Chapter 33: Senior Brother, Stop Sucking or I'll Be a Dried Corpse!
"Huh???"
Xiao Chen looked at Cao Youqian with confusion. "Isn't that a good thing?"
Cao Youqian then explained the contents of the Five Elements chapter of the Chaotic Body Tempering Art.
"I see. Come on, let's go find Master together."
Xiao Chen was a man of action. Without delay, he brought Cao Youqian back to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute.
When the two arrived at Chu Feng's personal courtyard, the lights inside were still on.
"Didn't expect Master to be working so hard. It's so late and he's still not resting."
Cao Youqian couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Xiao Chen nodded. "Master is indeed a very diligent man."
Lying on his bed reading, Chu Feng heard the voices of his two disciples outside and revealed a trace of confusion, but still asked,
"What business brings you to me at this hour instead of cultivating?"
Xiao Chen and Cao Youqian answered in unison, "Master, we've encountered a small issue in our cultivation."
Chu Feng paused, then put on his clothes, opened the door, and stepped outside.
Looking at the two of them, he said, "Explain it clearly."
"Master, it's like this…"
Cao Youqian truthfully recounted his current situation.
"That's it?"
Chu Feng's gaze shifted to Xiao Chen. "Don't tell me you've forgotten the Sword Surge to Break Blocked Meridians from Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin?"
The moment Xiao Chen heard those words, his eyes lit up. He smiled. "Now I understand why Master wanted me to train together with Junior Brother Cao."
Cao Youqian was completely confused. He looked at Xiao Chen, then at his master.
Chu Feng said, "Since you understand what to do, return and resume your cultivation."
"Yes, Master. I take my leave."
Xiao Chen didn't forget to tug Cao Youqian's robe as he spoke.
Only then did Cao Youqian come to his senses. He saluted Chu Feng and left with his senior brother.
Once the two returned to the back mountain, Cao Youqian asked, "Senior Brother, do you really have a way to help me with this breakthrough problem?"
"Junior Brother, stand right there and don't move. No matter what happens next, don't be surprised. I'll help you resolve this small issue in your cultivation."
Xiao Chen said with a bright smile.
???
Cao Youqian was full of question marks. You call this a small issue?
But in the very next moment, he saw Senior Brother leap into the air, and a burst of sword qi erupted from his body, enveloping him completely.
He couldn't move. The worst part was that his spiritual power was being sucked away at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In just a few breaths' time—
Cao Youqian felt his spiritual power completely drained. Without spiritual support, it was impossible for him to break through to the True Fate Realm.
"Senior Brother, stop! If you keep absorbing, I'm gonna turn into jerky!"
Hearing this, Xiao Chen gracefully descended from the sky, still smiling. "Junior Brother, go on and keep cultivating. If you encounter this situation again, just let me know."
"Thank you… Senior Brother…"
Cao Youqian replied weakly.
"By the way, Senior Brother… what technique was that just now? Why did it feel kinda… evil…"
Xiao Chen smiled. "It's a secret art from Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin, used to assist in cultivation."
???
Cao Youqian was dumbfounded. You call that assisting cultivation?
Normal people couldn't even defend against it, okay?
But then he remembered that Senior Brother had no need to use that technique in combat, so he said no more and resumed cultivation.
Xiao Chen began refining the spiritual power he had just absorbed, converting the purified energy into sword qi. The excess impure energy was expelled through his index and middle fingers.
After flushing the impurities from his body, Xiao Chen resumed cultivating. If things continued smoothly, he would break through to the True Fate Realm in less than a month—in peak condition.
…
Sword Dao Institute — within a quiet cultivation chamber of the inner courtyard.
Lin Qingyu was currently in seclusion here.
After the outer sect tournament, he had devoted himself to cultivation for half a year. With everything thoroughly prepared, he chose a quiet chamber to begin his closed-door breakthrough to the True Fate Realm.
For this breakthrough, Lin Qingyu had invested a full third of his wealth, all for the sake of awakening a Sacred Physique.
With that, he would finally have a chance to compete with the many prodigies in the Heavenly Spirit Institute…
And ultimately become the future master of the Sword Dao Institute.
As for Xiao Chen, he was no longer even a rival in Lin Qingyu's eyes. A man with no future had no right to be considered his opponent.
As Lin Qingyu's aura soared to its peak—
He shattered the bottleneck and stepped fully into the True Fate Realm.
At that very moment, the bloodline within his body awakened.
Rumble!
With a deafening roar—
A surge of mighty energy shot up into the sky.
Next, a wave of purple aura drifted from the east as ninety-nine auspicious clouds swirled high above the Sword Dao Institute.
The sight immediately drew the attention of countless cultivators.
"Look—someone's breakthrough triggered a heaven-and-earth phenomenon!"
"Could one of the Sword Dao Institute's prodigies have awakened an Imperial Physique?"
"Senior Brother, this phenomenon… it might be more than just an Imperial Physique."
"Then it must be a Sacred Physique! Our Sword Dao Institute hasn't seen one awaken in decades—the last time was nearly sixty years ago!"
In the Xuantian Continent, cultivator physiques were ranked in six grades, from highest to lowest: Immortal Physique, Divine Physique, Sacred Physique, Imperial Physique, Innate Physique, and Acquired Physique.
After breaking into the True Fate Realm, nearly every cultivator would awaken an Acquired Physique—making it the most common of all.
From that point on, the advantage of an Innate Physique faded. Only those with an Imperial Physique could be called true elites capable of reaching further heights.
But the Sacred Physique was on a different level altogether.
In the entire Wendao Institute, there were fewer than a hundred disciples currently possessing a Sacred Physique.
As long as one who awakened a Sacred Physique didn't die young, becoming a powerhouse in the future was almost guaranteed.
All the elders of the Sword Dao Institute gathered outside the quiet chamber at the first moment.
Even the Sword Martial King personally came. He looked at the steward in charge of the area and asked, "Who is in seclusion here?"
"Reporting to the head, it is Junior Brother Lin Qingyu."
The steward answered respectfully.
"So it's that kid. Looks like the Sword Dao Institute finally has someone to carry the mantle forward."
How could the Sword Martial King forget one of the two former prodigies of the outer courtyard?
Though they had lost the genius Xiao Chen, Lin Qingyu was now rising.
Once again, the Sword Dao Institute had a disciple in the younger generation who could rival the prodigies of the Heavenly Spirit Institute. The smile on the Sword Martial King's face couldn't be held back.
He said, "Everyone, let us protect Qingyu well. We must not allow anyone to interfere."
All the elders present understood the implied meaning: they must guard against the Heavenly Spirit Institute poaching talent and ensure Lin Qingyu received the best possible treatment.
Just as the gathered elders stood outside the chamber protecting it—
A voice of confusion suddenly rose from the crowd.
"Strange… why are the auspicious clouds not continuing toward the Sword Dao Institute? Why are they drifting somewhere else?"
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone instinctively looked up toward the sky…
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