Chapter Thirty-Seven: Advancing to High Rank

  ……

  Chen Mo also knew that cultivation was urgent and didn't bother to respond. He walked up to the attendant in front of the General Affairs Hall and said warmly, "I'd like to take a look at the task list for the Qiu Long mountain range."

  Just now, the middle-aged executive also had some good feelings towards Chen Mo. He frowned and said: "Chen Mo, the Qiu Long Mountain Range is full of crises. Even if it's just the outer periphery, for a Lingtu Zhongjie disciple like you to go in would be extremely dangerous. If you want to do a cultivation task, why not change to another place?"

  "Thank you for reminding me, don't worry, I'm just taking a walk around the periphery, if I encounter any danger, I'll run away." Chen Mo said politely.

  The middle-aged steward saw him insist and did not persuade much anymore.

  Chen Mo thought for a moment, then searched and determined several tasks in the Qiu Long mountain range. Most of them were collecting spiritual grasses, killing certain demonic beasts to obtain their essence, and other such tasks. After memorizing them, he slung a bundle over his back, wore a cyan shirt with a dignified air, and headed towards the Qiu Long mountain range.

  ……

  It's night.

  The Chen family's residence is nestled in the mountains and beside the water, with a picturesque landscape. In the evening, the cool breeze blows gently, and the birds and insects chirp loudly.

  Chen Deshui's mansion was brightly lit, and in the main hall facing south sat Chen Deshui. His eyes were sunken, emitting a cold, gloomy light, with a hawk-like nose and thin lips that seemed to reveal his selfishness.

  "Silent!"

  Chen Deshui slammed his fist on the table, his recent plans had been repeatedly frustrated. He did not expect that Chen Mo, a seemingly insignificant waste like dust, could actually kill two of his powerful generals in a row, and even their bodies couldn't be found. Zhou Liang, who he sent to destroy the spiritual field, hadn't returned either, whether someone was secretly helping him or not was unknown. In any case, he must kill Chen Mo to vent his anger.

  "A useless person like Chen Mo, even if he came back to life, could defeat Xu Hao and break Ou Yang's arm, it's really ridiculous. And also kill Zhou Liang, a high-ranking Lingtu, I think someone helped him." Chen Bo's appearance was similar to the deceased Chen Yan, but his physique had become much more robust, with muscles like hills bulging out, exuding power: "It must be the young master of the Chen family, Chen Xuan, secretly manipulating things."

  "Hmph!" Chen Deshui snorted in anger, a dark cloud flashing across his brow: "These days the clan leader has been keeping a close eye on us, we can't make a move against that little brat within the clan. Since he dares to go out and gain experience, it's just asking for death."

  Chen Bo's face twisted into a cruel smile: "Father, why don't I also go and temper myself? In the Qiu Long mountain range, I'll take him down and avenge my brother."

  "No, for the next three months you must cultivate diligently and defeat Chen Xuan in the family competition." Chen De Shui's face was gloomy: "As for dealing with that kid Chen Mo, I have my own plans."

  He beckoned with his hand and a thin, gaunt middle-aged man came over.

  This person has an ordinary appearance, with high cheekbones and eyes that shine like torches, radiating a fierce and violent aura. Although thin, his entire body's joints are larger than those of average people, as if they might burst out at any moment.

  "Liu Lei, you know what to do next, no need for me to tell you." Chen Deshui's low voice was filled with authority.

  "Yes." Liu Lei replied expressionlessly and respectfully, then turned around and left.

  ……

  Roar, roar, roar, wave after wave of beastly howls echoed in the air, lingering for a long time.

  This is a gigantic mountain range, stretching for thousands of miles. All around, tall ancient trees can be seen everywhere, one by one rising to the sky, with luxuriant branches and leaves that even block out the moonlight above. Several large black birds stand on the branches, making eerie screeching sounds, which appear especially ominous and terrifying in the cold moonlight.

  This is the Qiu Long mountain range, where the mountains are treacherous and full of ferocious beasts and swamps. Throughout history, very few people have been able to traverse it from north to south alive, not even some super strong practitioners dare to venture in carelessly.

  At this time, Chen Mo also dared to practice in the outer branches.

  At the foot of a nameless giant peak, there is a natural cave lying horizontally. The entrance to the cave is overgrown with weeds and hidden from view. Inside, it is dry and spacious, making it an ideal place to rest.

  Deep in the cave, on a green stone slab. Chen Mo sat cross-legged, his five hearts facing upwards, the bright and mysterious energy within his dantian nourishing the meridians inside his body, cleansing the pulse.

  After a night of hard work, the mysterious energy became stronger, and the rapidly rotating bright mysterious energy slowly descended into the meridians, causing a dull ache in the body's meridians, finally reaching the verge of a breakthrough.

  It's finally here, breaking through oneself to reach a higher realm is the goal that every cultivator constantly pursues, and if it were someone else, they would have already started breaking through with great joy.

  At this moment, Chen Mo was exceptionally calm and composed, carefully controlling the Xuan Qi in his body, following the specified route, circulating in the meridians. All the pores on his body were fully open, continuing to absorb the Ling Qi from the surrounding air until he reached the ninth cycle, when the meridians in his body swelled with an urge to burst and could no longer accommodate even a single thread of Xuan Qi.

  The mysterious energy in the body finally flows out from the limbs and bones, slowly gathering to the Sea of Qi, concentrating its power to make a final breakthrough to the barrier that blocks Chen Mo's advancement to the High Rank of Lingtian.

