Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments-Chapter 49 - 48: Senior Brother, You Didn’t Even Ask Me if I Had a Breakthrough
Xiao Chen was curious. It had been a while since she’d last come to pester him.
Ever since the duel with Su Yuanpeng, Su Wanqing had been coming over every other day to invite him to all sorts of activities.
"Xiao, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Want to drink and admire the moon together?"
"Xiao, Happy Double Ninth Festival! Want to go hiking and admire chrysanthemums together?"
"Xiao, Happy Winter Solstice! Want to go get dumplings together?"
But he had rejected all of her invitations, using the excuse that he was busy with his cultivation.
After being rejected multiple times in a row, Su Wanqing suddenly disappeared. She didn’t even show up on the Laba Festival.
Xiao Chen had thought she’d finally given up. He never expected her to show up again today, and with the same familiar opening line.
Outside the door, Su Wanqing wore a smile brimming with confidence.
’Xiao would never guess that after over a month of arduous cultivation, she had finally broken through to the Late Stage of Qi Refining just yesterday.’
With her cultivation breakthrough, her mood had improved immensely.
She had asked around and discovered her cultivation speed was far ahead of her peers, placing her in the top tier of her generation.
She was immediately reminded of how, over a month ago, she had come looking for Xiao Chen only to be rejected.
Worse, he had even teased her: "Junior Sister Su, if you keep wasting time like this, you can consider becoming my apprentice in the future."
’She was here today to prove that all she needed was to get a little serious, and she could easily catch up to Xiao Chen—and would soon surpass him.’
Furthermore, during the New Year, her family had distributed a Spirit Fruit to each of the Direct Lineage Disciples, specifically to help them prepare for the upcoming Flame Pool Secret Realm.
At Su Wanqing’s strong insistence and after much effort...
...the family finally allocated an extra one to her, which was perfect for giving to Xiao Chen to earn a favor.
So, after leaving home under the pretext of looking at festival lanterns, Su Wanqing had eagerly rushed over to Bishui Peak.
"Xiao, Happy Lantern Festival! Want to go see the lantern show together?"
Xiao Chen opened the door only halfway. "Junior Sister Su, I have to cultivate tonight. I’m busy."
"Senior Brother, the Lantern Festival has a fireworks show! It’s really beautiful!"
"Junior Sister Su, I have to cultivate tonight. I’m busy."
"Senior Brother, there will be a peerless beauty to see at the Lantern Festival. Are you sure you don’t want to go?"
As she said this, Su Wanqing put her hands on her hips. It was obvious that this "peerless beauty" referred to none other than herself.
"Junior Sister Su, I have to cultivate tonight. I’m busy."
Xiao Chen decisively delivered his third refusal in a row and added, "If there’s nothing else..."
"Wait!" Su Wanqing suddenly interrupted, then emphasized mysteriously, "I have some very important news to share. Special intel, you know."
"Come in!"
Xiao Chen poured her a bowl of fish soup. "This place is a bit simple, and I don’t have any tea prepared. But I just finished making this fish soup. See if it’s fresh."
Su Wanqing held the bowl and took a small sip, her eyes narrowing in delight. "Delicious!"
Only then did she ask, "Senior Brother, you know Song Shengying, right?"
Xiao Chen shook his head. "Never heard of her."
Su Wanqing paused. "Song Shengying is the direct daughter of the Song Family, two years older than me. Last summer, she finally broke through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining."
"That’s not a slow pace," Xiao Chen commented, then asked, "How is that important news?"
Su Wanqing changed the subject. "Well, you must have heard of Lin Ping’an from the Ninth Division, Senior Brother."
Xiao Chen nodded. "I’ve heard of him many times. They say his luck is incredible, that he broke through all the way to the sixth layer of Qi Refining just by relying on Treasures of Heaven and Earth."
Su Wanqing immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, that’s him! Senior Brother, did you know? On the Double Ninth Festival, he actually picked a ’Rouge Snow’ on the mountain."
"He then broke through directly to the seventh layer of Qi Refining, became an Inner Sect Disciple, and has now joined Blazing Fire Peak."
Rouge Snow was a famous Tier Two Spirit Flower. Its medicinal properties were gentle, and it was a type of chrysanthemum.
Even Xiao Chen couldn’t help but sigh. "Finding a chrysanthemum on the Double Ninth Festival, and one that can be consumed directly at that. His luck is truly powerful."
Then he looked at Su Wanqing. "Is *this* your special intel?"
Su Wanqing’s eyes darted. "Senior Brother, before the new year, Ye Fei from your Second Division went to the Marketplace to sell Elixirs and ran into a Tribulation Cultivator."
"Marketplace, procurement, Tribulation Cultivator?"
Xiao Chen was instantly reminded of the attempt on his own life, and his interest was piqued. "I actually haven’t heard about this. What happened exactly?"
Su Wanqing said, "They say he set up a stall in the Marketplace and sold a large number of Elixirs at a low price all at once, making a lot of Spirit Stones."
"But on his way back to the sect, he was ambushed by a Loose Cultivator, supposedly from Quanzhou."
"The attacker was a seventh-layer Qi Refining Cultivator and had planned it in advance, so he quickly injured Ye Fei. But guess what happened?"
