Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Coming Out of Seclusion
Spring passed into autumn, and winter into summer.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye during his seclusion.
Deep underground, near the Inner Area of the Endless Forest.
There lay a cultivator’s residence.
Not only was its location exceptionally well-concealed, but its interior was also riddled with Arrays and traps. Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would be gravely wounded if they stumbled inside by mistake.
Inside the Seclusion Chamber.
Jiang Xu watched the Spirit-Devouring Insect Mother before him, a knot of nervousness in his stomach as it entered the final stage of its promotion.
This was the process of the Spirit-Devouring Insect Mother re-advancing from Tier One to Tier Two.
However, since it had previously fallen from Tier Two to Tier One, the process wasn’t dangerous.
As the last Sub-Insect dropped away, the Mother Insect reverted to the form it originally had at Tier Two.
It was a full meter long, its body entirely silver-white, with its edges adorned with fine golden threads. Strange, intricate patterns covered its entire form.
The moment it appeared, the Mother Insect let out a sharp screech at Jiang Xu!
Innumerable patterns peeled off its body, transforming into newborn Sub-Insects that all charged toward Jiang Xu.
"What, trying to rebel?!"
Jiang Xu glared, and the combined might of his Divine Sense and Insect Control Technique froze all the Sub-Insects in place. With a great RATTLE, they all fell to the ground, piling up in a thick layer.
The Mother Insect was dumbfounded.
’What’s going on?’
’This can’t be right.’
’I’m Tier Two now. The mark from the Insect Control Technique should have already...’
The Mother Insect looked inward, only to discover that deep within its soul, the mark from the Insect Control Technique remained.
?
A giant question mark appeared in the Mother Insect’s mind.
’Why is the mark still there?’
’Did I mess something up?’
’Or did I not actually succeed in my promotion?’
’That’s it, I must still be dreaming. Everything will be fine when I wake up.’
Jiang Xu burst out laughing at the Mother Insect’s dumbfounded expression.
"You little insect, trying to play mind games with me? You’re still far too naive! You thought you gave me a pirated copy of the Insect Control Scripture, but I sensed something was off long ago. The one I’m using now is the genuine article!"
The Mother Insect couldn’t comprehend the concepts of "pirated" and "genuine." All it knew was that this time, it had well and truly lost.
Seeing the Mother Insect lying limply on the ground, unable to accept this reality, Jiang Xu had no choice but to recall it.
The truth was too harsh; he would just have to let it come to terms with it over time.
’It’s surprising the Mother Insect took so long to cover that final stretch before its promotion.’
As early as a year ago, Jiang Xu had wanted to end his seclusion.
But considering they were in the Endless Forest, he simply let the Mother Insect find its own food to prepare for the promotion.
He never expected that wait to last an entire year.
Jiang Xu opened his panel.
[Name]: Jiang Xu
[Lifespan]: 23/130 years
[Realm]: Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer (Great Perfection): 99/100
[Cultivation Technique]: Cangmu Skill (Perfect)
(The rest was too long and has been omitted.)
’My Realm has already reached the Great Perfection of the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer. One more step and I’ll be in the Foundation Establishment Realm.’
His advancement from the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer to the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer had been surprisingly smooth for Jiang Xu; it felt like a natural progression.
Looking back, it was probably because he had already developed his Divine Sense ahead of schedule. Using Divine Sense to control his Magical Power during a Realm Breakthrough yielded twice the results with half the effort.
Alternatively, perhaps the sheer number of High-Grade Spirit Medicines he had obtained from the Secret Realm was the reason his Magical Power had increased so rapidly.
However, now that he had reached the bottleneck between Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment, Jiang Xu couldn’t sense how to break through at all.
Jiang Xu felt he was most likely missing a catalyst for his breakthrough.
If he tried to just brute-force it with time, there was no telling how many years it would take.
