Volume 1, Chapter 44: Ah, Just This Close

Just a few breaths later, the medicinal power of the Meridian-Extending Pill was completely refined within Yun Qianzhu. She sat cross-legged right beneath the phoenix tree and instinctively began to cultivate!

Meanwhile, Shi Ming stood there in a daze.

Looking completely dumbfounded, he stared blankly at Li Hanzhou.

The two of them exchanged blank stares for a long time.

Shi Ming glanced over at Yun Qianzhu. At this moment, she seemed to have undergone a massive transformation. With every breath she took, surging genuine qi rippled around her. She was currently practicing the *Supreme Profound Heart Scripture*, and in just half an incense stick's time, an aura of purple mist had begun to manifest behind her petite figure. This astonishing sight left both Li Hanzhou and Shi Ming wide-eyed.

Purple Mist Genuine Qi?

Both of them had read the *Supreme Profound Heart Scripture*, and they knew that manifesting Purple Mist Genuine Qi meant the practitioner had already entered the second layer of the manual.

How long had it even been?

"What is going on?"

Li Hanzhou stepped forward and used his spiritual energy to examine Yun Qianzhu's body. To his utter shock, her physique had undergone a profound change.

Even her meridians were now flickering with a golden light.

It was as if they had mutated after being nourished by his spiritual energy.

"Bizarre." Li Hanzhou had never encountered anything like this before.

"Shi Ming, do you feel anything?" Seeing that Shi Ming was acting completely normal, Li Hanzhou used his spiritual energy to scan Shi Ming's body as well, only to find that his meridians remained exactly as they were before, without the slightest change.

Where the medicinal efficacy of the Meridian-Extending Pill had gone within Shi Ming was completely a mystery.

"This disciple is dull-witted," Shi Ming said somewhat awkwardly.

"Never mind. Everyone has their own distinct destiny," Li Hanzhou pondered for a moment before saying, "I recently read about a method in an ancient text. We can give it a try."

"What method?" Shi Ming asked.

"The Aperture-Unblocking Technique!"

Li Hanzhou had read in an ancient manual that back when the Taoist sects were still flourishing, practitioners used this method. By condensing spiritual energy into a specialized finger technique, they would press upon eight vital apertures of a disciple to stimulate their dormant potential.

Li Hanzhou decided to emulate the technique and give it a try.

To avoid disturbing Yun Qianzhu's cultivation, Li Hanzhou brought Shi Ming to the back mountain and helped him unblock his eight major apertures.

Early in the morning.

As the first ray of dawn broke through the clouds, Li Hanzhou and Shi Ming wearily walked back from the back mountain.

Li Hanzhou realized that the name given to the boy, Shi Ming, was truly fitting—he really did have the fate of a stone!

Every conceivable method had been tried, yet Shi Ming's body remained as unyielding and stubborn as a rock, showing not the slightest change.

His meridians were still just as narrow, and his aptitude for cultivation remained utterly mediocre.

Achieving the third grade of cultivation by this point was already decent, but Li Hanzhou felt that without a miraculous transformation, the ninth grade would likely be his lifelong limit.

Shi Ming wore a look of deep frustration.

"Uncle-Master, it doesn't matter. Everyone has their own destiny. Even if I never reach a high realm in this lifetime, it's fine. A person doesn't necessarily have to become a mighty expert to live a meaningful life," Shi Ming said with a forced smile.

Li Hanzhou let out a soft sigh.

It might be fine for you not to become an expert.

But your Uncle-Master is counting on you guys to carry me to ascension.

However, when the two returned from the back mountain and saw Yun Qianzhu, they were instantly dumbfounded.

Yun Qianzhu was still deeply immersed in cultivation, but the sheer intensity of the genuine qi radiating from her body genuinely stunned them both.

When they left yesterday, she was only at the second grade of cultivation, but by now, she had already broken through to the fourth grade!

Rising two whole grades in a single night?

Was the efficacy of a single Meridian-Extending Pill truly this powerful?

"It's over. I've become the lowest-cultivation member of the sect," Shi Ming thought, plunging into despair. Perhaps he should just go back to chopping firewood.

Watching Shi Ming's dejected figure depart, Li Hanzhou could only resolve to think of another way to elevate Shi Ming's strength later.

