Chapter 43: Sister, Breaking Through Costs Five Thousand Spirit Stones

Two shichen passed quietly in a flash, as a streak of light cut across the horizon accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound that rent the air.

A young maiden clad in a goose-yellow dress arrived gracefully upon a flying sword.

This maiden was none other than Qin Ran, a close friend of Ji Qingwan from their days in the Foundation Establishment stage.

She looked to be barely in her early twenties. Her skin surpassed snow in fairness, her brows and eyes were as picturesque as a traditional painting, and her large, watery eyes were crystal-clear to the bottom.

Her petite, upturned nose added a touch of spirited elegance, while her cherry lips possessed a natural rosy tint without the need for rouge. The corners of her mouth curved up slightly in an elusive, lingering smile that made anyone who saw her feel as though they were bathed in a gentle spring breeze.

As a soft breeze swept past, her skirt fluttered lightly, revealing a section of slender, fair calves that tempted the eye to linger.

Li Jiu flew out from the sea of bamboo to block Qin Ran's path.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master Qin!"

Li Jiu bowed respectfully, maintaining a deferential attitude.

In the realm of immortal cultivation, strength reigned supreme, and seniority among practitioners was strictly delineated by their realm of power.

Practitioners in the Qi Condensation stage generally addressed those in the Foundation Establishment stage as Uncle-Master, and those in the Core Formation stage as Grand Uncle-Master.

"My master is currently in seclusion, and I have been ordered to guard this place. I ask for your understanding, Uncle-Master."

Qin Ran gave a radiant, charming smile. "It was your master who sent me a sound-transmission talisman last night and invited me here!"

Her voice was crisp and melodious, highly pleasing to the ear.

"In that case, please follow me, Uncle-Master."

Li Jiu stepped aside to yield the path, leading Qin Ran toward Ji Qingwan's dwelling.

Upon arrival, they found that Ji Qingwan had been waiting for a considerable time.

When she caught sight of Qin Ran, a warm and enthusiastic smile bloomed across her face.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master Ji!"

Qin Ran hurried forward and delivered a deep, respectful bow.

Ji Qingwan feigned a reproachful look and chided, "We have been friends for decades! You should still address me as a sister!"

Previously, both of them had been in the Foundation Establishment stage, placing them on an equal generational footing.

Now that Ji Qingwan had leaped into the Core Formation stage, her status was vastly different from before.

Naturally, her seniority was much higher than it had been.

With these words, Ji Qingwan stepped forward briskly and took Qin Ran by the hand.

Qin Ran did not stand on ceremony and allowed herself to be pulled along as she glanced around her surroundings.

"Sister Qingwan, this place of yours is truly magnificent! The spiritual energy is rich, the scenery is delightful—it is indeed an exceptional place for cultivation."

Ji Qingwan chuckled. "Of course! There are plenty of good treasures here in my domain, and I will show you around shortly!"

With that, she turned her gaze toward Li Jiu, who was waiting respectfully to the side, and instructed:

"Guard my immortal cave well. Without my permission, no one is to approach, and absolutely no one is permitted to enter my residence!"

Li Jiu acknowledged the command promptly and withdrew from the room.

A short while later, deep within the bamboo sea, Li Jiu crossed paths with Bai Jie.

"Senior Sister, didn't you say you were going to keep an eye on the Junior Apprentice-Brother? Why have you run all the way here?"

Li Jiu asked with a hint of perplexity.

Bai Jie pouted slightly.

"The Junior Apprentice-Brother is right at Master's dwelling right now!"

"Just now, Master strictly forbade anyone from disturbing her. I thought she had some private words to share with Uncle-Master Qin, but it turns out the Junior Apprentice-Brother is there too..."

A trace of displeasure colored Bai Jie's voice.

"Lately, I feel this Junior Apprentice-Brother has become increasingly mysterious!"

"By the way, where is that cheap wench Su Xingyue?"

Bai Jie asked abruptly.

"She chose a spot and seems to have gone straight into closed-door cultivation!"

Li Jiu replied.

"Hmph, that cheap wretch. Who knows what kind of blind luck she stumbled upon to actually reach the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation!"

"Still, given her aptitude, achieving Foundation Establishment won't be all that easy for her!"

...

Ji Qingwan smiled faintly, her lotus-like steps moving gracefully as she led Qin Ran toward the secret chamber.

Qin Ran followed closely behind, her beautiful eyes darting about in curiosity.

"Qingwan, your immortal cave is decorated with such exquisite taste!"

Qin Ran could not help praising.

Ji Qingwan covered her mouth with a laugh. "Sister's immortal cave in the Hundred Flower Valley is hardly inferior. Once you step into the Core Formation stage, you can also claim a mountain peak to serve as your own private immortal cave."

Chatting and laughing, the two entered the secret chamber.

Ji Qingwan pushed open the heavy stone door, and an intense wave of concentrated spiritual energy rushed toward them like a tide.

Qin Ran's eyes brightened; the spiritual energy within this secret chamber was actually several times denser than the outside world!

Unable to contain her eagerness, she stepped inside and saw a pristine spring pool situated right in the center of the chamber.

The spring water was clear to the bottom, wreathed in billowing mist of spiritual vapor, dreamlike and ethereal.

"This... is this the spiritual spring you mentioned?"

Qin Ran's voice was laden with intense envy.

Ji Qingwan nodded, a proud expression coloring her features. "Well? What do you think? Is my spiritual spring decent?"

