"Mother said, Hongying has turned fourteen and is a big girl now. She told me to take care of myself and to listen to Master Brother... that I'll see her again after I practice well."
"Is that all?"Li Sheng raised an eyebrow.
"Uh... I wanted to ask where she was going, but when she glared at me, I got scared and didn't dare to ask anymore…"Hongying's head drooped, looking a bit downcast.
"Just practice well; there will be a day when you meet again,"Li Sheng reassured her and turned to leave.
After a moment, he returned, clearing his throat in response to Hongying's puzzled gaze.
"From now on, don't call me Master Brother; you should call me Master Uncle!"
"Ah?"
Hongying looked confused, just as Li Sheng's figure faded away.
"What?!"
In the alchemy room, Li Sheng felt a headache coming on. There were still forty-eight disciples in the sect who hadn't entered the realm yet. He initially planned for them to cultivate only the eighth and ninth grade spirit-level martial arts. Once their aptitudes improved, they could then practice the ordinary entry-level martial arts. With the assistance of spiritual veins, top-grade pills, and the black tower, they could quickly reach the fourth grade. If all went well, they could gain significant sect points in less than two months.
However, after reviewing the Martial Domain Secret Classic, this plan seemed unfeasible. Although they could start over after condensing their divine seeds, the emphasized warning made it clear this path was only suitable for a few exceptional prodigies, not for ordinary disciples in the sect. They only had one chance to condense their Martial Domain and refine their divine seeds.
Two options lay before him. The first was to cut off his disciples"path to becoming grand masters, gaining a large amount of sect points within two months. This, in the long run, would be akin to killing the goose that laid the golden egg. While he would gain immediate benefits, he would also be severing future advancements for the sect. Unless he trained a new batch of disciples or allowed them to disperse their energies and re-cultivate, which would also take considerable time, the second option was to have all of them practice spirit-level techniques. This would delay the sect's promotion to a one-star level by two or three months, but would lay a solid foundation for future advancements.
Both paths had their pros and cons. Choosing the first would be unfair to the disciples, while the second appeared beneficial for everyone but came with its own challenges. The Qingling Sect was in a region shrouded by a dire demonic disaster, always at risk of collapse. Having triggered a nightmare-level special task, he realized that within two months, the sect would face a calamity. If they couldn't overcome it, everything would be over, making any talk of a future meaningless.
It looked like he had a choice, but in reality, he had none.
"It's a bit unfair to these disciples, but after we pass this calamity, I can let them disperse their energies and re-cultivate... I can provide resources…"
"The four outer disciples will be trained following the second path, while the miscellaneous disciples will follow the first."
After sorting out his thoughts, he felt a sense of clarity and began refining pills.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Shortly after, two Spirit Nourishing Pills and two Bone Tempering Pills were freshly made. He had just realized that Hongying had broken through to the seventh grade, so the two Bone Tempering Pills were meant for her. Leaving the alchemy room, Li Sheng visited the outer courtyard and handed the pills to Hongying, who reluctantly called him "Master Uncle"as he left.
Outside the Spirit Gathering Room, Li Sheng awakened his junior sister and transferred fifty merit points to her so she could exchange for the Martial Domain Secret Classic. After a moment, when his junior sister regained her composure, Li Sheng quietly asked, "Junior Sister, you've been cultivating entry-level martial arts for your ninth-grade technique. Although you later switched to spirit-level martial arts, the imprint you condensed is still a mortal form..."
"Brother, I already know the reason. Once we get through this calamity, I will disperse my energies and re-cultivate!"Bai Ye evidently had a plan and responded decisively, her eyes sparkling with determination.
Li Sheng nodded inwardly, glad to have saved a few words. After bidding farewell to his junior sister, he arrived at the Transmission Hall and looked at the large purple crystal before him, murmuring, "Finally, I can use this thing…"
Inside the hall, purple light blossomed as Li Sheng placed his right hand on it and closed his eyes to transmit his martial insights. An hour later, the purple light retracted, and over fifty small purple crystals, each the size of a fingernail, appeared on the table. After collecting the memory crystals into his storage pouch, Li Sheng thought to himself, "Starting tomorrow, I'll refine low-grade pills. Nine to seven grade will be sufficient, but I'm lacking in six and five grade…"
"By the time I need five or six grade pills, it will be more than twenty days later. I just need to gather enough during this time. I wonder if Miss Qingyi can be relied upon…"
After a busy day, Li Sheng took out a fourth-grade dual-spirit-level martial arts manual and began studying it. This technique was named"
**The Virtual and Real Heart Sword Technique.**
After examining it, Li Sheng understood the technique's efficacy. It tempered mental will and condensed illusory sword images using spiritual power, then transformed the virtual into the real. This method specialized in targeting the mind and will.
"Since it hones the mind and will, practicing on the low stone steps might yield better results,"he pondered, halting his steps toward the Spirit Gathering Room and turning toward the training field.
In front of the low mountain, Li Sheng swallowed a Spirit Nourishing Pill and began his practice. As the technique operated, his mental power started to gather at his forehead. In the sea of consciousness, pale silver spiritual energy converged from all directions, gradually forming a small lake. Within this lake, formless air currents plunged downward like suspended swords into the mental lake.
In an instant, the pale silver water splashed everywhere. As the water level gradually dropped, the lake became increasingly bright. A feeling of pressure and numbness arose in his forehead. Just then, the Spirit Nourishing Pill he took earlier transformed into countless green air currents and surged into the sea of consciousness. The negative sensations instantly dissipated, and the sinking silver lake gradually returned to normal.
Seeing this, Li Sheng opened his eyes and walked up the steps. He stopped only after reaching the twentieth step. Under the immense pressure, he sat down right there and immersed himself in cultivation. In the sea of consciousness, the overwhelming pressure acted directly on the silver lake. Under the dual effects of formless air currents and the low mountain's pressure, the consumption speed of the mental power lake doubled.
"This efficiency is insane…"Li Sheng mused, plunging into deep cultivation.
Time passed, and three days went by in a flash. In the training field, many disciples were diligently practicing. Among them, six sat at the front, their auras distinct from others, clearly indicating they had entered the realm of entry-level martial artists. The remaining disciples watched them with envy.
Bai Ye pointed out issues to a few, then looked around before walking toward the low mountain. It was a little past noon, and for the past few days, her senior brother had stopped training at noon to go to the alchemy room, being very punctual. Today, she wondered why there was no movement yet.
At the foot of the low mountain, Bai Ye observed carefully and noticed her senior brother's aura was robust and steady, showing no signs of abnormality, which made her feel relieved. Just as she was turning around, Li Sheng stood up from the stone steps and walked down.
"Junior Sister, you've worked hard!"Li Sheng smiled widely, looking quite content.
"What's got you so happy, Senior Brother?"Bai Ye paused, blinking her bright eyes, clearly curious.