Chapter 119: Breaking Through the Restrictions

Chapter 119: Breaking Through the Restrictions

As Elder Gui's gaze swept over him, Chu Ning suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him. It was vastly different from the pressure he had felt from the Foundation Establishment cultivators; this was the might of a Golden Core cultivator.

At that moment, Chu Ning felt as if a mountain were pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

Within the Niwan Palace, the drops of spirit sense liquid trembled slightly.

Then, in an instant, nearly ten drops of the hundreds of drops of spirit sense liquid disappeared.

Without hesitating any longer, Chu Ning quickly spoke up, "Elder, I have been at the fifth layer of Qi Refining for some time now, and in the past two days, I have felt an urge to break through. I believe that even without taking the Breakthrough Pill, I will be able to do so soon."

Hearing this, Elder Gui fixed his gaze on Chu Ning once more, as if sensing the fluctuations of spiritual power within him.

Then, he said indifferently, "If you can't break through in half a day, take the Breakthrough Pill. The sect's mission is urgent, and we can't afford to wait."

"Yes!" Chu Ning replied, bowing his head.

At that moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Up until now, Chu Ning had undoubtedly felt a sense of belonging to the Qingxi Sect. After all, he had learned the art of cultivation from the sect.

The few executives he had interacted with had varying personalities, but they had all shown some care for him.

Even when he had previously sensed the infiltration of the Yin Demon Sect and had been worried that reporting it casually might alert the infiltrators, he had still kept it in mind.

And when he had met Duan Yuewu and learned that the sect was already aware of the infiltration, he had breathed a sigh of relief.

But at this moment, his sense of belonging was rapidly diminishing.

Chu Ning realized that as a mere Qi Refining disciple, he was nothing more than a tool for the sect to complete its mission.

Even though he had reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining in such a short time, he was still being forced to take the Breakthrough Pill.

Chu Ning sighed bitterly in his heart, and his gaze inadvertently turned to the others.

Even with his cultivation, he could tell that several of his fellow disciples had strong spiritual power fluctuations at the fifth layer of Qi Refining.

Moreover, they were all young, and there was a high chance that they would be able to break through not just to the sixth layer but even further.

Yet now, under the watchful eye of the Golden Core elder, they had all taken the pill.

As for the elder's claim that the pill was a secret formula that would only affect their cultivation progress for a year, Chu Ning didn't believe a word of it.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, a chill spread through his heart.

However, Chu Ning's face remained expressionless.

After getting up, he also walked to a relatively empty and secluded place and began to meditate and cultivate.

The dojo was large enough that even with over a hundred people cultivating, they wouldn't interfere with each other.

Of course, he didn't take the Breakthrough Pill but instead put it into a jade bottle and then into his storage bag.

For Chu Ning, breaking through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining was obviously an easy task.

But to avoid arousing suspicion, he took out a Gathering Yuan Pill and swallowed it, then began to cultivate the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art.

As Chu Ning did these things, Elder Gui's spiritual sense swept over him subtly.

However, he didn't say anything further.

Time passed quickly as everyone cultivated, and in the blink of an eye, several hours had gone by.

During this time, several disciples who had been stuck at the fifth layer of Qi Refining managed to break through to the sixth layer with the help of the Breakthrough Pill.

Chu Ning, who was cultivating, also felt Elder Gui's spiritual sense sweep over him several times, but it didn't linger for long.

After half a day, Chu Ning felt that it was about time.

He slightly released the aura-concealing ability of the Yin Wood Spirit Body, and in an instant, his entire being transformed to that of a sixth layer Qi Refining cultivator.

Moreover, it seemed as if he had just broken through and his cultivation was not yet stable.

The next moment, Chu Ning stood up with a delighted look on his face.

Elder Gui, who had been sitting cross-legged at the front of the dojo, also looked over at him. His gaze lingered on Chu Ning for a moment before moving away.

Seeing this, Chu Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief and once again marveled at the aura-concealing ability of the Yin Wood Spirit Body.

He could freely reveal different levels of aura at will, and even a powerful Golden Core cultivator couldn't see through it.

At that moment, there were still quite a few people cultivating in the dojo.

Seeing this, Chu Ning sat down cross-legged again and began to cultivate the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art, pretending to stabilize his realm.

In fact, most of the others were doing the same.

Half a day later, Elder Gui spoke up, "Alright, everyone has broken through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining. Let's go."

