Dan Sect, the courtyard where Nie Qi was staying.
The clear sky suddenly changed color as dark clouds gathered, and between heaven and earth, the vast natural spiritual energy, as if pulled by some invisible force, converged madly toward the center of the courtyard, turning into a visible spiritual energy vortex.
“Buzz—”
A sharp whistle echoed through the clouds, and a highly condensed golden sword light soared into the sky from the courtyard.
The sharp edge instantly tore through the sky, cutting a gap in the thick dark clouds as golden sunlight poured down, reflecting the tall figure of the sword light’s master slowly walking out of the room.
At this moment, the aura on Nie Qi’s body was several times stronger than before, and his eyes were as sharp as an unsheathed sword.
Behind him, a huge sword shadow loomed, accompanying him at all times.
“Fusion Realm, Fifth Stage……”
Nie Qi clenched his fists, feeling the surging spiritual power in his body, a satisfied smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
He hadn’t expected that after being stimulated by that kid’s talk of dual cultivation in Spirit Medicine City, he would actually touch the threshold of advancement.
After these ten-plus days of secluded cultivation, he had directly broken through to the Fifth Stage of the Fusion Realm.
Although there was still some gap compared to Tai Lingxuan, he had finally caught up a little.
Nie Qi thought to himself, his gaze turning toward the direction of Spirit Medicine City with a trace of complex emotion in his eyes.
“Congratulations on your breakthrough, Master!”
At this moment, a crisp female voice came.
…
Yan Luo, dressed in a fiery red dress, quickly approached the courtyard gate and bowed to Nie Qi, her pretty face filled with joy.
Nie Qi smiled slightly and waved his hand: “No need for such formalities, Yan Luo. While I was in seclusion, how has the Pill Conference been progressing?”
“Reporting to Master, the fourth match of the first round of the Pill Conference has just ended. Tomorrow will be the final match to decide the candidates for the second round.”
Yan Luo straightened up and replied.
Nie Qi nodded and continued to ask: “Did anything else happen while I was in seclusion?”
Yan Luo blinked, thought for a moment, and said: “Nothing major happened, but previously, Senior Long Zhizheng of the Qiankun Sect went to cause trouble for the Hehuan Sect, making things a bit unpleasant!”
Nie Qi’s expression changed abruptly, his eyes instantly becoming sharp: “Senior Long Zhizheng? What did he go to the Hehuan Sect for?”
Yan Luo shook her head: “The specific reason isn’t very clear to me. I only know that that day, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Senior Long went to find Tai Lingxuan, the Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect, questioning how her breakthrough speed was so fast and suspecting she used some unorthodox demonic cultivation method, wanting to take her away for investigation.”
“What?!”
Nie Qi’s face couldn’t help but turn gloomy, and the golden sword qi around him began to grow restless: “What happened after that? Lingxuan… oh no, Sect Master Tai, she……”
Yan Luo couldn’t help but secretly roll her eyes at her master.
As soon as Tai Lingxuan was mentioned, her master became so nervous.
“Don’t worry, Master, Sect Master Tai is fine. Although Senior Long was aggressive, he didn’t gain any advantage. Instead, he was rebutted by Chen Yuyang’s words to the point where he couldn’t back down, and in the end, he could only leave dejectedly.”
“Chen Yuyang, it’s that kid…”
Nie Qi was slightly stunned: “You mean, he rebutted Long Zhizheng on the spot and left him speechless?”
“Exactly……”
“Good kid, that’s a Mahayana Realm expert… but then again, it’s fine. This kid couldn’t stand to see his master being insulted.”
As he spoke, Nie Qi couldn’t help but think of something and glanced at Yan Luo.
Yan Luo also thought of that unpleasant memory, pursed her lips, and said nothing.
“But how did Long Zhizheng know that Tai Lingxuan broke through quickly? Tai Lingxuan isn’t the type to show off and talk nonsense everywhere.”
Nie Qi suddenly asked again with some confusion.
