After returning to Duanqing Cliff, Jiang Hao began to think about Tianhuan Pavilion.
He had killed Senior Sister Yun Ruo, which certainly offended Tianhuan Pavilion, but not everyone would want him dead.
If everyone wanted to take action, it was more likely that Tianhuan Pavilion had given an intentional or unintentional order.
So, in normal circumstances, the people who would want to kill him could only be one of two types: first, those trying to please the Pavilion Master, and second, those influenced by Yun Ruo’s charms.
Either way, both were dangerous.
“This trip to the Demon Cave will be highly risky. I need to reach the late Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible to ensure my own safety.”
“I already have defensive talismans, but I still need an offensive talisman.”
“And a more powerful attack technique.”
The Hongmeng Heart Sutra has its own techniques, but so far, none have been unlocked.
His cultivation was not yet sufficient.
After tending to the spiritual herb garden, Jiang Hao went to find his master, Ku Wu Chang.
“Techniques?” Upon hearing Jiang Hao's request, Ku Wu Chang didn’t waste words.
“What kind of technique do you want to learn?”
“One with great power,” Jiang Hao replied.
“Do you use a blade?” Ku Wu Chang asked.
“I can use one,” Jiang Hao answered immediately.
He hadn’t specialized in any particular weapon. Daggers and spiritual swords—he had used them both. But they were just tools, nothing more.
“Good. Then I’ll teach you the Demon Sound Slash.” Ku Wu Chang said, and then, with two fingers, he touched Jiang Hao’s forehead.
Immediately, a flurry of blade images appeared in Jiang Hao’s mind.
Thunder roared, and storms raged.
Then the images vanished.
Jiang Hao snapped back to reality, and Ku Wu Chang handed him a book.
“Take this back and study it. You have good talent, you should be able to learn it in about a month.”
“Thank you, Master.” Jiang Hao took the book and left.
Just as he was about to leave, he saw Han Ming and other senior disciples entering.
“You want to learn an attack technique? I’ll teach you the Heavenly Thunder Sword. Learn it well with me, and don’t leave until you do,” came Ku Wu Chang’s stern voice.
Jiang Hao glanced at them but didn’t pay much attention. He quickly left.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
He needed to go back and study the Demon Sound Slash.
As for what he had just heard, it didn’t concern him. He was just one of many inner disciples. But Han Ming and the others were True Disciples. Their treatment was naturally different.
He couldn’t help but think to himself, The treatment for True Disciples is really good.
Back at his residence, Jiang Hao looked at the Tianxiang Dao Flower.
“I need to go to Baiyue Lake soon. It wouldn’t be good to leave this flower here unattended while I’m gone.”
Then, he entered his training room and activated the Empty Mind, Pure Heart technique. In an instant, he felt his mind clear and his thoughts sharp.
Everything seemed easy to understand, and he could absorb knowledge at an incredibly fast rate.
He opened the book and began studying the Demon Sound Slash.
For the next seven days, Jiang Hao focused entirely on mastering the technique.
On the eighth day, he mentally rehearsed everything in his mind.
Then, he went to the riverbank, picked up a stick, and instantly swung it.
Boom!
The sound of a rolling sonic boom followed, and a blade of energy shot out.
The blade’s shadow stretched for ten meters, cutting through the air.
Boom!
The river exploded, and the surrounding rocks and sand were flung into the air.
The impact left deep scars on the ground.
Jiang Hao smiled slightly.
“It’s done. The power is pretty good. Seven days isn’t bad.”
Given his talent, it would normally take over a month to learn the technique. But with the help of the Empty Mind, Pure Heart technique, his talent was enhanced, allowing him to learn it in seven days.
“Now, I just need a proper blade. I’ll gather enough spiritual stones in a month and buy one.”
In the past seven days, he hadn’t crafted any spiritual talismans or sold any. Apart from the Ten Thousand Swords Talisman that Senior Sister Leng Tian wanted, he hadn’t sold anything else.
All his time was spent mastering the Demon Sound Slash. Therefore, he still only had over 400 spiritual stones.
It wasn’t a small amount, but for life-saving tools, it wasn’t enough.
The best magical items for the Foundation Establishment stage cost far more than a few hundred spiritual stones.
He couldn’t earn that much yet.
He threw the stick aside and walked to the courtyard. These past few days, he had noticed something.
The Snow Lotus flower produced a spiritual bubble every three days, possibly related to vitality or cultivation.
It wasn’t as frequent as the Tianxiang Dao Flower, which produced two bubbles per day, but it was still much better than before.
As for the Blue Lotus Flower, it had bloomed, but on the first day, it only produced a green bubble, and the rest were just white bubbles.
It was better than nothing, and useful for the Gathering Spirit Array.
At this point, Jiang Hao glanced at his status panel:
[Vitality: 99/100 (Can Cultivate)]
[Cultivation: 100/100 (Can Cultivate)]
He was just one point away from reaching full vitality.
By tomorrow at the latest, he would be able to start advancing.
At the spiritual herb garden, Jiang Hao looked around and noticed a blue bubble.
He quickly walked over and watched as the surrounding bubbles gathered and merged.
[Vitality +1]
[Mental Strength +1]
[Strength +1]
[Strength +1]
[Strength +1]
Feeling the increase in his strength, Jiang Hao couldn’t help but feel pleased.
Of course, the most important thing was that his vitality was now full.
Tonight, he could begin his cultivation breakthrough.
After finishing up with the spiritual herb garden, Jiang Hao instructed the outer disciples to take care of it.
Not only was he eager to advance, but in just over a month, he would be heading to the Demon Cave.
Someone else would need to take over the management in the meantime.
When the inner disciples came to check, they would just be going through the motions. The real work was left to the outer disciples, reducing the risk of problems.
Jiang Hao also made a quick trip to Baiyue Lake. He didn’t see Elder Bai Zhi, but Senior Sister Zhou Chan passed on a message with only four words: Don’t worry about it.
It seemed that whether he was there or not, it was all the same.
He didn’t need to worry anymore.
Returning to his residence, Jiang Hao checked the area to ensure there were no problems before entering his training room to focus on his cultivation.
He wasn’t sure if he could reach the late Foundation Establishment stage in one go, but once the time to advance came, he couldn’t delay.
The surging vitality and spiritual energy began to fill his meridians, and purple energy swirled within his veins, guiding the flow.
It seemed even smoother than before.