Chapter 116: Chapter 96: Innate! Innate
"Alright, tonight then. Remember, don’t let any news of your breakthrough leak out. I will secretly stand guard for you outside the Military Preparation Camp tonight." Wu Kuang nodded, his expression very solemn.
"Thank you, Sir."
"Come, let me explain the process of breaking through to the Innate Realm in more detail. Remember, you must not..."
Inside the county office, Wu Kuang spoke in a low voice, sharing his insights on the Innate Realm. Although he hadn’t broken through himself, he had previously consulted Captain Nie about the matter.
His words weren’t without substance, and Chen Sheng listened intently.
.....
An hour later, Chen Sheng bid farewell to Wu Kuang. Clutching the rosewood box, he walked out of the county office with a steady gait.
Just as he exited the main gate, before he had even walked down the steps, the curtain of a seemingly ordinary carriage parked to the side was suddenly lifted by a slender, fair hand. It revealed a charming face, radiant yet tinged with a hint of melancholy reproach.
Her features were as exquisite as a painting, her eyes like brilliant stars. Who else could it be but Madam Yang?
Ever since that day at the Lin Mansion, Chen Sheng had made no effort to seek her out, as if their transaction was complete and they had simply gone their separate ways. For her part, Madam Yang was not quite willing to accept this.
She had even gone looking for him at the Military Preparation Camp, only to be politely turned away by Chen Sheng.
Left with no other choice, she could only resort to this seemingly clumsy, yet direct, method of waiting for him outside the county office.
Chen Sheng stopped in his tracks. He sized up the beautiful woman in the carriage, a resigned smile touching his lips.
’This Madam Yang... she’s certainly persistent.’
’To think she’d resort to ambushing me at the gate.’
After a moment’s hesitation, Chen Sheng boarded the carriage. A carefully prepared fragrance immediately assailed his senses, causing his heart to stir. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
’Madam Yang certainly came prepared.’
Aboard the carriage, the melancholy reproach in Madam Yang’s expression was almost tangible.
"Commander Chen, I’ve invited you several times, and you’ve refused me each time. Is it because you find me old and unattractive now?"
"You’re overthinking it, Madam. I have simply been focused on my cultivation lately."
Chen Sheng shook his head.
"Cultivation? I can help you with your cultivation, you know."
Madam Yang gave Chen Sheng a sidelong glance.
Her Three Yin Body wasn’t something that would be completely depleted after a single use. As long as she wasn’t ruthlessly exploited like a Furnace Cauldron, it could provide a continuous stream of benefits.
"In that case, I shall impose on you, Madam."
After a moment’s thought, Chen Sheng did not refuse this time.
Just as Madam Yang had said, her unique constitution was indeed helpful for cultivation. Although for him now, the benefit was negligible, it was still better than nothing.
Since the madam was so insistent, he naturally wouldn’t let her down.
"That’s more like it."
Only then did a satisfied, radiant smile appear on Madam Yang’s face.
She then added:
"My brother came to see me again yesterday. He brought up your marriage to Xueyao and wanted me to talk some sense into you. You... what do you really think? Have you truly lost interest in Xueyao?"
"What do you think, Madam?"
Chen Sheng didn’t answer directly, instead posing a question of his own.
"I think... it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing."
Madam Yang pursed her lips.
Of course, she wanted to have Chen Sheng all to herself, but she knew in her heart that her status made that impossible. Chen Sheng would never formally accept her into his household.
But if he took a roundabout path by marrying Yang Xueyao, then she could take advantage of the situation to...
"Aren’t you afraid of the gossip, Madam?"
Chen Sheng asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I came to terms with that long ago. No amount of idle gossip is more important than living my own life comfortably," Madam Yang said honestly.
"You certainly are open-minded, Madam. But there is no need to bring this up again."
’Although Yang Xueyao is good-looking, and there’s that bit of added appeal thanks to Gao Qiheng, it’s not like I’ve never seen a woman before. I’m not that desperate. To catch my eye, she would at least have to be useful to me.’
’As for looks...’
’It’s no exaggeration to say that with my current power and status, I could line them up and take my pick in Changshan County.’
"Very well. Then... where are we going now? Back to the Lin Mansion?"
