[You had many more conversations with Hu Zhongxuan]

[He learned about your promise to take care of Deng Wanshu]

[Hu Zhongxuan's impression of you changed significantly]

[He previously thought you were just a careless, cowardly person]

[Now he thinks you're still careless and cowardly, but also a smooth-talking bullshitter]

[Hu Zhongxuan wrote down his entire process and insights about comprehending Earth Source and gave them to you]

["Junior nephew, I hope you can make use of this someday," Hu Zhongxuan sincerely wished you]

["I definitely will!" You had full confidence in yourself (your cheat)]

[Hu Zhongxuan left two days later]

[He returned to Yajiangkou]

[Because Hu Zhongxuan advanced to Grandmaster unusually fast, he gained Li Anlong's favor and was promoted to Deputy Commander]

[Hu Zhongxuan told Deng Rusong he would take care of Deng Wanshu from now on, to which Deng Rusong replied "I'm not dead yet"]

[When Hu Zhongxuan suggested taking Deng Wanshu with him, Deng Rusong directly told him to get lost]

[Yajiangkou was war-torn with harsh conditions - bringing Deng Wanshu there would be extremely inconvenient]

[After Hu Zhongxuan left, you obtained a top-tier Organ Fortifying cultivation method from the Transmission Pavilion - the Lightning Shadow Sword Technique]

[You also acquired a longsword]

[You planned to practice swordsmanship to generate sword energy and test its effects]

[To verify whether this could help you comprehend Earth Source]

[Year 17]

[As a crude saber user, your initial sword training progressed very slowly]

[Fortunately, your martial talent was already quite good]

[After half a year, you mastered the Lightning Shadow Sword Technique to Marrow Washing peak stage]

[However, being unaccustomed to swords, you substituted your Soul Awakening Blade during practice]

[So now you could slash out sword energy with your saber]

[This absurd NTR experience actually excited you a little]

[You immediately attempted to enter Divine Micro-Vision state]

[But having not mastered it yet, you failed after a month of attempts]

[Reluctantly, you had to temporarily give up]

[You spent two more months completing your second true qi condensation]

[After finishing, you inexplicably tried entering Divine Micro-Vision again]

[To your surprise, it worked exceptionally smoothly this time]

[You succeeded on the first attempt]

[You felt Divine Micro-Vision was utterly mystical]

[There could even be cases like Xie Huide's where one could never enter the state again]

["Could it be because he's old and needs medicinal assistance now?"]

[You frowned: "Why does that sentence sound weird?"]

[Shaking your head to clear distractions, you took advantage of the stable Divine Micro-Vision to extend your consciousness into space]

[This time you directly released the sword energy gained from practicing Lightning Shadow Sword Technique]

[Then something miraculous happened]

[The longsword immediately calmed upon sensing your sword energy]

[The sharp sword energy around it also became gentle]

[For the first time, your consciousness could slowly approach the Earth Source longsword]

[You were so excited you nearly lost focus and exited the state]

[You hurriedly stabilized your mind]

[As your consciousness gradually approached, it finally fully attached to the Earth Source longsword!]

[A few remaining powerful sword energies still caused slight pain, but it was bearable]

[Following Hu Zhongxuan's notes]

[Your consciousness explored the Earth Source longsword back and forth, carefully comprehending its mysteries]

[Unfortunately, you gained no substantial insights before exiting the state]

[But you weren't discouraged - this path was viable]

[After exiting, you surprisingly found the weakness much reduced compared to before]

[This indicated real progress in your Divine Micro-Vision]

[You were extremely pleased]

[To celebrate, you invited Jiao Mingxu's family and Bai Chen for barbecue in your courtyard]

[Jiao Mingxu arrived carrying a large bag]

[You welcomed him: "Junior brother, you didn't need to bring... oh just Jiao Xiaoyao's toys? How shameless of you, get in here!"]

[Bai Chen came with a beautiful young woman]

[You asked: "New sister-in-law?"]

[Bai Chen grinned: "Brand new, completely new."]

[You nodded kindly and asked the girl: "Which brothel do you work at?"]

["Senior brother! A-Yu is a proper girl!" Bai Chen hastily explained]

[You acted surprised: "Since when did your taste change?"]

[Bai Chen glared intensely, gritting his teeth: "My taste never changed, senior brother!!"]

[You immediately understood and gave him an OK gesture]

[Then you told the girl: "Don't worry A-Yu, Bai Chen never visits brothels, never spends all his pill money tipping courtesans to be top donor, and definitely wouldn't—"]

["Senior brother!" Bai Chen interrupted]

[He grabbed a roasted chicken leg]

["Senior brother, have some chicken leg!"]

[He stuffed it in your mouth and quickly retreated with A-Yu]

[You took a bite and announced: "Keep the music playing! Keep dancing!"]

[Year 18]

[While cultivating one day]

[You suddenly had an epiphany]

[You immediately circulated the Star River Blade Art]

[Within moments, you broke through to mid-stage Organ Fortifying]

[Simultaneously completing your fourth true qi condensation]

[Now ordinary mid-stage Dragon Transformation cultivators couldn't withstand your attacks]

[You felt incredibly refreshed]

[Feeling impulsive, you attempted Divine Micro-Vision again]

[This time succeeding after seven or eight tries]

[Though gaining no new Earth Source insights]

[You discovered a method to increase success rate - true qi condensation!]

[You realized attempts after completing condensation worked better]

[This time was no exception]

[You guessed the Nine Condensations Profound Skill granted finer qi control]

[Which manifested as Divine Micro-Vision]

[You planned to monitor whether condensation frequency correlated with Divine Micro-Vision proficiency]

[You also advanced Treading Heaven Steps to great mastery]

[Now able to remain airborne for eighteen breaths]

[You intended to check on Lin Mo's progress with the revised version]

[You never doubted Lin Mo's ability - your trust in him was second only to the Simulator]

[Plus just assigning tasks while he did the work made you appreciate being a boss]

[Your pill refining also improved significantly]

[Now able to stably produce six fifth-grade pills - small mastery]

[One more level and you'd officially become a fifth-grade pill refiner]

[At just thirty-three, only Xie Huide had matched this speed]

[Besides natural talent]

[Xie Huide and Deng Rusong's materials were invaluable]

[Like having two master refiners personally guiding you]

[After six more months of cultivation]

[You advanced both Wild Heaven Saber Technique and Heavenly Desire Formless Technique to mid-stage Organ Fortifying]

[To better approach the Earth Source longsword, you progressed Lightning Shadow Sword Technique from Marrow Washing peak to early Organ Fortifying]

[Your sword energy became purer and sharper]

[Just as you prepared for fifth true qi condensation]

[Deng Rusong sent someone to the Transmission Pavilion]

[The messenger said two guests specifically requested you]

["Guests?" You frowned, then said, "I'm not feeling well today. No visitors."]