The pill slid down his throat, and the Five Elements Spiritual Essence poured through him like the River of Heaven, exploding inside Chen Qing's meridians in an instant!
Scorching! Surging! Heavy! Keen! Gentle!
In an instant, his whole body turned red-hot, his veins bulging. Sweat vaporized into mist before it could fall, and his five organs seemed to have been thrown into a furnace, repeatedly tempered by the Five Elements True Fire.
"The Five Elements Spiritual Essence is inside the body, so it must be kept in balance. If one element is allowed to dominate, the other four will gradually be devoured and turned into nourishment, throwing the Five Elements out of balance..."
Clinging to a sliver of clarity, Chen Qing barely managed to gather his thoughts. Following the cultivation instructions, he visualized the various diagrams!
A phantom mountain crashed down in his Sea of Consciousness, suppressing the violent medicinal power!
Then came the long, rolling rhythm of the sea, sorting the rampaging essence into streams.
"Crack—"
His bones popped like beans frying in a pan, while jade-like luster and golden light shone through his body!
Under the impact, the meridians of his body in the dream kept expanding, their inner walls gleaming like glazed treasure.
Time flew by!
No one knew how long had passed. When the flood gradually grew docile, a dragon-like roar suddenly rang out from his dantian's sea of qi!
Supreme Harmony Qi surged like a raging river. Driven by the medicinal power, it spun wildly, and threads of clear light sprouted from within, weaving into a hazy radiance that made the entire sea of qi shimmer like a dream.
"Condense!"
Countless rays of light abruptly contracted, converging at the center of the sea of qi into a single brilliant star!
A profound atmosphere immediately filled the space around him.
"This child truly has remarkable resolve!"
Deep within the separate courtyard, in an octagonal pavilion, Lord Dingbo held a cup of tea and spoke with heartfelt admiration.
His and Lord Zhengshuang's gazes pierced through the courtyard walls and fell upon the meditation room.
"With a Nine Orifice Meridian-Opening Pill before him, even a Third Realm cultivator's Dao Heart would waver." Lord Dingbo set down his cup, his voice full of undisguised appreciation. "Yet he sat as still as an old monk in meditation, enduring the temptation until he had honed his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their utmost perfection! What resolve!"
Lord Zhengshuang was silent for a moment before saying, "The Princess has a keen eye for talent." His tone was even, but the words were already the highest praise.
Elsewhere.
In a waterside pavilion some distance from the separate courtyard.
Xu Zhaoying stood by the window, a sword in her arms, gazing toward Chen Qing's meditation room.
"Drawing the bow without loosing the arrow, storing up strength until the right moment?"
Just then—
"Boom—"
An intent, silent and deep as an abyss, shot into the sky, startling the spiritual birds throughout the garden into flight!
"It's here!"
Lord Dingbo, Lord Zhengshuang, Xu Zhaoying, and all the others who had been watching focused their attention at once!
"Seven days in meditation, then swallowing a pill in one go—and he seems to have grasped the essence of a Destiny Talisman!" Lord Dingbo first froze, then let out a long sigh. "If his Spiritual Bone were still intact, his achievements might be beyond anything we could fathom! Sigh!"
Lord Zhengshuang pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "I heard Brother Lü is investigating where Chen Xu's excavated Spiritual Bone went."
"Investigate it! It must be investigated!" Lord Dingbo said gravely. "Whoever dug out that Spiritual Bone may have destroyed a true immortal among men!"
As he spoke, he rose to his feet.
"But first, we have to stop him from forming a complete Destiny Talisman. Without inherited techniques or bloodline succession, forming one rashly is like a blind man sizing up an elephant or a sightless person embroidering a flower—it all depends on fate! This first Destiny Talisman is his Natal Talisman; he must not be careless!"
Lord Zhengshuang nodded. "When his Spiritual Bone was dug out, his Destiny Talisman had already been ruined once. He must be especially careful as he cultivates anew."
Inside the room.
In Chen Qing's dantian sea of qi, a phantom talisman woven from mountains and seas breathed in and out spiritual light. Its markings resembled ancient script, and every flicker made the spiritual power throughout his body seethe.
The embryonic form of a Destiny Talisman!
Chen Qing's mind trembled violently. If he pressed on now, he could complete the transformation of "Condensing Qi into a Destiny Talisman," enter the late stage of the Second Realm, Soothing Harmony Foundation Establishment, comprehend an Innate Technique, and greatly increase the power of his techniques!
But the next moment, he abruptly came to his senses. A warning from his teacher, spoken before his death, surfaced in his mind—
A Destiny Talisman formed by nature brought fortunes and calamities alike, impossible to predict. In years past, someone had formed a Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman in a single stroke, able to summon heavenly thunder with a single thought! Yet there had also been prodigies of extraordinary talent who formed a Weak Water Talisman, whose spiritual power was soft and feeble, and who never broke through to the Third Realm in their entire lives!
