Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1109: Chapter 1105: Another Offering

”Pop.”

A crisp sound came from deep within his body, as if originating from the innermost depths of his being.

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose around him, causing the flowers in the garden to sway wildly.

His clothes billowed, as if he were about to ride the wind and fly away.

Li Hongzhao, who was operating in the small pavilion, opened her bright eyes and looked at him curiously.

She immediately furrowed her brows in astonishment.

Chu Zhiyuan still had his eyes closed, but the aura around him grew increasingly powerful.

Li Hongzhao already noticed that Chu Zhiyuan’s cultivation had greatly improved, evidently advancing by a transition.

From the First Transition to the Second Transition.

Such rapid progress—could this Black Dragon Blood really be so miraculous?

”Pop!”

Another crisp sound emanated from deep within Chu Zhiyuan’s body.

It seemed to emerge from within him, yet it also seemed to come from a distant horizon, indistinct and with a blurred sense of space.

Chu Zhiyuan’s clothes puffed up again, the fierce wind arose once more, causing everything in the garden to shake violently, as if on the verge of being destroyed.

Li Hongzhao’s bright eyes widened even further.

The fierce wind gradually subsided, and Chu Zhiyuan’s clothes slowly calmed as he opened his eyes.

His eyes were like flashes of lightning, suddenly illuminating the courtyard and overshadowing the moonlight.

Chu Liezhao asked, ”Is this the... Third Transition?”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded, ”Third Transition.”

Li Hongzhao said, ”Your progress is so fast, won’t there be repercussions?”

She sensed that with such rapid progress, one’s control over True Yuan would quickly spiral out of control.

If it weren’t for the divine statue’s mystical power, she herself wouldn’t have been able to maintain control and might have gone astray into madness.

With weak control over True Yuan, even a slight operation could lead to disaster.

Trying to tame this uncontrolled power is no simple task.

This results in partially-cooked rice.

Once it becomes partially-cooked, future cultivation becomes awkward.

The foundation is always unstable, prone to errors, unable to advance or retreat.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”There might be consequences for others, but it doesn’t matter to me.”

He was already adept in the Venerable Realm, with strong spiritual power, quickly refining and integrating True Yuan, solidifying his foundation.

”Third Transition... I can leave the mountain now.” Li Hongzhao was extremely envious.

Though she had reached the First Transition, advancing to the Third Transition was not so easy.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”You’re almost there too, right?”

”... Your method is very effective,” Li Hongzhao said.

The realm remains, but the True Yuan has vanished and needs to be replenished bit by bit.

But this replenished True Yuan is entirely one’s own, easily controlled and unobstructed.

This is the true First Transition.

The foundation is solid, not much different from one’s own hard work in cultivation.

In this way, one can continue to use the divine statue to accelerate cultivation speed.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, ”Then quickly advance to the Third Transition, and we can go down the mountain together.”

”That would be wonderful.” Li Hongzhao nodded.

...

On the morning of the third day, Chu Zhiyuan was practicing, consolidating his realm.

A young man outside came to pay respects, saying the Sect Leader wanted to see him.

When he arrived at the Sect Leader’s Hall, a group of people were seated inside.

Forty elders, twelve middle-aged individuals.

The realms of these elders did not reach the Venerable level, whereas the twelve middle-aged individuals were all above the Venerable Third Transitions.

Among them was Zhou Chongming.

Under the gaze of everyone, Chu Zhiyuan approached Lu Wanshan and saluted with clasped fists, ”Sect Leader.”

Lu Wanshan smiled, ”These are the tribute and elders within our sect.”

He glanced at everyone and smiled, ”This person, as you all know, is the newly promoted Inner Sect Disciple of our Heavenly Sword Sect. The Demon Suppressing Saber has undoubtedly earned splendid merit, and his talent is extraordinary, otherwise, he wouldn’t have discovered such a cultivation secret technique.”

Chu Zhiyuan bowed in salute to everyone.

Zhou Chongming laughed, ”No wonder, Nephew Chu, your progress is so swift; it’s because of this method.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Elder Zhou, actually, this only accounts for half the credit; there are also Spirit Pills aiding, and assistance from Guanghan Palace.”

”You’ve managed to combine the strengths of two sects.” Zhou Chongming laughed, ”The first in history to do so.”

Another middle-aged man slowly said, ”The relationship with Guanghan Palace truly makes you the first.”

