Translator: AnubisTL
Regarding cultivation, Gu Feng was already well-versed. He activated the unknown cultivation method passed down from Chu Youhuan, and droplets of milky white Divine Fluid entered his body in succession, refining it.
Gu Feng didn't dare to be distracted, focusing intently on the faint white progress bar in his mind.
As he continued his cultivation, the progress bar slowly moved toward the end. Thunderous sounds echoed within his body, and Spiritual Power coursed through his meridians in an orderly yet rapid manner, like countless rivers converging into his Dantian, or like a tsunami surging back into rivers. This cycle repeated endlessly, and his body glowed with radiance. Strands of Spiritual Power, resembling coiling dragons, moved across his skin...
After about five or six hours, Gu Feng suddenly opened his eyes. This cultivation session had been perfectly timed, bringing him to the brink of the peak of Qi Refinement, just a hair's breadth away.
He clenched his fist, feeling an overwhelming surge of power emanating from every part of his body.
The exhilarating sensation was like the first sip of milk tea on a winter day, warming his entire being, or like the first chilled can of cola on a summer day, refreshing and uplifting.
Unable to contain himself, he let out a loud roar, and visible ripples of Spiritual Power radiated outward.
"Boom—"
The small courtyard trembled, and all the windows shattered. Even the bed beneath him turned to dust.
Damn it—he had exerted too much force.
Gu Feng realized that this was a temporary loss of control caused by the sudden surge in his strength.
He sighed helplessly and walked into a room on the left to begin his physical cultivation.
The difficulty of cultivating the "Twenty-Four Bridges on a Moonlit Night" was even greater than he had imagined.
As droplets of golden liquid entered his body, his consciousness once again arrived on the white jade bridge that continued to extend forward.
Gu Feng stood against the wind, taking in the vast scenery before him. He couldn't help but feel the insignificance of himself and the boundlessness of the world.
He clenched his fist tightly, his determination to pursue martial arts growing stronger.
After an unknown amount of time, a beam of white light appeared before him. Gu Feng focused his gaze and saw that it was also a white jade bridge.
A flash of insight crossed his mind—this white jade bridge wasn't a real bridge. It was more appropriate to describe it as a ring encircling the world.
"Doesn't that mean that to fully cultivate the 'Twenty-Four Bridges on a Moonlit Night,' I need to construct twenty-four such rings within my body?
How many Spirit Stones would that require!"
As he marveled at this realization, the beginning and end of the first white jade bridge began to connect.
Boom—
It was as if two continents had collided. The tremendous force nearly sent Gu Feng flying off the bridge. The deafening roar left him disoriented.
A pure white light flashed across the surface of the bridge, and the part of the bridge touched by the light seemed to be coated with a white glaze, radiating a sacred aura. A faint halo of light floated around it.
Hum—
A soft hum resonated, and Gu Feng felt a strange sensation coursing through his entire body.
He knew that he had successfully constructed the first bridge, and it was now tightly connected to his body.
Returning to reality, he looked at his body in amazement. His originally fair skin now appeared as if it had been polished, smooth to the touch, as if coated with talcum powder.
He tried to get up from the bed, but as soon as he exerted force, his entire body sank deeply into the bed, and the floor beneath it cracked.
Gu Feng stared blankly at his surroundings for a moment before realizing that the construction of the bridge within his body had increased his weight by several times.
He carefully stood up, but even with minimal effort, he still shattered the floor.
Lying on the ground, he let out a bitter laugh. It seemed he would need a day or two to adapt to this new body.
While he was satisfied with the results of his cultivation, the only thing that displeased him was the staggering consumption of resources. The one hundred million Spirit Stones he had accumulated were now reduced to a pitiful two to three million.
And he had only reached the peak of Qi Refinement!
He was back to square one, and the days of hardship were about to return.
...
Carp Mountain, standing several thousand meters tall, was covered with over a hundred thousand Runes, making it a massive Spirit Gathering Array.
