Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Bullet Time (Please follow)

One hundred and fifty years ago, just a few years after Han Xuanwu had passed away, Zhao Xuanlan of the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer had suddenly disappeared during an outing, never to be heard from again.

At that time, Zhao Yujie was the only Foundation Establishment Cultivator left in the Zhao family.

Overnight, the Zhao family underwent a transformation.

For the first time, the main branch took control of the family, starting to suppress the second branch both overtly and covertly.

The reason for this was that the two branches of the Zhao family had never been close, and over the years, due to limited cultivation resources and unfair distribution, the relationship had always been lukewarm and full of disputes.

Thus, it was no surprise that the main branch would choose to suppress the second branch once they came into power.

The second branch benefitted from Han Xuanwu’s legacy and had certain relations and connections in the Purple Sun Sect.

Therefore, Zhao Yujie didn’t dare to oppress them too blatantly, only resorting to small, subtle suppressions.

Ninety years ago, Zhao Yujie passed away.

Zhao Zhongge of the main branch advanced to Foundation Establishment and continued to dominate the Zhao family’s power, also opting to covertly suppress the second branch.

Until a year ago, when Zhao Zhongge died from severe injuries, the Zhao family suddenly found itself without a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, leaving the family’s power in a vacuum.

Consequently, the second branch, long suppressed for nearly one hundred fifty years under the leadership of Elder Zhao Jingang, suddenly erupted, confronting the main branch head-on.

Over the past year, due to the unceasing internal strife between the two branches, the Zhao family’s power significantly weakened, and relations between the branches rapidly deteriorated.

Two months ago, the Zhao family used their family’s resources to secure a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Afterward, the Zhao family’s two branches quarreled incessantly over who should consume the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Were it not for the several neighboring Cultivation Forces eyeing them covetously, the main branch and the second branch might have already come to blows.

However…

While his thoughts swirled chaotically, Zhao Sheng got up from the ground and dusted off the dirt from his clothes.

Looking at the clearly divided groups below the magic platform, he couldn’t help but sigh, “Things haven’t improved much.”

At that moment, Zhao Sheng suddenly felt something being slipped into his hand. Looking down, he saw it was a white porcelain pill bottle.

He looked up at Zhao Chongwei, his expression complex.

Without opening it, Zhao Sheng knew that the bottle contained a First Rank Spirit Origin Pill.

The Spirit Origin Pill is the most commonly consumed elixir by Qi Refining Immortal Cultivators.

There are ten pills in a bottle, with each bottle costing seven Spirit Stones–a fair and unchanged price for a thousand years.

Zhao Chongwei whispered, “Hurry up and put it away; don’t let anyone see it.”

Zhao Sheng pushed the pill bottle back into her hands and shook his head, “No need to give it to me; you keep it for your own cultivation. You have three spirit roots and a chance at reaching Foundation Establishment. The family gave you the Spirit Origin Pills hoping you would cultivate diligently and achieve Foundation Establishment soon. Remember not to let down the family’s expectations!”

Zhao Chongwei was taken aback at his words. She felt that since Zhao Chong had woken up, he seemed to have completely changed into a different person, suddenly becoming exceptionally mature and composed.

Previously, he would always pester her for elixir pills and Spirit Stones, but now he was refusing them outright.

Zhao Chongwei couldn’t help but wonder in her heart, “Could it be that a setback can really make a person mature so quickly?”

Seeing her stunned and silent, Zhao Sheng decided to turn around and leave the magic platform.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from behind them, “Weiwei, what are you doing? Are you thinking of giving the Spirit Pill to that waste again?”

As he spoke, a burly, square-faced, thin-lipped elder strode up to them.

Zhao Sheng glanced at him and felt an instinctive revulsion.

The elder, named Zhao Jinpeng, was known for his harsh and narrow-minded nature, always acting as a senior.

Zhao Jinpeng was one of the seventeen Cultivators in the Zhao family’s main branch, with a cultivation at the Qi Refining Fifth Level.

For some reason, Zhao Jinpeng had always looked down on Zhao Sheng’s former self, either berating or mocking him whenever they met.

