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Great big spoiler: Zuo Mo doesn’t die.
Chapter Twenty One One Breath
He didn’t know if [Embryonic Breathing Spiritual Cultivation] was correct. Even if he didn’t want to admit it, but with Pu Yao’s cunning, if he wanted this little life, he only had to curl his fingers. There wasn’t a need to use a half-accurate scripture to fool him. But with Pu Yao’s perverseness and strange sense of humor, finding ways of torturing him, that was almost certainly the case.
However, Pu Yao was usually very quiet. Other than forcing Zuo Mo to cultivate [Embryonic Breathing Spiritual Cultivation], he didn’t make any other moves. There wasn’t any hint of tormenting. Zuo Mo couldn’t understand Pu Yao, and didn’t know what was Pu Yao’s true aims.
Pu Yao definitely had a goal.
Sometimes, this thought was extremely clear and certain in his mind. However, when he tried to think about it, he found it was as though he was facing a vast and deep ocean. You never knew what was really hidden at the bottom.
Maybe Pu was really trying to help him. Zuo Mo knew just how difficult it was to heal wounds of the spirit. If it wasn’t [Embryonic Breathing Spiritual Cultivation], it would still be a question of whether he would be breathing right now.
Blaming Pu Yao, it seemed unreasonable.
It could only say that Pu’s strangeness and sense of perversion made him instinctively afraid.
The most tragic thing was that no matter which kind it was, he had no space to rebel. No matter if this [Embryonic Breathing Spiritual Cultivation] was true or not, no matter what aims Pu Yao had, he had no room to rebel. In front of the kind of great existence that was Pu, he was pitifully weak. The only thing he could do was force himself to charge forward in hopes of finding that glimmer of light.
If it was really just tormenting, as one already in the situation, he would sink in Pu Yao’s torment or make it through.
Damn it! How did he provoke such a calamity!
Time passed drop by drop, accompanying the strong feeling of suffocation was terror that uncontrollably rose.
His awareness started to fade. He was completely unaware of the face his legs were instinctively moving, trying to rise out of the water. But he had been sinking the whole time and it was now too far from the surface.
Was he going to die?
Even this thought was incomplete, he was paralyzed, weak as he swam in the limitless ocean.
No!
I can’t die!
He tried to struggle, tried to wake his own awareness.
But all of it was useless. Under the feeling of suffocation, his awareness slowly dissipated, became muddled.
Was he really going to die……
In a stupor, he seemed to hear someone was yelling.
“Don’t forget!”
……
“Even in death, you must not forget!”
……
For some reason, those two phrases that he considered nightmares seemed to be like a large hand that suddenly pulled him back from unconsciousness.
I can’t die!
Zuo Mo used up the last remaining strength in his body, furiously shouting soundlessly inside! His body shook violently like a sieve, the blood vessels under his skin quickly expanding, visible to the naked eye. Raven black and thick, twisting and turning like earthworms, covering the entire body, unspeakably terrifying.
That breath at the chest that had become extremely weak turned into a candle flame, a flame that could be easily extinguished.
Yet this weak feeble candle flame became a prairie fire, lighting up the sea of consciousness –– like lighting up firewood that was bone dry and then soaked in oil. Dark red flames, spitting and roaring, followed the ground in the sea of consciousness, rolling forwards. The grasses and woods instantly turned to dust. Nothing could stop it.
In the blink of an eye, the consciousness became a burning hell. Endless dark red flames flickering in every corner of the sea of consciousness.
The bright and hot red fire recklessly danced. On the strange black gravestone shrouded in black smoke, there sat a handsome male with a strange cold face. No one was able to forget his beautiful and enticing features.
The sound tablet was on his knee, the concentrated sounds of the zither were like a hurricane that made people unable to breathe!
The red sea of fire burned soundlessly. Under the hair that blocked half his face, Pu’s thin blade-like lips imperceptibly rose on one side. Just as usual, enchanting yet cold.
Zuo Mo curiously examined the surroundings. After achieving one breath, his perception of the surroundings changed dramatically. It was hard to explicitly describe. It was as though the surroundings had been cleaned, changed beyond recognition. This feeling was extremely unique. It took a long time for him to get used to it. The other change was his sea of consciousness. Right now, it had turned into a sea of fire. A sea of fire that might extinguish sometime.
Other than that, he didn’t have any new discoveries. As to whether [Embryonic Breathing Spiritual Cultivation] had any good attributes, he didn’t have any high hopes. He was just a guy that wanted to be a ling plant farmer. What did he need such a strong consciousness for? If he could pass this obstacle, keep his little life, he was content.
The game was too dangerous. Ge won’t play.
Thinking about the danger yesterday, there were still lingering fears.
However, the sharp sword hanging over his head finally disappeared. He could finally release a breath. He resolutely decided that no matter what Pu Yao gave him next time, he wouldn’t take it if it meant his heath. The painful experiences gave him a hard lesson. To steal benefits from Pu Yao’s hands, that was an action leading to death.
Zuo Mo found his own little life very precious.