Hearing this, Chu Ning ended his cultivation and joined the others.

At that moment, Elder Gui took out a treasure that looked like a pill furnace.

In the next instant, the treasure suddenly enlarged, becoming as big as a courtyard.

Chu Ning and the others quickly stepped onto it.

Then, the pill furnace flashed and disappeared into the air.

Sitting in the pill furnace, Chu Ning had a clearer understanding.

The treasure didn't seem to be using instant movement but rather was creating an illusion of speed due to its incredible velocity.

Even in just a few breaths, the pill furnace could travel a great distance.

What surprised Chu Ning was that after flying for a full hour, there was still no sign of stopping.

"There are five Golden Core cultivators here, including the Sect Master. That's six in total, which is different from what Zhuang Yunde told me—he mentioned only four." Chu Ning thought to himself, recalling that his senior fellow disciple had entered a year before him, and he wondered if Zhuang Yunde was still alive.

Suddenly, Chu Ning felt a divine sense envelop him. Instinctively, he almost activated his own divine sense to resist, but he quickly suppressed the urge, not daring to act rashly.

The next moment, a woman's voice, tinged with surprise, rang out, "You are all the most trusted disciples of our Yin Demon Sect. Now, take out your tokens of identity."

As he heard this voice, Chu Ning felt something was amiss, but his divine sense was clouded, and he almost subconsciously reached for his storage bag. However, he stopped himself. While he did have a bamboo token from Qi Chongmao, identifying him as a member of the Yin Demon Sect, he had destroyed it after his unauthorized entry into the forbidden grounds with Ling Xiaobai.

"This can't be someone from the Yin Demon Sect," Chu Ning's wariness spiked, and he quickly snapped out of his daze. He then noticed four people holding bamboo tokens similar to the one he had destroyed, looking confused as they stared ahead.

The silver-haired elder, Mu, softly snorted, and the four disciples crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Elder Mu's divine sense technique has become even more exquisite," a plump elder commented with a smile.

Elder Mu, however, remained expressionless and merely said, "They were merely a group of Qi Refining disciples, and their divine senses were too weak to detect. If we can't handle them, it would be a joke. The Yin Demon Sect is indeed persistent, always managing to plant spies, and their methods are endless."

As Elder Mu spoke, the rest of the group regained consciousness, looking around in confusion. But when they saw the four unconscious bodies, their expressions changed.

"Don't worry," Elder Mu reassured them. "These people are spies from the Yin Demon Sect, and we removed them for your safety."

Hearing this, the group visibly relaxed, including Chu Ning, who breathed a sigh of relief. He was grateful that he had destroyed the token during his previous unauthorized entry into the forbidden grounds. Otherwise, he might have taken it out under the influence of the Golden Core cultivator's divine sense technique and been killed before he could explain himself.

However, Chu Ning also felt a twinge of doubt. Was it really that easy to eliminate members of the Yin Demon Sect? He recalled that the Qingxi Sect had taken action against them before, but it seemed like some had always managed to slip through the net.

At that moment, Chu Ning silently lamented his missed opportunity. If only he had been part of the previous group, he could have confirmed his suspicions about Lu Hongping and Lu Yunfang. In his opinion, they were most likely spies from the Yin Demon Sect.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Elder Mu continued, "Now, let me brief you on your mission."

Everyone, including Chu Ning, listened intently.

"In a moment, the elders and I will open the restrictions behind us and grant you access to the Spirit Domain. Your senior fellow disciples have already set up the Five Elements Array within, and your task is to reach the array and activate it together."

"So, it is this mission," Chu Ning thought to himself upon hearing Elder Mu's words. "But why did she refer to the place as a Spirit Domain instead of a forbidden area? Could this have something to do with the so-called spirit species?"

As Chu Ning's thoughts raced, Elder Mu continued, "If you don't want to perish within, pay close attention to my next words."

Hearing this stern warning, the group grew serious, their expressions focused.

"The Spirit Domain is fraught with dangers, and the greatest threat comes from demonic beasts. Since only Qi Refining disciples can enter, the demonic beasts within are also at the first rank, mostly at the early and middle stages."

The best course of action is to find your companions as soon as possible and then avoid places where demon beasts might be lurking."

As Elder Mu spoke, many of the disciples' faces turned pale.

This batch of entrants were all at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, and while they might stand a chance against mid-level first-rank demon beasts, they had no hope of fighting against high-level ones.

