Chapter 45: Breaking Through the Monkey Pass (Part 2)

Re-entering the stone forest, Zhao Chun already possessed some experience, yet the Shadow Monkeys were cunning, still requiring her utmost vigilance.

Furthermore, she sensed that the distribution of the stone forest during this entry seemed different from the last time; beneath the thick fog, she never knew where her next step would land.

Upon emerging from the forest, the stone tablet beneath the pine tree clearly read

Zhao Chun, Middle Stage Qi Refinement, 15 minutes!

She was a full fifteen minutes slower, yet she still emerged in a disheveled state. Zhao Chun frowned slightly, dissatisfied with this result.

However, she realized that this place, with its treacherous terrain and enemy attacks, was an ideal spot to temper her swordsmanship and movement techniques. If her previous intention had merely been to use the stone forest to break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, she now felt as if she had encountered a timely rain; she wanted to borrow this east wind to push her *Swift Sword Technique* and *Serpentine Steps* toward a higher realm.

If she failed once, she would try again!

She still had ample resources to afford such an endeavor; if her *Swift Sword Technique* could achieve Great Success once more, her combat strength would increase significantly.

Traversing the stone forest was extremely taxing on physical stamina. Zhao Chun's limit was only four crossings per day; after three days, she would be able to cross five times a day.

After half a month had passed, Zhao Chun had recorded her name seventy-three times in the Third Section of the stone forest. Her fastest time reached 15 minutes, though the shifting patterns of the forest and the interference of the Shadow Monkeys remained her greatest obstacles.

Tu An had become familiar with her. Seeing her walk in early in the morning, he waved the ink brush in his hand and shouted, "Still recording five times?"

Zhao Chun tossed out a cloth bag and gave an "mm," treating it as an answer.

"In a few more days, you'll be nearing a hundred entries. You never seem to rest; you're truly an iron man."

During this half-month, if she was tired, she would meditate to regulate her breath in the small pavilion; if she was hungry, she would take dry rations from her storage bag; and at night, she would return to the stone cave to cultivate as usual. Her unwavering daily routine left Tu An staring in astonishment.

"How can one allow negligence in the matter of cultivation?" Zhao Chun replied, her eyes fixed straight ahead as she tidied her sleeves and hem.

There were others as diligent as her, but what Tu An saw more often were half-hearted practitioners—those surrounded by servants, enjoying pleasure all day long. While some exerted every ounce of strength to reach for the heavens, others were content with their current state, following the philosophy of seeking immediate gratification.

Most cultivators possessed high ambitions in their youth, practicing diligently every day in hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment or even Essence Condensation, capable of shattering mountains and rivers with a wave of a hand. As their lifespan gradually shortened and the path ahead seemed increasingly hopeless, they turned their gaze toward the immediate present.

The elderly night watchman, a colleague and senior to Tu An, listened to his description of Zhao Chun as "a strange person whose heart is filled only with the word 'cultivation'." Rubbing his beard, he clicked his tongue and said, "I hope she goes far, and doesn't end up like the others, stopping halfway through..."

Regardless of what these two thought, Zhao Chun had indeed gained much. Two days ago, her *Serpentine Steps* reached Small Success, allowing her time to drop from 20 minutes down to 15. The improvement in her movement made her travel much more lightly; when exiting the formation, she was no longer as disheveled as before.

If she could achieve Great Success with her *Swift Sword Technique*, she might even break into the sub-10-minute mark!

Zhao Chun gritted her teeth; no matter how difficult this hurdle was, she was determined to break through.

Through such selfless cultivation, after a month had passed, she finally experienced a sudden moment of enlightenment while striking down a Shadow Monkey. She swung a seamless, perfect strike, and her *Swift Sword Technique* reached Great Success!

As previously mentioned, in the Hengyun World, it was extremely difficult to reach perfection in the Dao of Spells, which required grasping the true intent of the technique to achieve complete integration. Thus, the realm of Great Success represented the perfection of a single technique. Zhao Chun's Great Success in the *Swift Sword Technique* meant that, in terms of pure skill, she had reached the limit. To improve further, she would need to comprehend the true intent and harmonize intent with technique to break through to the realm of Perfection.

