Translator: AnubisTL
"Although the Great Dream Celestial Evolution Divine Art was only created within the last ten thousand years, its founder was confident that once it was mastered, it would surpass any quasi-emperor in the realm of Soul Power, rivaling ancient techniques from any era..."
"At its core, it involves the continuous division of the Soul, splitting one into two, two into four, four into eight... In this process, the divided Souls cultivate together, exponentially increasing Soul Power..."
"The pain of tearing apart your Soul is something you must endure..."
Yan Xixi had thought she would never see the senior who imparted this technique after that day. Unexpectedly, in the days that followed, she would meet this senior in her dreams every few days, receiving guidance.
At first, she was in awe of the senior and dared not ask too many questions. After a few encounters, Yan Xixi discovered that this senior was actually quite approachable, and her courage grew.
"Senior Zhu, can the Great Dream Celestial Evolution Divine Art only be cultivated during sleep? Does that mean I have to sleep all day long?" Yan Xixi asked respectfully, looking at the ethereal figure.
"Only for now. Once the first division is complete, you won't need to sleep to cultivate."
"That's great! The senior who created this technique is truly a genius," Yan Xixi said cheerfully. This way, she could cultivate and refine pills without conflict.
"Her original intention in creating this technique was to infinitely enhance Soul Power to refine the pills she envisioned... Moreover, as cultivation progresses, the divided Souls can roam the world, searching for rare medicinal materials..."
"Her alchemy skills must be unparalleled!" Yan Xixi said, her heart filled with admiration.
"Uh—yes, indeed!"
...
"Hey, your little maid didn't stay to serve you tonight?" A stalk of Thunder Spirit Grass floated through the window and landed in the room.
"Senior Sister Chu provides proper services. What are you thinking?" Gu Feng, refreshed after a massage, lay on the bed, sipping Spirit Wine.
"Massages are never proper!" Zhu Qingyan scoffed.
"You're a Spirit Herb, isn't it inappropriate for you to wander around? Aren't you afraid of being captured for research?" Gu Feng glanced at Zhu Qingyan and smiled.
"There are plenty of Spirit Herbs roaming the world. It's only the cultivators in this tiny place who treat it as a spectacle," Zhu Qingyan retorted, then picked up the Spirit Wine on the table and gulped down a few mouthfuls.
"Senior Zhu, I've fed you quite a few Thunder Attribute Natural Treasures recently. Don't you have anything to offer in return? Like Martial Skills or secret techniques?" Gu Feng looked at Zhu Qingyan.
With the end of the year approaching and the battle with Shu Yuheng imminent, Gu Feng felt that his trump cards were still too few after his fight with Chu Youhuan. It was necessary to cultivate a bit more.
Currently, apart from Asura and the Ten Thousand Beasts Manual, he didn't seem to have any impressive offensive techniques.
"Hmm, let me think!" Zhu Qingyan nodded in agreement.
It wasn't that she didn't want to teach him, but most of the offensive techniques from the Great Ming Dynasty required the foundation of the supreme technique Thirty-Three Heavens Celestial Palace. Since Gu Feng hadn't cultivated this technique, forcibly teaching him some Martial Skills or techniques would not only weaken their power but also make them difficult to master.
"The Ancient Buddha Finger! It's an attack technique from the Buddhist sect, quite powerful and suitable for your cultivation!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Qingyan flicked her finger, and a strange scripture surged into Gu Feng's mind, condensing into a massive golden finger, unimaginably large, with runes flickering on its surface, exuding an awe-inspiring aura that shook his soul.
"Practice well, I'm going to sleep."
Gu Feng was usually carefree, a result of his unique physique that made cultivation seem meaningless. But when it came to practicing martial skills, he was absolutely serious and diligent.
With his talent in martial skills, he was able to condense the Ancient Buddha Finger in just over ten days!
He sat cross-legged on his bed, his expression solemn, and faint chants of "Amitabha" could be heard. At a certain moment, a golden ancient Buddha appeared behind him.
The ancient Buddha's eyes were tightly shut, exuding an aura of compassion and mercy!
The chants echoed throughout the swamp, and everyone stared in awe at the central pavilion.
In the next moment, golden light filled the sky, more intense than the setting sun, dispersing large swathes of mist. A thick, golden finger, over a meter in diameter with clear fingerprints, appeared out of thin air.
The Ancient Buddha Finger!
Boom—
With a single point, the air burned, making gurgling sounds, blowing off the top layer of the pavilion, and causing a corner of the array formation to collapse, the runes exploding.
Hiss—
Such a domineering power!
Chu Youhuan, who was also in the room, gasped. If Gu Feng had used this move during their previous battle, she probably wouldn't have lasted a hundred exchanges.
"You've gotten stronger again," she murmured softly, her beautiful eyes flickering.
"I might have overdone it a bit!" After executing this move, Gu Feng felt a third of his spiritual power depleted, and his Dantian felt empty.
"Hey—why are you here?"
"Didn't you call me over for a massage?" Chu Youhuan pouted, her eyes catching the ambiguous looks from the people around her. She was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what was happening.
"Not bad, under my guidance, your cultivation has advanced another step!
Alright, I'm off. Keep working hard, don't slack off. I'll come back to guide you again next time." With that, she tossed her hair and turned away with a proud air.
Whoosh—
Whistles erupted!
...
Time flew by, and by the end of December, Gu Feng held an annual summary meeting, where he laid out plans for the next year, mainly focusing on the second phase of the Swamp Fortress project.
"Next year, we won't be distributing dividends. All profits will be used to build the second phase of the project..."
As his cultivation level increased, Gu Feng exuded an air of authority, and none of the shareholders had any objections to his proposal.
