In short, the two senior brothers did not approve of Yu Qing’s idea. They felt it was rather unreliable.
Unreliable matters could be set aside for now. After all, even Yu Qing himself did not know how to get out yet. The reality before their eyes was more important.
The peaches the three of them had eaten were almost gone. The hundred or so peaches Nan Zhu had gathered when they first arrived were down to just a few, only enough for one person per day.
Starting that very night, the three martial brothers began a training mode of evening combat and mutual practice.
Once they started, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie teamed up against Yu Qing. After both had broken through to the Upper Martial realm, they had long wanted to test their own depth. They had never forgotten the things Old Fifteen had done while relying on his tough fists.
It was originally mutual practice, but as they practiced they became serious and truly started fighting. Once they got serious, tempers flared easily.
Sometimes they competed with fists and feet, sometimes sword light flashed brilliantly, sometimes one on one, sometimes two against one.
They fought beneath the trees and atop the trees.
They shuttled through the forest beneath the trees, leaping and flying across the canopy above. Under the moon, sword light sometimes gleamed like silk, and the clashing ring of metal occasionally carried several li away.
After the three of them tangled in combat up and down the trees and inspected the surroundings, it would become two fighting while one sat in the treetops hurriedly eating peaches. Once full, they would switch places, while the other two roamed and kept watch nearby.
Along the way they could also hide some immortal peaches back in the cave dwelling from time to time.
Xu Juening and Tang Bulan occasionally came to visit, only to find the three fellows were truly fighting. Sometimes when they came by day, they could still see the bruises and swelling on Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie’s faces. They had clearly been dealt heavy blows.
There was no help for it. Even teaming up, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie were still no match for Yu Qing.
The days filled with peach fragrance passed one by one like this. Apart from one or two hours of combat practice each night, the three martial brothers spent most of their remaining time sitting cross-legged in meditation.
Several days later, one early morning, Mu Aotie standing at the cave entrance turned back and called out, “Come out for a moment.”
The two inside who had been meditating heard the sound, withdrew their cultivation, and walked out. They saw Mu Aotie pout his lips to indicate something.
Yu Qing and Nan Zhu understood. They immediately looked toward the deformed peach tree beside the cave. Under the sunlight, examining the leaves closely, they found the veins clearly showed signs of being infected by evil qi again, while another peach tree not far away showed the opposite.
Datou Shao’s first-boiled water had stopped being poured on the former and was given to the latter, thus this change appeared.
This confirmed their previous guess. It was indeed related to Datou Shao’s water. The former had lost the watering of evil-warding water and gradually, by continuously drawing underground evil qi, relapsed into its previous condition.
“From now on, do not pour the first-boiled water under the peach trees anymore.” Yu Qing reminded Mu Aotie. Because Mu Aotie was diligent and went out frequently, the odd jobs naturally fell to him.
Everyone understood the meaning. Though those watching them were unlikely to notice these things, one could never rule out the unexpected, and then the trouble would be immense…
Several days later, Xu and Tang came to visit again.
When leaving, Xu Juening, who was preparing to turn and depart outside the cave, let his gaze fall upon the immortal peaches arranged on the cliff face. He finally could not help asking, “What do you mean by leaving these peaches outside to air dry all this time?”
Yu Qing was simple and direct. “With so many spirit-filled immortal peaches before my eyes, I could not help but be moved. I am conducting an experiment to see whether picking them and leaving them to air for a while can dispel the evil qi inside. If so, would not all these immortal peaches be edible?”
Xu and Tang looked at each other speechlessly.
What a beautiful dream. Of course, the sentiment was completely understandable. Xu Juening smiled. “You can certainly try. If it works, do not forget to tell us so we can share the benefit. Sinan Manor will certainly give a heavy reward as well.”
In this regard, his vision was somewhat broader than the three martial brothers. He did not believe that if the three tested out a good method, Sinan Manor would not let them eat the immortal peaches. Not only would they let them eat, there would also be rewards, as long as the peach trees themselves were not eaten.
“Very well.” Yu Qing nodded in agreement. He was already eating them every day, but would not reveal the slightest hint. In such matters he simply lacked vision because he was poor.
Xu Juening smiled and departed together with Tang Bulan.
Yu Qing darted to the cliff face, picked up a peach that had aired for some days, and turned it over in his hands. He had to admit, immortal peaches were immortal peaches. Even after so many days, they were still as fresh and juicy as newly picked ones. The moisture was sealed so well. It seemed the peach skin was also extraordinary.
He split the peach in his hand open and found the evil qi filling the peach flesh was still considerable. The peach had locked in the moisture, and likewise locked in the evil qi inside…
Nearly ten days later, Yu Qing, sitting cross-legged in meditation inside the cave, suddenly raised his head slightly. His clothes suddenly moved without wind, swelling like a drum. A wave of qi tumbled and surged out from within his body, coiling and circulating around him.
In the left and right alcoves inside the cave, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie opened their eyes simultaneously. After exchanging a glance across the passage, they quickly both stood up, walked out of their alcoves, and looked toward Yu Qing sitting cross-legged at the innermost end of the cave. They saw wind surging wildly around him, his internal qi releasing outward, circulating in a complete heavenly cycle.
The two martial brothers were astonished. They could all see that this fellow Old Fifteen’s qi was so abundant it had opened all the meridians and flesh orifices throughout his body. His qi could roam outside at will, what was called releasing and retracting freely. His cultivation’s control and communication with his physical body had stepped into another realm.
After the qi circulated one complete heavenly cycle, it suddenly spun and was sucked back into Yu Qing’s body, as if a funnel had opened beneath a lake.
