"Brother Chen has been in seclusion for three days and hasn't come out yet."
In the valley, Chu Xiaojing rested her chin on her hand, looked at the wooden house where Lu Qing was in seclusion, and sighed.
"It's only been three days. For us cultivators, even if we go into seclusion for ten or eight years, it's extremely common. You're too impulsive, girl."
Ye Qingzhu, who was meditating to the side, said indifferently.
“If we were cultivating outside, of course that would be the case, but we are in a secret realm now. Shouldn’t our main focus be on finding opportunities?”
Chu Xiaojing said, "I heard that in the past few days, in addition to those top forces, many other forces have also joined forces and successfully entered the tower. Even Gongshu Yu and the others have entered the tower. Isn't Brother Chen worried at all that the opportunities will be snatched up by others?"
“That means that in Fellow Daoist Chen’s heart, his current seclusion and cultivation are more important than the opportunities in the ancient pagoda,” Ye Qingzhu said calmly.
"But I never expected that Brother Chen would cause such a commotion that night. Not only did he hunt down nearly a hundred Golden Core level guardian beasts, but he also suppressed the combined forces of the Lan Hai Sect and the Xuan Yuan Sect all by himself. Just how strong is Brother Chen!"
At this moment, Chu Xiaojing exclaimed in surprise again.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingzhu's expression became somewhat dazed.
What Chu Xiaojing said was truly shocking.
Although she knew about it yesterday, she still feels like it's a dream.
In the past few days, they haven't just been hiding in the valley doing nothing; they've been going out to gather information.
But then we heard a lot of surprising news.
For example, many forces, seeing that they could not get past the strange beasts and enter the ancient tower, eventually chose to join forces.
Then, quite a few factions, after paying a considerable price, still managed to successfully break through the tower.
Even Gongshu Yu and his group, having joined forces with another powerful force, have already entered the ancient tower.
It was precisely because of this news that Chu Xiaojing became somewhat anxious.
She didn't mind if other people got the opportunity, but if it were someone from the Gongshu family, she would feel extremely unhappy just thinking about it.
What shocked them even more was the astonishing feat Lu Qing had accomplished at the ancient pagoda a few days earlier.
It turns out that on the night before his official seclusion, Lu Qing actually hunted down nearly a hundred guardian beasts at the ancient tower.
Later, Yu Dahai, a Golden Core Realm expert from the Lanhai Sect, led dozens of Golden Core Realm experts to block Lu Qing's path, but he was suppressed by Lu Qing.
Not only was Yu Dahai crippled by a single punch, but the others were also terrified.
In the end, they all begged for mercy and each offered a Golden Core Realm cultivation technique in exchange for Lu Qing showing mercy.
"Brother Chen suddenly went into seclusion. Is he trying to comprehend the Golden Core level cultivation techniques he just acquired? Senior Sister Ye, this time Brother Chen has really offended the Lan Hai Sect and Xuan Yuan Sect. Do you think he'll run into trouble after he goes out?"
Chu Xiaojing suddenly became a little worried.
“I don’t know either.” Ye Qingzhu shook her head. “However, Fellow Daoist Chen doesn’t seem like a reckless person. Since he did this, he must have his own confidence and is not afraid of those sects.”
"That's true. Brother Chen never talks about his lineage, but his background must be quite astonishing. I'm afraid the Lan Hai Sect and other sects can't do anything to him."
While Chu Xiaojing and Lu Qing were chatting, Lu Qing, whom they were talking about, was at a crucial point in his cultivation in the wooden house.
His eyes were closed, and an invisible aura emanated from him, causing the surrounding atmosphere to distort and even the space itself to tremble slightly.
A terrifying aura filled the entire wooden house. If Lu Qing hadn't set up an array to conceal his presence beforehand, everyone in the valley would have been alarmed.
"Is Aqing about to break through?"
Xiao Li had already shrunk into a corner.
The aura emanating from Lu Qing was not directed at it.
But its terrifying aura still made it instinctively stay away.
Xiao Li stared wide-eyed at the swirling, distorted aura surrounding Lu Qing, her eyes filled with both shock and anticipation.
