Chapter 49: Realm Descending and Container Becoming Bigger
Xu Mo's skin had begun to turn red from the intense heat of the boiling water. Despite circulating his Qi to shield his body, he found his spiritual energy barrier as fragile as an eggshell. He didn't know what miraculous herbs or plants Long Bai had added to the water, but their potency was overwhelming. To make matters worse, Xu Mo was still clothed, and his soaked garments absorbed the boiling water, making his ordeal even more unbearable. The continuous absorption of the scalding liquid left him no moment to catch his breath.
Long Bai had gradually reduced the heat of the flame, but the water remained boiling, its temperature unchanged, prolonging Xu Mo's suffering. The water effortlessly breached his spiritual energy barrier, seeping into his pores and flowing through his veins. Just as Xu Mo had begun to adjust to the pain, it intensified once more. Fearing that Xu Mo might accidentally bite his tongue, Elder Long fetched a piece of cloth and stuffed it into his mouth. Fortunately, the stone on Xu Mo's tongue prevented the cloth from going deeper.
Unaware that his veins and spiritual energy were being nourished and purified, Xu Mo kept his eyes closed, battling the pain with sheer willpower. Slowly, the once-colorless medicinal water began to turn a murky gray. Meanwhile, under the effects of the medicinal bath, Xu Mo's spiritual energy started to shrink, and his newly achieved Third Level of Qi Condensation began to crumble like a treehouse built by children.
Elder Long, who had been meditating calmly, opened his eyes when he noticed that the disguise of loneliness Xu Mo used to conceal his cultivation realm had faded. Xu Mo's mental strength was insufficient to multitask, revealing his true progress.
He broke through to the Third Level of Qi Condensation so quickly. Such speed… Elder Long thought.
The loneliness within Xu Mo, which had been dormant, stirred awake as the medicinal liquid reached his heart. Normally, this loneliness was docile, obedient to Xu Mo's commands. But sensing its master's declining mental strength, it grew alarmed. In one swift motion, it devoured the medicinal liquid both inside and outside Xu Mo's body.
Long Bai hurried over when he noticed the medicinal liquid had lost its luster, leaving behind only a pungent, black residue. Everything absorbable had been absorbed.
How is this possible? Long Bai wondered. Even a genius could only absorb 40 to 50 percent of the nourishment from a medicinal bath, with the process typically taking a day or two. Yet, in just a few hours, Xu Mo had absorbed not 80, not 90, but 100 percent of the medicinal properties. This was unheard of.
Long Bai had already extinguished the blazing blue flame, and the cold night air quickly cooled the water. Xu Mo felt his body cooling as well, but before he could open his eyes, he sensed his cultivation realm beginning to plummet. He had been 20 percent beyond the Third Level, but now his realm fell to the Second Level. Just as he feared he might become a cripple, the abrupt decline stopped.
His realm had dropped from the Third Level to the Second Level, leaving half of his spiritual energy container empty. However, Xu Mo soon realized something was different. It wasn't that something had gone wrong—his capacity to hold Qi had increased. The first container of his Qi had nearly doubled in size, while the others remained unchanged. To fill the expanded container, the Qi from his Third and Second Levels had been used as compensation. Additionally, the Qi within his body, which had previously been in a gaseous state, had now condensed into a vapor-like form, somewhere between liquid and gas.
When Xu Mo opened his eyes, the pungent smell of the black liquid hit him, nearly making him vomit. He stood up from the medicinal vat, and the black liquid rose with him like a lake monster awakening from slumber. It clung to his still-wet clothes as Long Bai extended a hand to help him out of the cauldron. Unbothered by the smell, Long Bai quickly checked Xu Mo's condition. Unaware of Xu Mo's true realm, he only noticed that the spiritual energy within Xu Mo had become purer and more liquefied.
"What happened, Xu Mo? How did you absorb everything so quickly?" Elder Long asked, his curiosity piqued. Such a phenomenon was bizarre and unprecedented. Even the rarest herbs couldn't achieve such perfection, and alchemists' pills were never fully digested by cultivators. At best, top-grade pills allowed absorption of about 90 percent of their nourishment.
Xu Mo blinked at Elder Long, who seemed to realize the futility of his question. Someone who doesn't even know what medicinal baths are—how could he explain something even I don't understand? Clearing his throat, Elder Long continued, "Well, whatever. All's well that ends well. Look at the benefits of the medicinal bath—your Qi has reached a liquid state, something only the most extreme geniuses achieve during the Foundation Building stage, and only if they've been soaking in medicinal baths since before they began cultivating. Yet, you achieved this in your first attempt, putting so-called geniuses and prodigies to shame."
Elder Long patted Xu Mo's shoulder, his expression bright with pride. "This is what separates you from a core disciple and a True Successor. You are our hidden arsenal. I can only imagine how other sects will react when they discover that the Saintess and Core Disciples of our sect were merely a cover for the true genius—the True Successor. The future of our sect rests on you. The Saintess and Core Disciples will leave once they feel the Hidden Dragon Sect can no longer help them grow stronger. But you are different. You are the living, breathing embodiment of the Hidden Dragon Sect. Wherever you go, no matter how far, the legacy of our sect will flourish as long as you live."
Xu Mo gave a blank look, not fully grasping Elder Long's words. He assumed the elder was simply overjoyed and speaking without restraint. Xu Mo didn't let the praise inflate his ego, knowing that his rapid absorption wasn't due to any innate talent of his own. The credit belonged to whatever entity had bestowed this ability upon him.
What if the one who gifted me this talent takes it back one day? Xu Mo thought. If he began attributing these achievements to himself, he would truly be left a cripple if that day ever came. Calmly, he directed all the praise to the loneliness within his heart.