dognovel Chapter 17 A flash of inspiration
Chapter 17 A flash of inspiration
If... I can cultivate to the second level of the "Green Wood Technique", will I be able to defeat Wang Fugui?
I turned the page, and the cultivation method for the second level was right there on the page, but the dense text on it was like a book written in heaven, and I couldn't understand it at all.
"Sigh..." I sighed deeply. It seems that cultivation is not something that can be achieved overnight. I have to take it one step at a time and be down-to-earth.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Junior Sister Xiao, are you alright?" It was Senior Sister Wu's voice.
I quickly hid the "Green Wood Manual" under my pillow and got up to open the door. "Senior Sister Wu, I'm fine, what brings you here?"
Senior Sister Wu held a bowl of dark, murky medicine in her hands and asked with concern, "I heard you had a conflict with Wang Fugui and were injured. Pharmacist Sun asked me to bring you some medicine."
I took the bowl of medicine, and a bitter smell hit my nostrils. "Thank you, Senior Sister Wu, thank you for your trouble."
Senior Sister Wu sat down by my bed and said, "Wang Fugui bullies people everywhere because he has some cultivation. You don't need to be afraid of him. I have already told Master, and Master will stand up for you."
I nodded gratefully, but I knew in my heart that it was better to become strong than to rely on others. Only with sufficient strength could I protect myself and avoid being bullied by others.
"How are your injuries? You don't look too well," Senior Sister Wu asked with concern.
I shook my head and said, "I'm fine, I just need to rest."
After Senior Sister Wu left, I drank the bowl of bitter medicine in one gulp, then lay on the bed and closed my eyes to rest. But the contents of the second level of the "Green Wood Manual" kept appearing in my mind. Those words seemed to have a magical power, attracting me to explore them again and again.
I don't know how much time passed, but I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up again, I found Pharmacist Sun sitting by my bedside, holding a crystal-clear pill in his hand.
"Pharmacist Sun?" I rubbed my sleepy eyes and looked at him in confusion.
When Pharmacist Sun saw that I had woken up, he handed me the pill and said, "This is a pill that I specially prepared for you based on your condition. It can help you repair the damage to your body and also stimulate your potential. It might even help you break through your bottleneck."
I accepted the pill, my heart filled with gratitude and anticipation. Could it be that I truly have a chance to break through my bottleneck and defeat Wang Fugui?
I took a deep breath and swallowed the pill. It melted instantly in my mouth, transforming into a warm current that flowed throughout my body. I felt a powerful force surging within me; my body seemed to be infused with new vitality, brimming with strength.
I suddenly opened my eyes, looked at Pharmacist Sun, and asked eagerly, "Pharmacist Sun, I feel full of power right now, can I...?"
Pharmacist Sun smiled and nodded, saying, "Whether you can break through the bottleneck depends on your own fate." After saying that, he got up and left the room.
I clenched my fists, my eyes gleaming with unwavering determination. I knew my chance had arrived! I was determined to seize this opportunity, break through my limitations, and become a true powerhouse!
I rolled out of bed, sat cross-legged, and began circulating my spiritual energy according to the cultivation method of the *Green Wood Manual*… The spiritual energy in the room began to gather towards me frantically, and my body began to undergo earth-shattering changes… After Pharmacist Sun left, I took a deep breath, suppressing the surging excitement within me, and sat back down on the bed cross-legged. Following the instructions in the *Green Wood Manual*, I formed hand seals and circulated the unfamiliar power within my body. The spiritual energy flowed slowly through my meridians like a trickle, but showed no sign of converging.
I was anxious, and fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead. Could it be that the pills Pharmacist Sun gave me weren't working? Was I really destined to live my whole life bearing the label of "good-for-nothing" and being bullied by everyone?
"The most taboo thing on the path of cultivation is to be impatient and restless." A clear, cold voice rang in my ears.
