Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Ning Daoran was speechless.

This matter was actually not hard to guess. Although Senior Brother Lin Sheng was close to the peak of the Qi Refining Ninth Level, he never belonged to the most core group of disciples in the Inner Sect.

No other reason, but his Spirit Root was too poor. Reaching the Qi Refining Ninth Level relied on daring to fight and struggle, supported by half of the True Yang Furnace Technique.

There were many disciples like him in the Inner Sect. Usually, the most dangerous missions from the sect were assigned to them. This way, even if some were lost, the sect wouldn't feel too heartbroken.

Such people were somewhat like "disposable items" of the sect, but Lin Sheng was unaware of this about himself.

As for Liu Ruyan, she and Lin Sheng were fond of each other. From the beginning, she was captivated by Lin Sheng's heroic spirit, and later, she was deeply rooted in emotion.

Moreover, Liu Ruyan's skills weren't poor, and she had many talismans and magic artifacts with her. Such a person would have a fairly high survival rate entering the Cangnan Secret Realm.

So, partly to train herself and partly to keep Lin Sheng from being alone, Liu Ruyan would most likely apply to participate in the Cangnan Secret Realm.

"Senior Brother Lin."

Ning Daoran looked serious, "What are your thoughts on the journey to the Cangnan Secret Realm?"

"What else can I think? I'm going to fight for a chance at Foundation Establishment."

Lin Sheng raised his eyebrows slightly, "For cultivators like us, if we don't dare to fight, we're destined to never reach Foundation Establishment.

Moreover, the sect's higher-ups have already promised that the disciples who enter the Cangnan Secret Realm and earn top ten portions of the Foundation Establishment Pill's main ingredients will each receive a Foundation Establishment Pill."

He smiled slightly, "Junior Brother, isn't this our opportunity?"

"What about Senior Sister Liu? Do you also think she should be courageous and diligent?" Ning Daoran asked with a smile.

Liu Ruyan smiled sweetly, "I don't know, but since I'm going into the Cangnan Secret Realm, I definitely won't hide or shrink back; when opportunity is ahead, one must seize the chance."

"Hmm."

Ning Daoran nodded, "My approach is different from yours. I plan to observe first after entering the Cangnan Secret Realm, and my timing to take action might be slightly later."

"Junior Brother."

Lin Sheng said, "I have a simple map of the Cangnan Secret Realm. Although we'll be randomly transported somewhere by the prohibition forces upon entry, as long as we agree on a location, we can meet up earlier and be safer."

"Senior Brother, I won't go with you. I'm afraid of slowing you down."

Ning Daoran politely declined, though it's not that he feared dragging them down; he was worried about scaring his senior brother and sister when he no longer hid his strength.

Moreover, continuing to hide his strength while following Lin Sheng and Liu Ruyan with his Qi Refining Seventh Layer would have the potential to slow down the two of them instead.

Lin Sheng eventually couldn't persuade him and had to repeatedly urge him to be careful.

"Senior Brother Lin."

Ning Daoran got up and smiled, "Senior Sister Liu, I'd like to have a few heartfelt brotherly words with Senior Brother alone, is that okay?"

"Of course."

Liu Ruyan, sipping spiritual tea, smiled, "You two brothers take your time."

...

In the backyard, by the fish pond.

"Squeak squeak~~~"

Little Blackie's big head emerged from the water, then submerged to the depths with a flick of its tail under Ning Daoran's gaze.

"Senior Brother."

Ning Daoran said, "The Cangnan Secret Realm is perilous, unlike the tasks you've undertaken before."

"I know."

Lin Sheng grinned, "As your senior brother, you don't need to remind me of these things."

"Senior Brother, please don't underestimate the danger. The threats are not just from the demon beasts and prohibitions in the secret realm, but I think the most dangerous thing could actually be the fellow human cultivators.

I gathered a lot of information. This time, most sects from the entire Qingzhou are participating in the Cangnan Secret Realm, including first-class sects like the Sea Burning Sect and demon sects like the Soul Devouring Sect.

The influence of these sects and churches in Qingzhou is intricate; there's no telling if they'll try to eliminate each other's new forces in the secret realm, so we must be very cautious."

Ning Daoran's voice was low, and he gently tapped his storage bag, taking out a brand-new set of First-tier Middle-grade Small Green Bamboo Array flags and plates, "Senior Brother, refine this array. I hope you can use it."

"Huh?"

Lin Sheng was shocked, "Junior Brother, this is absolutely not acceptable. This Small Green Bamboo Array is your protective item, and I can't..."

"Senior Brother, you're overthinking." To support our work, please read on M|V|LE_MPYR.

Ning Daoran took out two more sets of the Small Green Bamboo Array and smiled, "I am a First-tier Middle-grade Array Master; I didn't just make one set of such a killing array, so rest assured, Senior Brother, take it."

"Since that's the case, your elder brother will accept it."

Lin Sheng solemnly put away the set of array, his heart full of gratitude.

A set of First-tier Middle-grade Small Green Bamboo Array, not to mention the costs of refining, just the materials were worth at least 1,500 Spirit Stones, which was not a small amount.

"Senior Brother, there are also other things."

Ning Daoran took out some more items from his storage bag, including two First-tier Middle-grade defense magic items, a Second-stage Lower Grade Divine Speed Talisman, and several bottles of healing pills.

"Junior Brother, what are you doing?" Lin Sheng was shocked again.

As someone at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, what Ning Daoran took out was clearly "a bit much," exceeding the foundations he should have at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

"I made a little extra profit during previous training."

