I Have An Infinite Cultivation Resource
Chapter 80: Martial Law
After eating at Lu Xiao'e's place, Lu You didn't waste any time and went straight back to his room to cultivate.
As for the jade key, the two of them tacitly avoided mentioning it, as if they had never seen it at all.
Watching Lu You about to leave, Lu Xiao'e finally couldn't hold back and called out, "From now on, come here to eat."
Lu You couldn't help but laugh. "You've got quite the imagination—want me to cook for you forever, huh?"
Lu Xiao'e wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. "Is my cooking really that bad? If you don't mind, I can make noodles for you."
Hearing her words, Lu You quickened his pace even more. Staying at Lu Xiao'e's place was a losing deal the longer he stayed—no matter how you looked at it, even if she cooked noodles, he'd only get the soup while she'd eat the good stuff.
Hurriedly locking the door, then reinforcing it with a Hard Metal Talisman and a Soundproof Talisman, Lu You began cultivating in his secret room.
Besides practicing the Five Elements Qi-Nourishing Technique, he now had the additional task of infusing spiritual energy into the Mount Tai Talisman. With that, his already limited time became even tighter.
In the blink of an eye, it was night. Seeing the sky darken, Lu You packed away his spirit stones and Qi-Nourishing Pills, got up, and jumped out the window, preparing to head toward the Sword Tomb. The last time he cooked for his senior sister, he hadn't had the chance to spend time with her. This time, he had copied plenty of ingredients in Lu Xiao'e's kitchen and planned to have a big meal together with her.
Sneaking out of the courtyard, before he even left the Human district, Lu You suddenly sensed something unusual. Above the district, an inexplicable barrier had formed, like a giant bowl covering the entire area.
"This is bad… could it be that the Deep Literary Pavilion has started monitoring the movements of outer disciples?" Having just seen a barrier in Water-Cloud Realm within the Nascent Soul district, Lu You knew this one was even more meticulous than surveillance in his previous life. If he headed to the Sword Tomb now, all his movements would be recorded.
Without a specific key, and lacking the ability to break the barrier, even using a teleportation talisman to leave would cause trouble when returning. There would be no record of him leaving, only of him coming back—making things even more suspicious. This barrier was different from the Verdant Cloud Sect's protective formation, which kept outsiders out. This one recorded entry and exit, leaving no room for tricks.
"So the Deep Literary Pavilion has locked down the Human district… fine, I'll just focus on cultivating for the next few days." Lu You glanced regretfully in the direction of the Sword Tomb, then decisively returned to his room. Since he couldn't visit his senior sister, he might as well push his cultivation forward.
This time, Lu You stayed indoors without stepping out. He didn't even respond when Lu Xiao'e knocked on his door. After cultivating non-stop for three days and consuming an incalculable amount of spirit stones, he finally broke through to the tenth level of Qi Refining—only one step away from Foundation Establishment.
In addition, the Mount Tai Talisman had been fully charged, unable to absorb even a drop more spiritual energy. Just by holding it in his hand, Lu You could feel how extraordinary it was. Not daring to test it recklessly, he carefully placed it into his small cauldron, instantly giving him an endless amount of fully charged Mount Tai Talisman.
Instantly, Lu You felt a surge of security. Only after using more than a dozen Purifying Heart Talismans did he manage to steady his mindset.
"Don't let external objects cloud your judgment. My own cultivation is the true foundation. Right now, the priority is breaking through to Foundation Establishment."
After reaching the peak of the tenth level of Qi Refining, Lu You had a faint premonition—he had absorbed too much spiritual energy. If he attempted Foundation Establishment, it might cause a significant disturbance. If discovered by the Verdant Cloud Sect, suspicion would inevitably arise. How could someone with mixed spiritual roots reach Foundation Establishment in less than a year? Combined with the incident involving Dongfang Bubai in the Deep Literary Pavilion, advancing now would be no different from openly declaring that something was wrong with him.
"Let's go check whether the barrier has been lifted."
Lu You finally pushed open the door. After not going out for three days, he noticed that Lu Xiao'e had somehow restored the large tree in the courtyard—which had previously been chopped into a mess—back to a lush and flourishing state.
Hearing Lu You open the door, the opposite door immediately opened as well. Lu Xiao'e leaned against the doorframe, a hint of delight on her face.
"Oh? So you really were in your room. I thought you got stuck at the Sword Tomb because of the barrier."
"Cut it out. How many times have you tried to break in? Don't pretend you don't know," Lu You said with a curl of his lips. During his secluded cultivation, he had deliberately kept replenishing Hard Metal Talismans just to guard against Lu Xiao'e—otherwise she would've smashed the door open long ago. If he hadn't been inside, how could the door have been reinforced? She was clearly playing dumb.
