Chapter 41: An Acquaintance

"Tell me, Junior Martial Brother, did your successful Foundation Establishment rely entirely on this sword box? You must tell the truth! You are not allowed to lie to us!"

Ye Ling'er pointed at the sword box beside him and said with a serious face. At this moment, Gao Dakuan and Qu Yuan also looked at him and nodded.

"It has a bit to do with it!"

Zhang Nuo scratched his head in embarrassment, but he deliberately downplayed the connection between his Foundation Establishment and the sword box. If he said too much, it would undoubtedly lead to the secret of the sword box's restoration, and if they probed further, perhaps even the 'Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect' would be dragged into it.

"Junior Martial Brother, I really couldn't tell! You don't make a sound, but when you do, you startle everyone!"

Gao Dakuan had always been very straightforward, and what he said came entirely from the heart. In everyone's eyes before, Zhang Nuo was a little guy who cultivated at a snail's pace and had no talent to speak of, but a few years later, Zhang Nuo was a Dual Spirit Sea Cultivator, and his future prospects were limitless!

"I say, Junior Martial Brother, if you become a big shot in the future, the three of us martial brothers will have to rely on you to look after us!"

Qu Yuan also said teasingly. Being put on the spot by the three of them, Zhang Nuo felt even more embarrassed. In the end, it was Gao Dakuan who came to his rescue.

"Alright, let's stop messing around. Junior Martial Brother and Junior Martial Sister have both just reached Foundation Establishment and need time to consolidate their cultivation. Furthermore, there is less than a year left until the Chief Disciple Assembly, so we should also do some preparations."

Although Gao Dakuan was a bit simple and honest, he thought about quite a few things. The three of them nodded continuously after hearing this, and then each returned to their rooms.

Seeing that everyone had left, Zhang Nuo closed the stone door well. Just as he was about to take out the Jade Slip to study the 'Shangqing Sword Art', the 'Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect' in his bosom suddenly sent a mental connection as if it had gone mad.

He hurriedly took out the Spirit Insect, only to see that the insect was so hungry its eyes were almost spitting fire. It looked at Zhang Nuo with a hint of resentment.

Thinking back, Zhang Nuo hadn't fed the Spirit Insect for almost a year; no wonder the little guy was so angry.

"Endure for a few more days, and I will let you out!"

After a good deal of coaxing, the Spirit Insect calmed down. Zhang Nuo put it back into his bosom and picked up the Jade Slip to start studying the 'Shangqing Sword Art'!

Three days later, Zhang Nuo found a random excuse and walked out of the Cave Abode. Just as he took the Spirit Insect out, before he could even give instructions, the Spirit Insect flashed and flew more than three miles away, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

It seemed this guy must have been starving, otherwise it wouldn't have left Zhang Nuo so anxiously. Waving apologetically at the Spirit Insect, Zhang Nuo returned to the Cave Abode.

Now that there was no interference from the Spirit Insect, he could finally settle his mind to study the 'Shangqing Sword Art'. In the first three days, Zhang Nuo had only gained some understanding of the cultivation method, but even a rough understanding allowed him to see the terrifying nature of the technique.

The 'Shangqing Sword Art' was divided into thirteen layers, but it was a pity that the Jade Slip only recorded ten layers. Just these ten layers were enough for Zhang Nuo to cultivate to the Nascent Soul Stage, and each layer's advancement was extremely difficult. Except for the first layer, the rest required a long time to cultivate.

According to the content of the first layer of the technique, when the first layer was completed, the speed at which a cultivator used a Flying Sword would surpass that of ordinary people. The 'Shangqing Sword Art' was mainly based on speed, and the main tenet of the sword art consisted of only eight words: "Respect speed above all! Nothing cannot be broken by speed!"

From these eight words, it was not hard to see that this was a cultivation method that advocated speed. He believed that when cultivated to the later stages of great success, the speed of this 'Shangqing Sword Art' would definitely reach a jaw-dropping level.

Zhang Nuo sat in the cave for half a year. When he walked out of the room, his cultivation had stably stopped at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage level, and the first layer of the 'Shangqing Sword Art' had also been successfully cultivated.

Carrying the 'Nine Dragon Sword Case' on his back, Zhang Nuo wanted to go outside to find the 'Mysterious Heaven Gold-Devouring Insect'. Just as he stepped out of the door, he ran into Gao Dakuan.

"Junior Martial Brother, you've come out! Just in time to go to the sect's market with me!"

"Alright!"

Since he was going out to find the Spirit Insect anyway and had nothing else to do, Zhang Nuo agreed. The two left the Cave Abode and flew toward the interior of the sect while riding their Magic Treasures.

Over the past few years, this was the third time Zhang Nuo had entered the interior of the Spirit Sect. The first time was when Gao Dakuan took him to see Sun Yiyang and the others, and the second time was when Gao Dakuan took him to the market to buy things. Recalling the experience of the second time, Zhang Nuo couldn't help but smile bitterly and mock himself.

Back then, there were people pointing fingers behind his back, and he didn't even dare to lift his head, only able to hide behind his Senior Martial Brother to leave. But the Zhang Nuo of today was different; a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Dual Spirit Sea Cultivator—this title alone was enough to scare a large group of people.

The two martial brothers walked into the sect's market one after the other. As soon as they entered, countless gazes immediately looked toward Zhang Nuo.

"Look at that kid, he's carrying his Magic Treasure on his back!"

"Yeah! Who is his master? So stingy, not even giving him a Storage Bag?"

"You don't even know him? He's the kid brought up from Heiniu Village back then, later taken in as a disciple by Elder Lin Fan. I heard it took him several years just to reach the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage, hmm...?"

Listening to the two people beside him, one young man around twenty years old began to explain. He seemed to be very knowledgeable about Zhang Nuo's background and cultivation, but when he used his Divine Sense to scan Zhang Nuo, he was surprised to find that he couldn't see through the other party's cultivation at all.

"Strange? How did this kid who cultivates at a snail's pace suddenly feel so mysterious?"

The young man frowned and lowered his head to ponder.

Zhang Nuo had long since heard them talking. Hearing his own embarrassing stories being spilled out one by one, he felt somewhat unhappy. With his current strength, he could completely fight those few people and properly vent the pent-up anger in his heart!

However, Lin Fan had previously warned him that he could not reveal his true cultivation before the Chief Disciple Assembly began. Suppressing the anger in his heart, Zhang Nuo acted as if he hadn't heard what was just said.

Seeing that Zhang Nuo had no reaction, there were even more people discussing him now. Words like "trash" and "useless" made even Gao Dakuan frown. He turned back to look at Zhang Nuo, only to see him calm and composed, as if nothing had happened at all.

"It seems that years of closed-door cultivation have made Junior Martial Brother more mature!"

Thinking this in his heart, Gao Dakuan walked toward a counter inside the market. At this moment, Zhang Nuo was looking around in boredom when suddenly a familiar figure appeared in his eyes. As soon as he saw this person, his heart immediately began to race, and he hurriedly shifted his gaze away.