I opened my eyes and saw Senior Sister Wu standing at my door, holding a bowl of steaming porridge. She placed the porridge on the table, walked to my side, and said softly, "I see the spiritual energy surging outside your room. Have you encountered a bottleneck in your cultivation?"
I nodded, a glimmer of hope rising in my heart: "Senior Sister Wu, I..."
"No need to elaborate, I was also stuck at this bottleneck for a long time back then." Senior Sister Wu sat down next to me, her tone calm yet carrying a strong force. "Do you still remember what Master said when you first joined the sect?"
What did Master say? I tried hard to recall. Master had said many things, but one sentence in particular left a deep impression on me: "On the path of cultivation, comprehension is certainly important, but an unwavering heart is even more necessary."
"My master said that while comprehension is important on the path of cultivation, an unwavering heart is even more crucial," I murmured.
"Not bad," Senior Sister Wu gave me an approving look. "Cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. You are still young and lack cultivation resources, so it's inevitable that you will encounter bottlenecks. But you must remember that as long as you have a heart that never gives up, you will always find a way to break through."
I looked at Senior Sister Wu. Although she was only an outer disciple, the confidence and resilience she exuded filled me with sincere admiration.
"Senior sister, how did you break through this bottleneck back then?" I couldn't help but ask.
Senior Sister Wu smiled slightly and said, "Back then..." She paused, as if lost in memories, "I spent three whole months repeatedly attacking my meridians, enduring pain that ordinary people could hardly bear, before finally succeeding in breaking through."
Three months? I was secretly astonished. It seems that the path of cultivation is far more arduous than I had imagined.
“However,” Senior Sister Wu changed the subject, “everyone’s constitution and situation are different, so my method may not be suitable for you. You don’t need to rush, take your time to explore, and you will eventually find a method that suits you.”
After Senior Sister Wu left, I closed my eyes again, calmed my mind, and felt the flow of spiritual energy within my body. This time, I no longer forced speed, but tried to guide it, letting it flow slowly according to the operating route of the "Azure Wood Technique".
Time ticked by, and I felt my body growing lighter, as if I were merging into the surrounding spiritual energy. Just then, I sensed a powerful resistance, preventing me from moving forward…
"This is..." I was startled. Could this be the key to breaking through the bottleneck?
I gritted my teeth, channeling all the spiritual energy within my body, and repeatedly assaulted that invisible barrier. However, no matter how hard I tried, the barrier remained unmoved, like an insurmountable chasm blocking my path forward.
"Don't rush, calm down and feel the flow of spiritual energy." Senior Sister Wu's voice rang in my ears, like a clear spring, soothing my restless heart.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I closed my eyes and focused all my attention on the resistance. Gradually, I felt that the resistance was not insurmountable, but rather like a thin film that could be easily broken if the right method was found.
"Senior Sister, I feel that barrier..." I wanted to describe my feelings to Senior Sister Wu, but I found that I couldn't express them in words.
"Feel it with your heart; words are just an aid." Senior Sister Wu seemed to see through my thoughts. "Everyone has a different way of breaking through bottlenecks; you need to find a method that suits you."
I nodded and once again immersed myself in cultivation. This time, I no longer blindly charged forward, but instead tried different methods to guide the spiritual energy and sense the weak points of that barrier.
Time ticked by, and I felt my mental energy rapidly depleting, my body beginning to feel exhausted. However, I dared not relax even slightly, because I knew that if I gave up, I would never break through this bottleneck.
"Give up, you're just a good-for-nothing, there's no way you can break through." A voice rang in my mind, full of mockery and disdain.
My heart skipped a beat, and I almost gave up resisting. Yes, I was originally just a useless person without any spiritual roots. If I hadn't accidentally obtained this jade pendant, I would never have had the chance to step into the world of cultivation.
"I'm not resigned to this!" I roared in my heart. "I've endured so much ridicule and scorn, so much effort and sweat along the way, how can I give up here!"
I recalled the scene when Wang Fugui bullied me, the scene when I had to beg for cultivation resources, the scene when I fell down again and again and got up again and again...