Glancing at the lush green tree in the courtyard, Lu You asked, "Wasn't this tree chopped down by you? How did it recover?"
"Don't even think about it—there's no technique for reviving dead wood or regrowing a severed tree," Lu Xiao'e immediately saw through his thoughts.
"I didn't use any secret technique. I just took seeds from that tree and used a Growth Talisman to speed up their development."
Growth Talismans were very low-level, only useful for cultivating plants without spiritual energy. Although Lu You couldn't name the tree, it was just an ordinary one.
As she spoke, Lu Xiao'e proudly opened her palm, showing that she had even kept a few extra seeds.
"What? Disappointed you didn't get some free cultivation technique?" she teased with a grin, stepping aside. "Perfect timing—I just finished cooking. Want to come in and have a bite?"
"You can actually cook?"
"Of course. What do you think I ate before you showed up?"
With a proud expression, Lu Xiao'e led him inside. Blocking him at the kitchen entrance, she went in to fiddle around for a bit, then actually brought out a large bowl of noodles.
"Behold—my carefully crafted master-level ramen," she declared, slamming the bowl onto the table. The ingredients inside had been overcooked into a mush, mixed together with the noodles.
Reluctantly, Lu You picked up a bite and tasted it.
It was… okay. Cooked through. Not poisonous. Wouldn't upset his stomach.
"And you call this master-level…" Lu You complained. The ingredients were indeed high-quality—looking closely, the broth even contained ginseng, deer antler, and other rare worldly items—but the taste was truly indescribable.
"Have you left the outer sect these past few days?"
"No. The Human district is sealed by the barrier. If you want to leave, you have to ask an elder for permission. Without approval, no one can leave the outer sect. Otherwise, why would I have time to cook noodles for you?"
Lu You helplessly pushed the bowl aside, signaling that if she kept teasing like that, he wouldn't eat anymore.
"Do you know why they sealed it?"
Lu Xiao'e blinked.
"You really asked the right person. I accidentally overheard two elders talking—it seems to be related to an ancient secret realm, possibly involving relics left behind by a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator. To prevent the news from leaking, the entire Deep Literary Pavilion has gone into lockdown."
"I see."
Lu You nodded, feeling reassured. Since there was a reason—and it involved a secret realm—it wouldn't last long. Once the Deep Literary Pavilion disciples entered or cracked the secret realm, the lockdown would naturally be lifted.
He made up his mind: for the next few days, he wouldn't cultivate. Once the lockdown was lifted, he would leave the Verdant Cloud Sect and find a secluded place to break through to Foundation Establishment.
Just as the two were chatting, a voice transmission suddenly echoed through the air:
"Disciples of Deep Literary Pavilion, heed this order. An elder of this peak has discovered an unexplored secret realm. We urgently require manpower to investigate it. This expedition will be led by ten Golden Core elders, and all will enter the secret realm together."
"Anyone who signs up will immediately receive a bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills as a reward. All resources obtained within the secret realm will belong to the individual. Those blessed with great fortune may even find heavenly treasures—advancing from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment in a single day, or from Foundation Establishment to forming a Golden Core in a day is entirely possible. Participants should gather at the barrier. Those who do not participate must remain confined within the barrier until the exploration of the secret realm is complete."
Lu You didn't pay attention to most of what was said, but the part about reaching Foundation Establishment in a single day caught his interest. He had just obtained the Ice Talisman and the Mount Tai Talisman—his strength had already increased several times over. On top of that, he was only one step away from Foundation Establishment. Rather than going outside the Verdant Cloud Sect to break through, it would be better to do it inside the secret realm. Even if something unusual happened, the sect would likely assume he had encountered some fortuitous opportunity.
Moreover, entering a secret realm didn't necessarily mean danger. He could simply find a quiet place to break through, then lie low until the realm was successfully explored. As for the possibility of failure, Lu You didn't worry about it. First, he had teleportation talismans and could leave at any time. Second, the Verdant Cloud Sect was sending ten Golden Core elders—if they still couldn't handle it, the sect master at the Nascent Soul or even higher realm would surely step in.
With that in mind, Lu You quickly got up and headed toward the gathering point at the barrier. Seeing him move, Lu Xiao'e followed closely behind.
"You're going into the secret realm too?" Lu You asked in surprise. It was obvious that Lu Xiao'e wasn't aligned with the Verdant Cloud Sect, so why would she risk herself entering the secret realm as cannon fodder?
"Of course I'm going!" Lu Xiao'e said mysteriously. "From what I've gathered, this secret realm may contain the inheritance of a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator. In fact, the Deep Literary Pavilion has been researching this realm for who knows how many years."
