"Yes!"
Chen Qingyu answered, then sat cross-legged and silently circulated his cultivation technique.
In an instant:
He could clearly sense a vast, mighty power pouring into him from nowhere, yet like rain nourishing all things in silence, it swiftly seeped into every limb and bone.
Driven by this power:
Beyond his original system of eighty-one martial meridians, which already formed a complete cycle, entirely new martial meridians began to emerge.
Atop a hundred-foot pole, he climbed another step!
Almost every breath, a complete martial meridian was formed and joined the new meridian system.
The entire system was constantly changing, making his True Qi surge and his blood boil as his presence soared without pause.
Only after a full quarter of an hour did his True Qi shudder one last time and settle:
Chen Qingyu examined his body internally and saw a hundred and eight martial meridians crisscrossing, exuding a hint of flawless perfection.
Amid the intersecting meridians:
Thirty-six stars shone brilliantly, studding the pitch-black depths of space.
He opened his eyes and saw the white-haired young man before him exhale a breath of turbid air, his expression slightly weary.
"Ancestor, are you all right?"
Chen Qingyu hurriedly asked, looking a little nervous.
"I'm fine."
The white-haired young man smiled faintly and waved a hand.
"If you slowly changed your foundation yourself, it would take at least six months to a year. Better for me to do it and save you considerable time."
"After all, with your talent, six months to a year would be enough for you to advance several major realms..."
As he spoke, a trace of amazement appeared in his eyes, and he could not help saying:
"I truly wonder just what sort of special physique you possess."
"Your cultivation actually grows automatically with every breath, seemingly without end. It truly defies comprehension..."
Chen Qingyu chuckled, playing dumb.
"I don't know either."
The white-haired young man did not suspect him and merely said:
"The stellar power here is too concentrated. For now, you shouldn't stay too long."
"After you leave, cultivate on your own. If you encounter any difficulties, ask your father. If even he cannot resolve them, come to the heavenly palace to find me."
At these words, Chen Qingyu asked in surprise:
"Ancestor, y-you aren't going back to sleep?"
Everyone in the Chen Clan knew that the ancestor cultivating in seclusion in the Floating Heavenly Palace actually spent most of his years asleep, slowing the depletion of his lifespan and standing guard over the Lineage's reserves.
This was much the same for any ancient sacred physique or age-old aristocratic clan.
"Hahaha..."
The white-haired young man laughed freely.
"I told you, your safety matters more than anything."
"Since I'm personally safeguarding your journey, these old bones of mine must hold on until you've grown."
Somewhat moved, Chen Qingyu bowed.
"Thank you, Ancestor."
"Go."
The white-haired young man smiled.
"The Taihao Limitless Ascension True Scripture records many True Qi martial techniques of the same lineage."
"Since you can cultivate automatically, you might as well study these martial techniques as early as possible in your spare time and build a firm foundation."
"Yes."
Chen Qingyu answered, then heard that familiar voice beside his ear again:
"If your talent for martial techniques is also extraordinary, another great opportunity awaits you once you reach the Blood Sea Realm."
"A great opportunity?"
Chen Qingyu's expression shifted at those words. Just as he was about to ask more, his vision blurred.
When he could see his surroundings clearly again, he was already outside the golden hall of the Floating Heavenly Palace.
Outside the golden hall, Chen Zhengxing looked him up and down, unable to hide his astonishment:
"Qingyu, did the ancestor personally change your foundation for you?"
"Yes."
Chen Qingyu nodded.
"The ancestor went to great trouble."
Chen Zhengxing sighed with emotion.
"Back then, I could only cultivate the Taihao Limitless Ascension True Scripture after reaching the Blood Sea Realm. It took me three whole years to change my foundation."
"If you wait until you reach the Golden Bridge Realm, you'll never have another chance to change your foundation."
Hearing this, Chen Qingyu blinked.
"So, Dad, you have eight-star talent?"
Chen Zhengxing smiled without answering, changing the subject instead:
"Let's head back."
"Uh..."
