I Was Convinced

The evening breeze swept past, and the long street lay empty and silent.

Chen Qing abruptly came back to himself. The moon-white figure had vanished without a trace.

"Five days from now, at midnight on the dark moon, the Heavenly Evolution Stage..."

He raised his eyes toward the depths of the heavily guarded Immortal Palace, his thoughts racing. Given Xu Qingfeng's cultivation, there'd be no point in deceiving me. And I've been dreaming for four days already; in three more, I'll have to wake once. To make the five-day deadline, I'll have to spend a Dao Mark to keep the dream going. There's a lot I can do in the gap between waking and dreaming!

When his thoughts settled, he saw no sign of Lu Feng nearby. Chen Qing didn't linger. He hurried off, but not toward the Qin Hut. Before they went out, he and Lu Feng had agreed that if their outing was exposed, they would meet at the secret passage beneath the dry well behind the "Agarwood Old Market" in the south of the city.

But come to think of it, what place in Yujing City is truly secret? All we can do is gamble on a difference in timing, and bet that those great figures haven't bothered to notice a little shrimp like me yet.

At the end of a narrow alley, a dry well lay half-hidden amid the weeds. Chen Qing didn't slow down; he leaped straight in.

A mechanism opened beneath the well. The passage was deep and damp, and in the small stone chamber at its end, Lu Feng sat cross-legged on a cushion, the burnt-tail zither resting across his knees. Yin Lin'er stood beside him, tense.

"How did it go?" Lu Feng's hollow eye sockets "looked" toward the entrance, his face grave. "Earlier, I saw you surrounded and meant to step in. But a gust of wind blew by, and when I came to, I was here."

"That's normal. The one who intervened was no ordinary person."

As he spoke, Chen Qing briefly recounted what he had seen at Moon Embracing Villa. When he mentioned how the other party had insisted on recruiting him, Lu sneered. "The East Sea Marquis's faction has always been two-faced. It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but hard to send coal in a snowstorm. That's only to be expected."

But when Chen Qing got to the ambush on the long street, Xu Qingfeng's appearance, and his revelation of the Empress's scheme to steal from Heaven and the five-day deadline, the air in the stone chamber suddenly froze!

"The Seventh Prince has such cultivation? He saw through the Empress's plans?" Lu Feng was aghast. He couldn't believe that the supposedly idle prince was such a deeply hidden figure.

"He said he's caught in the game and can't get involved personally, but he's willing to tear open a gap in the Star Ban. Otherwise, if the Empress succeeds, the consequences will be unthinkable." Chen Qing's voice was low. "It's hard to tell whether he's telling the truth, but things have come to this. We can only risk everything!"

"Heaven's Dao is a net, and all living beings are trapped in it! How could such a major matter fall to the likes of us? What he said may not even be true!" Lu Feng fell silent for a long while, then sighed. "The Heavenly Evolution Stage is the most forbidden place within the Immortal Palace. It's protected by the core formation markings of the Circumference Star Dou Forbidden. Even if there's a gap, it's a path to certain death! Are you really going?"

Chen Qing answered frankly, "I'm going for myself, not for anyone else."

The moment he finished speaking—

BZZZT—

The burnt-tail zither strings trembled violently!

Lu Feng's expression changed. He sprang to his feet. "Something's wrong! Someone's approaching!"

"If they're really divining my whereabouts, how could they not know where I am?" Chen Qing's expression didn't change. A faint glow flickered from the Green Lotus Platform in his sleeve, while the Bronze Wine Goblet floated above his palm, its heady fragrance mingling with surging murderous intent!

The silver scales all over Yin Lin'er's body lifted slightly, his aura turning dangerous and savage!

BOOM!

The stone door burst open!

But the intruder wasn't a pursuer—

A bloodied figure staggered inside! His breath was faint, his clothes soaked red, and strange gray qi writhed like living things in his wounds, eating away at him!

Though the blood obscured his features, Chen Qing recognized him.

"Chen Yu?" Fragments of memory churned through Chen Qing's mind. It was Chen Yu, the fifth son of the Chen Family, who had thrown in his lot with the Sixth Prince!

