Chapter 89: Cultivating Together (Two-in-One)
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, the sect is about to begin the True Inheritor Trial soon. You and Feifei should help me when the time comes," Yuan Niya said, taking advantage of the time while Chu Feifei was setting up a formation to chat about the latest developments in the sect.
"Isn't that still a few years away? Did they move it up?"
The True Inheritor Trial was the biggest event in Qinglu Sect, and every disciple knew about it. Traditionally, the next round of trials was supposed to take place in a few years.
But from Yuan Niya's words, it seemed like the trial was happening soon.
"Yes!"
Yuan Niya nodded confidently. She had full faith in her ability to pass the True Inheritor assessment. Unlike a simple one-on-one duel among inner disciples, the sect had a more complex selection process.
Inner disciples joined the sect at different times and had varying levels of cultivation. Some who joined recently were still in the Qi Refining stage, while others who had been there longer had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. A direct one-on-one battle wouldn't be meaningful given such disparities.
The sect sought disciples with the potential to reach the Golden Core stage. Even if someone was currently at a lower cultivation level, with the sect's resources, they could quickly break through.
Conversely, those who had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage but had exhausted their potential wouldn't qualify as True Inheritors.
Since a simple duel wouldn't be enough to determine eligibility, the sect had devised a comprehensive assessment method.
The trial was divided into two parts. The first was a test of talent and potential. A Golden Core elder would suppress their cultivation to match that of the inner disciples and fight them to gauge their combat foundation.
Only those with a combat foundation multiple times stronger than their peers could exchange a few moves with a Golden Core elder under restricted cultivation.
Once a disciple passed the talent and potential test, the second assessment would be an external trial. The sect wasn't just looking for disciples who could cultivate—they also needed individuals who could survive in the harsh world of cultivation.
While there were rules within the sect, the outside world was different. Rogue cultivators and even disciples from other sects wouldn't follow the same rules.
For ordinary disciples who never left the sect, survival skills weren't necessary. But a True Inheritor had to understand the realities of the cultivation world.
After all, once someone became a True Inheritor, they would be part of the sect's core leadership. Future sect leaders and peak masters were usually chosen from among the True Inheritors. Someone ignorant of the cultivation world's dangers could never lead Qinglu Sect to survive.
Since external trials were unpredictable, the sect allowed flexibility in this part of the test. Inner disciples taking the trial could attempt it alone if they were confident, or they could gather allies.
Yuan Niya had just invited Gu Mo and Chu Feifei to help her complete the trial. Chu Feifei, as a formation master, could set up arrays for battle, while Gu Mo, in Yuan Niya's view, would serve as a healer since he knew the Minor Rejuvenation Art.
As for Yuan Niya herself, she would handle offense. With her Heartfire Art, her combat power was undoubtedly the strongest among them.
Another advantage of teaming up was that they could find a place rich in spiritual energy and cultivate freely, without having to be so cautious all the time.
Of course, Yuan Niya could take the easy way out and ask her master for help. With a Golden Core cultivator by her side, completing the trial would be effortless. However, the final evaluation would also be the lowest possible score.
Thus, inner disciples had to make a choice: invite powerful allies and make the trial easier but receive a lower score, or go alone, increasing the difficulty and risk.
If unlucky, one might encounter unexpected dangers with no one to help, possibly leading to death.
"No problem!"
Gu Mo agreed without hesitation. Assisting inner disciples in completing trial missions was exactly the kind of special task he had been looking for—a way to earn massive sect contributions.
If Yuan Niya became a True Inheritor, both he and Chu Feifei would receive even greater rewards. Because of this, inner disciples rarely had trouble finding helpers.
This allowed them to pick the best candidates for their team.
"Niya, I don't have much experience, and neither does Gu Mo. Won't we just be dragging you down?" Chu Feifei, still setting up the formation, voiced her concerns.
Since joining Qinglu Sect, she and Gu Mo had never left the sect. Their knowledge of the outside world was purely theoretical. Yuan Niya seemed to be in the same boat. Wouldn't this just be three rookies recklessly charging into the cultivation world?
"Don't worry, we'll hire an experienced guide." Yuan Niya had already thought this through.
Hearing this, Chu Feifei felt relieved. Soon, she finished setting up the Spirit Dispersion Formation, and Yuan Niya placed a thousand spirit stones into it.
Technically, the three of them didn't need that many spirit stones. Gu Mo didn't even require spiritual energy to cultivate. However, Yuan Niya wasn't short on money and didn't want their cultivation session to be disrupted due to a lack of spiritual energy.
Besides, if they didn't use up all the spirit stones this time, they could save them for next time. Nothing would go to waste.
