Chapter 25: Making Rapid Progress

Two months later, in the evening, Liang Yan sat cross-legged within the Spirit Spring cave, his spiritual energy circulating frantically within his body.

His aura was thick and profound, with faint glimmers of blue and gold light flowing across his skin. Suddenly, a muffled thud echoed from within Liang Yan's body, followed by a sudden shift in the surrounding air currents. The spiritual energy in the vicinity began to surge wildly toward Liang Yan, as if he had become an invisible vortex, sucking in all the spiritual energy within the cave.

Startled by this phenomenon, Sun Qianli hurriedly halted his cultivation and looked toward Liang Yan with a face full of uncertainty and alarm.

With his eyes tightly shut, Liang Yan was oblivious to his surroundings, allowing the spiritual energy to pour into him uncontrollably. Within the once-tranquil Spirit Spring cave, a sudden gale erupted out of nowhere. As time progressed, the gale grew increasingly violent, eventually forming a heart-palpitating whirlwind.

Sun Qianli looked up to see that Liang Yan was positioned exactly at the eye of the tornado. However, Liang Yan remained as still as an old monk in meditation, completely unaware that he was in the midst of danger. Sun Qianli tried to warn him, but no matter how loudly he shouted, his voice was swallowed by the howling gale, unable to reach Liang Yan at all.

Just as he was growing secretly anxious and worried, a dazzling burst of golden light exploded from Liang Yan's body, stinging Sun Qianli's eyes. He hurriedly squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to maintain his mental clarity.

Golden light flickered around Liang Yan, accompanied by the faint, rhythmic chanting of Buddhist sutras. Within that golden light lay a majestic Buddhist authority, resembling the stern and wrathful countenance of a Vajra deity.

Yet, amidst such a solemn spectacle, a single streak of blue light wandered beneath the golden radiance.

Compared to the sky-filling golden light, the blue streak was clearly insignificant, appearing as though it could be suppressed and extinguished at any moment. Yet, it moved like a swimming fish, frolicking happily amidst the golden expanse. The two elements coexisted and blended so seamlessly that there was not a hint of discordance between them.

However, Sun Qianli could no longer witness these phenomena. Captivated by the golden light, his very soul was shaken. He had long since closed off his six senses, becoming deaf and blind to the world around him.

Fortunately, he did not have to endure it for long. After about the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, a humming sound resonated from within Liang Yan, and the golden light vanished instantly, with the blue "fish" receding back into his body. As for the violent spiritual energy and the gale, they gradually subsided.

With all the phenomena gone, Sun Qianli slowly opened his eyes to see that Liang Yan had finished his cultivation and was standing up, his eyes bright and spirited, looking at him with a smile.

No matter how slow-witted Sun Qianli might be, he understood what had happened. He cupped his hands toward Liang Yan and smiled, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on your successful breakthrough and great advancement in cultivation! With your current level, Brother Liang, you would have more than enough strength to immediately promote yourself to an outer disciple!"

Liang Yan smiled faintly. Just moments ago, he had successfully overcome the first major hurdle that troubled countless cultivators, advancing to the fourth level of Qi Refinement as he desired. This breakthrough had been so extraordinary that he had not even had the leisure to activate the Heavenly Mystery Bead to conceal his cultivation. Thus, his fourth-level Qi Refinement cultivation was being fully displayed before Sun Qianli.

Although he had poured his full strength into breaking through the bottleneck, he had remained cautious and kept a watchful eye on Sun Qianli. Consequently, he had been fully aware of Sun Qianli's every move and knew the man harbored no ill will toward him; he had even thought of helping him during the process, which brought a slight warmth to Liang Yan's heart.

"I am merely taking a step ahead. The path of cultivation is treacherous, and future opportunities are determined by fate; no one can say for certain. I hereby wish Brother Sun success in breaking through your realm soon!"

Seeing that Liang Yan's cultivation was now higher than his own yet his attitude remained exceptionally kind, Sun Qianli felt a surge of joy. He proceeded to ask several questions, seeking advice on how to break through the third-level Qi Refinement bottleneck. After all, for outer disciples like them, there was no one to guide them in their daily practice, and the doors to the Hall of Transmission were not open to them, making cultivation truly difficult.

Liang Yan was not stingy. He shared his cultivation insights and realizations from when he broke through the third level with Sun Qianli. The two sat on the ground, conversing animatedly.

