"My physical body and spiritual power have finally reached their peak once again."
Lu Qing felt the changes within his body and a surge of joy welled up inside him.
He had thought it would take a few more days for his physical body and soul power to reach perfection, but unexpectedly it happened several days earlier.
It seems that his insights last night were indeed very beneficial to him.
The refining of the Earth Spirit Orb was accelerated, and its nourishing effect on the user was further enhanced.
This allowed the physical and spiritual power, which would normally take several days to reach its limit again, to be perfected ahead of schedule.
He clenched his fist, without even activating his blood and qi, only using pure physical strength, yet a faint burst of air rang out from Lu Qing's palm.
"With my current strength, even without using the magic talisman and earth spirit pearl in my brow acupoint, I can defeat Mo Zhen, who has cultivated the Blood Demon Body, with just my physical strength."
People like that old woman from the Zheng family could be killed with a single punch.
Moreover, my cultivation methods are all complementary.
Now that my divine soul power has reached its limit again, the speed at which I refine the Earth Spirit Orb is also accelerating.
Before long, I will be able to completely refine this earth-element treasure.
At that time, our strength will be greatly enhanced once again.
Lu Qing felt a sense of complete freedom and surging physical power within his body, and he was very satisfied.
It was worth it for him to suppress his cultivation level for so long, resisting the temptation of the Innate Realm power and not breaking through.
The rewards are indeed substantial.
"Now that my physical body and soul power have both reached the limits of the acquired realm, it is time to prepare for a breakthrough."
After listening to Xuanjizi's account of the situation in Zhongzhou, Lu Qing also felt a sense of crisis.
Zhongzhou now seems to be under the control of the three from the Holy Mountain, but he knows that this is only temporary.
Once someone from another major sect has successfully comprehended that ancient cultivation method and entered a completely new realm.
When the balance is broken, there will inevitably be some turmoil.
Therefore, he decided that if he still had no clue about the mysterious opportunity after entering Zhongzhou, he would immediately find a place full of spiritual energy to go into seclusion and break through to the Innate Realm.
Lu Qing believed that his current foundation was, if not unprecedented, probably unparalleled in the world today.
With his accumulated experience, once he enters the Innate Realm, his strength will undoubtedly undergo an astonishing transformation.
In addition, he has many trump cards in his hand.
At that time, he might not even fear a top expert who has reached the peak of the Innate Realm.
The early perfection of his physical body and spiritual power put Lu Qing in a very good mood.
So much so that even Magu and the others could see the joy on his face while he was eating breakfast.
"Aqing, what happened to you? Why are you so happy?" the old doctor asked curiously.
"It's nothing, just some new insights into cultivation," Lu Qing said with a smile. "By the way, Master, last night I pondered the meaning behind the inscription on the city gate and discovered some interesting things."
"Oh, what is it?"
"Let's talk about that on the way," Lu Qing said, but didn't say it immediately.
The old doctor looked around and realized what was going on.
Indeed, the inn was crowded and noisy; there were two tables of diners not far from where they were having breakfast.
The inscription on the city gate has quite a history; if they were to actually discuss it here, it would likely attract attention.
"Let's finish breakfast and then get ready to set off. Magu has already asked the innkeeper; Qinglong Pass only opens once every seven days."
And they all start at Chen Shi (7-9 AM), and today happens to be the day they start. There's only half an hour left until Chen Shi.
Hearing that the checkpoint would open at Chenshi (7-9 AM), Lu Qing and the others sped up their eating.
After breakfast, everyone went back to their rooms to pack their things.
Soon, after everything was packed, and Lu Qing went to settle the room fee, Ma Gu had already harnessed the carriage.
Let's go.
Because horses were not allowed to run freely within Qinglong City, Ma Gu had no choice but to lead the carriage forward.
The old doctor and his companions also chose to walk, taking the opportunity to continue enjoying the magnificent scenery of Qinglong City.
The checkpoint leading to Zhongzhou was located in the west of the city. Lu Qing and his group walked and stopped, enjoying the scenery of the city as they went. They arrived in the west of the city just before the checkpoint opened.
"This is Qinglong Pass?"
When Lu Qing and his companions saw the legendary Qinglong Pass, they looked somewhat dazed.
Qinglong City was built along the river, and the western part of the city is close to the river.
