Chapter 8: Three Sentences to Make Senior Brother Practice with Me

[Successful Addition, Aptitude: 1]

In the sea of consciousness, the lifeless “stump” suddenly emitted a fierce, fiery red light, like a fire dragon spiraling and roaring overhead, creating a stunning spectacle!

As the intense flame-like glow subsided, the once withering fire spirit root appeared rejuvenated, its dull branches now glowing with a vibrant, fiery red, brimming with vitality!

What amazed Chu Sang most was that new buds had sprouted on the flat, severed surface of the “stump”.

Though just a small cluster of tender yellow shoots, it was enough to make her jump with joy.

It worked!

Not only had the fire spirit root begun to revitalize, but she also felt its purity had increased.

The higher the purity of the spirit root, the faster the cultivation speed.

For instance, both she and Mo Qingchen had single-element heavenly spirit roots, but her spirit root purity was only five, while Mo Qingchen’s had reached an astonishing nine, allowing him to cultivate much faster than her.

After adding points, her spirit root purity had risen to about six… Although it seemed like a minor change, in practical cultivation, this difference was monumental.

If she could increase her spirit root purity to a perfect ten, her cultivation speed might even surpass Mo Qingchen’s!

She didn’t know exactly how many points were needed for her fire spirit root to fully recover.

No rush, she would take it step by step.

“Junior Sister?”

At this moment, Chu Sang had fully immersed her consciousness into her spiritual sea, her eyes tightly shut, oblivious to the outside world. However, Tantai Ming observed everything clearly.

The originally sparse spiritual energy in the air suddenly surged violently. Chu Sang became like a human vortex, with countless specks of spiritual energy rushing towards her frantically!

Tantai Ming quickly realized that Junior Sister was entering a state of enlightenment!

Entering enlightenment greatly depends on fate and comprehension. Some cultivators might never achieve it in their lifetime.

For cultivators, enlightenment is both perilous and full of opportunities. Successfully entering it can lead to profound insights and blessings from the Dao, greatly enhancing one’s strength and even breaking through bottlenecks. However, during this process, cultivators cannot perceive the outside world and become extremely vulnerable to attacks.

Moreover, enlightenment requires a vast amount of spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy on this mountain wouldn’t suffice.

Tantai Ming took out all the spirit-gathering formations he had painstakingly saved and arranged them around Chu Sang. The surrounding sparse spiritual energy suddenly intensified several times over, surging into her body even more fiercely.

Chu Sang seemed to be bathed in holy light. In the next second, the surrounding atmosphere changed dramatically. She became like a greedy bottomless pit, absorbing the vast and almost terrifying spiritual energy gathered from tens of miles around.

This alarming phenomenon was something Tantai Ming had never witnessed before. Could this really be caused by a Qi Refining stage cultivator?

Tantai Ming didn’t understand the intricacies, but he knew this was extraordinary and absolutely must not be detected by other sects!

Otherwise, it could bring fatal danger to Junior Sister!

With a cold glint in his eyes, Tantai Ming quickly set up a barrier formation, firmly protecting the meditating Chu Sang. He stood guard nearby with his sword in hand, releasing the full pressure of his peak Foundation Establishment stage to deter the restless beasts in the deep forest from approaching.

Fortunately, this anomaly only lasted for a few breaths before everything returned to calm.

Chu Sang exhaled a breath of turbid qi and looked down to see several formations around her, as well as Tantai Ming’s serious expression. “Seventh Senior Brother?”

“Junior Sister, you’ve established your foundation!” Tantai Ming, turning at her voice, immediately sensed the change in her aura and became more excited than when he had established his own foundation.

“Yes.” Chu Sang carefully sensed the spiritual energy within her body. Indeed, the bottleneck that had troubled her for three years had suddenly been broken through at this moment of enlightenment.

Today was truly a double blessing!

Chu Sang still had one attribute point left. After careful consideration, she decided to add it to her luck.

[Successful Addition, Luck: 1]

Luck is mysterious, and she didn’t feel much of a change.

“Seventh Senior Brother, let’s go explore the reclaimed mountain and see if we can find any treasures.”

