To ensure the two of them wouldn't forget, Uncle Jiu required them to memorize everything he had said. Qiusheng was clever enough that he finished in just half an hour, but Wencai, that idiot, took the entire morning to commit it to memory. Consequently, Qiuxia's breakfast ended up becoming lunch.
Once Wencai had finally memorized the instructions, Uncle Jiu led the two of them into the main hall to eat quickly. After they finished, just as they were about to start cultivating in the hall as usual, Qiuxia pulled them both out into the courtyard.
"Hey, Little Junior Brother, what are you pulling us out for? We need to hurry up and digest all this spiritual Qi!"
"Yeah, Junior Brother, I feel like this spiritual Qi is about to make me explode."
Uncle Jiu looked at Qiuxia with a hint of confusion. Seeing his master's gaze, Qiuxia whispered a reminder. "Master, have you forgotten? When one breaks through to the Human Master rank and opens their meridians, they undergo marrow cleansing. My senior brothers are going to end up filthy and stinking. How are we supposed to eat in the main hall for the next few days?"
Hearing Qiuxia's words, Uncle Jiu suddenly remembered. It was true. If he really let these two fools break through in the hall, they would have to stay there for an entire day even with the help of Taoist arts. The resulting stench would certainly ruin everyone's appetite.
"Qiusheng, Wencai, you two cultivate here in the courtyard. Your Junior Brother and I will protect you."
Feeling as though they were about to burst from the spiritual Qi, Qiusheng and Wencai didn't say another word. They immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and began their cultivation. Throughout the process, they kept Qiusheng's breakthrough essentials firmly in mind and began to open their meridians.
The two cultivated from noon until evening before they finally finished opening their meridians. Relying on five hundred strands of Dharmic Power, Qiusheng opened three meridians, while Wencai only opened two. Don't ask why Qiusheng opened three and Wencai only two with roughly the same amount of power it was simply because Wencai was a lost cause, like trying to prop up rotten mud.
"Wow, that stinks! Wencai, did you crap your pants?"
"You're the one who crapped! That smell is coming from you!"
"Bullshit! The stench is clearly coming from your body!"
Seeing the two of them starting a ruckus immediately after their breakthrough, black lines appeared on Uncle Jiu's forehead. "Both of you shut up and go wash yourselves. Your Junior Brother has already prepared the water for you." As Uncle Jiu spoke, he pointed to ten stone buckets filled with water nearby.
Hearing this, the two didn't hesitate and ran over to begin scrubbing. With five buckets allotted to each person, they each went through three just to get the grime off their bodies. The remaining two buckets were used to wash away the lingering odor.
After bathing and changing into fresh clothes, the two looked like entirely different people. Qiusheng was already quite handsome, but after advancing to Human Master, his appearance had improved significantly, and his temperament felt more refined.
As for Wencai, his original appearance which had looked decades older than his actual age had been rejuvenated by the breakthrough. He no longer looked like an old man, but rather a man in his middle years.
After dinner that evening, Qiusheng and Wencai were forced to continue cultivating outside. After all, until they opened the Twelve Principal Meridians, a large amount of impurities would be expelled every time a new meridian was cleared.
While they were cultivating, Qiuxia looked at Uncle Jiu and asked, "Master, both senior brothers have broken through to Human Master. When do you plan to start your breakthrough to Celestial Master?"
Uncle Jiu didn't answer Qiuxia directly. Instead, he took his hand out of his pocket and performed a quick calculation. He then looked at Qiuxia and said, "I have just consulted the omens. One month from now will be the best time for me to attempt the breakthrough."
"One month? Then during this time, I will prepare some arrays and cook more high-quality meals. I'll try to get my two senior brothers to break through to Earth Master within that month."
Although it was a bit like forcing growth and rising in power too quickly could lead to an unstable state of mind Qiusheng and Wencai were simply too weak. Qiuxia felt it was better to raise their strength first and worry about tempering their minds later.
Furthermore, it was relatively easy for Sorcerers, Taoist Priests, and Human Masters to increase their strength through spiritual Qi alone. However, reaching the Earth Master rank required not only spiritual Qi but also a sufficient comprehension of the Dao and the tempering of one's soul.
