Chapter 42

"It's not necessary either; she can register tomorrow and should have time to leave seclusion." Lin Yuan has now reached the Great Completion of Qi Refining.

He had received the news early that the major exam was moved up, and he sent a message to Sweeping Curve Peak; at that time he had already learned from the little turtle about Jiang Yu's recent condition.

"The registration deadline is tomorrow at the si hour (10 a. m.); if one cannot register on another's behalf, can we still make it?" Lu Ruochan worried for her friend, notices of the exam were posted everywhere in the sect, but Jiang Yu had remained in seclusion and not come out.

You should know that this year's exam has the fewest participants because the sect limited disciple recruitment three years ago, making it the smallest turnout compared to previous sessions.

Lin Yuan calmly asked back: "Senior Sister Lu, if you could today break through to the Great Completion of Qi Refining, would you give up your breakthrough and come register instead?"

"Of course not." Being just one step away from Foundation Establishment, Lu Ruochan would certainly prioritize her breakthrough; at worst, if she fails to establish foundation in three years, she can take the exam again.

Suddenly she realized something: "Huh, Jiang Yu reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining only a year ago, and now she's about to reach the Great Completion?"

"I'm about to reach the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and this time she's going to surpass me again? A fifteen-year-old achieving the Great Completion of Qi Refining?!"

"Is this meant to make her envy herself to death?" Lu Ruochan was instantly stimulated: "Back when we tested spiritual roots, could they have misjudged Jiang Yu's spiritual root?"

"I was just giving an example." Lin Yuan quickly found an excuse to flee; he didn't want to stay too long with Senior Sister Lu or he'd become stupid.

However, being worried about Jiang Yu's situation, he sent another message.

At that moment, Jiang Tu saw the message talisman knocking at the door, but he no longer had the mood to bring it inside.

Mainly, Jiang Yu's attempt to break through was normally proceeding, but unexpectedly she began sweating profusely, and the little turtle anxiously ran circles in front of the futon.

The later-stage Qi Refining disciples residing in Sweeping Curve Peak, unlike the mid-stage disciples in Kind Water Valley who have Foundation Establishment uncles guarding and patrolling, it doesn't even have anyone nearby to ask for guidance.

Moreover, the Qi Refining disciples living nearby have never spoken to each other when they meet.

The turtle doesn't understand human cultivation, but having heard many lessons it knows a bit; moving from the eighth to the ninth layer of Qi Refining is obviously just an ordinary bottleneck.

Beneath Sweeping Curve Peak lies a spirit vein, and the meditation chambers are set up with high-grade spirit-gathering arrays; how could something suddenly go wrong when everything was fine?

After calming its mind and silently counting a few numbers, it opened Jiang Bai's long-distance transmission jade and quickly explained the current situation.

Fortunately Jiang Bai had just finished refining pills and was resting, his spirit recovered quickly: "Is her speed of absorbing spiritual energy faster or slower?"

"Besides sweating, are there any other abnormalities?"

Jiang Tu immediately said: "Faster, that's right—she set up the spirit-gathering array using used high-grade spirit stones."

Last year when she broke through to the eighth layer at the tavern, she also used these few spirit stones, and the spiritual energy on them still looked abundant.

There were no other conditions; she just kept sweating profusely."

"Don't just look at the surface; go forward and touch those spirit stones laid in the array to see if they still have spiritual energy.

"Don't panic; minor breakthroughs at Sweeping Curve Peak usually pose no problem.

"If worse comes to worst, you can also seek help from the sect elders." Jiang Bai had been living opposite in Stabilizing Curve Peak before he left; that spirit vein's spiritual energy is sufficient for late-stage Qi Refining cultivation.

Jiang Tu quickly flew up, his claws lightly touching the spirit stone, and then saw the spirit stone silently crack into powder.

It opened its beak in surprise, stunned for two or three breaths before saying: "The spiritual energy has actually been used up to ash."

"I'll immediately set up another spirit-gathering array for her."

Jiang Bai's side said: "Keep the line open; has she recently acquired any special item that has recognized her as its master?

After setting up the array, check her storage bags."

Jiang Tu set up the spirit-gathering array at his fastest speed ever: "We've been in seclusion for over half a year and haven't bought anything.

"Only last year we managed to photograph a taiji fish token that wouldn't open, and it's still stored on my person."

