Chapter 90: Ascension in Broad Daylight, Purple Bamboo Blooms
During this period, aside from accumulating a large number of spirit stones and necessary resources, what Gu Xiu did the most was collect cultivation techniques.
With the help of the Victory Gang, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, and the Lingbao Pavilion, Gu Xiu had gathered almost all the low-grade cultivation techniques circulating on the market, totaling over a thousand. Although their grades weren't particularly high, they had forcefully pushed his own technique to the half-step Heavenly rank!
This was rely a matter of ti, and it wouldn't be long before he broke through.
The biggest shortcomings for rogue cultivators were two: sufficiently abundant cultivation resources and sufficiently powerful legacies.
As for the current Gu Xiu, at least for now, these two things would no longer restrict him.
Cultivation resources? He could be self-sufficient, rivaling most sects.
As for legacies... he himself could create them!
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The little black monkey, Hai Qi, seeing Gu Xiu stop his cultivation practice, imdiately scurried over.
Gu Xiu smiled slightly and waved his sleeve, releasing a pile of spirit stones.
The little black monkey's eyes instantly lit up. It dove into the pile, picked one up, and began crunching on it as if it were a candy bean rather than a spirit stone.
This was a hobby of Hai Qi's that Gu Xiu had discovered by accident. This little fellow loved to eat and wasn't picky at all. Not only did it enjoy various fruits, but it also particularly loved eating spirit stones. Moreover, when allowed to eat freely, it could consu over a hundred spirit stones in one go without any issue.
In the past, Gu Xiu might have exclaid that he couldn't afford to keep it. But now... a re hundred or so spirit stones? Not even a drop in the bucket!
Eat! Eat to your heart's content!
Not to ntion that the little black monkey possessed the ability to control puppets and had now beco Gu Xiu's top money-making asset.
Furthermore, the little black monkey eating spirit stones wasn't a waste! Gu Xiu had noticed that this creature couldn't cultivate; even when Gu Xiu tried teaching it techniques, it simply couldn't learn. But eating spirit stones allowed its physique to gradually strengthen; there was even a faint hint of spiritual power accumulating within its body.
Perhaps if it kept eating like this, its future achievents would be astonishingly high.
Just then, a wave of spiritual power fluctuation suddenly appeared.
Gu Xiu raised an eyebrow and walked out to the backyard.
He saw Xiao He, who was holding a broom and sweeping the front yard, standing frozen in place, utterly at a loss. The spiritual power fluctuation Gu Xiu had just sensed originated from within Xiao He's body!
This was... Qi Gathering!
This little girl, who clearly had absolutely no cultivation aptitude, had sohow inexplicably... suddenly stepped onto the path of cultivation?
"Immortal Master Feng!"
Seeing Gu Xiu, Xiao He looked over with panicked eyes. "Xiao He doesn't know why either. It seems... sothing suddenly feels different. Xiao He... is Xiao He going to die?"
She was a mortal with no cultivation talent. Although her father had been a rogue cultivator and she had attempted Qi Gathering under his guidance in her childhood, she had never succeeded. She had never experienced this before and was montarily flustered, thinking she might be dying.
Gu Xiu simply smiled slightly and instructed, "Sit cross-legged, focus your mind, calm your heart."
Guiding soone onto the path of cultivation could be called "leading the way." Gu Xiu had done this quite often and was experienced. Leading her now was effortless for him.
However, he felt sowhat puzzled deep down.
Xiao He previously had no cultivation aptitude whatsoever. Logically speaking, she should have absolutely no possibility of cultivating. Even if she used so special secret thod to embark on cultivation, it shouldn't be like this—cultivating in broad daylight.
In the mortal world, this could be called "ascension in broad daylight"! Extrely rare!
While Xiao He was flustered and undergoing her first Qi Gathering under Gu Xiu's guidance, on the other side, at the Azure Mystic Sacred Land...
Nian Zhaoxi had already left the Main Sect Hall and arrived before that pitch-black Jade Pill Peak that resembled a land of death.
It was rumored that when Peak Master Xu Wanqing of Jade Pill Peak refined a Heavenly-grade pill, she attracted a heavenly tribulation that destroyed all living beings on the mountain.
However... Nian Zhaoxi naturally didn't believe such rumors.
Walking up the mountain path, she saw that Jade Pill Peak could no longer support any spiritual plants. It was about to be relocated.
Regarding all this, apart from her eyes growing slightly darker, Nian Zhaoxi showed no other fluctuation.
Only Nian Zhaoxi didn't notice that from within those destroyed grave mounds, sothing invisible and intangible quietly landed on her...
"How is your Peak Master doing?"
Arriving at the door of a newly built cottage at the peak, Nian Zhaoxi inquired about Xu Wanqing's condition.
Several disciples dared not neglect her and imdiately replied, "Fortunately, during this period, the Sect Master ca daily to help Peak Master recover. Now Peak Master's injuries have stabilized; she just cannot use her cultivation for now."
"Master has recovered sowhat and just woke up monts ago. Upon hearing that Senior Aunt had returned and still needed to go to the Main Sect Hall..."
"Knowing you were coming, Master was very happy."
Listening to this, Nian Zhaoxi only nodded silently.