"Se...second brother..." Chen Yu's eyes struggled to focus on Chen Qing's face. "Save... save Xuan'er! I overheard Zhao Yuanji. He said the Empress wants to use your Spiritual Bone to refine a 'Nine Tribulations Substitute'! Cough!" He coughed up chunks of black blood, then rasped, "They locked Xuan'er beside your Spiritual Bone and are using her Chen Family bloodline to nourish it and reduce its rejection! Xuan'er won't last much longer!"

So that was it!

A figure like the Sixth Prince had gone to the trouble of scheming against a lowly Chen Family girl for this reason!

As all the clues fell into place, understanding dawned in Chen Qing's mind. He steadied Chen Yu. "Don't rush to explain. Get your wounds treated first. Elder Lü, this place may not be safe anymore."

"I hid a carriage behind the courtyard," Lu Feng said with a nod. "Yin Lin'er, go drive it."

"Got it!"

After they briefly suppressed his injuries, Chen Yu caught his breath. In the carriage, he explained what had happened—

He had risked his life to escape, then used a bloodline secret art to track them here.

"The Sixth Prince deceived me. The Marrow Cleansing Pill was actually a Heart Controlling Gu! Once the Empress's ceremony is complete, we'll all be refined into the Soul Devouring Banner, our souls scattered and destroyed! Second brother, do you have any way..."

As Chen Qing listened, fragments of memory churned within him, and the fury belonging to "Chen Xu" burst forth. But his own will was as firm as a boulder, and he remained calm. He didn't even need the aid of the Samadhi True Fire Talisman to suppress the stray thoughts.

"Fifth brother," Chen Qing said in a low, calm voice, "with my meager cultivation, charging in would just give them another life to take. It wouldn't help."

The last glimmer of hope abruptly went out. Chen Yu's lips quivered as he let out a muffled sob. "I was a fool. I thought I was clever, but I only hurt Xuan'er and the Chen Family. No wonder you treated the Sixth Prince that way, second brother. I regret it so much!"

Chen Qing shook his head and called to Lu Feng. "Elder Lü, please take a look at him."

Lu Feng crouched down and sent a thread of green light into Chen Yu's wrist. It withdrew in an instant. "His heart meridians were injured by Baleful Intent, and his dantian and qi sea were corroded by Essence-Eroding Powder. His foundation is ruined." His voice held a note of regret. "If I immediately use the Supreme Simplicity Nine Needles to seal his remaining essence, then supplement them with meridian-severing and essence-locking techniques, he might live another ten years. But his cultivation definitely won't come back."

"Ten years?" Chen Yu showed no sorrow in his eyes, only numbness. To him, losing his cultivation meant that ten years would be no more than a wretched existence.

Chen Qing leaned down and said, "If you still have ten years, then use them to see these great mountains and rivers. Do everything you wanted to do but never dared or were able to do before! The waters here run deep. Leaving may not be a bad thing."

Chen Yu stared blankly at Chen Qing.

Those words felt strange to someone like him, who had spent his life scrambling to make a name for himself and bring glory to his family.

For a moment, he felt dazed.

Chen Qing didn't wait for his reply. He merely nodded to Lu Feng.

Lu Feng immediately joined his fingers and moved like the wind, striking nine major acupoints across Chen Yu's body as fast as lightning!

With each strike, a slender green qi needle, fine as a hair, sank into him.

"Supreme Simplicity seals the essence. Lock!"

The qi needles hummed and wove together into a net, forcibly locking in Chen Yu's dissipating essence!

The deathly pallor on Chen Yu's face receded a little, and his breathing steadied. He was still terribly weak, but at last he looked a little more alive.

"Thank you, senior..." He struggled to bow.

"Spare me." Lu Feng waved him off, then turned to Chen Qing, his words laden with meaning. "He'll need to find somewhere hidden to stabilize his foundation." Doubt still lingered in his eyes. He remained concerned that Chen Yu's ordeal might be nothing but a ruse or a trap. After all, with Chen Yu's cultivation, how could he have escaped the Sixth Prince's control so easily?

Chen Qing nodded and said to Yin Lin'er, "Yin Lin'er, help him out. We're moving!"

"Yes!" Yin Lin'er immediately supported Chen Yu.

The group left in a hurry.