"Regarding next year's admissions to the Grand Harmony Academy... the Swamp Fortress has a thousand exemption slots... My suggestion is to allocate these slots to those disciples who have talent but are slightly weaker in strength... As for Senior Sister Chu and Senior Sister Yan, who are exceptionally talented and can clearly pass the exams, they shouldn't take up these slots."
This meeting was more complex than any previous one, lasting several hours, but it concluded successfully.
After the meeting, the end of the year was approaching. News came back from the Sunset Glow Sect that Shu Yuheng had already set up the arena and determined the time for the decisive battle.
Another day began, and the sunlight was particularly brilliant, with the mist over the swamp emitting a faint golden glow.
"Where's Gu Feng? We're all here, and he hasn't shown up yet?" At the Swamp Fortress port, Chu Youhuan scanned the crowd but didn't see Gu Feng.
"Wu Qi, don't you guys often drink with Gu Feng? Did he drink too much again last night?" Chu Youhuan approached Wu Qi and the others, asking in a serious tone.
After a year of arduous cultivation, Wu Qi, Guo Renkai, Chao Yuan, and the Xiong Brothers had all successfully broken through to the Innate Realm. Of course, this was partly due to the special care Gu Feng had provided.
"Senior Sister Chu, how did you know we often drink with Boss Gu? Do you join us often?" Wu Qi asked with a hint of implication, a smile in his eyes.
"Just a guess!" Chu Youhuan was momentarily taken aback, then turned to A Fei: "Go call Gu Feng out!"
A year later, A Fei had changed significantly, mainly in his physique. Logically, at his age, he should have stopped growing, but A Fei continued to grow taller.
Previously, he was a head taller than Gu Feng; now, he was two heads taller. Correspondingly, his strength had also grown. In just a year, he had reached the seventh level of the Innate Realm.
This was absolutely astonishing. His cultivation speed was almost on par with Gu Feng's. Like Gu Feng, he was one of the two anomalies in the entire Swamp Zone. Gu Feng rarely saw him cultivating; at most, he practiced some martial skills. A Fei was even more extreme, indulging in food and drink all day, not cultivating at all, and even neglecting martial skills. As he put it, eating was his cultivation.
When asked, A Fei scratched his head with a simple smile and said in a deep voice, "I just woke up too, afraid I might miss the time, so I came straight here."
"Eat, sleep, repeat. I haven't seen you contribute anything to the Swamp Fortress!" Chu Youhuan scolded.
"Yes, yes, Senior Sister Chu contributes the most, not only managing the fortress affairs during the day but also comforting the top leader at night..." A Fei gave a strange smile and muttered.
"What do you mean by that?" Chu Youhuan's eyebrows shot up, annoyed by A Fei's sarcasm, and she lightly kicked him. "Hurry up and call him!"
A Fei chuckled and ran off.
"Why do I feel like the disciples haven't been showing me much respect lately?" Chu Youhuan whispered as she joined a group of female cultivators.
The female cultivators twitched their lips, some looking around, others gazing at the sky. They were somewhat speechless. Given how you've been acting, it's no wonder they don't respect you.
"Sect Leader, that's not the case, it's just an illusion."
"Perhaps it's because the Sect Leader is too approachable."
"..."
"Should I be more serious then?" Chu Youhuan frowned.
"Please, stop being funny," Yan Yexue said disdainfully as she walked over with Yan Xixi. The two sisters had also returned to the Sunset Glow Sect to support Gu Feng.
"Funny? How am I being funny?" Chu Youhuan immediately bristled, glaring at her.
"Everyone's up so early!" Gu Feng sauntered over, his eyes still sleepy, clearly just awakened.
"Xi Xi, I heard you haven't been feeling well lately?" Last month, Gu Feng went to the alchemy room to ask Yan Xixi to refine some pills for fishing Black Crocodiles, but was told she hadn't been feeling well and had been absent for some time.
"Just a bit of drowsiness. I've been recuperating for a while, and now I'm fine!" Yan Xixi smiled sweetly. After more than two months of hard cultivation, she had finally succeeded in splitting a soul, officially beginning her journey with the Great Dream Celestial Evolution Divine Art.
"Oh, the environment here isn't great. Take care of your health."
"Mm!" Yan Xixi responded softly.
"Hey, sister-in-law," Sima Juncong called out in a teasing tone as he drove his Hundred Birds Glazed Carriage over, greeting Chu Youhuan with a strange remark.
"Get lost! If you keep calling me that, I'll tear your mouth apart!" Chu Youhuan glared at him, and he quickly apologized, saying he wouldn't dare.
His group of subordinates wore unnatural smiles.
"Gu Feng, did you get drunk one day and spill our secret?" Chu Youhuan whispered to Gu Feng, pulling him aside when no one was paying attention.
Gu Feng pursed his lips, amused. He hadn't known about it originally, but Chao Yuan had once gotten drunk and revealed the truth to him.
"Why do you think that?" Gu Feng stifled a laugh, of course not planning to expose the truth. Chu Youhuan's massage skills were quite good, and he wasn't done enjoying them yet.
"I've overheard cultivators whispering more than once, and the way they look at me has changed. They always have these weird smiles, and I feel like they don't respect me anymore," Chu Youhuan frowned.
"Haha, it's just your imagination!" Gu Feng laughed. "Come on, let's ride Sima Juncong's carriage back to the Sunset Glow Sect!"
"Xi Xi, you and your sister come up too."
"Boss Gu, I want to ride too!" A Fei came over with a pleading look.
"Female cultivators can ride, and male cultivators who want to can also join, but they'll have to sit on the lower two levels and serve as human power sources!"
(End of the Chapter)
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