"Grandmaster, my martial uncle, and my master all left behind records with the essentials and key points for forming a Destiny Talisman. Before, my cultivation wasn't high enough, so they sat gathering dust in the meditation room. But now, my cultivation in the dream is sufficient, and I can just barely study them!"
Though his cultivation in the dream was sufficient, rashly forming a talisman could produce one incompatible with his physical body in the waking world, costing him the chance and convenience of learning from the two in tandem!
Thoughts whirled through his mind. Chen Qing immediately followed the cultivation instructions, using the true intent of the mountains to suppress the embryonic Destiny Talisman.
Humm!
Just then, white mist suddenly rose all around him!
An irresistible feeling of being wrenched away descended in an instant!
The seven days in the dream were over!
Chen Qing had been prepared for this and did not panic in the slightest. At the last moment, just as before, he left a few obsessions with his body in the dream—
"Build up your cultivation; don't rush to form a complete Destiny Talisman!"
"Study painting; don't force it, just practice whenever you have time!"
"Study the techniques in and out of the dream, sharing what each side knows and learning from one another!"
As his final thought went out, Chen Qing completely released his mind.
White mist billowed, swallowing his consciousness.
But what he didn't know was that, deprived of its main soul, his body in the dream fell into a strange state at that very instant.
Though devoid of thought, its spiritual platform was clear;
Though free of self and attachment, Dao Rhyme arose of its own accord!
Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion!
But the state did not last long; it vanished in the blink of an eye.
Outside the dream, within the Hidden Star Gate.
Chen Qing, who had slept through the night, abruptly opened his eyes!
"Boom!"
Pure spiritual energy poured down into his crown!
The pores throughout his body opened, his inner breath surged like a raging river, and golden light burst from the Yellow Court Palace, almost shining through his body.
"One night's feedback has given me half a year's worth of hard cultivation!"
Chen Qing was overjoyed. He circulated his energy through the cycles of his body, his inner breath surging like the tide and growing ever more abundant!
But the First Realm had its limits. After surging through his body several times, his rapidly swelling inner breath crashed against a dike like a tide and could advance no further!
"If I hadn't already reached the limit of my realm, this feedback alone would have saved me at least half a year of hard cultivation!"
As he lamented the missed opportunity—
Humm!
Another stream of Supreme Harmony Qi came as feedback. Wherever it passed, his meridians felt bathed in sweet rain, and his inner breath suddenly flowed with greater roundness.
Chen Qing's spirits soared, but before he could rejoice, his five senses suddenly roared!
A warm, fiery-red spiritual energy poured in from his crown!
"Fire Element Spiritual Energy?!"
Close behind it came emerald-green Wood Element Spiritual Energy, heavy and steady Earth Element Spiritual Energy, keen and deadly Metal Element Spiritual Energy, and soft, flowing Water Element Spiritual Energy!
Five streams of pure spiritual energy poured into him one after another!
"All five elements!"
Chen Qing's pupils contracted.
The Nine Orifice Meridian-Opening Pill he had swallowed in the dream had actually sent the Five Elements Spiritual Essence back to the waking world!
"Though there's only a tenth or two of what I had in the dream, the quality is excellent! That means I no longer need to collect Five Elements Spiritual Items and can choose a day to attempt a breakthrough!"
To advance from the First Realm to the Second, one needed to gather Five Elements Spiritual Items and harmonize yin and yang in order to draw in Supreme Harmony Qi and cleanse the marrow for Foundation Establishment. But he and his master had spent years making plans and searching far and wide, yet had found few spiritual items. They had also used up much of what they had on formations and cultivation methods, as well as on his senior brother's needs while he was alive. Now, only the Wood and Earth elements remained.
This night's feedback had filled in the most crucial piece of the puzzle!
"I'll nourish them for three days first. Once my Essence, Qi, and Spirit are fully restored, I'll choose an auspicious time to break through..."
Chen Qing forced down his joy and slowly stopped his cultivation, letting the Five Elements' energy circulate on its own through his meridians and take on his aura. He didn't sit in meditation; instead, he rose and pushed open the window. Mountain wind carrying the scent of water swept over him.
In the distance, Fang Da'ao was practicing his martial arts. The wind of his fists roared, faintly carrying the thunderous cries of tigers and leopards. Qu Xiaoyao crouched beside the medicinal garden, carefully loosening the soil around a spiritual herb.
"Martial Uncle!" Fang Da'ao saw him open the window and immediately stopped to salute. "Just after daybreak, a peddler selling medicine came and lingered outside the mountain gate. He said he wanted to buy our herbs. His eyes seemed shifty, so I sent him away. You were asleep, so I didn't disturb you."
Chen Qing frowned slightly.
