The Hehuan Sect Was Squeezed Dry for Ten Thousand Years, but It Became a Sacred Ground?-Chapter 55

Chapter 55: The Catfish Effect, Two Women Stirred!

Since the Great Xia Dynasty released information about the spatial rifts, the disciples of the Qinglian Sect have also been swept up in a wave of cultivation fervor. Suppressing demons and monsters is the duty of us cultivators. Especially since they belong to one of the twelve core sects of the Great Xia Dynasty, there’s no avoiding it. Slacking off at this time would be no different from writing their own epitaphs.

…

Inside the private disciple’s cave dwelling.

“I still need to refine pills. If Senior Sister wants to spar, why not go find Senior Sister Yu Hua? Didn’t she just return?” A young girl in green robes smiled as she sent off a lively young woman dressed in a white skirt embroidered with golden flowers, who seemed reluctant to leave.

Snap!

The moment the door closed, Zhou Qin’s smile gradually faded.

Lately, she had been feeling somewhat annoyed.

Her so-called senior sister, Duanmu Yao, kept popping up in front of her, provoking her. Her words always hinted at wanting a friendly sparring match between fellow disciples.

As if Zhou Qin didn’t know what she was really after? It was obvious Duanmu Yao was trying to indirectly reclaim the face she lost during the previous competition.

After receiving guidance from the sect leader, Zhou Qin’s combat skills had improved significantly, and her cultivation had reached the tenth level of Qi Refinement, just one step away from a breakthrough. She was actually quite eager to test her progress. If it weren’t for the fact that she had Qing Yi, who could see through the other’s cultivation level, she might have agreed.

A tenth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator against her, a tenth-level Qi Refinement cultivator? How shameless of Duanmu Yao to even suggest it, and not just once!

But there was no denying that Duanmu Yao’s rapid improvement had struck a nerve.

Before joining the sect, Duanmu Yao was at the second level of Foundation Establishment. After half a year in the sect, she was still at the second level. But now, less than two months after becoming a personal disciple, her cultivation had skyrocketed. Was she planning to break through to the Golden Core stage in a few days?

Even though Zhou Qin didn’t like to speculate about others’ intentions, she couldn’t help but feel that the sect leader had been giving Duanmu Yao special treatment. Maybe even directly transferring cultivation to her.

Could it be that the sect leader had sensed her lack of sincerity when she first became a disciple and deliberately withheld teaching her the true techniques? Or was it because Duanmu Yao was a princess of the Great Xia Dynasty, and her status warranted different treatment?

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t have bothered her too much. But with the emergence of the spatial rifts, she couldn’t sit still anymore.

In ten years, if she followed the usual path, she might only reach the high-level Foundation Establishment stage. And that level of cultivation might not be enough to handle the dangers within the spatial rifts. But as a personal disciple of the sect leader, she represented the sect. She couldn’t just run away when the time came.

“Xiao Qin, are you worried about improving your strength?” A spirit in a flowing fairy dress floated out from a jade pendant.

“Yes,” Zhou Qin nodded. Who would want to risk their life in a place like that? Especially since she carried a divine artifact from the upper realm.

“Senior Sister Duanmu’s cultivation speed has left me far behind.”

Qing Yi pondered for a moment. “That girl seems to have awakened something extraordinary within her. I can sense that she now possesses unimaginable potential.”

“Is that so? But there must be a reason for such a drastic change, right?” Zhou Qin pursed her lips and continued, “After practicing together these past few days, I’ve noticed that Senior Sister Duanmu always takes a sip of water from a gourd she carries. And soon after, her condition quickly recovers.

“She never used to do that before. I wonder what’s so special about that water?

“Of course, I might be overthinking it. Maybe it’s just water.”

Zhou Qin’s delicate face remained expressionless, but her mind was already made up. She needed to find out the truth behind Duanmu Yao’s rapid cultivation improvement and see if it was something she could replicate.

…

“Why are you here again?”

Seeing the girl with a bright smile on her face, Yu Hua, who had just returned to the sect and was interrupted in her cultivation, was visibly displeased. She didn’t hold back her annoyance, and it showed on her face.

Duanmu Yao, however, wasn’t bothered. She continued to smile and said, “Nothing much. I just heard you were back, so I thought I’d come and see you.”

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Even though she had lost their previous match, her cultivation level was still higher! So she was still the senior sister.

“Well, you’ve seen me now, haven’t you?”

“Huh? Oh.” Duanmu Yao was taken aback and nodded instinctively.

Then.

Bang!

The door to the cave dwelling slammed shut.

Duanmu Yao: “…”

…

Yu Hua’s expression was calm.

Did Duanmu Yao really think she couldn’t see through her little scheme? There was no way Yu Hua would give her the chance to redeem herself. The gap in their cultivation levels was too large to be bridged by skill alone. Agreeing to a match would just be foolish. This had nothing to do with whether or not she had the pride of a Great Ascension cultivator.

However, she did find Duanmu Yao’s rapid improvement suspicious. From the aura she had inadvertently revealed, Duanmu Yao had already reached the high-level Foundation Establishment stage!

If Yu Hua hadn’t been born with a crippled body, and if she had enough resources, she could have reached that level too, using the top-tier cultivation techniques from her past life. But the Great Xia Dynasty didn’t even have a single Void Refinement cultivator within its borders. As a princess, could Duanmu Yao really have access to so many resources? Or… did she have some other fortuitous encounter?

With the appearance of the spatial rifts, it was highly likely that they would be filled with countless demons and monsters. If she could freely slaughter them, it would surely allow the mysterious golden page in her mind to continue evolving. She had to go.

Therefore, improving her strength was urgent. But for now, the only way she could continue to advance was by relying on the golden page for cultivation. Many of the methods from her past life were unusable due to lack of resources and her poor innate talent. It was like trying to cook without rice—no matter how skilled you were, it was impossible.

Normal cultivation was still too slow, and going out to kill monsters was highly inefficient, with most of the time wasted on travel. She had once been a Great Ascension cultivator, after all. If she were to be left far behind by a fool, she would truly lose all face.

Given her current situation, the only way to rapidly improve her cultivation was to decipher the text on the golden page and elevate the grade of her cultivation technique. But this required absorbing a large amount of life force.

Yu Hua’s eyes darkened with an unfathomable depth.

The only place within the entire sect that met her requirements was…

The forbidden area—the Demon Prison!

…