Sluggish Progress and Suspicious Lists

Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing had completed their purchases, returning to the manor. It was then that Su Hanxing suddenly recalled Chi Qiu’s earlier remark about her sluggish cultivation progress.

“Indeed,” Chi Qiu confirmed with a nod. “My current cultivation speed is less than one-twelfth of what it once was. It must be due to the low-grade nature of my cultivation method.” She then led Su Hanxing to either side of the manor’s front courtyard.

The manor sprawled across a vast area. Beyond its grand entrance lay a covered front courtyard, where several golden osmanthus trees bloomed. Moon-shaped archways separated guest rooms on both sides of this courtyard.

“You can stay here,” Chi Qiu said, as they reached one of the archways. She gestured towards the guest room beyond it, then turned to Su Hanxing.

“The environment here is quite pleasant,” Su Hanxing remarked, surveying the front courtyard with a satisfied nod. Taking a seat on a stone stool in the courtyard, Su Hanxing inquired, “What grade is your cultivation method?”

“Earth-tier, supreme grade,” Chi Qiu replied, settling onto her own stone stool. Her hands moved without pause, retrieving a mortar, osmanthus flowers, and honey from her storage artifact, ready to begin grinding.

“Earth-tier, supreme grade?” Su Hanxing mused, a puzzled expression crossing his face as he watched Chi Qiu busy herself. That shouldn’t be the case.

“The upper limit for Earth-tier methods is the Dharma Manifestation Realm,” Chi Qiu explained. “I’m already in the God Concealing stage, quite close to that peak. Isn’t it normal for my cultivation speed to gradually slow down?” Despite the sudden drastic reduction, Chi Qiu felt a touch of helplessness, yet her fighting spirit remained undimmed.

One must remember, she thought, her previous body’s cultivation talent was far inferior. Even at this current, slower pace, it’s still much faster than before.

“It’s certainly normal for cultivation speed to decrease as one’s realm advances,” Su Hanxing acknowledged, stroking his chin in thought. “However, dropping to less than one-twelfth of its former pace is an overly drastic difference. There must be another reason.”

“Oh? So it’s not entirely because of the method?” Chi Qiu paused her work, looking up at Su Hanxing.

“There must be another reason,” Su Hanxing asserted after a brief moment of contemplation, quickly arriving at his conclusion. “Given that the cultivation speed began to decline in the God Concealing stage, it should be related to the soul.”

“Then it must be the ‘incompatibility of body and soul’ that Senior Yinglong spoke of,” Chi Qiu mused, finding his reasoning quite sound. She continued,

“Hanxing, have you ever collected any spirit plants with innate Dao patterns? This item would be immensely useful to me.” Since it’s a matter of body and soul incompatibility, she thought, this needs to be prioritized quickly. With this realization, Chi Qiu urgently questioned Su Hanxing.

“Such items are exceedingly rare,” Su Hanxing replied. “Moreover, I’ve had so many pressing matters within the Tianyan Sect that I haven’t had time to search.” To arrive at the Imperial City as soon as possible, Su Hanxing had tirelessly rushed back and forth within the Tianyan Sect, handling countless affairs day and night, leaving him no leisure to seek out what Chi Qiu needed.

“The Imperial City has Qibao Hall,” Su Hanxing pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Why not purchase them there?”

“This…” Chi Qiu paused for a beat, then replied, “I’m quite penniless; I have no spare funds.”

“Hehehehe…” Su Hanxing chuckled, a faint smile playing on his lips. “I possess ample wealth; I can procure them for Little Chi.”

“There’s no need,” Chi Qiu declined Su Hanxing’s offer of assistance. “I can slowly save up myself.”

Hearing this, Su Hanxing simply nodded, refraining from further words.

“May I have a look at the list of individuals targeted and eliminated by the Tianyan Sect leader?” Chi Qiu asked. Having finished her grinding, she poured a golden, paste-like substance from the mortar and carefully put it away.

“Since it’s already been transcribed, it’s naturally for your viewing,” Su Hanxing affirmed with a nod, retrieving a scroll and handing it to Chi Qiu.

“Thank you,” Chi Qiu replied, accepting the scroll and unrolling it to read.

In mere moments, Chi Qiu had scanned all the names on the list. As she observed the annotations — “cultivator,” “mortal,” and so forth — appended to each name, she suddenly noticed something peculiar. Chi Qiu closed the scroll, then asked with a bewildered expression, “Why are there no members of ancient aristocratic families or renowned sect disciples?”

“Perhaps their numbers are too few?” Su Hanxing conjectured, shaking his head. “After all, over eighty percent of those on this simplified list are rogue cultivators.”

“But there are nearly sixty cultivators, aren’t there?” Chi Qiu countered. “To my knowledge, rogue cultivators are extremely rare in the cultivation world, difficult to find even one among a hundred. Could it be that everyone on this list is a rogue cultivator?”

While Chi Qiu couldn’t claim to recognize every major sect and aristocratic family, she certainly knew the most prominent ones. The absence of any familiar surnames on the list naturally sparked her suspicion.

“Not exactly,” Su Hanxing clarified. “Thirty of the cultivators on the list are rogue cultivators, with the majority of the remainder belonging to minor sects.” Having thoroughly investigated everyone on the list, he answered Chi Qiu’s questions with ease.

“Even so, I still find it highly suspicious,” Chi Qiu stated, her small face still taut after hearing Su Hanxing’s reply. “Thirty rogue cultivators… that proportion is simply too astonishing.”

