SQLJBFDTW Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Closed Door Cultivation, Ending Closed Door Cultivation and Turning into a Cat-Man

After that, during morning and evening exercises, Chao Jianxue and Yu Wei sat close together. Fortunately, they had the identity of fellow disciples, so no one suspected anything even though they were close.

The two practiced their swordsmanship together on the Moon-Viewing Terrace. The grass grew lush, and orioles flew. Their wrists occasionally overlapped, occasionally resisted. After each sword practice, Chao Jianxue had some enlightenment, comprehending some of the secrets of sword moves.

In their free time, they quietly went on dates near the Wuwu Sect—yes, Chao Jianxue thought that saying “tryst” sounded too unpleasant, and “date” sounded more proper.

Many things, when done with someone you have feelings for, become completely different.

Chao Jianxue felt like he was so happy he couldn’t find north.

After about a few months, he became even happier.

Because he faintly discovered that his nascent soul showed signs of growing, it was time to go into closed-door cultivation for a while.

Yu Wei prepared all the things he needed for closed-door cultivation and even asked, “Does Senior Brother need me to accompany you?”

Chao Jianxue seriously considered it for an hour and finally said, “Absolutely not.” He also wanted to walk independently; he couldn’t rely entirely on Yu Wei for everything, even cultivation.

So, with a majestic and high-spirited attitude, Chao Jianxue carried his bag into his cave dwelling.

Yu Wei’s figure was isolated outside as the door closed. The light disappeared all at once. Chao Jianxue raised a ball of light made from spiritual power and looked around his cave dwelling.

He had decorated it himself before. There were blankets, a bed, and several boxes of spiritual power-sealed snacks. In short, it felt very safe, and he could stay in seclusion forever.

He thought he would have some time before getting to the main part, but he didn’t expect the state to come so quickly.

Chao Jianxue had already built a solid foundation in the Wuwu Sect’s cultivation methods and the Thousand Li Bright Heart Technique. Once he settled down and began circulating the spiritual power throughout his body, these two methods complemented each other, operating non-stop.

He knew that his nascent soul was stimulated by the Transformation God Stage thunder tribulation, and he still needed to cultivate properly to fully consolidate it to the early Nascent Soul stage.

In the quiet darkness, Chao Jianxue eliminated all distractions and focused his attention. He was completely unaware of the passage of time, as if he had become a tiny speck of dust in the darkness.

He could feel his body becoming like a plant, spiritual power surging and flowing through the branches and veins, spurring out delicate fresh buds, growing slowly upward, bit by bit.

This was a very magical experience, even more real than the surging spiritual power he had felt during previous cultivation. Everything around him seemed to be changing.

He could even gradually hear the slow, methodical squeezing of the stones in the cave wall, and further away, the wind blowing through the trees outside, and the tiny sounds of insects—the sounds of all things in heaven and earth.

Chao Jianxue concentrated and listened quietly, his body relaxed, feeling his nascent soul advancing in his purple mansion. Those budding shoots that were constantly growing upward gradually saw a glimmer of warm light like golden sun.

Success was just around the corner.

He calmed his mind and concentrated on reaching that glimmer of golden sun.

Just as he was about to pass through, his body suddenly felt heavy, and he opened his eyes.

He had come to that narrow, terrifying space again.

But his body could move.

Chao Jianxue’s heart pounded hard a few times, barely suppressing the feeling of despair and exhaustion. He looked around.

A cold, narrow hospital bed, several plastic tubes growing out of the machinery like iron chains, able to shackle a heart longing for freedom.

It was a place he had once been extremely familiar with, but it was the first time he had seen it from this angle.

Chao Jianxue couldn’t help but reach out and touch the thin white sheet. It was icy cold, and the moment he touched it, the hollow loneliness was like a man-eating abyss, trying to pull him in entirely.

Chao Jianxue immediately released his hand.

He felt a bit cold and trembled, making two meaningless syllables, “Ah, ah,” trying to add a bit of humanity to this terrifyingly silent space.

But it only came from his throat, like dry wind blowing out.

Chao Jianxue’s face turned pale all at once, and he grabbed his throat.

The disgusting feeling of the tube being inserted into his throat returned.

He gagged, pulling his entire throat in pain, and physiological tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.

Looking at the clothes he was wearing, they were no longer the clothes of the Xuanzhen Realm, but had turned into the blue and white striped hospital gown again.

Chao Jianxue was stunned all at once, and a chill ran through him.

Could it be that everything was fake?

The Xuanzhen Realm and Yu Wei were all fake, and he was just having a dream in the hospital room?

He only felt himself being pulled back onto the bed. Two nurses whose faces he couldn’t see held him down tightly and put a mask over his face. He kicked and struggled, but he had no power to resist, no different from a fish waiting to be slaughtered on a chopping board.

What about his cultivation?

What about his strength?

Chao Jianxue opened his eyes wide. The bright white light in front of him was dazzling, and he felt like he had no strength at all. Even struggling and breathing became difficult.

The machine beside him beeped.

“…Heart rate too fast…Give a sedative!”

No!

Chao Jianxue breathed heavily, his heart beating as if it was about to jump out of his chest. The fear and despair of impending death swept away his reason.

Calm down! Calm down!

He was in closed-door cultivation. This was the inner demon he had to overcome to advance to the Nascent Soul stage!

Don’t forget this…

Calm down!

