Chapter 119: Half‑step Xiantian, an improvised match

Hiss~ah~

At the moment his bare body was wrapped by the pool water, a refreshing feeling that went straight to the bone surged into his head, making Niu Dingtian finally unable to hold back a soul‑stirring tremor.

The water in the pool was neither shallow nor deep, just reaching his shoulders; the pool bottom was still warm, as if the stone beneath emitted a strange energy outward.

"Geothermal?" Niu Dingtian muttered: "No wonder the pool water keeps giving off spiritual mist."

At this moment, his internal qi was wildly agitated; his breathing technique ran on its own, devouring the primordial essence in the water and his body at a terrifying speed.

He then let it run on its own, lying flat and floating on the water, closed his eyes, focused, and began to cultivate silently.

Pop~

But when it got close to the pool's edge and felt the terrifying suction emanating from Niu Dingtian's body, fear flashed in its eyes again; it finally drooped its head listlessly, lying there lifeless.

He felt it carefully; the vine was very sturdy, the old turtle weighed at most a couple hundred catties, and with his current half‑step Xiantian strength he easily lifted it up.

After dressing and gathering his aura, he strode straight toward the distant old turtle.

He immediately shrank his head, eyes wary as he looked at Niu Dingtian: "What does this guy want?"

He then bared his teeth and crawled forward.

Ha~~

He remembered that after drinking the spiritual spring water, his pores all seemed to open, continuously expelling impure qi from his body.

"It seems only one feeling is missing."

He had originally planned to leave half a sip for Miss Huang, but holding his breath was truly uncomfortable; the little girl hadn't gotten up yet, and he couldn't wait that long, so he decided to fetch a sealed small bottle later.

After the old turtle slowly crawled out, Niu Dingtian came to the pool's edge, leapt up, and once again landed on the stone pillar.

Without the nourishment of the spiritual spring water, the air and water quality here were no different from outside; the old monk's realm would hardly improve any further in a short time.

One person and one turtle moved forward slowly,

Not long after, they arrived at the foot of the mountain.

The oppressive aura made the turtle hard to breathe!

Ha~ha~

He needed a martial insight of his own, to create a martial law of his own.

"Nine Yang Divine Skill, great completion! Arhat Subduing Demon Skill, great completion! Is this the feeling of half‑step Xiantian?"

After his eyes slowly opened, a gleam flashed from the depths of his pupils, exuding an inexplicable charm.

The little novice monk who had earlier served tea, seemingly named Ci Hui, gripped his broom tightly; when he drew near Niu Dingtian, he was so startled he could hardly speak.

He was just short of Miss Huang's sip; better to make a trip to fetch it.

Upon reaching the Xiantian realm in martial arts, what is sought is not only the fullness of internal energy and the transformation of the physique, but more importantly the cultivation of the spirit, seeking higher breakthroughs from the perception of heaven and earth.

Having made up his mind, Niu Dingtian rose and leapt out of the water.

But before she could speak, Niu Dingtian slammed the door shut with a bang, then pulled her into his arms, gently pried open her mouth, and slowly kissed her.

With the old turtle's underwater propulsion, the return journey was shortened by more than threefold.

At this time the sky was not yet fully bright, and the old turtle in the courtyard lay listlessly in the corner, squinting its eyes.

He felt his body already completely saturated; even his breathing technique and internal qi showed no change, and even if he drank more spiritual spring water it would likely just be expelled as urine.

After leaving the water, seeing the old turtle still loitering in the pool, unwilling to come ashore even after a while, Niu Dingtian felt somewhat annoyed.

"I don't know how long has passed,"

Boom boom boom~

Then he patted the turtle's head, nodded to everyone as a greeting, and hurried back to his own courtyard.

"The feeling of being unable to speak is really frustrating!" Niu Dingtian muttered, pursing his lips.

"Not bad, go ahead and clear the way first." Niu Dingtian satisfiedly patted the turtle's head, smiling: "As long as you obey, I'll reward you with two sips of spiritual spring water each year."

At this moment the misty vapor in the cavern had dissipated; a faint greenish light shone from somewhere, illuminating the vast cave.

When the door opened and he saw the visitor outside, Han Xiao Ying's face showed surprise: "How come you're here again so early in the morning? You're not thinking…"

"But this time I've sucked the spiritual mist from the cave dry; Yideng probably won't be able to enjoy the spring's blessing anytime soon."