The Earth Master rank would be the time for Qiusheng and Wencai to settle and accumulate their foundations. If their accumulation wasn't enough, they might stay at the Earth Master rank for the rest of their lives which, given their original circumstances, would still be quite an achievement, as they might never have reached it otherwise.
To allow Qiusheng more time for his training, Qiuxia specifically created a Shadow Clone to stand in for him at his aunt's shop. If Qiusheng didn't return for days on end, his aunt would surely come looking for him. She and her husband had no children and treated Qiusheng as their own, counting on him to care for them in their old age. Naturally, they cared for him deeply.
Over the course of that month, in addition to cooking and creating Stellar Taoist Arts, Qiuxia took on a new task: crafting array discs and flags. Breaking through to the Celestial Master rank involved facing the Triple Tribulations of Heaven, Earth, and Man. The Heavenly Tribulation,
as previously discussed, involved lightning. The Earthly Tribulation referred to a disturbance in the surrounding spiritual Qi, while the Human Tribulation meant that demons and ghosts would come to cause chaos during the breakthrough.
If they were at the ancestral grounds of Maoshan, they wouldn't have to worry about the Earthly or Human Tribulations at all; they would only need to face the Heavenly Tribulation. But out here on their own, they had to be mindful of all three.
Uncle Jiu had actually considered returning to Maoshan for his breakthrough. However, he had been at the seventh level of the Earth Master rank when he last visited Maoshan a few years ago.
If he were to suddenly return as a Celestial Master, Maoshan would certainly investigate him and his disciples, which could lead to complications. If he advanced to Celestial Master before returning, things would be different.
As a Celestial Master, he would be part of the high-level leadership of Maoshan. Any "fortuitous encounters" he had would be his own business to handle. It was this train of thought that solidified his decision to break through outside.
Of course, there was another reason for Uncle Jiu's confidence. Qiuxia had already told him that his own cultivation had reached the rank of Celestial Master. With a Celestial Master guarding him, Uncle Jiu's chances of success would increase dramatically.
Regarding the Human Tribulation, even if enemies of the Celestial Master rank appeared, Qiuxia could hold them off for a while. As for the Earthly Tribulation, which was originally a major concern, it wasn't much of a problem given the availability of spiritual vegetables and the Spirit Gathering Array.
Another month passed. After Qiuxia returned from the Naruto World, Qiusheng and Wencai finally reached the peak of the Human Master rank thanks to the high-quality food provided daily. They began learning Uncle Jiu's visualization methods.
Out of the six methods available, Qiusheng chose the Taiji Visualization Method, while Wencai chose the Pagoda Visualization Method. Under Qiuxia's mental guidance, both of them successfully initiated the visualization, tempered a single soul-po, and became Earth Masters.
Seeing that the two of them had advanced to Earth Master, Uncle Jiu stopped waiting and finally began his breakthrough. During this period, to ensure things went smoothly, Qiuxia had packaged some spiritual Qi from the Naruto World to bring back. He planned to inject this Qi if Uncle Jiu's energy ever ran low during the breakthrough.
As Uncle Jiu began to merge his Three Souls and Seven Po, a strange ripple spread outward. Every demon and ghost within a hundred-mile radius began to converge on the Mortuary.
"Junior Brother... Junior Brother, is tonight going to be very dangerous?" Standing at the gates of the Mortuary, Wencai looked at Qiuxia nervously.
Qiuxia nodded. "That's right. Tonight is very dangerous. Master's breakthrough to Celestial Master involves the Triple Tribulations of Heaven, Earth, and Man. The Heavenly Tribulation requires him to face heavenly lightning, the Earthly Tribulation involves the spiritual Qi, and the Human Tribulation means facing demons and ghosts."
"Our purpose here is to guard Master and fend off the Human Tribulation for him."
After hearing Qiuxia's explanation, Wencai spoke again. "Junior Brother, didn't you already set up arrays around the Mortuary? Can't we just retreat inside the array and maintain it?"
Qiuxia frowned upon hearing this. "Senior Brother Wencai, you are an Earth Master now. Master was also at the Earth Master rank when he first left the mountain. Why are you still such a coward?"
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