Chapter 254

Five hundred miles south of Wulong Mountain, with rolling hills and lush peaks, on a nameless mountain top, Liu Xiaolou looked into the distance and muttered: "It's just that I don't see snow..."

Zuo Gaofeng said: "This weather, it's gloomy and cold, it's uncomfortable... Is that Xiushan over there?"

Liu Xiaolou nodded: "It's right behind those two mountains... Xiushan is not high, you can't see it from here."

Zuo Gaofeng asked: "How many years has it been since we saw that girl Azhen? She must have grown tall, right?"

Liu Xiaolou thought for a while and said: "The last time I saw her, she was this tall, almost reaching the bridge of my nose."

Zuo Gaofeng sighed: "When she was little, one time when we went up the mountain, Huang Ye Xian even said she wanted to take her as a disciple, but she was a bit hesitant. Now it seems that Fairy Jingzhen had unique vision and acted decisively; she took her away as soon as she saw her, without a hint of hesitation... Are you really not going to see her?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "She finally has a way out, it's better not to disturb her, don't drag her into this muddy water too."

Zuo Gaofeng said: "Their Tian family is your Three Mystical Sect's partner household, you decide for yourself..." He turned his head and looked around, saying: "This place is not bad, the more ordinary it is, the harder it is to find. Tianmu Mountain wouldn't think of this place even if they broke their heads, it's just right for secluded cultivation. Bazhang and Xiaofang have already entered the cave, I have to hurry too. Shall we go in together?"

Liu Xiaolou said: "I'll be right there."

Zuo Gaofeng stepped into the cave at the back. This cave had nothing unusual about it; what was wanted was just normalcy. It was originally the lair of a mountain bear. After driving the bear away, they used the gurgling spring water flowing day and night in the cave to wash away the fishy smell, and it was opened up by the four as a temporary cave dwelling.

After Zuo Gaofeng also entered the cave, Liu Xiaolou greedily watched the mountain scenery for another half an hour, finally clearing the messy thoughts from his mind, took a deep breath, and stepped into the cave.

There were several corners in the cave, which were designated by Liu Xiaolou and the others as several cave chambers. Fang Bu'ai was in the deepest chamber, followed by Tan Bazhang and Zuo Gaofeng, and Liu Xiaolou was in the outermost one.

In fact, choosing to be inside or outside didn't matter. The four of them cultivating together was still a very wonderful experience. Having life-and-death brothers supporting each other nearby during seclusion felt especially stable and solid.

He immediately entered the state of impacting the last two acupoints of the seventh stage—Shaofu and Shaochong.

Throughout the entire twelfth month and the following first month of the new year, the four were in seclusion in this nameless cave on the nameless mountain top. Whoever woke up from the state of seclusion would go into the mountains to hunt some game and smoke it, eating one portion themselves and leaving one for the others.

When they arrived, everyone had been allocated spirit rice and spirit wine, and coupled with sufficient spirit stones, the cultivation of these two months could be said to be focused.

In fact, looking back, although the struggle with Tianmu Mountain was overestimating their strength and the risks were extremely high, and many people had died one after another, the gains were truly huge. When the four of them talked about the gains while heading south, they all sighed in unison—the wool sheared from a fat sheep is truly oily and smooth!

By the eleventh of the second month, Zuo Gaofeng, who was cultivating, was the first to feel something unusual. He only felt a kind of indescribable momentum rising in the cave, pressing heavily on his heart, and when absorbed into the body, it made him inexplicably excited, as if it were also pushing him to move towards a higher level of cultivation.

He was an experienced person, so of course he knew what caused this. Someone was about to break through to the late Qi Refinement stage! He immediately opened his eyes, just about to get up and go to the inner chamber to see Tan Bazhang and incidentally protect him, but discovered that this momentum came from the outer chamber, and couldn't help but be very surprised.