Chen Qingyu glanced at the system's main interface and asked quietly:
"Can I stay a little longer?"
In less than half an hour, the system would refresh his eligibility to sign in.
The system's sign-in locations refreshed every twelve double-hours, meaning he could sign in once a day.
Every sign-in granted different benefits.
Once a location's prize pool was exhausted, the next sign-in location would unlock.
However, even after its prize pool was exhausted, he could still sign in at the original location to strengthen his mastery of previously acquired divine abilities and spells, or improve the grade of magical treasures and divine objects.
"All right."
Chen Zhengxing glanced at him and said:
"This is a good chance to show you around the Floating Heavenly Palace and tell you the history of this vital stronghold of our Chen Clan."
"Great."
Chen Qingyu brightened and smiled.
With that:
Chen Zhengxing led Chen Qingyu around the inside and outside of the golden hall, introducing various histories and anecdotes along the way.
A little while later:
A crisp sound sprang into Chen Qingyu's mind:
Ding! Sign-in location [Floating Heavenly Palace] has refreshed!
Wonderful!
Delight crossed Chen Qingyu's face. Without another word, he silently called out:
System! I want to sign in!
Ding!
A crisp, pleasant notification rang out in Chen Qingyu's mind:
Host has signed in at [Floating Heavenly Palace] for the second time! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Art of Standing Upright Without a Shadow, one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Transformations!
Chen Qingyu froze for a moment:
Standing Upright Without a Shadow? Another of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Transformations?
He muttered inwardly, but had no time to examine it closely. He immediately raised his head and said:
"Dad, let's go back."
Chen Zhengxing paused, but asked no further questions. Abandoning his intention to keep strolling, he nodded. "All right."
A quarter of an hour later.
Only after returning to his little study did Chen Qingyu finally have time to examine his newly acquired divine ability.
The Art of Standing Upright Without a Shadow!
Taken literally, it meant standing in sunlight without casting a shadow.
It seemed like nothing more than a simple little trick.
In truth, however, this was a wondrous divine ability that rendered the body insubstantial and concealed it without form, countless times more profound than ordinary invisibility spells.
Let me try it.
Quite excited, Chen Qingyu immediately stood and opened the study window, letting the sunlight stream in.
After deliberately choosing his angle, he immediately willed it into action:
Standing Upright Without a Shadow!
In an instant:
A miraculous sight appeared:
The rays of sunlight streaming inside actually passed straight through his body.
Countless specks of dust could be seen drifting up and down in the sunlight, but where it fell upon the floor, Chen Yu's shadow was gone.
This effect...
Chen Qingyu's expression shifted, and he quickly examined himself.
After he activated Standing Upright Without a Shadow, outside light passed straight through his body, effectively keeping him within a field of invisibility at all times.
He could see others clearly, but others could not see him.
Not bad. Even its current effect rivals an invisibility spell.
Among the Four Physical Body Realms, such a wondrous spell should be exceedingly rare throughout the world.
Chen Qingyu nodded in satisfaction.
The might of divine abilities and spells would continually improve along with his cultivation.
His cultivation was currently at the Aperture Opening Realm, so Standing Upright Without a Shadow could only make him invisible; it could not conceal his scent, sounds, body temperature, and so on.
One step further:
He would be able to completely shut out external influences. So long as no one touched him, they would hardly be able to sense his existence.
Ultimately, he could even render his body insubstantial, passing through walls and burrowing through the earth. No grand formations or magical restrictions could stop him, and nowhere under heaven would be beyond his reach.
After all, when cultivated to its ultimate extent, Standing Upright Without a Shadow was said to let one leap beyond the Three Realms and stand outside the Five Elements; leave no image in the ten directions and no trace in the six paths.
Excellent!
An excited smile appeared on Chen Qingyu's face.
After experimenting a little longer, he withdrew the divine ability and examined his body internally to check his cultivation.
Soon, he understood:
At this rate, I can awaken more than four hundred Earthly Acupoints in a day.
In other words, reaching the Blood Sea Realm will take only three days.