Chapter Thirty-Four: The Precious Opportunity

Only then did Hong Jian understand why Jian Hui had said that if she wanted to enter the secret realm, she would need to raise her cultivation by another one or two layers; clearly, he also felt that with Hong Jian’s current abilities, only by reaching the seventh layer of Qi Refining could she hope to benefit from following Elder Jin’s Qi Refining disciples. Yet to progress from the fifth to the seventh layer in just a year was nearly impossible, so he left her a sliver of hope in his words.

Hong Jian could only devote herself entirely to the task.

With only half a year remaining, it was certainly too late for gradual cultivation; so, steeling herself, Hong Jian thought, “Forget it; why am I hesitating? I’ve already practiced the Ten Thousand Streams Returning to the Source. If it’s wrong to take one step, it’s just as wrong to take a hundred, or a thousand, or ten thousand. Can I pretend it never happened?”

With Ji Youyun absent from Dan Cliff Sect, Hong Jian grew bolder. Everyone claimed that the mysterious man was an escaped convict from the Demon Refining Prison, but because she had benefited from him, Hong Jian couldn’t help but believe in him, thinking that he must have had compelling reasons for falling so far.

She secretly practiced the Ten Thousand Streams Returning to the Source again, and her cultivation progressed with remarkable efficiency. By the New Year, Hong Jian estimated that at this rate, she would reach the peak of the sixth layer by mid-February; however, breaking through the bottleneck required an opportunity, something that could not be rushed. Thus, it seemed unlikely she would advance to the seventh layer of Qi Refining before the Azure Cloud Festival on the sixth of March.

On New Year’s Day, since her elder brother was still in seclusion, Hong Jian followed Qin Baoxian and Jian Hui to pay respects to their grandmaster and the various uncles and elders.

That day, the Foundation Establishment disciples also visited one another. With the Azure Cloud Festival approaching, conversation invariably circled around who would be chosen to enter the sect’s secret realm for cultivation.

Many were personal attendants to the Core Formation masters, and their information was very well-informed. Following Qin Baoxian, Hong Jian heard much, and sure enough, as Jian Hui had predicted, news had spread that Elder Jin’s two new disciples, Xie Yaofei and Leng Yu, would enter the secret realm alongside the Foundation Establishment disciples. Some even speculated that Dai Mingchi, the head of the Talisman Sect, lingered at Dan Cliff Sect precisely for this reason.

With several slots for Foundation Establishment disciples lost, many felt helpless. Most knew who would have the opportunity this time; among Yan Changqing’s three Foundation Establishment disciples, the eldest was in seclusion, Jian Hui had entered last time, so naturally it was Qin Baoxian’s turn.

Hong Jian feared those in charge would not even consider her, so when paying her respects to her master, she braced herself and raised the matter. She could not say she wished to spread her wings quickly, only that she was approaching a bottleneck in her cultivation, and had heard the sect would allow Qi Refining disciples into the secret realm this year. She wished to broaden her horizons.

Yan Changqing was somewhat surprised, stroking his beard and glancing at Hong Jian, replying calmly, “You spent over a year to go from the fourth to the fifth layer of Qi Refining, but only six months from the fifth to the sixth. Now you wish to enter the secret realm—don’t you think you’re progressing too quickly?”

During the sect’s assessment, Yan Changqing had struck Hong Jian as a kindly elder toward his juniors, but after becoming his disciple and seeing him more often, she found herself unable to draw close to him. He remained the same gentle old man, never raising his voice in anger, yet Hong Jian felt less at ease than when she was with the mysterious man on the rocky shore.

Thus, she dared not act frivolously, but replied dutifully, “It’s all thanks to your guidance, Master, and the constant advice from my senior brothers. Only then have I grasped some of the secrets of cultivation.”

Yan Changqing ignored her flattery, saying, “Though the sect plans to make an exception this year for those Qi Refining apprentices from Splendid Peak to enter the secret realm, it’s out of necessity. If you were a boy, I could plead with my master to bring you along, but you’re a girl, only fourteen, not yet at the age to temper your character. Don’t make trouble!”

Such words struck Hong Jian like a blow, but she did not retreat, pouting, “You accepted me as your disciple, so you must believe I have some merit, even as a girl. If I miss such a great opportunity, who knows how many years I’ll have to wait? If I get stuck between the sixth and seventh layers, unable to advance, and fall behind my senior brothers, wouldn’t that embarrass you?”

It was with resignation and a touch of stubbornness that Hong Jian acted coy.

Had an older male disciple said such things, Yan Changqing might have been very displeased. But Hong Jian was still small and delicate, her clever eyes glinting with calculation. Yan Changqing didn’t mind, and laughed, “Nonsense! If you remain stuck between the sixth and seventh layers without ambition, I’ll expel you from my tutelage.”

This time, his smile seemed genuine, and Hong Jian noticed it instantly, her heart stirred: there was a way.

Sure enough, Yan Changqing asked a few more questions about her recent cultivation, then grew serious. “Though you are my disciple, you alone bear responsibility for your reputation. Last Azure Cloud Festival, I petitioned my master to secure a chance for your brother Jian Hui to enter the secret realm. With so many Foundation Establishment disciples in the sect, it’s impossible for all three of mine to enter. In the end, your second brother had to step aside. And what happened? He gained a rare opportunity, but succumbed to outside temptation. Four years have passed with nothing to show—how shameful is that?”

Hong Jian felt deep sympathy for Brother Jian, but before her master, she only dared to quietly acquiesce, thinking, “So that’s why he failed to advance that day, collapsing as if he’d become a different person.”

Yan Changqing warned his young disciple, and seeing she seemed to heed his words, continued, “Though the secret realm is rich in spiritual energy and many herbs beneficial for cultivation grow there, it is also home to many monsters. Qi Refining disciples have no training in self-defense; someone like you might go in whole and come out in pieces. Even if you barely survive, a young girl missing an arm or a leg is hardly a pleasant sight.”

This was outright intimidation, but Hong Jian paid it no mind. Upon hearing “many herbs beneficial for cultivation,” she immediately thought of her younger brother Fang Zheng and knew she had to enter the secret realm. She knelt down with a crisp voice, “I’m not afraid. If Elder Jin’s disciples can protect themselves, then I can as well. Please, Master, help me.”

Yan Changqing, exasperated, scolded, “Get back to training! Always reaching for the sky. If you reach the seventh layer of Qi Refining, you’ll be the top Qi Refining disciple in Dan Cliff Sect. Then I can petition your grandmaster. But if you’re only hoping the secret realm will help you break through, then you needn’t go at all.”

That was her master’s final commitment. Seventh layer of Qi Refining, with only two months left—Hong Jian felt it was beyond her reach. But she dared not press Yan Changqing further. In any case, she would push herself to the limit in those two months, treating a dying horse as if it were alive.