Chapter 60: Two Years Later, On a Stormy Night, the White Feather Falls

"Drink up, it's only half a cup, and with me here, nothing will go wrong."

Ling Yuexianzi smiled and nodded.

Xu Taiping nodded and then raised the cup, drinking it in one go.

This was, in fact, the first real alcoholic drink of his life.

"Boom!"

As soon as the Dragon Gall liquor entered his stomach, the aura around Xu Taiping exploded uncontrollably, making him appear as if he were surrounded by a fog.

Moreover, the internal fluctuations of his true qi and blood were even more intense.

Under the influence of the Dragon Gall liquor, his qi and blood began to move wildly.

"Focus and circulate your energy."

Ling Yuexianzi reminded Xu Taiping just in time.

Xu Taiping nodded and quickly sat cross-legged on the bed, enduring the dizziness caused by the turbulence in his qi and blood while running his residual Xiahua Gong.

"Whoo..."

As the Xiahua Gong began to circulate, the intense fluctuations in his qi and blood finally stabilized.

At the same time, he was pleasantly surprised to find that certain acupoints and meridians in his Xiahua Gong, which had been difficult to control before, were now flowing smoothly.

Because of this, the spiritual energy he could guide into his body began to multiply in growth.

At this moment, Xu Taiping finally understood the difference between the White Spirit Bone, Golden Spirit Bone, and Heavenly Spirit Bone.

"At this rate, in two years at most, I will be able to transform my Qi Mansion into a Qi Sea and eventually step into the Wanyang Realm."

His confidence grew immensely with the rapid progress in his cultivation.

In the bedroom, after sensing that Xu Taiping's aura had stabilized, Ling Yuexianzi finally relaxed. After all, she had heard of cases where people died from overloading their bodies with Dragon Gall liquor.

"Chirp chirp..."

Just as Ling Yuexianzi was about to return to the gourd to nurture her soul, Xiao Ping'an suddenly jumped onto the table and began licking the wine cup Xu Taiping had used.

"Chirp?"

Before Ling Yuexianzi could stop it, Xiao Ping'an tilted its head, then "Thud!" it fell straight onto the table.

Ling Yuexianzi couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Hmm, this little monkey has a mixed bloodline, but it still has some of the Mountain-Supporting Ape blood in it. Maybe I should teach it the Ape Demon Technique?"

Looking at the little monkey lying on the table, fast asleep, Ling Yuexianzi suddenly had an idea.

Although the Ape Demon Technique had the word "demon" in its name, it was not a demonic skill. It was just powerful enough to be given the "demon" title, much like the Qiong Niu Fist, which was also called the Cow Demon Fist in other places.

"The third transformation of the Earth Fruit is still too early, and I have nothing else to do. Why not let the little monkey practice in my gourd? A single Ape Demon Technique shouldn't draw attention from my enemies."

After thinking for a moment, Ling Yuexianzi made up her mind and opened the gourd to suck Xiao Ping'an inside.

...

Time in the mountains flowed slowly, but it also passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

"Boom!"

By a large lake in Yanglu Mountain, Xu Taiping activated the Ice Breath Technique and exhaled towards the vast lake.

In the blink of an eye, the entire lake was frozen.

This was the result of his two years of hard work.

He had reached the peak of the Opening Realm, and his residual Xiahua Gong had reached the second major level, with Wind Shadow Step, Qiong Niu Fist, Seven Killing Blade, and Ice Breath Technique all reaching great mastery.

"Chirp chirp!"

At that moment, a small snow monkey appeared on the ice surface, sliding happily before stopping in the center. It suddenly grew taller, reaching about nine feet, and then threw a punch towards the ice.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the ice shattered like a spider web.

"Ling Yuexianzi, the Ape Demon Technique is almost complete, right?"

Xu Taiping turned to smile at Ling Yuexianzi's soul image beside him.

"Too slow. It took three years for it to just barely succeed. If it weren't for you feeding it Dragon Gall liquor, it would have taken even longer."

Ling Yuexianzi sighed in dissatisfaction.

"But Xu Taiping, are you sure you want to breakthrough to the Wanyang Realm before the selection? You know, if the breakthrough fails, you will suffer severe injuries."

She looked at him with some concern.

"I'm not afraid."

Xu Taiping shook his head with determination.

"I've prepared the pills, set up the Demon-breaking Array outside the courtyard, and with the Cang Luan Ring, I'm not afraid of the outer-world demons."

He continued.

Ling Yuexianzi looked at the now towering, seven-foot-tall, sharp-featured, handsome young man with a martial aura and couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

"Time flies. In the blink of an eye, three years have passed. When I first met him, he was still a clueless boy. Now he's already a grown man."

"You forgot something."

She smiled at Xu Taiping.

"Forgot something?"

Xu Taiping felt nervous.

For the past year, he had been preparing for this breakthrough, spending most of his saved merit coins on the foundation-building pills. Now hearing that he had missed something, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

"You forgot about me, didn't you?"

Ling Yuexianzi gave Xu Taiping a playful glare.

Xu Taiping was stunned, then immediately smiled brightly and corrected himself seriously:

"Ling Yuexianzi is like family to me. How could I compare you to those things?"

Ling Yuexianzi felt her heart warm at his words.

"At least you have a conscience."

She playfully patted his head, then confidently said:

"Don't worry about the breakthrough. Even without those things, I can block the outer-world demons for you!"

But just as Xu Taiping was about to break through, an unexpected event disrupted his plans.

...

That night.

The wind and rain raged.

"Boom!"

Just as Xu Taiping was preparing to close the windows and make his final preparations for the breakthrough, a loud crash echoed from the entrance of the courtyard.

"It's the aura of the Spirit Bird Bai Yu."

Ling Yuexianzi's soul image emerged from the gourd.

"Why would Bai Yu fall in front of my courtyard?"

Xu Taiping frowned and quickly walked out.

Over the past two years, Bai Yu often brought things to see him, and their relationship had grown quite close, almost like good friends.

"Squeak..."

When the courtyard door opened, Xu Taiping indeed saw the massive body of Bai Yu, lying injured in the muddy rain.

"Bai Yu, what happened to you?"

Xu Taiping rushed out.

"Don't come closer!"

Before he could take a step, Bai Yu suddenly raised its head and shouted at Xu Taiping, signaling him not to approach.