Ying Zheng Investigated Zhao Cheng's Past, and a Page of His Life Reflected the King's Heart

Clang!

A sharp ring sounded, and a chip the size of a fingernail appeared where the halberd's blade had chipped.

The break was smooth, as if the halberd had sliced through tofu.

Zhao Cheng hadn't even used any strength, yet the precision-cast halberd had already lost a small piece.

"Hiss..."

"My halberd!"

He'd thought that little force would at most leave a dent. Who could have guessed that this Primordial Qi was so powerful that even a precision-cast halberd crumbled at the slightest touch?

And that was only with Primordial Qi covering his fingertip. If he unleashed all that power...

Zhao Cheng could hardly imagine what kind of might that would bring.

Since a hundred years of cultivation had brought no mishaps, he simply invested a full thousand years in cultivation.

"Invest one thousand years in condensing Thoroughfare Vessel Primordial Qi."

[Beginning to invest lifespan to condense Primordial Qi.]

[Year One: You use the Star Observation Meridian Method to condense Thoroughfare Vessel Primordial Qi. As the Primordial Qi grows increasingly condensed, each time you breathe in and out, the amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi entering your body is now over a thousand times greater than before...]

...

[Year Five Hundred: The mist-like Primordial Qi in your Thoroughfare Vessel has turned into threads, filling one-tenth of the vessel...]

...

[Year One Thousand: Through painstaking effort, the mist-like Primordial Qi in your Thoroughfare Vessel now fills two-tenths of it...]

"Only two-tenths?"

Zhao Cheng opened his eyes. He felt he'd absorbed an endless amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi over that thousand years, yet after condensing it, it filled only two-tenths of his Thoroughfare Vessel?

Fortunately, he still had more than forty-eight thousand years of lifespan left. At this rate, filling the vessel would be easy enough.

With that thought, Zhao Cheng invested another three thousand years.

[Beginning to invest lifespan to condense Primordial Qi.]

[Year One: You continue condensing Thoroughfare Vessel Primordial Qi, and the mist-like Primordial Qi keeps increasing...]

...

[Year Three Thousand: After thousands of years of absorption and condensation, the Thoroughfare Vessel in your body is now filled with faintly mist-like Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Suddenly, you sense that certain points where the Thoroughfare Vessel meets other meridians are especially important. You believe these to be acupoints and begin exploring them...]

...

"Invest another three thousand years in cultivation."

[Continuing to invest lifespan in cultivation.]

[Year Three Thousand Nine Hundred Fifty-Three: The mist-like Primordial Qi grows increasingly condensed. As it circulates again and again, you notice that the Sea of Qi Acupoint, where the Thoroughfare Vessel and Conception Vessel meet, has loosened. You begin guiding Primordial Qi to strike the Sea of Qi Acupoint...]

...

[Year Four Thousand Three Hundred Seventy-Five: Your Primordial Qi breaks through the Sea of Qi Acupoint. A great deal of mist-like Primordial Qi floods into the acupoint and gathers there, forming a Primordial Qi vortex.

The vortex revolves on its own, rapidly absorbing Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi at every moment. Even when you do not breathe in and out, it continues to absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi at an incredible speed, increasing your rate of absorption a thousandfold.

You also discover that Primordial Qi condenses much faster inside the Sea of Qi Acupoint. Its transmission speed and explosive power have both increased greatly.

And because the Sea of Qi Acupoint meets the Conception Vessel, the condensed Primordial Qi can flow straight into the Conception Vessel, connecting the upper and lower body.]

...

[Year Five Thousand Six Hundred Eighty-Five: The Primordial Qi vortex in your Sea of Qi Acupoint rapidly condenses the mist-like Primordial Qi. The faint mist gradually turns into a thick fog...]

...

[Year Six Thousand: You discover that the higher the quality of your Primordial Qi, the more readily it strikes acupoints as it circulates. After breaking through the Sea of Qi Acupoint, you sense several acupoints loosening within just a few years. You begin striking the other acupoints...]

At that moment, in the outside world.

Zhao Cheng felt the Sea of Qi Acupoint, a spot an inch and a half below his navel that he'd never been able to sense before, suddenly expand without limit.

The great mass of mist-like Primordial Qi filling his Thoroughfare Vessel surged into it and formed a vortex, which then began spinning at tremendous speed.

