Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

After speaking, he was the first to step into the bamboo forest. Strangely, the seemingly ordinary purple bamboo parted to make a path for him.

The Luoyun City Lord followed closely, a deep spell emerging from the black mist. The other disciples hurried to keep up, only to find they had to cut through the obstructing purple bamboo themselves to move forward.

”This...”

A young disciple swung his sword at the purple bamboo in front of him, the clash of blade and bamboo emitting a metallic ringing sound, making his hands numb.

”Fool!”

Luo Xiutian scolded without turning his head.

”Taichu Purple Bamboo contains the Heaven and Earth Dao Techniques; brute force cannot open it. Use your heart to comprehend!”

The disciple’s face flushed with embarrassment as he closed his eyes to concentrate. A moment later, the longsword in his hand emitted a faint glow, and this time when he struck, the purple bamboo broke with a sound. A wisp of pale purple energy floated from the broken bamboo, which he inhaled through his nose, immediately showing delight.

”Dao Qi! It really is Dao Qi!”

In front, Luo Xiutian and the Luoyun City Lord had already disappeared.

Thirty miles away, Gu Sheng’s red longsword cut a perfect arc, and a giant purple bamboo as thick as three men fell with a crash. From the break, dense, substantial purple Dao Qi gushed out, which he inhaled into his Dantian.

”The thirty-seventh one.”

Gu Sheng wiped the sweat from his brow, excitement flickering in his eyes.

”The Dao Qi contained in this purple bamboo is even purer than the rumors!”

Not far away, Ling Xiao, clad in white robes, gracefully sliced through a purple bamboo with his jade sword.

Unlike Gu Sheng’s bold and sweeping sword skill, his sword moves seemed gentle, yet made the purple bamboo wither from within, eventually turning to ash.

A wisp of gray-black Dao Qi wrapped around the sword, which he guided into his body.

”Your Death Dao has improved again.”

Gu Sheng walked over, frowning slightly.

”But this aura...”

Ling Xiao opened his eyes, a dark shadow in the depths of his pupils.

”The Death Dao is naturally like this. As for you.

He pointed to the faint golden-red glow around Gu Sheng.

”Your Yang Dao has reached the ’Qi Transformation’ Minor level, hasn’t it?”

Gu Sheng nodded, clenching his fist, causing his knuckles to crack.

”The bottleneck of the third level of the ’Nine Dragon Heaven and Earth Technique’ has loosened a bit, but...”

He looked toward the depths of the bamboo forest.

”Time is running out.”

”Nine years and four months.”

Ling Xiao accurately reported the number, his tone eerily calm.

He suddenly turned, looking northwest.

”The death aura there is dense, suitable for me.”

Gu Sheng followed his gaze, seeing the bamboo forest enveloped in gray mist, nearly impenetrable to sunlight.

”Are you sure? That aura is very strange.”

”It suits me perfectly.”

Ling Xiao sheathed his jade sword.

”Splitting up is more efficient.”

The two exchanged a glance, and Gu Sheng finally sighed.

”Be careful.”

Ling Xiao’s lips curved slightly, revealing a rare smile.

”You too.”

With that, his figure blurred, and he drifted toward the forest of death aura, vanishing in an instant.

Gu Sheng kneeled on one knee, plunging his longsword deep into the soil.

His chest heaved violently, sweat dripping down from his brow, splattering into tiny droplets on the hilt. The internal injuries from three days ago still burned his meridians, but more painful was the obsession in his heart that threatened to tear his chest apart.

”Dao Palace Realm...”

He gritted his teeth, his knuckles whitening from exertion. In the distance, the unique sound of purple bamboo resounded, an ethereal phenomenon created by the resonance of Dao Techniques.

Gu Sheng looked up toward the depths of the bamboo forest, where the purple bamboo had turned semi-transparent, Dao Patterns flowing between the nodes.

He pulled out his longsword with force, the drawn earth tracing a trajectory in the air.

The cultivation of his Yang Dao ’Qi Transformation’ Minor level circulated autonomously, pale golden energy seeping from his pores, forming a thin mist on the surface of his skin.

This was the distinctive feature of Purple Mist Sacred Land’s ’Nine Yang Scripture’, one of the reasons he was being hunted.

”Three months.”

Gu Sheng whispered to the void as if there were someone invisible standing there.

”I will definitely break through to the Dao Palace Realm and go to the Upper Realm to find you.”

Before his words even finished, he swung his sword to cut down a purple bamboo as thick as a bowl. The purple mist gushed from the broken bamboo, but as soon as it touched his golden radiance, it dissolved.

Where the sword pointed, the bamboo forest automatically parted to form a path.

