Chapter 123 - 109: Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer

Chapter 123: Chapter 109: Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer

In five days, the Fire Spirit Snake had grown less than a centimeter in length. Its scales, however, had become more crystalline and translucent, and its eyes had turned a bright gold. It would even occasionally open its mouth to spit out a few faint sparks.

Over the past few days, Zhao Zuo had begun to feed it Fire Element Seed powder more frequently, hoping it would advance faster and develop some combat strength.

The Fire Element Seed bracelet on his wrist had already accumulated enough experience for its first upgrade.

Zhao Zuo rose to his feet in the meditation chamber and gave a long stretch, his bones letting out a series of crisp cracks.

The meditation chamber was still dim and silent. Aside from the faint whisper of the wind, not another sound could be heard.

Zhao Zuo left the meditation chamber and pushed open a wooden window in the hallway. The sky was still dark. The Sun had yet to fully rise, while the moon still lingered on the opposite horizon.

With a push of his legs, he vaulted lightly through the window and landed on the ground. Pale moonlight streamed across the ground, and the distant mountain peaks, hazy and indistinct, looked like reclining giants.

Zhao Zuo began to casually stretch his limbs, hoping to quickly acclimate to his transformed body.

But just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open from the outside. It was Zhao Qingmeng. She wore a form-fitting blue cheongsam embroidered with several silver patterns that accentuated her graceful figure. Her black hair cascaded over her back and chest, and the high slit of her dress revealed long legs with skin whiter than snow. Her cheeks were flushed, faint traces of sweat were visible on her skin, and her gaze was both alluring and dazed.

She was clearly embarrassed to see Zhao Zuo practicing his forms and quickened her pace, hurrying back to her room. By now, Zhao Zuo had a good idea of Zhao Qingmeng’s side activities... she was involved in ambiguous relationships with three Outer Sect disciples.

They included an Alchemist over seventy, an Outer Sect disciple from the Ministry of Affairs Hall who assigned missions, and an elite disciple from Shenxiao Hall at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer... who was also Lin Hao’s greatest rival. Of course, this was all just gossip Zhao Zuo had overheard recently.

As for exactly how many men there were, probably only Zhao Qingmeng herself knew.

Zhao Zuo had also figured out the source of the conflict between Zhao Qingmeng and Lin Hao. Zhao Qingmeng had once been Lin Hao’s Taoist Companion, but then... Lin Hao discovered she had been unfaithful.

After that, he swore off women entirely and, in just a few years, rapidly grew into one of the strongest disciples in the Outer Sect, earning the title... Wind Frost Sword.

The Moyun Sect’s Outer Sect wasn’t very large, and most disciples spent their days either cultivating diligently or completing missions. As such, the affair between Lin Hao and Zhao Qingmeng was considered the juiciest piece of gossip of the past five years.

Zhao Zuo resumed his practice. There was no real form to his movements; he was simply getting accustomed to his body.

At the same time, he was mapping out his next steps. He needed to forge Spirit Iron, perform Artifact Refining, visit the Scripture Pavilion to read, and go home to grind experience... He also had to cultivate his Body Refining Technique, absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power, and find time to practice drawing the Heavy Mountain Spirit Patterns.

Zhao Zuo had a lot to do every day, but there were only twelve two-hour periods. He needed to create a new schedule that would allow for all-around development... without slowing the progress of his Cultivation.

First, he decided to put visiting the Scripture Pavilion on hold. As one of the most important buildings in the Moyun Sect, it was undoubtedly guarded by Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators. Frequent visits might expose the fact that his own Cultivation was advancing far too quickly.

He let out a breath.

He had now grown accustomed to the strength of his newly advanced body. Just as he was about to head back to his room to make breakfast, the door next to his opened.

Zhao Qingmeng had changed into a loose Taoist Robe. Her hair was dripping wet... she had clearly just bathed. A rich, non-floral fragrance emanated from her, and as she moved... tantalizing glimpses of her figure were visible through the loose garment.

Tempered by his many encounters with Shen Yunjiao, Zhao Zuo was completely unmoved. He knew Zhao Qingmeng had come out looking for him, but he strode resolutely toward his own room anyway.

"Taoist Friend, I was wondering if you have any Contribution Points? I’d like to buy them with Spirit Stones. A one-to-three ratio." Seeing Zhao Zuo leave without a moment’s hesitation, Zhao Qingmeng hurriedly stated her purpose.

"Unfortunately, no. I exchanged for a Cultivation Technique I needed a few days ago. I didn’t just spend all my Contribution Points; I actually ended up owing the sect a few hundred," Zhao Zuo replied apologetically, turning back to her.