At this moment, Yu Qing also suddenly opened his eyes. He abruptly grabbed the sword leaning nearby. With a swish, he sprang away from his spot and shot directly toward the cave entrance.
He leaped up from the terrace, flew straight up the rock face, reached the mountaintop and treaded on branches to fly across, passed over the mountain basin, and plunged toward the foot of the mountain, tumbling through the air and crashing toward the flowing river.
While still mid-air, he suddenly released his qi outward. Like a parachute canopy, it rapidly reduced his falling speed. He landed gently upon the water surface, and then stood quietly upon the water.
It was clearly visible that beneath his feet, a considerable area of water surface showed no ripples whatsoever. The qi released from within his body spread across the water surface, and the tension supported him upon the water without sinking. Thus he appeared able to stand upon the water out of thin air.
He stood quietly upon the water, closing his eyes to feel the profundity of his cultivation advancement, drifting along with the current.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, who had climbed over the mountain afterward, also saw this scene. They exchanged a glance. Nan Zhu split his still somewhat bruised and swollen lips into a grin. “This fellow Old Fifteen has truly broken through to the High Martial realm!”
“A good thing.” Mu Aotie offered congratulations, though his face showed some envy.
The High Martial realm certainly differed from the Upper Martial realm they had entered. To say nothing else, when falling from a great height, those in the High Martial realm could land safely, while those in the Upper Martial realm might simply fall to their deaths.
Facing a bottomless abyss, those in the High Martial realm dared to jump straight down without relying on any external force. Those in the Upper Martial realm would not dare.
Unknown personnel secretly guarding the mountain basin quietly parted the blocking brambles and also observed Yu Qing’s behavior of standing quietly upon the floating water.
Yu Qing floating upon the water suddenly opened his eyes again. He looked down at his feet and tried to take a step. The result immediately broke the balance of qi tension. His figure swayed slightly, his feet nearly submerged in the water. He quickly circulated his power and stabilized himself, then slowly floated steadily again.
He felt somewhat rueful in his heart. It seemed that to walk easily and freely upon the water surface, rippling like slight waves, he probably truly needed to cultivate to the realm of treading snow without trace.
He suddenly saw a cliff face appear on the riverside ahead. His eyes shone with keen light. The qi at his feet suddenly released at full power. The tension covered a sufficient area of water surface, and he used the force to spring up, flying toward the cliff face.
Clang! The sword came out. His figure flashed before the cliff face like a flying dragon, sword light coiling around him.
Swish swish swish…
A series of sword marks appeared on the cliff face.
Yu Qing, landing upon the water again, was overjoyed and shocked. He could hardly believe it. He turned and flipped up again, flying and treading upon the rock face, his entire body running almost at a right angle upon the cliff wall.
He was counting the sword marks he had left on the cliff face, rapidly counting them one by one. Correct. Thirteen sword marks.
He had not miscalculated when he struck. In the space of a single breath, his Dust-Sealing Sword Technique had delivered thirteen swords!
In his excitement, he kicked off the cliff face and rose straight up, finally leaping to land upon the mountaintop.
“Awoo…”
He spread his arms and stood upon the summit, roaring wildly, fully expressing the exhilaration in his heart.
Thirteen swords. He had not even expected it himself.
He had not expected that after breaking through to the High Martial realm, the fusion and advancement of body, mind, and cultivation could directly elevate the sword technique to this level. Yet it was not hard to understand. It was not that his sword speed had improved in terms of technique, but that the growth of his own cultivation had increased his striking speed and reaction speed considerably.
Compared to before, when he had been unable to master even the seventh sword, his mood was simply euphoric.
Of course, the previous slow progress was also related to his own behavior. He had not actually possessed the sword technique for very long. Afterward he had constantly thought of getting rich and ran about everywhere, never properly cultivating at all. The time he had truly cultivated with peace of mind was instead that period before when he was hiding outside Xiaoyunjian surrounded by enemies.
He knew clearly in his heart that he had only just stepped through the threshold of the High Martial realm. As his cultivation within the realm grew fuller, he would certainly exceed thirteen swords in the end. If he could cultivate diligently, there was definitely considerable room for further progress.
He looked around in all directions. Just like his mentality when he had first achieved some initial success with the sword technique, he again wanted to go find someone to pick a fight with.
Seeing Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie running over, he shook his head slightly. Fighting these two was no fun.
Then he reconsidered. The members of the three factions who had entered were basically not good-natured people. He realized this place did not seem to be one where he could act arrogantly and pick fights, or else he would be asking for trouble.
Thinking again of the earth-shaking scene when Meng Po made a move, the fighting spirit that had just emerged immediately subsided.
“Advanced to High Martial?”
The running Nan Zhu cheerfully asked a pointless question.
“Yes.” Yu Qing smiled and nodded.
Nan Zhu clicked his tongue in admiration. “That feeling of the High Martial realm really does seem quite different.”
Mu Aotie: “Old Fifteen, not bad. Congratulations.”
Yu Qing also could not stop smiling, though on the surface he remained composed. “Congratulations to you as well. Did we not all advance a step after entering? A year has only passed by about a month or so. If we continue, barring accidents, you two breaking through to High Martial will not be a problem at all. It is only a matter of time.”
Mu Aotie’s eyes showed anticipation.
“It should be possible.” Nan Zhu was cheerful, rubbing his hands incessantly, clearly expecting it terribly.
Before he turned forty, he had still been stuck at the Initial Martial realm. To say nothing of now, the near future was promising. How could he not be happy?
Yu Qing added, “Even after breaking through, we must keep a low profile. For me to show off going from Upper Martial to High Martial is fine, but for you two to go from Initial Martial to High Martial within a year, I am afraid it will be hard not to arouse suspicion. After all, we are all poor people.”