Chapter Seventy-Two: Advancement

Late at night.

Moonlight, pale as water, spilled across the ancient earth.

A blanket of silence enveloped the forsaken burial grounds.

In this desolate place, only the wind and the whisper of old voices rustling through the grass could be heard.

Rustle—

Footsteps sounded.

A figure emerged.

Clad in black, his features were shrouded in shadow. He moved with a light yet resolute step across the burial mounds, as though the eerie place held no menace for him.

The deeper he ventured, the more oppressive and terrifying the atmosphere became. Branches swayed in the wind, adding to the chorus of rustling, as if something unspeakably chilling lurked within.

Yet the man betrayed not a hint of fear, strolling along as though he were walking through a tranquil courtyard.

“This place is perfect.”

Casting his gaze about, Qi Xiu nodded lightly, then flicked his sleeve and sat down upon the earth.

Suddenly, a night wind arose.

Its chill cut to the bone.

In the teeth of this cold wind, Qi Xiu slowly slipped off the upper half of his robe.

On his lean, well-defined body, a network of inscriptions—three hundred and sixty-five talismanic seals—covered his skin from neck to waist.

Within him, in the dantian and the Purple Palace, tiny golden seals, no larger than beans, encircled the Violet Extreme Dao Seed, forming an impenetrable barrier of golden light that temporarily suppressed its power.

By invoking the Sealing Talisman Method, he subdued his inner strength, ensuring that no mishap would occur as he cultivated his magical arts. With a long, steady breath, Qi Xiu began to channel his power.

His pupils gradually glowed with a cold emerald radiance.

From behind him, the “Ink Flood Dragon” slithered into view.

This creature, conjured from arcane arts, seemed to possess a mind of its own. Upon appearing, it nudged Qi Xiu’s cheek affectionately before sensing the sinister aura of the place. Instinctively, it opened its maw, bristling with sharp teeth, and began devouring the miasma and frigid gloom that permeated the air.

Wisps of gray-black, icy spiritual energy drifted ceaselessly into the Ink Flood Dragon’s mouth.

As it absorbed the noxious yin energy, its slender form grew slightly sturdier.

Threads of cool, pure, flawless magical power, filtered by the dragon, flowed back into Qi Xiu’s sea of consciousness.

Watching the delighted creature devour the chilling energy, Qi Xiu nodded in quiet approval.

At this rate, he reckoned, the Emerald Pool Mystic Scale Sutra would reach the third level in half the time it took for the Violet Extreme True Skill to advance.

There was a world of difference between cultivating magical arts and internal energy. It was much like the divide between the study of the humanities and the sciences.

One depended upon insight, the other upon practice.

The study of magical sutras placed immense demand on one’s innate temperament and talent. The more gifted the practitioner, the deeper the comprehension, and the swifter the progress.

Those of extraordinary talent could, after a single day of meditation, surpass the fruit of months, even years, of toil by the mediocre.

Within such a framework, Qi Xiu’s uncanny mastery was nothing short of a blessing. Each recitation and meditation upon the sutra snowballed his understanding and experience, accelerating his cultivation at an astonishing rate.

The more he practiced, the faster he became; the faster, the more he practiced.

In just seven short days, he had pushed the Emerald Pool Mystic Scale Sutra—barely entered at the first level—to an eighty-seven percent proficiency.

With every repetition of the sutra, his mastery leapt by several points.

Such prodigious growth often made Qi Xiu chuckle to himself at night, unable to suppress his delight.

After pondering for the last few days, he had come to this burial ground, thick with miasma and gloom.

With the environment’s aid, his cultivation soared to new heights.

The night slipped away quickly.

Dawn broke.

The miasma within the burial grounds began to dissipate.

Sensing that the Ink Flood Dragon could no longer absorb much energy, Qi Xiu rose and dressed. With a flick of his sleeve, the dragon slipped back into his robe.

He tapped the creature’s head with a finger and smiled faintly.

“That’s enough for today. I’ll bring you back later.”

Retracting the Ink Flood Dragon, Qi Xiu invoked Ghostly Shadow and stepped forward—his form flickering like a phantom as he sped back towards Baohe County.

The woods swept rapidly past on either side.

Qi Xiu brooded to himself.

Fortunately, the Violet Extreme True Skill did not accept the internal energy of Ghostly Shadow. As such, the energy from this lightness skill remained separate.

Otherwise, with his true skill sealed and his internal strength locked away, he’d have been forced to trudge every step back to the city.

He hurried through the gates, making straight for the southern quarter.

Some time ago, Song Tingye had pestered him incessantly to take the post of drill instructor for the city guard.

Unable to refuse, he had reluctantly agreed.

With this new duty, his already packed schedule had become even more constrained. He was nearly at the point where he had to account for every moment, even meals and visits to the privy.

He hurried to a wide training ground in the southern quarter.

This space had once been an open-air market of wooden stalls, but when the Western Wind Army entered the city, they razed the stalls and turned the area into a military camp.

Later, under Song Tingye’s command, it became the city guard’s drill ground.

On this sandy expanse, six or seven thousand square meters—about the size of a football field—six hundred robust young men, stripped to the waist, were hardening their bodies with stone locks, wooden stakes, iron balls, and other implements.

“Chief Ye!”

“Chief Ye!”

“Chief Ye!”

As Qi Xiu entered the training ground, the young men rose from their training, bowing respectfully.

Of course, this show of respect was only forthcoming after they had witnessed with their own eyes Qi Xiu snapping a thick iron bar in half with a mere flick of his finger.

Nodding lightly, Qi Xiu made his way to a shaded pavilion and sat.

Cut fruit and fragrant tea had already been prepared.

He lifted a cup and took a light sip, resting his chin in one hand as he gazed at the spirited, vigorous young men before him.

He couldn’t help but wonder what was going through County Magistrate Song’s mind.

These men were all complete novices, with no martial foundation whatsoever.

Even the introductory training of tempering the body would take at least a year.

He had been called here—was it just to watch over them?

Bored, Qi Xiu lounged under the pavilion for a while. Just as he was about to recite the sutra and resume his cultivation, a commotion broke out on the training ground.

A young man with a close-cropped head and short stature suddenly let out a low shout, and a surge of energy burst from his hands, sending a hundred-pound stone lock flying into the air.

“Get out of the way!”

As the stone lock plummeted, the others cried out, warning everyone to scatter.

“Hm?”

Qi Xiu caught the sound with a twitch of his ear. Turning, his figure blurred as he flashed to the young man’s side, catching the stone lock effortlessly.

“Th-thank you, Chief.”

The youth, still pale with shock, hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

Something was amiss.

Qi Xiu frowned, pressing two fingers to the youth’s wrist, then tapped three key points on his arm.

A surge of energy, taut and resonant.

The Strength-Forging Stage?

Qi Xiu’s pupils narrowed, his brow furrowing as he stared at the bewildered youth.

Seven days to reach the Strength-Forging Stage.

Was that even possible?

What startled Qi Xiu even more was yet to come.

After the youth’s sudden breakthrough, nearly a hundred others among the six hundred trainees soon awakened their own strength, ascending to the Strength-Forging Stage one after another.

As the young men cheered, marveling at their newfound power, Qi Xiu’s expression turned grave.

Something was wrong.

There was a problem here.

…