Free Web NovelChapter 75: Chapter 48: Flowing Water Grotto Heaven
Sunsets give way to sunrises, autumns to returns; the Great Thousand Worlds are caught in an endless cycle.
On this clear, breezy day, a jiao dragon floated lazily on the surface of the Celestial Pool, sighing with contentment. ’The life of a spirit beast in an Immortal Family is truly beyond compare to that of some great demon.’
’This pool may be small, but the Spiritual Qi is incredibly abundant. When I’m tired of cultivating, I can go for a swim in the marsh. I don’t have to worry about human Cultivators, or the lackeys from the Dragon Palace, coming to hunt me down...’
’I’ve grown weary of cultivating recently. I might as well go to Yunmeng Marsh and stretch my muscles.’
Lieyun was just about to head ashore when it suddenly looked up. It saw a streak of white light tear through the thick clouds, descend upon the summit of Chongyun Peak, and fall into Xuzhuang’s cave residence.
Inside the quiet room, Xuzhuang suddenly moved. Reaching out, he plucked a Talisman Book glowing with white light from within a restrictive ward. A quick scan brought a look of joy to his face. "Finally, I can go cultivate in the Flowing Water Grotto Heaven."
It was a message from Dongzhen Hall. The Flowing Water Grotto Heaven now had an open spot, and Xuzhuang was required to go there within ten days to enter the Grotto Heaven for cultivation.
Xuzhuang put away the Talisman Book, but he didn’t get up in a hurry. He pointed a Magic Formula in front of him, and a torrent of golden qi continued the refining process.
Four or five days passed like this before the golden qi gradually receded, revealing the object within.
A small sword hung suspended in the air. It shone with a brilliant, platinum light, its Sword Qi soaring to the heavens. One glance was enough to know it contained an incomparable sharpness, as if once unleashed, it would not rest until it had sundered heaven and earth and parted rivers.
This was the Great Destruction Geng Gold Sword, into which all the Geng Metal Essence Qi from a block of Western Dage True Gold had been refined. However, its current appearance was not quite to Xuzhuang’s liking. Xuzhuang frowned slightly, formed a new Magic Formula with his hand, and muttered, "Retract."
Only then did the Great Destruction Geng Gold Sword’s Sword Qi retract, revealing its original blade.
"That’s better." Xuzhuang smiled and plucked the Great Destruction Geng Gold Sword into his hand. At this moment, the sword showed not the slightest hint of sharpness. Whether caressing it in his palm or scanning it with his Spiritual Sense, he couldn’t discern its power. It seemed to have become an ordinary little iron sword.
After a moment’s thought, Xuzhuang used the Great Destruction Geng Gold Sword as a hairpin, replacing the jade bamboo stick he usually used. He casually tied up his slightly disheveled hair, nodded in satisfaction, then extended his palm again. The Truth Condensing Pot fell into his hand. Only then did he straighten his robes, rise, and walk out of the quiet room.
As he stepped out of his residence, he saw Lieyun peering about at the entrance. Seeing Xuzhuang emerge, it cried out in delight, "Master!"
Xuzhuang nodded and glanced at the two large bumps on its head. It had been refining Marquis Fuhai’s Jiao Pearl for a long time yet hadn’t even managed to grow its jiao horns. He scolded, "Why are you so lazy with your cultivation?"
Lieyun shrank its head back and said sheepishly, "This humble beast has been cultivating very diligently."
Xuzhuang said flatly, "You’d better have been. I’m about to leave for Dongzhen Hall. While I’m gone, you are to stay on Chongyun Peak and cultivate properly. No slacking."
Lieyun said with a fawning smile, "Master is going to cultivate in a Grotto Heaven. Can’t you take this humble beast with you?"
"In your dreams." Xuzhuang laughed, not bothering to entertain the little beast’s notion. He leaped up, rode the wind through two more layers of clouds, and streaked away in a beam of light. In just a moment, the majestic Dongzhen Hall appeared amidst the clouds.
Xuzhuang urged his light forward, crossing dozens of li with a Shuer before landing at the entrance of Dongzhen Hall. Looking up, he saw the True Monarch Dharma Aspect within the hall was unchanged—a divine wheel shone, holding up stars, as if it were eternal.
Xuzhuang strode through the hall’s doors. The old Daoist behind a side desk opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon him.
Xuzhuang bowed and said, "Greetings, Venerable."
The old Daoist stroked his beard. "Are you prepared to enter the Flowing Water Grotto Heaven?"