After three breaths,

At this time in the temple,

Splash splash~

"The burden is heavy and the road long!" Niu Dingtian flicked a handful of green water from the pool and couldn't help sighing.

He glanced at his skin, which had become fairer than a woman's, felt a hint of disdain, then looked over his other parts and put his mind at ease.

After drying his clothes and putting on his outer garments, he sat on the turtle's back, feeling his held‑breath becoming somewhat uncomfortable.

And the vast essence frenziedly consumed by his breathing technique seemed endless, filling every corner of his body with a mysterious, unfathomable power.

Returning to the temple gate once more,

He had originally planned to stop by the cave before leaving to fill a small bottle with spiritual spring water.

One person and one turtle,

They came to the shore and went into the water.

"Don't ask questions, lock the door, and remember to immediately circulate your energy to refine it!"

After the recent swallowing and refinement, a portion of the spiritual spring water transformed into tremendous internal force, directly pushing Niu Dingtian to the peak of the Houtian Grand Master realm, just one step away from the legendary Xiantian realm.

Time flowed silently; he felt his spirit and body extraordinarily full, and gradually the openings of his spirit reached an extremely ethereal state.

"Old buddy, I've always been tolerant and don't like forcing others; now I give you two choices—do I still need to say which two?"

If they merely hoped to cultivate the Nine Yin Classic, they wouldn't know when they could break through to the Grand Master realm; they could only rely on this spiritual spring water to give them a boost.

After feeling once more the seemingly boundless, inexhaustible mighty force within him, a smile involuntarily broke out on his face.

Suddenly, a tremendous aura erupted from the pool with a boom, an intangible yet mighty pressure instantly filling the entire cavern.

Seeing Niu Dingtian suddenly flare up

First, it's for sister-in-law Chen Jin'er to take; second, I also want to see if it works on my sister Sha Gu's foolish condition.

Since Sha Gu's issue is an undernourished marrow sea with congealed stagnant blood, after being nourished by this divine spirit spring water, her recovery should not be a major problem.

Thinking of the clear tea he had drunk at the temple, with a hint of essence in the water, Niu Dingtian silently mourned for the lone lamp.

Suddenly, an abnormal change occurred in the cave.

That old fellow obviously still felt reluctant; at this moment he wore a bewildered expression, pretending to be nonchalant as he drew circles on the water.

If it weren't for the fact that I've got something in my mouth, I'd spit right in your face, you spicy neighbor!

Mm! Mm!

A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye; after diving down and surfacing underwater, the bright water surface was right before our eyes.

Whooo~

Niu Dingtian glared, and the old turtle immediately shrank its head and hurriedly shook.

Seeing the pitifully small amount of spirit spring water, he couldn't help but sigh, then bent down, opened his mouth, and sucked in a mouthful, holding it in his mouth.

He patted the turtle's head again, sending the old turtle off to the corner, then gently knocked on Han Xiao Ying's door.

Moreover, I am ultimately of the Niu Clan's bloodline; my unseen grandfather was killed, my unseen parents were hunted, and now that I've reached this level, I should go and slap the table before that dog emperor.

Thinking back to last year's life-or-death escape, it seems as fresh as yesterday; back then, to lure the palace's eyes and ears out of the city, I didn't expect to draw out an old ghost, nearly losing my life.

Time was slowly passing,

The misty vapor in the cave was also gradually fading.

"This… this is…" Han Xiao Ying widened her eyes, slumped in Niu Dingtian's embrace, somewhat at a loss.

Whooo~

Cihui's face eased, her eyes full of astonishment; she had never seen such a huge old turtle, surely a legendary spirit beast, and she promptly put her palms together and said:

"Little monk will arrange it shortly; I will certainly not let anyone disturb the divine turtle. Master Niu, do you have any other instructions?"

As for that old tortoise, after enjoying so many years in this cave, it should be content.

However, given his transformed demeanor, riding the divine turtle now gives him the air of a transcendent master.

Boom~

Several early-rising novice monks were holding brooms, scattered across various areas, doing the temple's cleaning chores.

"But dealing with that old eunuch now is more than enough!" Niu Dingtian suddenly sneered.

After a while,

After recovering at the edge of the cliff, the old turtle carried Niu Dingtian forward as it continued to crawl.

He then reached out and fiercely slapped the turtle's head, glared at it fiercely, let out two hums from his nostrils, and pointed toward the shore.

Seeing Han Xiao Ying about to speak, Niu Dingtian lifted her limp body from his arms and solemnly instructed her.