Pu Yao didn’t seem to care if he was practising [Embryonic Breathing Spiritual Cultivation]. Everyday, he guarded his new sound tablet, endlessly amused.
Every time he saw the brand-new sound tablet that was higher in quality than the one in his hands, he would feel pain. Ten pieces of second-grade jingshi was wasted. His teeth hurt. His heart sour, he could only hold in the tears as he took the sound tablet that Pu Yao was preparing to throw away. That was, his old sound tablet that Pu Yao had taken from his hands.
Enamored with the new, bored with the old. This was another bad habit that he found on Pu Yao’s body.
But coming back to it, did Pu Yao have any good habits?
[Embryonic Breathing Spiritual Cultivation]was like a small detour in his life, and Pu Yao seemed to have put away his perverseness, silent as a virgin. It made Zuo Mo feel unaccustomed. But malicious curses like “Renyao is just renyao, do you think if you don’t speak, you can turn into a woman?” naturally weren’t avoidable.
What made him happy was that he sped through the five elements spells. He didn’t know if it was because he completed the one breath. Many of the fuzzy part previously were abnormally clear now, easily realized.
He became even more motivated.
He didn’t have any interest in something as strange as [Embryonic Breathing Spiritual Cultivation]. The kind of things like [Art of Aged Gold] which could get him real things like jingshi, and spells were his true love!
He was like a monk, living an extremely dull life each day. Cultivating [Ten Principles Scripture], accumulating ling energy, again and again, practising all kind of spells, finger motions. Just like when he had practised [Little Art of Cloud and Rain], he furiously cultivated.
The one that had the most improvement was [Art of Aged Gold]. Presently, the aged gold energy was dark gold, the light subdued, changing according to his wishes. And compared to before, there was now an addition of a hint of imposingness. Even though it was extremely faint, but in actual use, the effects multiplied and made Zuo Mo gleeful.
It wasn’t strange that [Art of Aged Gold] improved since the most important aspect of [Art of Aged Gold] was consciousness. Even though he had just finished one breath in [Embryonic Breathing Spiritual Cultivation] but compared to before, his consciousness was much stronger. So it was expected that [Art of Aged Gold] would improve. What made him surprise was that [Art of Earth Energy] also improved much.
The crucial factor in [Art of Earth Energy] was communication and perception. Did his consciousness help with communication and perception?
He didn’t know, but since it was a good thing, he went with the flow and didn’t examine it deeper.
Zuo Mo was in the yard as he practised [Art of Aged Gold], when suddenly a calm and authoritative voice echoed through Wu Kong Mountain.
“Outer sect disciple Li Ying Feng, continuously practised and broke through to zhuji. From today, she is formally taken into this sect’s inner disciples. Outer sect disciples should take this as an example, cultivate relentlessly in order to reach the right result!”
This voice wasn’t loud but clear. It rippled through Wu Kong Mountain and reverberated endlessly.
Li Ying Feng managed to successfully zhuji? Zuo Mo couldn’t help but admire and feel happy for Li Ying Feng Shijie. He hadn’t interacted for a long time with Li Ying Feng Shijie, the two of them even had a misunderstanding but he admired this brisk and clever Shijie. This was the role model a shijie should be. In comparison, Hao Min Shijie was greatly lacking.
His life wasn’t affected by the news. His interest in zhuji was much smaller than to become a ling plant farmer. Zhuji was the first great step to cultivation, but other than achieving jindan, there wasn’t much of a difference in lifespan compared to a normal person. As to jindan, don’t even think about it, not just an outer sect disciple like him, even among those inner sec disciples, how many would achieve jindan?
And if he became a ling plant farmer, that was true and real jingshi.
He continued to bury himself in practising his spells. To something he decided on, he never was remiss. Just like practising [Little Art of Cloud and Rain], without anyone to teach him, he cast it again and again. He didn’t know how many thousands of times he casted, but he managed to fill up the large pond in the yard using [Little Art of Cloud and Rain]. Just like that, he managed to achieve the third level of [Little Art of Cloud and Rain].
His cultivation was interrupted by an uninvited guest. The one who came was the one who just became an inner sect disciple, Li Ying Feng Shijie.
“Congratulations, Shijie for successfully zhuji!” Zuo Mo smiled as he congratulated, but his expressionless features made it weird.
“Shidi is too polite.” Li Ying Feng’s face was full of joy as she responded: “It won’t be long before I would probably hear shidi’s good news.” In Li Ying Feng’s heart, this shidi that kept himself concealed in the dark, it wouldn’t be unexpected to her if he completed zhuji. Behind her, there were three other female disciples, Xiao Guo among them.
Zuo Mo hurriedly said: “It’s still early, still early. Shijie, please.”
Xiao Guo’s adorable and tender apple face was still timid. Zuo Mo suddenly felt this little girl was really bashful. Taking advantage of when Li Ying Feng turned, he blinked his eyes at Xiao Guo. As expected, Xiao Guo’s face flushed red.
After everyone was seated, Li Ying Feng declared her intentions: “Coming this time, it’s to ask for a favour from Shidi.”
Zuo Mo was surprised.
