Covering the Sky: The Years I Was the Empress's Strictest Master

Inside the bucket, Li Qingjue, who had failed to open the Sea of ​​Bitterness five or six times, nodded vigorously, closed his eyes again, abandoned all distracting thoughts, and concentrated all his energy.

At this moment, the medicinal effects of the bath have taken hold, and countless vital energies flow through her veins and surge through her limbs and bones.

She exerted all her strength to guide a wisp of vital energy to crash against the barrier of the Sea of ​​Bitterness!

This time, it was completely different from the previous attempts.

She poured all her obsession into guiding her thoughts with her vital energy!

boom!

It was like a deafening roar that seemed to shatter the heavens and the earth, but it didn't come from the outside world; rather, it originated from within her body, and only she could hear it.

Within her inner vision, she saw that the once solid, seemingly eternally silent sea of ​​nothingness had been opened by a small opening.

"what……"

At that moment, unimaginable pain swept over her entire body, as if her whole body was being torn apart from the inside.

Her frail body convulsed violently, her jaw clenched so tightly that blood seeped from it.

But apart from the very beginning, she relied on her ruthlessness towards herself and never let out another scream. She only occasionally squeezed out suppressed sobs from deep in her throat.

Opening up the sea of ​​suffering is the starting point of the path of cultivation in the secret realm of the human body, which is inherently going against the will of Heaven.

Especially for ordinary people, it is like carving a spring out of the core of a stubborn rock, and the pain is far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.

"Stay calm, guide that glimmer of life, hold fast to the sea eye, and persevere for a quarter of an hour."

Just as Li Qingjue was about to give up, his master Tan Lin's voice, as cold as ice, rang out at the perfect moment.

The voice carried an undeniable authority, suppressing her instinctive urge to dissipate.

Li Qingjue trembled violently, but did as he was told.

This process was slow and painful; every breath felt like an eternity.

Her body began to tremble like a winnowing basket, her face turned ashen, and she looked as if she might faint at any moment.

Wow!

Suddenly, the bronze ring floating in front of me began to glow.

A barely perceptible wisp of primordial spirit power drew upon spiritual energy, flowing into her body to protect her heart meridian and help her solidify her foundation, without directly interfering with the process of opening up.

No one can walk the path of spiritual cultivation for you.

Time passed slowly, and purple clouds appeared in the east outside the cave dwelling.

Tan Lin's remnant soul manifested itself at some point, and he was not merely a guide or instructor.

Observe its principles to understand yourself.

The insights he gains today may come in handy someday.

……

As dawn broke, the excruciating pain in Li Qingjue's sea of ​​suffering finally receded like the tide.

A sea of ​​suffering, about the size of a fingernail, lifeless yet stubbornly teeming with life, was finally successfully opened up within her body.

She collapsed in the wooden tub, exhausted, gasping for breath, soaked to the bone, unable to move even a finger.

But in those open eyes, a glimmer of light shone amidst the deep weariness.

She could feel that desolate sea of ​​suffering, though faint, it was real and tangible!

She, Li Qingjue, has truly embarked on the path of cultivation!

"The sea of ​​suffering has just begun to form, and I can barely step into the threshold of the secret realm of the sea of ​​wheels."

Tan Lin looked at his young apprentice, his voice remaining flat, devoid of any praise:

"But your sea of ​​suffering is dead and dark, far inferior to that of ordinary cultivators. It is due to the limitations of your mortal body and bones. In the future, you will need to spend ten or a hundred times more resources and effort than others to make any progress."

"Nannan...I understand."

Li Qingjue's voice was hoarse and weak, yet filled with unwavering determination:

"No matter how difficult... this disciple is not afraid..."

"Having determination is a good thing."

Tan Lin shook his head and said indifferently:

"But it is foolish to treat suffering as a normal thing. If there is a shortcut, why not take it?"

"Everything is difficult at the beginning, but now that the sea of ​​suffering has been opened, let's take out that 'True Scripture of Devouring Source'..."

……

Chapter 10 Deep Scarlet Line (3.2K)

The morning passed quickly with Tan Lin's sermon.

Li Qingjue listened with rapt attention.

Finally, she tried to circulate the "Origin Devouring Scripture," which her master had used to remove the trap for her, for one full cycle.

however.

While practicing her internal energy, some doubts and insights occasionally popped into her mind, but she thought they were just wild ideas and did not immediately reveal them to her master. Instead, she chose to put them aside for the time being.

However, while her little scheme might fool others, how could it possibly fool Tan Lin?

Finally, under Tan Lin's questioning, he spilled the beans, revealing everything in one go.

"..."

Inside the ring, Tan Lin hissed, then silently incorporated some of his young disciple's ideas into the improved version of the "Origin Devouring Scripture" before explaining it to him.