Still remembering the first time they cooperated to surround and kill Lu Zian, Liu Xiaolou was only at Qi Refinement Stage 3, Tan Bazhang was at Stage 5, and he himself was at Stage 8. In the blink of an eye, six years had passed. Xiaolou had surpassed Tan Bazhang so quickly and was going to break through the realm first?

From Qi Refinement Stage 7 to Stage 8 is a relatively dangerous hurdle. It will open the Heavenly Court between the eyebrows. Opening this Heavenly Court will not have any special supernatural powers; this is in preparation for future Foundation Establishment. But when the Heavenly Court opens, it is like a fierce axe hitting the body. If the body is uneasy, it is easy to collapse, so it is quite dangerous.

Therefore, Zuo Gaofeng quietly came to Liu Xiaolou's side, sat cross-legged behind him, and observed Liu Xiaolou's expression at any time. Once Liu Xiaolou's expression changed, he would help him overcome the difficulty at any time.

Liu Xiaolou's face was sometimes pale, sometimes flushed, sometimes sweating profusely, sometimes as if falling into an ice cellar, but he never reached the point where he needed help.

Zuo Gaofeng observed from the side for a whole night. By dawn the next day, seeing his face as if covered with a layer of fluorescence, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his own chamber. He knew that Liu Xiaolou had successfully broken through the realm.

On the day of his twenty-fifth birthday, Liu Xiaolou entered the late Qi Refinement stage—the eighth stage!

Coming out of the cave, Liu Xiaolou tested his state after his cultivation had greatly advanced. He drew the Three Mystical Sword, and true qi was poured into it. The sword light had grown to two feet and three inches, and the bifurcation in the middle was very obvious, already more than three inches each. Did it look like two tender buds split from a willow branch?

Without needing him to control it with spiritual sense, the two bud-shaped sword lights danced on their own. Although it was not his active control, the posture and direction of the dancing were in harmony with his heart, as if he had originally wanted these two sword lights to dance like this. It was very mysterious to say.

His true qi was two-tenths more vigorous, and his leaping was three-tenths more agile; these need not be detailed one by one.

Liu Xiaolou had no time to immerse himself in the joy of breaking through the realm. He immediately started the cultivation of the eighth stage of Qi Refinement, preparing to open the Hand Taiyang Meridian. The Hand Taiyang Meridian has nineteen acupoints, from Shaoze to Tiangong, which is also a very arduous cultivation path.

Another month later, when he opened the Shaoze acupoint and was making an all-out impact towards the Qiangu acupoint, he suddenly heard a trace of movement in his ears. This movement was extremely slight, coming from outside the cave, as if someone was fighting outside.

Not only him, Zuo Gaofeng also perceived this trace of movement, quietly came out from the cave, and called Liu Xiaolou to go out of the cave to investigate.

"Valley Master, how is your cultivation progress? How are Bazhang and Xiaofang?" Liu Xiaolou asked while following the sound.

Zuo Gaofeng said: "Bazhang hasn't reached the point yet. His seventh stage cultivation is the Foot Shaoyin Meridian, I'm afraid it will take a few more months. Don't worry about Xiaofang either, he is a pure person, and his cultivation is the same, intoxicated in it, and will not be easily disturbed."

The Foot Shaoyin Meridian has twenty-seven acupoints, which is quite a lot. No wonder Tan Bazhang's cultivation progress lagged behind. Liu Xiaolou was very much looking forward to him catching up with himself. If he could join the ranks of the late Qi Refinement stage early, the brothers would have more confidence to deal with Tianmu Mountain if they huddled together.

After a pause, Zuo Gaofeng added: "As for me, it's time to consider the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Liu Xiaolou was happy for him: "Congratulations to Valley Master Zuo, our Wulong Mountain has another master at the Qi Perfection stage!"

While speaking, the two had already descended to the mountainside and turned to the cliff platform on the west side. The view here was open, and looking down from here, they immediately saw the cause of the movement.

Someone was chasing and killing!