Ascension of Qualifications, Innate Sword Body

At first, Shen Jinghong wanted to maintain a girl's modesty in front of her junior brother. She held her jade chopsticks properly, only scooping a small half-spoon of rice porridge with each bite, and cutting the meat slices in half before bringing them to her mouth.

But the moment the Purple Flame Spirit Rice touched the tip of her tongue, it turned into a warm current that slid down her throat and into her dantian. It actually caused her sword body, which had been stagnant for days, to emit a faint hum, like a dried riverbed being moistened by a clear spring.

She modestly picked up a piece of beef. As soon as her teeth pierced the texture of the meat, an abundant surge of vitality and blood seeped out through her teeth.

It was as if a docile little stove was slowly wandering through her meridians, roasting away all the cold energy that had accumulated in her joints during her sword practice until it vanished into thin air.

"Mmm..."

She subconsciously pursed her lips, and the jade chopsticks pinched between her fingertips suddenly sped up.

The rice porridge she had just been sipping in small bites was now scooped up in three large spoonfuls, the porcelain bowl clinking with crisp sounds.

She didn't even bother to cut the meat slices on her plate, stuffing whole pieces into her mouth. Her cheeks bulged, making her look like a squirrel hoarding pinecones.

It wasn't until the bottom of the bowl was clean that she belatedly looked up, locking eyes with Gu Changge's suppressed smile.

Her face instantly flushed bright red, and she hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve—there was still a bit of beef grease on it.

"This spirit food..."

She cleared her throat, trying to regain her usual aloofness, but the unconcealed satisfaction in her eyes gave her away. "It is indeed better than the dining hall's."

When the three of them had almost finished eating, Gu Changge brought over a purple clay teapot and poured a cup of tea for each of them.

In the amber tea soup, the tea leaves unrolled and drifted. A crisp, cool fragrance instantly spread, mixing with the scent of morning bamboo dew, invigorating the spirits of the three who had just eaten their fill.

"Try this."

Gu Changge pushed the teacups in front of them.

Li Xuanfeng picked his up first. Just as it reached his nose, a burst of tea fragrance seemed to sprout legs and drilled into his nasal cavity.

With a buzz, his mind exploded—some of the cultivation bottlenecks he had encountered when breaking through to the late stage of the Core Condensation realm a few days ago now seemed like a fog that had been cut open, their inner workings becoming clearer than ever!

Those originally tangled and unclear spiritual energy circulation routes suddenly became smooth, and even the blocked nodes in his Purple Mansion began to crackle and pop.

"Is this... an epiphany?!"

Li Xuanfeng's pupils shrank, and he subconsciously tried to suppress it—his master, Xuanyangzi, had repeatedly warned him that breakthroughs must be steady and solid, and rushing for quick success would easily leave hidden dangers.

"Don't suppress it."

Gu Changge spoke calmly. With a flick of his finger, a golden pill appeared out of thin air. It was the legendary Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.

He crushed the pill, took only a fifth of the powder, and flicked his finger, blending it into the spiritual energy surrounding Li Xuanfeng.

At the same time, he took out a few drops of Innate Spirit Marrow and flicked them into Li Xuanfeng's body.

"Borrow this momentum to push through. I will help you solidify your foundation."

As soon as his voice fell, the spiritual energy of the Purple Bamboo Peak seemed to be drawn by invisible hands, surging toward Li Xuanfeng like a tide.

Under Gu Changge's guidance, that spiritual energy was incredibly docile, washing through his meridians layer by layer.

That one-fifth of the Golden Elixir powder turned into a warm current, stripping away the impure parts of his spiritual energy one by one. His cultivation, originally stuck at the late stage of the Core Condensation realm, now surged upward like a hot knife through butter—Peak of the Core Condensation realm, early stage of the Purple Mansion realm...

In just a moment, Li Xuanfeng's aura stabilized at the middle stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

He subconsciously circulated his spiritual energy, only to feel the airflow within his body a hundred times smoother than before. The spiritual light lingering at his fingertips was also several times more condensed than in the past, and even the speed at which his sea of consciousness sensed the world's spiritual energy was more than just a little bit faster.

