Chapter Forty-Three: First Grade Spirit Leaf

I sat on the sofa, feeling the spiritual energy within me surge to an unprecedented height. I picked up the glass of water beside me and gave it a gentle squeeze—the cup shattered instantly, reduced to fragments. Suddenly, I sensed something on my forehead; though intangible, it emanated a coolness that refreshed and invigorated my mind.

I hurried over to the mirror to take a look.

This… a leaf?

I saw a leaf, formed from pure spiritual energy, firmly attached to my forehead, yet I felt no discomfort at all. When I reached up to touch it, I discovered that the leaf seemed to appear and disappear according to my will. In other words, with a single thought, the leaf would manifest on my forehead, and if I didn't wish it to be there, it would fade away on its own.

I couldn't help but recall whether this was the so-called Spirit Leaf that my second granduncle had once mentioned. Regardless, I'd better call him first.

“Who is it, calling at this hour?” came a drowsy voice from the other end of the line.

“It’s me, me! There’s a leaf on my forehead—what’s going on, Granduncle?” I exclaimed, slapping my thigh in excitement.

“Oh. Meet me at the usual place at five,” he replied, not bothering to explain what it was, only telling me to see him as usual.

“But… it’s only half-past four. Are you already awake?”

As I reveled in my excitement, Nangong Xi woke up, having heard my commotion.

“Ahem… I’ll be going out in a bit,” I coughed, feigning nonchalance as I sat on the sofa.

After chatting with Nangong Xi for a while, I gathered my things and headed out alone.

…

It was now 4:40. The streets were empty, save for a few sanitation workers; not another soul in sight. But the morning air was wonderful, almost sweet to breathe. After last night’s ordeal, my body had undergone a qualitative transformation. Whereas before, running this far would only make me sweat a little, now I didn’t even break a sweat.

As I jogged, I pondered the mysterious white sphere within me. What could it be? Perhaps I’d only find out as I grew stronger.

Before long, I reached the park, sat on a bench, and lit a cigarette, waiting for my second granduncle. It was already three minutes past five. By rights, he was never late.

I was deep in thought when a sudden chill swept over me, and, turning my head, I found him sitting right beside me. I jumped in surprise, but then, admiring his skill, asked, “Granduncle, what sort of technique did you just use to arrive so quickly?”

“That wasn’t a technique, just the basic speed at our level of cultivation,” he replied.

So that’s how it is.

He continued, “You’ve reached the Spirit Leaf stage now—very impressive.” He patted my shoulder.

I pursed my lips and cocked my head. “What is the Spirit Leaf stage?”

He was in a good mood and patiently explained, “In our world, cultivation is divided into stages. You’re at the Spirit Leaf stage. After that comes Spirit Flower, then Spirit Lotus.”

“These three major stages are enough to keep you occupied for a lifetime. Moreover, each major stage is divided into sub-levels. Spirit Leaf has three grades, Spirit Flower six, and Spirit Lotus nine.”

The more I heard, the more mysterious and fascinating it seemed. I couldn’t help but ask, “Then what’s the highest level of cultivation?”

Unexpectedly, he only smiled and said, “The purpose of cultivation is no longer immortality. There’s always someone stronger, always a higher sky. Cultivation has no highest level.”

“That’s why they say there’s no strongest in this world, only stronger.”

I nodded, trying to absorb all this knowledge.

“You’ve now reached the first grade of Spirit Leaf, so I must keep my promise and teach you the way of cultivation.”

I was so excited I nearly jumped up. Until now, I’d been fumbling about on my own, barely half a practitioner, but now things would be different.

Granduncle finished speaking and drew two ancient books from his ring. Both were worn and tattered, but fortunately, their contents were still legible. One was titled “True Classic of Profound Enlightenment,” the other “Records of Master Tan.”

He began to explain, “This ‘True Classic of Profound Enlightenment’ is a family heirloom for cultivation. As for ‘Records of Master Tan’…”

He trailed off, prompting me to ask anxiously, “What about this book?”

He replied calmly, “That one was given to me by a master. I don’t know his name. Though both are manuals on cultivating spiritual energy, I have mastered the ‘True Classic of Profound Enlightenment,’ but the ‘Records of Master Tan’ is bitter and difficult to comprehend…”

It was clear he was hinting that the latter was extremely hard and that I should choose the former.

But if I chose “True Classic of Profound Enlightenment,” I wouldn’t be myself—Lin Yao!

“I want ‘Records of Master Tan’!”

My answer didn’t surprise Granduncle; he even clapped his hands and said, “Very good… Very good… Such courage at your age.”

I spread my hands, resigned but resolute, and picked up “Records of Master Tan” to read. As it turned out, it really was difficult—not only was it all in classical language, but many of the characters were unfamiliar to me.

After reading a few lines, I realized I would need time to study it, so I put it away in my ring, planning to return to it when I had the time.

“You mustn’t rush. That’s enough for now—I’ll be off,” Granduncle said as he left, his gaze warm and tinged with pride.

Once he was truly gone, I checked my phone—it was just past six. As I strolled idly through the park, a group of people in black suddenly appeared in the distance and ran toward me.

I didn’t flee; instead, I waited for them to approach. With my cultivation now elevated, my senses were much sharper.

Even from afar, I could sense there were three or four of them. As they drew closer, I realized they were all first-grade Spirit Leaf cultivators.

I quietly drew my Snowblade, just as they reached me.

“Who are you?” I asked, without a trace of fear.

“Well, since you’re about to die, you might as well know,” one of them sneered. “We’re from Tiancheng Group. As for why we’re here to kill you—it’s because you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong!”

“Prepare to die!”

I wanted to say more, but they gave me no chance. In unison, they drew machetes from their backs—clearly trained killers.

I didn’t hesitate to summon my Snowblade, eager to test my new strength.

The four of them appeared to attack one by one, but in fact, they’d subtly encircled me. In such a situation, all I needed was to find a breakthrough point, and they would surely lose their formation.

With that in mind, I raised my blade and charged at the shortest one. He didn’t react in time, and his weapon was cleaved in two.

If not for the others watching me closely, that short man would have died on the spot.

Not wanting to drag things out, I leapt high, feigning an attack on one of them. But midair, I twisted and lunged at the one I’d already disarmed.

(Truthfully, I couldn’t think of a better ranking system, so I borrowed this one from Cai Chen, haha.)