It was amazing how good the accommodation was for inner disciples! Mo Qi was filled with envy.
At this moment, several female cultivators emerged from the house. Seeing Xiao Cong'er returning with a male disciple, they were all quite surprised. Xiao Cong'er, usually so aloof, had never paid attention to many talented scholars or handsome male cultivators. Today, she had brought back this ordinary-looking one. And they were holding hands! Had she taken leave of her senses?
"Cong'er, did the sun rise from the west today? Have you finally found someone you fancy?" a female cultivator teased.
"Don't talk nonsense," Xiao Cong'er blushed, releasing Mo Qi's hand, and rushed into the house. As she entered, she called out, "Junior Brother Mo is a dragon among men; he wouldn't fancy me." Her graceful figure then vanished behind the door.
Mo Qi was still pondering the hidden meanings in her words when Xiao Cong'er poked her head out from behind the door again. "See you another day, Junior Brother Mo!"
"See you another day!"
Mo Qi felt an emptiness in his heart, unsure how he left Maiden Peak or how he returned to Shaoxia Peak.
Twenty days later, with the aid of elixirs, Baili Bing, Jin Dan, and Yu Ming all successfully reached the Condensation stage. The three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief. The four of them then reunited, recounting their experiences apart. Although they had been by each other's side daily, it felt as if they were separated by a vast distance, as if they hadn't seen each other in ages.
Baili Bing, in particular, gazed at Mo Qi with her enchanting eyes, then invited him to her cave dwelling. Mo Qi was left speechless, torn between laughter and tears. "What's going on? Does she not know that I visit her cave dwelling almost every day, and sometimes even sleep there?"
He suddenly had a bold idea, and then he was startled by his own thought, even slapping himself.
Just then, Jin Dan suddenly spoke, "I have a bold idea." Mo Qi panicked, thinking he was about to do something wrong. He immediately smacked Jin Dan on the head. "You scoundrel, what are you trying to do?"
Jin Dan rubbed his head, looking wronged. "I just wanted to go over there and snatch some houses to live in. Who wants to live in a cave all the time? How did I become a scoundrel?"
Mo Qi realized he had been too hasty. He suppressed his embarrassment and patted Jin Dan's head again. "You're overestimating yourself. The few of us aren't enough for them to practice on." He then became serious. "At that time, Leng Xiao's combat strength was similar to ours now, yet he was beaten to a pulp. I also thought about snatching houses, but I don't have the strength yet. We need to be patient, and it might be for a long time."
Jin Dan calmed down and sighed. Everyone sighed.
However, Mo Qi was deeply motivated. He had always been the leader of these people, setting the direction for their actions. He felt he had to continue carrying the banner of leadership. After their small gathering dispersed, he quietly went to the damp cave and began to cultivate, wanting to see if he could raise his cultivation to the second stage of Condensation or even higher.
After entering a state of meditation, he activated his spiritual sense and recited the cultivation mantra, attempting to resonate with the vast ocean within him. The vast ocean remained calm, but under the guidance of his spiritual sense, a small area in the center began to spin like a vortex, forming a stream of water that flowed out of the ocean and twisted and coiled within his body. He was still at the first stage of Condensation.
Mo Qi tried to continue guiding the vast sea to circulate, creating a larger vortex. However, apart from the area of the vortex, the rest of the region was like a dead sea, undisturbed by any waves.
He attempted to guide the spiritual power coiled within him to impact the entire vast sea, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, merging into it and disappearing. Once, twice, thrice... countless attempts yielded the same result.
Time slowly passed, and before he knew it, an entire night had gone by. Mo Qi was completely unaware, continuing to try to observe the deeper parts of the vast ocean with his spiritual sense. Once, twice, thrice... countless attempts failed; he couldn't penetrate it.
Time continued to slip away, and another day passed before he realized it. Mo Qi had completely forgotten about hunger, fatigue, and even himself. It was as if only his spiritual consciousness remained, soaring through heaven and earth, galloping through the vast ocean. Finally, at a certain moment, the once deep and dark seawater began to clear.
At the very bottom of the deep sea, beneath the calm surface, countless undercurrents surged. One of them was connected to the ocean but was self-contained, creating magnificent waves that surged forward with great amplitude, boundless and endless, as if intending to engulf everything in the world. And at the clear seabed, there seemed to be a slender, pointed object that disappeared as the seawater washed over it, as if it were an illusion.
