Chapter 32: Breaking Through to the Divine Transformation Grotto-Heaven—Master Is Truly a Great Expert

Jiang Yueli had no idea what a tremendous stir she had caused.

At that moment, she was still cultivating the Vast Righteous Sword Scripture, having transformed all the sword intent she had comprehended into vast righteous sword intent.

As a result, her entire being now seemed to radiate sharpness, like a drawn blade.

“Phew…”

After a long while, Jiang Yueli exhaled slowly and opened her eyes. Her beautiful gaze shimmered with brilliance.

“I have fully comprehended the sword intent of the seventh level. I have already entered the realm of Crystal-Clear Swordheart, taking another step toward the realm my master mentioned!”

She lowered her eyes slightly and examined the changes within herself, astonishment and delight in her gaze.

“However, judging from my current condition, cultivating on the eighth level will probably be rather difficult. The ninth level is even farther beyond my reach.”

“Besides, the tea my master gave me seems to be losing its effect.”

“In that case, I shall remain on the seventh level and consolidate my foundation properly. I will cultivate the Vast Righteous Sword Scripture several more times and strive to reach the point of complete mastery.”

With that thought, Jiang Yueli continued immersing herself in cultivation, repeatedly attempting to break through to deeper realms.

She had spent an exceptionally long time comprehending all the sword intent on the seventh level, so she could sense that this level was already close to her limit.

Perhaps with sufficient effort, she could advance to the eighth level, but doing so would serve no real purpose.

Even if she entered the eighth level, fully comprehending the sword intent there would likely take an extremely long time.

Thus, the seventh level was actually the most suitable place for her cultivation. The laws of the sword were exceptionally dense there, allowing her to cultivate the Vast Righteous Sword Scripture with twice the results for half the effort.

Having made up her mind, Jiang Yueli once again immersed herself in cultivation, repeatedly attempting to reach a deeper realm.

And so, in the blink of an eye, time flowed past like water.

Within Lingyun Sword Peak, Li Tianyuan had found the past few days unbearably dull.

His eldest disciple, Jiang Yueli, had entered the Haotian Sword Tower to cultivate and had been gone for three whole days without returning.

His second disciple was even more extreme. He was practically a cultivation fanatic. Ever since arriving at Lingyun Sword Peak, he had been cultivating at every moment and had not stepped outside his room even once.

If this had not been a world of immortals and martial cultivators, Li Tianyuan might have worried that Ye Chen would cultivate himself to death.

After all, the fellow was only at the first level of Qi Refinement and had yet to reach the fasting stage. Going several days without eating or drinking while cultivating frenziedly really could be dangerous.

My disciples!

This truly isn’t because I’m forcing you.

You’re the ones working yourselves to the bone. There’s nothing your master can do about it.

I can only reluctantly accept the cultivation results you return to me.

Infinite Heavenly Venerable!

What a sin, what a sin!

Thus, over the past few days, Li Tianyuan had spent his time drinking tea, watching the sea of clouds, and contemplating life.

Every time he awoke from his sleep, his cultivation had risen a little. His days were truly dull and uneventful.

Yet they were also rather… pleasant.

After all, if one could improve one’s cultivation simply by lying down, who would willingly suffer through arduous training?

Besides, it was not as though he had made no effort.

The disciples had been accepted by him, the cultivation techniques had been bestowed by him, and even their fates had been changed by his intervention.

So what was wrong with him, their master, receiving a little cultivation in return when they trained?

What was wrong with that? Tell me!

With this thought, Li Tianyuan immediately felt perfectly justified.

…

On this particular day, while Li Tianyuan was reclining beneath the Enlightenment Tea Tree and leisurely drinking tea, Ye Chen finally opened his eyes inside his room.

Five days!

An entire five days.

He had not rested for even a moment, and now he had finally succeeded in establishing his foundation.

Moreover, thanks to the extraordinary nature of the Great Way Star-Severing Scripture, an ultimate immortal art, he had also successfully established a Heavenly Dao Foundation.

