The cultivation speed of a Dual Spirit Root was indeed extraordinary. With the protection of the cattail mat bestowed by Li Su, Zhao Chun had already connected all Twelve Meridians in just two months and was about to enter the stage of rushing open her acupoints.
Once she broke through the first single acupoint, she could be considered a Third Level of Qi Refinement cultivator. If one could not succeed in a single, vigorous effort, their momentum would wane and their strength would gradually be exhausted.
What Zhao Chun wanted was to ride the momentum of connecting her meridians and charge directly toward the Third Level of Qi Refinement! A person has hundreds of acupoints, but a cultivator must start with the fifty-two single acupoints first. The order cannot be arbitrarily changed, otherwise, one risks perishing and their Dao disappearing!
This was the very reason why most cultivators stagnated at the Third Level of Qi Refinement. For each of the hundreds of acupoints, one had to be exceedingly cautious and meticulously polish it. Among them, the single acupoints were the easiest.
After entering the stage of the three hundred double acupoints, the difficulty would multiply. As for the fifty extraordinary acupoints, they could bar eighty percent of all Early Qi Refining Stage cultivators from the gates of the Middle Stage!
Xun Xian had once said that cultivators with Metal and Fire attributes must be extremely careful at the Third Level of Qi Refinement, lest their spiritual qi exploded and injured their acupoints. As Zhao Chun drove her spiritual qi into the first single acupoint, she only felt a slight heat at the acupoint, accompanied by a tingling itch.
Logically speaking, acupoints needed to be gently broken through, but an unusual feeling arose in Zhao Chun's heart, a feeling that she seemed better suited to shattering it with force. The Great Dao has a myriad of paths; only the one that suits oneself is the best. With this thought, she began to condense her essence and gather her qi.
However, unlike ordinary people who would slowly wash over the acupoint, she swirled her qi into a sphere, intending to slam it violently into the acupoint! The pain lasted but an instant, and all that remained was the feeling of clarity after the acupoint was opened. Indeed, Zhao Chun praised inwardly.
This method was more efficient, but the risk also soared, carrying the sentiment of "succeed or die trying." But one must not be greedy. The opened acupoint still needed to be properly nurtured.
If she only pursued efficiency without regard for quality, she feared her foundation would be damaged. Now that she had found her method, she knew how to proceed in the future. Zhao Chun shook her clothes and stood up, suddenly feeling a great sense of relief and wanting to go out for a trip.
In these two months, aside from returning to the Daylily Garden at the end of the month to visit her Senior Sister and Zhou Pianran, she had practically not stepped out of her door. Her food, clothing, and daily life were all taken care of by others, requiring no worry on her part.
Pushing the door open, the morning clouds and mist had yet to dissipate. Zhao Chun's residence was situated on a clear spring path, deserted and naturally without neighbors. The courtyard was spotless, with a half-wall of yellow flowers.
Two mortal servants were present; one was sweeping, while the other was watering the flowers. According to the rules, an Inner Sect Disciple could have eight mortal servants under them. Zhao Chun did not have many matters to attend to, so besides sweeping and cooking, the mortal servants had nothing else to do.
Seeing that Zhao Chun was diligent in her cultivation, they did not dare to disturb her. As a result, Zhao Chun only recognized the one who delivered her meals every day, a young woman in her early twenties named Cui Cui. Thus, it was only natural that she made her the head of the servants.
The origins of these mortal servants were mostly similar; they were all relatives of low-level cultivators. If their own cultivator managed to break through to an Official Disciple, they would find an opportunity to bring them to their side to be cared for. If not, they would continue to serve others as retainers to supplement the family's income.
No matter the world, it was ultimately the people at the bottom who had it harder. She had now stepped into the Third Level of Qi Refinement. With one more step, she could advance to the Mid Qi Refining Stage and begin to shed her mortal body.
If one day she was fortunate enough to reach Foundation Establishment, that would be a true case of "treading on misty clouds for three thousand li, and pulling the waters of the Heavenly River to flow," no longer the same as a mortal!
"The Immortal Master is out of seclusion!"
Cui Cui held the water pot in her arms and curtsied to her. Zhao Chun gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. She had only cultivated for two months and had even left the sect's gates in between, so it couldn't really be considered coming out of seclusion.
She just took it as Cui Cui's attempt at flattery, not something to be taken to heart. For Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter their Cultivation Caves for three to five years without asking about worldly affairs was still considered a short time. As for Core Formation Cultivators, they could be gone for ten or twenty years at a time.
Take Zhao Chun's own cheap master, Li Su, for example. News of his coming out of seclusion was released a month ago, but who knew when he would actually show his face. The lifespan of a cultivator was inherently different from that of an ordinary person.
Qi Refining granted one hundred and fifty years, Foundation Establishment two hundred, and Core Formation three hundred. There were even realms above Core Formation, like that of the True Spirit Sect Master, Master Tusheng, who could live for five hundred years! It was because of their long lifespans that they could afford to enter seclusion for so long.
Such a realm was still very distant for Zhao Chun. She would first aim for Foundation Establishment to truly solidify her title as an Inner Sect Disciple.
"I am going out for a bit. You all guard the house well. If there is anything urgent, you can use the Message Talisman at the door to inform me."
