In the faint light of dawn, Su Hao completed the first phase of the test, retracting all the transformed Diamond Armor.
Handing a positioning stone to Yashan, Su Hao said, “Yashan, let’s stop the test here today! This is a positioning stone, valid for ten days. I’ll periodically send updates, but since you haven’t fully recovered, be cautious in your actions and avoid being too conspicuous!”
“By the way, even if your strength reaches the peak of your previous life, it may not surpass cultivators. So, keep that in mind!”
Yashan, securing the positioning stone, replied, “Understood, Boss Wei! I’m lucky to have a big brother like you!”
After some thought, Su Hao added, “I’m giving you this positioning stone with two purposes. First, if you encounter urgent situations beyond your control, you can call me, and I’ll teleport to help you. Second, use it as a fixed coordinate for quiet places to conduct experiments. So, unless it’s necessary, don’t bother me.”
Excited, Yashan said, “Boss Wei, I got it!”
Checking for any omissions, Su Hao then teleported back to his room in the Yunzhong Valley.
Su Hao dared to casually teleport within a major immortal sect like the Yunzhong Valley because there were few high-level cultivators present in the sect on a daily basis. Only two Nascent Soul realm cultivators guarded the sect, with most others being lower-level cultivators in the Qi Induction or Foundation Establishment realms.
In other words, as long as Su Hao avoided the two high-level cultivators, no one would notice his actions. It was quite secure!
Back in his room, Su Hao quickly lay down and fell asleep. After a busy day, he felt a hint of fatigue.
“I heard that after reaching the Nascent Soul realm, you can replace sleep with cultivation. I wonder if it’s true…”
…
Early the next morning, Feng Ling found Su Hao and handed him a book, saying, “Feng Wei, my master hasn’t returned yet. After careful consideration, I think you should focus on practicing spells first before advancing to the Foundation Establishment realm.”
Su Hao took a look and noticed it was no longer titled ‘Cloud Moon.’ Instead, it read “Wind Deceptive Spell.”
Before Su Hao could ask, Feng Ling explained, “Our Yunzhong Valley has six veins: Cloud, Moon, Wind, Rain, Dust, and Mist. Cloud Moon, Wind and Drizzle, Misty Dust. Our vein is ‘Wind,’ ranking third in the sect. Each vein has its unique spells, and all the spells of our Wind vein are recorded in the ‘Wind Deceptive Spell.’ What you have now is just the Qi Induction level spells, only three of them. Practice them well. After mastering these three spells, you’ll have some self-defense capabilities!”
Su Hao flipped through the book, recorded its contents, and then asked, “Thank you, Master, but don’t you want to explain these spells to me?”
Feng Ling shook her head, saying, “These three spells are straightforward, but they take a considerable amount of time to cultivate. Follow the descriptions in the book, and you’ll naturally learn them. The reason I came to find you today goes beyond this.”
Closing the book, Su Hao inquired, “What is it, Master? Just tell me directly.”
Feng Ling said, “Feng Wei, I hope you won’t break through to the Foundation Establishment realm within the next two years.”
Su Hao was puzzled, “Why is that?”
After a moment of contemplation, Feng Ling sighed deeply, “Let me be clear with you. There are three reasons. First, the sect has a rule that cultivators reaching the Foundation Establishment realm must take sect missions and carry them out within a year, without exception. You’re still too young, and the outside world is dangerous. It’s far from as safe as within the sect. I don’t want you to leave the sect so early; it’s not a good thing.”
“Second, it’s a personal reason of mine. The sect stipulates that after ten years of practice, disciples must take on apprentices to pass down immortal techniques. There’s a benefit in that—by teaching disciples, one can openly stay in the sect without being assigned external missions for at least five years. Currently, I need a few years to focus on practicing within the sect and strive to reach the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, ‘Holding Ground.’ If you break through to Foundation Establishment, even if your cultivation has just begun, it means my teaching task is completed. A year later, I’ll have to leave the sect and take on external missions again.”