What shocked him even more was that when he looked inward at his aptitude and foundation, he actually found that his aptitude had improved drastically compared to before!

"This... the circulation of spiritual energy is actually more than a hundred times faster!"

Li Xuanfeng clenched his fists fiercely, feeling the surging yet steady power within his body, his voice trembling.

"Martial Uncle Gu, your generosity... this disciple truly feels unworthy!"

He bowed deeply to Gu Changge, his forehead almost touching the table. "This disciple will never forget this kindness for the rest of his life!"

On the other side, just as Shen Jinghong took a sip of tea, the sword body within her dantian suddenly let out a buzzing chime.

She only felt a cooling sensation slide down her throat, like clear water dripping into boiling oil, instantly detonating the sword intent within her body—it was the Jinghong Sword Body being completely triggered!

She subconsciously closed her eyes, and sword qi spontaneously swirled around her, forming a dazzling curtain of swords.

"This girl's sword body is even purer than Xuanyangzi said."

Gu Changge raised an eyebrow and repeated his previous trick, taking some Nine-Turn Golden Elixir powder and blending it into the spiritual energy, then flicking Innate Spirit Marrow into her body.

Shen Jinghong only felt a heat between her brows. The sword intent within her body was like a burst river; the barrier of the ninth level of the Body Tempering realm shattered with a crack, and she stepped directly into the Foundation Establishment realm!

What was even more astonishing was that when she looked inward, she found that the flow of her spiritual energy was more than a hundred times faster than usual. The originally sluggish sword moves became incredibly smooth when she practiced them in her mind.

Her cultivation even rushed all the way to the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm. The residual power of the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir was still hidden within her body, like a buried seed, holding infinite potential for the future.

"Innate Sword Body... my spiritual energy is actually this much faster..."

Shen Jinghong opened her eyes, sword qi flowing at her fingertips in the sunlight. She bowed gracefully to Gu Changge, her cold voice carrying unconcealed excitement.

"Thank you for your help, Martial Uncle! For this kindness and virtue, Shen Jinghong will repay you even with her life!"

"Innate Sword Body?"

Gu Changge was also a bit surprised and rubbed his chin.

"It seems this Innate Spirit Marrow and Nine-Turn Golden Elixir can also improve aptitude."

He used to treat these things as ordinary tea snacks and pills; he really hadn't noticed they had this effect.

On the windowsill, a small black bird had landed at some unknown time. It chirped at Gu Changge, and its tone, no matter how one listened, sounded like it was saying "what a waste of heavenly treasures."

Beside them, Xiao Ruobai stared with wide eyes, the spiritual energy within his body also beginning to stir restlessly.

Gu Changge was quick-eyed and deft-handed, flicking a finger against his forehead. "Don't be impatient. You have to walk your path step by step."

Gu Changge set down his teacup, glanced at Li Xuanfeng and Shen Jinghong, who were still immersed in the joy of their breakthroughs, and spoke calmly.

"Having just reached a new realm, the biggest taboo is being impetuous and restless. You two go to the bamboo forest nearby to consolidate your cultivation. Don't waste the spiritual energy of this Purple Bamboo Peak."

Li Xuanfeng shuddered upon hearing this and quickly retracted his outward spiritual light. "Thank you for the reminder, Martial Uncle!"

Shen Jinghong also restrained her sword qi and nodded slightly at Gu Changge. The two tacitly turned and stepped into the depths of the bamboo forest, each finding a hidden corner to sit cross-legged and meditate.

They both understood what a great opportunity it was to be able to stabilize their realms at the Purple Bamboo Peak during such a crucial moment right after a breakthrough.

The bamboo house instantly quieted down. Gu Changge looked at Xiao Ruobai and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table. "Come with me."

The youth did not know what his master was going to do, but followed closely behind Gu Changge toward the back mountain.

Passing through a portal of light, Xiao Ruobai looked at the familiar scenery before him, his pupils shrinking slightly.

He suddenly reacted, his voice carrying a bit of uncertainty.

"Master, are you having me kill demonic beasts?"