Cultivating To Immortality

Chapter 731: Breakthrough

In the dream, time flowed.

Cultivation without the aid of Medicinal Pills was purer than imagined.

Flying Swords could not be summoned in the dream, so naturally, a Spirit Gathering Sword Array could not be laid out. However, surprisingly, the Sword Spirit could be summoned.

It rested idly on his shoulder, breathing in Spiritual Qi with him, and his Cultivation progressed a bit faster.

In the dream world, only half a year passed, and Song Yan had already pushed his Cultivation to the limit of Level 8 Qi Refining.

However, without the help of a Breakthrough Pill, this obstacle of breaking through the Bottleneck made Song Yan delay for quite some time.

On this day, clouds surged through the valley.

Song Yan’s robes slowly billowed, moving with the wind.

The abundant spiritual power of Level 8 Qi Refining flowed continuously through his Meridians, following the Qi Condensation Chapter’s Cultivation Technique route.

Strands of Sword Qi vigorously regenerated within the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion, but now the Mansion was overflowing with Sword Qi, and his Cultivation no longer increased.

It was as if he had encountered an invisible and intangible barrier, limiting his Cultivation to this small pool.

However, day after day, and impact after impact, finally created some cracks in this barrier.

The spiritual power and Sword Qi within his body were like two flowing rivers, constantly pounding against the barrier.

Though lacking the magnificent explosive power of a Medicinal Pill, it was still capable of wearing down stone with drops of water.

At a certain moment.

"Boom!"

With a silent roar, the Bottleneck was finally broken through!

Level 9 Qi Refining Realm!

The intense pain of both his Dantian Qi Sea and Zhen Dao Sword Mansion breaking through almost made him bite through his teeth.

Amidst the sharp pain, inspiration struck, and he gradually guided the Sword Qi from the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion to entwine with his spiritual power, circulating through his extraordinary Meridians.

The sensation of intense pain indeed eased a bit.

His previously weakened Aura gradually stabilized, and then the Aura belonging to Level 9 Qi Refining gradually became more magnificent.

Spiritual power surged through his limbs and bones, and Sword Qi hummed within the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion.

Song Yan exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, slowly circulated his spiritual power, and consolidated his Realm according to the Cultivation Technique route of Level 9 Qi Refining.

However, before he could complete a few cycles of the Cultivation Technique, the Old Man in a Straw Raincoat had already stood up.

"So slow."

The Old Man in a Straw Raincoat’s fishing rod trembled slightly, and ripples suddenly appeared in the pond water.

The ripples were initially calm, but in an instant, they transformed into a surging whirlpool. Song Yan felt the mountain rock beneath his feet tremble. Before he could react, he saw the pond water explode.

A dark Dragon-shaped figure burst out of the water!

"Ah..."

Its horns resembled a deer, its head a camel, its eyes a rabbit, its neck a snake, its belly a clam, its scales a fish, its claws an eagle, its palms a tiger, and its ears an ox.

Song Yan stared blankly at the dark Dragon, his heart churning with shock: "A Dragon..."

In this immortal Dao world, even Qilins exist, so it stands to reason that the legendary "Dragons" also truly exist in the world.

But knowing and actually seeing are two completely different matters.

Now, right before his eyes, there was a Dragon!

The Dragon’s body coiled like spilled ink, its head held high as it let out a long roar, its sound waves shaking the clouds and mist throughout the entire valley, scattering them outwards.

"That’s enough, stop dawdling."

The Old Man in a Straw Raincoat waved his sleeve, and the dark Dragon suddenly swooped down.

The sky and earth instantly darkened.

The last image in his pupils was the Wu Mountain Valley, slowly dissipating like ink washed away by clear water.

A chill surged over him.

Song Yan opened his eyes, still in this secluded Wu Mountain Valley.

The surrounding vitality had vanished, leaving only the sound of the massive waterfall.

Judging by the sky, it was still around 3-5 AM.

Such a Divine Ability was truly profound.