When Niu Dingtian carefully passed the spirit spring water from his mouth to her, feeling the massive energy surge into his body, her expression instantly turned to shock.

He hadn't brought any containers when he came, so he could only bring it back this way to nourish his older sister Han and Miss Huang.

Niu Dingtian didn't care; after a hehe laugh, ignoring the turtle's struggle, he quickly bound it tightly with the extra vines.

Their martial arts are truly too weak; staying by my side, they will surely face many enemies in the future.

The old turtle's eyes filled with terror, it kept letting out hoarse strange cries while continually backing away; the sudden burst of tyrannical power from Niu Dingtian's body made it involuntarily feel fear.

After leaping onto the mountain peak and crossing the cliff, having gone through two harrowing ordeals, the old turtle was so frightened it rolled its eyes upward.

Han Xiao Ying was about to struggle, but her writhing body suddenly stiffened.

The gathering speed was extremely fast, gradually forming a rapidly spinning vortex centered on his body; slowly, the mist in the cave thinned from dense to faint, and the surroundings became barely visible.

Instantly, his cheeks flushed red.

Then, with a hint of regret, he muttered to himself: "It's a pity; I'm only a step away from the legendary innate realm."

"How..."

"Master Niu, this... this...?"

After finding the little novice monk Cihui, Niu Dingtian smiled and said: "It's just the divine turtle recognizing its master; little master, don't panic— that old turtle is in my courtyard, just keep strangers away from it."

Not far away, the old turtle noticed the spirit mist had vanished; its eyes bulged as it stared at the white mist over the pool that seemed to have solidified, and it visibly became shocked and angry.

"Endless and inexhaustible."

Niu Dingtian smiled and said: "Little master, could you help me find two small bottles for holding medicine? They must be well sealed, so nothing leaks out."

Moreover, that old fellow has a huge appetite, hard to feed; we can only make do with the bathwater from the pool, and I suppose he won't complain.

"With body following mind, nothing is impossible; left and right, high and low, all is as desired." Niu Dingtian lay in the water, closed his eyes, and whispered.

Having made up his mind, Niu Dingtian walked toward the temple gate.

Niu Dingtian gripped the turtle's head with one hand and pointed the direction with the other, making it swim underwater along the route he had come; he was somewhat worried that if he let go, this old thing would flee on its own.

The moment the liquid entered her mouth, she felt a powerful, mysterious energy that swiftly coursed through her body, an ultimate pleasure that shot straight into her marrow, making her soul tremble.

The old turtle's eye expression was vivid, constantly shifting.

Then he left the room.

When the old turtle gazed at the towering mountain peak and the extending vines, it involuntarily felt a sense of foreboding.

Niu Dingtian gave a slight smile, lightly nodded, and did not speak; the water in his mouth was holy water, and spilling even a drop would be waste.

Feeling a thin membrane-like barrier inside his body, as if it would break at a touch, Niu Dingtian vaguely understood that the upcoming breakthrough might hinge on a single thought.

Having arrived before the old turtle, Niu Dingtian's face was expressionless, his gaze inscrutable, not even dodging his own large turtle head, he said lightly:

The misty vapor that had originally permeated the surroundings suddenly seemed to be pulled by a powerful force, rapidly converging toward Niu Dingtian's body.

Then it directly crawled toward the direction Niu Dingtian pointed.

Having arrived in the courtyard, his half-step innate powerful perception slowly unfolded; Niu Dingtian heard Han Xiao Ying's training exhalation and inhalation, and heard Miss Huang's deep breathing.

When Niu Dingtian rode on an old turtle more than half a zhang long, passed the temple gate, and slowly proceeded into the temple, he immediately caused them to panic in waves.

Their lips slowly parted, and in the impromptu sparring, neither wasted a drop.

At this moment, he had withdrawn his power and stopped refining.

Hiss—

With a splash, he surfaced; Niu Dingtian instantly felt his inner qi flow smoothly, the hissing spray at the cave edge continued unabated, and the sky was already dimly dawning.

A low murmur suddenly echoed in the cavern.

After leaping down from the stone pillar and catching up to the old turtle,

Niu Dingtian ignored the old turtle's objection and sat directly on its shell; not using this ready-made leg strength would also be a waste.

"Please wait a moment, benefactor Niu; I'll go to the medicine room and fetch it for you right away."

Seeing it was no big deal, Ci Hui left a remark and then hurried to the medicine room.

(End of chapter)