Inside Tang Hao's room, he sat quietly cross-legged, completely absorbed in his cultivation. Despite his many advantages, his path to advancement was not smooth, as if an invisible force was hindering his progress toward a higher realm.
Xingchen Patriarch's voice suddenly echoed in his ears, breaking the quiet of the room. "Kid, don't waste your effort," he said calmly. "The technique you are practicing is merely an introductory Taoist method. Your family elders probably chose this technique because of your aptitude. But wanting to use it to advance to Qi Refining (Level 6) is nothing short of a fantasy."
Hearing this, Tang Hao frowned, a trace of anxiety rising in his heart. He looked up at Xingchen Patriarch and asked, "Then what should I do? Does Patriarch have a solution?"
A deep look flashed in Xingchen Patriarch's eyes as he slowly said, "A solution naturally exists, but you must enter the Star Space before I can tell you in detail."
Without hesitation, Tang Hao released his spiritual consciousness and stepped into that mysterious and vast Star Space. Within the space, stars twinkled and spiritual energy overflowed, refreshing the mind and spirit.
He cut straight to the point and asked, "Patriarch, is there a way to help me break through the bottleneck?"
Xingchen Patriarch looked at him and slowly said, "Given your current aptitude, combined with the astral spiritual energy of the Star Space, there is indeed a glimmer of hope for advancement. But this method takes time; you must not be overly hasty."
He paused, then continued, "However, if you could switch to a more powerful technique, you might change your current situation and advance smoothly."
Tang Hao's heart stirred, but doubts immediately arose: "Switch to another technique? Is this really feasible?"
Sensing his worry, Xingchen Patriarch explained, "Your current foundational technique is too ordinary, which results in slow cultivation progress. If this continues, even if your innate constitution is altered, it will be difficult to achieve anything. Therefore, changing to another technique is imperative."
Tang Hao fell into deep thought. He knew his aptitude was unremarkable, and if he wanted to gain a foothold in the world of cultivation, he had to put in far more effort than others. Switching to a more powerful technique was undoubtedly a shortcut.
Yet, he still had reservations: "Patriarch, I wonder if you have a suitable technique for me?"
A flash of approval crossed Xingchen Patriarch's eyes as he slowly began, "Imparting a technique is no trivial matter, but I see that although your aptitude is shallow, your potential is great. If you are willing, I can take you as my disciple and impart everything I know."
Tang Hao was momentarily speechless; the Patriarch's sudden shift was truly unexpected. He hadn't even had a chance to respond to the idea of becoming the other's disciple yet.
He pondered carefully and understood a simple truth: to obtain Xingchen Patriarch's cultivation inheritance, it seemed he had to become the man's disciple.
This decision left Tang Hao hesitant. After all, taking a master was no small matter; he could not make such a decision lightly.
Before this, he already had two mentors: one was The Old Man at home, who led him onto the path of cultivation; the other was Blood Shadow from the assassin organization, who paved the way for his career as an assassin.
These two mentors held pivotal positions in Tang Hao's heart. If he were to take another master, he had to get their consent, otherwise it would be a sign of disrespect toward them.
A sharp glint flashed in Xingchen Patriarch's eyes, as if he had insight into the hesitation within Tang Hao's heart. He asked softly, "Tang Hao, are you unwilling to take me as your master?"
Tang Hao hurriedly explained, "Senior, it is not that I am unwilling, but rather that I already have two mentors. If I were to take you as my master as well, I fear they would feel displeased."
Xingchen Patriarch stroked his beard and smiled. "When your The Old Man handed my Jade Pendant over to you, he surely had this intention already. He hopes you can take me as your master and inherit my mantle."
Hearing these words, Tang Hao weighed the pros and cons in his heart, finally making up his mind as he respectfully knelt and kowtowed. "Disciple Tang Hao is willing to take Xingchen Patriarch as my master!"
A look of satisfaction flashed in Xingchen Patriarch's eyes. He helped Tang Hao up and said, "Good. From now on, you are a disciple of Xingchen Patriarch."
He then produced a golden scroll and handed it to Tang Hao, saying, "Although your aptitude has been altered, you still cannot cultivate my personal destiny technique. This Five Elements Universe Formula is perfectly suited for your constitution, which possesses all five Immortal Spiritual Roots. You must cultivate it diligently and not let down this stroke of fate."
