Chapter 554 - 34: Xiaozhu Enters the Realm

It was deep in the night within the vast forests on the back of Qianmu Mountain. An Array empowered Shen Xiaozhu’s Dao Field, keeping the area inside and out as bright as day around the clock.

Seated before the locust tree, Shen Xiaozhu seemed to seize upon some opportunity. Her eyes snapped open from her meditative state. She immediately produced a blank Talisman and, with the utmost speed, connected to the consciousness of the adjacent locust tree. Then, circulating her Wood Spirit True Essence, she used it to inscribe a complex Talisman onto the blank surface in a flash.

’The Spirit Communication Talisman is complete!’

The next moment, the trunk of the locust tree began to tremble, forming profound and mysterious patterns of natural magic in the air around it. An instant later, the Wood Spirit Qi within the bounds of Qianmu Temple grew incredibly excited, converging upon the Spirit Communication Talisman Shen Xiaozhu had just drawn.

VMMMMMM.

The converging Wood Spirit Qi emitted a low hum, just as it had during Wang Ping’s own breakthrough, and the sound spread far and wide. A pillar of light ten feet thick, formed from pure Wood Spirit Qi, then shot straight into the heavens. Beneath the clouds, it created a small Spiritual Energy Vortex, which instantly began to frantically absorb the Wood Spirit Qi from the surroundings.

Just as the vision was about to spread beyond the temple’s borders, the Barrier Formation within Qianmu Temple’s grounds activated instantly. It completely enveloped the sky above, shielding the phenomenon from the prying eyes of mortals.

By this time, Wang Ping and Yu Lian’s figures had already appeared outside the Dao Field’s Array, followed by Yu Cheng Taoist, Liu Shuang, Ruan Chunzi, and Yuan Zheng Taoist.

"Master!"

Wang Ping bowed to Yu Cheng Taoist, then waved a hand to stop Liu Shuang from bowing to him. After nodding to Ruan Chunzi and Yuan Zheng Taoist in greeting, he quickly turned his gaze back toward the Dao Field below.

In the center of the Dao Field, Shen Xiaozhu was currently enduring the assault of the surrounding Wood Spirit Qi.

The Wood Spirit Qi was now all around her, omnipresent and invasive. Submerged within it, she looked as though she was about to twist into a monster. Beneath her fair skin, the Spirit Veins pulsed and swelled under the influence of the Wood Spirit Qi, seeming ready to burst from her body at any moment.

「Fifteen minutes later.」

It was as if a layer of moss was growing on her skin, only to vanish in an instant. But it would soon reappear, the cycle repeating endlessly.

"Be patient!"

Wang Ping reached out and gently stroked Yu Lian’s head. He knew that the Wood Spirit Qi was currently assailing Shen Xiaozhu’s blood, bone marrow, and nervous system, as if trying to wrest control of her body from her.

’This was the agony one had to endure to transcend mortality!’

By now, Cultivators from the other courtyards had been awakened. A few Entering Cultivators attempted to come over and investigate, but Yu Cheng Taoist stopped them with a voice transmission.

This was a critical moment for Shen Xiaozhu. She needed to reclaim control of her body to truly complete her breakthrough. Otherwise, she would very likely devolve into a twisted Wood Spirit Spirit Body.

"By this point during your breakthrough, you’d already regained a little control of your body, but Xiaozhu still isn’t reacting. Her Primordial Spirit is in a state of confusion. Is she being influenced by the Locust Tree Divine Soul?"

Yu Lian communicated with Wang Ping through their Spirit Sea.

At that moment, Yu Cheng Taoist said, "Ping’er, you were born with an innate spiritual aptitude. While Xiaozhu is intelligent, there’s still a significant gap between the two of you. When an ordinary Taiyan Cultivator attempts this breakthrough, it takes at least ten days just to regain consciousness. Then, they have to slowly cleanse the Spirit Veins in their body, a process that can sometimes take several months."

Yu Lian said dubiously, "Is that so? Is the difference really that big? It only took him a little over a month back then!"