To the outside eye, the Sea of Qi Acupoint was no more than a fingertip-sized spot, yet it could store a vast amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. All the Thoroughfare Vessel Primordial Qi he'd condensed over thousands of years poured inside, and still occupied no more than a corner.

What's more, the Primordial Qi vortex revolved on its own. It needed neither his breathing nor his control, and absorbed Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi autonomously at every moment.

It absorbed far more efficiently than he did when breathing in and out.

The Primordial Qi inside condensed at an astonishing pace, and the thick fog within was already many times more powerful than before.

This fully automated, high-speed absorption of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi made Zhao Cheng feel as though he'd gone from swinging a sledgehammer to living in the age of the steam engine, finally freeing up the workforce.

The more acupoints like this, the better!

One acupoint could autonomously absorb and condense Primordial Qi for a day, nearly matching a whole month of his previous breathing exercises. And that was after the Primordial Qi had been condensed.

If he gained a few more acupoints, he could cultivate on autopilot without even breathing in and out. Could anything be more comfortable?

Zhao Cheng invested another three thousand years.

[Beginning to invest lifespan to break through acupoints.]

[Year One: The Primordial Qi vortex in your Sea of Qi Acupoint revolves on its own. The mist-like Primordial Qi continues to increase, while also condensing into an increasingly thick fog. It surges out of the acupoint and travels along the Thoroughfare Vessel, striking other loosened acupoints...]

...

[Year Thirty: Relying on the thick fog-like Primordial Qi in the vortex, you easily break through the Four Fullness Acupoint, where the Thoroughfare Vessel meets the Lesser Yin Meridian. The thick fog-like Primordial Qi enters the Four Fullness Acupoint and forms a new Primordial Qi vortex, doubling your cultivation efficiency...]

...

[Year Fifty: You break through the Great Manifestation Acupoint, where the Thoroughfare Vessel meets the Lesser Yin Meridian. Your cultivation efficiency increases!]

...

[Year One Hundred: You break through the Central Injection Acupoint, Vital Gate Acupoint, and Pubic Bone Acupoint in succession, where the Thoroughfare Vessel meets the Lesser Yin Meridian. Your cultivation efficiency increases greatly!]

...

[Year One Hundred Ten: You break through the Qi Surge Acupoint, where the Thoroughfare Vessel meets the Yang Brightness Meridian. Your cultivation efficiency increases slightly...]

...

[Year One Hundred Thirty: You break through two more major acupoints where the Thoroughfare Vessel and Conception Vessel meet: the Pass Origin Acupoint and Central Pole Acupoint. Both form new Primordial Qi vortices.

At this point, all ten acupoints where the Thoroughfare Vessel meets other meridians have formed autonomous cultivation vortices. Your cultivation speed is now worlds apart from before: one day of autonomous cultivation equals several years of painstaking breathing exercises.]

...

[Year One Thousand: As the Primordial Qi vortices continuously absorb vast amounts of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, your Sea of Qi Acupoint is finally filled with thick fog-like Primordial Qi. Once the thick fog-like Primordial Qi has been condensed to its limit, the first drop of True Essence, like liquid jade, is born...]

...

[Year Two Thousand: Your other ten major acupoints are filled with Primordial Qi one after another and condense it to its limit, forming Jade Liquid True Essence...]

...

[Year Three Thousand: All ten acupoints along the Thoroughfare Vessel contain a small amount of liquid True Essence. The least-filled hold half a tenth of an acupoint, while the most-filled now hold three-tenths.]

[Simulation ended.]

[Your lifespan has increased by one thousand years.]

The instant Zhao Cheng opened his eyes, a tsunami-like tremor surged through the ten acupoints along his Thoroughfare Vessel. An invisible ring of energy burst out from him in every direction, sending all the objects in the tent flying.

True Essence roiled through his body like a dragon.

As the Primordial Qi vortices spun at tremendous speed, endless Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi rushed toward him. In an instant, True Essence could cycle countless times through Zhao Cheng's limbs and bones.

"True Essence..."

Zhao Cheng felt the changes in his body, but he couldn't describe what he was experiencing.

The ten major acupoints were now like ten suns, providing endless energy within him.

He picked up the halberd. True Essence naturally flowed out and coursed through his arms as he swung it down through the air.

Hiss!

As if tearing through the air, a blast of cutting wind followed the halberd's blade and carved a gash of unfathomable depth into the ground, stretching more than a zhang.

