Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Indeed, it was so.

It took a whole four months to move from one point to two, but only two months to progress from two to three, more than doubling the efficiency, and the speed of cultivation was still accelerating.

A heavy snowfall, heralding the arrival of winter.

Under the leaden sky.

The snowflakes, large as goose feathers, fell upon the ever-active Mountain Protection Array of the sect, continuously repelled and shattered into fine crystals by an invisible force field above, eventually turning into a mist of tiny droplets that sprinkled down gently.

Within the mountain gate, it was warm as spring, with greenery abounding, unaffected by the slightest chill from the outside world.

Chen Li was in the small grove in front of the cave dwelling’s courtyard.

His body moved swiftly like a phantom, weaving through the trees at high speed.

The air around him twisted as if burning with an invisible flame; roughly a minute later, he suddenly went from high-speed movement to complete stillness, and at the same time, softly slapped a large tree with his palm.

"Boom!"

A loud bang sounded, accompanied by flying wood chips.

The large tree, thick enough for two people to embrace, was pierced through by his palm, leaving a hole the size of a hand.

Chen Li stopped.

The Gang Qi on his body quickly dissipated.

At the same time, the spiritual power inside him was nearly drained, with nine tenths of it gone.

"The duration is getting shorter and shorter," Chen Li gasped for breath.

In the half year since his Foundation Establishment, his daily Gang Qi had finally reached the Grandmaster level with his focused practice.

Grandmaster level Gang Qi could match a Second Order first-level spell in defensive power, and the strength in just his bare palms was comparable to wielding a Second Order low-grade magical instrument. Such a secret technique was practically a divine skill.

However, it also revealed a problem: the consumption of spiritual power was becoming greater and greater.

After reaching Grandmaster level,

he could only last a little over a minute before his spiritual power was depleted.

Secret techniques differ from spells.

The latter primarily relies on the power of heaven and earth, resonating with heaven and earth through chants and seals, with one’s own spiritual power serving merely as a catalyst. Meanwhile, the former completely utilizes one’s own spiritual power, and no matter how optimized, the power depends entirely on the output of one’s own spiritual power.

"Sigh..."

He exhaled.

"But a minute is enough."

A minute was already not short for a battle.

In all the battles he had experienced, whether facing one enemy or many, almost none had lasted over a minute, most were resolved in just a dozen seconds or so, except for the time when he spent slightly longer to slay a Second Order Demon Beast.

"The direction of optimizing this secret technique has some similarities with basic swordsmanship in certain aspects, one controls the physical strength, while the other controls the spiritual power," Chen Li thought to himself, his thoughts profound.

He stretched out his hand, and countless fine droplets of water instantly converged, quickly forming a ping pong ball-sized sphere of water above the palm of his hand.

The water ball spun round and round.

And at that moment,

a distant toll of a bell came from the mountaintop, passing through the array.

Chen Li couldn’t help but look startled.

"That bell... The Golden Core Ancestor has emerged from seclusion!"

He casually tossed the water ball into the air, which burst instantly, scattering droplets in all directions.

...

By the time Chen Li arrived, the hall was already filled with many people.

A large group of Foundation Establishment cultivators stood in two rows; almost every Foundation Establishment cultivator who wasn’t secluded or out had come, and Chen Li discreetly took his place at the very back of the line, eyes on nose, nose on heart.

The Golden Core Ancestor had not yet arrived.

Seeing Chen Li enter, a buzz arose inside the hall, followed by a flurry of whispers. Some Foundation Establishment cultivators who had not seen him before quietly inquired about Chen’s backing, then realized with enlightenment and glanced over occasionally.

After patiently waiting for a moment,

footsteps could be heard, and the Golden Core Ancestor finally arrived.

Chen Li glanced up quickly, seeing the Golden Core Ancestor’s true face for the first time.

But at first sight, he was greatly disappointed.

The man had a middle-aged appearance, was extremely short, standing less than one and a half meters tall, with disproportionately long arms that reached past his knees, and dark skin, not exactly the image of grandeur; however, his eyes were as sharp as swords, and he carried the dignified aura of a Golden Core Sect Master in his every move.

As soon as he arrived, the entire hall went silent.

Not daring to look more, Chen Li quickly lowered his eyelids.

The Golden Core Ancestor took his seat.

"Greetings to the Sect Leader upon your emergence from seclusion!"

He swept his gaze across the room and said with a chuckle, "I hear from Hongyi that we have a new Guest Elder. Which one is it? Let me have a look."

Chen Li’s heart tensed upon hearing this, and he quickly stepped out from the ranks, showing respect, moved forward a few steps, and bowed, saying, "Junior Chen Li pays respects to the Sect Leader." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Good, good, good. Truly a young talent. No need to be nervous. As long as you are dedicated to your duties, whether you are a Guest Elder or a disciple, we treat everyone equally in the Returning True Sect... You may step back now."

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

Chen Li returned to his original position, looking incredibly flattered.

The Golden Core Ancestor then made a few perfunctory remarks and, leaving Xia Hongyi behind, dismissed everyone.

Walking out with the crowd, Chen Li let out a sigh of relief.

The pressure from the Golden Core was truly immense.

When that gaze fell upon him, it was like needles on his back.

It was not at all comfortable.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I am Guo Xingquan. Unfortunately, I was occupied during your entrance ceremony and missed it. I’ve only been a Foundation Establishment for a few years myself; let’s become more acquainted in the future!" a young man standing nearby greeted with a bow, his tone enthusiastic.

"I’ve seen Fellow Daoist Guo. When did Daoist join the sect?" Chen Li quickly responded, returning the gesture.

