Chapter 42

When it comes to advancing and cultivation, these are matters that cannot be rushed. Two years is an extremely short period for a cultivator. Gu Xuyao originally thought that he could reach the limit and break through to the Root Birth Realm within half a year. However, his expectations were far too optimistic, and reality was far too harsh.

In the first and second half-years, Gu Xuyao still did not reach the boundary that Ren Wuyou mentioned. This boundary is the membrane that separates the limit from the non-limit. Without even touching this membrane, how could Gu Xuyao talk about advancing?

However, after two years of failure, coupled with his indomitable spirit, he finally succeeded in reaching that boundary in the third half-year.

"Do not break through the realm casually. Once the primordial energy is infused, there's no turning back. That means you have started to break through the realm. If you fail, you will suffer from the backlash of the primordial energy. Remember this!"

At the critical moment, Ren Wuyou's words always reminded Gu Xuyao. Therefore, he did not immediately infuse the primordial energy into his body upon reaching the boundary. It was not until the fourth half-year was about to begin that Gu Xuyao did it. He finally infused the primordial energy into his body, starting to break through the realm. However, as soon as he began, he felt something was wrong. Due to the immense stretching of his immortal root, the sudden influx of primordial energy almost knocked him out. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and promptly took two Primordial Energy Pills. The gentle primordial energy from the pills alleviated the violent primordial energy, but the breakthrough still failed. After the two forces converged, Gu Xuyao immediately fainted.

"Ah, you, you can't break through the realm. Your body seems to be fine..." Although the failed breakthrough did not cost him his life, he still felt something abnormal inside his body. After seeking Ren Wuyou, he finally understood the reason.

"You, what's the rush? It took you one and a half years to stretch your immortal root. Do you think you could introduce primordial energy in just half a year? Really, I don't even know what to say to you." Although Ren Wuyou kept scolding Gu Xuyao, he was genuinely checking to see if there were any abnormalities in his body.

"Brother Ren, I know I was wrong. At that time, I felt..." Gu Xuyao nodded in acknowledgment, like a child who had done something wrong. In truth, Gu Xuyao was indeed a child in front of Ren Wuyou.

"You felt what? You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you think you can feel it?" Ren Wuyou seemed to have finished his inspection, patted Gu Xuyao's buttocks, and began to scold him more seriously. "You little brat, you tasted a bit of the sweetness of breaking through the limit and got impatient. What, did beating those few junior cultivators give you a sense of pleasure? Let me tell you, the people you will encounter in the future will be more numerous and more powerful. You must be cautious, or you won't even know how you died."

Gu Xuyao knew that when Ren Wuyou was angry, the more he spoke, the more he would be wrong. Helplessly, he could only remain silent and let Ren Wuyou scold him.

After scolding for a while, Ren Wuyou felt he had nothing new to say and began to talk about the situation inside Gu Xuyao's body.

"Gu kid, do you feel that the primordial energy in your body has greatly increased? But every time you use the primordial energy, your forehead hurts slightly?"

Seeing Ren Wuyou become serious, Gu Xuyao also came to his senses and carefully felt the situation inside his body, nodding.

"That's right. Your current state is between the Root Entry Realm and the Root Birth Realm. How to put it, your situation is very peculiar, but it is not optimistic at all." Ren Wuyou spoke earnestly. At first glance, it seemed that Gu Xuyao had no problems, but upon closer inspection, something was wrong.

"What do you mean? Brother Ren, could it be that I will die?"

Ren Wuyou nodded and stroked his beard, an action very similar to Ling Sanshi's.

"You little brat, you are quite clever. At the critical moment, you took two Primordial Energy Pills. These pills are designed to assist cultivators, so the energy they contain is gentle. It is precisely because of this that the pills temporarily restrained the violent primordial energy in your body. The main reason you survived is this."

Ren Wuyou paused and continued, "But this is only temporary. The violent primordial energy in your body still exists and cannot be eliminated by the effects of the pills. They have only formed a buffer wall, delaying the outbreak of the primordial energy. I have seen such situations before. Based on the two Primordial Energy Pills you took, you have at most one year to live."

Gu Xuyao was shocked, his heart pounding and his pupils dilating.

"One year? Brother Ren, do you mean that after one year, when the effects of the Primordial Energy Pills wear off, the primordial energy will surge again, and if I am not prepared to break through the limit, I will die? Is that it?"

Ren Wuyou nodded heavily and then sighed deeply.

"Actually, you shouldn't be too stressed. I have seen cultivators who only took one Primordial Energy Pill and still managed to break through successfully after half a year. In short, you must believe that there is still hope."

