Chapter 371 - 201: The Final Hurdle to the True Master Realm

After putting down the newspaper, Jiang Che called over a Servant Disciple waiting outside the courtyard, one he was on good terms with, and asked him for more details about the Celestial Strategy Guard selection.

He asked about the specific selection process, the background of the Three Top Sects, and the tangible benefits of becoming a Celestial Strategy Guard.

The Servant Disciple was quite the gossip and immediately started spilling all the rumors he had gathered, adding his own embellishments.

"Chief Senior Brother, you have no idea! Those Three Top Sects are something else! They are the Myriad Phenomena Dao Sect, the Haotian Sword Sect, and the Prajna Zen Sect! Every single one is a Supreme Sect!"

"I heard that inside their sects, the Spiritual Qi is so dense it’s practically liquid! Even the living quarters for Outer Disciples are better than our Level A Cultivation Rooms! A single day of cultivation there is worth a whole year of our painstaking effort!"

"And their Cultivation Techniques—those are true Immortal Techniques! Our Cangyun Sect’s Nine Heavens Azure Cloud Technique is powerful, sure, but I’ve heard that even if you master it completely, you’ll only reach the Seventh Layer of True Master Realm. Their techniques, though, are supreme scriptures that can lead one all the way to the Great Dao of True Mastery!"

"Most importantly, once you’re selected as a Celestial Strategy Guard reserve, you’ll be showered with a massive amount of resources! Elixir Pills, Treasure Artifacts, Heavenly and Earthly Treasures—you can get whatever you want! Plus, you’ll be able to enter the legendary Grotto Heaven Blessed Land to cultivate! That’s a true Cultivation Holy Land, containing the world’s original Spiritual Mechanism. They say it’s the only place you can break through from the True Master Realm to the True Mastery Realm!"

"However, the exact date of the selection hasn’t been officially announced. For now, it’s just a rumor everyone’s talking about..."

...

After hearing all this, Jiang Che finally had a general understanding of the situation and dismissed the Servant Disciple.

’True Mastery Techniques... A Grotto Heaven Blessed Land... Massive resources...’

Jiang Che knew the Servant Disciple was prone to exaggeration.

However, he had heard of the Three Top Sects before.

It was certain that they were stronger than the sects in Cangzhou Prefecture.

The way he saw it,

the Three Top Sects were like the Ivy League of his past life,

while the sects in Cangzhou Prefecture were like local state colleges.

In fact, the gap was probably even wider than that.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t tempted.

What he craved most right now was strength.

Although he was already the undisputed number one of the younger generation in all of Cangzhou Prefecture,

he knew better than anyone that his current level of strength was nowhere near enough to survive in these turbulent, chaotic times!

Never mind the top masters of the Demon Sect, or the high and mighty General Qin Fuhu.

Xie Songnian alone was like an insurmountable mountain pressing down on his head!

Moreover...

The one hundred forty-odd Qi Blood Realm Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals he had painstakingly gathered were almost gone.

He doubted he could find any more in the entire Cangzhou Prefecture.

A flicker of anxiety sparked within him.

If he couldn’t find new "fuel,"

then his path of infinitely evolving his Talent by "Stacking Passives" would come to a complete halt!

But the Three Top Sects... they would surely have plenty!

In any case, this Celestial Strategy Guard selection was, without a doubt, a golden opportunity for him!

However, Jiang Che knew this selection was open to the entire Great Chu.

He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he was a shoo-in.

He had learned that in other prefectures, there were supposedly True Master Realm experts under the age of forty participating in the selection!

The True Master Realm!

He knew that while he had many trump cards, and could even clash head-on with a First Layer of True Master Realm expert after transforming into his Black Armor Form,

he could never reveal his greatest trump card in such a high-profile selection!

Without his Black Armor Form, relying solely on his current cultivation at the Peak of Refining Organ Realm where he had just begun Refining Spirit,

he still stood no chance of victory against a true True Master Realm expert!

’No!’

’I must... break through to the True Master Realm before the selection begins!’

’Otherwise, it will all be for nothing!’

In that instant, Jiang Che’s resolve solidified.

He immediately dove back into the Level A Cultivation Room.

This time, his goal was to open the remaining five acupoints!

Then, he would break through to the True Master Realm in one fell swoop!

...

「Inside the Level A Cultivation Room.」

Jiang Che sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, as still as a boulder. He had long since entered a deep state of cultivation, having forgotten both himself and the world around him.

This time, he focused his entire spirit on a frenzied assault on the last five major acupoints!

Guided by the vast, sea-like inherited insights from True Master Bai Yi, Jiang Che’s journey of "Refining Spirit" went exceptionally smoothly!

The location of every acupoint, every meridian path to assault, and every possible form of backlash or Heart Demon—

all of it had been clearly mapped out by that Great Power of the True Mastery Realm.

Like an explorer with a perfect map, Jiang Che precisely avoided every trap and wrong turn.

Thus, he smashed through one supposedly indestructible acupoint barrier after another with irresistible force!

The eighth acupoint, the Tianshu Acupoint!

The ninth acupoint, the Yaoguang Acupoint!

The tenth acupoint, the Venus Acupoint!

