Chapter 22: Reaching the Bottleneck Again

Since the appointment with the girl in white that day, Liang Yan would go to Cangmu Peak on time every night to keep the appointment. The two would play chess under the big tree, often sitting there for several hours.

Liang Yan was limited by his own qualifications and had been unable to break through the bottleneck of the third level of Qi training. No matter how he practiced, the spiritual power in his body would not increase by half. I simply stopped going to Lingquan Cave to practice at night. Apart from sometimes trying to break through the bottleneck, I spent almost all of my other evenings playing chess with the girl in white and learning chess in the Chess Road Library.

Speaking of which, Liang Yan had been working hard since the great changes happened four years ago, but he hadn't been so relaxed for a long time. Although he felt that the girl in white was a bit unruly and domineering at first, after getting along with her for a long time, he felt that she was actually cold on the outside and hot on the inside, and she was not a difficult person to get along with.

Moreover, since his family was ruined, he has no playmates of the same age around him. He usually gets along with some seniors or senior fellow students. Since I got acquainted with this girl in white, although I haven't spoken much and played chess on the top of the mountain every night, I feel extremely comfortable.

Two months passed unknowingly like this. In the previous month, although the girl in white steadily beat Liang Yan every night, the process became more and more difficult. Later, sometimes she could only play two or three games a night. Most of the time, she could only play two or three games a night. Both sides are thinking hard about countermeasures.

By the beginning of the second month, Liang Yan could occasionally win one or two games. Later, the two sides would go back and forth, usually winning or losing. The face of the girl in white is getting uglier day by day, and she no longer looks as calm and smiling as before.

On this day, the two sides had another battle under the tree. Liang Yan was concentrating on it and his luck was flying. The girl in white frowned, often indecisive, and had an anxious look on her face.

When Liang Yan dropped another piece, the girl in white suddenly pushed the chessboard and said coquettishly: "No more, no more!"

Liang Yan came back to his senses from the chessboard and saw the angry look on the face of the girl in white. He couldn't help but feel soft and said: "You were careless in this game and didn't count. Come on, let's play a game."

"If you don't want to go down, I won't go down. Do you think anyone wants to go down with you?" The girl in white said urgently, her chest rising and falling slightly.

At this time, Liang Yan also gradually realized that the girl's mood was not right, so he tried to comfort her and said: "There is no general who can always win when leading troops in war, and it is the same in playing chess. In fact, I have always admired your superb chess skills."

When the girl in white heard what he said, she admired him in her heart, and the anger on her face immediately disappeared by seven points. Then he asked: "Really? I mean you admire me in your heart?"

Liang Yan nodded from the bottom of his heart and said, "That's natural. Your superb chess skills are the only ones I've seen in my life. During these days, I have been studying chess books and records day and night, so I can barely play a few games with you. I'm really ashamed."

Unexpectedly, as soon as he said these words, the face of the girl in white turned the color of pig liver again, and she thought to herself: "You have only been learning chess in the chess pavilion for two months, and you can win and lose with me. Then I learned it when I was eight years old." If you have been immersed in chess for five years, wouldn't you be a mediocre idiot?" Thinking of this, he almost spewed blood from his chest.

She composed herself, glanced at Liang Yan hatefully, and said faintly: "You are so good, don't play chess with me in the future, I won't come tomorrow."

Liang Yan's eyes were blank, and he looked at the girl blankly, seemingly unable to react. After a while, he said: "Did I say something wrong? I don't have a clear head and I often talk nonsense. Don't take it to heart."

He has always thought of himself as smart, but this was the first time he thought he was unwise in a desperate situation.

Seeing his hurried look, the girl in white smiled, her face gradually disappeared, and then she sighed and said, "Actually, it's not your fault, junior brother, it's senior sister. It's my fault that I won't be able to come for a long time in the future."

Liang Yan asked puzzledly: "But why?"

"It's not because of my ancestor, who has strict discipline. She recently ordered me to go back to seclusion. I won't be able to come out for at least a year."

Liang Yan suddenly nodded and said: "Those of us who are cultivating immortals should really devote ourselves to the Tao and practice diligently, only then can we have the opportunity to achieve great freedom."

After hearing this, the girl in white rolled her eyes at him and said coquettishly: "You are so determined to the Tao, why do you come here to play chess with me every night?"

Liang Yan smiled bitterly. He had a hard time saying that his cultivation was stuck at the peak of the third level of Qi training and he couldn't get up at all. No matter how hard he practiced, what was the use?