She dismissed the disciples and entered the room. A fragrant aroma wafted over, calming one's heart and mind.
"Senior Sister!"
A sowhat weak voice called out. Xu Wanqing was sitting in a wooden wheelchair, looking at her with great delight.
She must have been tending to the flowers and plants inside; there was still soil on her hands.
Seeing Nian Zhaoxi look over, Xu Wanqing pointed at several potted plants and enthusiastically introduced them. "These are Nine-Ring Grass and Purple Bamboo Flowers sent by Junior Brother. I like them very much. Since I can't use my cultivation right now, I can only take care of so flowers."
"It's a pity that several pots of Purple Bamboo Flowers Junior Brother gave last ti were destroyed by the heavenly tribulation. Fortunately, Junior Brother didn't bla . Senior Sister, take a look; later maybe I can give you two pots..."
As she spoke, Xu Wanqing secretly glanced up at Nian Zhaoxi.
She saw her senior sister looking at her with an icy expression.
Xu Wanqing pretended not to see it and smiled again. "Senior Sister, let tell you, Purple Bamboo Flowers are good things; they can calm the mind and relieve ntal fatigue..."
"Purple Bamboo Flowers are said to relieve ntal fatigue and calm the mind, but they are rely numbing oneself," Nian Zhaoxi spoke coldly. "You wouldn't not know this point, would you?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Wanqing's hand stiffened.
"Senior Sister, I feel sowhat tired. Perhaps Senior Sister should return first? Once Junior Sister recovers sowhat, I will co find Senior Sister at the Heaven-Asking Pavilion?"
Nian Zhaoxi didn't answer, still standing in place.
Xu Wanqing pursed her lips. "Senior Sister, I know Gu Xiu died, and you are sad in your heart. How could I not be sad as well?"
These words... It would have been better not to say them.
Once spoken, Nian Zhaoxi, who originally only had an expressionless face, imdiately looked frosty.
"Sad?"
"You would feel sad for Gu Xiu?"
"Naturally. After all, Gu Xiu was once my junior brother."
"Was once your junior brother?" Nian Zhaoxi asked word by word. "Then, could you please tell ... why did you want to kill Gu Xiu?"
Kill Gu Xiu!
Upon hearing these three words, Xu Wanqing's eyes instantly dodged.
"I don't know what Senior Sister is talking about..."
"You don't know?"
"I..."
"Xu Wanqing, don't you really think that what you did was seamless? Because no one in the sect inquired about it, you think no one truly knows about this matter?"
"This..."
Xu Wanqing's eyelids twitched violently.
She looked up at her senior sister.
When she saw an unprecedented hatred appearing in Nian Zhaoxi's eyes, Xu Wanqing finally gritted her teeth.
"Yes!"
"I did indeed want to kill Gu Xiu!"
She finally admitted it.
And these words, even though Nian Zhaoxi had already guessed it long ago, made her feel as if all strength had been drained from her body at this mont.
She looked incredulously at this kind-hearted junior sister who saved lives and healed the wounded.
"Why?"
"I killed him because I rembered our past affection and wished him liberation."
"Nonsense!" Nian Zhaoxi angrily rebuked.
"I know Senior Sister cannot understand, nor do I expect Senior Sister to understand."
Xu Wanqing seed completely unreserved now.
"Gu Xiu once enjoyed great fa; his friends and enemies were spread across the world. If those people knew he had returned, with his cultivation lost and having left Azure Mystic's protection... Senior Sister, do you know what that ans?"
Nian Zhaoxi asked, "What does it an?"
"It ans he would die, and die miserably; he might even suffer unprecedented humiliation before dying!" Xu Wanqing said. "I killed him to help him!"
Nian Zhaoxi almost ground her jade-like teeth into pieces. "This is your reason?"
"There is another reason: for the sect."
Xu Wanqing spoke again.
Nian Zhaoxi asked, "For the sect?"
"Yes, for the sect."
Xu Wanqing said, "For five hundred years, our Azure Mystic has climbed to its peak step by step; the number of forces we've made enemies with is not small. They dare not act rashly because our Azure Mystic Sacred Land is strong enough."
"But if news spread that Gu Xiu left, those enemies would certainly capture him and use him as a pawn to threaten our sect."
"At that ti, Azure Mystic would be hampered by considerations, suffering chaos instead. Killing Gu Xiu, we would lose our weakness and beco invincible again!"
Nian Zhaoxi stared deeply at Xu Wanqing. After taking several deep breaths, she asked, "Is there more?"
"Similarly, there is also talk about Providence."
Xu Wanqing nodded, seeming completely unreserved now.
"The sect has indeed experienced so strange occurrences recently that make one suspect talk about Providence; all these seem to point towards Gu Xiu."
"In that case, naturally we should also try."
"Killing him—whether Providence is real or false—is always correct."
By the ti Xu Wanqing reached this point, Nian Zhaoxi had already closed her eyes; a teardrop was about to fall.
However, she gently wiped it away and looked at Xu Wanqing. "Is there more?"
"Yes!" Xu Wanqing nodded again.
Nian Zhaoxi asked, "This ti, for what reason again?"
Then she saw Xu Wanqing say, "Similarly, it is also for Senior Sister you."
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