In the Market Quarter, even amidst the surging crowds, the clamor of hawkers, and the sounds of bargaining, the old man's voice, though not loud, was clear and reached Zhao Li's ears without missing a word. For a moment, Zhao Li felt as if struck by lightning, standing there dumbfounded.
Zhao Li recalled the more than ten years he had spent since transmigrating to the Dou Qi Continent. It seemed he had mostly lived as an outsider, often feeling out of place interacting with peers his own age with his adult soul.
Many things initially piqued his interest, and he was willing to learn, delve into, and thoroughly understand them.
Even cultivation seemed to be the same. He hadn't truly stepped onto the path of cultivation yet, but he tried to understand everything, once convincing himself with the idea of being prepared and steady. Little did he know, how could one truly understand everything in this world without experiencing it firsthand?
After Zhao Li understood, his Dou Qi circulated on its own, faster and faster, even creating a small ripple of energy.
In the Market Quarter, the Dou Emperor expert seemed to sense something. His words stopped abruptly, and then he turned his head, his gaze falling on Zhao Li and his group:
"Why is this kid so reckless? Choosing to break through in a place like the Market Quarter, full of all sorts of different people. If he's not careful, failing the breakthrough is a small matter. If he suffers Cultivation Deviation, his life will be ruined."
It turned out that the old man's words had sounded like an Awakening Call to Zhao Li, instantly turning his former rigid way of thinking around.
The moment Zhao Li gained enlightenment, the touch of his mind caused the Dou Qi Stage he had already cultivated to perfection to circulate. The surrounding Dou Qi gathered towards Zhao Li as the Dou Qi within him circulated.
This commotion also made Zhao Hongyu and the others react. They immediately cleared out a relatively empty space around Zhao Li. At the same time, they sent Zhao Zhenzhen to notify the earlier guards.
Seeing that Zhao Li's breakthrough was temporarily okay, Zhao Hongyu went around, cupped her fists towards the crowd, and bowed:
"Everyone, I am truly sorry. My younger brother suddenly had some insights. If he misses this opportunity to break through, we don't know when he will have another chance. Disturbing everyone's business is indeed our fault. Later, everyone is welcome to browse in our Zhao Family Market Quarter. All transactions will be discounted by ten percent."
Wang Chen saw how Zhao Hongyu and the others handled the situation and nodded inwardly. In his heart, he envied his old friend's family for having so many talented juniors who handled things quite appropriately, though perhaps a bit too simply.
Sensing a few malicious gazes in the crowd, he immediately said to Zhao Hongyu:
"Hongyu girl, how is your grandfather? Don't worry, your little brother has a solid foundation, so breaking through shouldn't be a problem."
"Grandpa Wang, Grandpa is doing well. He went into seclusion to cultivate a few days ago to break through to the high-level Dou Emperor realm. Grandpa Wang, this is my younger brother, Zhao Li, from my third uncle's family."
Zhao Hongyu pointed at Zhao Li.
Hearing the Dou Emperor expert speak, and seemingly being acquainted with the young people before him, the surrounding crowd quieted down. A few people also silently left, though it was unclear if they were leaving satisfied with their gains or if they were rushing to relay the news to their families...
"Oh? Is he the disciple that old fellow Lin Lan took in? Not bad!"
Seeing Zhao Li sitting cross-legged on the ground, with the surrounding Dou Qi suddenly sweeping towards him, Wang Chen also knew that the Dou Qi Cyclone had successfully condensed. Moreover, this didn't seem like the commotion of someone who had just broken through to become a Dou Disciple.
As the Dou Qi within him began to circulate, Zhao Li also knew it was time to truly break through. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he assumed the posture of five hearts facing the sky and began to control the Dou Qi within his body to gather towards his Dantian. Then, it circulated rapidly, gradually forming a swirling channel.
When it stabilized, Zhao Li focused his senses on this channel. He could see everything within his body through the channel, as if from a divine perspective. As the cyclone rotated, the surrounding Dou Qi was constantly absorbed, then filtered and refined by the channel, filling his meridians.
Only then did Zhao Li realize that starting from being a Dou Disciple, it was the process of truly actively absorbing Dou Qi, taming Dou Qi, and mastering Dou Qi. It was completely different from the Dou Qi Stage, where one could only try to control and utilize the Dou Qi naturally present in the body.
As more and more Dou Qi was refined by the cyclone and filled his meridians, Zhao Li ended his cultivation and opened his eyes.
After breaking through, Zhao Li finally understood how naive his previous behavior had been. Theory was ultimately just theory. Even if he figured out how to cultivate to the Dou Sheng and Dou Di realms, if he never actually did it, he would still just be a Nobody who wasn't even a Dou Disciple, and he would never become that kind of expert.
"Unity of Knowledge and Action is the true path."
Zhao Li no longer hesitated. He stood up, said something to Zhao Hongyu and the others, then walked up to Wang Chen and bowed:
"Senior's words enlightened me and allowed me to break through. Please accept my bow."
Even though Zhao Li could have broken through earlier, if it weren't for Wang Chen's words, he would still be immersed in theoretical research.
"I was just looking for some fun in my leisure time; it was an unintentional success. Kid, you're very good!"
Wang Chen was momentarily stunned by Zhao Li's sudden action. After a moment of thought, he understood and looked at Zhao Li with even greater regard. He pointed at the jars in front of him and smiled:
"If you really want to thank this old man, how about something practical? Take care of my business and buy a few jars?"
Zhao Li was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected this senior's thinking to be so jumpy. He could only express his gratitude again and casually picked out two jars:
"These two will do. This is all the gold coins I have."
Zhao Li scratched his head and took out his savings: a Great Qian Bank universal Amethyst Card. It was unregistered, and anyone could withdraw money as long as there was money in it. Its nature was similar to the silver notes in the TV dramas on Earth in his previous life.
Putting away the two jars, Zhao Li sighed in his heart. He had been miserably scammed by Gabriel when he played DNF back then. So many years had passed, and perhaps, embarking on the journey of opening jars again had a different kind of fun.
Zhao Hongyu and the others had followed when Zhao Li walked towards Wang Chen. Seeing that the two had finished talking, she spoke:
"Xiao Li, Senior Wang Chen is Grandpa's close friend. When you were young and weak, Grandpa Wang even came to see you and prepared quite a few medicinal herbs. But you, you never interacted with anyone normally, and now you don't recognize him. Grandpa Wang, how about coming back with us to sit for a while?"
Wang Chen listened and laughed:
"Hongyu girl, you still don't know Grandpa Wang, do you? I won't hold it against the little fellow. Why are you still so polite?"
Then he pointed at the stall:
"I won't go. See, Grandpa here doesn't have your grandpa's ability to run countless businesses with outstanding juniors. I still have to rely on setting up a stall to make a living."
Zhao Hongyu and the others scratched their heads in embarrassment upon hearing this:
"Grandpa Wang, if Grandpa heard you say that, he'd probably want to have a drink with you again! Well then, we'll head back first. Xiao Li needs to consolidate his realm, and he should also choose a Cultivation Technique. Remember to come visit us when you have time."
After speaking, they bid farewell to Wang Chen and left.
At the Zhao Family Courtyard, the guard looked at the young master before him with great confusion. Their young master had been pacing back and forth at the entrance for a long time, just not going in. It seemed that in the young master's eyes, the door before him was like a flood monster.
After a long time, Zhao Li, with a look of facing death, pushed the door open and entered.
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