The girl in white smiled bitterly when she saw him, just thinking that he didn't want to be separated from her. Her heart felt sweet for no reason, and she also felt a little lost.

"The masters and uncles in chess are all very old-fashioned, and the seniors are as if they were carved out of the same mold, and there is no fun at all. It is very interesting to finally come out this time and take in such a young junior, but It’s really torturous to ask me to go back to seclusion to practice hard training so soon.”

However, she had to obey her ancestor's orders. Thinking of this, she waved to Liang Yan and said, "Junior brother, come here."

Liang Yan stepped forward and saw the girl in white taking something out of her arms and handing it to Liang Yan's hand. Liang Yan lowered his head and saw that it was the Barrier-Breaking Pill!

"Senior sister. In fact, I have been defeated repeatedly, and I have long been ashamed to take this bet."

"Just keep it if I give it to you. Do what I said just for a mere barrier-breaking pill count?" After saying that, he snorted coldly:

"Hmph! Actually, I didn't mean to compete with you for this barrier-breaking pill at the auction that day. It was of little use to me, but a friend of mine needed it, so I bought it for her. But then She succeeded in breaking through the barrier herself, so she has no use for this barrier-breaking pill, so I will give it to you."

Liang Yan smiled slightly after hearing this, and without any further refusal, he reached out and took the barrier-breaking pill.

"Thank you, senior sister, for the gift of pills!"

"My surname is Tang, please call me Senior Sister Tang from now on!"

"No problem, Senior Sister Tang!"

"Yes." The woman in white looked at him, as if she wanted to say something more, but finally sighed softly and went down the mountain without saying a word.

Liang Yan looked at her retreating back and thought that he might never be able to play chess with her again in the future. He felt slightly depressed and felt a sense of loss for no reason. He shook his head, trying to get the emotion out of his mind.

"The first priority now is to adjust your condition to the best so that you can take the barrier-breaking pill and hit the bottleneck of the third level of Qi training!"

Three days later.

Liang Yan sat in the Lingquan cave, silently reciting the nameless secrets taught by the old monk, and took a deep breath.

Spiritual energy surged in the meridians all over his body, passing through the eight extraordinary meridians and sinking to his Dantian. Then the spiritual power starts from the Dantian, passes through three passes along the Du Meridian, and reaches the top of the head. Then divide it along both sides and meet at the tip of the tongue. At this time, it is connected with the breath when exhaling.

In this way, from the Baihui point on the top of the head to the Dantian of the lower abdomen, it goes round and round.

According to this method, Liang Yan was lucky enough to reach the state of "I see" described in the nameless method. Under the "self-seeing", one examines oneself, illuminates it internally in the heart, and even combines spirit and energy, holding each other inseparably.

By this moment, Liang Yan's own energy, spirit and spiritual power had reached a peak level.

"Now!" Liang Yan opened his eyes, quickly took out a white pill from the storage bag, and swallowed it in one gulp. This pill was the barrier-breaking pill!

As soon as the Barrier-Breaking Pill entered the body, Liang Yan immediately felt a sense of coolness spread throughout his body, and the original feeling of heat all over his body improved significantly. My mind is clearer.

Liang Yan felt happy, and immediately refined the elixir with all his strength, and began to attack the bottleneck of the third level of Qi training.

As time passed by, Liang Yan closed his eyes tightly and frowned deeply. The spiritual power in the body is like a golden dragon that has been trapped for a long time. The dragon's head is raised high, trying to break out of the trap. However, a layer of invisible shackles always shrouded the sky, suppressing it like a mountain.

The golden dragon let out waves of unwilling roars, suddenly roared loudly, and rushed towards the bottleneck above with all its strength.

"Boom!" With a sound, the golden dragon's body shook violently, and golden light flashed all over it. Then it collapsed and turned into several golden streams of light, flying back to various meridians.

Poof!

Liang Yan opened his mouth and spat out a stream of bright red blood. His aura quickly dropped and his expression became sluggish. He leaned against the cave wall, breathing heavily, with an incredible look in his eyes!

"I have the secret skills taught by the old monk, and rare resources such as the purple light from the spiritual spring, and I also need the help of the barrier-breaking pill. Unexpectedly, I still can't break through this mere third level of Qi training!"

"Are my qualifications really so bad? Cultivation as an immortal is difficult and the path to immortality is ruthless. Could it be that I, Liang Yan, can only be a mortal in this life?"