Chapter 20 – Nine Clouds
Wang Lin was also very happy. Although he had been kicked out of the courtyard and many honorary disciples had mocked him throughout the month, he had learned a lot about cultivation. He learned that there were five stages: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Formation.
In the entire Heng Yue Sect, there were only two Core Formation stage experts. They both lived on the mountain peak, where the spiritual energy was highest. They always remained behind closed doors, cultivating, and never concerned themselves with sect matters. There were only ten people in the sect who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage. They held the second-highest position and enjoyed special privileges, such as using any magic treasure they desired.
Aside from those people, everyone else was still at the Qi Condensation stage. Even Sun Dazhu was only at the 5th level of the Qi Condensation stage.
Cultivation is not only extremely difficult, but also time-consuming. If one’s talent is insufficient, they won’t have enough years of their life to cultivate. Foundation Establishment is even more difficult than Qi Condensation, as one requires not only sufficient spiritual energy, but also luck and perception to succeed.
Wang Lin knew the importance of spiritual energy. He wanted to get the stone bead back immediately.
He might not have any spiritual energy in his body yet, but he believed that as long as he continued drinking the water enhanced by the beads, the process would accelerate. The so-called Qi Condensation was simply the accumulation of spiritual energy.
Judging by Sun Dazhu’s reaction, the water used to soak the stone beads must have contained a great deal of spiritual energy. Thinking of this, Wang Lin became extremely excited, forgetting about the spring water where he had hidden the stone beads. There were three gourds filled with dew. They must have contained even more spiritual energy.
If he took it, it wouldn’t be any worse than the medication he’d been taking for a month, and it might even be better. That’s why he didn’t feel guilty about being kicked out. In fact, he felt happy.
He was a core disciple, so he didn’t have to live in the main courtyard. He could live in any of the other five courtyards. He chose a secluded house near the courtyard’s east gate.
Core disciples received different treatment depending on the color of their clothing. He learned from Sun Dazhu last month that on the 10th of every month, every core disciple could go and collect a low-grade spirit stone fragment and a Qi Gathering Pill.
After saving 10 spirit stone fragments, one can go to any elder to exchange them for low-quality spirit stones.
After Wang Lin cleaned his house, he didn’t immediately set out to find the stone beads. He was afraid that Sun Dazhu might still be spying on him. He continued his usual routine: cultivating by the spring during the day and continuing to cultivate in his house at night.
In fact, Sun Dazhu refused to give up. He spied on him for 10 days before finally giving in.
A month later, Wang Lin sneaked out in the middle of the night. After making several turns in the mountains, he managed to retrieve the stone beads and gourd without anyone noticing.
After a few days of careful observation, he realized there was nothing wrong and was finally able to relax. He no longer went to the spring, but stayed at home to study the stone beads all day.
Wang Lin touched the bead and immediately noticed that the number of clouds had increased from seven to nine. This must have been due to the high humidity in the mountains, which allowed the bead to absorb a lot of water.
As for the three gourds, when Wang Lin opened them, he discovered that the dew inside had become sticky, especially the one containing morning dew. It had almost become jelly-like.
Wang Lin looked at the stone beads, then at the three gourds. He began to get excited. If the stone beads needed to absorb water, what if the water from the three gourds was used? Would that cause the 10th cloud to appear?
His heart was pounding. The bead was already very small. Currently, the nine clouds covered almost the entire bead. There was only a space the size of a fingernail left in the bead. Wang Lin guessed that was where the tenth cloud would be.
We pondered for a moment. Deep down, he truly wondered what would come after those ten clouds. There was no room for an eleventh cloud, so the tenth cloud must be the last.
However, today was the day to retrieve the spirit stone fragments. Wang Lin noticed that it was getting dark. He stored the stone beads and gourd in his storage bag before leaving the room.
He was now very familiar with the sect. After a while, he arrived at the main courtyard. He quickly ran towards the pill house before it got dark.
Before he got there, he heard a familiar voice from a distance.
“Brother Zhou, Master allowed me to enter closed-door training for three months to reach the first layer of Qi Condensation, but I kept thinking about you. I couldn’t calm my heart the whole time! I wanted to quickly reach the first layer of Qi Condensation just so I could see you. Last night, I finally reached the first layer of Qi Condensation, so I rushed out to pick this flower for you in the mountains. Look how beautiful it is. There’s a big snake guarding it, so I went to great lengths to get it. Look, even my elbow is injured by it.”
Wang Lin frowned and stopped. He sneered in his heart and continued walking.
Then, a stern female voice rang out. “Apprentice-brother Wang, my family is a family of doctors. This flower is clearly a very common flower called Asuka. I saw many of them while climbing the mountain. This is the first time I’ve heard of snakes guarding it. If that’s true, then our Heng Yue Sect will be infested with snakes. Apprentice-sister Zhou, don’t believe her.”
At that moment, Wang Lin walked into the courtyard of the pill house. There were four other people there, two men and two women, all wearing red clothes.
One of the men looked very handsome and well-groomed. He was very embarrassed and was about to retort, but then he saw Wang Lin. Suddenly, he stared at the door with an incredulous expression and said, “Wang Lin! You… Why are you here? You should be at home working with your father on the carpentry!”
One of the girls beside him said, “Wang Lin? Ah, so you’re the one who became an honorary disciple by attempting suicide, then an inner disciple by sucking up to Elder Sun!” Her shiny black hair was tied back in a ponytail. She had thick eyebrows and large black eyes. She was extremely beautiful.
The other two girls’ faces were filled with shock, their gazes fixed on Wang Lin. One of the girls had large, childlike eyes, adorned with beautiful eyelashes. Her eyes were like two crystal balls, and they revealed an expression of fascination.
Wang Lin’s face was expressionless as he surveyed the people before him. When he heard the girl’s voice, he realized that she was the one who had been mocking Wang Zhuo. However, upon seeing her, he realized she seemed very familiar. Wang Lin thought carefully and remembered that she was the one who had been chosen during the disciple selection a few months ago. After recognizing her, he concluded that the other one must be Sister Apprentice Zhou, the one Wang Zhuo wanted to give the flowers to.