Although this achievement was worlds apart from Jiang Yueli’s breakthrough into the Profound Realm in a single day, it was still astonishing enough.

After all, Ye Chen’s aptitude, comprehension, and fortune were all far inferior to Jiang Yueli’s. The fact that he had established his foundation in five days was chiefly due to his innate talent.

Diligence could make up for a lack of natural ability.

The longer he cultivated, and the harder and more diligently he worked, the more he could develop talent and potential that others could never rival.

“I succeeded! I finally established my foundation!”

Ye Chen expelled the stale air from his chest and could not help shouting in excitement.

It had been a full three years since he first came into contact with cultivation.

He had spent all that time hovering at the first level of Qi Refinement. Yet now, having only just become his master’s disciple, he had successfully established his foundation in merely five days. Naturally, his heart was filled with incomparable excitement.

“Although I have only succeeded in establishing my foundation, taking this crucial first step proves that I, Ye Chen, am not a useless person.”

“So what if I lack extraordinary aptitude? I shall rely on my own efforts and carve out a path that belongs to me.”

After successfully establishing his foundation, Ye Chen’s convictions became firmer, his fighting spirit soared, and he was filled with hope for the future.

“Still, all of this is thanks to Master. Without him, even if I spent several decades, I could never have crossed this step as vast as a heavenly chasm.”

“I must go tell Master and let him know that he did not choose the wrong person!”

Suppressing his excitement, Ye Chen left the room and headed toward Lingyun Hall.

At that moment, Li Tianyuan was reclining and drinking tea when he suddenly felt the spiritual energy within his body surge violently. In the next instant, a powerful, domineering, and awe-inspiring force swept outward, causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him to tremble.

The breakthrough he had been waiting two days for was finally coming?

Li Tianyuan was startled. He was very familiar with this sensation.

It was the sign of an imminent breakthrough.

Sure enough, the system’s notification sounded the next moment.

[Ding!]

[Disciple Ye Chen’s cultivation has broken through. The host has received a massive return of cultivation and has advanced to the Divine Transformation Grotto-Heaven Realm!]

As soon as the system’s announcement ended, a surging and magnificent force of spiritual energy, vast as though boundless, instantly enveloped Li Tianyuan.

Immediately afterward, the Nascent Soul within his body began to thunder like rolling lightning as it continuously fused with his physical body.

Boom!

With a deafening roar, a grotto-heaven gradually opened within Li Tianyuan’s body—a realm resembling a void of empty space.

The grotto-heaven was ring-shaped. Spiritual energy roiled endlessly within it like a vast ocean, brimming with all kinds of mighty forces drawn from heaven and earth.

It was done!

The Divine Transformation Grotto-Heaven Realm.

As its name implied, this realm involved merging the Nascent Soul with the physical body and opening a grotto-heaven within oneself.

The grotto-heaven could continuously absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish its master, providing an inexhaustible supply of power.

The more grotto-heavens one opened, the stronger one became. At most, nine grotto-heavens could be opened, transforming into a furnace of heaven and earth and granting boundless, inexhaustible energy.

What was happening?

Li Tianyuan’s breakthrough happened to be witnessed by Ye Chen, who had just emerged from his room.

He saw that only a moment earlier, his master had been sitting there leisurely drinking tea and watching the clouds drift across the horizon.

Yet in the next instant, an utterly terrifying aura erupted from his body.

That aura was as weighty and majestic as a mountain, suffocating and oppressive. It even inspired an overwhelming urge to fall to one’s knees and worship.

Ye Chen’s eyes widened as he stared at his master in disbelief.

At that moment, he was shaken beyond words.

“Master truly is an extraordinary expert. He can break through simply by sitting there and drinking tea. That is far too incredible! I cultivated for five whole days before barely managing to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.”

“But what realm has Master’s cultivation actually reached? The aura he emits is far too terrifying.”

“Perhaps I should ask him later?”

“Never mind. Asking Master about his cultivation so abruptly would be too impolite. Once I become acquainted with Senior Sister, I can ask her instead.”

Even as Ye Chen marveled at what he had witnessed, curiosity stirred within him.