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Chapter 324: Heading to Dazhu Peak
"Alright, you two don't need to stand on ceremony anymore," Cangsong said with a smile as he stepped forward.
He first looked at Qi Hao and smiled, "Hao'er, it seems that while you were helping me handle the affairs of Dragon Head Peak, you also did not neglect your cultivation. You have made such great progress. Your master is very pleased!"
"Master, you flatter me. Compared to my junior brother, I am still far inferior," Qi Hao said with a smile and in a very polite manner.
Cangsong turned to look at Li Ling and said, "It is truly beyond all our expectations that A-Ling was able to cultivate the Taiji Xuanqing Dao to the fourth level of the Jade Purity Realm of the Object Control Realm in just two years."
"I believe that if he knew your current cultivation level, even the headmaster would regret it. The upcoming Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament will be quite a spectacle for our Dragon Head Peak!"
"It's all thanks to Master's excellent teaching!" Li Ling flattered.
Cangsong waved his hand: "It is your own hard work in cultivation. For the past two years, you have been practicing diligently day and night. You spend ten out of twelve hours meditating and cultivating, and you only sleep and rest for one hour each day. I have seen all of this, which shows how firm your heart is in seeking the Dao."
After praising him, Cangsong added, "However, sometimes haste makes waste. Cultivation cannot be about speed and relentless progress. Don't forget to hone your skills and accumulate foundation carefully!"
"Yes, disciple has remembered." Li Ling answered respectfully, but in his heart he thought that his talent was far beyond that of ordinary people, and with the foundation formed by the energy brought by his split soul, his cultivation speed had increased even more.
Reaching the peak of the fourth level of Jade Purity in two years was already the result of his focus on the foundation and his deliberate slowing down. If he had been solely pursuing speed, he would probably have already reached the sixth or seventh level of Jade Purity by now.
Looking at Li Ling's proud and aloof demeanor, Cangsong felt as if he had returned to the time when Lian Nian was young, to the previous owner of the Dragon-Slaying Sword. He hoped that Li Ling could inherit the Dragon-Slaying Sword and, like that person, let the sword's sharpness shine once again.
Thinking of this, Cangsong couldn't help but ask, "A-Ling, I noticed you didn't seem to be using your flying sword much before. Could it be that you're not comfortable with this Dragon-Slaying Sword?"
"Master smiled. What I love most is swordsmanship. Of course, I would be more than happy to have a divine weapon like the Dragon Slayer Sword."
"It's just that the Dragon-Slaying Sword is too powerful. I don't want to hurt the harmony between my fellow disciples by sparring casually," Li Ling said with a smile, which made Qi Hao's eyebrows twitch.
“Ah Ling, it’s good that you’ve thought of that. However, the true superior sword control technique requires complete control. Your concerns show that your cultivation is not yet up to par, and you will need to work harder in the future,” Cang Song said.
"The Dragon Slayer Sword is the top divine weapon of our Qingyun Sect. You cannot let it down."
Qi Hao, standing beside him, added with a smile, "I'm also envious of my junior brother. Back then, I wanted to ask Master for this Dragon-Slaying Sword, but Master refused outright!"
"That's because your temperament doesn't match Zhanlong's, not because I'm angry!" Cangsong chuckled twice and said, "Besides, even if your Frost Sword isn't as good as Zhanlong's, it's not far off, and it suits you perfectly... What more could you want?"
Qi Hao laughed and said, "It's just my disciple laughing!"
When Cangsong and Qi Hao arrived, Li Ling asked Cangsong, "Master, I have cultivated Taiji Xuanqing Dao to the fourth level of Yuqing Realm for some time now, and I would like to visit Zhang Fan. Is that alright?"
"Oh? You're the one who was assigned to Dazhu Peak?" Cangsong thought for a moment before remembering who Zhang Fan was.
Li Ling nodded: "Indeed, disciple is grateful for Master's care and love. However, Zhang Fan's family was originally from Caomiao Village. After such a change, I don't know how they are doing now."
“He is a good friend of mine. I haven’t seen him for two years now, and I want to go and see him.”
"That's naturally no problem!" Then, Cangsong seemed to recall Tian Buyi's sour face after seeing Li Ling's current cultivation level, and couldn't help but laugh smugly.