The ratio was actually quite fair, but very few people were willing to trade Contribution Points for Spirit Stones. After all, Contribution Points could be used to acquire many things that Spirit Stones simply couldn’t buy, such as Cultivation Techniques, Secret Techniques, and even the Secret Medicines and Spiritual Objects in the Moyun Sect’s Treasure Vault.

"That really is a shame. I’ll go ask someone else," Zhao Qingmeng said with a hint of disappointment.

"Some of the older Outer Sect disciples, the ones with no hope of advancing, might be willing to sell their Contribution Points to save up resources for their children," Zhao Zuo suggested.

With that, he returned to his room.

It was just a minor interlude. After breakfast, Zhao Zuo headed for the Earth Fire Chamber.

The Earth Fire Hall’s exclusive Earth Fire Chambers were located near the foot of the mountain, closer to the Underground Fire Vein. Because of this proximity, however, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power was tainted with Fire Evil Qi, making the area unsuitable for Cultivation.

There were three hundred and ten Earth Fire Chambers in total: one hundred fifty low-grade, one hundred mid-grade, and fifty high-grade, as well as ten special chambers that were not open to disciples. Of these, the low-grade Earth Fire Chambers were free for Outer Sect disciples of the Moyun Sect to use.

Using the mid-grade and high-grade chambers, however, required spending Contribution Points.

However, Inner Sect Disciples could use the mid-grade chambers for free, and True Inheritance disciples could do the same with the high-grade ones. The Moyun Sect offered many privileges to the strong and talented, while taking a more hands-off approach toward the less-gifted Outer Sect disciples.

Zhao Zuo casually found an available Lower Grade Earth Fire Chamber. Its layout was identical to the chambers in the Moyun Workshop, the only difference being that the Earth Fire here was more intense, which allowed for the Refining of higher-level Magical Artifacts. It counted as one of the minor benefits of having joined the Moyun Sect.

Following his usual routine, he began to forge a piece of Spirit Iron. After finishing it, he set it aside to cool and took out his Artifact Refining tools and materials to craft a Lower Grade Magical Artifact.

He was already incredibly familiar with the entire process, and before long, he had successfully refined the artifact.

Zhao Zuo turned in the newly forged piece of Spirit Iron, received a piece of Refined Iron in return, and proceeded to craft another Lower Grade Magical Artifact. Then he would forge a piece of Spirit Iron, turn it in, and repeat the cycle. This way, he could complete his fixed monthly tasks while also taking advantage of the free Earth Fire to turn a profit for himself.

It was now close to the end of the month. To complete his monthly quota, Zhao Zuo had to forge twenty pieces of Spirit Iron every day just to stay on schedule.

Combined with Artifact Refining, this took up almost the entire day.

After a simple dinner at home, he would immediately head to the meditation chamber to refine Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power.

During this time, Zhao Zuo left early and returned late, spending nearly every waking hour holed up in the Earth Fire Chamber. His relationship with his housemate hadn’t progressed at all; they only exchanged a few sentences whenever they happened to meet.

「In the blink of an eye, the end of the month arrived.」

Zhao Zuo finally completed his fixed monthly task and received the fifty extra Contribution Points.

However, what made him happiest at month’s end was the lecture that a Steward would be giving on the central platform. This was a benefit that only came twice a month. Zhao Zuo rose before dawn and set out, rushing toward the central platform.

By the time he arrived, there were already twenty-odd people on the platform. ’Clearly, their Heart of Dao is even more resolute than mine,’ he thought.

Although there were plenty of empty spots, Zhao Zuo, sticking to his principle of keeping a low profile, chose a spot toward the back. He took a cushion he had prepared beforehand from his Storage Bag, spread it on the ground, then closed his eyes and began to wait patiently.

As time went on, more and more disciples filled the platform, and the atmosphere grew noisy. Most people were in pairs or groups of three, and it wasn’t strange to see as many as six or seven sitting together. Only Zhao Zuo remained a solitary figure off to the side.

Suddenly, a familiar fragrance wafted past Zhao Zuo. It was Zhao Qingmeng.

"Taoist Friend Zhao, why didn’t you ask me to come to the lecture with you?" Zhao Qingmeng’s pleasant voice rang out.

"I wasn’t sure... if you were home last night," Zhao Zuo replied with a casual excuse.

Fortunately, Zhao Qingmeng didn’t seem to have much interest in him either. After a few more words, she got up and moved to a different spot.

.......

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