Chapter 18: A Small Test
Chapter 18: A Small Test
Lu Hangzhi did not expect to get the news about the mysterious Spirit Tree, but he got a book called Breath Concealment Art from Liu Tao. It was a pleasant surprise. Overjoyed, Lu Hangzhi left ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones and two boxes of excellent Spirit Fruits for Liu Tao. Then he borrowed Liu Tao’s yard to master the Breath Concealment Art. Sure enough, it seemed like a faint layer of energy covered his body. His energy became very restrained, but the size of his Spiritual Power Pool did not change at all.
After leaving Liu Tao’s place, Lu Hangzhi returned to the Zhu Residence and went straight to his Training Room. He sat cross-legged in the Spirit Gathering Array and finally let out the joy in his heart.
Haha!
He never expected that Liu Tao had a spell like Breath Concealment Art.
Even though it only hid one small level of cultivation, it perfectly covered up the fact that his cultivation had grown very quickly. This saved him from having to explain to his senior sister.
Even though jumping from the early Second Grade to the mid Second Grade in just seven days was still a bit unbelievable, it was not impossible…
As for Liu Tao.
The ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones and excellent Spirit Fruits Lu Hangzhi left were equal to several months of his expenses. Since he had kept the Breath Concealment Art for twenty years, he should not tell outsiders about it.
With his worries gone, Lu Hangzhi completely let go of the restraints in his heart. He no longer held back and continued to cultivate with all his might.
On the fourth day at dawn, the mysterious Spirit Tree showed no unusual signs.
In the last three days, the mysterious Spirit Tree still showed no unusual signs. However, Lu Hangzhi still kept the habit of nourishing the mysterious Spirit Tree three times a day.
During the day on the eighth day, Zhu Fuqin returned from the Xuanxin Sect and brought good news.
When Senior Brother Leng heard that the mysterious Spirit Tree had revived and was about to completely heal, he immediately agreed to keep his promise to recommend Lu Hangzhi to join the Xuanxin Sect. He also asked Zhu Fuqin to bring the mysterious Spirit Tree to the Xuanxin Sect as soon as possible.
“Eh? Junior brother, your cultivation…”
Only after she finished speaking did Zhu Fuqin notice that her junior brother’s energy aura was fluctuating. It seemed like he had reached the mid Second Grade, but it also didn’t. She couldn’t help showing a happy and surprised expression.
“You broke through to the mid Second Grade?!”
“Cultivating on the Spirit Gathering Array was a rare opportunity for me, so I didn’t dare to slack off. These days, I practiced day and night without sleeping, and finally made some progress.”
Lu Hangzhi replied.
Zhu Fuqin’s expression was both pleased and emotional.
“No wonder Senior Brother Leng thinks highly of you. It’s probably not just because you’re clever. Your talent must be top-notch too. But this is good. Once your mid Second Grade cultivation is completely stable, you should have no problem breaking into the top ten of the Outer Sect rankings within a year. By then, the Xuanxin Sect will officially have a place for our Violet Cloud Town.”
As she spoke, a hint of excited pink colored Zhu Fuqin’s cheeks, and her eyes grew brighter.
If the Zhu Residence produced two Xuanxin Sect disciples, the Zhu Residence’s influence in Violet Cloud Town would completely surpass the other two families and become the largest force in Violet Cloud Town. By then, unifying the Guard Camp and Purple Pavilion and using the full strength of Violet Cloud Town’s cultivators to hunt Demonic Beasts and Monsters, the cultivation resources would increase tenfold.
Not to mention the Fourth Grade, even reaching the Fifth Grade would be just around the corner.
The day to enter the Xuanxin Sect was set for after the next Auction House meeting.
There were still seven days left!
Xuanxin Sect!
I’m coming!
Lu Hangzhi felt both excited and nervous.
For the next seven days, Zhu Fuqin very generously continued to give up the Spirit Gathering Array. She said she wanted to support her junior brother in completely stabilizing his mid Second Grade cultivation. Lu Hangzhi was very surprised and happy.
