NOVEL NEXT Chapter 327: Out of Seclusion
Ordinary cultivators needed at least five thousand years to advance from the peak of the void refining realm to the early stage of the fusion realm.
Similarly, geniuses needed two to three thousand years to achieve the same breakthrough.
However, Shen Xu was not an ordinary genius.
Even before he refined a rootless colourful water lily petal, he needed less than two thousand years to advance.
That said, talent was not everything.
Although Shen Xu had boundless talent and matchless cultivation speed, he had also refined a nine-colour lotus and other meridian and dantian broadening treasures.
As a result, he required a dozen times more qi than ordinary void refining realm cultivators to advance to the fusion realm.
Accumulating this qi was not easy.
Fortunately, the double had Xiaolei and billions of spirit stones.
After retreating for fifteen hundred years, he finally felt the barrier and could break through at any time.
However, Shen Xu chose not to advance.
On one hand, his contract with Xiaolei was only eight points complete, and he didn't want to stop halfway. On the other hand, he wanted to compress his qi as much as possible to eliminate any vainness in his cultivation.
Time passed, and one hundred years later, he completed the contract and his cultivation soared.
However, Shen Xu still chose to suppress his breakthrough.
Instead, he refined a blood ginseng fruit while frequently cleansing his qi with cloud-seeking fruits and qi cleansing peaches.
In the two thousandth year, Shen Xu encountered a bottleneck.
This bottleneck was not in his cultivation but in his qi.
After years of cleansing, his qi was as pure as it could get, and cloud seeking fruits no longer produced any effect.
Shen Xu was satisfied but still did not advance.
Instead, he prepared a tub of spiritual water and added a drop of immortal marrow.
"Let's hope it's as magical as Li Wenqiang, Yang Shi, and Feng Xue made it sound." He muttered and cautiously entered the tub.
A moment later, a few drops of sweat appeared on his forehead, and a trace of reluctance flashed in his eyes.
However, the double gritted his teeth and forced his body into the water.
"It's bloody painful." He complained.
He felt like millions of needles were poking him through each pore in his body.
Fortunately, although he was afraid of pain, he had never shrunk in the face of difficulty. He didn't shrink in the lightning lake or other instances before and after.
This time, Shen Xu gritted his teeth and forcibly endured.
Time passed, and before he knew it, he had been absorbing the immortal marrow for four hundred years.
As a result, his body was stronger, sturdier, and filled with energy.
However, the transformation was short of the promised golden bones, golden muscles, and golden blood.
'It seems one drop is not enough.' He thought, sighed, and stepped out of the tub.
After that, he dried himself, wore new clothes and prepared to find Zhen Yuan.
However, when he opened the door, he saw the man he was thinking about.
"Ayuan, you are already out of seclusion?" Shen Xu asked and threw himself into his lover's arms.
"I have only been out for five days." Zhen Yuan answered, his lips curled in a doting smile.
After hugging for a few moments, Zhen Yuan gently pushed the double from his arms.
"Your cultivation can't be suppressed any longer." He said, and Shen Xu nodded.
"I have been ready to advance for almost one thousand years." The double revealed.
Hearing this, Zhen Yuan frowned and rubbed his lover's hair.
"I have made the necessary arrangements. You can advance at any time."
"Good."
The two left the space after that.
Soon after, Shen Xu sat in the prepared area and released his cultivation, causing dark clouds to begin gathering in the sky.
The clouds gathered for one day.
On the morning of the following day, a golden lightning bolt fell from the clouds and struck Shen Xu.
"Son of…" The double cursed, but still carried the lightning.
Second bolt…
Third bolt…
.
.
.
Fifteenth bolt…
At this point, Shen Xu swallowed a healing pill and activated a lightning guiding formation.
However, the formation was a temporary reprieve and only blocked eight waves before shattering.
Fortunately, Zhen Yuan had prepared well.
Although the tribulation was horrendous, Shen Xu survived and received a heavy blessing.
"Peak stage of the fusion realm?" Zhen Yuan muttered in a shocked voice.
"Are you surprised?" Shen Xu chuckled, his eyes bright from happiness.