Yes, the powerful surges within him that rose and fell had always originated from here.
At this moment, it began to pulse joyfully, as if it had been buried and suppressed for a long time, and once discovered, with just a little help, it could overturn seas and stir up clouds.
His spiritual consciousness extended as if reaching out a hand to push that power. The great river immediately roared, like a dragon raising its head and soaring into the sky, instantly reaching the sea surface. As it turned, it created another vortex, and finally, a stream of seawater rushed out of the sea and flowed rapidly within his body.
The two streams of seawater flowed rapidly, intertwining and separating. Their collisions erupted with tremendous roars, as if they were about to explode within his body.
Mo Qi knew very well that he was about to break through to the second stage of Condensation. At that moment, as if divinely inspired, he immediately formed a hand seal, forcefully twisting the two powerful forces together. He felt the sound of constant explosions within his body.
After the fusion, it seemed as if even more powerful energy was brewing to be released. He had no choice but to exhale. A ripple suddenly emerged and exploded with a deafening roar in the cave.
The entire cave shook violently, and loose rocks and soil cascaded down the mountainside. The giant rocks above Mo Qi's cave split apart and began to fall rapidly.
It was collapsing! Mo Qi reacted with incredible speed, his body instantly shooting out. With a thunderous crash, the giant rocks in the cave fell, and dust billowed out, quickly filling the air.
Most of the nearby caves also vibrated violently, shedding dust, but they did not collapse.
However, the people inside were all startled and rushed out, cursing loudly, "Who is it? Who the hell is cultivating and can't control their power? They should go eat dirt with such skill! You should consider others when improving your cultivation!"
Seeing many people directing their angry gazes towards him, Mo Qi panicked. He immediately feigned innocence and looked around, "Who is it? Who is so uncouth? Cultivate properly, and don't be so ostentatious!"
The crowd reluctantly shifted their extremely unfriendly gazes elsewhere, searching.
Mo Qi breathed a sigh of relief. He also knew that he must have missed something. Every time his cultivation broke through, there was an outburst. Logically, it should have been absorbed naturally, but at that moment, he was too rushed to think about it, and when he wasn't cultivating, he had no intention of thinking about it.
Just like now, as soon as everyone realized there was no danger of the cave collapsing and returned to their respective caves, Mo Qi immediately found another cave and continued to cultivate.
He felt that the surging power within his body had not yet subsided, and his cultivation seemed to be able to improve further.
So, the next moment, he once again touched the deep sea with his spiritual sense, pushing the power of the great river to surge upwards. As it drove the vortex to spin, another stream of seawater emerged and flowed within Mo Qi's body, intertwining and colliding with the previously flowing seawater, and finally merging together! He successfully advanced to the third stage of Condensation.
However, Mo Qi still couldn't control the newly born power. A seedling must push through the soil to sprout, and this power was growing stronger with each attempt. With another thunderous roar, Mo Qi's cave and the one next to it collapsed. Fortunately, there was no one in the nearby cave.
This explosion caused an even greater tremor, and more sand and rocks slid down. All the cave dwellers rushed out, some angry, some panicked. Jin Dan, Yu Ming, and Baili Bing also came out.
They didn't see Mo Qi, but Mo Qi saw them.
The people who had been cursing earlier became even more enraged, flying into a rage. "Damn it, which bastard is it? If I find out who it is, I'll skin him alive and tear out his tendons!"
Mo Qi also put on an indignant expression and shouted, "Find this selfish guy and kill him!"
After another period of clamor, the crowd gradually dispersed, and everyone returned to their own caves.
They thought it must be over by now. After all, no one had ever broken through twice in one night. That person (they could tell it was the same person) had already broken through twice, and they probably had a stroke of incredible luck.
This must be the limit, right? They couldn't possibly have such luck again, could they?
Mo Qi was also troubled at this moment. He wanted to stop, but his strength wouldn't allow it.
He clearly felt that the power within him was still vigorous. He had a rough idea of where this power came from, thinking of a white-robed figure. As long as this power could continue to drive the vortex above, his cultivation could continue to rise.
He also feared that if he stopped, this power would also stop, or suddenly disappear, and he would miss his chance forever. Therefore, striking while the iron was hot was the best course of action!