Ning Daoran grinned, "Senior Brother, don't worry. I still have plenty for myself."

"All right!"

Lin Sheng took a deep look at him, and from then on, truly had a newfound respect for this junior brother. He had hidden his abilities so deeply!

"Senior Brother, remember, only reveal these cards if absolutely necessary. Also, for these items, keep them confidential; even Senior Sister Liu shouldn't know about them until after the Cangnan Secret Realm is over."

"Okay."

Lin Sheng understood the stakes and nodded heavily.

He immediately felt something was still amiss, "Junior Brother, are you sure you can explore the secret realm alone?"

"No problem, Senior Brother, rest assured."

"Hmm, that's for the best!"

Lin Sheng vaguely felt that his worries might be somewhat unnecessary; this junior brother was likely more composed than he was.

...

After Lin Sheng and Liu Ruyan left.

Ning Daoran recalled the time he met Senior Sister Jiang Yu at the First-class Pavilion. At that moment, it felt as if Jiang Yu had sensed something; had his secret already been detected by this Golden Core Early Stage senior sister?

*Just the thought of it made his heart feel slightly uneasy.*

*The Concealing Breath Technique urgently needed an upgrade!*

The next second, he directly entered the Grass and Tree Holy Spirit system, spending over 4,000 years of refining time to cultivate the Concealing Breath Technique to the Return to Nature Level!

"Whew..."

He took a deep breath, and as the Return to Nature Level Concealing Breath Technique operated, his whole body's aura receded to nothing, with a concealing intent circling within, even more mysterious than the Turtle Breath Skill!

It even seemed as if the external phenomena could be concealed as well!

Ning Daoran slightly braced himself, withdrew the Azure Dragon Spear from the storage bag, and initiated the secret skill Silver Dragon Water Collection on the spot. Sure enough, this time it did not trigger a heavenly phenomenon!

*This was best, allowing unrestricted use of the Return to Nature Level Silver Dragon Spear Technique in the future.*

*"Still not enough..."* he frowned, thinking of the dangers possibly awaiting in the Cangnan Secret Realm, his sense of safety in cultivation seemed to plummet.

So, in one go, he spent over 5,000 years of refining time to cultivate both the Sound Absorption Technique and Invisibility Technique to the Return to Nature level.

After completing the cultivation, nothing else, the skills were more refined, genuinely reaching the point of mastery!

He then glanced at the remaining cultivating time, still over ten thousand years.

No more thoughts, he spent it all.

Before long, the Wood Escape Skill, Earth Escape Skill, and Water Escape Skill—all three Low Grade Yellow tier escape techniques—reached the level of Return to Nature.

In this way, when Ning Daoran used the Wood Escape Skill to attach to a kind of wood attribute creature, while simultaneously activating the Concealing Breath Technique, Invisibility Technique, and Sound Absorption Technique, he almost reached the point where even a Golden Core cultivator would find it extremely difficult to detect him.

"Whew~~"

He let out a slow breath, finally feeling that his safety index had slightly risen.

However, once in the Cangnan Secret Realm, he still needed to be cautious, avoiding standing out whenever possible.

He had no more additional thoughts and took out various materials to formally begin refining the Five Elements Wander Array!

...

More than a month later, Ning Daoran exited seclusion.

Though his face was full of dust from refining array devices, making him seem quite travel-worn, he had ultimately completed the task.

At this moment, his storage bag contained a complete set of the Five Elements Wander Array, including five array flags and five array plates, all refined for his use.

"Success!"

He took a deep breath, at this moment, he was truly a...

First-tier top-grade Array Master!

Just thinking about it, Ning Daoran was so excited that tears almost welled up.

*In the Array Dao, his talent was really quite high. While the inheritance of the Array Dao from Granny played a major role, Ning Daoran's innate talent was also remarkably formidable.*

A set of the Five Elements Wander Array that he now fully understood; given enough materials, he could refine a second or third set at any time.

And at this moment, there were only three days left until the opening of the Cangnan Secret Realm.

It was time to make thorough preparations.

...

Within three days,

Han Bing came by once to bid farewell reluctantly.

Being the favored disciple of the Third Elder, she naturally didn't need to go to the Cangnan Secret Realm to fiercely compete for Foundation Establishment opportunities.

After sending off his young junior sister, Ning Daoran frequented Yellow Dragon Square, purchasing a large amount of elixir pills, low-level talismans, and preparing all necessities for the secret realm.

The Spirit Stones in his storage bag no longer mattered how much he spent. Spirit Stones should be spent, converting into one's own combat power. Otherwise, if one died without spending all the Spirit Stones, what a regretful situation that would be.

He placed a large pile of Refinement Pills and Breakthrough Pills for the Qi Refining Middle Stage and Late Stage, along with 8,000 Low Grade Spirit Stones, in a storage bag, then placed the storage bag under his pillow in a secret chamber twenty zhang deep underground.

"Chen Weimo."

Before leaving, Ning Daoran called over the little girl and said sincerely, "I'm off to the Cangnan Secret Realm now. Although I'm quite confident, you can never be too sure about some unhappy events that might happen.

Remember, if I don't return from the Cangnan Secret Realm, go to my underground secret chamber, there's a storage bag under the pillow with enough resources for you to reach Foundation Establishment.

If I do return, just pretend nothing happened."

"Uncle..."

The little girl's eyes turned red instantly.

"Old Lu, let's go!"

Ning Daoran, carrying his magic sword, left Qiongbi Peak and headed for the Inner Sect Hall.