For the past three days, it has watched as Lu Qing continuously refines the bloodline of the exotic beast.
After that, he refined at least seventy or eighty bloodlines, including most of the bloodlines of mid-stage Golden Core beasts.
Now, it seems that a breakthrough is finally on the horizon.
Lu Qing could naturally sense that Xiao Li had been forced into a corner by his aura, but he had no time to care about that.
After refining a large amount of the essence of witch blood, his physical strength finally reached its peak, breaking through the limit and beginning a true transformation.
Now, his physical body is undergoing an incredible transformation from its deepest level.
Every inch of flesh, bone, and even meridians and acupoints is transforming, becoming more vibrant and full of life.
This is not merely an increase in physical strength, but a complete transformation, a leap in life!
Such a dramatic transformation, when reflected outwards, meant that Lu Qing's life force alone could almost cause the surrounding space to tremble.
This physical transformation lasted for nearly an hour before it finally ended.
"What is the current state of my physical body?"
After the transformation was complete, Lu Qing also felt a little lost.
At this moment, his physical body was several times stronger than before he went into seclusion.
More importantly, the life force within his body has increased by more than ten times!
Lu Qing estimated that the life force within his body was now probably no less than that of the old dragon turtle in his hometown world.
You should know that the old dragon turtle was not only enormous, but its physical body was also at the Nascent Soul stage!
The life force within his body was incredibly powerful.
It is unbelievable that I can be compared to them.
"With my current vitality, even fatal injuries like a shattered heart or a broken skull could probably be healed instantly."
Lu Qing couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
"The most important thing is..."
Lu Qing activated his mind, and the perfect golden core within his body suddenly dissolved and merged into his physical body.
Then, Lu Qing's physical strength rose again, and the aura surrounding him suddenly surged.
Even the array he personally set up could not completely conceal this aura, and a trace of it leaked out.
Instantly, outside the wooden house, throughout the entire valley, all the disciples of the Qiankun Sect jumped up as if they had been pricked by a needle.
"What's going on?!"
"What kind of aura is this?!"
"Is there an enemy attack?!"
The disciples of the Qiankun Sect looked around nervously.
That sudden aura was truly terrifying.
In an instant, they all felt the shadow of death looming over them.
"What happened?"
Qin Zheng, who was cultivating in another wooden house, also emerged, his expression solemn.
However, what he saw was his junior brothers and sisters looking around in a panic.
Only Ye Qingzhu and Chu Xiaojing were looking at the wooden house where Lu Qing was in seclusion with suspicion and uncertainty.
"That aura just now seemed to be coming from Brother Chen's room," Chu Xiaojing said, somewhat uncertainly.
"Fellow Daoist Chen?"
Qin Zheng and the others immediately looked toward the wooden house where Lu Qing was in seclusion.
However, at this moment, the cabin was quiet again, and they could not sense anything.
Just as Qin Zheng and the others were at a loss for what to do.
The door to the wooden house suddenly opened.
Lu Qing carried Xiao Li and slowly walked out of the house.
"Fellow Daoist Chen!"
"Brother Chen!"
The disciples of the Qiankun Sect exclaimed in surprise.
"I am deeply grateful to all of you for protecting me these past few days," Lu Qing said with a smile.
Qin Zheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, that aura just now..."
"My cultivation just now had a slight breakthrough, which may have disturbed you all. I am truly sorry."
"So it was Fellow Daoist Chen. We thought there was an invasion from foreign enemies. It was a false alarm."
Qin Zheng and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
The aura just now was simply too terrifying; if an enemy were to attack, they would probably be unable to withstand it.
As for Lu Qing, they were actually more accepting of him after learning about the commotion he caused at the ancient pagoda a few days ago.
However, Lu Qing, whose strength was already unfathomable, has made another breakthrough. It's unimaginable how strong he must be now.
"It was my oversight that disturbed your cultivation," Lu Qing said apologetically.
"Not at all. Fellow Daoist Chen's breakthrough in cultivation is a joyous occasion. We should be the ones congratulating him," Qin Zheng said with a smile.