This catalyst might be a sudden epiphany about the heavens and the earth, or perhaps a near-death experience, passing through the Ghost Gate during a life-or-death battle.
Failing that, he would need a Foundation Establishment Pill to take a shortcut.
Jiang Xu glanced at his Limit-Breaking Points.
[Limit-Breaking Points]: 142.306
These were all the Limit-Breaking Points he had accumulated over the past three years. Jiang Xu had only used some to raise a few instances of Magic to the Master Level.
He hadn’t been willing to spend the points to upgrade anything further.
’Even though there was a change after my Limit-Breaking Points surpassed one hundred, I still can’t seem to upgrade these skills.’
Jiang Xu looked at his current Magic.
A "+" symbol had appeared next to his Perfect Level Cangmu Skill, Spiritual Eye Technique, and Concealing Breath Spell, but the symbols were grayed out and couldn’t be clicked.
’What are the conditions for upgrading Magic, I wonder? Not enough points? Is my Realm too low? Or perhaps Perfect is the absolute limit of the panel?’
A year ago, when Jiang Xu realized that even with over one hundred points he couldn’t upgrade his Perfect Level Magic, the thought of leaving had already crossed his mind.
Such a long period of seclusion was a great trial for a person’s mental fortitude.
It would have been better if he had a goal.
For instance, his initial goal had been to see if he could continue upgrading his Magic after accumulating one hundred points. The answer turned out to be no.
Once he had his answer, Jiang Xu felt aimless, just going through the motions of his secluded Cultivation day after day.
Now that the Spirit-Devouring Insect had also reached Tier Two, Jiang Xu couldn’t stand it here any longer.
Staying any longer would be a pointless waste of his Lifespan, and that was simply unacceptable.
At the very least, he needed to get out for a breath of fresh air.
...
Emerging from his underground sanctuary, Jiang Xu felt a long-absent sense of ease wash over him.
He took in the peaceful, harmonious scene—the singing of birds, the fragrance of flowers—and tried to get his bearings.
’I wonder how the Purple Profound Celestial Marketplace has fared since I left. Logically, Elder Demon Su would have needed a few more days after my departure to break into the Marketplace. I sent a message to Zong Ziqi the moment I left, so the Profound Origin Sect should have been able to react quickly.’
Just then, Jiang Xu remembered his Communication Pearl. He took it out and listened.
"Brother Jiang! Brother Jiang! Are you still alive? Send me your location, quickly! I’ll come save you!"
That was the first message.
The second message had also been sent, but it was just a stretch of dead silence.
After listening to both, Jiang Xu didn’t initially understand Zong Ziqi’s meaning.
A moment’s thought, however, left him unsure whether to laugh or cry.
’That guy... does he think I sent him a distress call from inside the Marketplace? And the second message is silent... Don’t tell me he thinks I’m already dead?’
The whole situation made Jiang Xu feel a bit awkward.
He had intended to send Zong Ziqi a message to let him know he was safe.
However, Jiang Xu was worried Zong Ziqi would insist on coming to find him immediately, and since he had his own matters to attend to, he decided against messaging him for now.
He’d been mistaken for three years already; a few more days wouldn’t make a difference.
Suddenly, as Jiang Xu was lost in thought, two streaks of Escape Light flashed past in front of him.
The person being pursued in the lead was a woman of graceful bearing. Her robes billowed and tore in the wind of her rapid flight, fluttering chaotically to reveal the elegant contours of her jade-like skin and slender figure.
The glimpses of skin visible through the tears in her clothing were like silver gauze under the moonlight—now you see it, now you don’t—adding an air of mystery and alluring charm.
Despite being a fugitive, the woman’s peerless beauty could not be concealed.
Her face was as exquisite as a painting, her features as elegant as a poem. Her eyes were as deep as an inverted river of stars, her nose was perfectly straight, and her cherry-red lips were slightly parted as she silently chanted some kind of Spell to accelerate her flight.
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