Chapter 128 - Verdant Azure Cedar

''Master, I broke through!'' My voice resounded on the peak of Elder Xuang's hill. Hearing me, senior Tanya and him immediately flew over and landed outside my room.

There was a wall missing and I was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bamboo floor. I had advanced to the Meridian Opening stage!

''Good good. I really didn't think that my new disciple is blessed with such talent along with a profound insight!''

''Ahahah. It isn't just because of me. I'm sure master's teachings are at work.'' Buttering up the old man was the best way to get more free resources, so I pulled no stops.

''Junior brother, you have to treat me at the most expensive restaurant today!'' I had recently learned that this senior sister was a glutton. However, I had enough money now. Cultivators didn't care about the money used by practitioners. They only valued spirit stones. 

So, gold kins were nothing more than useless metals for them. However, I was still a practitioner and I had many uses for that. Such as putting a bounty on Qin Mao's head… But that would be no fun as I wanted to kill him with my own hands. He wanted to use me, after all. How could I let such a person live?

It had been three months and four days since then. I had practiced Star Pagoda and Golden Tempest Technique almost daily during those days. My mastery of the latter had increased tremendously and I could fully use techniques such as Tempest Retreat and Sun Dragon Kicks now.

''Hah!'' I stood up and jumped from the raised floor, gracefully landing on the ground below.

''This technique is really fascinating. I wish I had such books in my mind when I was still a practitioner.'' Tanya gilded beside me and said.

''You have also learned how to fly properly, senior sister. Congratulations.'' I smiled.

''Hehe.'' She proudly laughed.

It was really entertaining to see her move around randomly in the air when she was starting to practice flying. She had broken more than twenty bamboo shoots on her first day.

''She still hasn't mastered it.'' Master Xuang glanced at his second disciple and asked, ''Can you do it using only your wind Qi?''

Senior Tanya's proud face immediately fell as she complained, ''Master you expect too much. It's only been three months. I'm not like a certain genius disciple…'' She peeked at me while saying that.

''Do you know how many times I had to balance your Qi?'' Master Xuang disappointedly shook his head. ''Be like your junior brother and practice daily.''

Senior Tanya pouted and flew away. She worked hard but as master Xuang said, she didn't practice daily. Fu Tanya was actually a fairly talented individual.

''Master, I'll be visiting the city for a week.'' I cupped my fists and informed him. I hadn't been meeting Bina and Lina much these days.

''Hmm, did you open your hand meridians?'' He had immediately noticed that with his spirit sense.

''Yes, my right hand,'' I replied.

Most practitioners opted to open their foot meridians first and go from bottom to top but I was taking a different approach. A Meridian Opening practitioner had to open all thirty-six meridians in his or her body to reach the peak stage.

The more meridians one opened, the greater power their body would have. This wouldn't just affect their strength but speed, stamina, reflexes, perception, etc.

It was more difficult to open the meridians in the upper body. That's why, practitioners went from bottom to top, going from easy to hard. However, I had directly opened a hand meridian.

I could be considered more powerful than a typical meridian opening practitioner but considering I could already defeat those three months ago, my actual strength was far above. I was as strong as a peak rank 3 Meridian Opening practitioner now!

''As expected of my disciple.'' Master Xuang patted my back. ''Let me bring you somewhere.''

Our bodies simultaneously lifted in the air as we flew to the other side of the hill. There was a small forest at the base of the hill. This area belonged to the Fu clan but there weren't any houses here.

We came before a large tree and stopped under its shade. I was internally shocked because I recognized what this tree was.

'A demon beast? Isn't this Verdant Azure Cedar?' I thought.

It was a plant-type high-grade four demon beast!

More powerful than even Master Xuang. It was just one step away from being a ferocious grade 5 demon beast. Only Essence Aggregation cultivators could fight against it! What was such a being doing here?

''This is my friend Qinwu.'' Master Xuang said and the tree shook.

