: At the Peak of the Third Layer, I Progress a Thousand Li a Day!

2024-07-31 Author: Gu Zhenren

: At the Peak of the Third Layer, I Progress a Thousand Li a Day!

After the two Zhou family geniuses stepped down, the entire Zhou modification team moved out, entering the formation one by one.

"Mid third layer."

"Mid third layer."

"Early third layer."

First came a series of Qi Refining cultivators at the third layer, starting from mid-stage to early-stage, with no late third layer practitioners.

Then came peak second layer, late second layer, mid second layer, early second layer—surprisingly, there wasn't a single first layer cultivator.

After this round of testing, the discussions among the Zheng and Ning family cultivators grew much quieter. Many Zheng family members wore serious expressions, while most of the Ning family cultivators looked even more displeased.

Although the Zhou modification team was small in number, they were highly elite.

Following the order, it was now the Zheng family's turn.

Zheng Jian stepped forward without hesitation, entering the testing formation first.

"Peak third layer," the family elder announced clearly.

"Oh!!" The Zheng family cultivators cheered, raising their arms and creating a wave of enthusiastic noise, much louder than the Zhou family's cheers had been.

It seemed they were competing in this manner.

Many young Zhou family cultivators watched silently, most maintaining calm expressions.

In the reception hall.

The Zhou family head complimented, "The Zheng family's ethos is truly admirable—united and tightly knit, flourishing vibrantly. This is all thanks to Brother Zheng's capable management."

The Zheng family head laughed heartily, not bothering with modesty: "It's like forging iron. Steel must be hammered thousands of times to become tightly consolidated, only then can it make a good weapon."

The Zheng family cultivators were quite lively, alternating between cheers and teasing.

The Zhou family cultivators had clearly tested their cultivation levels in advance, as they entered the formation in order of their cultivation rank.

The Zheng family had not done this.

This resulted in each Zheng family cultivator's outcome being difficult to predict upon entry.

When a cultivator tested with good results, they cheered with raised arms. When a comrade's results were less ideal, some would laugh and tease, though not maliciously.

This atmosphere of healthy competition secretly made the Ning family head envious.

"My Ning family was once like this too."

"Unfortunately, we suffered heavy losses during the migration. After entering the city, the branch families staged a coup, forcing us to implement a policy of strengthening the main branch while weakening the others."

"Sigh, only when the main branch has both quality and quantity can we gradually loosen the suppression on the branch families and foster a优良 family ethos."

Having held a high position for many years, the Ning family head was well aware of the hidden troubles within the family.

But he had no solution.

He belonged to the main branch; his origins determined his stance.

He could not betray the main branch to support the branch families. The branch family cultivators would not accept him, and the main branch cultivators would directly overthrow him.

"Every family has its own hard-to-recite scripture," the Ning family head adjusted his mindset inwardly.

He was quite aware of his modification team's situation. A large portion were only at the first layer of Qi Refining; the upcoming test results were bound to be disappointing.

Next, it was the Ning family's turn.

Ning Xiaohui, face cold, walked into the testing formation under the worried gazes of the Ning family members behind her.

"Peak third layer," the family elder announced.

The Ning family cultivators also erupted in cheers.

Zheng Jian and Zhou Zeshen looked towards Ning Xiaohui as she exited the formation. She still wore a cold expression, emanating an air of pride.

Inside the reception hall.

The Zheng family head looked at the Ning family head: "Your Ning Xiaohui hasn't been modifying her cultivation for long, yet she's already reached the peak of the third layer?"

The Zhou family head also looked over, his expression questioning.

The Ning family head stroked his beard and smiled. He had been waiting for this moment and replied with feigned nonchalance, "My clan was slow to realize the significance of the Molten Rock Immortal Palace and felt the gap deeply. So I sought permission from our ancestor and, with his approval, retrieved a talisman from the clan treasury called the Flowing Clouds and Running Water Talisman."

"When crafting this talisman, our ancestors drew upon a icy mountain cold spring, containing a trace of heaven and earth's spiritual nature. Thus, it can assist cultivators in joint cultivation, offering some additional aid."

The Zhou family head smiled, complimenting the Ning family a few times, thinking to himself that the Ning family indeed had some foundation.

The Zheng family head said, "Brother Ning, our two clans should indeed grow closer. To be frank, my clan is fully engaged in forging a magical treasure and lacks means of extreme cold tempering. Your Ning family came from the North Wind Kingdom—I wonder if you could lend a hand?"

The Ning family head stroked his beard: "Easy to discuss, easy to discuss."

But inwardly, he felt considerable regret.

This Flowing Clouds and Running Water Talisman possessed its own spirituality, aiding cultivators in joint cultivation with good effect, but it had limited uses.

If they could create a talisman like the Leaping Mountain Pass Talisman with inherent spirituality, according to the Ning family's secret method, the two talismans could interact, their spiritual natures nourishing and supplementing each other. Although the accumulation would be slow, strictly limiting the frequency of use could achieve a cycle of reuse.