Feeling his genuine Level 9 Qi Refining Cultivation, Song Yan now felt a bit of regret. If he had brought Xiao He and Xiao Ju along earlier...

The Old Man in a Straw Raincoat urged, "Hurry, hurry."

Song Yan quickly stepped forward and placed the Jade Slip in the small indentation again.

Bang.

With a soft sound, the Jade Slip seemed to be crushed by some invisible, immense force, transforming into wisps of light green spiritual light.

The spiritual light drifted in the air, then landed at Song Yan’s feet, gathering into a circular, peculiar pattern.

The Old Man in a Straw Raincoat reminded him, "Once you enter the Sect, remember to refine it first."

Refine? Refine what?

Before he could ask.

The pattern suddenly glowed, and Song Yan, surrounded by spiritual light, couldn’t see the surrounding scenery clearly.

At a certain moment, as the flowing light dissipated, he too vanished.

...

The Old Man in a Straw Raincoat stood alone in the cold wind, looking down at the mountains.

Just a moment after the Jade Slip shattered, he vaguely felt that some kind of shackles binding him between heaven and earth had been destroyed.

"Hmph..."

"Old Dog Zhong Min, fortunately, you kept your word."

He muttered to himself, then looked back at the spot where Song Yan had disappeared: "Sword Cultivator, Sword Cultivator..."

"In the end, they all have that same bad temper."

He shook his head, then transformed into a blue-purple stream of light and vanished into the horizon... In a flash, Song Yan found himself standing before a massive mountain gate.

He looked behind him, where there was a vast sea of clouds and a perilous mountain chasm.

A wisp of fragmented cyan jade flowing light drifted from an unknown place, slowly condensing before him.

It re-formed into a small Jade Slip.

"Eh?"

It could actually return to its original state?

After a brief recollection, it seemed the refinement the Old Man in a Straw Raincoat mentioned was to refine this item?

Being new to the place, Song Yan dared not act rashly. He decided to first refine this item as the old man had instructed.

Sword Qi and Divine Sense both sank into it, refining it.

After the refinement was complete, he learned the true name of this item.

"Tai Xu Sword Nurturing Seal."

This item had three uses.

Firstly, it served as an identity token for Sword Sect Disciples, recording their identity information.

However, since the Sword Sect was now deserted, having this identity information seemed to make little difference.

Secondly, it was used to open the protective Formation, allowing Disciples to return within the mountain gate.

However, the instructions stated that at least a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivation was required to open it, and he didn’t know why he, at Level 9 Qi Refining, could use it.

Thinking about it, he still felt a bit shocked. In those days, Disciples within the Sect needed to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm before they could descend the mountain and leave, otherwise they couldn’t return.

Perhaps at that time, Foundation Establishment was just a very small threshold.

Song Yan was very interested in the last function.

Within the Jade Slip was an extremely short basic Cultivation Technique of the Sword Sect, sharing the same name as the Jade Slip itself: Tai Xu Sword Nurturing Seal.

The main effect of this Cultivation Technique was to assist items like sword caskets and sword gourds in nurturing the Lifebound Flying Sword.

Secondly, it accumulated Sword Qi within this Jade Slip. Once enough Sword Qi was accumulated, it could transport the Sword Cultivator back to the Sword Sect through the portable teleportation Formation within the Jade Slip.

This was truly extraordinary.

In the future, if he wanted to escape from various troubles, he could use this item to return to the Sword Sect.

...

Song Yan suddenly fell into deep thought.

"Sword Sect Disciples, possessing such a treasure, why would they all be killed and thus annihilated..."

Were their opponents truly so powerful that they couldn’t even use this Jade Slip before perishing?

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath, put away the Jade Slip, and walked up the mountain gate.

Standing outside the mountain gate, this scene was one he had previously seen as an ink-wash illusion within the liangyi pearl.

Song Yan’s mood at this moment was undoubtedly complex.