  Rumble, rumble, rumble! Wave after wave of powerful aura, like mighty giant waves, fiercely pounded against the barrier leading to the higher realm of the Spirit Disciple. At first, the barrier shook slightly, but in the end, it stood firm as a rock, biting into the ground and blocking the passage tightly.

  One drum makes a sound, and then declines; three drums exhaust it. After several consecutive full-force impacts, the remaining Light Mystical Qi is almost depleted. The meridians have been slightly damaged under the intense impact of the Mystical Qi, and in the short term, they may not be able to continue impacting the barrier.

  "Failed? No, I won't fail." Chen's calm and elegant face showed a resolute expression. He steeled himself and took out a precious second-grade elixir, "Ningxuan Dan", that he had been treasuring for a long time.

  Cultivation is a way of seizing the creation of heaven and earth, going against the heavens. Apart from innate talent, resources are indispensable.

  In just over a month, Chen Mo had consumed all the Jiling Dan, but at the same time, he had also pushed his cultivation to the peak of the Lingtu Middle Stage. Of course, this was inseparable from Chen Mo's own efforts and bitter practice.

  A Qianyuan Dan worth thousands of gold coins was stuck in the entrance, and its medicinal properties quickly took effect. Immediately afterwards, the Daguangming Divine Technique was activated, enduring the pain of meridian needles piercing through, a small amount of Xuan Qi inside the body slowly circulated, absorbing the medicinal properties that the Qianyuan Dan continuously emitted, and soon re-condensed into an even more massive force.

  After a moment, the mysterious energy in his body seemed to have filled all the meridians and reached its limit. The bright mysterious energy burst out like a flood, violently rushing towards the last barrier that was blocking it.

  "Bang...... Bang......"

  Chen Mo's body began to shake violently, his dantian contracting and expanding wildly. Chen Mo's eyes suddenly snapped open, a sharp light flashing through the black pupils, his mouth slightly agape as a murky breath shot out like an arrow.

  As soon as the turbid air came out, Chen Mo's face suddenly became spirited, his eyes sparkling and profound.

  "Spiritual Disciple of Higher Order"

  Chen Mo stretched out his hands, gazing at his palms, his fists clenched tightly, feeling the immense power within him. He couldn't help but let out a long roar in his heart, releasing the extreme excitement that had been building up inside. However, this was not the time to be joyful yet. With great effort, he suppressed his excited emotions and waited for his feelings to calm down. After his emotions had stabilized, he circulated the Bright Mystical Energy, forcing out a strand of green liquid to repair the damaged meridians.

  In just two months, Chen Mo has advanced from the initial stage of Lingtu's primary stage to the strength of Lingtu's high-ranking stage. This cultivation speed is not even achievable by the elite disciples of the family.

  But that's far from enough. In the family martial arts competition half a month later, there won't be a lack of high-ranking Spiritual Masters at the peak. With my current strength, I'm still slightly inadequate.

  It is said that among the elite disciples of the family, several who have reached the pinnacle of Lingtu's high-ranking sect are now under the protection of their elders, starting to impact the spiritual realm. As he progressed, his opponents could not wait for him to take a step back, and thinking about the big comparison within the clan in more than a month, Chen Mo suddenly felt the pressure doubled.

  The resources required to break through to the Spiritual Realm's higher levels have far exceeded Chen Mo's initial estimates. Having grown accustomed to using the precious One-Piece Spirit Gathering Pill during his previous cultivation, his strength had surged rapidly. However, he was now finding that his progress over the past few days had been slow. Without the aid of medicinal pills, relying solely on the small amount of spiritual energy accumulated through daily breathing exercises, he wondered when he would be able to advance again.

  No wonder others say that the poor cultivate literature and the rich cultivate martial arts. The further back you go in cultivation, the more important resources become. Many geniuses with extremely high qualifications break through to the middle stage of Lingtong before they are 15 years old, but without family support, they can only practice bitterly, exhausting themselves for their entire lives, and ultimately achieving very limited results. In one's own family, apart from the patriarch and elders, there are also only a few exceptionally talented direct descendants who, under the support of the clan, spend countless resources and barely advance to the Ling Shi realm around the age of 20, revealing the terrifying degree to which later-stage cultivation consumes wealth.

  "Can't just keep practicing in a monotonous way anymore, must quickly gather some resources and speed up my own cultivation progress."

  "We are now at the intersection of the central and peripheral zones of the forest. If we venture a little deeper, we will definitely find some precious spiritual herbs in the depths of the forest with our high-level spiritual powers. As long as we are careful to avoid those fierce demonic beasts, the chances of finding something good on this adventure will be even better."

  Chen Mo's eyebrows slightly furrowed as he thought about his recent adventures on the edge of the forest, where after killing over a dozen first and second-tier demonic beasts, he only obtained a few low-grade demonic cores and some task materials.

  Even several times, they mistakenly entered the territory of some powerful demon beasts. If it weren't for the strong recovery power of Guangming Xuanqi and Liu Xue's fast speed, they would have been killed by the demon beasts long ago. The thrilling scenes that flashed through their minds still made them feel lingering fear when thinking back.

  "As long as I can accumulate enough resources and quickly advance to a Spirit Master, I'll be able to heal Big Brother's injuries myself. Our little family will be able to regain its vitality and no longer suffer from others' ridicule. Let alone venturing into the forest, even if I face an even more severe challenge, what is there to fear?"

  At this point, Chen's tender and immature face became even more stern, with a resolute expression between his eyebrows.

  "Huh? In the middle of the night, where did Xiao Ba sneak off to again? When he gets back, I'll have to give him a good scolding. Ever since we entered this forest for training, this guy has been mysteriously disappearing without rhyme or reason."

  ……