Elder Mu, however, paid no heed to their expressions.

"Of course, the spiritual energy within is rich, and there are also many heavenly spiritual herbs.

If you have the strength, you may hunt demon beasts or gather spirit herbs and fruits as you wish.

Moreover, if you can reach the location of the array formation, there will be great opportunities for you, which you will discover once you enter."

At this moment, the group exchanged glances, their expressions varied.

Some were excited and eager, others worried and afraid, and still, some wore looks of confusion and apprehension.

"Also, you won't be able to use any Five Elements Evasion Techniques or common Wind-Riding Techniques to fly within the Spirit Domain. You'll have to travel on foot.

However, you may use special artifacts that can accelerate your movement, as long as they don't belong to the flight category.

So, in terms of artifacts, the sect has made some preparations, and it's up to you to make the most of them."

Elder Mu continued, turning his gaze to the black-faced Elder Zhu.

At this, Elder Zhu waved his hand, and ten shelves appeared out of thin air, each stacked with artifacts.

"The Sect Master already mentioned at the dojo that all disciples participating in this mission will be gifted a medium-grade artifact.

And as Elder Mu mentioned, since you won't be able to use evasion techniques within the Spirit Domain, the sect has prepared not only offensive and defensive artifacts but also auxiliary ones.

Considering that your cultivation levels are lower than the previous batch of disciples, the artifacts we're providing are of higher grade.

However, each of you can only choose one artifact, so make your selections now."

As Elder Zhu finished speaking, the disciples stirred with excitement.

"Medium-grade artifacts!"

"They really are medium-grade! So many of them!"

The sight of so many medium-grade artifacts on display was indeed a stunning spectacle for the disciples.

After all, for many of them, owning even a low-grade artifact was a luxury, let alone a medium-grade one.

Chu Ning, however, was not among those stirred by the display. He already possessed several high-grade artifacts, so he wasn't particularly impressed by the medium-grade ones.

"You have two quarter-hours to make your selections," Elder Zhu announced, and the disciples rushed forward.

Each shelf was labeled with different categories, such as offensive artifacts, defensive artifacts, and others.

The disciples headed purposefully toward the different shelves, and the ones labeled "offensive artifacts" attracted the most attention.

Even though the two Golden Core cultivators had mentioned that flight would be impossible within the Spirit Domain, and that there would be auxiliary artifacts available, most of these disciples had never owned medium-grade artifacts before. So, the majority of them opted to choose offensive and defensive artifacts.

Only three individuals, including Chu Ning, approached the shelf labeled "other artifacts."

Chu Ning already possessed high-grade offensive and defensive artifacts, so he wasn't interested in the medium-grade ones.

However, having entered the Spirit Domain once before, he understood the importance of mobility.

Even with the Wind-Riding Technique, one could only skim the ground, resulting in much slower travel.

Although Chu Ning could use the Thunderstep Technique, he was curious to see what kind of artifacts the sect had prepared to address this issue.

As he approached the shelf, he quickly scanned the items on display.

There were only three types of artifacts, with several pieces of each.

The first was a pair of boots called the Flowlight Boots, and there were five pairs on the shelf.

They could be used in conjunction with the Wind-Riding Technique, increasing its speed by four to five percent under normal circumstances.

However, when used within the Spirit Domain, by infusing them with spiritual power and employing the Wind-Riding Technique close to the ground, they could achieve speeds comparable to the standard Wind-Riding Technique.

The description also mentioned that these boots consumed a significant amount of spiritual power, requiring three times the usual amount when used with the Wind-Riding Technique.

Chu Ning hesitated for a moment but ultimately shook his head.

"Consuming too much spiritual power within the Spirit Domain could be dangerous," he thought.

Moreover, he had the Thunderstep Technique, which was already quite fast and didn't require spiritual power.

His gaze shifted to the second type of artifact, and with just a glance, he recognized it as the same bead he had obtained after killing Duan Yuewu.

The introduction stated that it was called the Greenlight Bead and could emit light in the dark, as well as provide some water resistance and protection against poison.

By infusing it with spiritual power, one could create a shield that would allow them to move through water and protect against weak poisons.

Previously, he had only thought of it as a night-light bead, unaware of its additional abilities.

Since he already had one, he naturally didn't choose another.

After examining the introduction closely, he found that its main purpose was for scouting.

