Chapter 304: Master Wan

"The top Qi Refinement cultivator? What a grand title—we couldn't achieve such a thing even after becoming true disciples, let alone that this Brother Wang once held his own against Zhu Wuyan in the Jialan Secret Realm."

"But what good is high Qi Refinement power? Can you truly defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

"But Zhu Wuyan is different—he's now at the height of his power!"

"Since this demon fled to the Black Soul Sect, he achieved Foundation Establishment in less than a year, fused the secret arts of both the Demon Luo Sect and the Black Soul Sect, and created the Blood Bone Art. Seven years ago, during the great battle at the Tongzhou border, this fiend slew three Foundation Establishment elders from our sect, the Thousand Bamboo Teachings, and the Golden Steel Temple—especially that Golden Steel Temple's Master Zhi Guang, who was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"A beginner eliminating a mid-stage cultivator? That's genuine cross-stage killing. This demon's strength must rank among the strongest in mid-stage—certainly beyond what you or I, as beginners, could withstand. Among our sect's true disciples, only Senior Brother Chen of the late stage could reliably surpass him; as for Senior Sister Yun and Senior Brother Li of the mid-stage, it's uncertain."

"Senior Sister Yun and Senior Brother Li are from the Yun and Li clans—one is adorned with mysterious magical artifacts, the other carries the Five-Light Sparrow spirit bird, and both are true disciples whose cultivation arts and secret techniques far surpass ordinary sect elders; they're no weaker than Zhu Wuyan."

"True. Though I've never seen Zhu Wuyan fight, I imagine he's just another beginner like us, and as a true disciple too—how much stronger could he really be?" The white-robed woman tilted her head, pondered, then smiled sweetly.

"Given how astonishing Zhu Wuyan's power became after Foundation Establishment, his chosen Foundation Establishment art must favor combat cultivation. Though devastating in battle, his cultivation speed must be painfully slow."

"Likely so. Speaking of cultivation speed, you and I broke through to Foundation Establishment around the same time, and we've both lingered in the beginner stage for over twenty years. If we can't break through to mid-stage in the coming years, we'll have to surrender our true disciple positions like Senior Sister Min and become ordinary elders."

"Heh, I'm not worried about advancement. My chosen 'Thick Earth Art' may be slow to cultivate, but it's easier to overcome minor bottlenecks—once my spiritual energy reaches the right threshold, it naturally progresses to the next level. I've been stuck at the third level for seven or eight years, and I'm certain I'll break through to the fourth level within three years and enter the mid-stage."

"But Sister Feng—if I recall correctly, you're a dual Water-Metal elemental root, and you chose the 'Evergreen Scripture,' the fastest Foundation Establishment cultivation art. You reached Foundation Establishment third level ten years ago—surely you haven't been stuck at the bottleneck all this time without progress?"

"Congratulations, Senior Brother. Once you enter mid-stage, you can keep your true disciple position for decades more. As for me, I doubt I'll break through anytime soon. I once greedily chose the 'Evergreen Scripture' for its speed—it's the biggest regret of my life."

"Though it suits my elemental affinity and lets me advance rapidly, it offers zero help in breaking bottlenecks. I once prided myself on my insight and even awakened a special physique tied to comprehension—but I breezed through the first two levels, only to get utterly stuck at the third. Even now, there's not a single sign of progress. I fear I can't hold this true disciple position for many more years."

"Sister Feng, don't lose heart. Perhaps in the coming years, you'll suddenly awaken and break through."

"But after Foundation Establishment, cultivation arts are utterly different from Qi Refinement—not only are choices limited, but choosing the right main art is paramount. If you want easy bottleneck breakthroughs, your cultivation speed will never be fast; if you want speed, breakthroughs will never be easy."

"Similarly, if you choose an art with immense destructive power, don't expect benefits in nurturing your body or cultivating your nature; if you choose a gentle, soothing art that nourishes your flesh and preserves your vital energy, you'll be weak in battle."

"Indeed—there's no perfect cultivation art in this world. If such an art existed, all others would have been abandoned and lost, and everyone would have chosen it."

"In short—I regret my choice deeply." The white-robed woman murmured, her face pale, her eyes filled with remorse.

…

Deep within a small mountain range hundreds of li from Zhushan, in a seemingly desolate, uninhabited wasteland.

A blue mechanical bird flew in from the distant horizon, swiftly arriving above the wasteland. Seated atop it was a man in a blue robe, wearing a hood, slowly descending.

"Puff."

A faint blue mist flashed and vanished—the blue-robed man and the mechanical bird disappeared.

The next instant, the blue-robed man, still riding the mechanical bird, appeared at the entrance of a brightly lit valley.

On either side of the entrance stood stone towers several zhang tall, their tops faintly revealing several gleaming, icy-long ranged talisman arrows; below the towers stood seven or eight soldiers clad in black iron armor.

The blue-robed man retracted the mechanical bird, pulled out a pale yellow wooden token, waved it before the soldiers, then strode confidently into the valley.

Not a single one of the iron-armored guards stepped forward to stop him.

Inside the valley, a wide main street paved with blue stone stretched ahead—wide enough for two carts to pass side by side with room to spare.

The valley wasn't large, but along both sides of the blue stone street stood dense rows of shops—large and small, tall and short, slightly chaotic in arrangement.

Many people came and went from these shops—men and women, old and young—but no matter their attire, each carried a faint spiritual energy fluctuation; all were cultivators, though clearly of low cultivation, mostly cultivators without sect affiliation.

This was, in fact, a cultivator marketplace, dominated by itinerant cultivators.

After walking a short distance along the blue stone street, the blue-robed man turned effortlessly into a narrow alley. At the alley's end stood a shop with a banner hanging above its door, bearing the character "Zhen."

The blue-robed man entered without hesitation.

"Master Wan, you've come."

Behind the counter inside the shop, a beautiful woman, busy tallying accounts with clacking abacus beads, looked up, saw the blue-robed man, and immediately beamed—she swiftly tucked away her abacus and ledgers, then rushed forward with a bright smile.

"Madam Huo, same as always—I've brought one hundred lower-grade Zengyuan Pills, three middle-grade Zengyuan Pills, and the herbal ingredients you prepared last time—have they been readied?" The blue-robed man removed his hood, revealing a plain face—his features unmistakably identical to those of Wan Shan of the Four Symbols Sect, though older, around forty years of age.