Chapter 88: Cultivation

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Cultivation

The excitement surrounding the Inner Sect Disciple assessment had subsided, but the atmosphere in Purple Cloud Valley hadn’t relaxed. On the contrary, it grew even more tense. All the Inner Sect Disciples at the Body Tempering Realm were preparing for the upcoming Inner Sect trial.

On the back mountain of Purple Bamboo Peak, Liu Chen was practicing his swordsmanship. It was the third day after the Purple Bamboo Peak banquet—the twenty-first of August—with exactly ten days remaining until the start of the Inner Sect Disciple trial.

The edge of his Cyan Steel Sword traced a chilling arc of light. Within the bamboo shadows, an eight-petaled cyan lotus instantly bloomed. Sword Qi condensed into petals that hovered and spun in the air. For yards around, bamboo stalks snapped inch by inch, the fragments swept up by a fierce wind, coiling like a roaming dragon around the lotus platform. Any bamboo leaf that touched a petal disintegrated into dust, rustling as it fell. Amidst the hum of the sword, one could even hear the faint echo of Sanskrit chants.

[Cyan Lotus Demon-Slaying Sword Upper Chapter: Unique]

The cyan lotus dissipated in an instant. Liu Chen slowly opened his eyes, and upon seeing the wretched state of the bamboo grove, the joy from mastering his Cyan Lotus Demon-Slaying Sword to the Unique level faded, replaced by a sigh.

’The Cyan Lotus Sword Technique might have looked cool, but repairing the Bamboo Garden is a real mess.’

Liu Chen used the Recovery Technique to reattach most of the bamboo stalks. Even so, the grove, once so dense you couldn’t see through it, now looked sparse.

"Fortunately, the bamboo here are just offshoots of the true Cyan Bamboo. They can’t be used for cultivation by those in the Meridian Passage Realm."

Liu Chen sheathed his Cyan Steel Sword and breathed a sigh of relief. He could have afforded to pay for any damages, even to the real Cyan Bamboo, but he still would have felt bad about causing a loss through his own mistake.

Fortunately, the Cyan Bamboo was unharmed.

The Cyan Bamboo was unharmed, but Mo Xuan and Bai Qiulan, who had just withdrawn their Spiritual Sense from another bamboo grove, seemed troubled.

After retracting their Spiritual Sense, neither of them spoke. They were both still processing what they had just witnessed.

"Even the Grand Elder hasn’t mastered this Swordsmanship to such a level, has he?"

After a long silence, Bai Qiulan finally broke it. She didn’t know much about Swordsmanship, but Mo Xuan was a prodigy of the Sword Dao. The Grand Elder himself had even sparred with him in the past.

"He hasn’t." Mo Xuan shook his head and voiced his own confusion. "And can the Recovery Technique really affect a whole group at once?" He had long been aware of Liu Chen’s talent for Swordsmanship, but not this. After the Inner Sect Disciple assessment, he had noticed Liu Chen stopped practicing the Withering Skill and Recovery Technique, but he hadn’t pried, respecting his choice.

’Now it seems he didn’t give up on them. He just cultivated them to a point where he felt no further improvement was necessary.’

"The Recovery Technique at the Great Success level can’t do that."

Bai Qiulan shook her head. She was more skilled in Magic. Thanks to the Mo Family’s resources, she had mastered several types of Magic to the Great Success level, but even a Great Success Recovery Technique couldn’t be used with the ease Liu Chen had just displayed.

"Should we just make him a True Disciple directly?"

Bai Qiulan couldn’t help but make the suggestion. Previously, she had been worried about Liu Chen’s safety, but after witnessing his talent, that was no longer a concern. She had even been looking forward to him teaching the Nangong Family a lesson. Now, however, she felt it was unfair to the other disciples who would have to face him in the trial.

’As for the Nangong Family, their actions have been unsavory, but their ancestor and Mo Xuan have a history. At this rate, with Liu Chen’s talent... forget their unimpressive second son, even the Nangong Family’s eldest son probably couldn’t withstand a single blow.’

