"This is... the Cold Spiritual Qi?!"
Gu Chen was horrified!
Soon, it turned into ecstasy!
The Cold Spiritual Qi, as the name suggests, is an extremely cold spiritual energy!
The universe is full of spiritual energy, which is an essential path for martial artists and cultivators to cultivate! This spiritual energy is actually divided into many kinds, such as blazing flame spiritual energy, water-based spiritual energy, thundercloud spiritual energy... Any element that can be born in nature can become an independent kind of spiritual energy! On Gu Chen's former Heavenly Nether Star, there were also some ghost cultivators who needed spiritual energy for their cultivation, and even more so, corpse energy!
Earth is a land in the end of Dharma, where spiritual energy is so thin that Gu Chen cannot advance his cultivation quickly, even though he was once Divine Emperor and can only proceed step by step.
Gu Chen never expected to see the Cold Spiritual Qi in Zhao Haiqing!
This is absolutely a fantastic surprise!
You should know that the "Heaven and Earth Creation Art" he cultivates is an ice and water attribute technique! Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to cultivate in water for his first time after being reborn!
"The Cold Spiritual Qi stored within this Jade Guanyin is enough to allow me to cultivate to at least the Middle Revolving Illumination Realm, or even more!!"
Gu Chen's joy quickly subsided, and another thought popped into his mind.
"Since this Jade Guanyin is so precious, even martial artists can sense its difference. It must have been left behind in the mortal world by some martial arts family in the Shangjing. However, they probably don't know how to utilize its spiritual energy, which is why they're not in a hurry."
For anyone, the spiritual energy of this Jade Guanyin is priceless, but the fact that the family that forced Zhao Haiqing was so unhurried made Gu Chen realize the backwardness of Earth's martial artists.
"Mr. Gu, do you have any leads?"
He noticed that Gu Chen had fallen silent after grasping the Jade Guanyin, and he felt extremely uneasy.
He couldn't glean any clues from Gu Chen's face, so he could only ask.
"It's nothing." Gu Chen said calmly, placing the Jade Guanyin back into the brocade box. The reluctance in his eyes vanished in an instant. He said, "It's just that this thing has some connection with me, so I looked at it a few more times."
"Origin?" Zhao Haiqing asked in surprise, "Could it be that Mr. Gu truly recognizes this item?"
"This should be a fine item to be placed in the main hall to ward off bad luck and impurities. It's exquisitely crafted and quite old," Gu Chen said. "Presumably, the family that wants this item also has an incredibly long history."
"That's true." Qi Ming nodded from the side and said, "If it weren't for Elder Gu family, they wouldn't have the ability to chase us all the way to Zhou City, make the Fierce Tiger Society submit, and even turn the assassins we hired against us."
"I just heard Brother Ming say that you, Boss Zhao, have also experienced health problems after acquiring this item?" Gu Chen turned to Zhao Haiqing and asked, "Did you keep it in your bedroom?"
"Yes." Zhao Haiqing nodded quickly and said in a deep voice, "I bought it on the black market because I liked the carving craftsmanship, so after returning to Zhou City, I placed it in my room."
"Is this discomfort due to feeling chilly? Are your hands and feet cold?"
"Yes."
"And sometimes when you dream, do you dream of floods or towering icebergs? You feel like you're actually in them, unable to pull yourself out?"
How did you know?
The look of astonishment on Zhao Haiqing's face deepened.
If what Gu Chen said earlier could be traced back to Qi Ming telling him, then this dream thing—which he had never told anyone—was something Gu Chen actually aware of!
Zhao Haiqing was shocked to believe Gu Chen's earlier statement about a "connection".
"I not only know that Boss Zhao dreamed about these things, but I also know that Boss Zhao's mentally unstable and his physical functions have been affected," Gu Chen said calmly. "Your shoulder, even after all this time, I could tell at a glance that it was affected by this thing."
Zhao Haiqing was immediately moved and said, "Mr. Gu, please enlighten me!"
"This is not something you can possess." Gu Chen pointed to the brocade box, shook his head, and said, "You cannot bear its fortune either."
Gu Chen was telling the truth. Zhao Haiqing was not a cultivator, but just an ordinary martial artist in the Bone-Forge Realm. This kind of Cold Spiritual Qi was something that even martial artists in the Revolving Illumination Realm might not be able to withstand; only cultivators could resist it.
"I'd like to send it back," Zhao Haiqing said with a wry smile, "But they don't want it now; they're determined to ruin me."
"That's not what I meant." Gu Chen shook his head and said, "I'm willing to help Boss Zhao take this thing away to save you from trouble."
"Oh?" Zhao Haiqing wasn't stupid. He looked at Gu Chen with suspicion, wondering if Gu Chen was the one who had been thinking about this thing.
"Just you wait and see."
Gu Chen didn't answer. Suddenly, he started circulating his True Qi within his body. Then, the "Heaven and Earth Creation Art" circulated throughout his body, flowing wildly through his meridians. Immediately, a hazy cloud of energy rose from his fingers, resembling icicles or water mist. Then, Gu Chen uttered the word "Swift," and with a flick of his finger, the mist struck the Jade Guanyin.
Clang, clang----
A buzzing sound filled the air, and when the two objects collided, they produced a metallic sound!
In an instant, ripples spread across the surface of the Jade Guanyin, encircling the brocade box, and began to freeze rapidly!
The cold air spread rapidly, and the ice blocks seeped out of the brocade box like ivy, not only covering the box but eventually turning the entire coffee table into an ice sculpture!
The whole process took less than five seconds!
This incredible scene was like magic, leaving Zhao Haiqing and Qi Ming completely stunned!
After all, no matter how powerful a martial artist is, they cannot use magic; they rely solely on cultivation techniques or hand-to-hand combat, at most using "qi"! But Gu Chen, by utilizing cultivation techniques and the Cold Spiritual Qi inherent in the Jade Guanyin, achieved such an effect!
Gu Chen's face turned pale, and he immediately stopped his practice!
"This is..."
Zhao Haiqing's mouth dropped open.
"This is the chilling energy affecting your body!" Gu Chen had just used magic, and now the power in his dantian seemed to be almost drained, but he endured it and said, "You saw how astonishing this chilling energy is after I activated it! But this is only the tip of the iceberg. If Boss Zhao still keeps it in the bedroom, you might suffer a qi deviation during your future cultivation! I'm keeping this for you only to save you from a disaster!"
"Mr. Gu, I was foolish!" Zhao Haiqing shuddered and immediately lowered his head, saying, "You judged me by my own petty standards. This thing was a death sentence for me. Since Mr. Gu is interested, please take it!"
"I won't take advantage of you!" Gu Chen took a few deep breaths to steady himself and said calmly, "Give me this gift, and I'll help you with anything you need!"
Qi Ming was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "Boss, I just saw Mr. Gu's skills. He's even better than your instructor, Wang Hu. That Viper was taken down by him in just two moves!"
Zhao Haiqing's face also lit up with joy. Putting aside Gu Chen's skills, just the incredible technique he just used made him feel that this deal was worthwhile!