Chapter 227: Secret Cultivation
Chapter 227: Secret Cultivation
Three Serpent Mountain.
Its terrain resembled three giant serpents, each coiling around each other.
The central peak, Snakehead Peak, belonged to the Yun Family's main branch, where the Yun family resided.
The other two peaks, Snaketail Peak and Snaketail Ridge, were developed with numerous caves and spirit fields... Most of them were rented out, while a small portion was occupied by Yun Family's peripheral branches.
On this day.
Snakehead Peak's Council Hall.
Several Yun Family elders were present, looking down at a crying clan member with a sense of helplessness in their hearts.
They were all over 150 years old, late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They had basically given up on Core Formation, and even False Core cultivation was out of reach. Long ago, they had abandoned cultivation, focusing on various Immortal arts or handling family matters.
But the Yun Family had branched out for over a thousand years, and the number of clan members was overwhelming.
If it weren't for the fact that only those with Spirit Roots were included in the clan records, they might have run out of space.
Currently, the Yun Family had thirteen branches, and the daily struggle for power and profit was incredibly annoying.
"Uncle Lie, you have to stand up for our ninth branch. That bunch from the third branch, they took advantage of the night to move the boundary stone by a whole zhang..."
Uncle Lie from the ninth branch had two fleshy lumps on his head, resembling a pair of meat horns. Looking down at the crying Qi Condensation Elder, he felt annoyed.
"Before, your fourth junior injured Yun Zhi from the third branch..."
"Now, they're taking revenge."
"If it comes to a fight, the third branch won't be easy to deal with."
He took out his tobacco pipe and casually scolded the person, shooing them away.
Not long after, another Foundation Establishment Cultivator entered the hall. She wore a purple-red dress, had a petite figure, and a delicate appearance. She was the third branch's elder: "Elders, the Supreme Elder is leading the family head and others to the front lines. We must ensure the stability of the rear."
"So, you want me to endure this minor issue and swallow this loss?"
The ninth branch's elder, Uncle Lie, let out a cold laugh and knocked his tobacco pipe on the side.
"Alright."
At this moment, the elder sitting in the center, who exuded an air of authority, suddenly spoke, "All of you, calm down..."
His cultivation had reached the late-stage Foundation Establishment: "With a major external threat, internal disunity will only make us a laughingstock. The Grand Dharmic Alliance is eyeing us greedily..."
At these words, all the elders fell silent.
The previous Supreme Elder's failure in Core Formation and his decision to rent out the mountain to raise Spirit Stones was a disgrace to the entire family.
The family's decline began from that point.
Initially, it was fine, but later, as loose cultivators formed alliances and gradually distanced themselves from the Profound Heaven Sect, some of them harbored the intention of taking over.
The most prominent among them was the Grand Dharmic Alliance, a union of loose cultivators, whose leader had reached the False Core stage.
If it weren't for the ongoing Daoist-Magical War, the Supreme Elder would have spared no face, and at the cost of sending the Yun Family's elite forces to the front lines, including the Grand Dharmic Alliance's leader, Luo Tian, to prevent a conflict between the two families.
However, even after withdrawing a large number of high-ranking cultivators, tensions between the two sides continued to simmer.
"Snaketail Peak has almost been entirely occupied by the Grand Dharmic Alliance... With the situation at this point, following the previous Supreme Elder's plan, we should focus on Snaketail Ridge, invite other Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and form alliances to counter the Grand Dharmic Alliance... Humph, it's not just the Grand Dharmic Alliance, but also the people backing them. Those few families are probably our former in-laws, all eyeing the spirit veins of Three Serpent Mountain."
Just as the elders were cursing those Core Formation families, another elder hurried in.
"Elder Shi, why are you in such a hurry?"
The third branch's elder, a female Foundation Establishment Cultivator, asked with a smile.
"Handling a minor issue... A late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator has arrived and is preparing to rent a cave abode. I've arranged for them to stay on Snaketail Ridge."
Elder Shi, a middle-aged man with a perpetual smile and a plump build, resembling a wealthy man, smiled and said, "He has quite a bit of wealth. He rented the best third-rank cave abode and paid ten years' worth of rent in one go!"
"Late-stage Foundation Establishment... Could he be preparing for Core Formation?"
The ninth branch's elder's expression flickered slightly.
It wasn't uncommon for loose cultivators to use Three Serpent Mountain's spirit veins for Foundation Establishment and Core Formation... But most of them failed.
The last one who barely succeeded was Luo Tian from the Grand Dharmic Alliance...
"It's probably not..."
Elder Shi thought carefully and shook his head, "I used a secret technique to examine him, and he's still far from Foundation Establishment completion..."
...
Snaketail Ridge.
"Although it's slightly inferior to the Heaven Sword Sect's spirit veins, it's still acceptable."
Fang Xing looked at his cave abode and immediately took out array flags and disks from his storage pouch, setting up an array.
This time, he planned to set up a quasi-third-rank array outside and use the newly acquired quasi-fourth-rank grand array inside.
With this setup, no one would disturb his cultivation.
By the time he reached Core Formation, his main body would be guarding the place, capable of withstanding even a Nascent Soul True Monarch for a short while.
After setting up everything, he didn't bother with the neighbors and directly entered the seclusion room, sitting in meditation.
He raised his hand, and numerous Thousand-Year Stone Milk appeared, along with many jade bottles filled with supreme-grade medicinal pills.
There were so many that even the Yun Family's Foundation Establishment Cultivators wouldn't dare to imagine having such a quantity.
"First, I'll cultivate to Foundation Establishment completion."