It seemed that Zhu Fuqin had indeed completely bet her future on Senior Brother Leng. She planned to use Senior Brother Leng’s prestige to achieve success in the Xuanxin Sect.
Lu Hangzhi did not disappoint her.
In seven days!
He practiced day and night, forgetting to eat and sleep, and successfully completely stabilized his mid Second Grade cultivation (in reality, he stabilized it at the late Second Grade).
The only regret Lu Hangzhi had was that the pot of mysterious Spirit Tree did not show the fleeting scene from that day again for ten days in a row.
On this day.
Zhu Fuqin and Lu Hangzhi left the Spirit Gathering Array and came to the training ground of the Zhu Residence.
Several Cultivator guests of the Zhu Residence were sparring on the training ground. When they saw the young lady coming, they all stopped and came over to greet her.
“Young Lady!”
“Young Lady, what brings you here today?”
“All of you, step out for a while.”
“Oh… Yes.”
The group felt a bit snubbed and turned to leave. As they passed by Lu Hangzhi, they all showed surprised looks.
“Senior Sister?”
Lu Hangzhi vaguely guessed Zhu Fuqin’s intention and spoke up. “Do you plan to personally guide me?”
“Yes.”
Zhu Fuqin nodded and said, “We set off for the Xuanxin Sect tomorrow. It’s time to teach you some practical combat and sparring skills! However, you haven’t been on the path of cultivation for long. This is a last-minute effort. How much you can grasp depends on your own understanding.”
“…Thank you, Senior Sister.”
“Watch closely.”
Zhu Fuqin stood still not far away. With a wave of her hand, a metal Flying Sword flew out from her sleeve and circled around her. It looked very dashing.
Lu Hangzhi also got excited.
It had been almost two months since he came to this world, and he finally had a chance to see a real Cultivator take action. He didn’t dare to slack off and held his breath, focusing intently as he watched carefully.
“Cultivators are divided into male and female, strong and weak. There are also differences between poor and rich, high and low.”
Zhu Fuqin controlled the Flying Sword to circle while giving instructions. “A powerful Cultivator has countless resources. Spiritual Artifacts and Talismans are essential, and so are Art Techniques and secret methods. The Flying Sword is an indispensable weapon for Sect disciples. The Sword Control Art is a basic attack method. However, only when you reach the Third Grade cultivation can you barely control it. If you encounter a Third Grade Cultivator who attacks you, the only thing you should do is run away.”
As she spoke, the Flying Sword let out a clear ring. It left an afterimage in the air, sliced across a blue stone not far away, and returned to her side.
So fast!
So strong!
Lu Hangzhi was shocked inside.
That blue stone was reinforced with multiple Defensive Formations. It wouldn’t be damaged even if hit by ordinary Second Grade spells. But now, there was a two-inch deep sword mark on it. This showed how terrifying the Flying Sword’s attack was.
Zhu Fuqin was very satisfied with her previous sword strike and comforted him.
“That strike was to tell you to respect powerful Cultivators. But don’t worry, Third Grade Cultivators are rare among the Outer Sect Disciples of the Xuanxin Sect. At most, they would fight close-range with swords. With your Mystic Armor Art and Wooden Body Art, you can handle it easily. However…”
She paused here, then continued. “Your attack methods are a big weakness. Relying only on the First Grade spell Tongue Sword Art and the unstable Second Grade Fire Stream Art, it’s hard to compete with a normal Second Grade Cultivator. But I don’t have any better spell manuals here. You’ll have to wait until you enter the Xuanxin Sect to practice our Sect’s Art Techniques.”
Lu Hangzhi quickly said that he would do his best.
“Good, now it’s your turn to attack.”
“Don’t be afraid of hurting me. Go all out.”
Zhu Fuqin instructed while summoning a layer of golden Mysterious Armor outside her body. She looked like a celestial female general, untouchable.
“Okay!”