The concentration of Spiritual Power here was more than ten times that of ordinary areas. The higher one went, the denser the Spiritual Power became, and the greater the pressure, leading to better cultivation results.
From a distance, one could see numerous caves carved into the mountain, with fewer caves as one ascended. At the very top, there was only one cave—the residence of the true number one outer disciple.
The only explicit rule here was that killing was prohibited; otherwise, there were no restrictions.
On the last day of each month, the restrictions on the caves were lifted for twelve hours. During this time, disciples could freely compete for better caves, as long as they had the strength.
The atmosphere here was intense, with cultivators not daring to slack off, not even wasting time on casual interactions. For newcomers, it felt oppressive.
Today wasn't the last day of the month, but Carp Mountain was unusually lively. Except for the caves near the summit, all the other caves had their stone doors wide open. Strangely, there was no competition for the caves, and everyone was engaged in casual chatter.
"Haha, the biggest fat sheep in the history of the outer sect is on his way to Carp Mountain."
"Is it Gu Feng? Even here, we've heard rumors about him."
"He's said to have a fortune of around one hundred million Spirit Stones. Even if we only get a small portion, it'll be enough to sustain our cultivation for a month or two."
"His strength can't be underestimated. Two months ago, he killed Zhu Tao. He's definitely not ordinary!"
"No matter how strong he is, even if he's improved rapidly over the past two months, he's at most at the eighth level of Qi Refinement. There are plenty of ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivators here, and even a few in the Postnatal Realm. There's no way he can protect his wealth."
"I wonder who leaked the news of his arrival. If he had snuck in quietly and found a cave to hide in, he might have had a chance to protect his fortune."
"We're not strong enough to compete anyway. If we try, we'll just get beaten up."
"Even so, seeing Gu Feng get robbed makes me inexplicably happy."
"That's just your jealousy talking. It's not a good mindset."
"..."
At the foot of the mountain, in a pavilion, several Elders responsible for the order of Carp Mountain gathered, sipping tea and casually waiting for the arrival of Gu Feng, the fat sheep.
"Elder Liu, isn't Gu Feng one of your people? Why did you let the news of his arrival spread so widely? You even had me lift the restrictions. Isn't that encouraging others to rob him?"
The speaker was the Chief Elder of Carp Mountain—Elder Shi. He looked at Elder Liu with a smile as he asked.
"That kid thinks he's invincible. I'm just trying to humble him and show him that there's always someone stronger," Elder Liu replied, taking a sip of tea.
"It seems Elder Liu has high hopes for Gu Feng. You're going out of your way to create opportunities for him to temper himself. That's quite thoughtful," Elder Shi chuckled. Although Carp Mountain was filled with geniuses, it was also very monotonous.
These geniuses were all well aware of their own strength, so the competition for caves had become almost procedural, like a stagnant pond that lacked excitement.
"Aren't you worried his massive fortune will be completely stripped away?"
"It doesn't matter. That kid has a knack for making money. If he loses it all, he can just earn it back," Elder Liu said nonchalantly. He had high expectations for Gu Feng and believed that Gu Feng could withstand the Thunder Tribulation of the Postnatal Realm. However, breaking through from the Postnatal to the Innate Realm was the first major hurdle for cultivators. Based on the first Thunder Tribulation, Gu Feng would likely face a test of his Soul during this breakthrough.
This test wouldn't just assess the strength of his Soul Power but would also challenge his Dao Heart and willpower.
By letting him experience some setbacks now, Elder Liu hoped to temper his will, so he wouldn't be caught off guard later.
As the Elders chatted and the disciples eagerly awaited, a tall figure slowly made his way up the winding mountain path.
Everyone's spirits lifted, and streaks of light, like meteor showers, shot out from the caves and descended to the foot of the mountain.
Their eyes burned with excitement as they watched Gu Feng approach. This was the fattest sheep in the history of the Sunset Glow Sect's outer sect!
Several ninth-level Qi Refinement experts were already discussing how to divide the hundred million Spirit Stones on Gu Feng's person.
(End of the Chapter)
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