Volume Two – The Map of Nine Provinces Revealed, Entering the Spirit Ruins Chapter 113: The One Origin and Two Orifices

Those three individuals possessed nothing of value; having even a broken sword to their names was already a stroke of luck. Naturally, Chen Yu felt no disappointment. After all, this was the Demon-Suppressing Hall, a prison, and he had come here merely to hone his swordsmanship.

"Chen Yu, thank you for saving us," Wu Yue and her two companions approached to say. Wu Yue then offered the corpse of the demon fox to Chen Yu as a token of gratitude.

Chen Yu declined firmly, however, saying, "Helping fellow disciples is only natural. You need not take it to heart."

Wu Yue and her group were straightforward people. Since Chen Yu had spoken so, they did not insist further.

"How long have you been in the Demon-Suppressing Hall, Chen Yu?" Wu Yue asked curiously.

"Over half a month, I suppose."

"Half a month? Did you bring that many Spirit Gathering Pills?" Yuan Shan exclaimed in surprise. Inside the Demon-Suppressing Hall, it was nearly impossible to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; one had to rely on pills to restore mana.

Chen Yu only smiled faintly, appearing indifferent to the matter.

"That is far too extravagant!" Yuan Ya said, unable to fathom it. "Even those of us who practice are frugal with our supplies. And yet, you..."

"It is indeed a bit wasteful," Chen Yu admitted. "That is why I intend to leave the Demon-Suppressing Hall today."

Observing Chen Yu's expression, the three women easily guessed the truth: he had likely run out of Spirit Gathering Pills.

Having fought the demon fox, Wu Yue and her companions had no intention of staying longer, so they left the Demon-Suppressing Hall alongside Chen Yu. They arrived at the main hall on the first floor, bid farewell to the Elder of Demon Suppression, and departed.

Although many people came to the Demon-Suppressing Hall for trials, the Elder still held a slight impression of Chen Yu. His cloudy eyes glinted with a sharp light as he watched Chen Yu’s retreating figure, muttering to himself, "This little one actually stayed in the Demon-Suppressing Hall for so long. Oh... the aura on him... tsk tsk... quite interesting. Heh... it seems my Lingxu Sect is about to produce another remarkable figure."

Although over half a month had passed, most people had forgotten about Chen Yu. Having not appeared for so many days, many assumed he had died within the hall. However, some still kept a daily watch to see if he would emerge.

"Ah... is that Chen Yu coming out?" someone immediately cried in surprise.

"No way! Wasn't he dead?"

"Pfft... that was just speculation from the other disciples. Look! Isn't that Chen Yu right there?"

"Unbelievable! He actually stayed in the Demon-Suppressing Hall for over half a month? What a fool."

Though these people were perplexed, they were eager to know what he had accomplished in those two weeks. Once they saw Chen Yu return his jade crystal and leave, they swarmed toward the entrance of the Demon-Suppressing Hall.

"Senior Brother (Junior Brother), how were Chen Yu's results?" the disciples clamored to ask.

"Chen Yu, ranked 480th among outer disciples."

"Gasp... 480th? Surely you read it wrong. It's his first time entering the hall, and he just had a breakthrough; how could he rank so high?"

"It is correct. He is ranked 480th among all outer disciples and 136th in the First Origin Realm," the managing disciple replied, equally incredulous. Yet, having personally handled Chen Yu's jade crystal, he was even more aware of the results. "He fought over a dozen battles in these past two weeks and killed twenty-seven demons. What? Some were even at the fourth aperture of the First Origin Realm? This..."

"He’s that powerful?"

Chen Yu cared little for their astonishment; he had already returned to his residence. The half-month of grueling training had left him physically and mentally exhausted. Even if he still had Spirit Gathering Pills, he would not have stayed.

Yet, despite his fatigue, his gains were immense. Not only had his swordsmanship improved remarkably, but his cultivation base had also become much more solid.

Although he had consumed many Spirit Gathering Pills without seeing a massive change in his cultivation level, he could clearly feel that he would soon be able to break through to the second aperture.

Furthermore, through these numerous battles, he had gained unique insights into the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts. He felt that these arts were not as simple as the books described. Chen Yu believed that the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts possessed great plasticity, growing stronger in tandem with one's own cultivation and enlightenment.

Perhaps the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Techniques were indeed the foundation of all Daoist arts, but if one could truly comprehend them to their zenith, they would likely be no weaker than any other technique. Of course, this was merely Chen Yu's conjecture, as he was currently only a cultivator in the First Origin Realm—barely having stepped across the threshold of the Dao.

Regardless, Chen Yu would not easily abandon his study of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts. Perhaps when he became truly powerful, he would be able to glimpse their miraculous nature.

Chen Yu slept for several days before finally waking.

"Ah... that feels good," he sighed, unable to resist a long stretch.

After casually satisfying his hunger, he met with Xue Ren and the others to offer guidance on their cultivation troubles. Afterward, he immersed himself in the Pavilion of Myriad Books and the Hall of Arts, greedily absorbing the knowledge within.

He was no longer the same Chen Yu who had just entered the path of cultivation. He now possessed a decent understanding of magical artifacts, yellow charms, and various rare heavenly treasures.

The only disappointment was that he had yet to find any news regarding the Dao Bone Yin Essence. Perhaps when his strength grew, he would be able to access information on such secret treasures. Therefore, Chen Yu was not in a hurry. Moreover, he still had many deficiencies to address and lacked the energy to worry about it.

Time flew, and another month passed.

Chen Yu prepared to take on a few more tasks to earn some extra funds. Otherwise, the three Spirit Gathering Pills the sect provided monthly were far from enough.

However, before accepting new tasks, Chen Yu intended to first break through to the Tailbone Aperture.

He sat atop Peach Blossom Peak for two days. Beyond circulating his Hunyuan Sutra and Nine-Breath Breathing Technique to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, he used the Mending Heaven and Bathing Sun Method to refine his essence, energy, and spirit, adjusting his state to the peak.

He supplemented this with the medicinal power of a Hole-Opening Pill, pressing his thumb against his Sea of Qi aperture. As he focused his mind on connecting the Sea of Qi and the Tailbone apertures, he performed reverse-abdominal breathing and used the Hunyuan Sutra to drive his mana to strike the Tailbone. With each inhalation and exhalation, after several cycles, the Tailbone aperture was pierced through just as he had anticipated. A surging force of qi and blood flooded his entire body, and his perception of the world's spiritual energy heightened once more.

Chen Yu exhaled a long breath and whispered, "Good. I have reached the second aperture of the First Origin Realm."