Xuzhuang affirmed that he was. The old Daoist nodded, rose from behind the desk, and said, "Go and enter a meditative state before the True Monarch Dharma Aspect."
Xuzhuang bowed again and walked slowly to the base of the True Monarch Dharma Aspect. Seeing a cattail cushion on the floor, he sat upon it. He gave another bow toward the Dharma Aspect, then closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
In the stillness of his meditation, Xuzhuang seemed to hear the distant cries of cranes and birds, the gurgling of flowing water, and the crashing of waterfalls. Without realizing it, he became engrossed, as if falling asleep...
Suddenly, the cries of cranes, the gurgling water, and the crashing waterfalls grew closer and closer. Then, all at once, his ears were filled with a great SPLASHING sound. Xuzhuang startled awake and opened his eyes, only to find that the world had changed around him. He was in mid-air, supported by a gentle wind, slowly drifting downward.
"So this is the Flowing Water Grotto Heaven?" Xuzhuang gazed out. Below him was a landscape of water and mountains. Among the overlapping peaks were cascading waterfalls, mountain streams, and deep, turquoise pools. A watery mist filled the air, and a deep breath felt like drinking sweet dew, a celestial nectar that permeated his very being.
This picturesque landscape was not particularly vast. A glance was enough to see its edge: an abrupt void. All the flowing water, upon reaching the edge, plunged straight down into the unknown.
The Flowing Water Grotto Heaven certainly lived up to the "flowing water" in its name. But according to what Xuzhuang knew, that wasn’t the true meaning behind it.
Xuzhuang circulated his energy to feel his internal state and, as expected, discovered something was amiss.
With a Cultivator’s perception, there was no need to observe the Celestial Time or use any tools to feel the passage of every minute and second. No matter how long one cultivated, having lost track of time in the mountains, a simple mental calculation was all it took to know the current year.
But after arriving here, Xuzhuang’s perception of time had become distorted. He had been slowly drifting down from the sky for at least a quarter of an hour, but according to his internal senses, only a tenth of that time had passed.
What was even more astonishing was that this wasn’t just a discrepancy between his internal and external senses. Xuzhuang could feel that the passage of his own lifespan was also at one-tenth the rate of the outside world! In other words, cultivating for ten years inside the Flowing Water Grotto Heaven meant only one year passed outside, and he would only age by one year!
’What an incredible Flowing Water Grotto Heaven! What kind of law is being manipulated here? And what kind of Divine Techniques did the Revival Ancestor Grandmaster who created this Grotto Heaven, Jade Longevity True Monarch, possess?’
Even though Xuzhuang had learned about the differences between the various Grotto Heavens before entering, he was still shaken. He only quelled his awe after landing on a mountain peak.
Xuzhuang flicked his sleeves and landed on the peak. A brief sweep of his Spiritual Sense told him that no one else was cultivating on this mountain. Although the Flowing Water Grotto Heaven didn’t seem large, encountering a fellow sect member also cultivating within was actually quite rare.
Xuzhuang searched casually around the mountain and discovered a cave hidden behind a waterfall. It was very secluded. He entered it, placed a simple restrictive ward at the entrance as a warning, and prepared to cultivate.
It wasn’t that Xuzhuang was too lazy to be picky. The Flowing Water Grotto Heaven was not without its flaws. Despite the picturesque landscapes and Immortal Family scenery everywhere, the spiritual machination and Spiritual Qi were not particularly abundant—far inferior to the Spirit Mountains and Spirit Peaks of the Tai Su Sect.
Therefore, when cultivating in the Flowing Water Grotto Heaven, the choice of location wasn’t important. Spirit Stones, medicinal pills, the Golden Core, and Spiritual Truth were what was truly needed.
The ten-year cultivation limit set by Dongzhen Hall equated to a hundred years in the Flowing Water Grotto Heaven. With the Glazed Truth Condensing Pot, he had more than enough spiritual machination. However, it was doubtful whether the Sixth-Transformation Golden Core he possessed would be enough to support his cultivation to completion, let alone to the great accomplishment of the Golden Core stage.
Fortunately, for now at least, Xuzhuang didn’t need to worry about that. He took the Truth Condensing Pot from his sleeve and repeated his old trick, spitting out a mouthful of hazy vapor to suspend it in the air. Condensed Spiritual Truth trickled down, which he refined with his Magical Power into a mist that soon filled the entire cave.
