94: Chapter 94 Cultivation within the Sect

"Bullshit!"

Another Elder immediately slammed the table and rose to his feet. "Our Sect's Disciple was insulted abroad and rose up to fight back. What wrong has he done? If you want to hand him over, I will be the first to disagree!"

Just as the Elders were arguing endlessly and panic was spreading among the people...

A sonorous voice, like a twilight drum or a morning bell, spread throughout the entire Tianyan Sect.

"Sect Master's Decree: True Disciple Chu Xiao has enhanced our Sect's prestige at the Tianyuan City Grand Competition, suppressing all rivals. He shall be a model for his generation. Though his actions were flawed, his merits outweigh his faults."

"From this day forth, Chu Xiao's status shall be second only to the Sect Master and the Elders. He is granted the Chief True Disciple's Immortal Cave on Tianji Peak and shall enjoy the Sect's highest offerings!"

This decree was personally announced by Elder Lingyun using his spiritual power.

His voice was full of vigor, brimming with the satisfaction of finally being able to hold his head high.

As soon as the announcement was made, the entire Sect instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Then, there was an even more violent outburst!

All doubts, panic, and controversies, at this moment...

...were completely crushed by the Sect Master's decree.

The Sect Master's attitude was the Sect's attitude!

No handing him over! Instead, he would be heavily rewarded!

"The Sect Master is mighty! Senior Brother Chu is mighty!"

"The way Senior Brother Chu handled things was truly satisfying!"

The emotions of panic and unease were swept away.

When had the Disciples of the Tianyan Sect ever held their heads so high!

...

Chu Xiao turned a deaf ear to the surging storms of the outside world.

Under the personal escort of Elder Lingyun...

...he arrived at the mountain peak prepared specifically for him!

This peak was one of the main branches of the Sect's Spiritual Vein; its Spiritual Qi was so dense it was more than ten times stronger than his previous Immortal Cave.

The mountaintop was shrouded in mist, with palaces and pavilions appearing and disappearing like a fairyland.

"Chu Xiao, this will be your Dao arena from now on. You may use anything within the peak as you wish."

Elder Lingyun's face was full of a gratified smile.

"Thank you, Elder."

"Between us, there is no need for formalities."

Elder Lingyun waved his hand, his expression turning serious again. "Although the Sect Master has stated his position, you must not be careless. From today on, you will enter seclusion here. The Sect will provide everything you need. Before you break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, you must not take a single step out of the Sect gates!"

"This Disciple understands."

Chu Xiao nodded solemnly.

After seeing off Elder Lingyun and declining Xu Linger's offer to stay and care for him, Chu Xiao activated the mountain-protecting formation of Tianji Peak.

The entire mountain was instantly enveloped in a hazy curtain of light, completely isolating it from the outside world.

He didn't start cultivating immediately; instead, he took his token and went to the Sect treasury.

The treasury was a critical area guarded by a Grand Elder.

But upon seeing the Chief token in his hand, that Grand Elder with an unfathomable aura only opened his eyes to glance at him before waving him through.

Chu Xiao's goal was clear: everything was to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm as soon as possible.

From the dazzling array of items in the treasury, he quickly selected three things.

A "nine-orifice soul-nourishing lotus," translucent like white jade and emitting a refreshing fragrance that seeped into the soul; this was a supreme treasure for strengthening the Divine Soul, making it more stable when a Cultivator attempted to reach the Nascent Soul Realm!

It would greatly increase the success rate.

A pool of milky-white "ten-thousand-year spiritual milk" emitting a startling aura of life; this was the essence condensed drop by drop over ten thousand years in the core of a Spiritual Vein, containing pure and massive spiritual power.

Finally, he chose an ancient jade talisman called the "Returning Void Death-Substitution Talisman," left behind by a deceased Returning Void Realm ancestor of the Sect; it could substitute for one's life once under a fatal blow.

This was the trump card he prepared for himself.

Returning to the Immortal Cave on Tianji Peak, he laid out all the items one by one.

The hundred thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones rewarded from the grand competition were piled up like a small mountain.

The three supreme treasures taken from the treasury shimmered with spiritual light.

Finally, it was the Heaven Rank peak-grade Cultivation Technique rewarded by the System—the "Supreme Emotion-Forgetfulness Dao Scripture"!

Looking at all this, a sharp light ignited in Chu Xiao's eyes.

