Chapter 163: A Leaf Pokes Out While Walking

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When Master Xuanji saw Qin Haoxuan take out a bag of Meridian Protecting Powder from his robes, his expression was slightly stunned. What kind of Qi-Circulating Pill required one to take protective medicine beforehand? His interest grew even more. Just how potent was this pill?

After taking the powder, Qin Haoxuan felt a resilient medicinal energy seep into his meridians and his sea of qi, greatly strengthening their toughness. Once this was done, he took a Qi-Circulating Pill from the jade vial.

The pill was smaller than a normal one, but its entire body was gilded gold, bright but not dazzling, its spiritual energy completely restrained. If one did not look closely, it was impossible to even sense the terrifying energy contained within.

Seeing this pill, Xuanji once again sucked in a cold breath. With his experienced eye, he could tell at a glance that this pill was extraordinary. To think that the powder Qin Haoxuan had refined was already so strong; how much more potent would this pill, which required protective medicine, be?

Without hesitation, Qin Haoxuan swallowed the pill. With the powder protecting his body and his Master watching over him, he felt completely at ease.

The moment the pill entered his mouth, it transformed into a hot current that surged into his abdomen. Immediately, the spiritual energy around him began to boil violently. It wasn’t like before, with a single washbasin-sized vortex. Instead, in all directions around him, a full nine bathtub-sized black spiritual energy vortexes appeared. Each vortex spun on its own axis while also revolving around him. The surrounding spiritual energy became as thick as a physical substance, madly pouring into his body through all his major acupoints.

The moment this energy entered his body, it was like a raging flood, instantly stuffing his meridians to their absolute limit. Qin Haoxuan was shocked. If he hadn’t taken the Meridian Protecting Powder, this violent influx of spiritual energy would have been enough to tear him apart.

Even with the powder, his meridians and dantian were filled to bursting in an instant. At that moment, the six hundred immortal roots in his body began to madly absorb the energy. The immortal seedling in his dantian emitted a faint golden light, also absorbing the energy with a crazed fervor.

But the speed at which his roots absorbed the energy was still a fraction slower than the speed at which it was pouring in. If not for the fact that he had been “cultivated” by Guyun, practiced the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art, and had the experience of swallowing the One-Leaf Golden Lotus and the Seven Star Mushroom, his mental and physical fortitude would not have been able to withstand it.

Beside him, Xuanji watched with a tense and greatly astonished expression. The speed at which Qin Haoxuan was absorbing spiritual energy was far beyond his imagination. He had originally thought the pill would be two or three times as effective as the powder, but he never expected it to be more than ten times faster. What was even more precious was that Qin Haoxuan was actually able to endure it.

Even with the protective powder, to have such a powerful influx of spiritual energy forcibly expand one’s meridians and dantian was a pain that no ordinary person could bear. But Qin Haoxuan’s expression did not change; he continued to absorb and circulate the energy calmly. How firm his Dao Heart must be!

The effects of the Qi-Circulating Pill lasted for a full three hours. When Qin Haoxuan next opened his eyes, it was already night. After the pill’s effects had worn off, he sat in meditation for a while longer, waiting until the vast amount of spiritual energy that had filled his body was absorbed by the immortal seedling. He then discovered that the pill itself was still in his abdomen. It would remain in his body for more than ten days, and he could activate its power once each day.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Xuanji’s happy, smiling face.

“With you in the Nature Hall,” Xuanji said, “the days to come will not be so difficult. At the very least, you will not be bullied and looked down upon as we have been under my tenure. Just now, I made a decision. I will personally take you to ‘Enter the Mortal World’.”

Xuanji’s praise and recognition made Qin Haoxuan very happy, but to have his elderly master personally accompany him was absolutely out of the question. He knew that the moment he left the sect’s territory, that damned Master Chi Lian would not let him go. He wanted to enter the mortal world alone.

If his Master or Senior Brother were to be killed by Chi Lian while protecting him, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Qin Haoxuan bowed slightly. “For Master to personally take me is a great honor, and this disciple is deeply moved. However, I feel it is improper. Your lifespan is short, Master. You should focus on your own cultivation. If your breakthrough is delayed because of your fondness for me, I will feel uneasy. Therefore, this disciple boldly asks that you retract your order.”

Xuanji was surprised that he had refused. If it were anyone else, they would have been overjoyed. But Qin Haoxuan had calmly refused. This made him feel that the disciple was sensible and considerate, and he became even more convinced that entrusting the future of the Nature Hall to him was the wisest choice. He sighed softly. “Alright. Then you may return and cultivate.”

After Qin Haoxuan left, Xuanji thought to himself, The Hall Master can accept a Legacy Disciple. Should I take Haoxuan as mine? He sighed again. The Sea-Gathering Art he is practicing will max out at the Fifth Level, around the Twentieth-Leaf. After that, the Nature Hall has no better cultivation art for him. I absolutely cannot let him repeat my mistakes.

He remembered how his own master had passed away just as he had reached the Twentieth-Leaf. Because of the Nature Hall’s decline, he had no orthodox arts to practice and was still stuck at the Twenty-Ninth-Leaf, weaker even than the Legacy Disciples of the other halls. In Qin Haoxuan, he saw the hope of the Nature Hall’s revival.

After a long deliberation, he finally decided to take a gamble: he would go and beg the Sect Master for the jade slip containing the Nature Hall’s true lineage.

When Qin Haoxuan left the room, Ye Yiming was already waiting for him with an Immortal Cloud Cart. “Junior Brother Qin, your time is tight. Hurry back and cultivate.” The warmth in his voice made Qin Haoxuan’s eyes moisten.

They took the cart and rushed back to the Spirit Field Valley through the night. Qin Haoxuan bid farewell to Ye Yiming and dove into his room, beginning to cultivate the Sea-Gathering Art. Unlike the Celestial River Dao Art, this art did not require him to practice in the morning.

As he cultivated, the spiritual energy in his body was as vast as the sea, surging and澎湃. After practicing it several times, he felt a bit tired and also had the feeling that he was about to sprout a new leaf. But he knew that haste makes waste and stopped his cultivation. He then studied the method for making the Thousand-Mile Talisman before lying down to sleep.

The next morning, he practiced again. The feeling of sprouting a new leaf emerged again, but in the end, nothing happened. He silently hoped it wouldn’t be like the first time, which had taken a full three months.

After completing three cycles of the art, he left his room to go for a walk. For a cultivator, diligent practice was good, but it was also important to know when to relax.

The morning air of the Spirit Field Valley was fresh and fragrant. As he walked, appreciating the scenery, he unconsciously began to practice the hand movements for carving talismans, silently planning to try it with some black iron when he got back.

Suddenly, as he was walking, Qin Haoxuan froze. He abruptly felt a vast and pure surge of spiritual energy welling up from the immortal seedling within him. Ripples of spiritual energy spread out like waves, and just below his first leaf, a new, small leaf was slowly poking out.