Mundane Saint

Chapter 90 – Xiao Ling Breakthrough

Gu Heng had anticipated her question, so he smiled and took out another piece of medicinal paste.

"Let's soak you once more, but after this, you'll need to wait. Relying too much on external forces isn't good; you need to cultivate your inner strength."

Qin Yiyao nodded gratefully, muttering a few words of thanks. After dinner, she couldn't wait to rush back to her room to prepare for a bath.

Gu Heng stayed downstairs, tidying up the dishes and washing the little girl's clothes from the day before...

In truth, Shang Xiong was right.

He did look like a servant.

But he didn't mind. After all, he had gone from living alone to having a little girl to take care of. Gu Heng suddenly found himself enjoying the busy feeling of managing household chores, as if he had returned to the time when he first awakened the System, filled with determination and a proactive mindset.

Even if it was just a little bit.

...

The night was deep, the moon hanging in the sky, casting its clear light over the land.

At the Nianling Sect's mountain gate.

It was already midnight, but the atmosphere in the sect's main hall was heavy. Sect Leader Zhu Ling and the three elders under him were all sitting upright, the only four present in the hall, and the strongest in the Nianling Sect aside from Supreme Elder Xiao Ling.

"......"

Zhu Ling sat with his eyes closed, hands clasped together, occasionally rubbing his fingers, his brows furrowing from time to time, indicating his unsettled mood.

The other three elders each wore expressions of anxious anticipation.

Because at this moment, in the forbidden area of the Nianling Sect's back mountain, Supreme Elder Xiao Ling was using an eighth-grade Ganlong Pill to attempt a breakthrough to the Tribulation Crossing stage.

Today was the third day.

If all went well, tonight, Xiao Ling would break through the shackles that had troubled him for over a hundred years and step into the Tribulation Crossing stage!

Becoming the seventh Tribulation Crossing stage powerhouse of the Sunflare Empire!

Meanwhile, on the table in front of Zhu Ling lay a battle challenge letter!

"Sect Leader."

Finally, it was Third Elder Wu Rong who couldn't bear the particularly silent yet anxiety-inducing atmosphere any longer and spoke in a low voice.

"Speak."

Zhu Ling slightly raised his eyes, speaking indifferently.

"Shouldn't we make some preparations in case the Supreme Elder fails, so that our Nianling Sect can preserve some hope..."

Preserve some hope?

If the Supreme Elder failed to break through, the fall of the Nianling Sect would be inevitable. But this was a sect, not a family, with no blood ties binding it together.

If the sect disbanded, the disciples would naturally seek other places to go.

When a sect weakens, it's only natural for its disciples to seek a place that offers better prospects.

If there were disciples who were deeply attached to the sect and unwilling to submit, Huang Li would not hesitate to kill them, leaving the rest... hmph.

Preserving hope... such an idea was meaningless.

Just as a hint of dissatisfaction appeared in Zhu Ling's eyes, it was First Elder Mu Chong who spoke first—an elder who looked even older than Wu Rong, with a face like orange peel and withered hands, he chuckled eerily:

"Wu, you don't want to preserve hope for the Nianling Sect; you want to find a stable path for your useless grandson, Wu Jie."

Everyone present knew well how Wu Rong doted on and spoiled his good-for-nothing grandson, Wu Jie.

This guy was speaking with ulterior motives.

And they weren't good ones.

Facing the First Elder's sarcastic tone, Wu Rong wasn't intimidated and retorted, "I heard your granddaughter has already left the Nianling Sect to visit your official brother in Chiyun Province?"

"Just letting her visit her uncle, what's your problem?"

Mu Chong sneered.

"Both of you, be quiet."

Zhu Ling spoke, and a scorching aura made the hall feel like a furnace, intensifying the pressure.

He raised his eyes, then tapped heavily on the battle challenge letter on the table.

"Huang Li has already sent out the challenge for his battle with the Supreme Elder tomorrow! Every notable force in Withered Cloud Province is likely heading to the Desolate Valley now."

"This battle is unavoidable for us. The Supreme Elder cannot fail. If he does, the Nianling Sect will perish!"

Zhu Ling stood up, looking around coldly, "And yet you two are here, bickering over trivial matters!"

Mu Chong and Wu Rong both quieted down. When the sect leader was angry, they couldn't withstand it together. Seeing the two old fellows finally stop arguing, Zhu Ling restrained his aura and sat back down.

But at that moment, all four of their expressions changed!

They felt a massive surge of spiritual energy being rapidly drawn away, rushing towards the forbidden area in the back mountain.

The four exchanged glances and rushed out of the hall, leaping onto the roof to gaze towards the back mountain. Under the dim night sky, the wind and clouds surged, as if an unfathomable vortex was forming, with a dragon soul seemingly soaring in the void, enveloped in dense purple energy!

Above the sky, dark clouds rolled.

The swirling clouds pressed closer and closer, as if they might crash down at any moment.

The already gloomy night sky became even more eerie and inexplicable, and faintly, they could even hear the rumble of thunder amidst the roaring sounds!

Above Xiao Ling, thick, pillar-like, serpentine silver lightning danced.

The scene captivated the elders present.

A celestial phenomenon had appeared.

This was a sign of a breakthrough.

Zhu Ling and the others dared not breathe too loudly, their eyes fixed on the gathering spiritual energy, their hearts in their throats.

Xiao Ling stood amidst the dark heavens and earth, his robes fluttering wildly in the wind!

"Buzz~"

A sudden flash of purple light!

A strange fluctuation emanated from Xiao Ling's body, as if a certain shackle had been broken in that instant!

A vast, majestic, and domineering aura immediately spread over the entire Nianling Sect mountain gate!

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth went into a frenzy!

It boiled like mad, converging around Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling's divine sense expanded, encompassing the entire sect in his mind.

"Whoosh—"

Around Xiao Ling, a massive vortex gradually formed. With a wave of his hands, countless spiritual energies were drawn into the vortex and absorbed into his body, causing a strange fluctuation within him.

The seventh Tribulation Crossing stage cultivator of the Sunflare Empire had emerged.

Witnessing this, Zhu Ling and the others finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Heaven bless our Nianling Sect!"

He laughed heartily, and the commotion from Xiao Ling's breakthrough was so great that many disciples, whether asleep or meditating, were awakened. They rushed outside to witness the ethereal phenomenon in the night sky.

Hearing the sect leader's jubilant voice, they understood as well.

"Heaven bless our Nianling Sect!!"

Countless voices echoed in the night.

With Xiao Ling entering the Tribulation Crossing stage, the outcome of tomorrow's battle in the Desolate Valley would be shrouded in mystery. Until the last moment, no one would know how it would end.