Chao Jianxue tried to open his eyes as wide as possible, his eyes were bloodshot, trying to see everything that was happening in front of him. The nurse was drawing a syringe, connecting it to another tube.

He exerted so much force that the veins on his neck bulged, and his skin was soaked with desperate red.

It was too real, whether it was the pain, the heartbeat, or the sound…If…If the Xuanzhen Realm was just a dream he had, and now he was awake, what should he do…

This time, Yu Wei wouldn’t appear. It was just him alone.

Was he crazy?

Chao Jianxue clenched his teeth, suddenly feeling that the hospital room was too narrow to breathe in.

All his struggles were useless, and all his hope had been shattered…

Shattered?

But in the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a window.

Outside the window, the green leaves were luxuriant, swaying constantly in the golden sunlight.

Was there a window here?

No, he deeply remembered that the room that had confined him had white walls on all sides.

So this was an illusion!

Chao Jianxue suddenly burst out. All the needles in his elbows were pulled out, and the sharp pain made his body feel again.

This was his inner demon, an inner demon named despair and loneliness.

He flipped over and jumped down, stepping barefoot on the cold ground, fine streaks of blood flowing down his arm.

The nurses who had trapped him just now changed their appearance, just like two indistinct masses of chaos.

Chao Jianxue reached out and pulled, and he actually pulled out a sharp, bright sword from the void, Ming Qianli.

Although he was still wearing the blue and white striped hospital gown, his heart was completely at ease. With a sword in hand, he had nothing to fear.

He slashed horizontally, and the two masses of chaos in front of him simply dissipated.

Then, the white walls on all sides began to close in on him, as if trying to trap him inside and grind him into hopeless ashes.

The Chao Jianxue who had once laid here had had such fantasies, fantasizing that one day, this place would collapse, and the ceiling could smash down on him, smashing every aching bone in his body.

But now, he turned his head to look at the only window view, the weeds outside were lush, and the sunlight was bright.

Chao Jianxue pulled out all the tubes connected to his body, took steps, and strode toward the window scene. His back broke through the glass, making a huge shattering sound, and then he fell.

Chao Jianxue rolled on the spot and immediately got up from the ground again.

It was still that reassuring darkness. He had indeed escaped from the illusion.

Checking his purple mansion again, the foundation of the nascent soul had been built. He had succeeded.

So, when breaking through the realm, one should experience their most feared inner demon. Once they pass through it, the realm will be completely stable.

Too late to be happy, a sharp pain came from his left elbow. Chao Jianxue lit a spiritual fire to take a look. It turned out that he had been saving himself just now. The blood and pain brought out by breaking free from the needles were actually scratched out by himself.

He had managed to save himself in time.

“Phew—” Chao Jianxue rubbed the wound in lingering fear and moved his ears.

“…” Wait a minute…

Something seemed wrong.

He was still sitting on the ground, and he reached out to touch the top of his head—

This furry feeling, soft and resilient, and the obvious feeling of being connected to his head…

What was this!

“WTFxWTF!” Chao Jianxue jumped up and rummaged through his belongings to find the mirror he had put away.

Fortunately, he had arranged all his belongings in the cave dwelling. There really was a mirror.

With great difficulty, he found the mirror tremblingly. Chao Jianxue did a lot of psychological construction and quickly opened it to take a look.

On his head, among his hair, two black things like cat ears popped out. With his shock, the cat ears also moved.

What was this!

Ending closed door cultivation and turning into a cat-man!

But unexpectedly, they were also very good to touch. Chao Jianxue touched his ears for a long time, staring blankly at himself in the mirror.

After a while, he remembered another important thing and quickly looked down behind him.

Fortunately, fortunately, a tail had not grown out.

But what was going on with these ears!

The fur was jet black and shiny, and also very soft and springy. He flicked it unconsciously for a while, and his ears were sore, so he shook it involuntarily.

So, was his demon’s true form a black cat!

Because of the improvement of his cultivation and also because he had just suffered from the inner demon, the seal was unstable, and that was why the demon side had revealed itself.

Chao Jianxue was struck by lightning, and it was difficult for him to choose between the emotions of “actually quite cute” and “why did cat ears grow out” for a while.

In short, he couldn’t go out with these ears on his head.

Then, Chao Jianxue used all his skills.

Since they were his own ears, he could always put them away himself.

He tried without stopping for a moment. Finally, before he was completely hopeless, he put the cat ears away.

He lifted his hair again to make sure that he couldn’t see any traces, and then he stood up tremblingly, ready to go out. But it was not good to go out like this. What if putting them away was only temporary?

So Chao Jianxue tried a few more times, confirming that he would only show his demon form when he overused his spiritual power. This test delayed his departure from the cave dwelling for several more days.

After confirming that everything was safe, he pushed open the door of the cave dwelling.

The long-lost sunlight was a bit dazzling.

He stopped as soon as he took a step.

Yu Wei was standing a few steps away from him, as if he had come in a hurry, and the ends of his hair were slightly messy.

He saw Chao Jianxue’s appearance and smiled, “I heard some movement here, so I came over. Congratulations, Senior Brother, on coming out of closed door cultivation.”

Chao Jianxue’s mood suddenly floated up lightly. He really wanted to say to Yu Wei, do you know that I relied on myself to overcome the inner demon? From now on, the things of the past will no longer turn into nightmares to trap him. He has already escaped from them himself.

“Senior Brother, do you know that nearly a year has passed?” Yu Wei continued to say with a smile.

Chao Jianxue almost staggered and fell.