Then faint cracking sounds came from the halberd's shaft. Cracks suddenly spread across it, and it shattered completely.

Zhao Cheng was stunned. That had been no more than a casual swing.

The precision-cast halberd simply couldn't withstand him anymore.

"Forget it. I'll forge a Treasure Halberd first."

With that thought, Zhao Cheng spent ten thousand years of lifespan to forge a Treasure Halberd.

The moment it entered his hand, he could feel the difference from the precision-cast halberd.

It wasn't as imposing or fierce as the Painted Halberd, that divine weapon.

But its surface was also covered in cloud patterns, and light shimmered across it. It could slice through iron as easily as mud.

Then Zhao Cheng spent another seven thousand years cultivating, filling all ten major acupoints with Jade Liquid True Essence.

Every gesture brought the sound of wind and thunder. He could kill a dragon-elephant with a casual swing!

The next day, the Qin Army set out and attacked Wan City.

Zhao Cheng stood atop the city wall, halberd in hand, gazing toward Wan City. The fierce wind howled, beating against his Gilded Scale Armor and sweeping his hair back, making him look even more heroic.

The Qin soldiers below gazed up at him from afar as if he were a god, their morale soaring.

The rear hall of Zhangtai Palace.

Ying Zheng sat behind his desk. For once, he wasn't handling documents. He stared at the palace gates, lost in thought.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.

He saw Dun Ruo enter the hall at a brisk pace with several Black Ice Terrace secret agents. They bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I've brought back Zhao Cheng's life history and background."

Ying Zheng's expression remained unchanged. "Present it."

Dun Ruo stepped forward and presented the compiled intelligence.

Ying Zheng took the report and casually set it on his desk.

"That's all. You may leave."

"Yes."

Dun Ruo secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He lowered his head and began backing toward the hall doors.

But Ying Zheng suddenly spoke again. "Dun Ruo, stay."

Dun Ruo went rigid all over and obediently waited below the dais.

Ying Zheng handled some other documents for a while, then opened the report on Zhao Cheng.

"Zhao Cheng was a resident of Huaiyang Village. His mother was Lady Zhang; his biological father is unknown. He was likely the son of a noble who drifted into Huaiyang Village..."

Ying Zheng's brow furrowed as he read. He looked at Dun Ruo and demanded, "I told you to investigate his life and background. How come you couldn't even identify his biological father?"

Dun Ruo braced himself, thinking, Here it comes!

A question that could cost me my life!

He knelt and answered respectfully, "While investigating, I discovered that this noble was no ordinary person. He was likely the descendant of a powerful Qin family, or perhaps a high-ranking noble who had earned his title through military service. The matter was handled with exceptional care, leaving not a single clue. I truly couldn't find out more."

Ying Zheng looked at Dun Ruo in silence, then suddenly smiled. "You're clever, I'll give you that."

Dun Ruo was alarmed. "I wouldn't dare presume to be clever, let alone deceive Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng smiled. "You knew the Qin Law was strict, and that this matter involved a noble. You were afraid I'd be put in a difficult position, so you simply stopped investigating. Is that right?"

Dun Ruo bowed until his forehead touched the ground. "I wouldn't dare. Your Majesty ordered me to investigate, and I would devote myself to the task and do everything in my power. I was simply unable to uncover more. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Enough. This isn't your fault. What punishment could there be?

"Back then, the situation within the Qin State was complicated. It wasn't unusual for powerful families to have illegitimate children.

"What's more, although that commoner woman was guilty of a crime, she did bear Zhao Cheng, a fierce warrior, for the Qin State. There's no need to pursue the matter against her."

"As for that noble..."

Ying Zheng's expression grew complicated. "He probably concealed the matter to repay the woman for saving his life. It's not a serious matter, so there's no need to investigate further. What matters most is the child's life and temperament. We need to see whether he's fit for great responsibility."

Dun Ruo felt as though a great weight had lifted from his shoulders. "Thank you, Your Majesty. However, Your Majesty, that woman died of illness three years ago."

Ying Zheng's gaze went distant for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

"I see..."

He said nothing more, lowering his head to read Zhao Cheng's life history.

The report was very detailed.

Ying Zheng read it carefully.

Between the lines, it was as if he could see that lonely boy growing up wild and free in the countryside.

He'd labored hard in the fields and raced recklessly through the hills, struggling to raise his little self to adulthood. Gradually, his extraordinary talent had begun to show...