"One month! Within one month, I must break through to the Nascent Soul Realm!"

After all, he hadn't forgotten the Liyang Cave Heaven.

It was an ancient battlefield ruin that opened every hundred years, where opportunities and dangers coexisted, serving as a stage for the younger generation of Cultivators in the entire Eastern Region to compete.

According to the information in his insights, there wasn't much time left until the next opening.

That place was where he could quickly obtain resources.

It was the best place to temper himself, and he would also very likely encounter other Children of Destiny in this world.

...

Meanwhile, in Tianxuan Province, millions of miles away from the Tianyan Sect...

...at the summit of a ten-thousand-fathom high peak, a youth dressed in black with arrogant eyes stood with his hands behind his back.

His surrounding Luck was flourishing, with faint golden light flowing.

His aura was even more powerful, remarkably already at the second level of the Nascent Soul Realm.

Beside him leaned a stunningly beautiful woman in palace attire, her eyes filled with adoration and worship as she looked at him.

This youth was none other than Jiang Bai.

"Brother Jiang, you are truly a celestial genius. In just half a month, you've jumped from the first level of the Golden Core Realm to become a Nascent Soul Immortal Master. Such cultivation speed would be enough to shake the entire Tianxuan Province if it got out!"

The woman said softly.

A look of pride appeared on Jiang Bai's face.

Half a month ago, he was chased to a land of despair.

But he unexpectedly fell into an ancient Immortal Cave and obtained the Legacy of a mighty expert. Not only did he get a High Grade Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique, but his cultivation level also soared like a rocket.

Such a miraculous encounter made him believe more than ever that he was the destined protagonist of this era.

However, at that moment, an old and cold voice rang out in his mind.

"Kid, are you getting complacent over just the second level of the Nascent Soul Realm? Have you forgotten the humiliation of being stepped on by that trash named Chu Xiao?"

This voice was none other than Master Dog!

Upon hearing the name Chu Xiao, the pride on Jiang Bai's face instantly froze.

It was replaced by overwhelming hatred and killing intent.

His fists clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"Master Dog! There's no need to mention this matter again!"

He said through gritted teeth.

"Hmph, one who dares not face it is the true trash!"

Master Dog sneered, "Kid, let me tell you, the Liyang Cave Heaven is about to open. That is your greatest Opportunity!"

"With your Luck and my guidance, it will be enough for you to break through to the Soul Transformation Realm inside! At that time, wouldn't it be delightful to grind that Chu Xiao's bones to ashes and exterminate his entire clan?"

"By then, the entire Eastern Region will submit to your feet. The women you want and the status you desire will be right at your fingertips!"

Jiang Bai's breathing became heavy.

"Chu Xiao... Tianyan Sect..."

"Just you wait! Once I return from the Liyang Cave Heaven, it will be the day you die! I will make you, and the entire Tianyan Sect, pay a blood price for that day's humiliation!"

...

Meanwhile, in a quiet room deep within the Sect Master's Hall of the Tianyan Sect...

Yuan Muyu sat cross-legged on a Cold Jade Bed, Dao rhymes flowing around her, her aura ethereal.

On that cold and peerless face, there was neither joy nor sorrow.

Suddenly, her body trembled slightly without warning, and her dark eyebrows knitted together.

Crackle... crackle...

A surge of extreme cold energy suddenly erupted with her as the center!

The moisture in the air instantly condensed, and a layer of forest-white frost spread along the edge of the jade bed...

...crazily spreading toward the entire quiet room.

Walls, floor, pillars...

Everything was completely frozen in just a few breaths.

The quiet room was transformed into an ice cave.

A look of pain appeared on Yuan Muyu's face, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably as a layer of fine ice crystals even began to condense on her smooth forehead and long eyelashes.

The Extreme Cold Physique had flared up again.

This innate Physique was the source of her transcendent talent, yet it was also an Avici Hell that had tortured her for hundreds of years.

It allowed her to advance triumphantly on the path of cultivation, far surpassing her peers, but it also acted like an invisible shackle, tightly locking her path to higher Realms.

Every time she attempted to break through a Bottleneck, this cold energy would backlash even more violently.

As if it wanted to completely freeze even her Divine Soul.

If she couldn't solve the root problem of this Physique, she would never be able to take that final step in this lifetime.

