Path to Dual Cultivation

Chapter 15: Intense Pain

"Bring your disciple to me once he becomes a cultivator." Han Jianzhi said to Senior Wu, who nodded.

"I understand. With his talents, it shouldn't take too long."

Meanwhile, Su Yang diligently studied the cultivation technique inside his room.

In the blink of an eye, an entire week has passed since Su Yang became a disciple of the Fleeting Sword Sect. During this time, he consumed a single Nourishment Pill and spent 18 hours a day going through the cultivation technique until he could recite the entire thing with his eyes closed.

Unlike learning a sword technique, he could not immediately memorize the cultivation technique, not to mention comprehending it, but he could tell that he was making swift progress.

On his second week at the sect, Su Yang finally managed to comprehend the cultivation technique and started to unseal his Dantian. Every cultivation technique had its own unique ways of unsealing the Dantian, hence why some cultivation techniques are compatible with some and not with others.

While most cultivation techniques are able to unseal most Dantians, it was a matter of speed and efficiency. Moreover, if one cultivated with an incompatible technique, it could potentially harm their foundation.

Su Yang sat cross-legged on the stiff floor, as the bed was too uneven and soft. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Once he cleared his mind to the best of his capabilities, he started to recite the cultivation technique inside his head and began opening his Dantian.

However, shortly after he began, Su Yang felt a sharp pain where his Dantian was located, feeling as though someone had poked it with a needle, immediately halting his cultivation.

"Is cultivation supposed to be this painful?" he muttered to himself.

After taking a moment to mentally prepare himself, Su Yang started cultivating again.

The sharp pain returned, but Su Yang endured it and pushed through it.

After enduring several hours of intense pain, Su Yang sensed something opening inside his body, as if something were being unclogged. The pain quickly subsided, replaced by a refreshing feeling that washed over his entire being.

Even though this was his first experience, Su Yang instinctively knew that he'd managed to open his Dantian.

'Great! Now I just need to absorb Profound Qi using the cultivation technique and become a cultivator!'

Su Yang was overwhelmed with excitement as the prospect of becoming a cultivator drew closer.

Time passed quickly.

One week, two weeks, three weeks.

Another month had elapsed since Su Yang opened his Dantian, yet he remained a mortal. This puzzled Su Yang greatly, for he could sense his body absorbing Profound Qi properly. However, he also felt the Profound Qi leaving his Dantian just as swiftly.

He thought that it was due to his lack of experience, so he didn't think too much of it and continued to cultivate.

When his progress remained the same after another month of cultivation, Su Yang decided to stop for a break.

He left his room and headed to the kitchen for more Nourishment Pills.

On his way to the kitchen, he happened to encounter Huang Xiaoyun, who just left the bathroom with a fresh appearance.

"Good morning, Senior Apprentice Sister," he greeted her with a handsome smile.

"G-Good morning." After not seeing Su Yang for two entire months, Huang Xiaoyun felt like she had been ambushed by his sudden appearance.

"How's your cultivation progressing?" she proceeded to ask.

"Honestly, I'm having trouble." Su Yang shook his head.

"Huh?" Huang Xiaoyun raised her eyebrows in a puzzled manner.

'How could he be struggling so early on with a large-sized Dantian? He should've already entered the Elementary Spirit Realm by now.'

"Tell me what's wrong," she inquired a moment later.

Su Yang nodded and explained his situation to her, "I have no trouble absorbing Profound Qi, but I am unable to keep them in my Dantian for some reason, as they automatically spill out immediately after being absorbed."

"What?" Huang Xiaoyun immediately frowned upon hearing this, her expression turned serious.

"Let me check your Dantian for a bit!"

Huang Xiaoyun swiftly grabbed Su Yang's wrist before he could even respond and started pouring some of her Profound Qi into his body.

After a moment of silence, Huang Xiaoyun spoke in a nervous tone, "Y-You... What did you do to your Dantian?! It's completely ruined!"

"Huh?" Su Yang's eyes widened with shock.

"Come with me! We're going to see Master right now!" Huang Xiaoyun dragged him out of the house as she retrieved a communication jade slip to speak with Senior Wu, notifying him of their approaching presence.

"Disciple Huang, what's the matter? To contact me using the communication jade slip, it must be urgent." Senior Wu's voice resounded from the jade slip.

"Master! I don't know what happened, but Junior Apprentice Disciple Su's Dantian is completely ruined!"

"WHAT?!" Senior Wu shouted so loudly that it felt like he'd screamed his heart out.

"Where are you right now?! Don't do anything until I return!"

"We're at the outdoor training ground."

Hearing this, even though he was in the midst of a meeting with other elders, Senior Wu dropped whatever he was doing to return to Fleeting Sword Peak.

Sometime later, Senior Wu arrived at the training ground, where Su Yang and Huang Xiaoyun had been waiting.

"Let me examine your Dantian!" Senior Wu went straight for Su Yang's wrist the moment he landed before them.

After inspecting Su Yang's Dantian, Senior Wu had a terrified look on his face.

"Your Dantian is damaged, almost as though it was forcefully opened! How did this happen? Tell me everything you did from the beginning!" He inquired in a serious tone.

Su Yang swallowed nervously and recalled his experience from the moment he started trying to open his Dantian.

However, Senior Wu only became even more puzzled after hearing Su Yang's story.

"You experienced intense pain when you tried to open your Dantian? That's not possible! Such a thing would only happen if you tried to cultivate with an incompatible cultivation technique! You're cultivating the Harmonized Sword Breathing Art, which is perfectly suited for your Perfect Sword Body! You shouldn't have experienced any pain at all!" Senior Wu explained.

However, deep within his consciousness, Senior Wu began to doubt whether Su Yang truly had the Perfect Sword Body or not.

'There's no way he doesn't have the Perfect Sword Body! How else did he comprehend and learn the sword technique during the entrance examination so quickly?! What about the subtle yet distinct aura of a swordmaster around him?!' he pondered with a deep frown on his face.