The longer it had been studied, the safer it likely was. Lu You didn't doubt her words. With her Golden Core cultivation, it wouldn't be strange for her to extract some information from the sect's elders if she tried.
"Lu You, inheritances like this depend on timing, location, and fate. No matter how long the Verdant Cloud Sect has studied it, if it's not meant for them, it won't be theirs," Lu Xiao'e said with a knowing smile. "Whether it's sword techniques or talisman techniques, I have special channels to obtain top-tier methods. Do you know Mount Shu? I can get techniques on par with their sect-defining divine sword technique. Also, the Five Elements Qi-Nourishing Technique only reaches the Golden Core realm—I can get you cultivation methods that go all the way to the Land Immortal realm."
Lu Xiao'e had ulterior motives. Only she knew about Lu You's talent in swordsmanship, and his ability to draw talismans at the Grandmaster level. For some reason, Elder Wen hadn't reported this to the sect's higher-ups, so no one had paid attention to Lu You. Taking advantage of this gap, Lu Xiao'e wanted to tempt him with higher-level techniques—perhaps even lure him into joining her own sect.
"Lu You, if you obtain the inheritance, you can share it with me. When that happens, you can choose whatever you want from sword techniques or talisman techniques," she added. "Even if you don't get it, as long as you help me, I'll still give you some benefits."
Lu You casually brushed off Lu Xiao'e's hand as she tugged at his sleeve.
"If you're so capable, why do you still need the inheritance from the secret realm? Isn't it just from a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator?"
Lu Xiao'e froze for a moment, then jumped up in frustration.
"There's a huge difference even among Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, okay?! Some people are at that level because that's as far as they can go, while others stay there because they deliberately choose not to undergo the heavenly tribulation!"
She waved her hand impatiently.
"Forget it—you wouldn't understand even if I explained. Anyway, you've secretly learned my sword techniques, taken my treasure, and eaten my noodles—you have to help me."
Lu You thought for a moment before replying,
"Fine. But inside the secret realm, there's no guarantee we'll stay together. If we happen to meet, I'll lend a hand."
In truth, Lu You had already made up his mind—once inside the secret realm, he would immediately carve out a cave dwelling, use Hard Metal Talismans and Soundproof Talismans to hide himself as deeply as possible, and make sure no one could find him.
Lu Xiao'e nodded in satisfaction. She had secretly observed Lu You's fight with Zhou Lei; with the movement technique he used to evade Zhou Lei's hand seals, he wouldn't be in danger inside the secret realm.
After signing up together with Lu You, Lu Xiao'e generously handed him the bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills she had just received.
"Consider this a deposit. I'm really looking forward to us obtaining the inheritance together."
. . .
Outside the barrier, Huo Chuan sat cross-legged on a cushion with his eyes closed. After a while, Wu Tong came running in excitedly.
"Master, just as expected—Lu Xiao'e signed up."
Huo Chuan opened his eyes.
"You're certain she accepted the Qi-Nourishing Pills?"
Wu Tong nodded quickly.
"Absolutely. She accepted them happily and looked just like an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator. As expected of Dongfang Bubai, her acting left no trace. If we didn't already know something was off, we wouldn't have noticed her disguise at all!"
"Good, good, good." A sinister expression appeared on Huo Chuan's face.
"This time, the enemy is in the open while we remain in the shadows. Let's see what tricks that Dongfang Bubai can still pull. I doubt she'd suspect that bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills. Heh~ I've already engraved a tracking formation on it. No matter where she goes, we'll know. I refuse to believe she can escape the net I've cast."
To capture Lu Xiao'e, break open the secret realm, and seize both the ancient map inside and the one on her person, Huo Chuan personally entered along with nine other Golden Core cultivators. In fact, aside from the outer disciples from the Human district—who were gathered to lull Dongfang Bubai into complacency—the rest were his own trusted disciples, cultivated over many years.
. . .
Meanwhile, Zeng Yan, having just been released from her punishment, immediately brought the Spirit Liquid she had traded for with Zeng Kehan to find Lu You.
Unfortunately, as a disciple of Myriad Sword Mountain, she had no permission to enter Deep Literary Pavilion during the lockdown. After coming several times, she still couldn't see him.
However, rumors had already begun spreading outside—that the lockdown at Deep Literary Pavilion was due to a secret realm trial, with a large number of disciples entering it.
Standing outside the barrier, Zeng Yan touched the Spirit Liquid hidden in her robes and let out a breath of relief.
"Junior brother didn't even go to the first inheritance tomb, so he definitely won't go to any secret realm. I'll just wait until the barrier is lifted and give this to him then."
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