"Mmh." Zhen Yuan nodded, but suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Let's leave this place first." He said.
Although he chose a remote area for Shen Xu to advance, there was no guarantee that someone would not stumble upon them.
Considering that, Zhen Yuan decided to leave the area before discussing the situation.
A breath later, Shen Xu entered the space, and Zhen Yuan activated a teleportation talisman.
After three teleportations, he found a secluded place and entered the space.
Shen Xu was waiting in the peach garden.
Although his tribulation injuries had not fully healed, the double didn't feel like staying indoors, so he waited in the garden.
"Your cultivation is stable." Zhen Yuan observed as soon as he saw Shen Xu.
"Mmh." The double nodded with a happy expression.
"My cultivation rose to the mid-stage of the fusion realm after contracting Xiaolei. Later, I refined a blood ginseng fruit and improved a small realm. I didn't stop there, though." Shen Xu boasted and quickly continued.
"I absorbed billions of spirit stones while I was soaking in the tub of spiritual water and immortal marrow. Unexpectedly, my cultivation not only rose another small realm but also stabilised."
"Congratulations." Zhen Yuan praised, rubbing the double's hair.
"What about you? What is your level?" Shen Xu asked in an expectant voice.
"Guess."
"Let's see…" Shen Xu narrowed his eyes and began thinking.
From what he knew, Zhen Yuan had accumulated many laws from the treasures in the auction, the Flaming Hell, the Weapons Grave, and the Ghost Village.
Most importantly, the man had planned to refine a rootless colourful water lily petal during his retreat.
Thinking of this, Shen Xu looked at Zhen Yuan.
"Did you comprehend the laws from the rootless colourful water lily petal?" He asked, and Zhen Yuan nodded before shaking his head.
"What do you mean?" The double asked.
"There was not enough time to fully comprehend the laws on the petal. I am about seven points done."
"Seven points…" Shen Xu muttered with a thoughtful expression.
A moment later, he smiled with a satisfied look.
"Last stage of the Mahayana realm." He guessed, and Zhen Yuan chuckled before nodding.
"Correct." He said.
"I really guessed it?" Shen Xu asked in a surprised voice.
"Are you surprised?"
"Somewhat." The double said, leaning on Zhen Yuan's shoulder.
The retreat was a major success for both of them.
However, Shen Xu was a little unhappy that their resources had fallen to pre-liberation levels.
Thinking of this, he sighed and began talking.
"After this retreat, Yang Shi's blood essence crystal will be gone, and he can no longer rely on it to advance." He said.
"Mmh." Zhen Yuan nodded in agreement.
"Feng Xue has the phoenix treasures, and if nothing goes wrong, she should be able to cultivate to the peak of level nine."
"As for Li Wenqiang, he has enough nether stones to reach the peak of the mahayana realm."
"You are the only one without resources." Zhen Yuan stated, and Shen Xu nodded.
"I am afraid we won't find more resources in the Tianqi continent. We can only try our luck in the Tianxuan continent." Shen Xu said.
"We may not have qi resources, but we have soul resources." Zhen Yuan said and quickly continued.
"We have three hundred and sixteen nether lotuses, and we have yet to refine the soul-nourishing fruits. These resources are enough to refine our soul to the early stage of level nine."
Shen Xu nodded when he heard this.
"Anyway, there is plenty of time to figure things out. Let's not sweat it." He said.
After that, the two went to the bamboo hut and double-cultivated while waiting for the others to come out of seclusion.
Since Feng Xue and Li Wenqiang didn't need to cross thunder tribulations, the group left the area after Yang Shi crossed his.
Their destination was the nearby inscription tower city.
After almost one hundred years, Shen Xu and Zhen Yuan were ready to conquer the remaining towers.
Because of this, after arriving in the Inscription Tower City, Zhen Yuan entered the tower while Shen Xu went to the Food Tower City.
One month later, the two reunited in a remote village near the Martial Tower City.
"Is everything alright? Did you encounter trouble?" Zhen Yuan asked when he saw Shen Xu.
However, Shen Xu shook his head with a cunning expression.
"I reacted fast and escaped before the city lord could do anything." He said.