Zhang Yan let out a long exhale, and a whistling sound echoed through the cave instantly. He silently observed his body, inspecting the acupoints that had already been opened.
It had been three months since his last meeting with Dong Jinzi.
Zhang Yan used the abnormal Qi to enhance his True Fire, which he had originally absorbed with extreme caution, fearing Dong Jinzi might detect any flaws. But ever since their discussion laid everything bare, he no longer needed to hold back.
One gains openly, the other steals in secret—these two methods are worlds apart.
With Dong Jinzi’s full assistance, the True Fire within him surged like a wildfire, rapidly increasing in strength within a short time.
During these days, he painstakingly refined it within his cave mansion and successively opened six additional acupoints. Coupled with the two earlier breakthroughs, he had now ignited thirty-four large acupoints in total. There were only two remaining to complete his cultivation to the Great Success Realm.
Yet, having reached this point, Zhang Yan found himself halting.
It wasn’t because he couldn’t proceed or encountered an obstruction, but rather due to his cautious nature.
Previously, when refining each large acupoint, his progress was swift, akin to breaking through bamboo, even experiencing opening three acupoints in a single day.
But now, each subsequent acupoint required significantly more time. Despite nearly a hundred days of effort, he had only managed to open three more, and while his cultivation techniques permitted no pause, a moment of negligence could result in losing all prior progress.
After several trials using Broken Jade, he discovered that refining the thirty-fifth acupoint would require a full year, whereas the final and crucial thirty-sixth acupoint would necessitate an unspecified yet undoubtedly lengthy duration. A single mishap during the process could ruin his Dao Foundation entirely, posing immense peril.
Zhang Yan thought to himself, "No wonder at this stage even true disciples of the great sects find themselves powerless. Although I’ve benefited from abnormal Qi and possess such vigorous firepower, refining each acupoint still takes around a month. For others, this process could stretch across decades, perhaps even centuries. A Xuan Guang Realm cultivator without external aid—who could bear such a burden?"
Asking a cultivator above the Xuan Guang Realm to spend decades opening acupoints for someone else—aside from the true disciples of noble families steeped in Xuanmen heritage—few would afford such extravagance.
Zhang Yan mused deeply for a long time and pondered further. With over two years left before the array activation, Qingcun Mountain remained fraught with uncertainties. Unexpected events could arise at any moment. It would be better to leave the mountain first and seek another place for secluded cultivation.
Though this slower pace delayed his progress, it was far safer than forcibly breaking through here.
Having weighed this option, he resolved to stop his efforts for now. Breathing lightly through his nose and mouth several times, he withdrew the True Fire and condensed it into a lively flame before embedding it in his Qi Sea.
With this matter set aside, he turned his thoughts to another pressing concern regarding his own safety.
According to Dong Jinzi, the person sent by the Taihao Sect to seize the Ganoderma Ancestor’s remains was also a Nascent Soul cultivator, whose cultivation was undoubtedly on par with Dong Jinzi. The rightful source is nοvelfire.net
Nevertheless, Zhang Yan’s concern lay elsewhere. Given Qingcun Mountain’s ties to the Taihao Sect, it was highly probable that he would face multiple Nascent Soul True Masters. Should Dong Jinzi find himself in dire straits, it would be unlikely for him to spare any consideration for Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan pondered, "Though Dong Jinzi has promised to help me escape the Great Void Defense Array and even made an oath, I am ultimately relying on another’s strength. If anything unexpected occurs, I’ll find myself with no path of retreat."
He reviewed all the techniques he had mastered, carefully considering which methods could facilitate his escape.
Among his cultivation techniques, sword escape offered the fastest speed. However, it might not enable him to elude the Nascent Soul True Masters, and it also risked exposing his identity. While the Taihao Sect might not dare to act too harshly against him, detaining him for decades would pose little challenge.
Using the Fake Body technique from the Carefree Chapter to flee would also fail to deceive Nascent Soul True Masters with sharp eyesight and profound cultivation.
After much deliberation, he finally recalled the spell gifted to him by Qin Mobai. That spell seemed to be another escape method, though each time he examined it before, it only appeared as a blurry talisman, offering no clarity or actionable techniques.
Originally, he hadn’t held much hope for it. But as this thought crossed his mind, his brow suddenly throbbed sharply. Without being guided by his Divine Thought, the True Fire in his Qi Sea surged upward out of nowhere. Instantly, he heard a "boom," and the flames fiercely scorched the golden talisman.
With just this one burn, the veil-like haze that had previously shrouded the talisman seemed to open like a portal. The talisman suddenly began to melt away like melting ice, flowing downward.