“That should be because the commotion when Sect Master Tai broke through was too great, attracting too much attention.”
Nie Qi’s pupils suddenly widened again: “She broke through again?”
“Yes, she broke through again, and during the time you were in seclusion, Master, she broke through a total of… anyway, several times. Now she has entered the Ninth Stage of the Fusion Realm.”
“Even my grandfather said that Sect Master Tai is a peerless genius rarely seen in ten thousand years. When she gained enlightenment, I even saw the manifestation of the chains of the Laws of Heaven and Earth.”
“That scene was quite spectacular.”
Yan Luo said as she recalled what she had seen, feeling another wave of emotion.
Hearing this, Nie Qi was completely dumbfounded, and a stormy sea surged in his heart.
He had just broken through to the Fifth Stage of the Fusion Realm and was still feeling smug about catching up to her a little.
He hadn’t expected that the other party had already reached such a terrifying realm.
The gap between him and her had not narrowed but had grown even wider!
A strong sense of frustration couldn’t help but well up in his heart, and Nie Qi’s expression looked a bit unpleasant.
After a long while, Nie Qi slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and asked in a raspy voice: “When was the most recent breakthrough?”
“Just last night, she officially broke through to the Ninth Stage of the Fusion Realm. The commotion at that time was even more extraordinary. The entire Spirit Medicine City could feel the fluctuations of the Laws of Heaven and Earth. Many cultivators took advantage of this opportunity to break through as well, and they are still thanking Sect Master Tai.”
…
Nie Qi remained silent.
In his youth, he had always taken Tai Lingxuan as the target to chase.
Later, the Hehuan Sect suffered a misfortune, leaving only Tai Lingxuan alone to guard the name of the Hehuan Sect.
During this time, he had been at Jianmen Mountain, moving from a guest elder to the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, and then later becoming the Vice Sect Master.
With countless sect resources leaning toward him, he finally managed to break through to the Fusion Realm at the age of forty-three, officially surpassing Tai Lingxuan.
However, Nie Qi didn’t feel any sense of victory because he knew that if she had received the same resources, Tai Lingxuan would only be stronger than him.
What Nie Qi didn’t expect, however……
Was that even without those resources, after entering the Fusion Realm, he was still crushed by her.
Thinking of this, Nie Qi couldn’t help but give a bitter smile, but then he felt gratified.
It’s fine, it’s fine……
With such talent and strength, perhaps the revival of the Hehuan Sect she hopes for will truly be realized one day.
On the other hand……
“Hmph, even I can’t catch up, so that brat definitely can’t.”
Nie Qi snorted with a bit of resentment.
“Let you act smug in front of me.”
“Dual cultivation, let you dual cultivate… you can’t catch up to your master’s realm, and the gap is getting wider and wider. Let’s see if you feel pressured.”
…
Inside the inn room.
Chen Yuyang sneezed for no reason and couldn’t help but feel strange.
Damn it, is someone cursing him behind his back?
It must be that old dog from the Qiankun Sect.
Although he didn’t know what that old dog was plotting or why he was so unhappy with the Hehuan Sect, in Chen Yuyang’s heart, Long Zhizheng had already been firmly noted down.
It was just that he wouldn’t settle the score for now.
“Yuyang, what’s wrong?”
Tai Lingxuan opened her eyes and asked with some concern.
“Master, I’m fine.”
Chen Yuyang shook his head, looking at the woman in front of him.
During these days, Chen Yuyang had hardly left Tai Lingxuan’s room, and the two had been dual cultivating.
Of course, it was the serious kind.
It was mainly to help Tai Lingxuan continue her breakthrough and stabilize her realm.
Tai Lingxuan had now successfully stepped into the Ninth Stage of the Fusion Realm, only one step away from the Mahayana Realm.
But breaking through too quickly also brought some hidden dangers, such as an unstable realm and an imbalance of Yin and Yang forces in her body, often causing her spiritual power to become restless.
