Chapter 49

The next morning, when Xueling got up, she saw that it was already light outside. She hurriedly got up, pushed open the door to the small courtyard, and saw that Chu Li was already practicing his sword skills there.

His sword movements were as swift as lightning, incredibly fast, yet completely silent, without the usual hissing sound of a sword cutting through the air. If he were to launch a surprise attack, it would be almost impossible to guard against.

Seeing Chu Li, Xueling felt a bit uneasy, her face turning slightly red, and she quickly slipped into the kitchen.

Last night, her cultivation of the Taiyin Technique had progressed even faster, the effects of the Eight Taiyin Movements becoming much stronger. A good teacher's guidance was truly invaluable. He had only tapped himself three times with the scabbard, and the effects of the Eight Taiyin Movements had almost doubled, making a world of difference.

Chu Li saw her lower her head and rush into the kitchen, but he didn't stop his sword movements, smiling to himself.

The courtyard gate opened, and Su Ru, dressed in a light yellow silk robe, floated in. She observed his sword skills and smiled, saying, "Your sword is so fast, almost as fast as Miss Xiao Qi!"

Chu Li, without stopping his sword movements, smiled and replied, "Yes, Miss Xiao Qi's sword is even faster, far beyond my reach!"

This was not just modesty. He had discovered that once his sword speed reached a certain level, it was incredibly difficult to increase it further. No matter how fast he tried, he could never surpass Xiao Qi.

"Of course!" Su Ru smiled. "Miss Xiao Qi cultivates an ancient and profound sword scripture. What you see is the Supreme Wisdom Sword. Speed is just one aspect; there are more profound elements that you can't see. Ordinary sword techniques are useless against her."

"Supreme Wisdom Sword..." Chu Li suddenly stopped his sword, and the sword light that filled the sky vanished instantly. He returned to the pavilion, sheathed his sword, and hung it back on the red pillar. "Does it mean 'cutting through emotional ties'?"

"Um," Su Ru smiled. "The Supreme Wisdom Sword targets the flaws in one's mind, transcending the level of sword techniques. Sigh... these are just words. Without personal experience, they are useless."

Chu Li seemed to be deep in thought.

"Shouldn't the Heavenly Spirit Tree be alive today?" Su Ru asked.

She hadn't even eaten breakfast and had come to check.

As she spoke, she approached the Heavenly Spirit Tree and examined it carefully.

Chu Li reached out and dug into the soft spiritual soil, exposing the base of the withered branches, and pointed to the fine, hair-like sprouts. "See?"

The small sprouts were green and full of vitality.

Su Ru's bright eyes widened, and she smiled in pleasant surprise. "It's really alive!"

Chu Li smiled. "Congratulations!"

"Alas... it's a pity, this won't help you advance in rank," Su Ru sighed, shaking her head. "Miss Xiao Qi will find a way to compensate you!"

Chu Li waved his hand and smiled. "Another promotion would make me too conspicuous."

Being a Sixth Rank at such a young age already made him the youngest Sixth Rank. Advancing further would place him in the upper echelons, drawing too much attention.

He understood that the cultivation technique granted by Xiao Yue Ling was Miss Xiao Qi's compensation. The Vajra Deliverance Divine Technique was one of the most advanced techniques of the Great Thunderclap Temple, invaluable.

The contributions he had made were far from matching the value of the Vajra Deliverance Divine Technique. Reviving the Heavenly Spirit Tree and cultivating a few more spiritual herbs would be more appropriate.

"It's best to think this way," Su Ru nodded. "Don't worry, Miss Xiao Qi won't treat you unfairly."

Chu Li smiled. "I'm already very happy to be able to help Miss Xiao Qi."

Su Ru rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be so modest!"

She could see through Chu Li's character. He wasn't the type to selflessly contribute; he had his own ambitions. Someone as exceptionally intelligent as him couldn't be without ambition. Miss Xiao Qi, with her keen insight, wasn't afraid of ambitious people.

Chu Li said, "Have you gotten the seeds for the spiritual herbs? We can plant them now!"

"In a couple of days," Su Ru said, waving her hand. "I'll go back and arrange it, and get them as soon as possible!"