A deep voice directly boomed in our minds. [What brings you here, Xuang? Oh, this boy…]

Verdant Azure Cedars were peaceful kind of demon beasts and generally disliked conflict. It appeared the Fu clan was in a good relationship with this demon beast. Grade four beasts were capable of having intelligence and they knew human languages.

The crazy thing about this high-grade four beast was that it could live for thousands of years. Its vitality was so immense that it could survive even if there was only a broken twig left of it.

''I was hoping if you could give my disciple a blessing.'' Master Xuang rose up in the air and came close to his trunk.

[I thought so… I sense a unique Yang aura around this boy.]

Just this voice rang in our minds, I felt as if an invisible eye was looking through me. I knew such power, the Eye of Earth. Verdant Azure Cedar also used a unique type of Qi, the Nature Qi. Needless to say, the powers it had were wondrous.

Master Xuang also knew that my body primarily contained Yang energies. That was another reason why he took me as his disciple. If he could nurture a future Yang cultivator, then I might even be able to help him advance to the Essence Aggregation Stage.

[My blessing isn't free, Fu Xuang. Your clan leader, Fu Dongfang, also brought his second daughter to have a blessing. Give me something in return or I won't be spending my precious vitality.]

Although they were considered ''friends,'' this beast was clearly more powerful than Master Xuang in every way. Even if all the elders of the Fu clan teamed up, they wouldn't be able to defeat this Verdant Azure Cedar.

I didn't know how powerful the Fu clan leader was, but he should be able to make it a tie by teaming up with the elders. In a world where strength was the main focus, every being cared about how powerful the other individual was.

This demon beast had the power equivalent to all the high-ranking members of the Fu clan combined. Thus, master Xuang had to comply with its demands if he wanted something from the demon beast.

He nodded and took out something from his sleeves. It was a pill. I didn't know my new master was an alchemist.

The pill floated in the sky and suddenly glowed a brilliant yellow light. I was astonished again. That was no ordinary pill.

[Tribulation Crossing Pill?!] 

Verdant Azure Cedar was also surprised like me. Just as its name implied, this pill could help any cultivator cross an earthly tribulation while advancing to a higher stage.

Actually, it wasn't just limited to the cultivators. Any creature could survive the advancement tribulation with the help of this pill.

[Have you really given up, or do you value your disciple this much?] I felt the Eye of Earth locking on me again as this voice rang in our minds.

''I've tried two times already. My foundation isn't strong enough. Even with this pill, I won't be able to reach Essence Aggregation Stage in this lifetime.'' Master Xuang sighed.

So that was the case. He couldn't advance anymore and was pinning his hopes on me.

This Tribulation Crossing Pill had veins, Pill Veins. Which meant that it was of superior quality. It could definitely help this demon beast advance to the fifth grade. Such an offer was almost irresistible to the Verdant Azure Cedar who would soon be facing his earthly tribulation.

In this lower mortal world, heavenly tribulations only appeared when someone tried advancing from the Core Condensation Stage to step into a higher world.

Also, if any peak Meridian Opening practitioner or high-grade three demon beast wanted to advance to Qi Gathering or Grade Four, then they would have to face one earthly tribulation.

Using Qi, facing tribulations - defying the natural order of things, that was the mark of a true cultivator!

[I understand.] The Eye of Earth faced master Xuang whose expression was firm.

I couldn't help but look at him in a favorable light. This old man was giving away something that was absolutely important to him. Who knew, he might be lucky and even advance this time. But he decided to trade the pill for my blessing instead.

[For this gift, I shall give your disciple a special blessing.]

One of the leaves from the crown of the cedar fell and landed on my head. I felt my body and mind freeze for a moment before a refreshing and intoxicating feeling enveloped my whole being.

My body started to experience a huge change as the green leaf burst into a bright emerald light. My mind became increasingly clear and I felt myself becoming more and more powerful. It almost felt like I had directly advanced to the Qi gathering stage.

[This is Nature's Blessing..] I heard the tree's voice.