Gu Sheng strode forward, his robes whipping in the wind. The deeper he went, the deeper the color of the purple bamboo, shifting from a light purple to almost ink-like dark purple.

If he were an ordinary cultivator, he would have long been crushed by the Dao pressure in the bamboo forest, but the true qi of the Yang Dao flowing within Gu Sheng just happened to be compatible with the properties of the purple bamboo, enabling him to move faster and faster.

Gu Sheng advanced, breaking through his limits, while strong figures from the Bi Yun Sect swiftly pursued, leaving Luo Xiutian and the Luoyun City Lord in a dilemma.

The purple bamboo swayed, rustling in the wind.

Gu Sheng tightened his grip on the longsword, his knuckles turning white with strain.

He looked up toward the depths of the bamboo forest, where purple mist permeated, and Dao Patterns could faintly be seen flowing. The burning sensation in his chest reminded him of the vow he had made—within three months, he must break through to the Dao Palace Realm.

”Qingyao, wait for me.”

The name rolled off his lips, tasting as bitter as rust.

Gu Sheng inhaled the fresh scent of bamboo leaves, but it could not dispel the knot in his heart. The scenes from the battle three days ago still flashed through his mind.

Qingyao’s gaze when she was forcibly taken by the emissaries of the Upper Realm was etched into his heart like a knife.

”A mere lower realm ant, how dare you covet our Mystic Sky Palace’s Holy Daughter?”

The disdainful words of the emissary still echoed in his ears.

Gu Sheng swung his sword fiercely, a sweep of red Sword Qi cutting down more than ten purple bamboos at the roots. Purple sap seeped from the cuts, glinting with an unusual light in the sun.

”With ’Qi Transformation’ Minor level cultivation, it’s indeed enough for this outer area.”

Gu Sheng wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, feeling the surging True Yuan within him. Yang Dao cultivation had nine realms, and he was only at the third realm, ’Qi Transformation’, a chasm away from the seventh realm, ’Dao Palace’.

But time waits for no one.

Gu Sheng took out a Jade Scroll from his bosom, a gift from Qingyao upon departure.

The words ’Taichu’ on the scroll faintly glowed, guiding him toward the depths of the bamboo forest. It was said that there was an ancient inheritance left there, perhaps his only hope for a rapid breakthrough.

”I’m going all out!”

Gu Sheng bit his fingertip, drawing a Blood Talisman on the sword blade.

The sword suddenly blazed with red light, illuminating the surrounding purple bamboo like maple in the evening glow.

He leaped forward, stepping on bamboo branches, swiftly vanishing into the misty purple fog.

Thirty miles away, Luo Xiutian kicked away the broken bamboo blocking the way, his face a storm of dark fury.

”This little brat runs fast!”

The compass in his hand whirled furiously, indicating the target was rapidly distancing themselves.

”Luoyun City Lord, are you sure he’s only at the Qi Transformation stage?”

The middle-aged man beside him, clad in Mystic Iron Armor, smiled wryly.

”Young Master Luo, Gu Sheng indeed only recently entered Qi Transformation. But the Daoist Rhythm of Purple Bamboo Mountain is exceptionally friendly to him, instead suppressing our cultivation.”

Luo Xiutian snorted coldly, his waist’s Jade Pendant suddenly emitting a green glow, shredding incoming bamboo leaves to powder.

As the chief of Purple Mist Sacred Land’s Outer Sect, he was already at the Great Perfection of ’Concentrating Spirit’, supposedly able to crush Qi Transformation cultivators like ants. But this damned Purple Bamboo Forest...

”Watch out!”

The Luoyun City Lord suddenly pulled on his sleeve. A bamboo as thick as a bowl swept across without warning, golden Dao Patterns densely covering its bamboo joints.

Luo Xiutian hastily struck with a palm, but was forced back three steps, tasting blood at the back of his throat.

He looked in shock and anger at the bamboo—it clearly sensed his aura and attacked autonomously!

”Damn it, the Dao Techniques here repel non-Yang Dao cultivators.”

The Luoyun City Lord wiped cold sweat from his brow.

”Although I’ve reached the early-stage Tribulation, I know nothing of the Yang Dao...”

”Shut up!”

Luo Xiutian snapped at him irritably.

”Keep pursuing! The Holy Master ordered personally, we need him alive or his corpse!”

Just as they were about to move on, a whistling sound came from behind. Luo Xiutian turned back warily, only to see seven figures crossing the bamboo forest faster than them.

Leading them was an elder with hair as white as a crane’s feathers, gliding on purple clouds, the purple bamboo parting before him.

The six men following were clad in indigo robes, golden cloud patterns embroidered on their chests.