Su Hanxing had previously worried that if one disciple were assigned to handle ten individuals, even if a Tianyan Sect disciple appeared among those responsible, there would be at most one or two, which wouldn’t be particularly strange.

“However, when all are tallied together, it becomes profoundly unsettling. This matter requires careful, prolonged investigation.” Chi Qiu returned the scroll to Su Hanxing, her small face set in a stern expression.

“Little Chi, you should prioritize enhancing your own strength before delving into this matter, lest you encounter danger,” Su Hanxing advised. He took the scroll, activated the true qi within his body, channeled it into his palm, and with a swift wave, reduced the scroll to dust.

This matter is absolutely not simple… Chi Qiu nodded in agreement, recognizing that improving her strength was indeed the most crucial task at hand.

“Little Chi, since you need those spirit plants with innate Dao patterns, we could venture into the vast mountains and rivers to search for them,” Su Hanxing suggested with a sudden smile, skillfully changing the subject. “I possess a treasure-seeking art; this method isn’t some far-fetched fantasy.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Chi Qiu’s eyes brightened. “After all, the grand assembly is still several years away. Even if we don’t find the spirit plants with innate Dao patterns, we could still uncover other treasures.” She felt this suggestion resonated deeply with her.

“By the way, Little Chi, how many spirit plants with innate Dao patterns do you need?” Su Hanxing inquired.

“Nine stalks,” Chi Qiu replied without hesitation, truthfully stating, “Excluding the one Nine-Petaled Azure Lotus I already possess, I still need eight more.”

“You need so many?” Su Hanxing exclaimed, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“It’s for the body-reconstruction method I purchased,” Chi Qiu explained. “Besides the Dao plants, it also requires Dual Energies and True Lunar/Solar Force.” She then retrieved the simplified text for the Profound Spirit Body and handed it to Su Hanxing.

“Good heavens, these are all incredibly rare treasures!” Su Hanxing exclaimed, taking the simplified text and reading it carefully.

“It’s actually a secret technique,” Su Hanxing remarked after finishing the text, handing it back to Chi Qiu. “No wonder you’re so hard-pressed for funds, Little Chi. You even sold the Ink Jade Longsword I gave you.”

“These nine Dao plants can be sought slowly,” he continued. “However, the Dual Energies are far more precious, and the amount required for body reconstruction will undoubtedly be substantial. Fortunately…”

The materials required for the “Profound Spirit Body” were enough to make anyone gasp in awe.

“Fortunately what?” Chi Qiu pressed, her spirits lifting. She had never even heard of Dual Energies before, and now Su Hanxing seemed to have some insight.

“The Daqi National Treasury surely holds such an item,” Su Hanxing revealed with a smile. “At the next grand assembly, if you can make it into the top four, Little Chi, you’ll earn the right to choose any rare treasure from the treasury.”

“So that’s how it is,” Chi Qiu nodded, her eyes now gleaming with anticipation for the grand assembly four years hence. “It seems I need to prepare thoroughly for this event.”

“Little Chi, how do you plan to prepare for the grand assembly?” Su Hanxing immediately asked, noticing Chi Qiu’s burgeoning interest in the event. “Will you continue cultivating your realm, or venture out to search for Dao plants?”

“Neither,” Chi Qiu replied. “I intend to reside here for an extended period, practicing secret techniques and divine abilities, and comprehending the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.” Su Hanxing was surprised. Neither option directly boosts Chi Qiu’s strength, yet these two methods could rapidly increase her power.

“That could work,” Su Hanxing nodded, approving Chi Qiu’s idea. “Listening to you, Little Chi, have you gained some understanding of the elusive Great Dao of Heaven and Earth?” His interest piqued by her words, he immediately pressed for details.

“One could say I’ve taken a shortcut,” Chi Qiu explained. “Senior Yinglong imparted to me nine Yinglong Combat Diagrams. As a born divine beast, Senior Yinglong’s every movement naturally aligns with the Great Dao. In truth, I will be comprehending these nine diagrams.”

Chi Qiu recalled that Su Hanxing had not been present when she received the nine Dao diagrams, and thus was unaware of the matter, prompting her explanation.

“That truly is a fortunate encounter…” Su Hanxing nodded, a hint of envy in his tone, but he did not press for further details.

“Would you like to experience it?” Chi Qiu immediately invited, noticing Su Hanxing’s apparent interest in matters of the Great Dao. “Summon your great pike, and let’s try sparring with our physical bodies.”

With that, Chi Qiu rose, spun, and flicked her skirt, adopting a stance ready for combat.

“Oh? That could certainly work,” Su Hanxing’s eyes lit up. “Let me see what level your comprehension of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth has reached, Little Chi.” He, too, rose, and with a mere grab, conjured a great pike from thin air.

“Little Chi, aren’t you going to wear armor?” Su Hanxing asked, his pike held upright, seeing Chi Qiu prepared to spar with him dressed only in a white gown.

“I trust you,” Chi Qiu replied, shaking her head. “With your control, you certainly won’t harm me.” Donning armor was quite troublesome; since this wasn’t a life-or-death battle, fewer complications were naturally better.

“Since Little Chi trusts me so much, I certainly won’t disappoint you,” Su Hanxing declared. “Come, take my first pike strike.”

Hearing Chi Qiu’s words, Su Hanxing’s mood brightened considerably. He brandished his great pike, instantly thrusting out dozens of pike shadows that dazzled the eye, making it impossible to discern which was real and which was merely an illusion.

Chi Qiu’s expression remained calm, devoid of any fear. Her feet flashed, and she charged directly into the multitude of pike shadows.