"Decent? It's far beyond decent—it's simply... marvelous!"

"Tsk tsk... Things really are different once you enter the Core Formation stage!"

"Cultivating in a place like this must accelerate one's progress by leaps and bounds compared to the outside world!"

Just as she was speaking, Qin Ran's gaze flickered and locked onto Lin Fan, who was standing quietly to the side.

He possessed a tall, straight posture, handsome facial features, and an extraordinary, refined temperament.

"Qingwan, who is this..."

Qin Ran asked out of curiosity.

Only then did Ji Qingwan remember Lin Fan's presence. She quickly introduced him: "Oh, this is my disciple, Lin Fan."

"Lin Fan, this is Qin Ran, my dear sister and friend."

Lin Fan stepped forward and offered a respectful bow. "Greetings, Uncle-Master Hua."

"My, oh my, your disciple is quite the handsome young man!"

Qin Ran smiled warmly as she looked at Lin Fan, a peculiar glint flashing deep within her eyes.

"Though you call him your disciple, somehow I find it hard to believe."

"Could he perhaps be your..."

She covered her mouth with a soft chuckle, teasingly leaving the sentence unfinished.

In the Joyful Union Sect, high-ranking elders having a few exceptional-looking cultivation vessels by their side was entirely commonplace.

Ji Qingwan feigned annoyance and rebuked, "Sister, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Then, shifting the topic abruptly, Ji Qingwan asked, "Sister, have you prepared the spirit stones I asked you to bring?"

At these words, the smile on Qin Ran's face gradually faded, replaced by an expression of solemn gravity.

"The spirit stones are naturally prepared, but..."

She hesitated, her lovely eyes flickering with hesitation.

"What on earth is this great stroke of fortune you mentioned?"

As it turned out, not long ago, Ji Qingwan had sent a message to Qin Ran instructing her to gather a vast fortune in spirit stones, claiming that she would bestow upon her a magnificent opportunity when the time came.

Had it been anyone else, Qin Ran certainly would not have believed it.

However, she and Ji Qingwan shared decades of deep friendship, which was the only reason she had agreed to today's meeting.

"This matter is of the utmost importance; I do not share it lightly with outsiders."

Ji Qingwan's tone turned stern.

"Once this secret leaks out, it will likely bring down a fatal calamity upon us. Therefore, if Sister wishes to obtain this great fortune, you must first swear a Heart Demon Oath, binding yourself never to disclose what you hear today to a third party!"

She added this with an air of unchallengeable authority.

Initially, Qin Ran had still harbored doubts, half-believing and half-怀疑.

Yet now, she felt convinced that the great fortune Ji Qingwan spoke of was most likely real.

A Heart Demon Oath was not something to be uttered casually, as it exerted an immensely powerful binding force upon practitioners.

If violated, at best one's cultivation would forever stagnate, and at worst, one would suffer a devastating backlash from inner demons during a breakthrough and perish on the spot.

After a brief hesitation, she clenched her teeth and made the Heart Demon Oath.

Ji Qingwan nodded in satisfaction.

She raised a slender, delicate finger and pointed toward the misty spiritual spring.

"The reason I was able to successfully break through to the Core Formation stage during my recent travels abroad is entirely because of this spiritual spring!"

"This spring is something I chanced upon within a hidden realm; it contains the most pure and untainted spiritual energy between heaven and earth. Cultivating beside this spiritual spring not only accelerates one's cultivation speed manifold, but it also dramatically increases the probability of breaking through bottlenecks."

Hearing this, Qin Ran's beautiful eyes widened in utter disbelief, and turbulent waves crashed within her heart.

Having known Ji Qingwan for many years, she understood her friend's character thoroughly.

Ji Qingwan had always acted with prudence and never spoke empty words.

And yet, this matter concerning the spiritual spring sounded far too fantastical.

It could actually increase the probability of breaking through bottlenecks?

One had to know that breaking through bottlenecks had always been one of the most formidable trials on a cultivator's path.

Countless practitioners remained trapped at a single realm for the entirety of their lives, unable to advance even an inch.

She herself had been stuck at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage for nearly thirty years without any progress.

If this spiritual spring truly possessed such miraculous efficacy, wouldn't it be defying the heavens itself?

"Could Ji Qingwan be deceiving me?"

"No, I've known her for many years, and our bond is deep. She wouldn't trick me over a mere batch of spirit stones!"

"Could it be... that this spiritual spring is truly this miraculous?"

Though shock churned within her heart, Qin Ran voiced her doubt aloud: "This... how can this be possible?"

"Sister need not doubt it. The world is vast, and all sorts of wonders exist."

A trace of complacency colored Ji Qingwan's tone.

"However, cultivating and breaking through near this spiritual spring consumes a massive amount of its internal spiritual energy, which must be replenished using spirit stones!"

"That is why I had you bring the spirit stones along."

With these words, her lips parted slightly.

Yet no sound emerged.

Clearly, she had switched to sound transmission, unwilling to let Lin Fan hear the specifics of what she was saying.

However, having stepped into the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and practiced the Great Void Spirit-Refining Art, Lin Fan's spiritual sense vastly surpassed that of practitioners in the same realm.

He was still able to clearly intercept Ji Qingwan's whispered words:

"If you wish to advance from the mid-Foundation Establishment stage to the late Foundation Establishment stage, it will consume at least five thousand spirit stones! And even that might not be enough!"