Cultivating In Secret Beside A Demoness

Tao Yun fell silent. At this point, she had already entered Chu Jie’s courtyard.

She sat down and thought about how to make her understand. “Is your relationship with your fellow townsman good?”

“It was good when we were kids, but… when we met today, it seemed like there was a kind of distance between us,” said Chu Jie truthfully.

“Then, when he gave you the gift, was he trying to burden you?” Tao Yun asked.

“Of course not!” said Chu Jie immediately.

“Then, let me explain it to you, Junior Sister Chu,” Tao Yun said. “Do you know which sect he belongs to?”

“I heard it’s a demonic sect,” Chu Jie said.

“Yes, the Heavenly Note Sect. It’s an obscure sect in the southern region. It is a demonic sect,” said Tao Yun. “Their strength is decent, but their sect has only been established for a few decades since they expanded. In contrast, our Bright Moon Sect is incomparable.”

“Then, in such a sect, how many spirit stones would an outer sect disciple typically earn?” Tao Yun said. “The Heavenly Note Sect is different from us. The disciples only become inner sect disciples after reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm. Your fellow townsman reached the Foundation

Establishment Realm only recently. Maybe around a year or two ago.”

“How many spirit stones does an outer sect disciple earn?” Chu Jie asked with concern.

The answer far exceeded her expectations.

Tao Yun stretched out one slender finger. “One. Outer sect disciples there typically start their journey with one spirit stone. It increases to twenty when they reach the early stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Even with twenty spirit stones a month, saving a hundred or six hundred spirit stones might take several years if he can be very frugal with his spending. It goes without saying that cultivators constantly need magic treasures, pills, and talismans to improve their cultivation,” she said. “How many years do you think it took him to save six hundred spirit stones considering the fact that he only recently achieved the Foundation establishment Realm? How could he have managed to save so many spirit stones?”

Chu Jie was left stunned. She found it unbelievable. “I… I didn’t know.”

She stood up. She wanted to find Chu Chuan but quickly sat back down. “I can’t leave. My master said I could only see him once. I have to wait until I’ve successfully achieved the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.”

She then looked at Tao Yun. “Senior Sister Tao, can you talk to him for me, please? I really don’t know what to do.”

Jiang Hao walked around the Bright Moon Sect.

He wanted to find where disciples from the Clear Sky School were located.

He wanted to see how strong the Clear Sky School was. He was also curious whether Lui Xingchen would be recognized by members of the Clear Sky School. If they did recognize him, what would happen?

It had been almost two years, and he had no idea about the condition of the remnant souls in his body. Without seeing Lui Xingchen, he couldn’t assess the situation.

He spent the entire day wandering aimlessly and following Hong Yuye around.

It wasn’t until evening that Hong Yuye left the Bright Moon Sect, and they returned to their inn.

“Don’t disturb me for the next few days,” she said before heading back to her room.

Jiang Hao didn’t mind. Tomorrow, he could continue with selling his wares. He had extra time to craft talismans and cultivate. By now, he had reached the middle stage of the Soul Ascension Realm. He could now learn the fourth form of the Heavenly Blade.

He could also try practicing the techniques from the Hong Meng Heart Sutra too. Over the next few days, Jiang Hao rarely ventured outside.

Aside from clearing away any excess items on his person, he spent his time studying the fourth form of the Heavenly Blade and brushing up on the three other forms he had learned before.

He also took out the nameless manual and studied it again. He gained new insights into the Light and Dust Technique.

The Bright Moon Sect was a vast place, and he would inevitably encounter people he didn’t want to meet again, like Wan Xiu and his companion.

On the third day of selling his wares at the stall, they found him and asked if he remembered any other poems. Jiang Hao could only shake his head in defeat.

Then, they asked about his father, which made Jiang Hao feel uncomfortable. These senior cultivators had no sense of restraint. Jiang Hao had always felt like he was being watched when he went outside. He knew it was them.

To avoid them, he chose not to go outside at all.

Fortunately, he had sold all of his items, so he only had to concentrate on his cultivation.

It had been half a month, and he was primarily focusing on comprehending his previous techniques, particularly the nameless manual. He felt that he had gained a deeper understanding to control his powers.

From rough understanding to minute details, he studied everything. The more he studied, the more he felt that he had greater control over the power within his body.

However, compared to Xu Bai, he was still nowhere close to reaching his level. But there was no need to rush. He took it step by step.

In this half a month, Hong Yuye still hadn’t come out of her room, and Jiang Hao wasn’t sure what she was up to. On the other hand, he had successfully understood the fourth form of the Heavenly Blade.

This move was called “No Regrets.”

It was about going forward relentlessly and leaving no room for retreat or fear.

The more fearless the wielder, the greater the power unleashed by this strike.

However, using this move might result in temporary mental damage that might leave the wielder unable to use the blade anymore.

If used without hesitation, this strike could be incredibly powerful, but it bordered on self-sacrifice.

Whether it drained the user’s strength depended on the power released by the strike. If it far exceeded the user’s current strength, they might become powerless, but if it was used in moderation, it wouldn’t affect the user much.

“This move mainly depends on one’s state of mind. This needs the mindset of putting your life on the line to achieve the greatest power,” Jiang Hao read aloud.

However, he felt that this move wasn’t suitable for him.

He never allowed himself to reach such a desperate situation.

Even in danger, he always tried to conserve his strength and look for opportunities rather than confront the situation head-on.

If there truly were no alternatives, he would use it, but he would try to avoid it as much as possible. It was unlikely that he would be able to use this move effectively in ordinary situations.

‘Maybe I can modify it and let Chu Chuan take a look. It might be more suitable for him.’

Chu Chuan was someone who grew stronger with each battle, and his path was anything but smooth. His unrelenting state of mind fit the technique.

However, Jiang Hao was only just learning these forms of the Heavenly Blade. Modifying it would be too challenging for him.

After putting away the book, Jiang Hao headed downstairs to have a meal.

At the table, there were people discussing something.

“Have you heard this rumor?” a middle-aged man whispered. Jiang Hao sipped his tea and listened to what the rumor was about.

“What rumor?” a young man at the table asked.

“I heard that the reason why Bright Moon Sect invited so many cultivators this time is for one purpose only,” the middle-aged man said cautiously. He looked around before speaking again. “It’s said that they invited so many to strip away the luck of those participating in the Dao Conference so that a genius disciple can achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.”

“Stripping away luck? Is that true?” asked a skeptical girl at the table.

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Moreover, the Bright Moon Sect hasn’t responded to this rumor at all. Even if it’s not true, it might still harm the cultivators’ luck,” the middle-aged man said.

“The rumor must be false. I mean… Why would the Bright Moon Sect do something like that? The people from the Clear Sky School, the Mountain Sea Sword Sect, and the Astronomical Academy are all here,” said a young man in disbelief.

“But is it possible that they want to join forces to harvest our luck?” the middle-aged man asked.

“I don’t believe that,” the young man said.

Jiang Hao felt worried when he heard this. The rumors had started to spread.

It had already begun.

It might spread so rapidly that it might end up affecting the Dao Conference.

If it reached that point, Shang An would come over.

He wondered how the Bright Moon Sect would deal with this in the future..