Chapter 105: What Incredible Luck

Just considering Wei Fan alone, he had been stuck at the late Qi Refining stage bottleneck for several years.

It should be noted that Wei Fan, like He Song, possessed the innate talent of four spiritual roots.

If Wei Fan himself was held back for years, then He Song’s breakthrough speed in just half a year was nothing short of extraordinary.

This was largely because, as a wandering cultivator, He Song was unaware of such information, which allowed him to speak so calmly about it.

Otherwise, when he broke through the bottleneck in half a year, He Song would have realized that his breakthrough speed was several times faster than that of ordinary cultivators!

The bottleneck was a formidable obstacle for cultivators, especially for those with mediocre talent.

It was common for them to remain stagnant for years or even decades.

For example, Meng Guan, who had five spiritual roots, was stuck at the late Qi Refining stage for over a decade and only managed to break through with the aid of alchemical pills.

Similarly, Wei Fan, with four spiritual roots, was stuck for several years at the same stage.

But what about He Song?

The bottleneck that most feared as a tiger took him only half a year to overcome.

This clearly highlighted how shocked Wei Fan must be at this moment.

“Could you be a three spiritual root?” Wei Fan blurted out instinctively, seeing how nonchalantly He Song answered.

But immediately, he shook his head repeatedly.

“That can’t be right; your cultivation speed during the early and middle Qi Refining stages wasn’t much faster than a four spiritual root cultivator’s.”

“Besides, if you really were a three spiritual root, you’d probably have been secluded in the Thick Earth Sect for intensive training by now, not still here at Xianfang.”

“Could it be your comprehension is just extraordinarily high?”

After muttering to himself for a while, Wei Fan finally reached a conclusion.

However, looking at He Song, Wei Fan began to doubt his own conclusion.

Comprehension seemed elusive and intangible, yet it had some external manifestations.

For instance, occasional flashes of insight during cultivation that accelerated progress.

Or quickly grasping new spells faster than ordinary cultivators.

Or spending less time than others learning the myriad arts of cultivation.

But He Song, before him, seemed to lack all these signs.

As for cultivation, He Song’s speed was only slightly faster than that of a normal four spiritual root cultivator.

Especially in the early Qi Refining stage, his speed was almost negligible.

It wasn’t until he broke through to the mid Qi Refining stage that his cultivation pace gradually caught up with or even surpassed others.

Yet the difference was still not significant enough to match a three spiritual root’s speed.

Regarding spells, Wei Fan had never seen He Song practice any.

If he had talent in this area, he would have shown it openly.

Cultivators, particularly those gifted in magic, naturally rely on spells as their main combat tool.

In the cultivation world, it is common knowledge that one should focus on their strengths to become stronger.

But He Song?

Having known him for over twenty years, Wei Fan had never witnessed him rely on spells.

In fact, aside from the communication spell, he had never seen He Song use any other spell.

As for the myriad arts of cultivation, Wei Fan’s gaze turned peculiar.

When He Song first mentioned the myriad arts of cultivation, his cultivation was only at the third level of Qi Refining.

Back then, He Song mysteriously told them he had purchased a volume on the myriad arts and was studying it.

But after more than a decade passed, He Song never once mentioned what exactly he had learned or whether he had mastered it.

Finally, only a few years ago did He Song reveal he had become a talisman master.

Calculating from that time, Wei Fan suspected that He Song took over ten years just to learn the basics of talisman crafting, suggesting his comprehension might not be remarkable.

Hence, Wei Fan concluded he must be mistaken.

But beyond that, there was no other explanation.

In the end, Wei Fan sighed, feeling that He Song’s rapid breakthrough was probably just good luck.

Little did he know that all he knew was merely the surface.

He was completely unaware of He Song’s hidden talents in array formation and spellcasting.

“Sigh, being too gifted doesn’t quite fit either. Looks like you really just had enough luck—your bottleneck was much more fragile than mine.”

Without asking for He Song’s opinion, Wei Fan said this, a hint of envy creeping into his gaze.

If only he had been able to break through the bottleneck in half a year like He Song, he might not be here now but rather an outer disciple of the Thick Earth Sect.

To become an outer disciple of the Thick Earth Sect, one had to break through to the late Qi Refining stage by a certain age.

Moreover, this opportunity was not given to everyone—only those within the Thick Earth Branch enjoyed such privileges.

Other wandering cultivators or Xianfang disciples, even if they met the criteria, were not accepted.

Those few years of delay caused him to miss the chance to become an outer disciple.

Even now, thinking back, Wei Fan couldn’t help but sigh.

At this moment, seeing He Song again, his envy was naturally understandable.

“Then it must be just my luck,” He Song replied casually after hearing Wei Fan’s musing.

His mind was still preoccupied with Meng Guan’s imminent attempt to break into the Foundation Establishment realm.

Since Meng Guan had invited both him and Wei Fan, they would have to make a trip to Qingyuan Immortal City.

Unlike last time—when He Song’s cultivation was too low and he lacked protection, so he never considered going—this time was different.

Now that He Song had reached the late Qi Refining stage, he could safely travel alone to Qingyuan Immortal City.

Furthermore, four years ago, He Song had obtained two thousand spirit stones.

During his seclusion, he hadn’t been idle; he equipped himself with two low-grade magical instruments—one for offense and one for defense—and some protective talismans.

He had also learned a few mid-grade spells.

It could be said that He Song’s combat capability during the mid Qi Refining stage was quite strong.

However, now that he had broken through to the late Qi Refining stage, the preparations he made at mid stage were less important.

Using low-grade magical instruments at this level was somewhat shabby.

But before today, when his cultivation was still mid Qi Refining, low-grade instruments were sufficient.

Now, having reached the late stage, He Song planned to sell those two low-grade instruments and add some spirit stones to buy one offensive and one defensive mid-grade magical instrument.

Mid-grade instruments were the most commonly used by cultivators at the late Qi Refining stage.

With two mid-grade instruments, He Song would no longer worry about his fighting ability against cultivators of the same rank.

Even if he couldn’t win a fight, he could always run.

After all, with a defensive mid-grade instrument shielding him, most late Qi Refining cultivators wouldn’t pose much threat.

(End of chapter)