharma level.
Despite Swords Gate having quite a few Heavenly Dharma elders and even a few magnates, none could have guided him through this part of his cultivation journey. After all, he walked his own path, and it was completely dependent on him to break through to Heavenly Dharma.
Zhong Yue returned to the Seal Suppression Hall and spent most of his time on trying to break through to Heavenly Dharma, comprehending on his insights and deducing his own cultivation technique for the Heavenly Dharma level. At some other time, he would walk around Swords Gate with Qiu Jin'er and travel around the Great Wilderness.
Unbeknownst to him, two months had passed in the blink of an eye. They returned to the Zhong Shan Clan and were warmly welcomed by the clansmen.
Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er also visited the Qiu Tan Clan. This one of the ten great clans and its name was derived from the altar-shaped hill on which the clan lived (Qiu - hill, Tan - altar).
Unexpectedly, the whole Qiu Tan Clan was incredibly excited at their arrival. The clansmen held a feast and started a bonfire under the starry sky to welcome them. And after the party, the clan elders allocated them to a single room, much to their embarrassment.
One day, Zhong Yue was sitting quietly in the lotus position. His Yuan Shen was continually undulated in size continuously as he tried to cast out his Avatar, attempting to break through. But much to his frustration, it was to no avail.
No one was there to provide guidance, and he could only rely on himself. Even when he asked Xin Huo, the little flame declined to answer and only said to figure it out himself.
"Jin'er, accompany me on a walk."
Qiu Jin'er nodded, and they left the Seal Suppression Hall to amble around Swords Gate.
Zhong Yue was vexed at the difficulty of breaking through to the Heavenly Dharma level. Even the idyllic scenery now appeared dull and monotonous to him. Qiu Jin'er knew that his absent-mindedness was due to his troubles in his cultivation. She figured the most she could do for him right now was to accompany him calmly and quietly.
The two strolled around Swords Gate they somehow, they reached the front of Ting Lanyue's cave dwelling. Ting Lanyue quickly went out to greet them with a warm smile, and she welcomed them in, "How is that the two of you have such free time to come and visit me? Come sit, sit!"
"Senior Martial Sister Ting, I'm sorry if our uninvited visit has interrupted you," Zhong Yue smiled and replied.
Ting Lanyue then laughed and said, "Don't call me senior martial sister. You are now a hall master. I should be me calling junior martial uncle."
Zhong Yue shook his head, "We became Qi Practitioners at the same time, and senior martial sister has taken care of me during our early days. You will always be my senior martial sister."
The three of them joyfully passed the time in Ting Lanyue's cave dwelling. The place was really beautiful – there was a miniature mountain, a small river, and also a grassy field that was adorned with vibrantly colorful flowers. This cave dwelling would most probably be a secret realm left behind by a magnate cultivator.
Zhong Yue then suddenly stopped and stood in the front of a blooming flower with colorful petals. Ting Lanyue noticed this and quickly whispered to Qiu Jin'er, "Jin'er, what's wrong with Junior Martial Uncle Zhong?"
Qiu Jin'er shook her head and whispered back, "Senior martial brother has reached a bottleneck, he can't break through no matter how hard he tries."
Suddenly, Zhong Yue let out a soft exclamation as he vacantly stared at the flower. It felt like as if each of the petals on the blooming flower was a small world, and on these petals were a myriad of tiny bugs crawling on it, scuttling around with purpose.
Each petal had thousands of the tiny bugs on them, and they each resembled a small kingdom. In between these bug kingdoms, they would often wage wars against one another.
"This flower is called the Shi Qi Flower."
Ting Lanyue then smiled and introduced, "The bugs on the petals are the Jia Bugs. Appreciating the flower itself is also an appreciation of the bugs. Sometimes, I would look at it for entire days at a time."
"Shi Qi Flower, Jie Bugs?"
Zhong Yue felt the signs of enlightenment, and he surged out the divine third eye and closely stared at the flower. Immediately, the flower appeared incredibly big, and the bugs were magnified to the size of men in his view.
These little bugs were building their home on the petals, living their lives, and each had their own emotions. It felt as if there were no differences between them and the sentient life of the larger world.