Seeming to have detected Zuo Mo’s puzzlement, before he could ask, Li Ying Feng herself answered the question, lightly sighing: “Entering the inner sect, in the future, I’m afraid I won’t have the time again to care for these sisters. Shidi’s growing skills, no one in the sect can compete, Shijie can only come with a thick face to beg.”
Zuo Mo hurriedly deflected: “Shijie, please tell.” In the future, Li Ying Feng was an inner sect disciple. As long as Zuo Mo would still stay in Wu Kong Sect for one more day, he wouldn’t offend them.
Li Ying Feng took out a small bag, putting it on the stone table, informing: “This is twenty pieces of second-grade jingshi. It’s a little bit of regard from Shijie. Shidi, don’t decline. Shidi, if you are free, spend some time at the Eastern Peak and attend a bit. Their lives aren’t easy. If something like last time occurred, with Shidi’s help, they wouldn’t have no one to ask for aid.”
Beside her, Xiao Guo’s mouth twisted and the rims of her eyes instantly turned red, the other two also had red eyes.
Zuo Mo sighed inside. Compared to Wei Sheng Shixiong the eldest shixiong who only had cultivation, Li Ying Feng, as the eldest shijie, was undoubtedly more competent. Only now did he understand why her reputation among the female disciples was so high.
Thinking, Zuo Mo pushed the bag back in front of Li Ying Feng, declaring: “Helping each other, it is a part of friendship. Shijie, don’t worry, Shidi will do his best.”
Xiao Guo stared with wide eyes at Zuo Mo. The other two females also had strange expressions on their faces. They couldn’t understand why this money-grubbing zombie changed his personality this time.
Li Ying Feng shook her head and pushed the jingshi again in front of Zuo Mo: “Shidi, don’t decline. The sect has provisions for the inner sect disciples each month. Shejie doesn’t lack for jingshi. But Shidi, you aren’t far from zhuji, so you would most likely need it soon. Having some jingshi, it’s just in case.”
The strange expression on the three female’s faces turned to shock.
Zhuji? This ill-tempered zombie shixiong was going to zhuji soon?
To be called nearing zhuji, at the very least, it had to be eight level of lianqi and above. They were frightened out of their wits by shijie’s words. A cultivation of lianqi eighth level in the outer sect disciples could be counted on one hand. Even Guo Lu Shixiong was just at lianqi seventh level. And among the female disciples of the outer sect, other than Li Ying Feng who just entered zhuji, the highest person was just lianqi sixth level. In the outer sect disciples, other than Wei Sheng, Zuo Mo’s cultivation was the highest.
This zombie-face, he was actually the second best in the outer sect disciples!
This was something they would have never thought about.
Originally planning to grant a boon to Shijie, Zuo Mo saw the situation and didn’t stand on courtesy, and accepted the jingshi: “Then many thanks, shijie.”
“It should be me that gives thanks to Shidi.” Li Ying Feng smiled and informed: “After I leave the Eastern Peak, Xiao Guo will be responsible for communicating with Shidi. Her personality is soft and obedient. Shidi, don’t bully her.”
Zuo Mo couldn’t help laugh: “What is Shijie talking about, my temper is the best.”
“That’s good.” Li Ying Feng nodded. On the side, Xiao Guo wrinkled her adorable nose, clearly disagreeing with the words.
She turned to show a dark face and said to the three people: “In the future, if you have any questions, find Zuo Mo Shixiong, he’ll help you solve them. Zuo Mo Shixiong’s words are my words. If someone doesn’t listen, I will personally punish!”
“Yes! Shijie!” The three females replied.
As expected from the eldest shijie. Just this bearing, no disciples in the younger generation could compete. Zuo Mo couldn’t help but compliment inside
After chatting for a while, Li Ying Feng left with the three other females.
Zuo Mo suddenly didn’t have any interest in cultivation. This was a society with strict classes. Like Li Ying Feng Shijie, after successfully zhuji, she had to bid farewell to the life of an outer sect disciple. She had to aim for even higher goals, no matter if it was her own goal or the needs of the sect.
The lifespan of a jindan was about three hundred years. Before that, zhuji, ningmai, and lianqi didn’t have any differences in lifespan.
His own sect was temporarily deficient in manpower and had been for a long time.
Including the leader of the sect, the shishu were all jindan. This was the basic reason that Wu Kong Sword Sect had expanded so well these past years. However, even the youngest shishu, Shi Feng Rong was more than two hundred years old. And among the disciples of the second generation, there wasn’t even a ningmai disciple, much less a jingdan. If there wasn’t a successor, Wu Kong Sect, not a very big sect to begin with, would quickly decline.
No matter which jie, a sect, once it declined, it was harder to rise again than to reach the heavens.
Why did he suddenly become so melancholic? Zuo Mo shook his head. Suddenly, he thought of the third-grade fire dragon grass that Wei Sheng shixiong gave into his care. Li Ying Feng Shijie had already entered zhuji, Wei Sheng Shixiong must be close as well. Thinking about it, the desire to go to Cold Mist Valley formed.