"He actually broke through mid-battle! He advanced to the seventh layer of Qi Refining on the spot and killed the Tribulation Cultivator in turn."
’Another Loose Cultivator from Quanzhou?’
’It seems these cultivators from Quanzhou don’t play by the rules.’
Xiao Chen grew thoughtful, but his comment was nonchalant. "Oh. If he can kill an outsider at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, then he’s pretty impressive."
’Of course, he can’t compare to my own Combat Power, but breaking through mid-battle shows he has great potential. He has a bright future ahead.’
Su Wanqing sighed as well. "Senior Brother, have you noticed? In the second half of last year, so many of our fellow disciples broke through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining and became Inner Sect Disciples."
She made sure to emphasize, "And quite a few of the female disciples broke through, too."
Xiao Chen agreed. "Indeed. That’s a good thing."
Then, the two of them stared at each other, both silent.
Su Wanqing looked at Xiao Chen expectantly, only to find that he was looking at her with the same anticipation.
Su Wanqing: "Senior Brother, don’t you have anything to say?"
Xiao Chen shook his head slightly. "You know I don’t know many people, Junior Sister Su. So you should be the one to talk. Is there any other news?"
THUD.
Su Wanqing slammed her bowl down on the table. "Senior Brother, you didn’t even ask if I had a breakthrough!"
Xiao Chen had a sudden realization. No wonder all her news was about other people breaking through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining—it was because she had broken through, too.
He played along and asked, "Well then, Junior Sister Su, have you had a breakthrough in your cultivation recently?"
"Of course I have!"
Su Wanqing shot to her feet, releasing the aura of her cultivation without reservation.
Although it was a little unstable, as if she had only just broken through, it was indeed the genuine aura of the seventh layer of Qi Refining.
Su Wanqing was all smiles. "Well? Surprised? Bet you didn’t expect me to be this amazing, right?"
"And this is just the beginning! By this summer, I’ll break through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining and become the most powerful disciple of our generation!"
"Then I’ll get nominated and, by the end of the year at the earliest, I’ll become a candidate for this generation’s Chief Disciple."
Hearing her claim she would be ’the most powerful,’ Xiao Chen smiled faintly.
’To be humble, even he wasn’t guaranteed to rank number one among the disciples of his generation in the Li Huo Sect, but Su Wanqing definitely had no chance.’
Still, Xiao Chen gave her a thumbs-up and praised her cooperatively, "Impressive! Your cultivation is advancing by leaps and bounds."
The Spiritual Qi around Su Wanqing seemed to hum with excitement.
But she even puffed out her chest and declared, "Don’t worry, Senior Brother. Even if I break through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining before you, I’ll still call you Senior Brother!"
’Ah, this...’ Hearing this, Xiao Chen fell silent.
But Su Wanqing misinterpreted his silence and, in her excitement, finally remembered she had other important business.
She pulled a Spirit Fruit from her robes. "Ta-da! Senior Brother, look what this is!"
The Spirit Fruit looked somewhat like an apple, but its entire body was a much more vivid, deep red, like a ball of burning flame.
A ring of cloud-like patterns was faintly visible on its lower half. A single glance told you it was no ordinary item.
Xiao Chen racked his brain, recalling the contents of his Pill Books. He was a little uncertain. "Is this a Dawn Fire Cloud Fruit?"
The reason for his uncertainty was that the Dawn Fire Cloud Fruit was a Tier Two Spirit Fruit. Consuming it could nourish one’s Primordial Spirit, strengthen the body, and provide resistance to fire.
In terms of value, it was even more precious than a Rouge Snow.
For a Cultivator with a Fire Spirit Root, it was an especially rare Treasure.
Using the Dawn Fire Cloud Fruit as the main ingredient, one could refine a Tier Two Spirit Pill—the Dawn Fire Cloud Pill.
A Fire Spirit Root Cultivator in the Early or Middle Stage of Qi Refining who consumed a Dawn Fire Cloud Pill for the first time could directly advance a Minor Realm.
A Fire Spirit Root Cultivator in the Late Stage but below the ninth layer of Qi Refining had a seventy percent chance of directly advancing a Minor Realm upon first consumption.
The only pity was that most Qi Refining Cultivators found it difficult to obtain Tier Two Spirit Fruits, let alone Tier Two Spirit Pills.
Su Wanqing held it out directly. "That’s right. Since you recognize it, Senior Brother, I won’t bother with an introduction. Here, for you."
Now Xiao Chen was truly curious.
’The Su Family should understand the effects of the Dawn Fire Cloud Fruit, and they definitely have the means to turn it into an Elixir. Why would they be willing to give it to me?’
’Besides, since Elder Chen knew about the Flame Pool Secret Realm, the Su Family should have received the relevant intel as well.’
Any Cultivator who had consumed a Dawn Fire Cloud Fruit would have a strengthened body and resistance to fire, gaining a slight ability to withstand Fire Qi.
’At a time like this, something like this should be prioritized for their own family’s disciples, right?’
’How could they possibly have a spare Spirit Fruit to give to me?’
Xiao Chen looked at Su Wanqing. "This is so important. Aren’t you going to keep it for yourself, Junior Sister Su?"
