This absorption actually took ten years.
This was something Mo Tiange had not anticipated. She had originally thought it would be like Qin Xi, taking only a few months.
Upon careful reflection, she found it reasonable. Qin Xi's cultivation technique was compatible with the Breath of the Vermilion Bird, making absorption relatively easier. And her? She had never cultivated an earth-attribute technique before. Although her Mixed Spiritual Root and Mixed Element Technique did not reject it, fusion was difficult.
Moreover, the amount of Breath of the Qilin she absorbed was greater than Qin Xi's Breath of the Vermilion Bird. With the Yang Spirit Pearl on his person, when absorption became difficult, the Breath of the Vermilion Bird would automatically store itself within the pearl. She had no such aid and could only rely on herself to refine it bit by bit.
"Boom!" At the peak of absorption, Mo Tiange felt as if all the meridians in her body were being torn apart, her Dantian exploding in agony.
Amidst this pain, her meridians and Dantian were forcibly widened. The Breath of the Qilin spread inch by inch until her entire being was filled once more. This agonizing sensation persisted for a very, very long time.
Ten years later, the Breath of the Qilin was finally completely absorbed, and the two of them ceased their cultivation.
In the process of assisting her cultivation, Qin Xi also benefited greatly. During the fusion, the Yin Spiritual Qi and Mixed Element aura within her body continuously nourished his meridians, making his Spiritual Qi even more refined.
Withdrawing his Spiritual Qi, Qin Xi looked up at Mo Tiange. The next moment, he was startled.
"You broke through?"
It took a long while before Mo Tiange recovered. She examined herself and then sensed her Dantian, overjoyed. "This is... Mid-Nascent Soul?"
This breakthrough was completely unexpected and unbelievably smooth, to the point where she herself could hardly believe it was real.
Half-envious, half-joyful, Qin Xi said, "How is your Advancement so easy? When I Advanced to the mid-stage, not only did I spend fifty years in non-stop cultivation, but in the end, I still needed the aid of the ten-thousand-year spirit fruit you left, as well as the assistance of Senior Brother Zhenyang and Master to break through to the mid-stage. And even then, it left lingering aftereffects, leaving my cultivation base unstable." He observed her carefully for a moment and said, "Your Spiritual Qi is very solid, though your realm isn't entirely stable yet. A few more years in seclusion, and you'll be firmly established at the mid-stage."
Mo Tiange finally felt the reality of it and said happily, "That's all thanks to Senior Amber. Who would have thought his Breath of the Qilin hadn't dissipated but remained within that piece of Qilin bone? And also thanks to you. If you hadn't casually picked it up, I wouldn't have had this opportunity. To Advance to the mid-stage would have taken me at least several more decades."
Qin Xi nodded with a smile. It could be said that Mo Tiange's Advancement this time was opportunistic. But due to the nature of her technique and Spiritual Root, and with him by her side sharing the pain and nourishing her body, she passed this hurdle extremely smoothly. Compared to someone who Advanced naturally through accumulated effort, hers was no less substantial.
"Shall we continue our seclusion?"
"Mm." Qin Xi agreed without hesitation. "It's not too late to leave seclusion after your realm is stabilized."
The two began cultivating once more. This time, they finally succeeded in Dual Cultivation. The Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Method circulated between them, mutually nourishing and blending with each other.
Time flew by, and another five years passed. Mo Tiange's realm was finally stabilized, and Qin Xi also made significant progress. They decided to leave seclusion.
Fifteen years had passed, yet the cave abode remained as before. The main hall was empty. Spreading their Divine Sense, they found all their disciples cultivating. Xiaoguzi and Xiaozui seemed to be having a barbecue by the Jiyuan Pool again.
These fifteen years had been most enjoyable for them. With their masters in seclusion, there were no social obligations. Their few disciples were all very independent and wouldn't order them around. They only needed to tend to the medicinal fields and spirit herbs and organize the storage rooms. They were so idle they could practically lay eggs.
Neither Mo Tiange nor Qin Xi paid it any mind. As long as it didn't interfere with their duties, they wouldn't interfere with what they did in their free time.
Sending out a message talisman, Xiaoguzi and Xiaozui immediately packed up their barbecue and came inside.
"Ah, two Ancestor-Masters, you've left seclusion!" Xiaoguzi said with a grin.
Qin Xi nodded slightly and took a seat in the main position. "Go and call them over."
"The several Martial Uncles?" Xiaoguzi said. "Going right away!" With that, he and Xiaozui went to summon the others.
Upon learning their masters had left seclusion, the four disciples remaining in the cave abode all set aside their own affairs and came to pay their respects.
Yi Wen and Xi Su were not in the cave abode. After receiving Mo Tiange's inheritance in formations, they had been busy for the sect, establishing teleportation arrays and instructing formation masters. They were now indispensable, important figures for the sect.
After Sang Yushu broke through to the mid-stage, he traveled for a few years, gaining much. Upon returning, he stayed in the wooden hut by the Jiyuan Pool, watching the waterfall and observing the water every day, contemplating his own Dao.
Xie Zhengyi and Chi Yunshu had been cultivating continuously. Their foundations were weak, and this was the time for accumulation. It was not yet time for them to travel.
As for Linbo, after several years in seclusion, she smoothly cultivated to Foundation Establishment perfection. She was now settling her mind, preparing to go out in a while to seek her opportunity for Core Formation.
Regarding Ye Zhenji, they finally heard good news. After failing his Core Formation, he threw himself into the affairs of the Xuanqing Sect, tempering his patience. He then traveled to solidify his path and finally succeeded in forming his Core not long ago. However, after stabilizing his realm, he left the mountain gate again, heading for the Tianmo Mountains.
