Preparing for Breakthrough

Seeing that Jiang Lu had no objections, Cheng Xin brought her into the Dharma Hall.

“These techniques are all available for inner sect disciples to practice. You can come here to study them every day, Junior Sister Jiang, but you are not allowed to take them out of the Dharma Hall.”

Jiang Lu nodded. She possessed a photographic memory and was confident she could finish reading all the techniques in just a few days.

As the leader of the Three Great Sects, the Liuyun Sect possessed countless techniques. It certainly wouldn't hurt to learn more about them.

Besides, her master had said that many disciples from the Medicine King Pavilion were currently studying at various sects, and she could be considered one of them.

She would learn as much as she could; after all, he had her back.

“Senior Sister Cheng, I understand. Don't worry, I will definitely make the most of my time to break through.”

Cheng Xin had not expected Jiang Lu to accept this so readily. Just as the Eldest Senior Sister had said, she was incredibly well-behaved.

The Eldest Senior Sister had mentioned that she was currently at the late-stage Qi Condensation realm with a five-elements mixed spiritual root.

To break through to Foundation Establishment, it would take her anywhere from one to two years at best, or three to five years at worst.

During this period, Cheng Xin would not need to pay too much attention to Jiang Lu's situation; she only had to report back regularly every month.

Besides, Junior Sister Jiang was so well-behaved that she likely wouldn't require much guidance.

With time being of the essence, Jiang Lu, having received permission, headed toward the Dharma Hall.

She set a small goal for herself: to finish reading all the books in the Dharma Hall within a month.

Seeing Jiang Lu so motivated, Cheng Xin nodded in satisfaction and informed Fu Yao of Jiang Lu's performance today.

Fu Yao was very pleased with Jiang Lu's current diligence, which was far better than those unmotivated disciples. She then instructed Cheng Xin to keep a close eye on Jiang Lu's progress.

When Jiang Lu stepped into the Dharma Hall, she saw bookshelves filled with various cultivation techniques and spiritual skills.

She walked past the bookshelves one by one, beginning her immersive daily study routine...

“Is Junior Sister Jiang still studying inside?”

Cheng Xin walked over to the Dharma Hall and asked the disciple at the registration desk.

The disciple wore a face that looked ready to cry, nodding helplessly.

“Senior Sister Cheng, you have no idea. Junior Sister Jiang has been in there for a whole month. I've never seen anyone so... studious.”

She was just too much of a tryhard!

The disciple screamed internally!

As expected of someone brought back by the Eldest Senior Sister!

She was just as monstrous as the Eldest Senior Sister. Fortunately, her talent was only average; otherwise, the disciple didn't even want to imagine how much pressure they would all have to endure.

Jiang Lu set down the last cultivation technique in the Dharma Hall. As expected of a great sect, it had taken her an entire month just to read through the tip of the iceberg of the Liuyun Sect's collection.

“Oh, Senior Sister Cheng, what a coincidence. You're here too.”

Jiang Lu stretched and walked out from behind the bookshelves. Seeing the two of them chatting by the registration desk, she approached them with a cheerful tone.

How could she not be happy after swimming in the ocean of knowledge for a month?

“Junior Sister Jiang, you're finally out. If you stayed in any longer, we would have died of shame.”

The senior sister behind the registration desk covered her mouth and teased with a smile.

Jiang Lu giggled awkwardly and hurriedly said, “No, no, of course not.”

“I can finally put my mind at ease now that I see you're out, Junior Sister Jiang.”

Cheng Xin chimed in with a smile, truly astonished by Junior Sister Jiang's extraordinary perseverance in being able to study here for so long.

One had to know that all the study rooms in the Dharma Hall were enchanted with laws. If a disciple's mind was not focused on learning, they would be immediately ejected.

Jiang Lu returned to her courtyard. Having acquired so many techniques and spells, it was time to put them into practice.

The three spirit beasts hopped out of her pouch. While Mengbao gnawed on a demon core nearby, its two ears twitched. It glanced toward the door before turning back to its meal.