Fang Xing picked up a bottle of Thousand-Year Stone Milk, extravagantly splashing it on himself, and then swallowed a pill, beginning his rapid cultivation...
...
Blue Star.
Blue Sea Zone, Villa 69.
Having completed the achievement of defeating an opponent, Fang Xing felt refreshed as he exited the virtual cabin.
"According to the rankings of the Galactic Holographic Universe Corporation, I've made it into the top one hundred thousand... I've accumulated several dozen Malevolent Qi Crystal Stones as rewards... If I win the next match, I should get a Heavenly Gale Stone as a reward..."
"There's no need to push too hard. It's best to stop after reaching the top ten thousand."
"Who knows, there might be Martial Saints and Gods of Martial Arts fishing for easy wins up ahead..."
Fang Xing was deep in thought when he suddenly received a communication request.
"Gu Duan? My thesis advisor?"
He glanced at the remark and connected the call with some confusion.
"Fang Xing, I've read your recent papers... Your ideas on simplifying the Buddha Palm are quite impressive."
Gu Duan's expression was gentle, "When Elder Nie recommended you before, I thought it was a bit far-fetched, but now it seems my vision was too narrow."
"I was just daydreaming." Fang Xing smiled.
Martial arts, you just need to practice a few more times to get it.
The Buddha Palm is actually quite simple.
"I've already exchanged your contribution points for Malevolent Qi Crystal Stones and sent them to you by express delivery... The reason I'm contacting you is for another matter. Have you participated in that Galactic Martial Arts Competition?"
Gu Duan's expression became very serious.
"Yes, I have."
Fang Xing nodded.
"Then have you noticed a participant named 'Meteor'? I watched his match videos... That palm technique has definitely taken a big step forward in simplifying the Buddha Palm!"
Gu Duan seemed excited and sent several very familiar video clips.
Fang Xing was speechless. In the videos, he was using techniques like Heaven Shield Hand and Five Fingers Mountain to trounce his Sixth Stage opponents.
"Hmm... This palm technique does have some resemblance to the Buddha Palm!"
He watched for a few moments, feigning contemplation.
In truth, Fang Xing had already completed most of the simplification of the Buddha Palm and had submitted a portion of his ideas as assignments to Gu Duan.
In comparison, 'Meteor' had revealed even more.
"Your task now is to carefully observe this 'Meteor' and study his palm technique... If you can recruit him into our research group, that would be ideal."
Gu Duan said, "If you can accomplish this, I'll reward you with a Heavenly Gale Stone!"
"Yes, teacher, I'll do my best."
Fang Xing's face lit up with excitement.
After the communication ended, he revealed a thoughtful expression: 'As expected... In this modern information society, everything is easily exposed... Not to mention the automatic searches of artificial intelligence...'
His match videos were hidden among countless others, yet they were still discovered by Gu Duan.
This made Fang Xing recall his previous deduction, further confirming that many of the Federation's martial arts experts were quietly paying attention to this competition.
"Perhaps... It's time to make a bold exit? Even the top ten thousand is too high..."
Fang Xing calculated his earnings from the Malevolent Qi Crystal Stones, feeling that he had accumulated enough for his next cultivation step.
As for the Grand Vein?
It's probably best to go through the official competition channels. It wouldn't be right to recruit 'Meteor' into the group, would it?
"After the next match... After the next match, I'll stop!"
He made a silent decision.
...
Several days later.
Fang Xing entered the virtual universe and arrived at an ancient-style martial arts hall.
"This environment is quite unique..."
He touched his mask, knowing that beneath it was just a set of data, not his true appearance.
The mask was merely a form of anonymity in the virtual universe.
At this moment, Fang Xing felt a chill down his spine.
Then, he saw his opponent.
Ten zhang away, a black-robed elder with a tortoise shell and crane hair stood.
The elder had a stooped posture, indicating his advanced age, and wore a pair of thousand-layer-soled cloth shoes.
In short, he gave off a very old-fashioned vibe to Fang Xing.
"Meteor... Interesting."
The elder stood with his hands behind his back, exuding the aura of a master: "You make the first move!"
"What era is this? Still using this kind of appearance? Are you trying to make me feel guilty for punching an old man at the South Mountain Retirement Home?"
Fang Xing chuckled, displaying the fearless attitude of a modern youth.
Suddenly!
A boom!
The Golden Core Realm descended, and with a stomp of his foot, the wooden floor beneath him shattered. He left a residual image in his original spot and appeared above the elder, delivering a palm saber strike.
"Ghost God Saber? It's similar but not quite... Interesting!"
The elder's palms had long, thin fingers, and he moved them like turning a wheel: "Blood Pointing and Pulse Cutting!"
In an instant, his hands moved with unparalleled speed, tapping Fang Xing's arm.
The boundary between fast and slow seemed to blur at this moment.
Fang Xing was taken aback, unsure how he had been struck.
But the next moment, his entire arm erupted with golden light, seemingly unaffected, and he struck the elder's face with a palm, sending him crashing into the wall, leaving a deep hole.
"Damn! Dragon Elephant Unbreakable Divine Art Grand Completion? You young punk, you have no martial honor! Sneak attacking an old man like me..."
The elder's voice echoed from within the cave-like door, filled with frustration.
Then, he stepped out of the cave, rubbing his neck with a sigh: "Always hunting the geese, but today the geese pecked my eye... If those old fellows find out, they'll surely laugh at me."
As the elder spoke, he straightened his bones: "To reach Dragon Elephant Grand Completion at the Golden Core Realm, such talented martial artists are rare..."
(End of Chapter)
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