"I joined a little earlier than you, Fellow Daoist. It’s already been over seven years," Guo Xingquan said with a smile.

The two struck up a conversation and began to chat leisurely.

Just like Chen Li, Guo Xingquan had also emerged from the ranks of the Loose Cultivators to become a Guest Elder, and having recently achieved Foundation Establishment, they found plenty of common ground, engaging in an enjoyable and spirited discussion.

"I regret choosing the Returning True Skill for cultivation, it’s just too slow. I’ve inquired about those who cultivate the Three Yang Skill, even those with ordinary aptitude generally reach the second level of Foundation Establishment within five years," Guo Xingquan sighed. "But for me, I’m still hovering at the first level despite all this time, and I reckon it’ll take another two years for a breakthrough."

That would still only be nine years...

A sense of depression welled up in Chen Li’s heart.

Thinking of his own pitiful cultivation talent, he couldn’t help but feel that it was like comparing garbage with treasures, or like comparing himself with others to his own demise.

How can there be such a huge gap between people!

Even now, with his cultivation technique refined to an expert level, it still takes two months to make the slightest progress.

If he were to continue at this pace, stepping into the second level of Foundation Establishment would take at least 16 years.

"I’ve heard that the Returning True Skill focuses on accumulating strength gradually for a swift breakthrough," Chen Li said.

"That’s what they say, but it’s just too slow," Guo Xingquan shook his head, smiling bitterly. "Ah, I guess this is it for me in this lifetime, if I can break through to the mid-stage before I die, that would be a blessing."

"Well, who can really predict fate!"

"Haha, that’s true. The fact that I could even achieve Foundation Establishment is already a stroke of luck from the heavens."

They walked and talked all the way to the front of Chen Li’s dwelling.

Guo Xingquan declined the invitation to enter Chen Li’s residence for a sit, and took his leave.

Chen Li opened the Array and entered the courtyard.

He found Gu Mengqing pacing back and forth anxiously at the entrance, and faint sobs from Zhang Shuniang could be heard coming from inside the house.

A sense of foreboding struck Chen Li:

"Why are you here?" Chen Li asked.

"Big brother, Zhang Yan, Fellow Daoist Zhang has died!"

"Dead!? How could he..." Chen Li paused, still somewhat in disbelief. "How did he die?"

Gao Bo had died, Lin Gui had died, Bai Jinwang had died, Han Zhihao had died, Zhao Lin had died, Guo Wu had died, Yu Cheng had died; within a short span of six years, one batch after another of the people he knew had passed away.

"This... He died outside a brothel. Fellow Daoist Zhao happened to pass by this morning and discovered the body, then immediately notified me," Gu Mengqing stammered. "I specifically went to the brothel to inquire. They said that before Fellow Daoist Zhang died, he had a conflict with someone."

Even the saddened Chen Li couldn’t help but feel speechless upon hearing this.

After Zhang Shuniang left, it seemed that Zhang Yan had completely let himself go.

But if he had indeed gone, so be it.

Having been alone for so many years, Chen Li could understand.

Yet he still couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

"You didn’t tell Shuniang about this, did you?" Chen Li asked.

"Er, of course not," Gu Mengqing replied.

"Where is the body now?"

"I’ve already brought it back."

Chen Li patted his shoulder, said nothing, and stepped into the house.

Inside Zhang Shuniang’s boudoir.

Zhang Shuniang was on the bed, crying her heart out, while Zhou Hong comforted her tirelessly.

Zhou Hong signaled Chen Li as he entered, and the two stepped out of the room: "Since Shuniang is young and inexperienced, and now she’s lost her composure, it seems that you’ll need to take care of Fellow Daoist Zhang’s final affairs."

"Of course," Chen Li nodded and entered the room again:

"Shuniang..."

"Uncle... My dad was fine, how could he, how could he... sob sob sob," Zhang Shuniang tried to speak but burst into uncontrollable weeping.

"The dead cannot be brought back to life. Go wash your face first, tidy up, and then we’ll go down the mountain," Chen Li consoled her.

Zhang Shuniang sobbed, nodded in agreement, wiped her tears, and went to wash up.

...

An hour later.

A group of people walked down the mountain and arrived at Zhang Yan’s home. His decapitated body was laid out in the living room on a wooden plank, his severed head aside, blood smeared everywhere and his eyes wide open in anger, an unsettling and unpeaceful death.

Seeing this tragic scene,

Zhang Shuniang was overwhelmed with grief, collapsed on the body, and wailed loudly.

Chen Li called over Gu Mengqing and handed him a Mid-grade Spirit Stone: "Go find someone skilled with needlework to sew the body together."

Zhang Yan had been a man of dignity in life.

So in death, he should not be denied that dignity.

"Big brother, there’s no need, no need, my wife can do it," Gu Mengqing hurriedly said.

"That’ll work!" Chen Li nodded, acknowledging the solution. Cultivators did not have the same aversions to corpses as ordinary people did. Like the widow Wang’s mischievous child, who was only seven or eight years old and already proficient in handling dead bodies, he thought for a moment and then added:

"Also, go bring the brothel... the manager here, I have some questions to ask."

He very nearly slipped up.

"Yes, big brother!" Gu Mengqing accepted the task without hesitation.

With his status alone, he had no authority to summon the manager of a brothel, but now being an envoy for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the situation was different.

Gu Mengqing turned and hurried out the door.

Chen Li looked at Zhang Yan’s corpse, sighed, and thought:

’Sigh, another one of the people I knew is gone.’

...

Gu Mengqing quickly returned, accompanied by two people, one was his wife, and the other, a mature woman of waning beauty, was undoubtedly the brothel manager.