As for Liu Dongyue, the Meridian-Extending Pill was useless to him; he had long past the optimal age to consume it.

However, the Wujian Sect was coming to issue a challenge today, and the stake happened to be a Heavenly Origin Pill—that item could certainly be given to Liu Dongyue.

Baiyun City.

Donglai Inn.

Wu Sanzhong, the Master of the Wujian Sect, had arrived in person, accompanied by his proudest disciples.

All four disciples were formidable fighters.

Moreover, they had practiced a specialized formation of the Wujian Sect, which could multiply their combat prowess when deployed together.

"We stand a very good chance today," Wu Sanzhong instructed his disciples earnestly. "Don't let the fact that Liu Dongyue is strong fool you—the reason Wan Qiuhen was completely helpless against him and suffered a narrow defeat in the end is that they were a loose sand with zero coordination. Once our Wujian Sect's Four-Image Formation is unleashed, we will make Liu Dongyue pay dearly!"

"Understood!"

The four disciples replied in unison.

"Good, let's move out! Today, our Wujian Sect shall take back the Autumn Burial Blade!"

With yesterday's experience, many people had already arrived early to purchase tickets.

Before the designated hour had even arrived, the crowds outside were already brawling over who got to buy tickets first.

It was a bustling spectacle.

Li Hanzhou couldn't be bothered to care; they could fight all they wanted.

He was currently guarding Yun Qianzhu. She had already woken up, and upon discovering that her cultivation had surged to the fourth grade, she was utterly astonished.

Furthermore, Yun Qianzhu could clearly sense that the genuine qi stored within her meridians was far from ordinary fourth-grade qi!

It felt far purer and much more profound.

"My Longevity Sect has produced a true prodigy!" Li Hanzhou was exceedingly pleased.

With such a talent, there was a genuine chance that Yun Qianzhu might achieve ascension in the future.

"Uncle-Master, it's time to go out and sell tickets," Yun Qianzhu reminded Li Hanzhou.

Li Hanzhou checked the time; it was indeed about time to fleece some fat sheep.

Today's ticket sales were exceptionally explosive.

The Wujian Sect disciples deployed the Four-Image Formation right from the start, causing everyone present to break out in a cold sweat, yet Liu Dongyue once again managed to narrowly defeat them.

"Ah, just missed by a hair!" Wu Sanzhong lamented with deep regret.

Just a fraction closer, and he would have brought the Autumn Burial Blade home.

Seeing Liu Dongyue emerge victorious, the other sects finally breathed a sigh of relief.

By the third day, Li Hanzhou couldn't even be bothered to show up, leaving the matters entirely to his subordinates.

After all, the events of each day played out in much the same way.

The only difference was that the Baiyun Casino in Baiyun City had opened a betting pool, and people poured in endlessly to place their wagers. However, the odds for Liu Dongyue remained consistently low at one-to-one, while his opponents typically enjoyed odds of one-to-ten.

Yet all of this seemed to have nothing to do with Li Hanzhou, who didn't even place a single bet in the pool.

He hid away in the Scripture Pavilion to read books, while also practicing the *Northern Emperor Scripture* on his own. However, observing Yun Qianzhu's blistering cultivation speed made Li Hanzhou realize that he truly was not cut out for cultivation; his progress was far too slow.

After practicing for so long, he had only just stepped into the second tier of Qi Condensation.

Meanwhile, over the past few days, Yun Qianzhu had already advanced to the fifth grade of cultivation.

Had Liu Dongyue not gained a sudden enlightenment and broken through to the sixth grade recently, this Second Senior Brother would likely have been surpassed by Yun Qianzhu.

Not only that, Li Hanzhou discovered that Yun Qianzhu's learning speed was just as astonishing as her cultivation speed.

She mastered the Mount-Shaking Palm of the Mountain-Sinking Sect to the third layer after practicing it for just a single day.

The Golden Light Incantation was fully grasped after half a day of practice.

Her progression completely defied human limits.

Today marked the conclusion of the sixth round of matches.

The challenger of the day was the Biyun Sect.

The Master of the Biyun Sect sighed: "Ah, just a tiny bit short! We were just a hair away from taking the Autumn Burial Blade!"

And now, everyone was filled with anticipation for tomorrow!

Because tomorrow's challenger would be the Ruthless Valley.

The Ruthless Fairy herself was coming in person!