Seeing Chen Sheng’s firm attitude, Madam Yang didn’t press the matter. She changed the subject, her voice tinged with a strange excitement. Ever since that one day, she had often found herself reliving the memory.
She even wanted to reenact it.
Chen Sheng gave her a slightly resigned look and shook his head.
"To the Military Preparation Camp."
’Things are different now. Before, I had a grudge against Lin Shou, so humiliating him was no big deal. But now that he has submitted and become an ally, I have to treat him with proper courtesy.’
"Alright."
Although Madam Yang was a little disappointed, she was still very happy.
After all, having been left wanting for many days, she was eagerly awaiting Commander Chen’s "exquisite instruction."
...
「Military Preparation Camp.」
Inside the main tent.
Chen Sheng sat cross-legged and expressionless on a meditation cushion. He was in a state of perfect mental clarity. A fierce "battle" had left him utterly exhausted, but it had also cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts, allowing him to enter the optimal state for cultivation.
After resting for only a moment, he plunged into his arduous cultivation.
Time flowed by. Half a day later...
Night gradually fell, shrouding the entire camp in silence.
The progress panel, at last, showed his progress had reached its peak.
[Six Extremes Golden Bell Technique - Initiate (100/100)]
’The breakthrough to the Innate Realm is now!’
Chen Sheng’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing in their depths as a powerful aura suddenly erupted from him.
With a jolt of his arms, his Cultivation Technique activated. A bronze luster rapidly spread from beneath his skin, covering his entire body in the blink of an eye. Seen from a distance, he resembled an exquisitely forged bronze statue.
His entire body radiated an aesthetic of pure power. His muscular contours stood out in sharp relief against his bronze skin; the lines were fluid, yet they hinted at immense explosive strength.
Turbulent qi and blood surged within him, faintly producing a deep, resonant tone like the tolling of a great bell.
BANG!
In that instant, the robes Chen Sheng wore, unable to withstand the sudden eruption of power, were torn to shreds. His half-bare body possessed an even greater aesthetic appeal.
Under the tent’s candlelight, the bronze sheen grew even more distinct.
Without hesitation, Chen Sheng consumed the Profound Organ Spiritual Liquid and the Vein Protection Pill. As the Spiritual Liquid entered him, a warm current immediately spread throughout his internal organs.
Then, Chen Sheng clenched his fist with sudden force. With a CRACK, two Elemental Crystals in his grasp turned to fine powder.
Immediately, the Six Extremes Golden Bell Technique began to circulate at high speed.
In an instant, Chen Sheng could feel the presence of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. He began to draw it into his body for tempering. This was considered the most difficult step, yet there was no trace of fear in his eyes.
’Draw!’
Chen Sheng abruptly flipped his palms upward.
The next moment, the pure Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi released from the shattered Elemental Crystals began to surge. Pulled by a powerful force of attraction, it gradually formed a colorless, formless vortex.
It spun continuously around Chen Sheng.
Using this as a catalyst, the sparse Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi from the surroundings was also roused, slowly being drawn toward Chen Sheng.
Then, Chen Sheng began to draw the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi into his body.
The instant the Primordial Qi entered his body...
Chen Sheng’s originally bronze-colored skin rapidly turned crimson. Steam rose from his entire body, shrouding him in a white mist, as if he had been cast into a furnace. Veins bulged on the surface of his skin like writhing earthworms, a truly ghastly sight.
The berserk Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi flowed through the acupoints all over his body, rapidly pouring into his limbs and bones and surging to every corner of his being.
A tearing pain instantly seared itself into his consciousness. The rampaging Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi felt like it was scraping his very bones, scouring his Meridians and running wild throughout his body.
This was the first trial one had to endure when breaking through to the Innate Realm, and also its most dangerous barrier: Energy Introduction and Body Tempering!
Only with such violent power could one thoroughly cleanse the physical body, open the Bridge of Heaven and Earth, and establish the Dantian.
In contrast, one’s ordinary, gentle Inner Breath was completely incapable of shaking that barrier. At most, it could only serve as a guiding force.
As the vortex of condensed Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi gradually expanded, Chen Sheng’s immense pull threw the entire tent into disarray. Even the tent fabric itself began to whip and flap violently in the wind.
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