Tang Hao took the scroll, filled with curiosity, and asked, "Master, is this technique powerful? How does it compare to my previous Qi-Drawing Technique?"
Xingchen Patriarch laughed heartily. "This Five Elements Universe Formula is a superior technique in the profound sects, though to me, it counts for little. Yet for you, it is an extremely rare opportunity."
Overjoyed, Tang Hao asked eagerly, "Master, please impart this technique to me right away!"
Xingchen Patriarch frowned slightly. "You have just become my disciple, why are you still calling me senior? It should be Master."
Hearing this, Tang Hao quickly corrected himself, "Yes, Master. Disciple spoke out of turn just now, please forgive me."
Xingchen Patriarch waved a hand and said, "Very well, I shall pass the technique to you now. You must practice diligently and strive to change your aptitude as soon as possible. Otherwise, even if I impart everything I know, you will still find it hard to comprehend the true meaning."
Knowing his own mediocrity, Tang Hao felt anxious and unsettled. He knelt on the ground and pleaded, "Master, this disciple will certainly cultivate with all my might. Please do not hold back your teachings and help me break through this bottleneck!"
Xingchen Patriarch helped Tang Hao up and said earnestly, "It is not that I am unwilling to teach you my true skills, but the time has not yet come. You must first establish a solid foundation and master this Five Elements Universe Formula. If you have the opportunity in the future to change your spiritual roots, I will naturally impart everything to you."
"Why is that? Could it be that Patriarch's inheritance truly requires the presence of an Immortal Spiritual Root?" Tang Hao's sharp perception caught the deeper meaning behind the words, and he could not help but pursue the question.
Xingchen Patriarch's voice rang out leisurely, carrying an unquestionable firmness: "That's right. I was born from the primordial chaos, and all my Taoist arts were nurtured by nature itself. If you wish to inherit my mantle, you must at the very least possess the constitution of an Immortal Spiritual Root. Otherwise, you have no affinity for this inheritance."
Tang Hao's heart sank with deflation. Filled with anticipation just moments ago, he now had no choice but to accept reality. It seemed he would simply have to make a down-to-earth effort to practice the Five Elements Universe Formula left behind by Xingchen Patriarch.
Xingchen Patriarch's phantom drifted slowly closer, holding a scroll that emitted a faint golden glow. He gently handed the scroll to Tang Hao, who took it, unrolled it slowly, and then sat down cross-legged to begin cultivating according to the oral formulas of the Five Elements Universe Formula.
As Tang Hao gradually entered a state of deep meditation, the ambient spiritual energy within the Star Space began to shift. The previously scattered astral spiritual energy seemed to respond to some form of summons, slowly converging toward Tang Hao and forming swirling vortexes of spiritual energy.
These spiritual energy vortexes grew more numerous and larger, swirling and dancing around Tang Hao's body like agile dragon-snakes. Soon, these vortexes slowly drilled into Tang Hao's body, passing through his acupoints and flowing into his meridians.
Upon his first contact with the Five Elements Universe Formula, Tang Hao felt its formidable power. Compared to the previous Qi-Drawing Technique, this technique was simply several times stronger when it came to absorbing spiritual energy. The bottleneck that had previously been so difficult to break through now began to loosen under the assistance of the Five Elements Universe Formula.
As time passed, more and more spiritual energy surged into Tang Hao's body, coursing through his meridians before converging into his dantian to condense into true qi. When the true qi in his dantian accumulated to a certain level, Tang Hao finally broke through the bottleneck of Qi Refining (Level 5) and successfully advanced to Qi Refining (Level 6).
"Hah... I've finally broken through!" Tang Hao let out a breath of stale air, a relaxed smile blooming on his face.
However, Xingchen Patriarch's words spurred him back into alertness: "Kid, although you have broken through to Qi Refining (Level 6), you still need to cultivate diligently. With your current strength, I'm afraid you can't even protect this Jade Pendant. I will deploy some concealment methods to hide the Jade Pendant completely."
Startled, Tang Hao quickly withdrew his consciousness from the space and discovered that the Jade Pendant around his neck had vanished without a trace. This was clearly the work of Xingchen Patriarch.
Tang Hao stretched his limbs, feeling exceptionally energetic. He glanced at the time—it was already past eight o'clock in the morning.
With that, he quickly got out of bed and began preparing breakfast for the two girls. Although the night's cultivation had been long, he felt no fatigue at all, brimming with vitality instead.