Chen Qing had already lost himself in the cultivation, forgetting both self and world.
The experience of seventeen years of arduous cultivation fused seamlessly with the foundation of a body that had reached perfection in the First Realm in his dream. His vast, abyss-deep accumulation became a raging flood, smashing through every shackle!
In an instant, a wondrous sight appeared before his eyes—
Towering mountains surged up from the earth, while a boundless sea came roaring toward him!
Mountains and sea reflected one another, strength and gentleness complementing each other as profound arts' true meaning unfolded in his spiritual platform!
Boom!
A cool qi poured down from the Niwan Palace, like the Milky Way cascading backward into the Yellow Court.
"Supreme Harmony Qi!"
The key to reaching the Second Realm, Soothing Harmony Foundation Establishment, was to draw in Supreme Harmony Qi, nurture it within the body, and forge a Dao foundation of longevity!
Now, this Supreme Harmony Qi descended from the Niwan Palace, finally flowing into the Yellow Court Palace in his Lower Dantian.
Wherever the qi passed, his marrow trembled. The Twelve Meridians seemed washed by jade nectar, while impurities turned into black qi and seeped out through his pores. The blocked acupoints opened one after another!
This was the hallmark of the early Second Realm: Supreme Harmony Qi flowing through the main meridians!
The Five Elements Spiritual Light in his dantian spun rapidly, and a spark of his natal light suddenly appeared!
"Essence and life fuse, and magical power is born! This body of mine in the dream has truly broken through to the Second Realm, Soothing Harmony Foundation Establishment!"
As his thoughts stirred, qi surged around Chen Qing like the tide, spiritual energy condensed into mist and coiled about him. A towering mountain appeared to his left, a vast expanse of blue waves to his right. At last, mountain and sea merged, forming a wondrous vision of mountains and sea nestled together above his head!
"When inner and outer energies resonate, qi gives rise to an omen! He really broke through!" Lü Han's pupils shook violently. "The mountains and sea joined as one! But since this man cultivates a mountain technique, how could he also develop the Meaning of All Rivers Flowing into the Sea?!"
Confused, he thought he might have seen wrong. He stilled his mind, raised a hand to wipe his eyes, and caused a gleam to flare in his pupils. But when he looked again, he was even more astonished!
"This isn't simply mixing in the Water Element. He fused the true meanings of mountain and sea, hiding endurance beneath his fierce strength, and openness within his grandeur! He's never studied the Water Element, yet just from a Visualization Diagram... he comprehended the Meaning of the Vast Sea?"
Xu Zhaoying's eyes widened. She now understood why Elder Lü had lost his composure!
"Could it really be as Elder Lü said? His comprehension is so exceptional that he can apply what he learns by analogy, grasp the essentials at a glance, and break through realms just like that?!"
"Zhaoying." Lü Han suddenly spoke to her through a voice transmission. "You're closest to the Princess. Do you know when she'll return?"
Xu Zhaoying paused, then thought for a moment. "The timing hasn't been decided yet."
Lü Han's gaze darkened. "Then go to the Princess's Estate first and report today's events to her by message."
Xu Zhaoying blinked and asked, "Isn't that too urgent?"
"It'll be too late once Li Benji takes him back to the Mysterious Prison!" Lü Han kept forming hand seals inside his sleeve. "Given the comprehension Chen Xu showed today, having him assist the Princess would greatly benefit her cultivation..."
"I... all right." Xu Zhaoying glanced at Chen Qing, then finally nodded and turned to leave.
Lü Han watched Chen Qing, who remained seated in meditation, his eyes growing ever more eager. "His Spiritual Bone was ruined, yet he turned misfortune into fortune and became even more perceptive? If so, he isn't some useless dreg at all—he's an uncarved jade!"
"Whoosh—"
A little while later, Chen Qing let out a long breath and opened his eyes. Mountains and sea flickered and vanished in their depths.
