Chapter 15

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Chapter 15

The same scene, a similar picture. This time, it was still Yun Chuyou carrying a Soul Lamp into the palace. The light was bright, symbolizing that the owner of the Soul Lamp was young, healthy, and full of life.

This kind of task should have been done by Xie Fuzhi, the master, but the work fell to Yun Chuyou, the Elder Martial Sister.

Luckily, the owner of the Soul Lamp didn’t mind this. In fact, she truly believed that the lamp should be brought in by Yun Chuyou. If it were Xie Fuzhi, she would only feel sad, not surprised.

After a brief moment of joy, Zhong Wei felt a bit lost again. "Senior Martial Sister, am I progressing especially slowly? It took such a long time just to reach Foundation Establishment."

She worked very hard on her small goal, practicing all the time except for eating and meditating, but she still could not reach her goal. A year ago, Yu Jiu successfully sent his Soul Lamp into the Soul Hall.

Five years had passed, and time seemed to fly by on the mountain. It took Zhong Wei a full five years to change from a Qi Refining cultivator to the Foundation Establishment Stage. She was only nine years old when she came to Qingxu Sect, and now she was fourteen.

"Who says you are slow? Among cultivators with the same talent, you have already surpassed ninety-nine percent of them. Even some Three Spiritual Roots cultivators are not as fast as you in reaching Foundation Establishment."

Yun Chuyou took a year to reach Foundation Establishment, and when she understood her path, she jumped straight to the early stage of Foundation Establishment at level three, even though she had a Single Spiritual Root.

Zhong Wei’s cultivation speed is actually very fast for a Four Spirit Roots cultivator.

Of course, Zhong Wei’s quick Foundation Establishment is not only due to her hard work but also because of the resources provided by Qingxu Sect. Money, partners, skills, and the right environment are all necessary for cultivation. Qingxu Sect is a small sect, but with fewer people, Yun Chuyou as the leader is fair and generous, so each person gets plenty of resources.

The environment of Qingxu Sect is rich in Spirit Qi, and with the support of special buildings like the Spirit Gathering Formation created by Yun Chuyou, the conditions for Zhong Wei are actually better than what many large sects offer to their inner disciples.

Yun Chuyou glanced at Yu Jiu, who was waiting not far away. When the Soul Lamp entered the Soul Hall, Yu Jiu did not look as happy as Zhong Wei; after all, his lamp was placed near Meng He, and there were only four lamps on two shelves, making them look like pairs.

It was fine to be with Xie Fuzhi or Yun Chuyou, even with Zhong Wei, but being with Meng He was different. He controlled his emotions, managing not to show his dislike.

Unfortunately, he was good at controlling his facial expressions, but the dark clouds on his forehead revealed his true feelings at that moment.

Now that Zhong Wei’s Soul Lamp had entered the hall, there was a third light in the second row. He curled his lips, and his smile looked more genuine than when his own Soul Lamp entered.

When Yun Chuyou turned around, she unexpectedly saw a small sun appearing above Yu Jiu’s head. Surprised, she felt a bit comforted: these five years together were not wasted, and it seemed Yu Jiu quite liked this younger martial sister.

Zhong Wei sighed, "But my daily training speed is not even half of Second Master Brother’s."

There were only four disciples in the sect, so comparisons were inevitable. Yun Chuyou was quite different from the other three; five years ago, she was in the early stage of the Golden Core Stage, and in just five short years, she had broken through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core.

Meng He’s training speed was also quite good; he advanced from the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment to the great perfection of Foundation Establishment, just one breakthrough away from reaching Golden Core.

The further along one goes, the more time it takes to improve one’s cultivation level. Zhong Wei had just broken through Foundation Establishment and felt that no matter how hard she tried, she could not catch up to her two senior brothers, which made her feel a bit discouraged.

Elder Martial Sister was one thing; the higher her cultivation level, the faster her training speed, which made Zhong Wei even happier for her. Meng He was talented and worked hard too, but why did Yu Jiu get ahead? He certainly didn’t work even half as hard as she did!

Among the three disciples in the sect, Zhong Wei was the most hardworking and diligent. Even without Yun Chuyou urging her, she would train with three to five times the normal effort.

Sometimes, it was Yun Chuyou who worried that too much of a good thing can be bad, and she advised Zhong Wei not to let Meng He play too much. But Meng He was full of energy, and he completed the training plan Yun Chuyou set for him with ease.

Yu Jiu’s training was the least among the three, not even half of Zhong Wei’s. He had stopped using a wheelchair during this time and regained his ability to walk normally after reaching Foundation Establishment. However, he was still weak and sickly; if he increased his training even a little, he would look like he couldn’t continue, and Yun Chuyou couldn’t treat him unfairly.

Yun Chuyou glanced at Yu Jiu with mixed feelings. When he entered the sect, he was already at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. After five years, Yu Jiu had now achieved great success in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

He seemed to be equal to Meng He in cultivation, but in reality, Yu Jiu had already reached that level; he just held back from breaking through to Golden Core. Once he did, he should be able to reach the early second level of Golden Core.

Yun Chuyou could guess why he had not broken through. For these five years, they had lived on the mountain, and Yu Jiu had never left. Even if he faced the tribulation of Golden Core, there would be thunder. With only a few people on the mountain, once he transcended, his true ability would be discovered by himself and Xie Fuzhi. To hide his cultivation, Yu Jiu was waiting for the right moment.