Lu Qing could faintly hear the sound of the river flowing.
What stood before them was a massive city gate, about ten zhang wide and thirty or forty zhang high.
Above the city gate are the three huge characters: 【Qinglong Pass】.
These three characters, covered in decay, seem to have been eroded by wind and rain for thousands of years, and are full of ancient and profound meaning.
Although it lacks any martial spirit, the ancient connotations brought about by the passage of time are far more profound than the three words carved by the Martial Saint on the East Gate.
"This western gate is far more imposing and grand than the eastern gate leading into the city," Lu Qing exclaimed.
"Indeed, compared to this, this place is more like the main city gate."
Magu and the others nodded in agreement.
"So many people are going through customs together."
Wei Zian looked around and saw that there were at least a thousand people gathered in front of the checkpoint, waiting to leave.
Many people were in groups, looking like caravans, ranging from a dozen to nearly a hundred people.
Their carriage was parked here, completely inconspicuous.
However, this was exactly what Lu Qing wanted.
Their carriages were, after all, engraved with formations. Although he had now deactivated the formations, some runes on the carriages could still be seen if one looked closely.
If you happen to encounter someone knowledgeable, it might attract attention.
Although they are not afraid, they are about to enter the pass, so it is better to avoid trouble and keep a low profile.
"The city gate is about to open!"
Just as everyone was waiting, suddenly someone shouted, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Lu Qing also turned his gaze toward the city gate.
"ha!"
A series of loud shouts rang out, and on both sides of the city gate, more than twenty shirtless burly men gripped a huge winch, their blood surging and their faces flushed, as they laboriously turned the winch.
Boom! Boom!
As the winch turned, a crack appeared in the middle of the city gate, and the two gates slowly opened to the sides.
"Good heavens, even the doormen are martial artists at the Great Perfection of the Bone and Tendon Realm or above. No wonder the Azure Dragon Pass only opens once every seven days."
Lu Qing felt the burst of energy emanating from the burly men turning the winches and raised an eyebrow.
None of these dozens of burly men possessed martial arts cultivation levels below the Great Perfection of the Tendon and Bone Realm.
The most powerful ones have already achieved complete perfection in their Qi and blood, and are only a hair's breadth away from reaching the Inner Organ Realm.
Such a powerful person could easily live a very comfortable life in any small town in any of the major states.
They could build up a gang and live comfortably.
But here, they have to work as laborers to open the city gates.
The city at this pass truly possesses a profound historical foundation.
However, this city gate is indeed quite heavy; one can only imagine how much manpower and resources were used to build it.
With shouts and the efforts of the group of shirtless men, the city gate gradually opened to both sides.
At the same time, a wave of water vapor came from outside, and the sound of a huge rushing water flowed into the city in an instant.
"this......"
Sensing the abundant moisture, Lu Qing slightly opened his eyes.
He sensed a wealth of spiritual energy from the moisture.
After another quarter of an hour, the city gate was finally fully opened thanks to the efforts of the group of burly men.
At this moment, the burly men also looked somewhat tired, and they rested to the side, panting.
It's easy to imagine how much effort it took them to just open that city gate.
"The city gate is open. Those who wish to exit, please line up immediately, pay the gate fee, and then you may enter!"
A loud voice rang out.
As soon as the sound faded, the waiting people lined up in a fairly orderly fashion.
In the face of a large city like Qinglong City, no one dared to cause trouble; everyone was very law-abiding.
Lu Qing and the others also led their carriages and lined up at the back of the procession.
Because there were so many people trying to enter the country, they waited for almost an hour before finally arriving at the checkpoint.
"My lord, we must enter the pass!"
Magu stepped forward and smiled obsequiously at Wei Wu, who was sitting at a table writing something in a ledger on it.
“There are five people in total, plus a carriage,” Magu said politely.
The imposing man raised his head, glanced at Lu Qing and the others, lingered on Xiao Yan for a moment, and then looked at the carriage behind them.
Then he continued writing with his head down: "Five taels of silver per person for entry fee, children are exempt, one tael for the carriage, totaling twenty-one taels of silver."
"Yes, sir, this is the fee we paid."
Magoo handed over a money bag.
The imposing man took the money bag, paused for a moment, weighed it in his hand, then opened it and poured out two gleaming silver ingots.
