Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 30: Dao San Qian’s Breakthrough

Chapter 30: Dao San Qian’s Breakthrough

After more than a day’s journey, the three of them finally reached their secluded cultivation spot. The mountain path was tough, especially as Dao San Qian was carrying a heavy load, making the trek particularly time-consuming.

"Huff huff... we’ve finally arrived. This place you’ve chosen is really hard to find, unless one can view it from the air. Otherwise, it would be quite a challenge to locate it. Moreover, I think it’s unlikely that anyone would stumble upon here." Dao San Qian said as he caught his breath.

"Ha ha, of course. We chose this place for cultivation precisely because we don’t want to be disturbed. A secluded spot is naturally essential. Let’s quickly stow our gear and start cultivating." Jun Wu Xiao replied with a laugh.

Once everything was arranged, the trio resumed their closed-door cultivation. Unlike the other two, Dao San Qian couldn’t eat leaves, so Jun Wu Xiao would occasionally hunt some forest animals for him to eat, saving his time and effort.

Life in the Kunlun Mountains went on like this, in a repetitive and unremarkable manner, until ten years had passed since Dao San Qian began his cultivation. At this moment, he finally achieved a breakthrough.

During the breakthrough, he felt a surge of strength throughout his body. Soon after, the growth in his power stabilized, and he laughed:

"Ha ha, this feeling of becoming strong is truly wonderful. Is this the breakthrough that Jun Wu Xiao talked about? It feels miraculous. I am now much stronger than before. With the power of my current strength, a punch that could defeat me in the past."

"Now that I’ve broken through, perhaps it’s time to find my own place for secluded cultivation. It’s best to separate from them as soon as possible. With my breakthrough, I’m tough enough to take a beating. It would be bothersome if they kept challenging me to spar. I’d rather cultivate in seclusion than play that game. But then again, I should have a match. After all, having strength and not knowing how to use it isn’t ideal. Perhaps I should spar with Yue Guang, fighting Jun Wu Xiao would be futile due to the vast difference in our strength. That’s settled then, I’ll meet them now." Dao San Qian thought.

After that, he quickly went to find Jun Wu Xiao and Yue Guang. Since they cultivated in different places, it might take him some time to locate them.

"Moving at this speed really feels strange. Now I can run as fast as a horse, although not as fast as the top tier horse but still quite fast." Dao San Qian remarked in surprise.

Previously, he used to travel with Jun Wu Xiao and Yue Guang at a snail’s pace. On his return to the Kunlun Mountains, he took a direct route while the other two looped around him.

Currently, Jun Wu Xiao was somewhere on the mountain cultivating, appearing not much older. His lack of aging wasn’t surprising. Aging implies a weakening body, but as his body wasn’t weakening, he obviously wouldn’t age. It was just that he wasn’t yet strong enough to maintain his youthful appearance permanently.

Sensing some activity, Jun Wu Xiao, who was in the midst of cultivation, turned to look and saw Dao San Qian approaching. He realized that his friend had made a breakthrough. Observing closely, he thought:

"The speed is similar to me in the past, both around eighteen meters per second, and the time taken for breakthroughs is also the same. Now, by assessing his strength and physical endurance, we can tentatively conclude that everyone is in the same realm after their breakthrough, essentially possessing the same basic power levels."

He wasn’t entirely sure due to the limited data, and because genuine cultivators were so few. Encountering anyone now felt similar, so he had to tentatively accept this assumption.

"Ha ha ha, I’ve broken through." Dao San Qian said with a laugh, his happiness evident, much like Jun Wu Xiao’s initial reaction.

"Ha ha, thank you for your help over the years. Now, I can find my own place for secluded cultivation." Dao San Qian said.

Jun Wu Xiao frowned slightly, then with a ’friendly’ smile, he said:

"Why the hurry? We didn’t invite you to a brawl. Why run away so fast?"

Dao San Qian was startled, then forced a smile and replied:

"I’m not afraid of the two of you. It’s just that I don’t enjoy that game. But, I would like to try fighting just once."

"What? Are you serious? I thought you didn’t like to fight." Jun Wu Xiao said in surprise.

"While I’m not particularly keen on fighting for fun, possessing strength and not knowing how to use it properly is really not good." Dao San Qian explained.

Jun Wu Xiao nodded. Although he and Yue Guang often enjoyed sparring with each other, their greater goal was to become familiar with their strength and develop their own combat techniques.

"Fine, come here. I’ll spar with you." Jun Wu Xiao said.

"No, no, no. What improvement would fighting you bring? The strength difference is too great; I couldn’t possibly inflict any serious damage on you. When I said I wanted to spar, I meant with Yue Guang, she is stronger than me but not by much." Dao San Qian quickly refused.

Jun Wu Xiao didn’t stop him, acknowledging the point. Indeed, if the power difference was too great and the fight wasn’t a desperate struggle, it would be nothing short of a farce.

"You make a fair point. You and I are not fighting a death match. Though Yue Guang and I spar without holding back, none of our strikes are meant to be lethal. The gap between you and me is significant. Fighting you now would be akin to merely accompanying you in play, which truly wouldn’t be very beneficial. But if you want to fight, let’s make it quick, as I estimate she’ll break through in eight months." Jun Wu Xiao explained.

"I understand, let’s go meet Yue Guang then." Dao San Qian replied.

Jun Wu Xiao nodded, but he knew this match wouldn’t be entirely fair. Even if Dao San Qian was a prodigy, Yue Guang was equally so and had more experience. The outcome seemed predetermined, but that didn’t mean Dao San Qian wouldn’t be able to fight back. He said:

"Alright, let’s quickly find her."

Then, they both rushed to find Yue Guang. As she was cultivating, she heard the commotion and ran towards them. She asked:

"You’ve broken through?"

"Yes. I want to spar with you to get accustomed to my current strength." Dao San Qian said.

Yue Guang was a bit surprised, but she understood that fighting was the fastest way to familiarize oneself with new power. She nodded and said:

"Alright, shall we start now? But I think we should sleep to recover before we fight."

"Alright, let’s sleep first." Dao San Qian nodded in agreement.

He then found a spot nearby to sleep, and Yue Guang did the same.

Hours later, both awoke and approached each other. Yue Guang picked up a stone from the ground and said:

"I’ll throw this up, and when it touches the ground, we’ll start."

After saying this, she tossed the stone into the air. Dao San Qian’s expression turned serious, his eyes focused on her, but he did not forget to watch the stone.

A few seconds later, at the moment the stone hit the ground, both of them charged towards each other.