Seeing Zhao Jinpeng, Zhao Chongwei timidly defended herself, “Sixth Grandpa, I wasn’t.”

Zhao Jinpeng glared at her, snatched the pill bottle from her hand, and said sternly, “You say you weren’t, what is this then? When our family is barely making ends meet, and we’ve managed to allocate a few bottles of Spirit Origin Pills, are you going to give them to this waste?”

Zhao Sheng felt extremely aggravated when he heard these words.

“Damn it, calling someone ‘trash’ over and over, doesn’t this old man have a name?!”

“Who are you calling trash?” Zhao Sheng’s face darkened, and he stared at Zhao Jinpeng.

Zhao Jinpeng looked back at Zhao Sheng contemptuously and mocked, “You are the trash. You’ve been cultivating for five or six years and still can’t beat a fourteen-year-old Zhao Chongxia. If you’re not trash, then what are you? It’s not just you; your father is the same, a Sixth Level Qi Refining Immortal Cultivator who couldn’t even keep track of goods, deserved to die out there.”

“To insult one’s parents, is that the behavior of an elder? I, Zhao Chonghe, will remember the humiliation of today. I leave you with these words, ‘Bully not the old for failing to thrive, nor the young for their poverty!’”

After dropping these harsh words, Zhao Sheng nodded at Zhao Chongwei, then turned and walked away.

“Chonghe, Chonghe!” Seeing Zhao Sheng stride off in anger, Zhao Chongwei hurriedly called out repeatedly.

Seeing this, Zhao Jinpeng scolded, “Weiwei, why are you calling that trash? Your turn is coming up next. You better get ready quickly.”

“Sixth Master, how can you say that? Chonghe is also from our main family.”

“He is just trash, whether he is there or not, it’s all the same for the main family.”

In a short exchange, Zhao Sheng had already walked far away.

…

Upon returning to his small courtyard, Zhao Sheng couldn’t wait to enter the cultivation room.

Compared to the most important thing, cultivation, Zhao Jinpeng was nothing.

By now, Zhao Sheng had already pushed him out of his mind.

Before beginning his cultivation, Zhao Sheng quickly opened his book page to check his personal data:

Name: Zhao Chonghe (Zhao Sheng)

Life Span: 16/97

Realm: Qi Refining First Level

Constitution: Four Spirit Roots (Yellow Level), Primary Healing (Mortal Level)

Talent: Spiritual Smell (Yellow Level), Bullet Time (Yellow Level), Rock Hand (Mortal Level),

[Skills]

Cultivation Technique: Mystical Spirit Skill (Beginner)

Spell: Spring Breeze and Rain Technique (Skilled), Waterdrop Sword (Beginner), Refraction Technique (Beginner)

Talisman Making: First Rank Spring Breeze and Rain Talisman (Beginner), First Rank Golden Light Wall (Beginner)

In the last two draws before his reincarnation, Zhao Sheng had drawn the Yellow Level talent Bullet Time and the Mortal Level constitution Primary Healing.

Bullet Time (Yellow Level): Once activated, your consciousness will become incredibly focused, senses extremely sharp, and the whole world slows down many times over in your sight as if time has come to a standstill. Each activation lasts for two seconds.

Primary Healing (Mortal Level): Depending on personal constitution, wound healing speed increases three to ten times.

Zhao Sheng pondered as he read the descriptions.

There’s not much to say about Primary Healing, but Bullet Time seems very interesting.

With this thought, Zhao Sheng discarded all distractions, and his consciousness gradually focused.

As his consciousness converged to a point, it was like suddenly piercing through an invisible barrier. Zhao Sheng suddenly found that the world before his eyes had nearly “paused.”

The once fluid world moved as slow as frame-by-frame movie scenes.

No, it was ten times slower than that.

Under extremely sharp spiritual sensing, countless invisible particles of water vapor also suddenly became visible.

Fluffy fungi of strange shapes, coarse dust, round water vapor,

All sorts of bizarre tiny particles became clearly visible in his “vision.”

Zhao Sheng felt incredibly fascinated, as if he were seeing a brand new world.