"Time... is running out..." Yuan Muyu bit her silver teeth, feeling the sinister cold power within her that was almost tearing her Meridians apart, a flash of determination in her eyes.

She forcibly suppressed the riot within her body and slowly stood up.

That day, from Chu Xiao's body, she had vaguely sensed a supreme Yang and overbearingly peerless aura. That aura was the complete opposite of the extreme cold power within her, yet it also held a faint, fatal attraction.

Perhaps... he would be her variable?

This thought only flashed for a moment before she snuffed it out.

Placing hope on a Disciple was too ethereal and too dangerous.

For now, she had to use the old method to suppress this backlash.

Her figure flickered, and she disappeared from the frozen quiet room.

The next moment, she appeared outside a Forbidden Ground in the back mountains of the Tianyan Sect.

This was a massive valley where not a blade of grass grew. The air was distorted and hot, the ground was dark red scorched earth, and scorching tongues of fire erupted from various cracks.

In the center of the valley was a bottomless, massive cave where crimson magma rolled, emitting a terrifyingly high temperature sufficient to melt even a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Chiyan Mountain.

A Forbidden Ground of the Tianyan Sect, and also Yuan Muyu's private cultivation ground.

Without the slightest hesitation, she walked to the edge of Chiyan Mountain.

As she approached, the cold energy on her body collided with the surrounding scorching heat, producing a "sizzling" sound and raising large clouds of white mist.

She shed the luxurious palace attire that symbolized her status as the Sect Master.

Revealing the breathtakingly perfect jade-like body hidden beneath the wide robes. Her skin was as white as snow, her curves exquisite, glowing with a hazy and alluring luster under the reflection of the magma's fire.

She slowly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

Then, she stepped her long legs into the scalding magma.

The blazing magma instantly submerged her calves, ankles, and up to her waist.

The terrifying high temperature, enough to melt gold and iron, did not harm her in the slightest. Instead, it eased the pained expression on her face slightly.

She tilted her head back and let out a suppressed groan, sounding like pain yet also like relief.

...

Tianji Peak, within the Immortal Cave.

Chu Xiao sat cross-legged, with the Jade Slip recording the Supreme Emotion-Forgetfulness Dao Scripture and the three supreme treasures from the treasury placed before him.

The nine-orifice soul-nourishing lotus, the ten-thousand-year spiritual milk, and the Returning Void Death-Substitution Talisman.

He took a deep breath and immersed his mind into the Jade Slip.

Boom!

[part:deepseek-chat]

A massive influx of information instantly surged into his mind. This Heaven Rank supreme-grade Cultivation Technique was profoundly mysterious, with every single character seemingly containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, directly pointing to the Origin of the Dao.

The Supreme Emotion-Forgetfulness was not about severing emotion, but about seeing through it!

To master emotion, ultimately aligning one's heart with heaven, viewing all living beings and myriad things as mere straw dogs.

This Cultivation Technique shared a marvelous similarity with the cultivation compendium left behind by that Returning Void Realm mighty figure he had obtained after slaying Gu Yan and Holy Sect Envoy Gui Cang. The two mutually corroborated each other, instantly elevating his understanding of the cultivation path to an entirely new level.

"An excellent technique!"

Chu Xiao suppressed the excitement in his heart. He did not rush to switch his Cultivation Technique. The most urgent matter was to Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm.

He set aside the Nine-Orifice Soul-Nourishing Lotus and the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Milk, deciding to first polish his own Foundation to the utmost limit.

"True Intent of the Primordial Mountain Monarch!"

With a thought, he began circulating that domineering and unparalleled Body Refining method.

Boom!

The blood and Qi within his body roared like a surging river, emitting a deep, rumbling sound. His bones crackled, and his muscles visibly began to swell.

In Tianyuan City, he had forcibly activated this secret method, transforming into a giant to slay a Soul Transformation Cultivator in defiance of Realms. The insights from that battle now flooded his mind like a tide.

As those insights integrated, he felt his Physical Body strength skyrocketing wildly.

But soon, he discovered a problem.

This power was too domineering, too savage!

His current Physical Body was like an ordinary porcelain vase, yet it was trying to contain the waters of an entire great river.

A stinging pain came from his Meridians, and his bones groaned under the unbearable strain.

"Pfft!"

Chu Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood, forcibly halting the circulation of the technique.

