Enlightenment by the Pond, a Great Surge in True Qi

The discussion at the academy quickly came to an end.

Liu Qingcang arranged for them to wait until the military camp sent back definite news before assigning disciples to leave the city on patrol.

After everyone left, Liu Meng was the first to seek out Chen Mu. He sidled up ingratiatingly and asked Chen Mu to look after him when they left the city.

Chen Mu neither agreed nor refused, merely responding with a few offhand words.

Just then, the bald Yuan Hong walked over.

Chen Mu immediately put on a serious expression, cupped his fists, and greeted him. "Third Senior Brother."

Who would have thought Yuan Hong would merely furrow his thick brows, give a faint grunt, then stride away, leaving Chen Mu with a gust of cold air.

Watching from the side, Liu Meng muttered inwardly, Looks like this Ninth Senior Brother isn't well liked in the sect either.

Chen Mu frowned for a moment, then shook his head.

Yuan Hong had been born into wealth and possessed formidable strength. Naturally, he did not think much of a junior butcher brother like him, who had entered the sect through opportunism.

Chen Mu did not care.

Just as he was about to ask Qin Tieya for help investigating A-Ning's whereabouts, Xiao Wenbin approached him of his own accord.

Chen Mu immediately cupped his fists again. "Greetings, Fifth Senior Brother."

As he spoke, he examined him from the corner of his eye. This Fifth Senior Brother appeared to be around forty.

He truly looked like a middle-aged scholar, refined and cultured, but unfortunately, his brows were weighed down and his face was full of worry.

Seeing Chen Mu cup his fists, he was not as cold as Yuan Hong. Instead, he sighed softly and said,

"Ninth Junior Brother, don't blame Third Brother for being high-spirited. His temper has always been poor, but he isn't a bad man."

Chen Mu was first taken aback, then shook his head with a smile. "What are you saying, Fifth Senior Brother? How could I keep such a trivial matter in mind?"

Taking the opportunity to draw closer, he added, "I'll still need much guidance from you in the future, Senior Brother."

Seeing that he spoke openly and did not seem like someone petty enough to hold grudges, Xiao Wenbin secretly nodded, gaining a little more approval for Chen Mu.

"Fine. Later, I'll make arrangements with Senior Brother Qin."

"When you leave the city, patrol several nearby villages. Do not approach those barbarians in the north. Treat it as a trip outside for training."

Seeing that he was considering matters for him, Chen Mu sincerely thanked him.

Xiao Wenbin waved a hand and left with that iron abacus tucked away.

When Chen Mu turned around, he discovered that Qin Tieya had already departed.

Liu Meng told him that Qin Tieya had gathered men and gone to the western docks. It seemed he was going to put pressure on the Red Whale Gang.

"Sorry for the trouble, but keep an eye on things for me. Let me know immediately if there's any news."

Naturally, Liu Meng had no objection and readily agreed.

After giving his instructions, Chen Mu had just breathed a sigh of relief when Liu Qingluo bounced over again.

"Little Junior Brother, don't just stand there! Father is looking for you!"

Now that they had grown familiar, her voice had become increasingly sweet. She did not stand on ceremony with Chen Mu, grabbing his sleeve and running off.

Hearing that Liu Qingcang had summoned him, Chen Mu knew that he likely wished to ask things that had been inconvenient to discuss earlier, when there had been too many people around.

He immediately followed Liu Qingluo swiftly into the inner courtyard.

It was far quieter here than outside.

A magnolia tree stood in the courtyard. Beneath it were a stone table and chairs, with a pond beside them.

Liu Qingcang had changed into a set of black martial attire. He sat beneath the tree, holding a book and reading through it.

When he saw Chen Mu arrive, he called out, "No need to be restrained, Ninth. Come sit."

How could Chen Mu truly dare to sit?

He stepped forward on his own initiative and poured his master a cup of warm wine, then asked, "May I ask why Master summoned me?"

Seeing how excessively cautious he was, Liu Qingcang could not help shaking his head.

Yet as if recalling something, he said blandly,

"It is nothing important. I merely wish to tell you a principle."

"No matter what your background was in the past, now that you have entered my sect—"

"—there is no need to keep that temperament of treading carefully at every turn."

"In the martial path, the first priority is one's disposition and bearing. If you cannot see through even this, you may find it difficult to achieve anything in the future."

These words startled Chen Mu.

He did not answer at once, instead pondering for a long while.

Thinking back to the time since he had transmigrated, the identity of a lowly registered commoner had always weighed upon him, while this unfamiliar foreign world had left him utterly in the dark.

Without realizing it, Chen Mu had truly developed the cautious temperament of calculating three steps ahead for every step he took.

No matter whom he faced, even A-Ning, he concealed countless secrets. He could be said to live every day in fear and unease.