He intended to find another cave to continue his breakthrough. At this moment, his peripheral vision caught sight of a sneaky figure observing from outside. The figure kept looking around, then stopping, then walking forward, then walking backward.
Mo Qi initially thought he was trying to find the troublemaker, but then he realized the figure was lingering around Baili Bing's cave entrance. He seemed to have some ulterior motive.
Mo Qi pretended not to see him and entered a nearby cave.
Then, he immediately turned back and cautiously peeked out, looking towards Baili Bing's cave entrance.
He saw a heel disappear into Baili Bing's cave, and the person vanished.
Mo Qi's heart ignited with rage. In this sacred land of cultivation, the Lingxiao Sect, were there still such despicable people?
He ran over quickly but didn't enter the cave immediately. He stopped at the entrance.
Then, he heard Baili Bing's somewhat frightened, angry voice from inside: "Who are you? Get out, get out now!"
"Oh, little beauty, don't be so eager to send me away. My name is Pan Jinhe. I see you living alone in such a large cave, and you must be lonely. So, let me keep you company." Another extremely lewd voice sounded.
Baili Bing was clearly frightened. Her angry shouts turned into sharp screams: "Get out! If you don't leave immediately, I'll call for help!"
"Go ahead and call," Pan Jinhe said brazenly. "You can scream your lungs out, and no one will pay attention to you. Newcomers like you are meant to be bullied. This has always been the tradition of the Lingxiao Sect; this is reality. You have to learn to accept your fate, and you'll get used to it eventually."
"Besides, if you follow me, no one will dare to bully you anymore. I'll protect you."
"Get out! I don't need your protection. If you don't leave, I'll really call for help," Baili Bing's panicked and helpless voice sounded again.
"Go ahead and call. See if anyone pays attention to you?" Pan Jinhe said smugly.
"Help!" Baili Bing cried out. Her voice carried clearly to the surroundings.
Mo Qi also looked around outside, and indeed, no one came.
"No one's paying attention to you, are they?" Pan Jinhe chuckled.
As he spoke, Pan Jinhe reached out to grab Baili Bing's clothes, as she cowered in the corner. Although scared, Baili Bing's innate stubbornness was ignited.
At some point, she had already grasped a dagger. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly stabbed towards Pan Jinhe.
Pan Jinhe, who also had the cultivation of the second stage of Condensation, did not dodge. He calmly reached forward, his wrist flipping to grab Baili Bing's wrist. With a gentle pat of his other hand, the dagger clattered to the ground.
"Brother Mo!" Baili Bing cried out in panic, simultaneously trying to pull her hand back desperately. However, her delicate hand was firmly held by the other party, and she couldn't free it.
"Why call me Brother Mo, hahaha," Pan Jinhe laughed maniacally, his eyes bloodshot, his throat almost emitting a growl. "Call me Brother Pan!"
"Brother Pan!" A voice suddenly sounded from behind.
"Yes, that's right, that's how you should call me." Pan Jinhe nodded, extremely pleased. Then he suddenly felt something was wrong. The voice clearly did not come from the little beauty, and the direction of the sound was also incorrect.
Pan Jinhe turned around abruptly and saw a person standing at the cave entrance, his eyes blazing with fury, filled with killing intent.
Pan Jinhe's heart tightened. He involuntarily released Baili Bing's hand. Baili Bing, seeing a savior, immediately ran over and hid behind Mo Qi.
Pan Jinhe rubbed his eyes and looked closely. He saw a boy of fifteen or sixteen, a new face, clearly another "new pig."
Pan Jinhe immediately became enraged. "You little brat, how dare you scare me? Do you know who I am?"
"I know. Aren't you Brother Pan?" Mo Qi said.
"Good that you know. If you dare to ruin my good deed, be sensible and get lost, as far away as possible, or I'll break your legs." Pan Jinhe cursed furiously.
Baili Bing cautiously looked at Mo Qi's profile, worried that he might actually be scared away.
Mo Qi's expression remained frosty throughout. His anger continued to escalate. "What a coincidence. You want to break my legs, and I want to chop off your hands, because your hands were being obnoxious just now."
Baili Bing felt a great sense of relief, but her worried expression did not lessen, as she feared Mo Qi was no match for the opponent.
Not only her, but Pan Jinhe also thought so.
Pan Jinhe was furious. "Insolent! How dare you speak to me like this, you newcomer? You truly don't want to live."