Jiang Lu's aura gradually grew tranquil, and the spiritual energy within the entire courtyard scrambled to pour into her body.

With her eyes closed, Jiang Lu felt the surrounding spiritual energy rapidly circulate through her meridians. The multi-colored spiritual energy condensed into drops of white spiritual liquid, gathering and filling her entire dantian.

However, as the spiritual energy entered her dantian, it was heavily compressed. No matter how much she absorbed, it was difficult to fill, like trying to fill a vast ocean with tiny droplets.

If one looked closely, they would see that the vortex forming in her spiritual sea was continuously condensing and sinking to the bottom.

Jiang Lu only felt incredibly comfortable all over, wishing to continuously absorb the surrounding spiritual energy.

Suddenly, she felt the pores all over her body open up. Her heart trembled slightly, and she sent her divine sense outward.

It was significantly clearer and spanned a much wider range than before.

She was momentarily stunned.

She didn't know what had caused this, but it was certainly not a bad thing.

Jiang Lu slowly withdrew her divine sense, calmed her mind, and continued to cultivate.

A soft sound echoed within her body as she advanced to the eighth layer of Qi Condensation.

Although the eighth layer of Qi Condensation and the seventh layer both belonged to the late stage of Qi Condensation, it was a crucial stepping stone that determined whether a cultivator could successfully establish their foundation.

She shook out her hands, opened the door, and walked outside. Drawing her spiritual sword, she began to practice her swings. Though her strength had increased, a solid foundation was equally important.

Cultivating by day and practicing her swordplay by night, she reached the great perfection of Qi Condensation within a few months.

There were two ways to establish one's foundation: one was to consume a Foundation Establishment Pill, and the other was to force a breakthrough using one's own strength.

She naturally chose the second method. Using pills to assist with Foundation Establishment was a path chosen only by cultivators whose potential was limited to the Foundation Establishment realm.

However, even though it was merely establishing a foundation, she still needed to make thorough preparations.

Every advancement to a major realm required facing inner demons and heavenly tribulations. Such was the reality of a cultivator defying heaven to seize their destiny.

However, breaking through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment did not require this. After all, only when one reached the Foundation Establishment realm could they truly be considered on the path of immortal cultivation.

Heavenly tribulations were divided into the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation and the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. The more tribulations one faced, the stronger the cultivator's talent, and the further they could go on the path of cultivation.

If one exceeded the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, they were a true favored genius of heaven, typically possessing immense fortune.

Jiang Lu searched through her space. She had quite a few items, including magic tools to set up a Spirit-Gathering Array.

She then headed toward the cultivation caves designated for inner sect disciples. If a cultivator wished to break through or undergo a long period of secluded meditation, they could go to these caves. They only needed to pay spirit stones to enter.

Their personal information would not be disclosed, ensuring excellent privacy.

The disciples of the sect frequented them.

Jiang Lu walked toward the caves. After paying her spirit stones, she chose a cave meant for the Foundation Establishment realm.

Her Chaos Spiritual Root required an enormous amount of spiritual energy. Breaking through to Foundation Establishment might require as much spiritual energy as a normal cultivator would need to break through to Golden Core.

A disciple who spotted Jiang Lu couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. Isn't that Junior Sister Jiang? Why did she go to a Foundation Establishment cave?

But on second thought, as long as one paid enough spirit stones, they could even enter a Golden Core cave. As expected of a disciple brought back by the Eldest Senior Sister—she was incredibly wealthy.

Jiang Lu had no idea that because of this single glance, rumors began to circulate that she had an extraordinary backer.

Though... well... their guesses weren't exactly wrong.

Upon entering the cave, she set up a Spirit-Gathering Array around her, simply needing to place the corresponding spirit stones in their respective positions.

In an instant, the surrounding spiritual energy condensed into spiritual liquid. She could feel the thick, moist air all around her.

She immediately sat cross-legged on the futon, a faint glow emanating from her body.

The spiritual liquid continuously surged into her body. It appeared chaotic, yet it followed laws imperceptible to the naked eye...