It was Yu Jiu’s own choice to conceal his power, Yun Chuyou thought, as she gently comforted Zhong Wei, "You’ve worked very hard, and when younger martial sister arrived, Junior Martial Brother Yu Jiu was already a Qi Refining Level Four cultivator. He has covered almost half the distance ahead of you. If we really count it, you are actually cultivating faster than younger martial sister."

Zhong Wei took a moment to feel comforted by Yun Chuyou, but understanding, she said, "Second Master Brother has Three Spiritual Roots, so it’s normal that his cultivation speed is faster than mine."

Among the sect’s disciples, Yun Chuyou, the Elder Martial Sister, had a Wind Single Spiritual Root. Meng He had Fire and Earth Dual Spiritual Roots, and Yu Jiu had Three Spiritual Roots of Metal, Wood, and Water, which were also fake like his cultivation. Zhong Wei was missing Water in her Four Spiritual Roots, and each one had less talent than the last.

Sometimes Zhong Wei thought how nice it would be if the sect could take in five more disciples, especially one with Five Spiritual Roots to support her. But she only thought about it; Elder Martial Sister was already busy enough, and taking in another disciple would only divide her attention more.

If a new disciple with poor talent brings down the average strength of the sect, it’s fine, but there’s a risk they might try to compete for favor because of their low cultivation. If she takes in a talented disciple who cultivates faster than her, she cannot fool herself with her age being the youngest.

It’s better for her to remain the younger martial sister who is most cherished by Elder Martial Sister, even if Zhong Wei is willing to carry the title of being at the bottom.

[All disciples in the sect with a cultivation level above Foundation Establishment will reward the host with one Sunlight Spirit Jade, one Wind Control Pearl, and unlock the formula for Golden Source Pill…]

During these five years, Yun Chuyou built a pill-refining room and a tool-refining room according to the guidance of the Main Task. These basic buildings did not need to be reflected in the real sect, and with the addition of these two buildings, she could use the alchemical furnace and tool furnace provided by the system.

This does not mean that the pills produced by the system will succeed 100%; using the system’s tools and the Pill Furnace in the cultivation world is the same. The success rate depends on the quality of the raw materials and Yun Chuyou’s skill level.

However, when she uses the system’s furnace for pill refining or tool refining, she can blindly increase her proficiency.

It should be known that both pill refining and tool refining rely heavily on talent; even if one has a Heavenly Spiritual Root, it is impossible to have outstanding talent in every aspect.

But the system is completely different; as long as she refines enough of the required pills and tools, she can increase her proficiency. After five years, Yun Chuyou’s levels in pill refining and tool refining have already reached fifth-tier Alchemy Master and fifth-tier Pill Master.

The level rankings for pill refining and tool refining are issued by the relevant associations. Pills are classified into nine grades, and the corresponding levels of Pill Masters or tool masters are also divided into nine ranks.

When you first enter, you start as an apprentice. If you can make basic potions and succeed at a rate of sixty percent, you can be called an Alchemy Master or Pill Master. Levels seven to nine are beginner, levels four to six are intermediate, and levels three and above are advanced. Those above these levels are called divine masters.

If I had known Yun Chuyou started learning to craft items, draw symbols, and make potions right from Foundation Establishment, after studying for nine years, she would be at a level nine. Diligently using the Pill Furnace and crafting stove provided by the system for five years, she has now reached a fifth-tier level.

A fifth-tier Pill Master, even at the Golden Core Stage, is more valuable in major sects than a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.

If she had enough materials, Yun Chuyou could continue to improve. Unfortunately, there are not enough resources. To continue raising her cultivation level, she must make higher-grade potions or magical tools.

This requires quite precious materials, but the area near Qingxu Sect is just a small market with no way to obtain these rare resources.

Even so, in the past five years, Yun Chuyou, as Elder Martial Sister and the acting sect leader, has made a significant contribution to the sect’s wealth.

She earned a large sum of money by gathering materials to create potions and craft items for sale, greatly increasing the sect’s public resource store.

The current Qingxu Sect is no longer a small sect; its overall strength has successfully reached two stars.

Although there are only a few disciples in the sect for now, the area near Congyun Mountains has been developed as a place for ordinary people and scattered practitioners without cultivation. They are protected by the influence of Qingxu Sect and are considered its vassals.

Hearing the announcement from the system, Yun Chuyou finally made up her mind; it was time to start the new map.

"Younger martial sister, only practicing hard on the mountain is not good for your development. Now that you have established your foundation, it is time to come down the mountain for real experience."

Zhong Wei looked a bit anxious, and then she heard Yun Chuyou add, "Since this is your first time coming down the mountain for a mission, I will lead and accompany you. Your Second Master Brother and Elder Martial Brother will also join us."

When she first went out for training at the Foundation Establishment Stage, Yun Chuyou had her master Xie Fuzhi with her the whole way; now it was her turn to be the leader.

Zhong Wei’s worried heart immediately settled down; "I understand." With Elder Martial Sister with her, she felt safe. As for the other two brothers, their presence didn’t matter much.

Meng He was thrilled to go out for training. After five years, he had grown taller and was now a head taller than Yun Chuyou. His youthful face still looked innocent, but he appeared more like a young man now.

However, perhaps because he had spent most of his time on the mountain and had little interaction with others, Meng He seemed to lack cunning and still acted like a playful puppy. He linked training with going out to play and looked at Yun Chuyou with excitement, "Where are we going to train? It won’t be deep into the Cloudy Mountain, right?"

"Of course not." Yun Chuyou pointed to a spot on the simple map. "The first stop of this training is to the Mortal World, to help the younger martial sister end her earthly ties."