Unlike now, using a single talisman meant the consumed spirituality couldn't be recovered.

Fortunately, after Ning Xiaohui restarted her cultivation, she was only at the first three layers of Qi Refining—her cultivation was weak, so the consumption of the Flowing Clouds and Running Water Talisman's spirituality was relatively low.

Using this talisman was a necessity.

Firstly, on the night of the Law Transmission Bell, Ning Xiaohui had fallen asleep from exhaustion due to talisman-making and hadn't adapted the Five Elements Rhythm Art to herself with fine adjustments. She could only use the summarized version others had comprehended, which was inefficient.

Secondly, Ning Xiaohui's grandmother, the school elder, and other higher-ups had made a fuss, securing many benefits for her.

Thirdly, the Ning family head also considered the competition with the Zhou and Zheng families. If a leader like Ning Xiaohui had lagging cultivation, the Ning family would suffer greatly in the distribution of benefits among the three families.

For these reasons, the Ning family temporarily integrated the Flowing Clouds and Running Water Talisman into Ning Xiaohui's body, constantly assisting her in breathing exercises and refining法力, leading to rapid progress.

After Ning Xiaohui returned to the team, the test results of the remaining Ning family cultivators were less pleasing.

The better ones had second-layer cultivation, but most were only at the first layer.

This wasn't entirely their fault, as the Ning family had recruited temporarily not long ago.

But with the three families testing together, the Zhou family elder's announcements seemed to grow louder each time, publicly shaming those first-layer Ning family cultivators.

The Zheng family had many hot-blooded youths who sometimes burst into mocking laughter.

The Zhou family cultivators maintained their composure, but the disdain in their eyes grew increasingly evident.

Ning Xiaohui was furious, her face pale with anger. She glared at the cultivators beside her and coldly spat, "A bunch of trash!"

Ning Chen and Ning Yong returned to the cultivators' group with defeated expressions one after another; both were at the peak of the first layer.

"Since we started modifying our cultivation, we've practiced without rest every day, pushing our breathing exercises to the limit."

"We heard the Zheng and Zhou families provide resources for free, but in our Ning modification team, only the main branch gets such treatment!"

"Yeah, if we had the same benefits and time, we might not be worse than them."

Ning Chen and Ning Yong were very不服气.

Ning Zhuo reached out and patted their shoulders, saying bluntly, "Watch me."

Under Ning Chen and Ning Yong's puzzled gazes, Ning Zhuo stepped out of the line and entered the testing formation.

The entire training ground was buzzing with noise.

At this point, the caliber of the three great families was clear.

The Ning family had many cultivators, but many were only at the first layer. With so many such cases, no one expected much from Ning Zhuo.

However, the light from the testing formation shone brilliantly.

The Zhou family elder was momentarily stunned. After confirming, he announced with an难以置信 expression, "Ning Zhuo, peak Qi Refining third layer!"

The entire field fell silent.

Many began asking their companions what they had just heard.

As Ning Zhuo stepped out of the testing formation, countless eyes immediately turned towards him.

The sixteen-year-old youth faced the crowd without fear, smiling slightly. Then, he strode back to the Ning family team with his head held high.

Numerous eyes followed him, even Zhou Zeshen, Zhou Zhu, Zheng Jian, and others looked over with curiosity.

"Who is this? To have such cultivation!"

"There's no intel on him."

"Does the Ning family also have a hidden gem?"

Similar questions and emotions lingered in everyone's minds.

Even the heads of the three great families were no exception.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't pay nearly as much attention to Qi Refining cultivators in their families.

But now, with the Molten Rock Immortal Palace atop the mountain, the Qi Refining cultivators were the main force for exploring the palace—they couldn't be重视 enough!

The Zhou family head looked at the Ning family head: "I didn't expect you to have such a card up your sleeve, Brother Ning."

The Ning family head stroked his beard and smiled, appearing composed: "You flatter me, Brother Zhou."

He offered no further explanation, which made the Zhou and Zheng family heads exchange a glance, both raising their estimation of the Ning family by a notch.

Little did they know, the Ning family head had the same doubts as them!

Ning Zhuo's return was met with cheers from the Ning family cultivators.

Ning Chen and Ning Yong crowded around him, their faces full of disbelief and joy: "A-Zhuo, how did you suddenly reach the peak of the third layer?"

"Yeah, you're as strong as Ning Xiaohui now!"

Countless ears perked up, listening for Ning Zhuo's response.

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly: "Perhaps the Five Elements Rhythm Art suits me well. Practicing this method, my progress is fast, like a great river flowing swiftly—a thousand li in a single day."

The crowd fell silent.

(PS: Forgot to mention—if you have monthly tickets, you can save them to vote after the book officially goes on sale at noon on June 3rd. There's a monthly ticket event. Thanks! Thanks!)

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