Chapter 182
The next day, after being tormented by Qiu Chi in the illusion, Tao Zhiyuan was kicked out again.
He lay sprawled on the ground, not wanting to move, just waiting for Zhuang Ye to come over, help him up, and feed him a medicinal pill.
After a good while, Zhuang Ye finally arrived, late.
As he helped Tao Zhiyuan up and fed him the pill, he said, “Sorry, Brother Tao, I’m late today.”
As he spoke, there was an unconcealable joy in Zhuang Ye’s tone.
Tao Zhiyuan was somewhat listless. He didn’t notice Zhuang Ye’s cultivation level at first. Hearing Zhuang Ye’s words, he just casually asked, “Why so late today? Did something good happen?”
His casual question was met with Zhuang Ye’s excited reply.
“Yes, yes, I’m just so happy! Brother Tao, look at my cultivation. I’m a late-stage Golden Core cultivator now. I’ve caught up to you, hahaha…”
Zhuang Ye’s excited words struck Tao Zhiyuan’s ears like a bolt from the blue.
He was completely stunned. “You advanced again? How is that possible? How could you go from mid-stage Golden Core to late-stage Golden Core in one night?”
Zhuang Ye said gleefully, “Heh, I didn’t expect to catch up to you in one night either, Brother Tao. But there’s no point in overthinking it. After all, advancing is a good thing.”
It was a good thing for Zhuang Ye, but not for Tao Zhiyuan.
Especially when Zhuang Ye added, “Yesterday, I said I’d form a Nascent Soul before you. Hehehe, I don’t think that’s impossible anymore. What do you think?”
What did Tao Zhiyuan think? Just yesterday, he had been so certain it was impossible, but today, Zhuang Ye had become a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. His original thoughts now seemed utterly ridiculous.
So, was he really going to be surpassed by Zhuang Ye? Was he really going to form his Nascent Soul later than Zhuang Ye?
Tao Zhiyuan couldn’t accept it.
He shot up, ignoring his injuries, and said, “I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll head back first.”
After speaking, he paid Zhuang Ye no more mind and left directly on his sword.
Leaving Zhuang Ye to watch his retreating back, who couldn’t help but click his tongue and say, “With that lordly attitude, who but someone with an agenda could put up with him? He’s a grown man, how can he be so naive?”
Qiu Chi: “…” You’ve been treating him with such devotion, day in and day out for ten years, better than his own parents. How could he not be corrupted by your sugar-coated bullets?
These two were truly a match made in heaven. They should be locked together.
After returning to his room, Tao Zhiyuan immediately prepared to form his Nascent Soul.
He couldn’t wait any longer. If he kept waiting for the right opportunity to form his Nascent Soul and it never came, he couldn’t just waste his entire life at the Golden Core stage, could he?
He couldn’t bear the thought of Zhuang Ye, a latecomer, surpassing him.
He had to form a Nascent Soul!
Tao Zhiyuan’s thoughts were proceeding perfectly according to Qiu Chi’s plan.
The next day, as soon as Tao Zhiyuan announced he was entering seclusion to form his Nascent Soul, Qiu Chi pulled Zhuang Ye into her small world.
Zhuang Ye still couldn’t see Qiu Chi. As he felt the dense spiritual energy here, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “The spiritual energy here is even denser than in the secret realms I’ve visited. I’m really curious about your identity. Who are you? And where is this place?”
Not only was the spiritual energy dense, but Zhuang Ye also guessed that the flow of time here was different from the outside.
Otherwise, no matter how much of a genius one was or how dense the spiritual energy, it would be impossible to advance a minor realm in a single day. The minor realms of the Golden Core stage were not the same as those in Qi Refining.
“Curious? Don’t you know that curiosity can kill? Now, either cultivate or get out.”
Of course the flow of time here was different from the outside. Although Qiu Chi could forcibly raise their cultivation, she didn’t want to, so she could only let them cultivate on their own.
This was her territory; she could adjust the flow of time as she pleased.
They thought the spiritual energy here was dense, but in reality, this level of density was quite common in her Xingyun Realm. They could only be blamed for their lack of exposure.
This shabby little world certainly couldn’t compare to her Xingyun Realm. Although one couldn’t ascend from the Xingyun Realm for the time being, it would be possible soon. Very soon.
While Zhuang Ye was cultivating, Qiu Chi took a stroll over to Tao Zhiyuan’s place.
She was planning to let Tao Zhiyuan successfully form his Nascent Soul. After all, when the time came, a cultivator who seemed to be merely at the initial Golden Core stage like her, completely dominating a Nascent Soul cultivator like Tao Zhiyuan—how eye-catching would that be?
Of course, this would also provoke Tao Zhiyuan even more.
If it weren’t for the fact that making Tao Zhiyuan a Divine Transformation cultivator would raise his cultivation too high, making it difficult for him to taste the bitterness of being deserted by everyone, she would have actually preferred to let him see that even if he reached Divine Transformation, she could still thrash him.
Beating other Divine Transformation cultivators was a different feeling from being a Divine Transformation cultivator yourself and getting beaten.
More than half a month later, just as the sect competition was about to begin, there was a stir from the place where Tao Zhiyuan was in seclusion.
In this small world, one didn’t have to undergo a lightning tribulation for either Golden Core or Nascent Soul formation, but one did have to face an inner demon tribulation.
With Tao Zhiyuan’s trashy mental state, he naturally wouldn’t be able to pass the Nascent Soul’s inner demon tribulation. Qiu Chi lent a hand, suppressing his inner demon, which allowed him to successfully form his Nascent Soul.
Of course, Zhuang Ye also successfully formed his Nascent Soul. Not only that, but he also became a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. When his father saw it, he couldn’t help but burst into tears.
The sect even discussed this matter for several days. They finally concluded that the pill that had washed away two of Zhuang Ye’s spirit roots had overly powerful spiritual energy. Additionally, Zhuang Ye had practically grown up eating spiritual pills. Although he was a dandy, his mental state was relatively simple, which was why he had so easily succeeded in forming his Nascent Soul.
Although this reason was far-fetched, it was at least an explanation.
However, Zhuang Ye was now watched very strictly by the sect; he was almost never allowed to leave.
He couldn’t leave the sect, but he was still allowed to go see the newly successful Tao Zhiyuan.
Unfortunately, Tao Zhiyuan didn’t particularly want to see him. Especially when he saw his cultivation level, Tao Zhiyuan felt a metallic, sweet taste rise in his throat.
His already existing inner demon also worsened a bit, and the spiritual energy in his body began to destabilize.
Zhuang Ye quickly stepped forward to stabilize his spiritual energy, asking worriedly, “Brother Tao, are you alright? Is your aura unstable because you just broke through and haven’t had time to regulate your breathing? Don’t worry about the sect competition. Our Tianyuan Sect will definitely be number one again. You should focus on consolidating your cultivation.”
Zhuang Ye’s final lecturing remark made the metallic sweetness that Tao Zhiyuan had just suppressed surge up again.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice was hoarse. “Your cultivation?”
“Me? Heh, I just got lucky. Who knows what that pill was? It made my cultivation shoot up so fast. You have no idea, the day I was about to form my Nascent Soul, I was scared to death…”
Tao Zhiyuan: “…”
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