Chapter 93: Listening to the Master's Advice to Eat a Full Meal

Qin Yu's words just fell, Yangtian Old Ancestor stepped forward. In an instant, the whole heaven and earth suddenly changed color, as if surging sky‑flaming fire burst from deep within the earth's core, gathering in the sky into terrifying waves, rolling and surging, mighty and grand.

Yangtian Old Ancestor lowered his palm and lightly placed it on Qin Yu's head. Instantly, a faint Dao aura spread like ripples, countless pieces of information flooded into Qin Yu's mind like a torrent, making him feel dizzy and his whole body dazed.

Witnessing this, Lin Wu Ren's face instantly turned grave. Only after he broke through to the Venerable Realm did he truly feel the old ancestor's might. Though he was confident he could fight a Venerable of around the third level without losing ground, when Yangtian Old Ancestor acted, the overwhelming, terrifying pressure still made a chill rise in his heart.

"It seems this is no ordinary Venerable; the Xuanyang Sect… actually hides profound secrets." Niepan Jie Ling narrowed its eyes slightly, thinking to itself. It keenly sensed that Yangtian Old Ancestor's aura was extraordinary; although he was within the Venerable range, he was far beyond an ordinary Venerable.

Although Yangtian Old Ancestor's earlier words contained some boasting, his strength was truly astonishing.

"I never imagined that such a tiny Canglan Yu would hide such a formidable cultivator." Niepan Jie Ling thought, if Yangtian Old Ancestor weren't affected by that curse, he might even have a chance to step into the Dao Stage. After all, since the ancient great calamity, heavenly and earthly spiritual qi has been dwindling, the rules incomplete; in such an era, anyone who can reach the Dao Stage by their own strength is nothing short of a top‑tier monster. This Yangtian Old Ancestor must have obtained tremendous fortune, actually able to mobilize earth‑core fire to aid the young master's cultivation—such a method truly astonishes it as well.

Buzz buzz buzz! Qin Yu felt his mind about to explode, countless obscure ancient characters surging in like a tide. He quickly sat cross‑legged on the ground to study the Heaven‑Burning Art imparted by his master. As soon as he began to comprehend it, he was astonished to find the process went extraordinarily smoothly. Especially surrounded by earth‑core fire, he felt his pores all open, and as the fire merged into his dantian, his spiritual qi underwent a wondrous change, becoming more solid, as if containing greater power.

Qin Yu knew clearly that for a child of a poor family to rise above others was no easy feat. Most cultivators without special fortune spend their lives mediocre. Even if his cultivation progressed rapidly, when facing peers from major sects he would still be at a disadvantage. The revenge‑against‑the‑odds plots in those storybooks are mostly fiction. Merely the inheritance of cultivation arts already puts sect disciples far ahead of loose cultivators.

Because the higher the cultivation art's rank, the greater the quality of spiritual qi it enhances. In a sense, the same wisp of spiritual qi, when a loose cultivator uses a Yellow‑Rank art, might only crack a boulder; whereas a sect disciple wielding a higher‑rank art can shatter several boulders at once into powder. Generally, Yellow‑Rank arts boost spiritual qi quality by about fifty percent, Profound‑Rank doubles it, Earth‑Rank increases it fivefold, and Heaven‑Rank raises it nearly tenfold compared to ordinary methods. Of course, the higher the rank, the exponentially greater the difficulty of cultivation. If an average‑aptitude disciple obtains a Heaven‑Rank art, lacking comprehension and talent, they cannot grasp it at all and may even be rejected by their spiritual qi. Hence there are hardly any tales of trash turning into heroes. Sect disciples holding Earth‑Rank arts, together with their decent talent, find it as easy as slaughtering dogs to face loose cultivators of the same realm, and overcoming higher realms is no trouble. That is why most renowned names belong to sect disciples.

At this moment, Qin Yu came to deeply understand the impact of differences in cultivation arts.

Buzz buzz buzz! Strands of earth‑core fire continuously merged into Qin Yu's body, combining with the spiritual qi in his meridians and circulating throughout. He felt his whole flesh warm and cozy; the minor dark wounds left from storming Leize and undergoing tribulation, though not serious, were now completely healed. In the fire's glow, his skin became ever more ruddy and flawless.

【You accepted the suggestion; the peerless talent BUFF begins to take effect, your affinity for fire in heaven and earth reaches max level, absorption unhindered. Within a quarter hour you successfully drew in the first strand of earth‑core fire and merged it into your dantian.】

Qin Yu delightedly discovered that the fire obeyed him as naturally as his own arm, and the spiritual qi within his body could be directed at will.