Finally being in the true Sword Sect, he couldn’t help but feel a mix of joy and excitement.

However, the Sect was utterly silent, and the desolation of knowing it was long deserted also arose.

At this moment, a myriad of emotions churned within him, a mix of five flavors.

The stone steps beneath his feet were somewhat cold, as he walked up the mountain, step by step.

To the left of the mountain gate, there was a huge black jade stele.

Two sharp, incisive characters were carved on the stele with a Flying Sword.

"Sword Sect."

...In the vast Sword Sect, Song Yan was the only one.

Utter silence.

Beneath the distant sky, mountains encircled, with green peaks and fields. Where clouds and mist lingered, a magnificent palace complex was faintly visible.

Beneath the cold mountain to the northeast, there was a vast, clear pond.

A fairyland on earth.

However, Song Yan, who was strolling through the mountain gate, stopped before a small bamboo forest path.

He was blocked by something.

Stepping forward, his vision suddenly shifted, and he actually walked out from the other side again?

"A maze Formation? It also seems like a trapping Formation."

To combine the effects of a maze Formation and a trapping Formation before this small bamboo forest path, the Formation master’s skill was astonishing.

Song Yan summoned his Flying Sword and placed it horizontally before the Formation to test it.

A translucent golden light barrier slowly appeared on the bamboo forest path ahead. Upon closer inspection, it was a protective Formation woven from countless dense Sword Qi.

"Sure enough, there’s still a protective Formation."

He tentatively and slowly extended a finger to touch it. The light barrier immediately rippled, and a soft yet irresistible force bounced his finger away.

Although Song Yan felt extreme regret, he had actually expected it.

The Sect Master’s message left in the liangyi pearl had said that if one could advance to the Golden Core Realm, they could enter the inner Sect and inherit the Dao tradition.

Song Yan roughly tried it. This Formation, which separated the inner and outer Sect, seemed to allow entry with a Disciple Jade Slip as long as one was in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Now that he had broken through to Level 9 Qi Refining, he was only one step away from Foundation Establishment.

"Once I establish my Dao Foundation, I’ll just come back with that Disciple Jade Slip."

Song Yan lowered his head with a slight regret, looking at the humming liangyi pearl in his hand, and sighed.

Just as he stepped into the mountain gate, the liangyi pearl flew out of his robes on its own, its black and white colors swirling madly, and complex patterns he had never seen before appeared on its surface.

Presumably, there were many good things within the inner Sect.

For some reason, he thought of the Old Man in a Straw Raincoat.

In the old man’s words, he called this pearl a "buckle pearl."

"Buckle pearl..."

It sounded very much like a part of something.

"Just a part of some treasure, and it already has such divine effects?"

Song Yan could hardly imagine how powerful the complete treasure would be.

"What could it be?"

A Daoist robe? Unlikely... A sword sheath? Doesn’t quite fit... Song Yan amused himself with guesses.

Meanwhile, he began to meticulously search all accessible areas along the outer Sect’s buildings.

Unfortunately, it was clear that the Seniors of the outer Sect had not anticipated that a junior would one day diligently search for treasures here, so they had left nothing for him.

There were only some Bigu Pill (Bigu Dan - Grain Abstinence Pills) that had long since expired, and a few Medicinal Pills that Song Yan couldn’t even recognize.

Most Jade Bottles were empty, and the bamboo slips on the bookshelves in some residences had long since weathered away, with no Jade Slips to be found.

Just as he was about to give up, he actually found a small wooden hut on the mountain.

Beside a small waterfall, it was unknown which immortal Senior’s dwelling it was.

The small wooden hut was naturally empty, but he found some books about Medicinal Pills, several small bottles, and a strange Pill Furnace with a rather indescribable appearance.

Initially, Song Yan felt as if he had found a treasure.

Unexpectedly, they were just some ordinary-grade Spirit Pills and an introductory classic on Medicinal Pills.

It seemed only the front part of the book had been read, because after a certain annotation, there were no more signs of it being turned.