The eleventh acupoint, the Kaiyang Acupoint!

...

But the final one, the Baihui Acupoint located at the crown of his head, simply would not open.

When his assault failed yet again,

BOOM!

A muffled, tremendous roar exploded deep inside his mind!

An indescribable agony washed over Jiang Che. As if struck by lightning, he violently spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning pale as a sheet!

He felt his Divine Thought collide with a vast, irresistible force and get thrown back.

’Failed again...’

Jiang Che sighed.

He could clearly feel that breaking through this last acupoint was more difficult than the previous eleven combined!

’But why? I followed True Master Bai Yi’s method exactly...’

Jiang Che was confused.

’Could it be... that my Divine Thought is still too weak?’

Normally, Jiang Che wouldn’t have been the least bit worried.

After all, he had his Skill Proficiency Panel.

As long as he kept increasing his Skill Level, he was guaranteed an eventual breakthrough.

But "Refining Spirit" was different from cultivating Martial Arts.

It was more a process of tempering and understanding one’s own Divine Soul, not just a matter of simple techniques and Heart Methods.

Therefore, he could no longer just "grind EXP" to ignore the bottleneck as he had in the past!

Jiang Che sat on the meditation cushion, his brow deeply furrowed as he considered his options.

Continuing to attack it blindly was clearly not an option.

He had to find the root of the problem and treat the cause, not the symptom.

’I’d better go ask Master...’

With that, he slowly rose, pushed open the heavy Stone Door of the Cultivation Room, and headed for Yunhai Courtyard.

...

「Yunhai Courtyard, inside the main hall’s private study.」

Xu Qingshan was sitting alone by the window, holding a steaming cup of Cold Spirit Tea, his expression focused as he leafed through an ancient tome.

The curling fragrance of the tea mingled with the scent of old books, filling the study with an exceptionally peaceful and comfortable air.

When he saw Jiang Che enter, a gentle smile immediately graced his face. He gestured for him to sit.

"Che’er, you’ve come. Sit down. Your aura is quite profound; you must have made progress in your cultivation recently. But... have you run into some difficulty?"

Xu Qingshan set down his book and personally poured a cup of tea for Jiang Che, his voice calm as he asked.

He figured that since Jiang Che had just solidified his cultivation at the Peak of Refining Organ Realm, any problem he had would likely be at the initial stages of "Refining Spirit," or perhaps an obstacle in opening the first few acupoints.

However, Jiang Che’s next words made the hand holding the teacup freeze in midair.

"Master," Jiang Che nodded, a hint of confusion on his face as he recounted his predicament in detail. "...I have now opened eleven acupoints. However, when I try to break through the final one at the crown of my head, the Baihui Acupoint, I’ve hit an unprecedented obstacle. The barrier is as firm as a celestial chasm; no matter how hard I try, I can’t move it in the slightest. I... I truly can’t figure out what the problem is."

"PFFT—"

Xu Qingshan spat out a mouthful of scalding tea, completely losing his composure as it splashed all over the front of his robes.

His eyes, normally as placid as an ancient well, were now wide as saucers. He stared fixedly at his unnervingly calm disciple, his voice distorted by utter shock.

"You... what did you say?! Say that again! You’ve already... opened eleven acupoints?!"

"Yes," Jiang Che said, nodding in confusion as he watched his master lose his composure.

The study was plunged into a deathly silence.

Xu Qingshan stared blankly at Jiang Che, his mind a complete void.

’Eleven... acupoints?’

’How long... has it been?’

He felt as if he were listening to a fairy tale.

He recalled how he himself had been hailed as a once-in-a-century genius of the Cangyun Sect. How long had it taken him to go from the Peak of Refining Organ Realm to opening the eleventh acupoint?

A full five years!

And Jiang Che?

From his breakthrough to the Peak of Refining Organ Realm until now, it had been, at most...

Three months?!

He had accomplished in three months what had taken him five years?!

A feeling of utter absurdity washed over him!

He looked at the young man before him, and a complex emotion he could only name "jealousy" inexplicably stirred in his heart!

Even though this was his most prized disciple,

he couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy at that moment.

He felt that his sixty years of life, his once-proud title of "genius," was nothing but a joke in front of this kid!

’It seems... I really am getting old...’

he thought with a bitter heart.

But that feeling was fleeting, quickly replaced by a much stronger wave of elation and pride.

’This is my disciple, Xu Qingshan’s disciple!’

’He is the pride of my Yunhai Courtyard!’

’Haha!’

He was cackling with glee internally, but on the surface, he forced himself to maintain the calm dignity befitting a master.

He calmly lifted his teacup, gently blew on the leaves floating on the surface, and took a small sip, trying to use the gesture to conceal the raging tempest in his heart.

For a moment, the only sound in the study was the faint gurgle of tea going down a throat.

Jiang Che watched his master put on a profound and mysterious air and didn’t rush him, simply waiting patiently.

After a long while, once the storm in his heart had completely subsided, Xu Qingshan slowly set down his teacup and sighed.

"Alas..."

He looked at Jiang Che, his expression complex.

"Che’er, you did nothing wrong."

"What’s wrong..."

"...is the era we live in!"