However, at this very moment, the Yangtian Old Ancestor, whose chest had been straight, gradually exhaled a turbid breath, his stature subtly stooping. His cloudy eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

"A quarter hour…… to absorb earth‑core fire into the body……"

"Even if he had Dao‑Stage talent, this is absolutely impossible!" Yangtian Old Ancestor muttered, his worldview seemingly overturned. This is truly beyond imagination. Even if he directly used earth‑core fire to aid Qin Yu's comprehension, saving nearly half the time, but to finish absorption in a quarter hour—what does that mean? Not to mention him, even if the legendary innate holy body appeared in person, it probably couldn't do that either.

Lin Wu Ren had still been immersed in admiration for the old ancestor's great strength, but now Qin Yu's astonishing breakthrough drew all his attention. Everyone knows the old ancestor was just boasting, trying to set up an impressive persona for himself. Yet now it's clear that face got slapped loud and clear. What ten days—this is merely a quarter hour, and Qin Yu finished the absorption! And this is a Heaven‑Rank art! When they first cultivated the Heaven‑Rank art, nobody managed to get started without spending a year and a half; even a genius like Lin Wu Ren took four and a half months!

Only Niepan Jie Ling, hands behind its back, remained calm. In its view, what was this? The young master is a reincarnation of the heavenly Dao; to him, the great Dao of heaven and earth is merely something to pick up effortlessly. After all, any special circumstance that befalls Qin Yu will no longer stir ripples in Niepan Jie Ling's heart; in its eyes, anything that happens to Qin Yu is simply a matter of course.

Lin Xue beside them, her beautiful eyes flickering. She secretly thought, indeed the grand‑uncle ancestor is the most fit to be sect master. At this moment she even felt the current sect master should step aside and make way for the worthy. If the grand‑uncle ancestor took charge of the Xuantian Sect, the whole sect would surely be renewed, its future bright. After all, her master has not even entered the Venerable Realm.

After a moment, Qin Yu gradually regained clarity, having successfully absorbed earth‑core fire into his body; his whole body felt warm and full of strength. Next, he needs to replace the spiritual qi in his dantian, which requires a quiet place for closed‑door cultivation. Moreover, he clearly senses the change in his spiritual qi; if he were to face again those few true‑disciples from the Pill Pavilion who target him, Qin Yu has full confidence to suppress them! Although some of them have been abolished or died, they still serve as the benchmark by which Qin Yu measures his own strength. Now he feels that taking on Qiyu and the other two at once should pose no great problem, since two of them are merely at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

"Master, I'm going into seclusion now." Qin Yu rose, exhaled lightly, and spoke. He knew well that perhaps this was his last chance to boost his strength before heading to the ancient ruins. After all, in the ancient ruins he will have to face the entirety of Canglan Yu's geniuses, and with his current strength he is still far from sufficient.

"Good! For these two days I, as your master, will stay on Xuanyang Peak. Although you have now drawn the first strand of earth‑core fire into your body, do not become arrogant or complacent. When I first completed this step, adding the time for deducing the art and trial‑and‑error, if I cultivated with all my strength I could finish it in at most two or three hours. Moreover, I myself did not rely on external force to mobilize the earth‑core fire; I depended solely on my own comprehension. Therefore you must steady your mind and avoid swelling with pride. Even my Heaven‑Rank aptitude, compared to yours, is only slightly inferior. The key is to replace the spiritual qi, fully fuse it with heavenly and earthly fire, and raise the qi's quality." Yangtian Old Ancestor, hands behind his back, feigned composure while solemnly instructing Qin Yu.

But in fact his palms were already soaked with sweat. If he kept boasting like this, he'd blow his own cover. This is a Heaven‑Rank art, not some common Yellow‑Rank art you can see anywhere—how could it be mastered so easily? Yet as a master he must maintain the dignity of a teacher; he cannot let Qin Yu know that, when he cultivated the Heaven‑Burning Art, merely drawing the first strand of heavenly‑earth fire took him a whole month—that would be too embarrassing.

"I will obey your command, Master!" Qin Yu bowed slightly, his expression solemn. He thought, it seems he truly cannot be arrogant or complacent. Although his master possesses Heaven‑Rank aptitude and can achieve this level, he himself, despite having various BUFFs, only managed to draw in the qi within a quarter hour; from now on he must exert himself fully in cultivation, striving to complete the transformation of his spiritual qi before setting out for the ancient ruins.

Having said that, Qin Yu mobilized his spiritual qi, his figure instantly vanished from the spot, entering the courtyard to begin closed‑door cultivation.

However, Yangtian Old Ancestor slightly furrowed his brow. Using his divine sense to probe, he actually felt that Qin Yu's spiritual qi seemed somewhat abnormal? Faintly, it could rival the quality after spiritual qi transformation? Could it be his own illusion? Yangtian Old Ancestor pondered silently, then shook his head.