But he knew that this was far from the final version of the "Devouring Heaven Demon Art." Such a scripture would require the other party to personally walk out of it step by step in their future cultivation.

Glug glug...

By afternoon, the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared, and the sounds of insects chirping and birds singing were melodious.

The commotion caused by the cultivators flying and disappearing into the ground also ceased, but Li Qingjue's stomach growled.

Beside the extinguished campfire, her little face was flushed, and she glanced shyly at the ring out of the corner of her eye.

She was hungry...

From yesterday to today, she has survived entirely on the little bit of dry food that the villagers gave her.

Opening up the sea of ​​suffering was also quite taxing; in fact, he was already so hungry that his stomach was practically sticking to his back, and he was just about to see stars.

She wanted to find something to eat, but she was afraid that her master would misunderstand and say that she was being lazy in her cultivation...

Should we ask them?

Thinking this, Li Qingjue remembered her master's strictness, which left a deep impression on her and made her dare not disturb him easily.

"If you're hungry, go find something to eat yourself. Do you expect me to conjure it up for you while you're just staring blankly?"

Tan Lin said indifferently.

He was able to pick medicinal herbs on his way back because the other party was limited by his mortal body. Without the medicine, it would have been an unknown number of years before he could open up the Sea of ​​Bitterness.

Thump...

Beside the fire, Li Qingjue felt an instant sense of relief upon hearing the voice. She stood up eagerly, and Tan Lin's words sounded like golden rules to her ears, automatically filtering out the barbs in his words.

"Pack your things, don't stay here any longer, head north."

Tan Lin continued.

Previously, his remnant soul's consciousness had connected with the Dao traces in the outside world, and he sensed the distribution of those true soul fragments. One of them was located somewhere a thousand miles away in the north, but the environment was somewhat special.

"Yes……"

Outside, Li Qingjue responded and began packing his bundle.

In reality, she didn't have much: a ring, a copy of the "Origin Devouring Scripture," and a set of clothes she wore the year her brother passed away, clothes that were no longer wearable.

These are all her belongings...

"Go north...go north..."

The girl murmured, repeating her master's instructions.

Stepping out of the cave dwelling, to the north lay an endless expanse of desolate mountains and wilderness, almost uninhabited. Food was a problem; no one there would offer her anything.

But then again, she no longer begs.

She had seen the remains of her master, with such a majestic posture and aura. Now that she was his disciple and had embarked on the path of cultivation, how could she possibly go back to begging?

She didn't want to upset her master, not even in the slightest.

Boom!!!

Summer weather is unpredictable; just as you enter the mountains, the weather can change dramatically, from sunny and calm to stormy and rainy in an instant.

Splash...

The mountain road was already rugged and difficult to travel, and with the rain, it became even more muddy and difficult to walk. The further we went, the more difficult it became.

In this desolate wilderness, amidst wind and rain, it was naturally very difficult for her, a young girl who had just begun her journey through hardship and whose belly was empty.

But she did not beg Tan Lin, nor did she stop to rest, nor did she cry silently.

After that night, she vowed never to cry again.

Her eyes, which had witnessed the revival and annihilation of hope over two consecutive days, and the repeated baptisms of despair, now held only resilience, numbness, and hatred...

Splash...

Boom!

Lightning flashed and thunder roared.

"Huff! Huff..."

After struggling to cross a mountain, Li Qingjue was panting heavily. She gritted her teeth and used all her strength to try to support her weak body, looking ahead through the rain.

She vaguely remembered that there was a wild fruit grove in front of her. When she was little, her brother had taken her there and they picked fruit to eat.

Da...da...

however.

After walking a short distance, her legs felt like they were filled with lead. Every movement caused her muscles to ache, making her gasp for breath.

The rain blurred her vision, and she couldn't tell which way to go, so she could only wander aimlessly through the woods.

"Ah……"

From within the ring, Tan Lin's cold voice rang out:

"You can't even stand up after walking such a short distance. Look at yourself now, how are you going to take revenge?"

You still want to retrieve your brother's remains?

What do you have to take it with?

Is this all the hatred you have?

These words pierced the girl's heart like needles.

Li Qingjue suddenly looked up, glanced at the bronze ring, and a stubborn and ruthless glint appeared in his eyes.

For some reason, just when she thought her ears could filter out Tan Lin's barbed words, he would always manage to provoke her again.

Splash!

After being in the rain for a long time, my body felt cold and shivered.

She took a deep breath and decided not to try to stand up immediately. Instead, she crawled forward, using her elbows and knees to move forward little by little. Only then did she see that there was a cliff in front of her!

If her master hadn't spoken, and she had insisted on standing up, the consequences would have been unimaginable if she had stumbled even slightly.

"..."

Thinking of this, Li Qingjue's emotions fluctuated again.

She paused for a moment, then climbed towards the gentler woodland beyond the cliff.