The world before him suddenly came into sharp focus, and spiritual energy in five colors flowed through his vision.
He lowered his head to study his hands. His knuckles were like jade, spiritual light glimmering beneath his skin.
"I really broke through? The incomplete artistic conception of the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll was first mostly completed by the Great Mountain Diagram in my memories, then reinforced by the All Rivers Flowing into the Sea Diagram..."
In the world beyond the dream, to break from the First Realm into the Second, one first needed a stable Yellow Court, then had to gather Five Elements Spiritual Items, and finally find a secluded Cave Mansion to enter seclusion for three months, free from the disturbance of worldly Turbid Qi.
Even after doing all that, precious few could truly break through.
But in this dream, all it took was a single Visualization Diagram, and the breakthrough came as naturally as water flowing into a channel!
"Is the spiritual energy in this world especially rich? Or is 'Chen Xu' so deeply grounded that, since he's cultivating all over again, everything came easily?"
Looking within, Chen Qing saw Supreme Harmony Qi coiling like clouds and mist in his dantian. The mountain's grandeur and the sea's rhythm blended perfectly, without the slightest obstruction.
As he pondered, he suddenly felt a gaze fall upon him. He looked up and saw Lü Han watching him.
Lü Han stroked his beard and smiled. "Mountains are weighty, the sea is vast. The spectacle of your breakthrough is truly wondrous."
Chen Qing didn't want to invite complications, so he said, "I happened to have a little insight. I was just lucky."
"Lucky?" Lü Han shook his head. "The path of cultivation grows more profound with every step. Your Spiritual Bone was ruined, yet you comprehended a breakthrough on your own. This old man has never seen such 'luck' before." As he spoke, he took out a silk-bound book. "This Miscellaneous Records of Cultivation contains the insights of ancient cultivators after their breakthroughs. It may help you stabilize your realm."
"Thank you, Elder Su."
Chen Qing accepted the book without ceremony and skimmed through it. Comparing it with the techniques from the world beyond the dream, he shook his head inwardly.
It was disorganized, far inferior to the systems of later generations, and full of scattered fragments, nothing like the orderly methods beyond the dream.
But Lü Han had clearly offered it as an investment in their relationship, and Chen Qing naturally wouldn't spurn his kindness. Besides, it contained the wisdom of those who came before. There might be something worth learning from it, so he put it away.
"We'll both serve under the Princess from now on, so we should get along." Lü Han laughed. "Seven years ago, the Princess went to explore some ruins and hasn't returned. I've already sent her news of you. Once she comes back, she'll certainly summon you. Until then, you can focus on cultivation."
She'd gone to explore ruins seven years ago?
Chen Qing understood. No wonder they'd taken him out of the Mysterious Prison, only for nothing to happen afterward.
Lü Han continued, "You've just broken through. Stabilize your realm and reflect on what you've learned. That way, you'll be ready to answer the Princess's questions. For now, go get some rest."
Chen Qing didn't stand on ceremony. He took his leave, though even after advancing with the help of the All Rivers Flowing into the Sea Diagram, he still couldn't stop thinking about the Great Mountain Visualization Diagram.
Lü Han didn't try to keep him. But the moment Chen Qing was gone, he summoned someone. "Investigate! Bring me everything about Chen Xu—friends, family, enemies, every last one of them. Also, find out who bears the Spiritual Bone that was taken from him."
"Yes, sir."
After his subordinate left, a voice came from behind the screen. "Does Lord Lü truly intend to recruit this criminal?"
"Fool!" Lü Han's sleeve snapped. "Whatever his identity was in the past, he's different now! How could I let a genius who can mend flaws in cultivation and sum up the gains and losses of a realm slip away?"
There was no further sound from behind the screen.
Following his memories, Chen Qing returned to his quarters and took the Great Mountain Heavenly Art from a corner of the bookshelf.
The moment he opened the pages, a towering, extraordinary peak crashed into view!