Liang Yan did not know much, but his circumstances were much closer to Sun Qianli's current situation. Everything he said addressed the very difficulties Sun Qianli was facing, providing him with considerable inspiration.

The two chatted until dawn, finding each other to be great kindred spirits. Sun Qianli stood up, bowed to Liang Yan, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Liang. I have no way to repay you, so please accept this ink-jade signet ring as a small token of my gratitude."

Liang Yan reached out to take it, seeing that it was merely a mortal antique with no spiritual energy. Although it looked quite precious, Liang Yan was not one to care for such worldly possessions, so he declined, saying, "Brother Sun, you are too kind. It was just a bit of idle talk; it won't help you much."

To his surprise, Sun Qianli shook his head vigorously and said, "I am giving this to you not just as a thank-you gift. I may not be good at many things, but I consider my foresight to be decent. Brother Liang is not a man of ordinary talent; consider this an early investment on my part."

He then added mysteriously, "Do not underestimate this ink-jade signet ring. While it may be worth little today, it may well become priceless in the future."

"Oh?" Liang Yan took the ring and turned it over in his palm. After a moment of contemplation, he accepted it and said to Sun Qianli, "In that case, I shall not refuse. My thanks to you."

Seeing him accept it, Sun Qianli seemed quite pleased. He waved his hand and laughed, "There is no need for such formalities between us. It is already light outside; let us prepare to report to Wang Yuan."

Liang Yan nodded. "Indeed."

The two left the cave and walked toward the Apricot Grove Pavilion. By this time, Wang Yuan was already sitting at a square wooden table. Catching sight of them approaching, his brow furrowed slightly, as if he sensed something different about Liang Yan. He couldn't quite put his finger on it—Liang Yan clearly appeared to be at the first level of Qi Refinement, yet his entire temperament had shifted.

He coughed slightly and said to Liang Yan, "Even though you are a... friend of Senior Brother Zhuo Bufan, you must be mindful of your influence. You have been absent from work many times recently and failed to report on time this morning. If word gets out, it will make things very difficult for me."

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Liang Yan knew the six-year deadline was approaching and did not want any trouble at this time. He replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Wang. I will certainly be more careful in the future."

Wang Yuan nodded with some satisfaction, then glared at Sun Qianli, "What are you standing there for? Get to work!"

Sun Qianli and Liang Yan exchanged a wry smile before heading off to their respective task areas.

From then on, Liang Yan's life returned to its previous rhythm: working in the mornings, studying formations in the afternoons, and cultivating in the Spirit Spring cave at night. However, once a month, he would go to help Zhuo Bufan refine pills, and he would also spend an evening playing chess with Xiu Musheng at Cangmu Peak.

Cultivation knows no years, and the mountains know no seasons. Winter passed, spring arrived, and a year had gone by.

One evening, while Liang Yan was meditating in his dormitory, his internal aura was profound and deep. Had a powerful expert from the Core Formation stage been present, they would have been able to see through the concealment of the Heavenly Mystery Bead and realize that his cultivation had already reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement!

Since mastering the "Two Fish Twin Array," Liang Yan had begun to focus on Xiu Musheng's "Method of the Unsettled Mind." The vast amount of Buddhist spiritual energy originally in his body had not become an obstacle; instead, through the operation of the array, it continuously accelerated his progress in the "Method of the Unsettled Mind."

Over the following year, his cultivation progress was like a tiger released from a cage or the Yangtze River breaking its banks. In just one year, he had advanced from the fourth level to the fifth level of Qi Refinement. It was no exaggeration to say his progress was meteoric.

However, upon reaching the fifth level, this rapid pace of cultivation immediately slowed down, returning to his previous speed.

Yet, not only had his cultivation increased, but he had also learned many secret techniques and combat skills from the "Method of the Unsettled Mind," all of which could be used in actual combat. This was exactly what he needed right now. After all, he did not dare to use the old monk's "thug skills" in public, but since the "Method of the Unsettled Mind" was passed down from the sect senior Xiu Musheng, he believed no one would question him.

Previously, he had possessed spiritual energy but lacked the techniques to fight, much like a martial artist with great strength but no knowledge of forms; he would have been at a severe disadvantage in a fight. Now, that problem no longer existed.

Just as he was in high spirits, an ill-timed voice drifted in from outside the courtyard

"Where is that brat Liang Yan? Get out here right now!"