Green Gourd Sword Immortal - Chapter 22: Charging the Bottleneck Again (Patreon)

-Thank you DCRangeRange, Dean Dexter and CannedbreadFollow me on Patreon via Linktree https://linktr.ee/Mnotia-

Ever since he made the appointment with the white-robed girl that day, Liang Yan would punctually go to Lush Cloud Mountain to keep the appointment every night.

The two would play Go beneath the great tree, and often they would sit for several hours at a stretch.

Liang Yan was limited by his own aptitude and had always been unable to break through the bottleneck of the third layer of Qi Refining.

No matter how he cultivated, the spiritual power in his body would not increase by even half a fraction.

Simply, he stopped going to the Spirit Spring Cave to cultivate at night.

Aside from sometimes still trying to break through the bottleneck, he spent almost all his other nights playing Go with the white-robed girl and learning Go in the Go Dao Repository of Scriptures.

Speaking of it, ever since the great upheaval he suffered four years ago, Liang Yan had always buried his head in bitter cultivation.

It had indeed been a long time since he had relaxed like this.

Toward that white-robed girl, although at first he felt she was somewhat willful and overbearing, after spending time together, he felt she was actually cold on the outside and warm on the inside.

She was not a person hard to get along with.

Moreover, ever since his family was broken and his people died, there was no longer a single playmate of the same age by his side.

Those he usually dealt with were all seniors and lofty experts, or fellow disciples and martial brothers.

Ever since he became acquainted with this white-robed girl, although they had not spoken much and played Go atop the mountain every night, he still felt extraordinarily comfortable.

Such days passed unknowingly for two months.

In the first month, although the white-robed girl steadily defeated Liang Yan every night, the process became more and more difficult.

Later on, sometimes they could only play two or three games in a night, and most of the time both sides were bitterly thinking of countermeasures.

By the beginning of the second month, Liang Yan could occasionally win one or two games.

Later still, the two sides traded moves, and usually each had wins and losses.

The white-robed girl's expression also grew uglier day by day.

She no longer had her former smiling, composed appearance.

On this day, the two fought a great battle beneath the tree again.

Liang Yan was wholly focused, moving stones as if flying.

The white-robed girl's brows were tightly locked; she often hesitated over her moves, and an anxious expression surged onto her face.

When Liang Yan placed another stone, the white-robed girl suddenly pushed the Go board away and said with a pouting anger, "I'm not playing anymore, not playing anymore!"

Liang Yan came back to his senses from the Go board.

Seeing the angry look on the white-robed girl's face, he could not help but soften and say, "You were careless in this game; it doesn't count. Come, let's play another game."

"I'm not playing. I just won't play. Do you think anyone cares to play with you?" The white-robed girl's tone was hurried, and her chest rose and fell slightly.

By this time Liang Yan also gradually noticed that the girl's mood was not quite right, so he tried to comfort her: "Even in war, there is no ever-victorious general; the same goes for Go. Your Go skill is profound; in fact, in my heart I have always admired it."

When the white-robed girl heard him say that in his heart he admired her, the anger on her face immediately dissipated by seven parts.

Then she asked, "Really? I mean, in your heart you admire me?"

Liang Yan nodded from the bottom of his heart and said, "Naturally. Your Go skill is superb, the best I have seen in my life. During this time, I have been bitterly reading Go books and Go records day and night, and only then can I barely play a few games with you. I am truly ashamed."

Who knew that as soon as he said this, the white-robed girl's face again turned the color of pig liver.

She thought to herself, 'You've only been learning Go at the Go Pavilion for two months, and you can already trade wins and losses with me. Then I started learning Go at eight and have steeped myself in the Way of Go for five years—am I not a mediocre talent and a fool?'

Thinking of this, she almost spat out a chestful of old blood.

She steadied herself, gave Liang Yan a hateful glance, and said faintly, "You're so formidable. Don't play Go with me anymore after this. I won't come tomorrow."

Liang Yan's eyes went blank.

He stared dumbly at the girl, as if he had not reacted.

Only after a long while did he say, "Did I say something wrong? My head isn't bright, and I often speak nonsense. Please don't take it to heart."

He had always prided himself on being clever.

This time, in his panic, admitting he was not clever was truly a first.

Seeing his anxious manner, the white-robed girl let out a puff of laughter.

The clouds of worry on her face gradually dispersed.

Then she sighed and said, "Actually, it's not your fault, junior brother. It's your senior sister... it's that I won't be able to come for a long time from now on."

Liang Yan asked, puzzled, "Why is that?"

"It's all because of that Old Ancestor of mine. Her discipline is strict. Recently she ordered me to go back and enter seclusion. For at least a year, I won't be able to come out."

Liang Yan nodded in sudden understanding and said, "We who cultivate immortality should indeed devote ourselves single-mindedly to the Dao and diligently cultivate, only then may we have a chance to attain great freedom."

After hearing this, the white-robed girl rolled her eyes at him and said with a pouting anger, "Your heart toward the Dao is so firm—then why do you still come here every night to accompany me in Go?"

Liang Yan smiled bitterly.

He had troubles he could not speak of.

His cultivation was stuck at the peak of the third layer of Qi Refining and simply could not go up.