Having said that, it still flashed into the Dragon Pearl space, and after checking the fish token remained unchanged.

But when it later examined Jiang Yu's unsealed storage bag, it discovered an old book inside that was secretly absorbing spiritual energy: "Great, so it's you who's been sneaking bites."

The little turtle snatched it out and threw it into the space, isolating it so it can't steal spiritual energy anymore.

And with Jiang Yu no longer having that creature competing for spiritual energy, her complexion soon returned to normal and she continued her breakthrough gradually.

"What is it?" Jiang Bai was also quite curious: "Did the little girl pick up another damaged treasure?"

"It's a book of talismans that the Sui Lv Zhenjun of the Tai Xu Sect gave Jiang Yu when she met him last year; it seems to be a fragment of an ancient text.

Jiang Yu often flipped through it during her seclusion and tried to copy the runes on it, but she never succeeded once.

Just half a month ago, when she was about to succeed in drawing it, the talisman brush suddenly snapped and pierced her hand.

"Oh, that time her blood dripped onto the book's cover, and it seemed not to have been wiped clean." As soon as Jiang Tu finished speaking, he jumped back into the space to examine the book's cover; indeed there was not a trace of blood left.

It curiously flipped back and forth through the book several times; outside the space, Jiang Yu gritted her teeth, gathered her strength, and in one surge broke through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

She couldn't help feeling delighted, suppressing her excitement while continuing to guide the internal spiritual power, stabilizing her cultivation.

Upon opening her eyes again, it was already the chou hour of the next day; she leapt up, took a shower, held the little turtle aloft, and declared with vigor: "I, today officially become a great cultivator of the ninth layer of Qi Refining; after diligent practice and then taking a Foundation Establishment pill, I can instantly achieve Foundation Establishment and enjoy a lifespan of two hundred years.

"Hahaha, a longevity that even mortal emperors cannot obtain."

"Jiang Tu, I now bestow upon you the rank of a first‑grade prime minister; how splendid is that?!"

"What nonsense, do you even know your spiritual power has been stolen?

"And what great cultivator are you? Don't talk like that in front of outsiders, or you'll get beaten to death." Jiang Tu shot out from her palm, snatched the thin old talisman book, and threw it over.

Jiang Yu's expression turned serious as she grabbed it, flipping page by page; the book is only about ten or twenty sheets.

The runes on it are mostly pure thunder, ice, and wind talismans, high-grade concealment talismans, transformation talismans, as well as order and seal talismans with more than half of their patterns missing.

She herself has no extraordinary spiritual root; using the five elements to convert spiritual power and cast ice‑type techniques, she can draw a simple ice‑cone talisman on the talisman paper.

Yet she cannot draw the variant spirit talismans in the book that possess greater power.

However, the first few sheets of the five‑element metal‑wood‑water‑fire‑earth spirit talismans only require adding a few strokes beyond what is normally learned, but when she tries to copy them she never succeeds, which is rather strange.

Moreover, during her breakthrough her spiritual power inexplicably drained away; she didn't notice the problem lay in the book, thanks to Jiang Tu guarding nearby: "The runes on it seem clearer than before.

"Jiang Tu, let me lend you some more high‑grade spirit stones to replenish its spiritual power."

"No, you should first acknowledge it as master; it's likely not just a book but also a magical treasure.

"After absorbing your blood it can autonomously draw in spiritual power—nothing simple about that." Jiang Tu was even more cautious than she, suspecting that a tool spirit resides within the book.

"That makes sense." Now that it's in her hands, Jiang Yu cannot possibly let it go.

"For safety's sake, she and Jiang Tu entered the space, then specially drew a contract‑acknowledgment talisman, after which she began to force out a drop of blood from her fingertip and let it fall onto the book's cover."

The blood was slowly sucked away, and the huge sigil on the book cover flashed once, then fell silent.

"Drop again," the little turtle stared intently.

Jiang Yu, after three drops showed no effect, pressed a point at the spot between her eyebrows; a scarlet essence blood erupted, and the sigil book automatically slapped onto her forehead.

She saw the entire book's multicolored spiritual light shift in succession, and in an instant it shrank to the size of a fingernail; a flash of white light flickered, subtly entering her lower dantian.

"What is it?" Jiang Tu was eager to find out.