Qin De

Back at the martial arts hall's rear courtyard.

Although Cao Bing's family martial arts hall had not opened for more than five months, the signboard at the entrance still bore the hall's plaque.

Naturally, Cao Bing could not be bothered with such matters.

In Cao Bing's room, two servants poured heated water into the bath barrel, and he leaped inside.

Tonight, I must break through to the Houtian Late Stage! Cao Bing silently made up his mind.

In the Devouring Starry Sky World, Cao Bing's other body could cultivate the Tongtian Diagram without restraint. Although most of the three-colored Xiantian True Qi produced by the Tongtian Diagram was absorbed into his cells to strengthen his physical constitution, a considerable portion could still be guided into his meridians to enhance his internal cultivation.

In truth, the True Qi Cao Bing gained from cultivating the Tongtian Diagram grew much faster than that from the Flame Fire Art, and its quality was far better as well. After all, one was Houtian Internal Force, while the other was genuine Xiantian True Qi. Unfortunately, the Tongtian Diagram only contained 108 illustrated movements and lacked a method for circulating through the meridians, so he could only guide the Xiantian True Qi condensed by the Tongtian Diagram into the circulation method of the Flame Fire Art.

Otherwise, his cultivation would have progressed even faster. Even so, Cao Bing's body in the Devouring Starry Sky World had rapidly reached the Houtian Late Stage, and all of its cultivation had been converted into Xiantian True Qi.

I already broke through once over there. This time, it should be much easier here, right? Cao Bing thought.

It would be great if I could cultivate the Tongtian Diagram here too!

Cao Bing sighed, then cast the thought from his mind. The Tongtian Diagram could not be cultivated unless one had reached the external cultivation Xiantian realm. There was simply no changing that.

In the hot water, Cao Bing sat cross-legged, leaving only his head above the surface.

Cao Bing closed his eyes and focused for a while, adjusting his state of mind until it was as still as water before beginning to circulate the Flame Fire Art.

"Although the Yanhuo Jue is fire-attributed, this hot water does not affect me much. Instead, it stimulates the pores all over my body to expand, helping expel impurities. It can also soften my meridians to some extent, making circulation smoother and increasing my chances of breaking through."

Cao Bing pondered inwardly, but the True Qi moving through his meridians remained unhurried and steady. Rushing for quick success was the greatest taboo when attempting a breakthrough.

After the True Qi in Cao Bing's meridians completed six full cycles, his aura gradually grew denser.

"It's starting!"

Cao Bing's mind sank as he gradually accelerated the circulation of the Flame Fire Art. His aura began to soar again, and by the ninth cycle, it had reached its peak.

Pop!

With a soft sound, the aura that had risen to its limit burst apart, sending ripples spreading through the water around Cao Bing.

"Success!"

Cao Bing's eyes snapped open, and an irrepressible smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"It finally happened naturally. This body had been stuck at the Houtian Mid Stage for two or three years!"

"As expected, having experience and not having experience are completely different things." Cao Bing chuckled to himself.

In the Devouring Starry Sky World, even with the support of the Tongtian Diagram's Xiantian True Qi, Cao Bing had needed three full attempts before successfully reaching the Houtian Late Stage.

Here, he had no Xiantian True Qi, yet he succeeded on his first try by relying on the experience from his previous breakthrough.

Time passed quickly, and ten days went by.

Cao Bing changed his appearance again and arrived at the shore of a place called Mirror Moon Lake.

"Mr. Luo." Not long after Cao Bing appeared, the young man who had opened the door for him at the residence came to find him.

"Mr. Luo, Mr. Qin is waiting for you."

"Lead the way." Cao Bing spoke with an indifferent expression.

The young man did not mind. He turned and walked ahead.

Cao Bing followed him through several twists and turns before finally arriving beside a small pavilion in the woods.

With Cao Bing's eyesight, he immediately spotted the two figures in the pavilion, one seated and one standing.

The standing figure was none other than the Boss Huang he had seen before. Cao Bing did not recognize the seated man, but judging by his middle-aged appearance, expensive black robe, short beard, deep gaze, and commanding air, he was undoubtedly Qin De.

"Greetings, Prince Zhendong." Cao Bing cupped his fists.

"Boss Luo, it has been a long time. Just call me Mr. Qin," Qin De said unconcernedly, his eyes settling on Cao Bing's face.

"Mr. Qin. As expected of a man of great bearing—you dared come meet me without knowing my identity." Seeing Qin De put it that way, Cao Bing followed his lead. "But since Mr. Qin has come, Luo will be direct. I sought a meeting with you because I have a matter to discuss."

"May I ask what matter Mr. Luo wished to discuss with me?" Qin De's expression remained calm, showing not the slightest reaction to Cao Bing's earlier flattery.

"I heard that Mr. Qin's third son cannot cultivate internal cultivation and can only follow the path of external cultivation," Cao Bing said.

Qin De's heart abruptly tightened, but his expression remained unchanged. He gave a light laugh and said, "Mr. Luo has impressive methods. My disappointing third son is indeed practicing external cultivation."

"Difficult, isn't it?" Cao Bing asked.

"Hahaha, Mr. Luo must be joking. Since ancient times, who on the Qianlong Continent has not known that external cultivation is nothing but a dead end? Who has ever entered the Xiantian realm through it?" Qin De gave a bitter smile. "Mr. Luo did not come today merely to mock Qin, did you?"

"Of course not." Cao Bing shook his head with a chuckle, then looked at Qin De again. "What if I said that external cultivation is not a dead end? Its inheritance has merely been severed."

"What did you say?!" Qin De instantly lost his composure.

To Qin De, the person he felt most indebted to in his life was his third son. When he learned that his third son could not cultivate internal cultivation and had resolutely embarked upon the path of external cultivation, he had felt both pride and sorrow.

He was sorrowful because it was a dead road, a severed path. No matter how long one cultivated, one could only reach the Houtian Peak and could never cross into Xiantian. Now that Cao Bing had told him external cultivation was not a dead end, Qin De's feelings were easy to imagine.

"Mr. Qin, please remain calm." Cao Bing discreetly took a step back. The man before him was a Xiantian Great Perfection expert. Cao Bing had no confidence in facing him head-on; meeting him this time had already been an enormous risk.

"I lost my composure. But is what Mr. Luo just said true?" As expected of a formidable figure, Qin De quickly recognized his lapse and regained his composure.

"Naturally, it is true," Cao Bing answered with certainty.

"What method?" Qin De pressed.

"This is a vial of medicine. Its effect is not great, and it is nearly useless to Xiantian experts, but it can forcibly allow an external cultivation expert at the Houtian Peak to break through physically into Xiantian."

As he spoke, Cao Bing decisively drew a vial from his robes and made a shocking declaration.

Qin De's eyes immediately lit up, his gaze fixed tightly on the glass tube in Cao Bing's hand. Inside was a thumb-sized amount of pale green liquid.

"Mr. Luo, can you guarantee it?" Qin De forcibly suppressed his excitement and shifted his gaze away from the medicine. Otherwise, he truly could not guarantee that he would not try to seize it by force.

He did not yet know that his third son, Qin Yu, had already obtained a supreme treasure. Even without his help, Qin Yu would be able to break through into Xiantian on his own within two years.