A powerful force surged within me, a force born from my unwillingness to accept defeat, my yearning, and my dream!
"Break!" I roared, mobilizing all my spiritual energy to launch a final assault on the barrier.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound rang in my ears, and I felt that I had finally broken through that barrier. A powerful force surged from my dantian and flowed to my limbs and bones.
I opened my eyes and saw Senior Sister Wu looking at me with a look of satisfaction, a slight smile on her lips: "Congratulations, you've broken through."
I stood up, clenched my fist, and felt an unprecedented power flowing through my body. I looked up at the sky outside the window, my eyes firm and confident. Wang Fugui, you wait! I, Xiao Yao, will definitely get justice from you! I stretched my limbs, feeling the abundant spiritual energy within me, and an unprecedented confidence welled up in my heart. Senior Sister Wu was right; everyone's path to breakthrough is different. My Dao heart was hidden in those repeated moments of unwilling humiliation. And now, that humiliation will transform into the driving force for my progress!
"Wang Fugui, you have inflicted a hundredfold humiliation on me, and I will make you pay for it a hundredfold!" I clenched my fists, my eyes gleaming with determination.
"You want to challenge Wang Fugui?" Senior Sister Wu looked at me with some worry. "He's already at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and you..."
"Don't worry, senior sister, I have my own plans." I smiled confidently, without telling her that I was no longer the good-for-nothing who could be bullied by everyone.
I sought out Pharmacist Sun and asked him for advice on combat strategies. Although Pharmacist Sun was usually stern and rarely smiled, he was quite considerate of me, his diligent and eager-to-learn disciple. He patiently explained to me the characteristics of each stage of the Qi Refining period, as well as some commonly used spell techniques.
“With your current strength, it will be difficult for you to defeat Wang Fugui.” Pharmacist Sun stroked his beard and pondered, “However, you are not without a chance.”
He handed me a talisman, intricately drawn on it, emitting a faint spiritual light. "This is a Swift Wind Talisman. It can instantly boost your speed, but the effect is short-lived, so you need to time it well."
I solemnly accepted the talisman and bowed deeply to Pharmacist Sun: "Thank you for your guidance, Pharmacist Sun. I will do my utmost!"
I secluded myself for three days, repeatedly practicing the techniques taught by Pharmacist Sun until I had them memorized. At the same time, I also mentally simulated the scenario of fighting Wang Fugui, deduced various possible situations, and formulated corresponding countermeasures.
The day of the decisive battle arrived quickly. I arrived at the arena early, waiting for Wang Fugui's arrival. A number of disciples had gathered around to watch the spectacle, most of them eager for a good show, and they were all talking amongst themselves, believing that I was bound to lose this time.
"Look, isn't that Xiao Yao? She actually dares to challenge Senior Brother Wang!"
"Overestimating herself! She doesn't even know who she is, daring to challenge Senior Brother Wang. She's just asking for trouble!"
"Hehe, I heard that Senior Brother Wang is really going all out this time, he's going to teach this arrogant girl a lesson!"
I ignored it, simply standing there quietly, closing my eyes to rest and adjust my state of mind.
"Hey, isn't this our beautiful Xiao? What, it's been a few days, have you finally come to your senses and are planning to try to please me in a different way?" A mocking voice came from behind me. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Wang Fugui swaggering over with several lackeys.
I stared at him coldly, without saying a word.
"What, have you lost your tongue? Or are you so impressed by my handsome appearance that you can't even speak?" Seeing that I ignored him, Wang Fugui became even more smug, walked up to me, and reached out to lift my chin.
I dodged his groping hand and said coldly, "Enough talk, let's get started!"
Seeing that I didn't swallow my anger as usual, but instead showed him a disdainful expression, Wang Fugui became furious. His face darkened, and he sneered, "Fine, since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish!"
He made a hand seal, and a fireball shot towards me. I was prepared, dodging to the side and simultaneously propelling myself forward like an arrow.
Success or failure depends on this!