’If they really run into each other during the trial, none of the Nangong Family’s younger generation will make it back alive.’

"Let him participate in the trial. He’s been preparing for it this whole time, after all."

Mo Xuan shook his head. Liu Chen had been training all this time specifically for the trial. Suddenly barring him from it might crush his motivation to cultivate. If that happened, their most talented disciple could be ruined.

"Then you’d better be prepared for the Nangong Family to come knocking on our door."

Bai Qiulan nodded. If they really did cross paths, the chances of the Nangong Family’s younger members surviving were slim. Even a Body-Protecting Technique might prove useless.

"Liu Chen probably won’t use lethal force against the disciples of the other two great Immortal Sects."

Mo Xuan shook his head. "One thing’s for sure: if they meet, Nangong Ye will definitely get a beating, but it’s unlikely he’ll be killed."

’My Cyan Lotus Demon-Slaying Sword has reached the Unique level, so I have my Attacking Skill covered. Next, I’ll focus on improving my Body Protection Technique and Resting Technique to ensure my safety.’

Back in the Bamboo Garden, Liu Chen made his decision. The Body Protection Technique was to keep him from getting hurt, and the Resting Technique was to help him stay hidden.

Since he no longer needed to practice his Swordsmanship, he would save a lot of time. Liu Chen was confident he could advance both Magic skills to the Perfection level before the trial. As for reaching the Unique level, he wouldn’t deliberately pursue it for now.

If he could, Liu Chen planned to raise every Magic skill he’d mastered so far to the Perfection level. Then, during the trial, he would gradually push them toward the Unique level. After the trial was over, he should be ready to learn new Magic.

While Liu Chen was busy with his cultivation, every Inner Sect Disciple in the Body Tempering Realm throughout Purple Cloud Valley was doing the same. A tense atmosphere permeated the entire valley.

If the Inner Sect Disciple assessment had only made the Outer Sect Disciples nervous, this time, the entire Purple Cloud Valley was on edge.

If an Inner Sect Disciple were to fall, the investments made by Outer Sect Disciples would be for nothing. But that was the most trivial of the losses. The disciple’s master would be devastated, and the family backing them would suffer a major blow. Rising on the coattails of an Inner Sect Disciple meant bearing the associated risks.

The biggest loser of all, however, would be Purple Cloud Valley itself. Thus, everyone from top to bottom was trying to find ways to minimize potential casualties among the Inner Sect Disciples. The tense atmosphere permeated every corner of the valley.

「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」 It was now the twenty-fourth of August, with seven days left until the Inner Sect Disciple trial.

That morning, faint Spiritual Veins materialized on the surface of Liu Chen’s skin. They interlinked, forming the shape of Dragon Scales. Countless scales covered his body for a moment before fading away.

[Body Protection Technique: Perfection, 0/10000]

’The Spiritual Power consumption is the same, but its defensive power has increased.’

Liu Chen let out a long breath. With his current Spiritual Power recovery rate, he was just shy of being able to maintain the Body Protection Technique indefinitely. Perhaps he could achieve that once his Body Tempering Technique reached the Unique level, but not yet.

’But there’s no need to be disappointed. I have plenty of Spirit Stones, so I can just replenish my Spiritual Power whenever I need to.’

Without pausing, Liu Chen began cultivating the Resting Technique. His plan was proceeding smoothly. Perhaps after all his current Magic skills reached the Perfection level, he would still have enough time to evolve one to the Unique level.

In the afternoon, the Spiritual Veins of the Resting Technique slowly manifested before his eyes. The parts that once seemed obscure were now completely clear to him. As this happened, Liu Chen understood the path to making his Resting Technique Unique.

The Cultivator who created the Resting Technique had never reached the true Peak, so the skill couldn’t conceal the unique fluctuations of a cultivator at the Peak of their Realm. Liu Chen’s task was to perfect this flaw. If he succeeded, he would be able to hide his Cultivation at the Peak of any Realm he reached in the future.