Since it didn't need to carry a person, the puppet bird could fly within the Spirit Domain after being infused with spiritual power or a spirit stone.

Controlling it required the use of a magic mirror, and the bird could fly up to a hundred zhang away from the mirror, projecting what it saw within a certain range onto the mirror's surface.

Interestingly, the introduction to this artifact mentioned divine sense.

It explained that although Qi Refining disciples were unable to use divine sense, controlling this artifact for extended periods would be extremely taxing on their spiritual power.

Therefore, it could only be used briefly, or it would easily lead to fatigue.

Moreover, since Qi Refining disciples didn't know how to restore their spiritual power, it would take a long time to recover after using the artifact.

"This thing seems to be somewhat useful," Chu Ning thought, his eyes glittering with interest.

He now wondered if this artifact had been withheld from the previous group of disciples, as it seemed unlikely that they would have left it behind otherwise.

After all, in an unfamiliar environment, it would undoubtedly be very helpful.

Of course, there was also the possibility that Qi Refining disciples generally lacked understanding about spiritual power, so they might have been hesitant upon seeing the introduction.

For instance, the other disciple who had come with Chu Ning seemed to have noticed the puppet bird as well, but his expression was filled with hesitation.

Chu Ning, on the other hand, didn't hesitate at all and immediately reached out to take the puppet bird and the magic mirror.

The spiritual power consumption of a Qi Refining cultivator wasn't a significant concern for him.

The older disciple next to him, who was a few years older, shook his head with a smile when he saw that Chu Ning had taken the puppet bird.

Then, he reached out and took a green light bead.

Chu Ning and his companions had already attracted attention by approaching this particular shelf, and now, when the black-faced Elder Zhu saw that Chu Ning had chosen the puppet bird, he glanced at him with a hint of amusement.

However, he didn't stop him.

Chu Ning made his selection quickly, but the other side took much longer due to the larger number of people.

It took almost two quarter-hours before the rest finally made their choices under the impatient urging of the black-faced elder.

The group of Qi Refining cultivators held their artifacts, their faces filled with excitement.

At this moment, Elder Zhu waved his hand, and the shelves and the remaining artifacts all disappeared.

Elder Mu's voice rang out again.

"Now, I will give each of you a guiding needle and a map. After entering the Spirit Domain, you will be teleported to different locations.

Follow the direction indicated by the needle, and you will reach the location of the array."

As Elder Mu spoke, the plump elder waved his hand, and a disc the size of an egg and a map appeared in everyone's hands.

Chu Ning examined the disc in his hand and found that it had a red needle-like object on it, resembling a compass he had seen in his past life.

However, it only had a single needle and no markings.

The plump elder's gentle voice sounded again.

"There's no need to look at it now. This guide will only work when you're inside the Spirit Domain, so put it away for now, and familiarize yourselves with the map instead."

Hearing this, Chu Ning and the others immediately put away the guiding needles and started studying the maps in their hands.

The plump elder then began to explain, providing more details about the Spirit Domain.

As cultivators, even though their cultivation levels were not high, their memory improved after cultivating spiritual power, so they could remember things fairly well.

The plump elder only took about a quarter of an hour to give them a general overview.

The group remembered what they could, and since they could carry the maps with them, the Golden Core cultivators didn't give them much more time.

Once the plump elder finished speaking, Elder Mu's voice sounded out again.

"Remember, this map is based on information provided by a previous group and is not entirely accurate. It can only serve as a general reference.

Moreover, the terrain in the Spirit Domain sometimes changes, and the demonic beasts may move around.

So, after entering the Spirit Domain, follow the direction indicated by the guiding needle. You must reach the array location as soon as possible.

In one month, the array location will be sealed, and your guiding needles will become inactive.

After that, you may never have another chance to leave the Spirit Domain.

Also, take care of each other and work together to complete the task so that you can return to the sect as soon as possible."

After hearing the plump elder's previous explanation, the group's expressions turned more serious upon listening to Elder Mu's words.

At this moment, everyone remembered that the sect wasn't giving them these artifacts for free.

With the Breakthrough Pills for the Qi Refining cultivators and the medium-grade artifacts, it was clear that this mission wouldn't be easy.

The Golden Core cultivators didn't pay any heed to the disciples' expressions.

"Let's break the restrictions!"

At this moment, the quiet, robed elder who had been silent until now spoke up.

Immediately, the five Golden Core cultivators took action.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end