After Su Ru left, Chu Li continued to practice the Vajra Deliverance Divine Technique, while Xueling recited scriptures. He tried to channel the Heavenly Spirit Tree's spiritual energy, which was now usable since the tree had come to life.

As soon as he started practicing the Vajra Deliverance Divine Technique, the Withering and Flourishing Scripture began to circulate on its own, and the Heavenly Spirit Tree's spiritual energy flowed in continuously.

The spiritual energy was extremely pure. Once it entered his body, it followed the path of the Vajra Deliverance Divine Technique, and his muscles soon began to feel the effects. If the spiritual energy he had previously obtained was like water, the Heavenly Spirit Tree's spiritual energy was like mercury.

By mid-morning, Chu Li felt he had reached his limit. His muscles were swollen and numb, and he couldn't continue practicing, as it would be more harmful than beneficial.

He stopped and focused his thoughts.

His talent wasn't enough, and his muscle strength was insufficient to withstand the Vajra Deliverance Divine Technique. To extend his practice time, he needed to first strengthen his muscles.

He searched his mind and found an ancient formula, a medicinal bath formula.

This formula was very effective, but due to the difficulty in finding the required spiritual herbs, it had gradually fallen out of use and been lost. The most crucial herb, the Xuanli Grass, grew slowly and was delicate and hard to cultivate. Moreover, it wasn't considered a spiritual herb and had almost no medicinal value, yet this ancient formula couldn't work without it.

"Xueling, I'll write down a formula. Go to the steward and get the herbs," Chu Li said, finishing his practice and sitting at the dark purple desk in the hall.

Xueling prepared the ink for him, and Chu Li wrote down the formula, handing it to Xueling. "If there's no Xuanli Grass, ask the steward if he can get it. If that's not possible, get the seeds."

He took another piece of paper and sketched a simple but vivid image of a herb.

Xueling nodded in agreement, blew on the paper a few times to dry the ink, and then took it away.

Half an hour later, Xueling returned with a bag. "Master, there's no Xuanli Grass in the storeroom, nor any seeds. The steward said he would try to find it."

Chu Li nodded.

Without the Xuanli Grass, the other spiritual herbs were of little use. The herbs in this formula weren't expensive; they were all Ninth Rank spiritual herbs, which were affordable.

Chu Li sat in the pavilion for a while, then stood up and picked up a wooden stick from the corner. "Xueling, hit me with this."

"Hmm—?" Xueling looked at him.

Chu Li smiled. "It's a chance to vent, don't miss it!"

"There's no need," Xueling said, embarrassed. "Why would I hit Master?"

"Practice," Chu Li said.

"How hard should I hit?" Xueling took the wooden stick.

The stick, as thick as a baby's arm, felt heavy in her hand. It was a pine stick, not very sturdy, but even so, it would still hurt when it hit.

"Start with half your strength," Chu Li said. "Let's see how it goes, come on!"

"I'm hitting!" Xueling raised the stick.

"Less talk, hurry up!" Chu Li assumed the first stance. "Back!"

"Thud!" The stick hit his back solidly, making a dull sound.

Chu Li felt the impact on his muscles and nodded. "Good, a bit harder!"

"Thud!"

"Good, harder!"

"Thud!"

"Harder!"

"Thud!"

"Harder!"

"Master, this is my maximum strength!"

"Then let's go with this, come on!"

"Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!" ...

Xueling swung the stick more than twenty times in one breath, each hit with all her strength, and the frustration of the past few days was swept away, a smile on her lips.

"Snap!" The long stick broke.

Xueling looked at the broken end of the stick, shook her head, and felt a bit out of breath. The pine stick was tougher than she had imagined.

Chu Li closed his eyes slightly and used the Great Mirror Wisdom to observe. The muscles, when struck, caused the inner strength of the Vajra Deliverance Divine Technique to rebound, circulating faster and more efficiently than during regular practice. The effect was good.

"Go get a few more sticks," Chu Li said.

Xueling left the courtyard gracefully and returned with a bundle of ten wooden sticks of different woods, all about the thickness of a baby's arm.