Knowing he had only one year to live, anyone would be somewhat dazed, and Gu Xuyao was no exception. However, he was good at motivating himself. As a former hunter, he was most skilled at hunting targets. Gu Xuyao needed only a goal to focus on, and he would put all other distractions aside.

"I understand, thank you, Brother Ren, for your concern." Taking a deep breath, Gu Xuyao regained his determination. "Don't worry, Brother Ren, I won't let myself die like this. I still have many things to do." He was that kind of person; once he had a goal, the more he pursued it, the more strength he gained. "Brother Ren, do you know what the senior you mentioned did in those six months to come back from the brink?"

Ren Wuyou shook his head and did not provide a specific method.

"In short, anything related to cultivation is helpful. The probability of such an event happening is still very low, so I cannot tell you the most correct method. However, you should feel free to try. I believe that sitting in the cultivation room and cultivating is a dead end."

Sometimes, things in the world are indeed strange. Gu Xuyao was no longer surprised, just nodded lightly, chatted a bit more, and then left the training room.

"Cultivation, cultivation, the trials of cultivators, indeed..." Walking out of the dilapidated training room, the outside scenery was beautiful, but some people were in no mood to appreciate it. It was not until a voice called out that Gu Xuyao came to his senses.

"Gu Xuyao!" A female voice, one that Gu Xuyao was very familiar with.

Retracting his gaze from the sky, Gu Xuyao looked ahead. It was Bing Qi, and of course, her constant companion, Miaomiao.

"Just a bit distracted, Bing Qi, what happened?" He remembered that today was the day of the major cultivation session.

"Nothing much, just calling you. I saw you daydreaming from far away. Come on, let's go to the cultivation session." As a new cultivator from the civilian area who had entered Taiheng Sect, Gu Xuyao had been involved in sparring and rescuing Zibì from the wild forest. After these series of events, Bing Qi and Miaomiao had developed a sense of admiration for Gu Xuyao, and their interactions with him increased.

However, when it came to the wild forest trip, Bing Qi asked the most about why Li Shuisheng followed Gu Xuyao. After all, in terms of cultivation and seniority, Li Shuisheng had no outstanding qualities.

But this was a question that Gu Xuyao himself wanted to know but had never figured out.

Since Li Shuisheng was mentioned, it was necessary to talk about another person who also entered the wild forest. His reputation was much smaller than Gu Xuyao's. When he returned, he was completely unconscious, and his pitiful state was seen by many fellow disciples. However, they did not mock him; they would still joke with him in person, but what they did behind his back, he did not care. In any case, he was doing well, happily cultivating every day. After two years, he had also reached the threshold of the Root Birth Realm.

"Brother Gu, you're here." He never missed such major cultivation sessions, but today, there seemed to be an unusually large number of people. "You came just in time. The sect leader has something to announce soon."

"Something?" Gu Xuyao was taken aback, about to ask, when suddenly a thunderclap stunned all the cultivators.

What followed was even more astonishing. The walls that originally surrounded the area with the strength of ten thousand men slowly sank into the ground, and the three courtyards that were tightly connected merged into one!

"Look at this setup; the matter to be discussed today must be significant." Li Shuisheng saw this and stuck out his tongue.

Gu Xuyao remained silent, calmness being his usual style. Soon, a figure slowly floated into the air in front of them, surpassing the three-zhang limit of the Lingxiao Realm. Clearly, it was using a magical artifact similar to the Wind-Riding Jade.

"Silence." The hoarse voice echoed through the cultivation hall, a voice that everyone in the hall was familiar with—the voice of the sect leader!

Immediately, there was complete silence, a result that pleased Ling Sanshi greatly. He smiled, stroked his beard, and continued, "Disciples of Taiheng Sect, some of you may already know what I am about to say, or perhaps you have already experienced it. But no matter what you think, this day is coming."

This sentence contained a lot of information, and many new disciples began to whisper. This reaction was within Ling Sanshi's expectations, and he did not say anything, just continued his speech.

"Our Taiheng Sect is under the jurisdiction of the Blue Supervisor Pavilion. In one month, the Blue Supervisor Pavilion will hold the inter-sect martial arts competition, which takes place every twenty years!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the young cultivators present were in an uproar, with various discussions breaking out. This was not their fault, as the martial arts competition was well-documented in books, and it was a significant event.

Ling Sanshi's actions had caused a stir, and the person in the training room also felt it. Ren Wuyou, who had not left the dirty, dusty room for a long time, walked out.

He gazed at the floating Ling Sanshi in the distance, their eyes meeting across the space.

"Twenty years have passed again. In such times, I really forgot to count the days. Ah, this day has finally come..."

The wind blew, disheveling Ren Wuyou's hair, revealing a face clouded with worry.

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**End of Chapter**