Chapter 27

After receiving the Dao robe and cultivation technique, Gu Xuyao did not immediately return to his room. Remembering the saying "Do not forget the well-digger when drinking water," he wanted to visit the unkempt old man in the training room who had done him a great favor before he left.

Arriving at the training room again, Gu Xuyao smiled slightly, bowed, and loudly announced his presence.

However, after a few calls, there was no response from the training room. Gu Xuyao gently pushed the door open, only to find a dusty room with no sign of the snoring old man.

Feeling somewhat puzzled, but not thinking too much about it, he told himself, "The old man has a strange personality; perhaps he has gone on a journey somewhere." With that, he walked back to his room.

As usual, Zibi was waiting for him outside his room.

"Gu Gu, you're back. Seeing the Dao robe in your hand, it seems you not only condensed your immortal root but also passed the foundational stage, right?" Seeing Gu Xuyao return, she smiled, though her smile seemed forced.

Seeing this, Gu Xuyao wanted to ask for the details, but after much consideration, he held back and nodded.

Zibi pursed her lips and softly said, "Good luck," before disappearing.

Gu Xuyao frowned, watching the direction Zibi left, and took a deep breath.

Zibi's situation was troubling, but it could not stop Gu Xuyao from cultivating. The hunter's life had not only given him many survival skills but also the concentration to focus on a task without being distracted.

Cultivating the technique and basic training were not much different. He had to practice the essentials of the technique repeatedly every day, which was the only way.

In the Red Clay Zone, Gu Xuyao chose an axe as his hunting weapon. The axe, a brave weapon, abandoned pretentious defense and fearlessly maximized its offensive power.

The Five Roars of Thunder, as the name suggested, was an extremely powerful and fierce technique. In fact, it was the strongest purely force-based technique that the Taiheng Sect disciples could cultivate. There were always trade-offs; the Five Roars of Thunder was no exception. It relentlessly pursued destructive power, and its drawbacks were also obvious.

The technique was divided into five levels, each corresponding to a different move. Although there were only five moves, each one was a devastating killing technique.

Of course, besides cultivating the technique, basic training could not be neglected. Essence energy, physical body, and immortal root were the fundamentals. Every day, Gu Xuyao spent a lot of time increasing the amount of essence energy his body could store, tempering the resilience of his physical body, and nurturing his immortal root.

This time was tedious but passed very quickly. In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed, and Gu Xuyao could already perform the first move of the Five Roars of Thunder.

"First Roar, Fist Moves!" Lightning crackled around Gu Xuyao, making a sizzling sound. Before him was a vast wilderness, stretching endlessly.

"Ha!" After gathering his strength, lightning erupted more fiercely, and countless veins bulged on his hands. With his mind focused, he struck with the speed of a thunderbolt!

"Boom!" Dust and sand flew everywhere, and a large crater appeared on the ground. A nimble figure darted out of the dust and stood steadily a mile away from the crater.

As the dust settled, Gu Xuyao approached the crater he had created. "The Five Roars of Thunder, as a technique that solely pursues power, is indeed formidable. Just the first move has such power. Given my current physical resilience, if I were to hit myself, I would probably not be able to withstand it."

"After half a year of arduous cultivation, I have reached the second level of the Root Formation stage. Although it's not particularly fast, it's not inferior to my fellow disciples." Clenching his fist lightly, Gu Xuyao felt a surge of joy.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Xuyao turned around.

"Today is the day for the minor cultivation session. Let's stop here for now. There are many things I need Brother Wang to guide me on. Just blindly cultivating is not enough." With that, Gu Xuyao slowly left the ground and flew towards the lower levels of the Taiheng Sect. Cultivators did not just sit in their rooms and cultivate to improve their cultivation. Practice was more important than just cultivating, and the vast wilderness to the west of the Taiheng Sect was the best place for experimentation. Many cultivators would come here, either with others or alone, with one purpose: to test their abilities.

Zibi did not appear again during the half year, as if she had vanished. However, cultivators needed to make the most of their time, and Zibi might be diligently cultivating. Thinking of this, Gu Xuyao did not dwell on her disappearance.

Improving cultivation meant enhancing overall strength. Gu Xuyao could now fly a丈 high, and if seen by ordinary people, he would be considered a demigod, if not a god.

After half a year of repeated practice, Gu Xuyao's flying technique had become quite proficient. The speed of flight was determined by the strength of essence energy. At his current second level of Root Formation, he could fly thirty miles in just a quarter of an hour, returning to the lower levels of the Taiheng Sect.

