Chapter 19: Advancement

Looking at the little thing in his palm, Zhang Nuo kept asking it about its whereabouts over the past few days, but the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect" appeared extremely sluggish, a stark contrast to the excitement it showed when he first saw it.

No matter how Zhang Nuo questioned it, the insect showed no reaction at all, and in the end, it actually fell asleep in his palm. Helpless, Zhang Nuo had to put the Spirit Insect back into his robes, but judging from all the previous information, the loss of over a hundred Magic Treasures from the sect's armory was definitely inseparable from the Spirit Insect.

The luckiest thing was that, so far, no one had discovered that this matter was related to the Spirit Insect, which saved Zhang Nuo a lot of trouble. He immediately jumped onto the stone bed and began to cultivate again. In any case, every time the insect finished eating, it would sleep for a period of time, and this time was no exception, so Zhang Nuo was not worried.

During this period, ever since discovering the secret of the "Nine Dragon Sword Case," Zhang Nuo's cultivation had become even more diligent. In the blink of an eye, half a month passed, and Zhang Nuo had actually broken through the Qi Refining Stage Third Layer, entering directly into the Fourth Layer realm.

This result made Zhang Nuo happy for the better part of the day. Although it was only a small step forward, it was a good start. Now with the help of the Sword Box, it was very possible to cultivate to the Qi Refining Stage Sixth Layer within five years.

However, while happy, Zhang Nuo was somewhat distressed. Ever since the "Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect" fell asleep that day, it had not yet woken up. This was the first time it had slept for such a long time.

Yet, judging from various signs, the Spirit Insect did not seem to have anything wrong with it; it was just that this time, the deep sleep lasted a bit longer. Zhang Nuo simply stopped worrying about it. Now, having the help of the Sword Box was more important to him than anything else.

During this time, Zhang Nuo and his fellow apprentices had not dared to step out of the Cave Abode. The matter of the stolen Magic Treasures from the sect's armory had not yet been resolved, and Sun Yiyang was extremely furious, having conducted a thorough investigation of almost every disciple, yet there were no results at all.

Lin Fan had also been investigating this matter these days, so within the large Cave Abode, only Gao Dakuan and the others remained. Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan were both at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. They were very clear about their own strength; it was almost impossible for them to take first place at the Chief Disciple Assembly. Among the disciples of Sun Yiyang, the Sect Master of the Divine Sword Sect's main peak, there was a disciple named Wu Hao whose cultivation had already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage; he was the focus of this Chief Disciple battle.

Sun Yiyang and the three Elders all thought very highly of him. This person not only had high cultivation but his techniques were also deeply inherited from Sun Yiyang's true teachings. Among the many disciples in the sect, he could be said to stand out from the crowd. With such a figure present, Gao Dakuan and the others had no hope of winning at all.

Whenever Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan talked about this, they would shake their heads and sigh incessantly. Why was their aptitude not as good as others'?

"Junior Brother and Junior Sister Linger are still cultivating diligently; they won't even come out to talk with us for a while!"

Qu Yuan looked toward the direction of their rooms and said inadvertently.

"Junior Sister Linger has always been very diligent in her practice, and Junior Brother Zhang Nuo has also been cultivating hard recently, but it looks like the results are not as obvious as Junior Sister Linger's."

Gao Dakuan also knew that Zhang Nuo was working hard, but his cultivation speed was still much worse than Ye Ling'er's. Now Ye Ling'er was already a cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage Nine, and breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage was just a matter of these few years. Perhaps before the Chief Disciple battle, she still had hope of succeeding.

But Zhang Nuo was different. He had been in the sect for over four years now, yet his cultivation was still progressing at a snail's pace. At this rate, it was hard to say whether he could even participate in the Chief Disciple battle. Every time he thought of this, Gao Dakuan felt a bit disappointed. If Zhang Nuo could not reach the Sixth Layer, then his own qualification to participate would also be cancelled. In that way, he would also lose a very good opportunity for training.

"Senior Brother, are you worried about Junior Brother Zhang Nuo? If he can't cultivate to the Sixth Layer, your qualification to participate will also..."

Qu Yuan gave a strange smile and did not continue with the rest of his words, but Gao Dakuan already understood what he meant. The two of them had entered Lin Fan's tutelage quite early, so the relationship between them was incomparable to that of Zhang Nuo and the others.

With a long sigh, although Gao Dakuan did not answer, the expression on his face already explained what he was thinking in his heart.

"Junior Brother's whole family died in that Blood Sacrifice, and he is also a person of bitter fate. The Chief Disciple Assembly is very important to him; if things go wrong, this might be the only time in his life. I cannot let him have any regrets. As for me, it doesn't matter if I can't go this time. After all, after reaching the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, one's lifespan can reach two hundred years; I still have chances!"

Gao Dakuan gave an honest smile and explained slowly.

Gao Dakuan, Qu Yuan, and Ye Ling'er were all bitter children picked up by Lin Fan. Since they were young, they did not know who their parents were. Perhaps because they shared the same fate, they also felt great sympathy for Zhang Nuo. Hearing the Senior Brother's words, a look of sadness also appeared on Qu Yuan's face.

Zhang Nuo had lost his parents due to a disaster, and because his aptitude was relatively poor, even though Lin Fan had accepted him as a disciple, his future cultivation still depended on himself. Once he could not reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, Zhang Nuo's lifespan would be no different from an ordinary person's. Perhaps this Chief Disciple Assembly really was the only one in his life!

Just as the two were talking, the stone door of Zhang Nuo's room opened. The eyes of both Gao and Qu looked toward there simultaneously. As soon as Zhang Nuo walked out of the stone door, Gao Dakuan's Divine Sense swept over. In the blink of an eye, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he stood up abruptly and said loudly:

"Junior Brother, you've advanced!"

The joy in Gao Dakuan's voice was beyond words. At such a time, as long as Zhang Nuo advanced once, he would be one step closer to the Qi Refining Stage Sixth Layer, and whether Gao Dakuan could participate in this Chief Disciple Assembly all depended on Zhang Nuo's cultivation situation.