Divine Root Bone

After the grand competition concluded, Zhang Yang returned alone to Qingning Cottage to recuperate. The image of him crushing the last three cultivators on the arena lingered in the minds of all the disciples, and rumors quietly spread throughout the inner and outer sects. Deep within the main hall of the main peak, the sect leader and seven Foundation Establishment elders gathered overnight for a secret meeting with the hall doors tightly closed, the atmosphere extremely tense.

An elder spoke first, his brows furrowed with worry: "In today's battle on the arena, this boy's combat strength has already surpassed the upper limit of top-grade talent. It's possible that there are spies from the Black Fiend Sect lurking down the mountain spying on us. Now that the outside world has begun to covet him, such extraordinary talent can probably no longer be concealed."

The other elders nodded in agreement. At this moment, the voice of the patriarch from the back mountain slowly echoed in the hall: "His innate talent and essence are hidden within him. There is no artifact in the Southern Region that can detect them. Once they are completely exposed, the Black Fiend Sect and the surrounding major forces will definitely join forces to attack. Even if the Azure Cloud Sect has the ability to protect him, it will suffer great losses. The only way is to improve his cultivation level as soon as possible and make his own strength strong enough so that he can protect himself."

After careful consideration, everyone immediately decided on a plan. There was a strict rule regarding the top-grade spirit stones in the sect's treasury: they were never included in the monthly allowance. Only when a cultivator was attempting to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining or preparing for a Foundation Establishment breakthrough could they withdraw a small amount, subject to multiple levels of approval. However, given the current critical situation, the seven elders unanimously decided to make an exception. They secretly transferred fifty top-grade spirit stones from the treasury, avoiding all detection, and secretly sent them to Qingning Xiaozhu overnight. This was not recorded in any sect records; it was purely a private gift from a high-ranking member.

In the dead of night, a disciple of the elder, concealing his presence, quietly entered the west courtyard carrying a sealed wooden box and knocked on Zhang Yang's door.

"Junior Brother Zhang Yang, the seven elders have jointly instructed that this item be given to you privately, and you must not reveal it to anyone."

The wooden box was opened, revealing fifty top-grade spirit stones, each one lustrous and radiating a rich spiritual light, laid out quietly on the brocade. Their mere presence inside caused the spiritual energy concentration in the entire courtyard to increase several times over. The messenger whispered, "The elders say you should use these treasures to hone your cultivation as soon as possible, to break through to a higher realm. The stronger you are, the better you can avoid unforeseen calamities, protect yourself, and safeguard the sect."

Holding the heavy wooden box, Zhang Yang felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Since joining the sect, he had deliberately concealed his talent, thinking he would only be treated as an ordinary disciple. He never expected that the elders had already seen through his hidden extraordinary abilities and had broken the sect's rules to secretly help him with his most treasured breakthrough treasure. He felt a mix of bittersweet emotions and gratitude. He carefully put away the wooden box and thanked the elders repeatedly.

The two's conversation, though separated by a thin wall, reached Lin Wanqing's ears in the neighboring courtyard.

She was born with inferior talent, her cultivation path fraught with difficulties. She knew all too well how precious top-grade spirit stones were to cultivators; fifty of them represented most of a small sect's entire reserves. Yet, she felt no jealousy, only a profound and indescribable sense of desolation. Both had entered the inner sect at the same time, but their talents were worlds apart. All the sect's top resources were being poured into Zhang Yang, and even if she exerted all her strength in her cultivation, she could not catch up to him in the slightest. Clutching the few remaining low-grade spirit stones in her fingers, she tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

The next day, as dawn broke, Zhang Yang remembered the elder's gift of the stone the night before. He wanted to share a portion with Lin Wanqing to help her solidify her foundation. He walked straight to the neighboring courtyard and gently pushed open the door.

The door wasn't bolted; it opened with a push, and the scene before him instantly made Zhang Yang stop in his tracks.

Inside, Lin Wanqing was preparing to change her clothes. Her outer garment had just slipped down to her shoulders, revealing most of her fair and delicate skin. Her shoulders and neck were as white as jade, and her long, dark hair cascaded loosely down her sides, highlighting her slender and graceful figure. Caught off guard by the sound of the door opening, she froze, her cheeks instantly burning red. She hurriedly grabbed a garment to cover herself, her voice both shy and soft: "Why didn't you knock! Go out and wait for me!"

Zhang Yang's ears burned. Realizing his abruptness, he hurriedly turned around and quickly left the room, standing in the courtyard to wait. A warm and ambiguous feeling inexplicably arose in his heart. The image of her fair skin, flustered and shy just now lingered in his mind.

Half an incense stick later, the sound of someone tidying their clothes came from inside the room, and Lin Wanqing's weak voice rang out: "You, you can come in."

Zhang Yang pushed open the door and entered. The girl was already dressed and looked down at him, her ears still flushed.

Zhang Yang composed himself and recounted in detail the reason why the elder had secretly given him the spirit stones the previous night.

Okay, I'm not treating you like an outsider...

He then opened the wooden box he carried with him, took out eight top-grade spirit stones, added dozens of low-grade spirit stones, and pushed them all in front of her.

"The elder has given me many treasures, which I cannot use all by myself. Your cultivation will be difficult due to your low-grade aptitude. Please accept these spirit stones and use them for meditation and breathing exercises. This will help you avoid many detours."

Lin Wanqing looked up at the lustrous, top-grade spirit stone before her, her eyes instantly reddening slightly. Last night, she had felt a pang of sadness, lamenting the insurmountable gap in their natural talents. Now, Zhang Yang had unhesitatingly shared such a precious resource with her, and all the bitterness and desolation in her heart vanished, replaced by overwhelming emotion. She gently gripped the spirit stone, her voice trembling slightly, "Thank you, Senior Brother Zhang… I don't know how to repay this kindness."

"We entered the inner sect together, so there's no need for thanks." Zhang Yang smiled faintly, comforted her for a few moments, and then turned back to his meditation courtyard on the west side.

After closing the door, Zhang Yang sat cross-legged in the center of the spirit-gathering array, placing all fifty top-grade spirit stones around him. The rich and mellow spiritual energy instantly enveloped the entire meditation room. He suppressed all outward aura, cleared his mind of distractions, and began practicing basic breathing techniques. He used the immense spiritual power of the top-grade spirit stones to break through his cultivation bottleneck, preparing for another breakthrough to enhance his cultivation and gain the strength to protect himself as soon as possible.