Chapter 50: Days Pass, Seedlings Sprout

Even if he couldn’t bring glory to the hall, it would still be a great thing to help it continue on.

Master Xuanji thought for a moment, then sighed as he looked at Qin Haoxuan. “It is difficult for a disciple with a weak seed to survive in the sect. But the heavens have allowed our Immortal Seeds to live, which is a kind of test for us. Your Dao Heart is firm, and your mind is set on the Dao. In that case, this old Daoist will accept you as a disciple. After your three-month initial training period is over and you have completed the Trial of the Immortal Path, you may report to the Nature Hall. If you run into trouble in the future, you may use my name. And if someone still insists on bothering you, and you are in the right, I will stand up for you. Even if it goes all the way to Huanglong, this old Daoist still has enough pull to do so.”

Huanglong? Qin Haoxuan had been in the Taichu Sect for many days now. Everyone else spoke of the Sect Master with the utmost reverence, calling him “Perfected Man, the Sect Master.” This was the first time he had heard someone refer to him so casually by his name.

Sensing his surprise, Master Xuanji just gave a faint smile, one that carried a transcendent air. There was a genuine appreciation and kindness in his eyes. Feeling this, Qin Haoxuan did not hesitate. He performed the full ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows to accept him as his master.

“Take this Spiritual Talisman to protect yourself,” Master Xuanji said, his eyes glancing at the two hostile assassins. He took a talisman equivalent to a Twentieth-Leaf expert’s strike from his robes and gave it to Qin Haoxuan. “If anyone dares to bully you in here, use it. Even if you kill them, I, as your master, will take responsibility. However, you have only performed the ceremony. If you cannot complete the Trial of the Immortal Path, it will all be for nothing. The path of cultivation relies on no one but yourself.”

Qin Haoxuan was overjoyed, feeling the terrifying spiritual power from the talisman. He bowed again. This Master Xuanji was just as kind as Pu Hanzhong had described.

After Master Xuanji left with Pu Hanzhong, Qin Haoxuan, now holding the talisman, fearlessly scanned the assassins lying on the floor.

The group of Sixth-Leaf cultivators trembled at the violent fluctuations of energy coming from the talisman. They knew that if it were activated, they would be no match for its power.

For more than ten days, they had been starved and terrorized. All their earlier ambition had been extinguished. Now, all they wanted was to get out of this hellish place alive. They would avoid anything related to Qin Haoxuan from now on.

Holding the Twentieth-Leaf Spiritual Talisman, Qin Haoxuan had no intention of letting them off so easily. He slammed his fist into one of their dantians. The man grimaced in pain but didn’t dare to fight back.

Momentum is everything. If you are weak, they are strong. If you are strong, they are weak. Qin Haoxuan understood this well.

For the next five days, he focused on absorbing spiritual energy to water his seedling. Although there were still no signs of the Sprouting Stage, his Immortal Seed had grown to five times its original size.

When his time was up, he was escorted out of the Nine Yin Ice Cavern. As he left, both the injured assassins and the other prisoners let out a long sigh of relief.

He thought about reporting the assassins to the Discipline Hall, but they were already heavily injured, and he would need witnesses. Only Pu Hanzhong would testify for him, and he didn’t want to drag his kind senior brother into more trouble. He decided to let the matter drop.

Returning to the Spirit Field Valley after 20 days, Qin Haoxuan eagerly headed towards Xu Yu’s room, wondering if she had reached the Sprouting Stage yet.

On the way, he felt the spiritual energy around Zhang Kuang’s room become incredibly dense. Moments later, a faint column of purple qi shot up into the sky from his room.

Has Zhang Kuang sprouted his seedling? He quickened his pace and saw a huge, bustling crowd gathered outside.

Many disciples had been drawn by the phenomenon. After the purple qi gradually faded, a proud and smug Zhang Kuang walked out. His followers immediately swarmed him with congratulations.

“Congratulations, Boss, on successfully sprouting your seedling and becoming the first among the Purple Seeds!”

“The Sprouting Stage is the dividing line between cultivators and mortals! The boss is incredible, leaving the other two Purple Seeds behind and becoming a true cultivator first!”

“Li Jing can scheme all he wants, but it’s useless. He will always be a step behind the boss in terms of cultivation!”

“That’s right! Li Jing thinks he can compete with you just by winning over Xu Yu. What a fool’s dream!”

Before long, a group of menial disciples also arrived, and the flattery reached a new level, followed by the customary offering of gifts.

“Congratulations, Junior Brother Zhang! Sprouting in one and a half months, you’ve broken the sect’s record! Even the Unsurpassed Great Sects don’t have a genius like you! Here are some spiritual herbs I grew myself. A humble gift.”

“Junior Brother Zhang, here are some pills I made…”

“This Spiritual Talisman is equivalent to a Tenth-Leaf expert’s full-power strike. Please accept it.”

Soon, a pile of gifts, both valuable and common, had stacked up to be as tall as a person.

Zhang Kuang was used to this. He accepted all the gifts with a smile and a word of thanks.

Qin Haoxuan gave a wry smile. The last time he got out of confinement, he had run into Zhang Kuang completing the Rooting Stage. This time, it was the Sprouting Stage. What a coincidence.

Zhang Kuang also saw him passing by and let out a contemptuous sneer. A sense of superiority washed over him.

So what if you can find a Spirit Spring? So what if you can defeat a Spirit Sprout expert? So what if you completed the Rooting Stage in 20 days? You are still a mortal. But I have now crossed that line and become a true cultivator.

At that moment, he looked at Qin Haoxuan as a human looks at an ant. He didn’t even have the desire to step on him. After his breakthrough, his mindset had broadened. His only rivals now were Li Jing and Xu Yu.

Faced with his condescending gaze, Qin Haoxuan just smiled faintly and continued on his way.

He was still a dozen yards from Xu Yu’s room when he felt a powerful spiritual fluctuation, exactly the same as the one from Zhang Kuang’s breakthrough.

It’s the sign of the Sprouting Stage! Is Xu Yu also breaking through? A surge of joy went through him.

The spiritual energy around her house grew denser, finally condensing into a faint purple light that shot into the clouds, as if opening a path between heaven and earth.

Gradually, the light receded, and the door to her room opened. Qin Haoxuan, whose senses were extremely sharp, saw the transcendent, celestial smile on her face. After his breakthrough, even Zhang Kuang had gained a trace of an immortal aura. But Xu Yu’s temperament was now even more otherworldly, like a heavenly fairy who did not consume mortal food.