79: Chapter 78: Arranged Breakthrough 79: Chapter 78: Arranged Breakthrough News from the Prefecture Office in South City arrived; he could return to his post.

It seemed the commotion had subsided, and there was no further trouble brewing?

It was still the routine work of a bailiff, but Hou Niao had become more low-profile and pragmatic; he knew some of his ideas were not suited to his current abilities, and indulging his impulses would only bring trouble to himself and inconvenience to others.

Everyone has their limits, including the Capital Commandant, perhaps even other cultivators from Jin City, big and small.

Never assume that you’re out of the woods; others might just be silently waiting, waiting for you to expose a weakness.

In the Cultivation World, the competition is about who can travel further along the river of time, not about constantly wanting to shine and attract attention.

During the idle times in the Detention Room, he took out the Escape Techniques he had purchased in Liuyang and the six bailiffs began to study them carefully.

As for Skill, in a mature Cultivation World, it’s not rare, and mastering it does not mean you become invincible, towering over all.

Skills are open in nature; there’s always an opportunity to acquire them.

The difference lies in the same Skill—after one masters it, there are variations between individuals.

Take the Flame Skill for example, some could conjure flames as large as millstones while others only the size of fists; the same swordsmanship, when executed by Hou Niao, is sharp and peerless, but when performed by Wang Mian, it’s mediocre at best.

Escape Techniques are the same, there’s no need for secrecy since they can all be bought in the market.

What secrets are there to speak of?

“Grass Growing and Swallow Flying?

I’ve looked it over, and it’s just a Qinggong method from the Mortal World, isn’t it?

The pathways it follows are those of a Mortal; senior brother, you’ve been had,” Jiang Nanying said teasingly.

“Water Extinguishing Technique?

Senior brother, you’d have to first slay a Flood Dragon and get a Water Breaking Pearl!” Yu Xinglie said, shaking his head.

“Fuyao?

That requires the special Feather Fall Dao Body of the Daoist Sects; otherwise, you might not be able to rise and will just have to crawl,” Ma Rujun said with schadenfreude.

“Body Artifact Skill?

This seems similar to our Quanzhen Sect’s Sword Control Technique, right?

Senior brother, besides the sword, do you have any other artifacts?

If not, why not just practice Sword Control Technique directly?” Zong Qian asked in bewilderment.

“Heavenly Five Feet?

What a grand name!

Isn’t it just Earth Escape?

And it’s only five feet at that—if you’re a bit chubby, your backside would be sticking out.

Called ‘Earth Escape’ for just five feet, then renamed to ‘Heavenly Five Feet’—truly creative!” Wang Mian said bluntly.

Hou Niao was mocked, with the lighthearted teasing revealing his inadequacies in holistic cultivation.

He was too focused on swordsmanship, and he hadn’t stepped into the world of cultivation for long.

Even though he diligently worked to catch up, it was impossible for him to quickly reach the breadth of perspective others had.

He had invested too much time in mastering the swordsmanship he learned in the Soul Realm.

Gains in one area inevitably meant losses in another.

Frankly, the assessments of the few bailiffs were fair.

Although their swordsmanship was far inferior to Hou Niao’s, their insights, derived from family background and years of broad exposure, were much more extensive than Hou Niao’s, naturally allowing them to avoid what they saw as quite ordinary pitfalls.

Zong Qian spoke earnestly, “Body Artifact Skill is just the Sword Control of the Daoist Sects, but with a broader range of artifacts, countless varieties, and strong universality.

It lacks the specificity of the Quanzhen Sect’s Sword Control.

You can take inspiration from it, but there’s no need to master it.

I imagine, senior brother, you wouldn’t abandon the sword, would you?

The Five Elements Escape points in a direction, but before reaching Tongxuan, it’s unnecessary.

We minor cultivators are dull to the sensations of the Five Elements.

Practicing it now would be more than inefficient, a complete waste of time.

Water Extinguishing Technique?

Senior brother, do you have demon enemies under the water?