Mo Tiange was gratified. Regardless of whether he could form a Nascent Soul in the future, Zhenji had finally embarked on his own Dao. Her promise to Second Uncle could be considered fulfilled. Nurturing the Ye family descendants and supporting the Ye family—after Zhenji formed his Core, that would be his responsibility.
With the four disciples gathered, the first to notice something amiss was Linbo. She looked at Mo Tiange for a while and said in surprise, "Aunt, you... you Advanced?" Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't clearly sense a Nascent Soul cultivator's realm; they could only judge by aura and presence. Having been with her for a long time, Linbo was the first to notice.
Mo Tiange smiled and nodded. "Luck was good, managed to break through to the mid-stage by chance."
Upon confirmation, the four disciples were all so shocked they were speechless. They all knew Mo Tiange's age. This year... she was only two hundred and five, right? They had heard that before this, the record for the youngest Nascent Soul Formation in Tianji was two hundred and six years old. And she had actually reached Mid-Nascent Soul at two hundred and five.
After their initial shock, the four disciples knelt in unison, saying, "Congratulations to Master (Master's Wife, Aunt) on Advancing to Mid-Nascent Soul."
Mo Tiange nodded slightly. "Your sentiments are received. All rise."
The four disciples stood up together and waited respectfully at the side. They knew it was time to check their cultivation progress.
The two inquired one by one, quite satisfied with the four's cultivation situations. Then they offered guidance, resolving the difficulties each encountered in their cultivation.
Receiving their instruction, Sang Yushu and Chi Yunshu had many points suddenly become clear. Even with Dao Lord Jinghe's guidance, after all, he hadn't cultivated these two techniques himself. Some aspects were only clear to those who had personally experienced them.
After asking about recent situations and finishing their guidance, the two dismissed their disciples, preparing to go out and pay respects to their master.
Over these years, Dao Lord Jinghe had remained within the sect. For over a decade, he hadn't set foot outside Mount Taikang. With a late-Nascent Soul great cultivator presiding and personally nurturing disciples, the Xuanqing Sect's newly Advanced disciples had been exceptionally outstanding these past dozen years.
In the first few years, due to that batch of resources from Mo Tiange, many cultivators with rich accumulation encountered their opportunities. For a time, disciples were forming Cores every year. In the later years, the momentum of Core Formation slowed, but on average, it was still quite gratifying.
As for those Feifei beasts, the situation was also good. They had found many resources—mineral veins, spirit herbs, spirit stones—just right to ensure the supply of materials for low-level disciples.
Arriving at the Shangqing Palace, before the gatekeeping disciples could announce them, Dao Lord Jinghe's voice already came through: "You two little brats, finally out of seclusion!"
The two entered the Shangqing Palace and paid their respects to their master.
"Huh?" Dao Lord Jinghe focused his Divine Sense and suddenly noticed something amiss. His gaze fixed on Mo Tiange, and he looked at her in utter astonishment. "You... you're at the mid-stage?"
Mo Tiange smiled and bowed to him. "I must also thank Master for your usual guidance and kindness."
"Bull!" Dao Lord Jinghe jumped down from the dragon throne. "When did I guide you? You're just trying to provoke me!"
"..." Mo Tiange thought silently, *This is just polite talk, Master. Don't you understand?*
"Mid-stage... This year you're... how old are you this year?"
"Two hundred and five," Qin Xi reminded him.
"Oh, two hundred and five." Dao Lord Jinghe stomped around in a circle, fuming. "Two hundred and five! Two hundred and five! And already Mid-Nascent Soul! Think about your master, me! Although I have outstanding aptitude and surpassing wisdom, with few in all of Tianji who can compare, it was just because luck wasn't on my side that I was delayed until four hundred to form my Nascent Soul! Advancing to the mid-stage was nearly six hundred! Why is this? Why?!"
Facing their master in this enraged state, the two of them took a few steps back in unison.
Qin Xi said cautiously, "Master, Tian Ge is your disciple. Shouldn't you be very happy that she's reached the mid-stage?"
"Happy, I'm extremely happy!" Dao Lord Jinghe said with a dark face, waving a big hand. "I'll notify Old Man Zhenyang to hold a Nascent Soul Formation ceremony for you!"
"Huh?" Mo Tiange was puzzled. "Master, I didn't have one when I formed my Nascent Soul. Why hold one now?"
Dao Lord Jinghe said, "You should have had one long ago. It's just that there was never time, right? Then you went into seclusion for over a decade again. Now that you've Advanced to the mid-stage, it's the perfect time to make up for it!" He chuckled, his gaze fierce and his smile ferocious. "Hmph! Liu Dingyuan, and that Old Man Songfeng! This should scare you to death! Even I, as her master, was scared!"
A long while later, the enraged Dao Lord Jinghe finally calmed down, let out a sigh, and sat back down on the dragon throne.
He said, "Tell me, how exactly did you reach the mid-stage? Logically, you should have needed at least several more decades of accumulation. Also, how did your Dual Cultivation go?"
Mo Tiange then recounted the situation of their over-a-decade-long seclusion in detail: from the first attempt at technique Dual Cultivation, to the Qilin bone, to the Breath of the Qilin rebelling and taking control, and finally absorbing the Breath of the Qilin, breaking through to the mid-stage in one go, then spending five years stabilizing her realm.
As he listened, Dao Lord Jinghe's eyes nearly popped out again. "Five years? So that means you were at the mid-stage at two hundred years old?"
Mo Tiange glanced at him and answered modestly, "Yes."
"Ahhhhhhh...!" Dao Lord Jinghe went into another rage. After his outburst, he laughed again, patting her shoulder. "Good disciple, you really bring honor to your master."
Mo Tiange was somewhat suspicious that her master had already been stimulated into mental instability by her.