His face was pale, his gaze solemn.

"No good. Forcing cultivation like this will only lead to Qi Deviation and Physical Body collapse."

The cultivation compendium from the Returning Void Realm had records concerning this.

Top-tier Body Refining methods all required the aid of external forces for tempering.

Either using heavenly lightning for Body Tempering, or sharp winds to scrape the bones, or extreme cold for freezing, or earth fire for forging.

His True Intent of the Primordial Mountain Monarch followed the path of utmost fierceness and dominance. The most suitable method was to use a place of extreme heat, treating his Physical Body like a divine weapon or Magic Treasure for forging, in order to eliminate impurities and retain the essence, forging an unparalleled Dao body.

"A place of extreme heat..."

Chu Xiao frowned. He was currently within the Sect and could not leave.

Within the Sect, where was there such a place?

He pondered for a moment, then stood up and walked out of his Immortal Cave.

This matter required consulting Elder Lingyun.

He arrived outside Elder Lingyun's Immortal Cave. The Elder seemed to have anticipated his visit, directly opening the Restriction.

"What is it? Encountered a difficulty in cultivation?"

Elder Lingyun looked at Chu Xiao, a smile still on his face.

"This Disciple wishes to ask the Elder about something."

Chu Xiao got straight to the point, briefly explaining the Bottleneck he encountered in cultivating his Body Refining method and his need for a place of extreme heat to assist his cultivation.

After listening to Chu Xiao's account, the smile on Elder Lingyun's face slowly faded.

His expression became somewhat strange, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.

"Elder?" Seeing this, Chu Xiao's heart stirred.

Elder Lingyun pondered for a long time before sighing and saying in a low voice, "Within the Sect, there is indeed such a place. The Forbidden Ground in the back mountains is called Chiyan Mountain. Inside is the earth's core magma, with temperatures so high even I dare not approach it lightly. It is indeed a perfect place for forging the Physical Body."

Chu Xiao's eyes instantly lit up.

"But..." Elder Lingyun's tone shifted, his expression turning extremely serious. "That place, you cannot go."

"Why?"

"Because that place is the Sect Master's private cultivation ground."

Elder Lingyun lowered his voice, earnestly admonishing, "The Old Ancestor Sect Master often goes there for seclusion. Throughout the entire Sect, aside from herself, no one is allowed to approach Chiyan Mountain by half a step. Violators will be treated as Sect traitors!"

"Moreover, you've just returned from Tianyuan City. The Sect Master's intention was for you to enter seclusion on Tianji Peak and not wander about. If you go running to the Forbidden Ground now and happen to disturb the Sect Master, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

Elder Lingyun painstakingly tried to persuade him, fearing this outrageously bold Disciple might cause trouble again.

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiao froze in place.

The Sect Master's private cultivation ground?

The image of Yuan Muyu's peerlessly beautiful, ice-cold face surfaced in his mind.

The only solution to his cultivation Bottleneck was actually the Sect Master's Forbidden Ground.

To go, or not to go?

That was the question.

...

Returning to Tianji Peak, Chu Xiao sat quietly in his Immortal Cave for a long time.

To go, or not to go?

If he didn't go, his Body Refining method would stagnate. Hoping to Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm within a month would be nothing but a pipe dream.

Time waits for no one.

Not to mention the envoy who might come to question him at any moment!

Furthermore, there was the Liyang Cave Heaven, about to open soon.

He had to enhance his strength as quickly as possible.

But Elder Lingyun also said that the Sect Master only went there often for seclusion; she wasn't always inside.

He just needed to act carefully, secretly borrowing the earth fire power of Chiyan Mountain while the Sect Master was away. It shouldn't be a big problem.

Even if discovered, given his current status as Chief True Disciple and the Sect Master's apparent regard for him, it probably wouldn't be an issue.

Having made up his mind, Chu Xiao did not act immediately.

First, within his Immortal Cave, he adjusted his aura to its optimal state.

Afterward, he left Tianji Peak.

Along the way, any Disciple who encountered him bowed respectfully from afar, their eyes filled with awe.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Chu!"

"Senior Brother Chu!"

Chu Xiao nodded in response to each, his expression normal.

...

The back mountains of the Tianyan Sect were rarely visited, with ancient trees reaching the sky.

The deeper he went, the thinner the Spiritual Qi in the air became, replaced by a faint, dry heat.