“Third, Feng Wei, your talent is too strong, and your brilliance is too dazzling. I hope you can tone it down a bit. Exceptional talent is good, but being too outstanding might not be. Once you successfully establish your Foundation, your information will be officially registered in the sect, and many seniors can access your details. As for what might happen afterward, I cannot be certain.”
“Until you have a certain level of self-defense capability, it’s better to keep a low profile. Do you understand?”
After finishing her explanation, Feng Ling seemed to release a burden, becoming more relaxed. She quietly looked at Su Hao, awaiting his response.
These considerations were all part of her thoughtful deliberation, not merely an attempt to suppress Su Hao’s progress. Whatever choice Su Hao made, Feng Ling would accept it and fulfill her responsibility as a mentor by imparting the teachings to him.
Su Hao quickly understood Feng Ling’s perspective—the fundamental reason was her desire to stay within the sect and not go outside for the next three years. If Su Hao broke through to the Foundation Establishment realm, following sect regulations, both he and Feng Ling would have to leave the sect.
According to Feng Ling, low-level cultivators are often used as cannon fodder for sect missions outside the sect, and performing tasks outside the sect is highly dangerous—carelessness could lead to death.
In other circumstances, Su Hao wouldn’t listen. Would he consider others’ feelings when acting? That’s a joke!
However, Su Hao has his own considerations now.
What he needs most at the moment is to learn about cultivation. If he rushes to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm and gets assigned external missions, he might be taken away from this nurturing environment for learning, which would be a loss.
Furthermore, Su Hao has just started to comprehend “Spiritual Energy,” and his understanding of its nature and applications is still superficial. He needs a significant amount of independent time to study and explore.
Lastly, integrating this more potent force of “Spiritual Energy” into his system is not a simple task.
In summary, Su Hao can contribute to the sect, but not right now.
After pondering for a moment, he straightforwardly said, “Master, I can refrain from advancing to the Foundation Establishment realm within the next two years, but I have three small requests. If my requests cannot be fulfilled, these two years will be a meaningless waste of life for me.”
Feng Ling blinked her large eyes curiously and asked, “What requests? Let me hear them.”
Su Hao said, “First, I can abstain from breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm, but I want the cultivation methods for the Foundation Establishment realm—both the ‘Heart Technique,’ ‘Spirit Technique,’ and ‘Spell Technique.'”
Feng Ling thought for a moment and then asked, “Can you guarantee not to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm secretly? Because once it’s discovered that you concealed it from the sect, it’ll be difficult to obtain the cultivation methods for the Golden Core realm in the future.”
Su Hao understood Feng Ling’s meaning—If the sect teaches you cultivation methods and provides resources, but you secretly break the rules and hide it from the sect, then the sect would understandably be cautious and cut off the channels for further cultivation. Su Hao nodded decisively, “I can.”
With only about two years and other things on his agenda, Su Hao found this condition acceptable.
Feng Ling, looking into Su Hao’s eyes seriously, believed him and said, “I can provide you with the cultivation methods.”
Su Hao continued, “Second, I want knowledge related to cultivation, such as ‘Alchemy,’ ‘Artifact Refinement,’ ‘Formation Arrays,’ and so on. The more comprehensive, the better! Because in these two years, I need to study these areas. I can’t spend every day sleeping or eating, can I?”
Feng Ling nodded decisively, “Although I don’t have these, I can help you find them.”
“Third, and this is the last one, I need an independent territory within the sect for my cultivation and study—a cave dwelling. Rest assured, I won’t cause any damage. I primarily intend to use it for studying spells, experimenting with spells, cultivating spiritual herbs, and refining pills and artifacts. As you know, I don’t like being disturbed, and similarly, I don’t want my actions to disturb others.”
Feng Ling showed a troubled expression because this last request is a privilege granted only to cultivators who have reached the Foundation Establishment realm.
After thinking for a while, she finally gritted her teeth and said, “I can agree to this! I’ll give you my cave dwelling, and I’ll move to where you used to live.”
Then she looked at Su Hao and asked, “How about it?”
Su Hao revealed a big smile and said, “No problem!”
