Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Yuaan Gong is still young, with abundant magical power and vigorous blood, so I’m not worried. Even if this time fails, there will be more opportunities in the future.

Songde, however, is getting on in years; this is his only chance in this life.

If it fails, he has at most ten years of life left.”

Jia Yu sighed quietly. Ever since the sect refined the Nourishing Yuan Pill a few years ago, three cultivators have exchanged pills to attempt a breakthrough.

But only Li Haoran succeeded; the other two are unlikely to break through in this life without a great opportunity.

He secretly cheered for the two attempting a breakthrough this time, hoping they would succeed, or at least one of them.

Otherwise, the Nourishing Yuan Pill would have been wasted.

As the two were talking, an anomaly appeared in a Spiritual Qi Vortex over Yuan Mountain.

Lin Jiuxiao’s heart immediately tightened. That Spiritual Qi Vortex was right where Muu Songde was cultivating in seclusion.

A moment later, the Spiritual Qi Vortex slowly stabilized, and the two of them felt a sense of relief.

Jia Yu patted his chest with his hand, his eyes revealing some unrest.

During the siege of the demon cultivators, eight Chao Origin Stage cultivators from the sect died, and only thirty-four veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators remain.

Over the next century, more than twenty cultivators will gradually reach the end of their lives, and he is one of them.

The number of Chao Origin cultivators in the sect will continue to decline, urgently needing fresh blood.

However, the losses in the Canglan Secret Realm and demon calamities depleted too many Chao Origin Stage seeds, so the sect will weaken for quite some time.

Due to the spread of demonic cultivation techniques, the demon calamities haven’t entirely disappeared, and demon cultivators are occasionally discovered.

Demon Beasts have reclaimed their former territories, making the situation for the sect and the entire Western Continent complex.

If the sect continues to weaken, it can only remain on the defensive.

Half an hour later, Jia Yu was about to turn to return to the main hall when he caught sight of the same Spiritual Qi Vortex from earlier showing abnormal fluctuations once again, like clouds drifting in the wind, with a tendency to dissipate.

’Must you play with my heart like this!’

His heart twisted in anxiety. Two issues in quick succession, at such a short interval, were a very bad omen.

From his experience, he calculated that the hope of this disciple breaking through to the Chao Origin Stage was slim.

Lin Jiuxiao’s expression grew even more grave, and his right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.

Muu Songde was a disciple of his junior brother, and the only surviving one.

If Muu Songde couldn’t break through, his junior brother’s lineage would be completely severed.

Suddenly, the endlessly swaying Spiritual Qi Vortex exploded with a bang, like a blooming firework.

After the beauty comes decay and disappearance.

Lin Jiuxiao summoned his fiery red Flying Sword Spiritual Artifact, infusing it with magical power before controlling it with his sword to fly toward the secluded grotto.

Jia Yu also summoned his Spiritual Artifact, swiftly following suit.

Ordinarily, even if the breakthrough failed, it wouldn’t cause such a dramatic explosion of a Spiritual Qi Vortex.

It was evident that the disciple couldn’t control the overwhelming Spiritual Qi, leading to this result.

The two arrived at the grotto in succession, and Lin Jiuxiao condensed his voice into a thread, calling out to the grotto.

The Dharma Prohibition around the seclusion site was extremely tight, with only three ways to open it from the outside.

One method was to forcibly attack it, the second was to wait for the Spirit Stones powering the Magic Array to deplete, and the third was to ask Daoist Master Zhengyang to activate the central control of the Mountain Protection Array.

A quarter hour passed, with no response from the grotto.

Lin Jiuxiao’s heart continued to sink, as he gloomily inquired:

“Junior Brother, how long can the Spirit Stones powering the Magic Array last?”

The situation inside must be very troublesome; he needed to get inside to investigate as soon as possible.

“They can last seven days; this is the fifth day,”

Jia Yu said while taking out a Communication Golden Sword to quickly input a message, “I’m requesting the ancestor to open this grotto.”

Never before had it happened that a cultivator in seclusion didn’t exit the grotto on their own; even if the breakthrough failed and they suffered some injuries, they could still exit the grotto themselves.

The Talisman Sword glowed with golden light as it flew to the mountain top, and Jia Yu asked in confusion:

“How old is Nephew Muu?”

Lin Jiuxiao’s face bore a bitter smile, sighing:

“One hundred eighty-seven years old. His blood and Qi began to dry up ten years ago.