Soon, a patch of dark red scorched earth, completely out of place with the surrounding environment, appeared before Chu Xiao's eyes.

Not a single blade of grass grew here. The ground was covered with cracked fissures, from which scorching tongues of fire occasionally erupted, twisting the very air.

At the entrance to the valley stood a stone stele.

Two large characters were carved upon it in a bold, flowing script — Forbidden Ground.

Chu Xiao did not see any Elder guarding the Forbidden Ground.

He knew that for a figure like the Sect Master, this stele itself was the strictest guard.

He did not rashly barge in.

Instead, he first cautiously extended his Divine Sense inside.

His Divine Sense swept through the valley once, detecting no one's presence.

The Sect Master was not here.

Joy rose in Chu Xiao's heart. Without further hesitation, his figure flickered as he stepped onto this scorched earth.

Upon entering the valley, a terrifying wave of heat assaulted his face.

This heat was enough to suffocate an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator; their protective Spiritual Qi would be rapidly evaporated.

But when Chu Xiao stepped inside, he only felt a wave of warmth.

The True Intent of the Primordial Mountain Monarch he cultivated was, by nature, an extreme Yang method.

It had a natural affinity for such scorching environments.

He walked quickly to the center of the valley, stopping before a bottomless, massive cavern churning with crimson-red magma.

"Chiyan Mountain..."

Looking at the thick, boiling magma within the cavern, resembling congealed blood, and sensing the immense fire poison and destructive power contained within, a look of satisfaction appeared in Chu Xiao's eyes.

This was precisely the cultivation ground he dreamed of.

He did not immediately jump down. Instead, he released his Divine Sense again, carefully and meticulously probing the interior of the magma cavern.

Only after confirming there were no abnormalities did he remove his outer garments.

Taking a deep breath, he leaped.

Splash!

His body submerged into the magma. The imagined excruciating pain of being burned by raging flames did not come.

Instead, it was a piercing, bone-chilling cold!

Instantly enveloping his entire body!

This cold seemed capable of freezing one's Divine Soul, making his blood congeal.

Chu Xiao was greatly alarmed. What was happening?

This was terrifying magma capable of melting a Nascent Soul Cultivator. Why was it so cold?

Could it be that his True Intent of the Primordial Mountain Monarch was too domineering, to the point where he could ignore even the temperature of the earth's core magma, causing an illusion instead?

He had no time to think further. This cold had already begun invading his Meridians.

Causing him to involuntarily shiver.

He had to start cultivating immediately!

Not daring to delay any longer, Chu Xiao immediately calmed his mind, sitting cross-legged within the magma, and began circulating the True Intent of the Primordial Mountain Monarch.

"Boom!"

As the technique circulated, the blood and Qi within his body instantly ignited.

A domineering, scorching power erupted from his Dantian Qi Sea like a volcanic explosion, sweeping through his limbs and bones.

Heat!

Unprecedented, scorching heat!

This heat collided violently with the icy cold from the outside world.

One cold, one hot. One Yin, one Yang.

Two diametrically opposed forces, using his body as a battlefield, engaged in a frenzied clash.

"Ugh!"

Chu Xiao let out a muffled groan.

He felt as if his body was being torn apart.

His Meridians were frozen by the cold one moment, then stretched to the point of bursting by the heat the next.

His bones groaned under the strain. Every inch of his flesh endured the ultimate torment of ice and fire.

This pain far exceeded his imagination.

He wanted to stop, to immediately escape this damned place.

But once the technique started circulating, it was like a runaway wild horse, impossible to halt.

More importantly, he discovered that amidst this extreme pain, his Physical Body was undergoing a metamorphosis at an unbelievable speed.

Each alternation between ice and fire was like a thousand hammers refining steel.

His bones became tougher, emitting a faint, jade-like luster.

His Meridians, under repeated impacts, became broader and more resilient.

"It's effective!"

Chu Xiao endured the inhuman pain.

A flash of ecstatic joy appeared in his eyes.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed the circulation of the technique to its limit.

As the heat erupting from within him grew increasingly terrifying, the entire magma of Chiyan Mountain began to boil violently.

Gurgle... Gurgle...

Huge bubbles continuously surged up from the depths of the magma, bursting open.

Stirring up towering waves of heat.

The temperature of the entire valley rose sharply.