Yu Cheng Taoist nodded. "I was lost in that state for half a month. My senior martial brother said he was lost for seven days. Relax. Xiaozhu is a Direct Disciple of my Qianmu Temple. As the Sect Leader, I’m hardly going to harm her, am I?"

Yu Lian agreed on the surface, but in their Spirit Sea, she grumbled, ’I wouldn’t be so sure. Master clearly values Wen Yi more!’

"..."

Wang Ping had no good response to that.

Two days passed. Since Shen Xiaozhu had still not awakened, she was unable to completely absorb the converging Wood Spirit Qi. The Energy Vortex in the sky thus continued to swirl, showing no sign of dissipating.

Using the Yuqing Sect’s method for observing Spiritual Qi, Wang Ping had already analyzed the structure of the Energy Light Pillar with his Primordial Spirit. After all, to a Third Realm Cultivator, this pillar of energy was quite weak—he could shatter it with a wave of his hand.

At the same time, he was monitoring the state of Shen Xiaozhu’s Primordial Spirit and physical body. If Shen Xiaozhu couldn’t rouse herself from her stupor, he could forcefully awaken her. This would likely damage her Primordial Spirit, but it was an injury that could be slowly healed through several decades of cultivation.

Generally speaking, with a Third Realm Cultivator standing as a Guardian, a cultivator breaking through with the *Taiyan Talisman* method was highly likely to succeed, provided they didn’t fail while drawing the Spirit Communication Talisman.

However, a Taiyan Cultivator’s lifespan was at most three hundred and thirty years. Even with Elixirs, the physical body and Primordial Spirit of an Entering Cultivator were only strong enough to extend that by a few decades. On top of that, it took the average cultivator at least one hundred and twenty years just to reach this stage of breakthrough.

Therefore, in theory, an ordinary cultivator had only about two hundred years to advance to the Second Realm, making the loss of several decades a very steep price to pay.

Another ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Yu Lian was growing anxious, and Wang Ping had prepared himself to intervene at any moment.

’Xiaozhu’s Primordial Spirit hasn’t even sensed the danger. She’s still meditating, just like she always does.’ After sending this thought, Yu Lian spat a water pellet at the dumb Spirit Cat beside Shen Xiaozhu. This provoked the Spirit Cat into hissing at her before it scurried away to hide behind the comatose Xiaozhu.

"Ugh, I’m so frustrated!"

This was the first time Yu Lian had ever been this anxious, though her frustration with the dim-witted Spirit Cat may have also played a part. There was nothing to be done about it. This particular Spirit Cat’s intelligence had been awakened by Zuo Xuan’s Calico Cat, marking it as an artificially-awakened Spiritual Creature. It would need its master to slowly cultivate it after her own breakthrough before it could gain any real power.

Wang Ping reached out and stroked Yu Lian’s head again, calming her. "Don’t worry," he said. "Xiaozhu is very bright. She knows what she’s up against."

The very next day after he said this, Shen Xiaozhu’s Primordial Spirit finally became active. It began to vie with the Spirit Vein Consciousness for control of her body, all while adapting to her new form.

Another three days passed, during which Xuanling received word and hurried over from his own Dao Field.

The Energy Vortex that had gathered in the sky had now been almost completely absorbed by Shen Xiaozhu, who was doing so consciously. She could now perceive the outside world, but she remained unable to awaken. At this point, she was only a consciousness, still incapable of controlling her physical body.

Wang Ping had been stuck in this part of the process for half a month, but Shen Xiaozhu took only ten days, for she was more focused than him. It was a difference in personality.

When the Energy Light Pillar in the sky finally faded away, Shen Xiaozhu began to gasp for air as if she had been suffocating. With every breath she took, her internal organs—having been washed clean by the Spirit Veins—were rejuvenated with new vitality.

The Spirit Communication Talisman hovered above her head, frantically absorbing the Spiritual Qi of the heavens and earth through Shen Xiaozhu’s post-breakthrough body. It then automatically converted this energy into Wood Spirit Qi to supply her physical form.

This process continued for another half a month before Shen Xiaozhu finally gained complete control over her body. The Spirit Veins inside her were successfully suppressed by her Primordial Spirit, and the pulsing beneath her skin gradually faded away.

At this point, her breakthrough was finally stable.