Zhao Chun had such thoughts, but she knew that level was indeed too far from her. Aiming too high would only hinder her cultivation, so she thought of nothing else for now; the realm of Great Success was enough for her to wield.

Moreover, she knew that among Qi Refinement disciples, many achieved Entry or Small Success, but those who reached Great Success in any single technique were few. This showed she possessed a certain talent in the way of the sword.

What was particularly terrifying was that after reaching Great Success in the *Swift Sword Technique*, Zhao Chun's traversal speed reached under 10 minutes, causing Tu An's expression to change repeatedly in shock.

She also felt a change within herself; she seemed to possess more sharpness than before, like a sword's edge—keen and resilient.

As she performed her sword arts, the sword light followed her movements, often obliterating the Shadow Monkeys upon contact, saving her a great deal of effort.

Instructor Zheng had taught her that swordsmanship and movement techniques were mutually supportive; when stepping and swinging the sword, the sword momentum must be upright, the sword wind must be sharp, and the eyes must follow the blade with total concentration.

As the saying goes, one must practice the fist before the sword; the fist is the source of all arts. Only with mastery of hand, eye, body, breath, and step can one execute the five methods of striking, thrusting, parrying, washing, and hooking.

With the Great Success of the *Swift Sword Technique* and the Small Success of the *Serpentine Steps*, her torso, arms, and legs became one, allowing Zhao Chun to move her entire body with a single twitch and execute several moves within a single breath.

The breakthrough in her martial arts and techniques finally allowed her to feel the opportunity for her upper and lower Dantians to interact. As she traversed the stone forest at extreme speeds, her mind became increasingly clear, allowing her to strike back the moment a Shadow Monkey lunged!

Finally, after another month, Zhao Chun exerted force from both her upper and lower Dantians simultaneously. As they connected through her meridians and their spiritual qi began to generate within one another, a sudden burst of immense power erupted within her body. This caused her sense of exhaustion to vanish instantly, and she burst out of the stone forest in under 7.5 minutes.

This time, she felt her strength was overflowing, without a hint of dishevelment. It was no wonder others called the sixth layer of Qi Refinement the "Realm of Long Qi"; the spiritual qi in her Dantian had nearly doubled!

If she were to face Tu Mian again at this moment, though she might not win, she could at least be prepared and avoid being killed in a single strike.

Returning to the small pavilion, although Tu An could not discern the extent of her cultivation, he could see the difference in her demeanor and aura. He smiled and asked, "So, you've had a breakthrough?"

Zhao Chun nodded. "Having been here for over two months, I have gained some results."

Tu An knew she was about to leave and said with a hint of disappointment, "Congratulations." Those of them who worked as laborers often held a single job until they retired; being unlucky enough to be sent to a sparsely populated place like the Third Section of the stone forest, it was rare for anyone to come and talk to him.

Zhao Chun said seriously, "Guarding this place is more leisurely than other assignments, and few people come here. If you focus on your cultivation, you might make some progress."

Tu An was only about eighteen or nineteen, with a youthful face. Hearing this, his face immediately fell into a bitter expression; cultivation was utterly boring to him. He replied repeatedly, "I get it, I get it."

Seeing that he only took in half of what she said, Zhao Chun shook her head slightly. Even Lian Jing, who labored day and night, still sought time to cultivate. Tu An had almost nothing to do, yet refused to settle his mind; the comparison between the two was truly lamentable.

Exiting the Third Section of the stone forest, the gray mist gradually dissipated, and her vision opened up. A surge of heroic spirit rose in Zhao Chun's chest. In less than three months, she had broken through from the fifth to the sixth layer, and both of her techniques had seen breakthroughs.

The principle that Heaven rewards the diligent is indeed true. To achieve greatness, one must possess great endurance and bear hardships that others cannot, so that one may soar straight into the clouds and reach the heavens.

Zhao Chun nodded and summoned her Smoke Boat to head toward her residence. After resting for a while, she would go to the Lookout Cliff to ask Xu Feng to deliver a letter to Meng Han, intending to head to the ancient sect ruins in a few days.