Then he took out a silver ingot from his money bag, pinched off a corner, put the chipped ingot back into the money bag, and threw it back to Magu.
"I have always kept public and private matters separate and have never accepted any extra money. You may take the rest of the silver back."
Magu took the money bag, looking somewhat embarrassed.
However, he didn't dare to say anything more, and could only respectfully bow before putting away the money bag.
Upon seeing this scene, Lu Qing's eyes flickered slightly, and his gaze lingered on the imposing man for a few breaths without revealing any emotion.
After paying the entry fee, Lu Qing and his group began to leave the city.
When they crossed the city gate and arrived outside the city, they were once again stunned by the sight outside.
Outside the city gate was a huge platform that could hold ten thousand people at the same time, and below the platform was a mighty river.
A magnificent and wide, flat bridge connects the very front of the platform, spanning the great river and stretching almost to the horizon.
Looking down at the rushing, surging river and the massive bridge spanning it like a dragon.
Lu Qing couldn't help but marvel.
It truly lives up to its reputation as the "Number One Pass Under Heaven"—Qinglong Pass.
The miraculous scenery alone was enough to make him feel that the trip was worthwhile.
The senior doctors were also awestruck by the spectacular sight before them.
It took me a while to come to my senses.
"Indeed, the world is vast and full of wonders. I used to think I had a lot of experience, but now I realize I'm just a frog in a well," the old doctor sighed.
As for Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an, they were even more excited.
If they hadn't come to Zhongzhou with Lu Qing and the others, how could they have seen this breathtakingly magnificent scene before them?
"Master, let's go."
Seeing that most of the people ahead had already started to climb the bridge, Lu Qing gave a reminder.
The old doctor nodded, and the group began to walk forward.
Such a magnificent view naturally deserves to be fully appreciated.
Lu Qing and his group decided that it would be better to walk across the bridge.
So Magu continued pulling the carriage, while Lu Qing carried Xiao Yan as they walked towards the bridge.
As for Xiao Li, which has always hated water, it had already snuggled into Lu Qing's arms.
"Little Lian, once you arrive at the Xuanxin Sect, remember to cultivate diligently. If you can become a disciple of the Xuanxin Sect, that would be a meteoric rise to the top."
"It was thanks to the young master of the Ji family that I was able to scrape together enough money in advance to buy you a spot. You can't waste it."
"But Father, the Xuanxin Sect's disciple assessment is notoriously difficult. I've only just reached the Qi and Blood Realm Perfection stage, how could I possibly pass?"
"If you can't get through, go to your uncle. He's an outer elder of the Xuanxin Sect, he'll definitely have a way."
"But hasn't my uncle always disliked our family? How could he possibly help us?"
"No matter how much I hate you, you're still his niece. If it weren't for him, your mother wouldn't have died. If he dares not to help you, I'll personally take your mother's memorial tablet to him!"
Just as Lu Qing was about to step onto the bridge, he suddenly overheard this conversation.
One of the voices sounded somewhat familiar.
Looking back, I saw several people standing not far away. One of them, a middle-aged man, was earnestly giving instructions to a beautiful young woman.
And that middle-aged man, with graying temples, was none other than Hu Laosan, the city guard they had seen when they entered the city yesterday.
Seeing his daughter still stammering, Hu Laosan's face darkened, and he said in a low voice, "In short, remember this: you must try your best to join the Xuanxin Sect this time, understand? Otherwise, I will disown you as my daughter!"
"Father, don't be angry. I promise you. If I fail the test, I'll ask my uncle for help."
Seeing that Hu Laosan was angry, the girl quickly agreed.
Just remember that.
Hu Laosan's expression finally softened.
He then turned to the few people who had remained silent and said with a forced smile, "Brother Zheng, Brother Liu, Miss Wang, I entrust Xiaolian's safety to you."
This little girl is usually spoiled at home, so please forgive her if she acts spoiled on the way.
"Don't worry, Brother Hu. Since it was the Third Young Master of the Ji family who spoke up, and we happen to be going the same way, we will definitely get Miss Hu safely to the Xuanxin Sect..."
As they walked further and further away, and with the sound of the rushing water beneath their feet masking their voices, Lu Qing gradually lost track of what was being said.
However, he didn't seem to care much and continued carrying Xiaoyan forward. (End of Chapter)