Afterward, Lu Feng found someone to take Chen Yu away and settle him somewhere on his own.

Once they reached their new hideout, Chen Qing finished regulating his breath and borrowed a manual on refining artifacts from Lu Feng.

The stone chamber was dim, its oil lamp burning like a tiny bean.

An open copy of the Qi Nourishing Art lay across Chen Qing's knees.

The art taught one to use their own Supreme Harmony Qi and divine sense to repeatedly wash over a magical treasure until their minds and spirits connected with it—a process known as "nurturing."

"Divine sense as the blade, essence as the whetstone. Proceed gradually, and only then will the true meaning emerge..."

As Chen Qing read the text, his brows drew together.

This method hinged on the word "nurture" and most of all forbade rushing. Even with the aid of his dream body, he couldn't defy its fundamental principles. It seemed that even the dream's outside-the-box settings couldn't make it happen in a single step.

"Forget it." He closed the book and made his decision without hesitation. "After I wake up, I'll look for another method of artifact refinement. My master's notes might have something, but the Hidden Star inheritance is shallow. It may not contain anything particularly advanced."

He was seeking a way to further refine the Ninth-grade Green Lotus Platform and the Bronze Wine Goblet.

Both treasures held powerful spiritual essence within them, and their might was vast. As things stood, he could only barely operate them with his divine sense, like a child swinging a heavy axe—unable to bring out their full edge! If he could refine them in tandem with his life and soul, then even without advancing his realm, his killing power in battle might double! Every added measure of strength would mean another sliver of hope when he stormed the Heavenly Evolution Stage!

Glancing at Lu Feng, who had his eyes closed, Chen Qing suddenly asked, "Elder Lü, is it really so hard to find the Buddhist inheritance of the Western Wastelands?"

Lu Feng's empty eye sockets shifted slightly. "Buddhism has dwindled in the Central Spirit Continent. Most of the true inheritances are hidden in ancient monasteries in the Western Wastelands. They're almost extinct within the Immortal Dynasty. You'd have to go to the Western Wastelands yourself..."

Chen Qing fell silent.

Looks like I'll have to look for information after I wake up, he thought, his mind racing. Bai Shaoyou has amassed a great deal; perhaps he knows of formations that can substitute for a tribulation. And then there's that bookstall...

As he pondered, the hidden stone door clicked softly.

Yin Lin'er slipped inside, his hair disheveled and his clothes dusty. He clutched a coarse cloth bundle to his chest. His breathing was a little ragged, but he could barely contain his excitement. "Young master! Come take a look!"

He spread the bundle open, revealing three pieces of Star Shard Iron, each with starlight glimmering within!

This material wasn't a rare treasure, but it was an excellent spirit material for nurturing spiritual essence and assisting in artifact refinement! It was just what the Qi Nourishing Art required, and could save him a long, grinding effort!

"I can't help much," Yin Lin'er said carefully, still catching his breath. "When I saw you asking about artifact-refining techniques, I thought I'd find some ore to help make things easier for you."

"You brought it at just the right time." Chen Qing replied warmly, "Thanks for the effort."

The weariness vanished from the youth's face, replaced by a bright smile.

Chen Qing then asked, "Where did you get all this?"

The youth's smile froze. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, naturally, I got it from..."

Just then!

WHOOSH—

A streak of crimson pierced through the wards and stopped in front of Chen Qing. It was a small scarlet sword!

Lu Feng and Yin Lin'er instantly went on guard!

But Lu Qiyuan's bold voice came from within the sword. "Chen Xu! Don't be alarmed! It's me, the young marquis! The East Sea Marquis's residence has its ways of finding people. I also took the opportunity to erase your tracks!"

"It's Young Marquis Lu." Chen Qing raised a hand to signal that Lu Feng should hold back. His gaze remained calm. "Let's hear him out."

A voice came from within the little sword. "I heard you were looking for treasures to refine artifacts with. I've already prepared some for you! I'll send them over later! Don't worry. I, the young marquis, have always followed my own heart! This time, I was simply impressed by your bearing and wanted to help!"

"Impressed by my bearing?" Chen Qing couldn't help laughing when he heard that. "This young marquis really is a hearty fellow!"

Lu Feng seemed about to say something, but held back.