"Alchemy, this side path, I, Si Xiangqing, will not learn it!"

It seemed that this Senior, Si Xiangqing, initially wanted to try Alchemy but gave up halfway.

However... seeing the handwriting in this introductory classic, Song Yan’s eyes widened.

This handwriting.

How could it be so familiar?!

He took out the rubbing of the Thousand Pills Formulas from his qiankun bag and reread the section on Sword Qi Pill Refining.

Sure enough, those delicate yet somewhat sharp annotated brushstrokes were identical to the handwriting in the classic before him.

"This Senior Si Xiangqing... is that Senior Sister?"

What a coincidence!

He never expected that the "Sword Cultivator Senior Sister" mentioned in the Qian Dan Yi Fang was a Sword Sect Disciple.

His gaze suddenly fell upon the unsightly Pill Furnace.

Song Yan wasn’t very interested in this item. Since he could now perform Sword Qi Pill Refining, he didn’t need a Pill Furnace for fire-based Alchemy.

However, beneath the Pill Furnace, a Jade Slip with writing was faintly hidden.

His Divine Sense entered it, and the handwriting was lively and flowing.

"Hello, unfamiliar Junior Brother and Junior Sister!"

"I’m about to go on a long trip, and I suddenly remembered this Alchemy hut, so I came back to take a look."

"Although my Alchemy used to be nothing special, now that I use Sword Qi Pill Refining, it’s much handier."

"That blockhead Chen Yi insisted that Sword Qi Pill Refining required a specially made Pill Furnace, clearly looking down on my Sword Dao achievements."

"He specifically designed and forged a Sword Qi Pill Furnace for this method and gave it to me."

"I appreciate the thought, but this thing is really too ugly."

"I, myself, imitated it and re-forged a beautiful Azure Luan Pearl-Holding Sword Furnace. As for this old one... hehe."

"I’ll leave it to someone fated to find it."

"Unfamiliar outer Sect Junior Brother or Junior Sister, if you happen to come here and are interested in the Dao of Alchemy, feel free to take it."

"—Genius Sword Immortal, Si Xiangqing."

Looking at the Jade Slip with the message, Song Yan looked at the despised "ugly furnace" with a wry smile.

...

Song Yan held it in his hand, examining it closely. To be fair, it was indeed a bit ugly.

The furnace body was covered with intricate patterns, and the toad on the lid, with its bulging eyes and puffed cheeks, was truly not beautiful.

It turned out to be a Pill Furnace specially crafted by Senior Chen Yi for Sword Qi Pill Refining, so it should be helpful for Alchemy.

Song Yan placed it steadily on the ground, sat cross-legged, and a wisp of Sword Qi from his fingertip entered it.

Immediately, a sound erupted from within the furnace, as if an old object that hadn’t been used for many years needed preheating.

Then, the toad on the lid slowly floated up, and a circular Sword Qi field appeared between it and the base.

The toad squatted on it, spitting out wisps of Sword Qi from its mouth.

Maintaining the operation of this Sword Furnace.

"Oh?"

Song Yan was surprised.

For Sword Cultivators, Sword Dao Alchemy was much better than fire-based Alchemy, but there was one problem.

That is, for the Sword Qi field, if changes were needed, it severely tested the Cultivator’s mind and Sword Dao attainment.

And due to dispersion, Sword Cultivators needed to continuously and slowly inject Sword Qi, which invisibly increased the pressure of Alchemy.

However, this Pill Furnace could automatically capture the Sword Qi that dissipated from the field, which greatly reduced the adjustments the Cultivator needed to make to the Sword Qi injection.

The Cultivator only needed to concentrate fully and adjust the changes in Sword Qi.

Moreover, several standard changes in the Sword Qi field could also be completed by this Pill Furnace.

The Sword Cultivator only needed to make some fine adjustments, greatly reducing the pressure of Alchemy.

Song Yan secretly praised, this Senior Brother Chen Yi, seemed not as simple as he claimed.