He was also one of the elders involved in previous operations, Elder Meng Xusheng.

The relationships among the Four Great Sects are intricate, and outsiders, even ordinary disciples, cannot fully grasp them.

The sects cooperate yet compete, assist yet hinder each other, leaving outsiders in a daze.

The majority of disciples within the Four Sects are bewildered, only able to act according to their conscience.

Yet, among the Four Sects, the disciples of Guanghan Palace are the most arrogant, disdaining interaction with the other three sects except for maintaining superficial contacts.

But the mental method of Guanghan Palace is peerless, higher in realm, stronger in power, making it the foremost among the Four Sects.

If one can draw closer to Guanghan Palace, the benefits are immeasurable.

Previously, Chu Zhiyuan’s sudden advancement to Venerable was one of its benefits.

Zhou Chongming said, ”If Zhiyuan’s self-created secret technique can be mastered, our Heavenly Sword Sect’s strength will greatly increase and won’t be inferior to Guanghan Palace!”

Lu Wanshan said, ”This time, we’re here because everyone has some questions, and we invited you to provide answers.”

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, ”Then let’s delve into it together. I also had a sudden flash of insight at the time, and I may not be entirely clear about the reasons.”

”That’s the best,” Lu Wanshan laughed, ”Junior Brother Zhou, you start with the questions.”

Zhou Chongming said, ”Nephew Chu, I think the drawback of this method is the enormous mental consumption. Although the speed is fast, it cannot be maintained for long, and is inferior to the original method.”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, saying, ”Elder Zhou, I am naturally strong in spiritual power, so this method suits me best. For those with ordinary spiritual power, it is indeed not suitable as the main method but can only be used as a supplement.”

A square-faced elder snorted, ”Elder Zhou, you’re overthinking. If one’s spiritual power isn’t enough, they can’t even practice it, let alone use it as a primary method.”

Another elder agreed, ”This method indeed places high demands on a disciple’s qualifications, especially spiritual power.”

”Actually, there’s a different approach,” Chu Zhiyuan said. ”Those with strong spiritual power can primarily practice this method, supplementing with the original. Those with weaker spiritual power can primarily practice the original secret technique and supplement with this method.”

The elder said, ”Weak in spiritual power—they can’t practice this, right?”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, ”Elder, within our sect, there are special practices to cultivate spiritual power first before practicing this method.”

”Then how can it be considered quick?” the elder shook his head. ”It requires more effort and time.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”If one can master this method, by exhausting spiritual power right before sleep, it increases the cultivation time each day. In the long run...”

”Brilliant!” someone agreed.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”One can also take Spirit Pills or use treasures that restore or enhance spiritual power.”

Spirit Pills or treasures rarely directly enhance cultivation, and even if they do, there may be adverse effects, with impure True Yuan and unstable foundations.

But using Spirit Pills or treasures to enhance spiritual power, thereby accelerating the cultivation of the Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture, can avoid such adverse effects.

”Brilliant!” someone praised.

They also realized this method could circumvent the drawbacks of Spirit Pills.

”Even those with strong spiritual power can cultivate secret techniques to enhance their spiritual power, speeding up cultivation.”

”This will allow disciples with strong spiritual power to stand out quickly and become top-tier.”

”I’m afraid the gap between disciples will widen rapidly, more severe than before.”

”That’s how the world works.”

Everyone discussed heatedly, creating a noisy and busy atmosphere in the hall.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled silently, listening to their discussions, searching for valuable insights.

Zhou Chongming then asked how one could master this Observation Method.

Chu Zhiyuan reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small booklet to present to Lu Wanshan, ”This was the result of careful thought after I returned. The Observation Method has been divided into twelve steps, each step a progression, reducing difficulty. It may seem cumbersome but is actually faster.”

Sometimes, slow is fast; for disciples with less aptitude, practicing according to these twelve steps makes it easier to succeed.

After Lu Wanshan finished reading, he shook his head in admiration and passed it to Zhou Chongming, who then passed it to Meng Xusheng. After Meng Xusheng read it, he gave it to the elder beside him.

After the elders finished reading, they gave it to other tributes.

Once everyone had finished reading, they looked at Chu Zhiyuan with eyes full of admiration.

From these twelve steps, they saw the brilliance within, and couldn’t help but praise it in their hearts.

It was evident that Chu Zhiyuan had a profound accumulation in martial arts and an astounding comprehension.