After setting the spirit stones, Yuan Niya sat on the left cushion, Chu Feifei in the middle, and Gu Mo on the right. The cushions were close together to maximize the effects of Chu Feifei's natural fragrance.
"Let's begin!"
Once they were seated, Chu Feifei activated the Spirit Dispersion Formation. Immediately, the spirit stones deflated like punctured balloons, releasing pure spiritual energy that filled the entire room. The concentration of spiritual energy increased several times over.
Gu Mo cast two perfected Cleansing Techniques on Yuan Niya and Chu Feifei. Instantly, a rich fragrance filled the air.
Sensing the calming aroma, Yuan Niya began circulating her Heartfire Art. Since she had been receiving frequent cleansing treatments from Gu Mo, he only used the normal version this time.
Even at normal intensity, the perfected Cleansing Technique made her feel incredibly comfortable. This relaxed state further boosted her cultivation efficiency.
As she absorbed the abundant spiritual energy, Chu Feifei's cultivation speed was just as fast.
With a mid-grade fire spirit root, Yuan Niya's Heartfire Art cultivation speed was comparable to that of a high-grade spirit root. In other words, when Chu Feifei's special constitution was fully activated, her cultivation speed also matched that of a high-grade spirit root.
Seeing the two enter a deep cultivation state, Gu Mo, feeling slightly intoxicated by the fragrance, began practicing his Wine God Soul Refinement Art.
The scent he and Yuan Niya experienced from Chu Feifei was different, but both benefited immensely from it.
Two hours later, as the Cleansing Technique's effects faded, Chu Feifei's fragrance weakened. Gu Mo and Yuan Niya prepared to end their session.
But then they noticed something unusual—Chu Feifei hadn't stopped cultivating.
"She's about to break through!"
Since their cultivation levels were higher, they immediately understood.
Chu Feifei had already been close to reaching Qi Refining Third Level. With Gu Mo's perfected Cleansing Technique continuously activating her special constitution, her cultivation speed had skyrocketed. Today, she was finally advancing.
As they watched, her aura surged, and her fragrance intensified dramatically.
This was the body's natural purification process during a breakthrough—far more thorough than the Cleansing Technique. During this time, her special constitution would be fully activated.
A wave of intoxicating fragrance hit them. Gu Mo swayed unsteadily, feeling almost drunk, while Yuan Niya wasn't much better off.
Without hesitation, the two resumed cultivation. Yuan Niya even threw in another two thousand spirit stones to ensure the room's spiritual energy remained high.
An hour later, Chu Feifei opened her eyes. But since her fragrance wouldn't dissipate anytime soon, she chose to continue cultivating, unwilling to waste this rare opportunity for rapid improvement.
Three days passed. By then, Chu Feifei's fragrance had completely faded. They had remained in seclusion the entire time, consuming all three thousand spirit stones.
Yuan Niya had even broken through to Qi Refining Fifth Level.
Suddenly, Gu Mo frowned. "You two have been missing for three days. Is that really okay?"
"Ah!!"
Hearing Gu Mo's words, Yuan Niya was suddenly startled. She and Chu Feifei had secretly snuck out, and with the True Inheritance assessment approaching, their master had been frequently coming by to guide them. After disappearing for three days, their master would surely be worried if they couldn't be found.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, Feifei and I will be leaving first." Without hesitation, Yuan Niya grabbed Chu Feifei and ran off.
As they left, Gu Mo took a moment to assess the results of his three days of intense cultivation using the Wine God's Soul Refining Technique. "Right now, my soul should have reached the level of Qi Refinement perfection." If he had relied on spirit wine instead, it would have taken several vats to achieve the same results.
A few vats of spirit wine would cost at least tens of thousands of spirit stones. In other words, thanks to Chu Feifei, he had saved himself a fortune. Just from this alone, his previous investment in Chu Feifei had already paid off—and then some.
However, Gu Mo's goal wasn't just to refine his soul to Qi Refinement perfection. What he truly aimed for was to condense his divine sense. But that was a major hurdle, and he would need to borrow Chu Feifei's unique fragrance a few more times before he had a real chance at breaking through.
Aside from that, he also had to start preparing for Yuan Niya's True Inheritance trial. For instance, he needed to get a few Tier-2 Potato Landmines ready—these would be devastatingly effective for ambushing enemies at critical moments.
He also had to prepare some Nuts. Since Chu Feifei would be joining the mission, they could use the Nuts to set up formations when dealing with tough opponents.
Given the defensive power of the Nuts, they should be able to withstand attacks from Qi Refinement perfection-level cultivators. If he upgraded them, they might even be able to resist Foundation Establishment-level attacks.
If Gu Mo managed to refine a Tier-2 Nut as the formation's core, its defense—already capable of crossing two major realms—would likely be impenetrable to most ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.
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