Misty Gorge Mountain was remote; ordinary merchants would never come here. That peddler might have been scouting the place.
"Next time something like this happens, report it at once." After giving the order, Chen Qing rubbed Xiaoyao's head as she came over. "Go count the Spirit Marrow in the storeroom and see how many more days it can keep the formation running."
"Yes!"
After the two children left, Chen Qing went to inspect the mountain and check the formation. He found that the protective formation's light had dimmed; at most, it could hold for another half month.
"The formation needs spiritual power to run. When Master was here, he could replenish it with his own spiritual power, but we still had to go down the mountain every month to gather supplies. Now our reserves are nearly empty, so I'll have to go out and replenish them. But small sects fear being targeted most of all. The likes of Sea Abyss Temple have won over Han Sha. If they learn the truth, they could calculate the exact day and ambush me when I go down the mountain."
As Chen Qing considered the matter, an unexpected change suddenly erupted inside him!
After circulating through his meridians several times, the five streams of pure spiritual energy returned to his dantian. There, they tangled with Supreme Harmony Qi and transformed into a motley, five-colored energy. Then it began to swell beyond his control!
The variegated energy suddenly burst out. The apertures it passed through trembled, and it seemed poised to force its way through the barriers on its own!
"Not good!"
Chen Qing hurriedly circulated his profound technique to suppress it, but the flood was like a wild horse breaking free of its reins. Wrapped around Supreme Harmony Qi, it galloped through his entire body, showing all the signs of cultivation deviation!
"Boom!"
His dantian sea of qi boiled, forming a vortex in the blink of an eye as it madly devoured his inner breath and the surrounding world's energy!
This was almost exactly like the breakthrough he had undergone in the dream!
"I was careless! The Five Elements Spiritual Energy had reached a delicate balance inside me, but once it merged with Supreme Harmony Qi, it unexpectedly triggered the opportunity for a breakthrough! After all, Supreme Harmony Qi only appears in the Second Realm, and Five Elements Spiritual Energy is needed to break through to the Second Realm. Their order was reversed, but the two are still closely connected!"
In truth, it wasn't that he had been careless. How could an ordinary cultivator refine Supreme Harmony Qi in the First Realm? Naturally, no one could have guessed that if Five Elements Spiritual Energy encountered Supreme Harmony Qi ahead of time, it would trigger a breakthrough on its own!
The flood grew ever more violent. If he forcibly suppressed it, his meridians would be damaged at best; at worst, he would suffer a cultivation deviation!
Chen Qing steeled himself and made his decision!
"When Heaven grants a gift, refusing it brings calamity! I'll seize this heaven-sent opportunity and break through in one stroke!"
Meanwhile.
In a rock cavern at the foot of the mountain, faint light flickered.
"The Hidden Star Gate's leader usually keeps very much to himself," Shi Hong said, glancing repeatedly toward the summit of Misty Gorge Mountain. "Apart from that time at the Mystic Chess Academy, he hardly ever shows himself, much less comes down the mountain."
On a nearby blue stone, Liu Wang of Sea Abyss Temple chuckled. "He's simply figuring out how to break through to the Second Realm. But Five Elements Spiritual Items aren't easy to find, are they?" As he spoke, he flicked dust from his white robe.
Shi Hong hesitated. "But at the Mystic Chess Academy test that day, he seemed to have quite a bearing. He may have some fortune on his side—a talented man, too."
"We stole his disciples! We're already enemies! That's exactly why we can't wait for him to break through. We have to seize his Dao Foundation!" Liu Wang sneered as a short sword gleaming blue slid from his sleeve. "Don't worry, junior sister. There are plenty of talented people, but plenty of them die, too. Once a talented person is dead, people say his fortune was shallow! I entered the Dao at sixteen and have slain more than a few prodigies."
Shi Hong said, "But what if he never comes down the mountain..."
"He'll come down." Liu Wang spoke with absolute certainty. "The Hidden Star Gate's Spirit Marrow can last another half month at most. Once the formation goes out, he'll be a turtle trapped in a jar! Besides, he'll need Five Elements Spiritual Items to break through to the Second Realm, so he'll have to go down the mountain to search for them. By the way, did you bring what I asked you to prepare?"
Shi Hong took a brocade pouch from her robes and pulled out a few items. "Five Poisons Powder, and three Thunder Fire Talismans. I got them recently, just as you asked. Is this... really necessary? He's only a First Realm cultivator."
"A lion uses all its strength even to catch a rabbit." Liu Wang nodded in satisfaction. "Go tell Junior Brother Zhao to guard the northern slopes. If he spots the Hidden Star Gate's leader, he mustn't alert him. Send a signal first."
"Senior Brother, you intend to...?"
"You all say he has an extraordinary bearing." Liu Wang stroked the short sword. "Unless I slay him myself, my Dao Heart won't be at peace."
Before you continue