Even if he cultivated bitterly however much more, what use would it be?

Seeing his bitter smile, the white-robed girl only thought he was unwilling to part from her.

For no reason, her heart felt sweet, and at the same time she felt slightly disappointed.

'Those martial uncles and martial elders in the Way of Go are all dreadfully old-fashioned, and those martial brothers are as if carved from the same mold, without the slightest bit of fun. This time I finally got out and took in such a little junior brother; he's actually quite interesting. But so soon I have to go back and cultivate in seclusion—it's really too torturous.'

But the Old Ancestor's command—she had no choice but to obey.

Thinking of this, she beckoned to Liang Yan and said, "Little junior brother, come here."

Liang Yan stepped forward as told.

He saw the white-robed girl take an item from her bosom and place it in Liang Yan's hand.

Liang Yan looked down and saw that it was exactly the Barrier-Breaking Pill!

"Senior sister... actually, I fought and lost repeatedly. I long ago lost the face to want this bet's stake."

"If I give it to you, then take it. Would I, for the sake of a mere Barrier-Breaking Pill, go back on what I said?"

After saying this, she gave a cold humph and said:

"Humph! Actually... actually, at the auction that day, I wasn't deliberately trying to contend with you for this Barrier-Breaking Pill. This thing is not of much use to me; it was a friend of mine who needed it, so I conveniently bought it for her. But later she succeeded in breaking through her realm herself, so this Barrier-Breaking Pill was no longer useful. I might as well give it to you."

After hearing this, Liang Yan smiled slightly.

He did not decline again and reached out to take the Barrier-Breaking Pill.

"Thank you, senior sister, for gifting the pill!"

"My surname is Tang. From now on, call me Senior Sister Tang!"

"No problem, Senior Sister Tang!"

"Mm." The white-robed girl looked at him, as if she still wanted to say something.

In the end, she gave a light sigh and went down the mountain without a word.

Liang Yan watched her receding figure.

Thinking that perhaps from now on he could never again play Go with her here, he felt slightly gloomy at heart, and for no reason a wave of loss.

He shook his head and tried hard to drive this emotion out of his mind.

'The most important task now is still to adjust my condition to its best, so I can take the Barrier-Breaking Pill and charge the bottleneck of the third layer of Qi Refining!'

Three days later.

Liang Yan sat upright in the Spirit Spring Cave.

In his heart he silently recited the nameless formula the old monk had taught him, and he drew in a deep breath through his mouth.

Within the meridians throughout his body, spiritual power surged.

It passed through the eight extraordinary meridians and sank down into his dantian.

Then he sent the spiritual power out from the dantian, along the Governing Vessel through the Three Passes, up to the top of his head.

Then it followed both sides down and met at the tip of his tongue, just then connecting with the breath of exhalation.

Thus, from the Baihui acupoint on the top of his head to the dantian in his lower abdomen, it went round and round, cycling without end.

After Liang Yan circulated his qi according to this method for one Grand Heavenly Circuit, he barely reached the "Self-View" realm described in the nameless formula.

Beneath "Self-View," one examines oneself, shines inward upon the heart, until spirit and qi combine and embrace without separating.

By this moment, Liang Yan's own essence, qi, and spirit, as well as his spiritual power, had all reached a peak level.

'Now is the time!'

Liang Yan opened both eyes and quickly took a white pill from his storage bag.

He swallowed it in one gulp.

This pill was exactly the Barrier-Breaking Pill!

As soon as the Barrier-Breaking Pill entered his body, Liang Yan immediately felt a cool sensation spread throughout his entire body.

The original feeling of dryness and heat all over him clearly improved.

His mind became even clearer.

Liang Yan was delighted in his heart.

He immediately refined the pill with all his strength and began to charge the bottleneck of the third layer of Qi Refining.

Time passed second by second.

Liang Yan's eyes were tightly shut, his brows deeply locked.

The spiritual power within his body was like a golden dragon that had long been trapped in dormancy, its dragon head raised high, wanting to break out of its trap.

Yet an invisible shackle hung over it all along, as if a great mountain pressed down upon it.

The golden dragon let out wave after wave of unwilling roars.

Suddenly it gave a great roar and, with all its strength, violently charged toward the bottleneck above.

With a "Boom!", the golden dragon's body shook violently.

Golden light flashed around it, then it collapsed and disintegrated, turning into several streaks of golden flowing light that scattered and flew back into the various meridians.

Pfft!

Liang Yan opened his mouth and spat out a stream of bright red blood.

His entire aura rapidly fell, and his expression became listless.

He leaned against the cave wall, gasping for breath in great gulps, his eyes full of disbelief!

'I have the old monk's secretly transmitted cultivation method, and I also have a rare resource like the Spirit Spring Purple Radiance, and I even had the aid of the Barrier-Breaking Pill. I never thought I still could not break through this mere third layer of Qi Refining!'

'Is my aptitude really so poor? Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality—the immortal path is hard to expect, the great Dao is ruthless. Could it be that in this life, I, Liang Yan, can only ever be a mortal?'

-Thank you DCRangeRange, Dean Dexter and CannedbreadFollow me on Patreon via Linktree https://linktr.ee/Mnotia-