Even if Chen Yuyang was reluctant in his heart, he could only use the method of dual cultivation to help her organize and adjust.
After all, his current relationship with her was one where they shared honor and disgrace.
Her increase in strength was equivalent to him becoming stronger.
And the benefits of dual cultivation went without saying.
During these days, because of the feedback during dual cultivation, Chen Yuyang’s realm had also soared all the way, and now he was at the Eighth Stage of the Golden Core Realm.
“Yuyang, do we still need to cultivate?”
At this moment, Tai Lingxuan, who had just regulated her Yin and Yang, had a slightly rapid breath, and fine beads of sweat gathered on her forehead, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto her high chest, soaking her already thin clothes.
Looking at the young man opposite her who was also struggling a bit, Tai Lingxuan continued: “Tomorrow is the last match of the first round of the Pill Conference, and it’s your turn to take the stage. How about we stop for today, take a rest, and relax?”
Chen Yuyang heard this, thought for a moment, and nodded: “That’s fine.”
Then, the young man changed the subject.
“Then today, let’s discuss the Dao with Master.”
“Discuss the Dao?”
Tai Lingxuan was amused by Chen Yuyang’s serious appearance: “You kid are only at the Golden Core Realm. What Dao could you possibly discuss with me?”
Chen Yuyang didn’t laugh; his expression was exceptionally solemn.
He knew that the Hehuan Sutra Tai Lingxuan practiced always had a huge flaw.
And this flaw would be the biggest obstacle when she tried to break through to the Mahayana Realm or even higher realms in the future.
Raising it early would allow them to avoid risks in the future.
Chen Yuyang looked up and casually gazed at the bright moon outside the window, saying: “Master, look, that moon has its waxing and waning, sometimes full and sometimes incomplete. This is the principle of the cycle of the Heavenly Dao.”
“The way of Yin and Yang is also the same; one side cannot be neglected.”
“And the Hehuan Sutra pursues a blind, extreme pure Yin. It seems powerful, but in reality, it has lost its essence, just like that overly full moon that will turn into a wane in an instant.”
The smile on Tai Lingxuan’s face gradually faded, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she fell into deep thought.
She naturally knew about the problems with the Hehuan Sutra.
It was just that she had been troubled by not knowing how to solve it and could only rely on external objects for reconciliation.
“Yuyang, you mean…”
Tai Lingxuan looked up at Chen Yuyang, a hint of expectation for his answer arising in her heart.
“The Hehuan Sutra doesn’t only have to rely on dual cultivation with others or extreme Yang external objects to balance Yin and Yang.”
“Master, look, I have a Solar Body, which is extremely hard and masculine, but I don’t have the problem of Yin and Yang imbalance.”
“This is because my constitution is natural and is not rejected by heaven and earth. I can naturally blend and harmonize with heaven and earth.”
“The flaw of the Hehuan Sutra lies in over-relying on external objects to harmonize Yin and Yang. Once the external objects are lost, the balance is lost.”
“But if one can comprehend the principle of the changes of Yin and Yang in nature, allowing oneself to blend and harmonize with heaven and earth, or even go a step further and treat oneself as heaven and earth, allowing Yin and Yang to circulate within the body, being both internal and external and growing endlessly, then such a problem will no longer exist.”
Hearing this, Tai Lingxuan’s whole body shook, and a brilliant light suddenly burst from her eyes.
For many years, certain bottlenecks that had troubled her were suddenly enlightened at this moment.
She had always believed that the core of the Hehuan Sutra was to refine the extreme Yin.
But she had never thought about jumping out of this framework, allowing this extreme Yin to blend with heaven and earth to achieve natural harmony.
Even treating oneself as heaven and earth, regarding this body as a world……
However…… although she had already realized a way out, it was not easy.
She needed to research a set of techniques, a set of techniques used to communicate with heaven and earth, allowing heaven and earth to participate in the process of harmonizing Yin and Yang.