"Go ahead, go ahead! If you happen to run into your Uncle Tian, I, Cangsong, will give him my greetings, hahaha!"
"In that case, this disciple will take his leave! Master, this disciple takes his leave!"
Li Ling bid farewell to Cangsong, nodded to Qi Hao in greeting, and then let out a soft whistle. The Dragon Slayer Sword in his hand transformed into a bright blue light, and in an instant, he and the sword became one and rose into the air!
Watching Li Ling fly away, Cang Song couldn't help but admire him inwardly: "To be able to control a flying sword so effortlessly, it seems that A Ling's sword control skills are already quite good. Perhaps, as he said earlier, he hadn't even shown his true abilities yet. It's truly astonishing!"
Qi Hao watched Li Ling's departing figure, but his eyes flickered slightly.
...
"Ha ha!"
At this moment, Li Ling was soaring above the ninth heaven. A spell isolated the surrounding gale. Even though it wasn't his first time using a flying sword, he was still excited looking at the scenery below, as if he had returned to the moment when he first flew on a sword in the real world.
After circling in the air for a while, Li Ling identified the direction of Dazhu Peak and flew over there.
His purpose in going to see Zhang Fan this time was for the Great Brahma Prajna. Back in Grass Temple Village, Puzhi probably thought that, just like in the original story, he was considering Li Ling's high aptitude and the possibility of attracting attention, so he didn't pass on the Great Brahma Prajna to Li Ling. Instead, he knocked Li Ling unconscious as well.
When Li Ling woke up, he was already at the Qingyun Sect. He really wanted to see the Great Brahma Prajna and learn to cultivate Taoism and Buddhism together like Zhang Fan.
As for the Bloodthirsty Bead in Zhang Fan's possession, Li Ling didn't care much. The Bloodthirsty Bead was too evil and didn't suit Li Ling's temperament. Although the Soul-Devouring Staff was powerful, it was incompatible with his nature. Even if it fell into Li Ling's hands, it wouldn't necessarily be much stronger than the Dragon-Slaying Sword. His forte was still swordsmanship.
At this moment, inside the Shoujing Hall of Dazhu Peak, the head of Dazhu Peak, Tian Buyi, was sitting at the head of the table with a face full of anger, glaring angrily at a young man kneeling on the ground below. The young man had a guilty look on his face and remained kneeling on the ground without moving.
Beside Tian Buyi, Su Ru, with a bitter smile on her face, was gently tugging at her husband's sleeve, whispering words of comfort.
Beside the three, several other disciples of Dazhu Peak, including Tian Buyi and Su Ru's beloved daughter 'Tian Ling'er', stood obediently to the side, not daring to provoke Tian Buyi, who was in a fit of rage.
Only Tian Ling'er was a little bolder; while her father turned his head away, she would occasionally make a face at Zhang Fan, who was kneeling on the ground.
Tian Buyi looked down at his seventh disciple, who had a blank expression, and poked him with his finger as if he wanted something. However, with Su Ru constantly comforting him, his anger slowly subsided, and he could only sigh helplessly.
The first level of the Taiji Xuanqing Dao Jade Purity Realm is so advanced that even an ordinary person can achieve something in three or four months, and can draw in the earth's spiritual energy and circulate it in their body for three to five weeks.
However, when Zhang Fan had only been a disciple for three months, Tian Buyi had a sudden urge to check his Taiji Xuanqing Dao cultivation level. He was so angry that he almost fainted. Zhang Fan couldn't even control his body's orifices.
Two years have passed, and Tian Buyi plans to test the cultivation progress of all his disciples. The other disciples are doing alright; although none of them have made a breakthrough in cultivation, they have all made some progress.
Tian Ling'er's cultivation level of reaching the fourth level of the Jade Purity Realm not long ago brought a rare smile of satisfaction to Tian Buyi's face.
But when it came to his seventh disciple, Tian Buyi was once again defeated by his astonishingly fast cultivation speed.
Two whole years of arduous training... and I still couldn't even get past the first level of the Taiji Xuanqing Dao.
Looking at his apprentice kneeling below, he wanted to get angry, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. In the end, he could only let out a long sigh.