Lu Hangzhi immediately felt a competitive spirit. As he spoke, a sword-shaped Spiritual Energy shot through the air. It “dinged” as it shattered against the golden Mysterious Armor, causing no damage at all.
However, Zhu Fuqin’s eyes lit up, and she praised.
“Not bad!”
“Even though the attack is a bit weak, the attack speed is fast, and the attack is very hidden. Most importantly, you can actually use it as you wish. Its intimidating power is already close to Second Grade spells. However… First Grade spells have big limitations and poor power. Don’t waste any more time on this in the future.”
“I understand, Senior Sister.” Lu Hangzhi naturally would not tell her that this was his trump card prepared for breaking through defenses. He answered verbally.
“Again!”
Boom!
This time, Lu Hangzhi went all out. With a wave of his hand, he shot out a bright, thick stream of fire. It snaked through the air, dragging a trail of pungent sulfur and smoke, and aggressively ate away at the Mysterious Armor.
Instantly, the Mysterious Armor glowed brightly and easily blocked the high-temperature erosion of the Fire Stream Art. However, the moment the Fire Stream Art disappeared, the glow on the Mysterious Armor dimmed a bit. This surprised Zhu Fuqin.
Because the Fire Stream Art was slow and easy to dodge, its auction price wasn’t very high. It hadn’t caught Zhu Fuqin’s interest either. But today, after seeing Lu Hangzhi use it, she realized that this spell’s killing power was actually more than a notch higher than other Second Grade spells.
If she hadn’t summoned the Mysterious Armor with her Third Rank Peak cultivation, the Mysterious Armor probably wouldn’t have just dimmed a bit. It might have even cracked from the high temperature…
“What a pity.”
Zhu Fuqin sighed. “Your spell-casting speed is already very skilled. If this spell’s attack speed weren’t so slow, just relying on this spell, you could break into the top fifty of the Outer Sect.”
Really?
Lu Hangzhi felt a little encouraged.
“Yes, the Fire Stream Art has considerable power. With your strength, as long as you deploy the Mystic Armor Art and hit your opponent with two Fire Stream Arts, their defensive spell will definitely collapse. They won’t be able to use other defensive spells for a short time due to the spell backlash. At that time, your Tongue Sword Art will become the winning Magical Artifact.”
Zhu Fuqin indeed knew the advantages and convenience of the Tongue Sword Art.
“But the Fire Stream Art is too slow and easily dodged. So… it’s a shame.”
Lu Hangzhi thought deeply.
After a while, he asked.
“Senior Sister, are Talismans allowed in the Sect Grand Competition?”
“Of course.”
Zhu Fuqin nodded and replied. “Talismans are an important part of a Cultivator’s strength, so they are naturally allowed. However, during the competition, to prevent malicious use of Talismans, everyone is only allowed to carry three Talismans. No more than that.”
Three?
Lu Hangzhi thought for a moment, then showed a smile.
That’s enough!
“Senior Sister, can I attack one more time?”
“Sure, you can practice a few more times, as long as you can learn something from it.” Zhu Fuqin was fully prepared to be a sparring partner today.
“Senior Sister, be careful. This time, I plan to use the Talisman you gave me last time.”
Lu Hangzhi pulled out a Talisman from his Qiankun Pouch, infused it with Magic Power, and attacked without warning.
Zhu Fuqin remained calm and composed.
But the next second, she couldn’t maintain her smile.
As the spell took shape, the temperature on the training ground suddenly rose.
The moment the Fire Stream Art was summoned, a strong wind suddenly rose in the training ground. Lu Hangzhi’s clothes fluttered loudly, and his eyes were sharp. At the same time, the Talisman in his hand was instantly activated.
Whoosh!
The Fire Stream Art swelled rapidly in the strong wind. Its speed was amazing!
It was like a fire dragon suddenly darting out of a cave, baring its claws and fangs. It instantly pounced in front of Zhu Fuqin. With a “boom,” the golden Mysterious Armor shook violently and even made a slight, grating sound…
The Mysterious Armor cracked!