Even now, after multiple fortuitous encounters and desperate battles that had nearly killed him, his strength had increased greatly.

Yet he still lacked even the slightest sense of security and never dared to open his heart when dealing with others.

Now that Liu Qingcang had exposed this directly, Chen Mu suddenly felt the knot of stifling resentment that had long coiled in his heart disperse into nothing.

His mind buzzed, and his thoughts became clear and transparent.

Even many places where he had been stuck during past martial practice naturally became clear to him.

"Hmm?"

Liu Qingcang had merely offered a casual pointer. He had not expected Chen Mu to suddenly settle his mind where he stood, as though he had entered some state of enlightenment.

At that moment, Chen Mu's qi and blood began surging on their own, while the Yin Extremity Profound Baleful Art started circulating rapidly without his control.

Every breath stirred visible ripples of cold air, while the strand of Profound Yin True Qi within his dantian rapidly grew stronger.

Liu Qingcang's gaze turned astonished. He could tell that Chen Mu also cultivated a profound inner art.

He had not expected this bargain disciple to possess both comprehension and fortune.

It was simply that this inner art appeared cold, shadowy, and profoundly baleful, its nature clashing with the fierce and domineering yang-based cultivation method passed down by the Azure Dragon Martial Academy.

Liu Qingcang's brows furrowed, then relaxed. He gently shook his head.

It seemed the matter of imparting the true transmission cultivation method would have to be postponed. For now, he would let Chen Mu temper his body.

With that thought, he immediately rose and gave an instruction to the side.

"Fine. Qingluo, keep watch over him."

"When he wakes, give him this copy of the 'Azure Dragon Body Tempering Method' first."

"Your father will personally make a trip to the east of the city. We will arrange the matter of leaving the city on patrol after I return."

Liu Qingluo had originally been waiting at the side, feeling bored.

She had not expected Chen Mu to improve his cultivation merely by listening to her adoptive father explain some principles.

She found it immensely strange. Not daring to disturb him, she propped up her little face and sat by the stone table to wait.

That wait lasted two hours.

Even Liu Qingluo's shoulders had gathered a layer of icy shards blown over by the frosty wind.

"Bastard! How dare you make your aunt wait this long!"

Puffing up her cheeks, she secretly clenched her fists. The cold wind made her shiver, and she angrily kicked away a small stone on the ground to vent her frustration.

Just then, the sound of wind around them suddenly fell still.

The air abruptly turned frigid.

A strand of cold Baleful Intent unexpectedly leaked from Chen Mu's body, surging through an area nearly ten meters wide.

In an instant, a layer of ice formed over the water along the pond's edge.

Liu Qingluo shuddered from the cold, a layer of white frost gathering even on her eyelashes. She sneezed on the spot, alarm filling her heart.

What was going on?

She looked around in uncertainty. When she turned back, she met Chen Mu's slowly opening eyes.

The moment their gazes met, her eyes instantly became unfocused. It was as though she saw stardust flowing within Chen Mu's dark, deep pupils, and she nearly grew dizzy.

"Little Senior Sister, what are you looking at?"

Chen Mu spoke at that moment.

Liu Qingluo snapped back to herself and realized she had actually been lost in thought while staring at this brat. Her face inexplicably reddened as she said in embarrassment and anger,

"Senior Sister is Senior Sister! Why did you add 'little'?"

After saying that, she stomped her foot hard.

"How annoying! The thing Father gave you is on the table! Go look at it yourself!"

After throwing out those words, she inexplicably felt flustered. Lifting her green skirt, she ran off in a flash.

Chen Mu found it rather baffling.

What kind of twisted habit did this brat have?

But soon afterward, he could no longer suppress the delight in his eyes.

After Liu Qingcang's guidance just now, his state of mind had become clear, his thoughts flowed freely, and the pent-up gloom in his chest had vanished.

In that brief moment, he had abruptly sensed the Yin Extremity Profound Baleful Art circulating on its own, at more than ten times the speed of his usual meditative circulation.

With every cycle through the heavenly circuit, a strand of Profound Yin True Qi gathered within his dantian.

After two such hours...

That wisp of true qi in his dantian, originally no thicker than an embroidery needle, had actually swollen to the thickness of his little finger!

Its increase was more than tenfold!

If he activated it and attached it to a blade or weapon to strike an enemy, its power would increase several times over!

Just as Chen Mu was thrilled and wanted to find somewhere to test how long his external true qi release could last now, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard.

"Ninth Senior Brother! There's news!"

Liu Meng tumbled in head over heels, panting so hard he could barely catch his breath.

"Senior Brother Qin has returned from the Red Whale Gang!"

"And the Patrol Office said that this morning, they saw an old woman with a sinister yin aura leaving the city northward with two young women!"

"Where? Say that again?!"

Chen Mu shot to his feet, a sharp gleam bursting from his eyes.

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