The minor cultivation session lasted a whole day. When Gu Xuyao arrived at the Ten Thousand Man's Strength at the exact hour of Chen, it was neither too late nor too early, and the training ground was already filled with many people.

However, during the half year, Gu Xuyao had seen the grand cultivation sessions. After participating in one, he no longer felt that the hundred or so people in the minor cultivation session were a large number.

The grand cultivation sessions did not require all cultivators to attend, but this was the day when the heads of the various halls would appear to lecture, and no cultivator with no special business would be absent.

"Hey, Bingqi, you can't always protect her, right? Miaomiao, I'm telling you, cultivators need to grow through actual combat. Now, I, Wu Chang, want to spar with you, and it's for your own good. You actually refuse? That's too disrespectful to me!" As soon as he arrived at the training ground, Gu Xuyao noticed his fellow disciples, but it was not a good situation.

With the increase in essence energy, Gu Xuyao's mental perception range had expanded to two miles. Upon entering, he habitually extended his perception and saw this scene.

"Wu Chang, stop following Yulin like a lapdog. I, Bingqi, have never been afraid of anyone. If you provoke me, you'll regret it!" She buried her head in her knees, her body trembling slightly.

Wu Chang narrowed his eyes, his gaze malicious. Just as he was about to act, a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Wu Chang, stop it. We're all fellow disciples; there's no need to make things too tense. Perhaps Sister Miaomiao has her own cultivation method. It's not her fault that she doesn't like sparring." Yulin firmly turned Wu Chang's body behind him and then smiled at Bingqi.

"Hmph, who are you trying to impress? Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? You rely on your brother in the upper levels to bully others. My father is... hmpf, forget it, I won't stoop to your level." Yulin had clearly done a favor for Bingqi, but she did not appreciate it. After some time, Gu Xuyao had come to understand Bingqi's personality; she was a girl who loved justice and had a boyish character.

Yulin's eyes widened; his warm face had been slapped with a cold butt. How could he not be angry? But thinking of Bingqi's background, he had to suppress his anger.

"What are you looking at? Do you think I'm afraid of you just because you have big eyes? I'm not afraid even if you pop your eyeballs out. Hmph, Miaomiao, let's go. We won't participate in the minor cultivation session today." She said, pulling Miaomiao and turning to leave.

"Ah? Xuyao!" Just as they turned, they almost bumped into Gu Xuyao, who was walking over. "You came just in time. These lunatics are going crazy today, insisting on finding someone to spar. When others refuse, they try to force them. Xuyao, I think you should come with us. Let's skip today's minor cultivation session." She grabbed Miaomiao with one hand and pulled Gu Xuyao's robe with the other, trying to take both of them away.

Missing one or two minor cultivation sessions was not a big deal. During the half year, Gu Xuyao had not been favored by Yulin and his group, so he naturally got along well with Bingqi and Miaomiao. Since they were picking on Miaomiao today, he would likely not have a good time either. To avoid any unpleasantness with Yulin and his group, Gu Xuyao thought it was best to leave today.

"Go, go. You're just like a woman, timid and hesitant. In your next life, you might as well be a woman. Whenever something happens, you bring up your father and start cursing like a mad dog, hmpf, and then run away with your tail between your legs." Wu Chang could not help but mock them, and the Ma brothers immediately joined in with laughter.

This was a provocation. Wu Chang was unhappy that Miaomiao refused to spar. Thinking he had no outlet for his frustration, Gu Xuyao's appearance was just what he needed.

How could Gu Xuyao not see through the provocation? But sometimes, people could not control their temper, especially when they had some strength.

"Wu Chang, we are of the same generation. You started cultivating a few months earlier than me, and now I have reached the same second level of Root Formation as you. What right do you have to mock me?" Gu Xuyao gently freed his sleeve from Bingqi's hand and took a step forward.

"You!" Wu Chang thought Gu Xuyao would endure it, and he and his group had indeed mocked Gu Xuyao before, but due to Gu Xuyao's repeated tolerance and Yulin's constant restraint, they had not taken further action. Now, Gu Xuyao's counterattack was unexpected.

Wu Chang was so angry that he was about to attack, but Yulin stopped him.

"Brother Gu, all the senior disciples in the Ten Thousand Man's Strength have been summoned to the upper levels for important discussions. We only found out after arriving here, so Wu Chang thought that since we're here, we shouldn't waste the opportunity and wanted to spar with Miaomiao, but she refused." Yulin put his hand down. "However, it seems that Brother Gu is eager to spar. How about this: let Wu Chang spar with you?"