Chapter Thirty-Three: The Quadrennial Azure Festival

Jian Hui spoke sternly, “That’s right. This is also your chance. The sect’s secret realm previously only allowed Foundation Establishment disciples to enter, but this year Elder Jin unexpectedly accepted two Qi Refining disciples. The sect leader might let you benefit from this as well. However, your current fifth layer of Qi Refining is clearly insufficient. If you want a chance to enter the secret realm, you must improve by at least one or two layers within this year, so Master can speak for you.”

Hong Jian understood Jian Hui’s meaning. If she wanted to broaden her horizons in the sect’s secret realm, she had to quickly surpass Chen Zaizhi and Zhang Yu in cultivation, showing the elders her potential. She nodded solemnly, “Thank you, Senior Brother.” To reach the sixth layer of Qi Refining within a year, she would have to pause her practice of the Myriad Transformations technique with Fang Zheng. Breaking through further, from the sixth to the seventh layer, was a threshold in the Qi Refining stage—not just requiring effort, but also luck.

With uncertainty in her heart, Hong Jian recalled Jian Hui’s earlier words and asked, “Will you be going in to cultivate again, Senior Brother?”

Jian Hui gave a bitter smile, then his face turned resolute. “I hope so. My failure last time was surely because my mind was distracted, my thoughts unsettled, and so I fell short at the last moment. I will find a way to resolve this and let go of all those thoughts I shouldn’t have.”

As he spoke, his gaze fixed directly on Hong Jian, filled with hidden pain and determination. Hong Jian felt uneasy, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. She offered him a few words of comfort and sent him off.

Three days later, Master Lingxu and the others departed once more, this time with Dai Mingchi and Ji Youyun accompanying them out of Dan Cliff Sect. It was many days before they returned, and Ji Youyun was absent from their ranks. Soon after, Dan Cliff Sect lifted the prohibitions on the rocky slopes behind the mountain, and everything returned to normal.

Only then did Hong Jian realize that the strange phenomenon they had witnessed—chasing after the formation of a Nascent Soul—had not yielded results at first, but this time they had finally succeeded.

That night, she quietly took out her magical treasure, “Fortune Border,” and activated it with her true essence. She wasn’t trying to do anything in particular; with no Golden Core or Foundation Establishment cultivators needing to conceal her tracks, Hong Jian simply sat there in silence, letting “Fortune Border” drain her true essence until she had to stop.

She thought: To unravel all these mysteries, the first step is to become stronger. Only with enough power can one earn the right. The sect’s secret realm that Senior Brother Jian mentioned—I must find a way to enter.

Less than a year remained; it was truly urgent. She had to reach the sixth layer of Qi Refining as soon as possible.

Since her Myriad Transformations practice with Fang Zheng had to be paused, Hong Jian feared he would lack support, so she asked Second Senior Brother Qin Baoxian to speak to Pan Cong on her behalf. Qin was sociable among the Foundation Establishment disciples, unlike Jian Hui, and readily agreed to help when Hong Jian asked. Still uneasy, Hong Jian sought out Zhang Yu, Zhu Jingxian, and other seniors who had often watched over her brother. Her status was now different, and they assured her they would treat Fang Zheng like their own younger brother.

Relieved, Hong Jian devoted herself entirely to cultivation, setting aside all other matters.

In time, even Yan Changqing took notice—a young female cultivator, without any elders supervising her, so devoted to the arduous task of cultivation, surprised him. No wonder Master had specially mentioned her, instructing him to take her under his wing.

Gifted, diligent, and practicing well, Hong Jian, with no burdens to hold her back, could clearly feel her body growing stronger day by day.

Half a year passed swiftly. One night, as she meditated, Hong Jian suddenly opened her eyes, excitement shining in them. Rising, she used the Water Condensation Technique to conjure a large barrel of water and enjoyed a well-deserved bath.

At last, she had broken through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining, just days before her fourteenth birthday. In total, her two breakthroughs had taken her just over seven months—a remarkable achievement in Dan Cliff Sect, surpassed in the past century only by Jian Hui and the missing Yao Zhen.

Hong Jian knew well that if not for the mysterious technique greatly enhancing her spiritual awareness while also increasing the burden of breakthrough, the time could have been shortened, perhaps by another month.

With the sixth layer reached, she could finally breathe easier. Her birthday coming up, Hong Jian decided to relax for two days and spend time with her brother Fang Zheng.

Her advancement delighted Master Yan Changqing, who nevertheless gave her earnest warnings using Jian Hui’s experience as a cautionary tale, even in Jian Hui’s presence. Hong Jian felt embarrassed, but Jian Hui showed no sign of discomfort, respectfully listening and then saying to Hong Jian, “Master’s words are golden advice. Sister Fang, you must remember them well; don’t wait until you’ve gone astray like I did before regretting it.”

Yan Changqing snorted and said no more, his expression darkening.

Fortunately, Qin Baoxian was present and quickly changed the subject.

During these two days of leisure, Hong Jian asked Jian Hui and Qin Baoxian in detail about the sect’s secret realm. It turned out this was no secret among Foundation Establishment disciples, though Qi Refining apprentices had never been eligible to enter. Three years ago, when Hong Jian first arrived at Dan Cliff Sect, she was young, so no one had mentioned it to her.

The sect’s secret realm opened every four years, precisely on the day of the Azure Cloud Festival.

The Azure Cloud Festival had a long history, said to have originated with Shang Qingzui, the first cultivator to reach the Divine Transformation stage, thousands of years ago. Over time, it became the largest and most lively festival in the cultivation world.

Held every four years, on the sixth day of the third month in leap years, all major sects host events such as recruiting disciples, sect competitions, and opening their secret realms. Even renowned elder cultivators, unless in secluded meditation, would attend to pay respects to the founding ancestor and offer guidance to the younger generation.

The last Azure Cloud Festival coincided with Hong Jian’s tenth birthday. Leaving her parents at a young age, facing unfamiliar faces, and caring for her brother Fang Zheng took up much of her attention, leaving only vague memories of the festival—following her seniors to Scarlet Wheel Peak, bowing with everyone before Sect Leader Lingxu and several elders outside the Grand Hall of Splendor. Elder Jin Donglou was in seclusion and likely did not attend.

According to Second Senior Brother Qin Baoxian, the sect’s secret realm was full of spiritual herbs, occasionally guarded by demon beasts, but not powerful ones—Foundation Establishment cultivators could handle them. The greatest challenge was to one’s state of mind; passing through the secret realm greatly benefited breaking through bottlenecks and strengthening one’s Dao heart.

Each time, only a hundred people could enter the sect’s secret realm. The combined Foundation Establishment disciples of the five peaks numbered almost four hundred, meaning more than half had to stay outside, let alone a Qi Refining disciple like Hong Jian.