Cui Cui nodded and respectfully saw Zhao Chun off. The sect equipped Inner Sect Disciples with all sorts of daily necessities, including Message Talismans and Smoke Boat Talismans, so Zhao Chun had no need to purchase them.
Her destination this time was the Outer Sect's Hundred Treasures Market, where she would sell some of the elixir pills obtained from Yue Zuan and see if she could find any useful treasures. Zhao Chun had discovered that her constitution was rather peculiar. Spirit Pills that increased one's cultivation base had no effect on her, and would instead cause harm.
Among the pills she had obtained that day was the Qi-Boosting Pill, an advanced version of the Qi-Increasing Powder. This item was also included in the monthly allowance for Inner Sect Disciples. She had intended to use it to aid her cultivation, but instead of advancing, she had regressed, causing her spiritual qi to become violent.
Thinking of this, Zhao Chun dared not use them again. She picked out all the pills that increased cultivation and enhanced qi, but kept the rest, such as the healing and support-type pills. Things that others would flock to had become useless trifles in her hands.
It was better to sell them all off, which could also be considered a way to supplement her own needs. The Hundred Treasures Market was located in a small hill in the Outer Sect. Some ingenious artisan, with their clever thinking, had actually hollowed out the inside of the hill, and the market was neatly arranged within.
The various stalls were distributed in rings on three levels. The entrance led to the Outer Market, where most of the stalls were set up by cultivators who sold their goods as they came and went. The eastern and western sections were the Pill Market and the Martial Goods Market.
The central part was the essence of the Hundred Treasures Market, the Treasure Pavilion. That place required one to be an Official Disciple to enter, and most of the rare treasures were found within. For Zhao Chun to enter the market, she had to pay ten Essence Stones.
One had to know, a normal ride on a Smoke Boat only cost two stones, and a Probationary Disciple's monthly stipend ranged from five to twenty Essence Stones. Just entering would scrape a layer of skin off. Only after she entered did she realize that the money was not spent in vain.
All sorts of Spirit Plants and Exotic Metals were a feast for the eyes, and there was an endless assortment of brocades, silks, and gold and jade hairpins. These were not ordinary items; they were all imbued with spiritual qi, making their colors brilliant and their luster beautiful.
Although the sect would distribute ready-made clothes, it did not restrict the disciples' attire. There was no other reason than the fact that the sect's official clothing was too rustic. Even Zhao Chun found it hard to bear dressing up like a small tree every day.
These were all external objects, not what she needed. Zhao Chun made her way towards the Pill Market in the east. She had long since taken the elixir pills out of her Storage Pouch, wrapped them in a silk cloth, and placed them elsewhere to prevent others from seeing that she possessed a storage artifact.
The first level of the Pill Market was for cultivator stalls, the second level was for established shops, and the third level was where the Alchemists had their seats. If one needed custom-made pills, they could seek them out. Alchemists were special cultivators with Fire-Wood dual attributes.
Although their cultivation speed was slower than others due to cultivating two elements simultaneously, their status was quite high. Even the most basic Mortal Rank Alchemist could produce pills usable by Late Stage Qi Refinement cultivators, thus they were highly sought after. However, Zhao Chun's attributes were not compatible, so that path was not viable for her.
With her body full of Metal and Fire spiritual qi, she was quite suited for the path of Artifact Forging, but she lacked a technique manual and would have to find one later. Having a skill would make the road ahead easier to walk.
Zhao Chun ambled toward the second floor and entered the largest shop, intending to sell her Qi-Boosting Pills. On the first floor, she had made some inquiries about the asking price for Qi-Boosting Pills. It was five Essence Stones per pill.
A shop's buying price would naturally be lower than a seller's. They offered her a price of ten stones for three pills, which was quite fair. Zhao Chun had twenty pills from her two months' stipend as an Inner Sect Disciple, and another eighteen from Yue Zuan.
Seeing her agree so readily, the shopkeeper sealed the deal for one hundred and thirty Essence Stones, a good outcome for both sides. There were also the five Essence-Concealing Pills from Yue Zuan's pouch. These were used by Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The shopkeeper, who had a formidable background, only glanced at her cryptically twice without saying a word. Seeing this, Zhao Chun took out her Inner Sect Disciple's identity token. The shopkeeper then assumed it was a gift from her master and inwardly sighed at whichever wasteful disciple this was, actually trading Essence-Concealing Pills for money.
"This pill sells for eighty per piece. I'll buy it for sixty. Are you willing?"
Zhao Chun nodded, counted out the pills, and without any lingering attachment, exchanged them all for Essence Stones, a total of three hundred. Adding the money from the Qi-Boosting Pills, she had earned four hundred and thirty in a single day.
She put them all into a plain cloth bag, wrapped it again with a grey cotton cloth, and quickly exited the Pill Market. Although others were generally wary of Inner Sect Disciples, Zhao Chun still preferred to act cautiously and not attract the envy of others. This trip was only half complete.
She wanted to first enter the Treasure Pavilion to select some useful defensive artifacts, and then head to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to obtain the two magical arts, Tiger Strength Technique and Snake-Form Step.
(End of this chapter)