The mountain loomed like a giant spirit suppressing the world. Even a fleeting glance left him short of breath.
"Just as I thought—a truly magnificent mountain!"
He focused on the image. At the foot of the mountain, jagged rocks lay scattered, every line in harmony with the Heavenly Dao. At the mountainside, clouds and waterfalls flowed together, their movement and stillness concealing endless mysteries. At the summit, snow reflected the morning sun, and an otherworldly conception pointed straight toward the Great Dao!
"Though the details of the Great Mountain Art aren't as good as the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll, the artistic conception in this image is far superior to the incomplete Sea and Mountain Diagram! I've just broken through, so I might as well use this dream body to try it properly and graft the Great Mountain Visualization Diagram onto the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll."
As soon as the thought arose, Chen Qing fixed his eyes on the image and visualized the magnificent mountain in his mind!
His inner breath began circulating of its own accord, surging through the meridians that had just been unblocked like a river bursting its banks!
As time passed, an earthy yellow halo rose around him. Stone-like patterns appeared on his skin, and the air in the room suddenly grew heavy, as if an invisible mountain were pressing down on it.
Suddenly!
"Pssh!"
A tearing pain shot through his meridians!
Chen Qing's eyes flew open. Cold sweat had soaked through his clothes, and his dantian felt as if it were being scorched by flames.
"Technique Conflict?"
He drew on the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll and the cultivation notes of his sect elders, running through the problem once. He immediately understood the key.
The mountain in the Great Mountain Art was indeed wondrous, but it was too overbearing, lacking the openness of the All Rivers Flowing into the Sea Diagram. Replacing one Visualization Diagram with another so abruptly placed an enormous strain on his body, so naturally, problems arose.
"If I do it gradually, I can adapt little by little. Fortunately, this is only a dream. If my real body were injured, my foundation would be shaken, making future cultivation much harder. But in a dream, I can take more risks. The Spiritual Bone in this body has already been dug out, so I can use it for trial and error. Maybe I'll find another path."
Wiping away the cold sweat and calming his disordered inner breath, Chen Qing wasn't discouraged. This failure had instead let him glimpse an even greater opportunity!
"The value of the Great Mountain Visualization Diagram is beyond question. If I can also combine it with the All Rivers Flowing into the Sea Diagram, then blend the essence of both into the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll, I can surely complete what's missing and raise the grade of the technique! And given enough time, I could even incorporate the subtle mysteries of the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll into the Great Mountain Heavenly Art, pushing that technique through a transformation!"
With that thought, he became even more aware of the value of this dream within a dream.
"I can develop cultivation techniques in the dream, and seven days in the dream cost only a month of real time—equivalent to more than half a year of hard cultivation! If I can also set long-term goals for my dream self and combine them with jumps between dream-entry points, I might gain years of experience and insight out of nowhere!"
Over the next few days, Chen Qing went nowhere else. He devoted himself to contemplation and cultivation.
Seeing how diligently he cultivated, Lü Han gave him every support and made things easy for him in every way.
It wasn't until the seventh day of this dream that Chen Qing finally paused.
"Seven days are up. My body outside the dream should be waking."
He reviewed what he'd gained. Though he hadn't seen the Tenth Princess, he'd reaped plenty. After some thought, he decided not to use a Dao Mark to leave behind a Dream Continuation Wedge, nor to extend this dream.
"Does it really matter whether I see the Princess? I'll let things take their course. I might as well test the effects of a time jump! If I jump ahead some time between these two dream visits, can my dream body cultivate on its own so I can take the experience directly..."
As the mist began to rise, Chen Qing gathered the last thread of his awareness and silently repeated his words, trying to burn an obsession into this body's heart—
"Cultivate with all your heart! Study the Visualization Diagram! Complete the Sea and Mountain Remnant Scroll!"
At last, as his consciousness pulled away, he saw his dream self sit cross-legged and begin to cultivate...
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