He redeemed a Lifespan Extension Pill for the sake of a successful breakthrough this time.”

“Senior Brother should have advised him,”

Jia Yu spoke softly. The odds are minuscule for a cultivator facing the end of their lifespan to challenge Breaking Realm successfully.

Doing so was gambling with his life, but the chips in his hand were too few, making the chances of victory slim.

“How to advise? How could you advise?

If my junior brother were in his situation, and I told him ’you can’t do it,’ would you listen?”

Jia Yu grew silent, letting out a long sigh.

Cultivators cultivate, most of them braving thorns and chopping through obstacles, contending against the heavens for life.

If he put himself in the disciple’s shoes, more likely than not, he would also strip everything down, betting everything he had for a chance.

If the gap from the target were too far, one might give up, but if hope lay within a hop on tiptoes, who would willingly let it go?

A gust of strong wind blew through, causing the trees to rustle as if sighing.

A few yellow leaves spiraled downward, only to be unwittingly carried by the wind into unknown corners.

Neither man had the heart for further conversation, only hearing the bitter wind pass over the treetops.

Moments later, the yellow curtain at the grotto entrance flickered and twisted a few times before disappearing.

The Dharma Prohibition opened, and the stone door automatically rose.

Lin Jiuxiao leaped inside, only to find Muu Songde lying on his back, disheveled and hair unkempt.

He looked haggard, his eyes wide open in defiance even in the end.

Jia Yu’s heart was touched, silently lamenting what his own outcome would be many years later.

At this very moment, in the shadowed Soul Hall of Lingxiao Mountain,

Ye Changqing stood silently before an extinguished Soul Lamp.

His mood low, he closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath.

“Senior Brother Muu, you’ve gotten what you sought, a death fitting your terms, far surpassing me, who gave in long ago.”

He recalled the time they drank together days ago under the bright moon and gentle breeze, feeling so carefree.

Little did he expect that so soon there’d be no opportunity to share wine and camaraderie.

…

Time flowed like water, continuous and unceasing, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside the Golden Spirit Sect, the ice melted and snow thawed, revealing withered, grayish, barren grass.

Beneath the pervasive desolation, there was a hint of elusive green.

Sparrows sang farewell songs to the cold wind from the tree branches, while a hedgehog peeked its head from a burrow, stretching its form.

In the always-spring-like sect, the great nuances of life were rarely felt.

It must be said, this was a kind of regret.

At this moment, the sun lavishly spread its warmth, greeting all things enthusiastically.

The vast mountains and deep pools in the valley bathed in a golden dream.

A gentle breeze brushed through, lifting the backs of Dragon Blood Tree leaves to reveal a glow like a kiln fire.

Ji An sat cross-legged on the Pudun, like a stone statue, unmoving.

He operated the Secret Technique, the green magical power rushing through the Immortal Veins, like river water surging through a wide channel.

Life Light appeared like two silverfish swimming past his kidneys.

With every breath, the silverfish glowed with vibrant, lively light.

The Jia Wood Dao Seed in the Hua Gai Acupoint and the Wood of Yi Dao Seed in the Jade Spring Acupoint radiated a moist luster, occasionally leaking strands of Qi Mechanism into the magical power.

The Qi Mechanism followed the magical power’s flow past his kidneys, to be devoured by the silverfish, akin to an automated feeding line.

When the Qi Mechanism was consumed by the silverfish, a moment of obvious brilliance appeared upon them.

Ji An’s spirit soared infinitely, as if overlooking from the heavens, the flow of magical power accelerating, as did the frequency of gleams across the silverfish.

Suddenly, he felt all go still, the world seemed to pause, and the flowing magical power halted for a moment.

The silverfish shimmered brilliantly, as a warm stream flowed from his kidneys, giving Ji An a sensation of everything returning to normal.

Half an hour later, magical power depleted from operating the Secret Technique, but the glow on the silverfish didn’t dim at all.

The operation of the Secret Technique slowly ceased, and he introspected his body with anticipation, watching the swimming Life Light fish.

The Secret Technique stopped entirely, but the brilliance of Life Light remained.

“Self-generating radiance, Life Light ever-present, I finally made it!”

Ji An’s joyful laughter spread through the woods, wild and unrestrained.

He surged with magical power and flew away, his sleeves billowed by the wind, as a golden halo appeared above his head.

“Tomorrow, I’ll break through to Chao Origin!”