I mean, we should wait and see.

With our level of cultivation, going underwater means we can only rely on the Gang Qi protection, constantly maintaining a Qi Shield.

Before the fight even begins, we would have lost a portion of our Qi, putting us at a serious disadvantage.”

To know what one knows, and to acknowledge what one does not, there is a teacher among any three who walk together, and Hou Niao gladly accepted the instruction.

During this time, he generously shared his insights on swordsmanship with everyone, and likewise, several fellow disciples also ungrudgingly shared their perspectives from the path of cultivation.

This was the most valuable aspect of a cultivation sect, the so-called companionship amidst wealth, law, and land.

By drawing on each other’s strengths and compensating for each other’s weaknesses, they could exchange what they had and what they lacked, which was extremely important at the beginning of cultivation.

It aided cultivators in quickly establishing correct cultivation concepts, and since not all methods could be tested individually, they relied on the experience of predecessors, which was much more efficient than studying alone.

The constables of the South City Prefecture Office had finally established a good atmosphere, and this was the reason they had been brought together: to become familiar with each other, to assist one another on their future paths, thus forming a collective, rather than forever being isolated in their struggles.

Wang Mian announced in front of everyone, “I’m ready to make a breakthrough to the Essence Building Realm!

I don’t want to spend too much time accumulating experience.

The soul of the Quanzhen Sect is the sword, and the soul of the sword is combat.

With Spiritual Power scattered in the Energy Induction Realm and not formed into a Dantian, how can we strengthen ourselves by merely talking theories here every day?

Therefore, there’s no need to wait any longer.”

Zong Qian agreed very much, “Exactly, take for example, Brother Hou’s swordsmanship, I say it’s three parts practice and seven parts combat!

We don’t have Brother Hou’s abilities now, but after reaching the Essence Building Realm, it might not be the case, and we won’t let Brother Hou outshine us forever.”

Everyone agreed, promising to strive for breakthroughs and gain experience through trials, which is the demeanor of a Quanzhen disciple.

To loose cultivators, such a situation seemed somewhat laughable.

Why not make a breakthrough earlier when the chance was there?

Why waste years until now?

But for these second-generation cultivators, their elders were very clear that the key during the Energy Induction Period was on body transformation, which had to be done solidly and slowly in preparation for the future.

The solider the foundation, the faster the future progress!

“Brother Hou, are you also planning to attempt a breakthrough?

If we all reach the Essence Building Realm together, we’ll have the opportunity to fight side by side!” Jiang Nanying asked.

Hou Niao gave a wry smile, “I’ve been trying to breakthrough, but fate has not been kind…”

Yu Xinglie was very curious, “Brother, don’t you take elixirs?”

Hou Niao nodded, there was nothing to hide.

He refrained from taking elixirs not because of an ideological rejection, but due to the uniqueness of the Purple Mansion Vortex.

Since there is a path of Alchemy Dao in the cultivation world, it indicates that elixirs can aid in cultivation, so there’s no need to forsake them for the sake of so-called purity.

Everyone had different choices, like among the five of them, Zong Qian and Wang Mian were reluctant to take elixirs while the other three, Jiang Nanying, Yu Xinglie, and Ma Rujun, planned to use elixirs for their breakthroughs.

It was coincidental that Zong Qian and Wang Mian were also the two among the five who favored Extreme Sword, and the other three inclined towards Magic Sword.

It was undeniable that personality often determined a cultivator’s direction, a destiny that seemed fated.

Their time at the prefecture office was just a very brief part of their lives, and there would be many more hellos and goodbyes in the future, which was the rhythm of cultivation.

The group successively asked for leave from their officials, as it wasn’t appropriate to report daily during the breakthrough phase.

The superiors were understanding, the only complaint being that these few had obviously planned this together—making a breakthrough and even doing it in groups?

Only Hou Niao still came to the prefecture office to report each day.

He was now somewhat confident; he could hold his own against Rank Two warriors in battle, and what he lacked was a breakthrough!