“Treasures? That mountain has been abandoned for so many years, not a blade of grass grows there. Even the senior brothers and sisters rarely go there. What treasures could there be?” Tantai Ming scoffed. “If there were any treasures, they would have been taken long ago.”

“If it were truly a barren land with no resources, why would the Shuangyi Sect specifically send people to seize it?” Chu Sang countered.

“That’s true.”

The two diligently conducted a thorough search of the mountain. To their surprise, what they found was shocking! The mountain, once deemed barren by Tantai Ming, actually revealed traces of spirit herbs and demonic beasts.

Those rare spirit herbs, usually hard to find, seemed to be popping up one after another, as if eager to be noticed.

As Tantai Ming and Chu Sang walked along, they did nothing but bend down repeatedly, filling an entire bag with spirit herbs. Among them were not only ten-year and hundred-year spirit herbs, but also several thousand-year spirit herbs, which were said to be nearly extinct on the continent, sought after by countless alchemists at any price.

Tantai Ming felt somewhat dazed. Was this really their sect’s desolate mountain? Had they seized the wrong place?

“How about it, Senior Brother?” Chu Sang smiled. “This mountain is indeed a rare treasure trove. With so many spirit herbs and demonic beasts coming and going, it must have a small spirit vein underneath!”

“We can cultivate spirit fields here to grow spirit rice and plants.”

“We can also set up an area to raise and sell some demonic beasts!”

“Once we earn enough, we can buy a genuine spirit vein to protect our sect. Then our Lingqing Sect will have its own spirit vein!”

Tantai Ming was also stirred by her words. Thankfully, they hadn’t given up this valuable mountain, or their sect would have suffered a great loss.

“From now on, this will be our sect’s back mountain.”

Before nightfall, they hunted a plump Red Flame Pig on the mountain and happily enjoyed a barbecue feast.

After eating his fill, Tantai Ming felt sleepy and wanted to return to his room to sleep.

Chu Sang pulled him back to his seat, smiling gently, “Seventh Senior Brother, practice swordsmanship with me.”

“But I’m sleepy.”

This child really lacked ambition.

The night was when spiritual energy was most abundant. How could he waste such precious time sleeping?

Even an innate spirit body shouldn’t be squandered like this!

Chu Sang’s little face fell, “Senior Brother, think about it. If I hadn’t known how to draw talismans earlier, we would have been beaten down by those people! Our back mountain would have been taken, and then other outsiders would see our sect as weak and come to bully us one by one. What would we do then?”

“This time, it was just a group of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators, whom we could defeat with some tricks. What if higher-level Golden Core or Nascent Soul experts come next time?”

“If you keep slacking off like this, how will you protect the sect? Protect everyone? Protect me, your little Junior Sister?” Chu Sang tightly held his hand, her words earnest, her clear, adorable eyes misty with tears, enough to melt anyone’s heart.

Tantai Ming was deeply moved, feeling a newfound sense of responsibility. “Junior Sister, you’re right! As a senior brother, I must protect the sect and take care of you!”

“I’ll practice swordsmanship with you right now!”

Thus, three sentences made the senior brother willingly accompany her in training.

As night fell, under the moon and stars, their swift, dragon-like figures danced through the forest, never slowing down but rather speeding up, as if in a friendly competition.

After practicing the first form of the Nine Mystical Sword Art a hundred times, Tantai Ming thought it was time for a break.

But he turned to see Junior Sister had already practiced it two hundred times.

Hastily picking up his sword again, he practiced five hundred times, only to see her move on to the next sword technique.

Finally completing their goal for the night, Chu Sang then urged him to learn the Lingqing Sect’s sword techniques.

And so, from sunset to sunrise, they practiced through the entire night.

Morning came.

Tantai Ming collapsed to the ground with a groan, exhausted and unable to get up. Surely he could rest now?

He had practiced more sword techniques in one night than in the entire year combined!

“Senior Brother, it’s dawn, don’t sleep! Let’s go farm in the back mountain!” Chu Sang, somehow producing two hoes, pulled one of his legs and actually dragged him to the back mountain.

“Junior Sister, no!!!”

Tantai Ming’s cries echoed through the forest.

Half a month later, Tantai Ming reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.