"It's just a minor breakthrough, nothing to mention," Lu Qing said modestly.
Although he was being modest, he was also reliving the scene from just now.
Just now, inside the house, he secretly tried to use the perfect golden core's formless and shapeless ability to gather and disperse at will, integrating the power of the golden core into his own physical body.
The result was as if a certain limit had been broken, and his physical strength soared to an extremely terrifying level.
The aura emanating from the physical body alone broke through the array's defenses and leaked out.
If he hadn't realized what was happening in time and concealed his aura, the entire formation would probably have been shattered, and the wooden house would have been destroyed.
After chatting for a while, everyone was quite happy about Lu Qing's emergence from seclusion.
After all, they already knew about the commotion Lu Qing had caused at the ancient pagoda in the past few days.
Furthermore, many forces outside now regard Lu Qing as one of the most terrifying figures in the secret realm, on par with top forces like Ba Tian and Shen Zangfeng.
Being around such beings greatly increases their safety.
"Brother Chen, now that you've emerged from seclusion, what are your plans for the future?" Chu Xiaojing suddenly asked.
"Judging from what Miss Chu is saying, could it be that something happened in the secret realm during my seclusion these past few days?"
Lu Qing asked with great interest.
"Yes, you don't know, in the past few days, many forces have joined forces and successfully entered the tower. I wonder if they have managed to seize any opportunities."
Even the Gongshu family members broke in.
"Oh, the Gongshu family has also entered the ancient tower?" Lu Qing was somewhat surprised. "With their strength, they shouldn't be able to get past those late-stage Golden Core beasts, right? Didn't they try to force you to join forces a while ago?"
"Gongshu Yu somehow persuaded the Cangming Sect to join forces and they eventually succeeded in breaking through the tower. However, I heard that they also paid a heavy price, with some clansmen and disciples perishing during the process."
Chu Xiaojing's tone was gloating.
Ever since she was tricked by the Gongshu family, resulting in the deaths of her senior brother Zhao Gang and the others, she wished that all the members of the Gongshu family would die in the secret realm.
"I see." Lu Qing nodded slightly.
Although he knew nothing about the Cangming Sect, since it was chosen by someone as proud and arrogant as Gongshu Yu to join forces, it must be a very powerful sect.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you also going to enter the ancient tower?" Qin Zheng asked at this moment.
"I do indeed have this plan," Lu Qing said frankly. "After all, we haven't found a way to leave this secret realm yet, so a trip to the ancient tower seems unavoidable."
Qin Zheng nodded, unsurprised. With Lu Qing's strength, it would be strange if he didn't want to challenge the tower.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, do you also wish to enter the ancient tower? If so, I would like to go in with you."
During this period of time, Lu Qing got along quite well with these Qiankun Sect disciples.
If Qin Zheng and his group want to enter the ancient tower, he wouldn't mind lending them a hand.
Upon hearing this, all the disciples of the Qiankun Sect had their eyes light up and looked at Qin Zheng.
With Lu Qing, a great expert, by their side, their chances of succeeding in breaking through the tower will be much higher.
However, to everyone's surprise, after pondering for a moment, Qin Zheng finally shook his head.
"Let's forget it, we're not planning on trying to climb the tower."
This surprised not only the disciples of the Qiankun Sect, but also Lu Qing.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, have you made your decision?"
"That's right." After saying that, Qin Zheng's expression became firm. "That's right, that ancient tower is extremely mysterious. There might be some extraordinary opportunities or treasures inside."
However, on the other hand, the greater the opportunity, the greater the danger may also be.
We are already unable to deal with the strange beasts guarding the outside of the tower, so I, Qin, really cannot imagine what other dangers might lurk inside.
Junior Brother Zhao Gang and the others have already perished. I don't want my fellow junior brothers and sisters to suffer the same fate.
Even if the opportunities within the ancient pagoda are great, they are beyond our reach.
Upon hearing their second senior brother's words, the Qiankun Sect disciples, who had initially been incredulous, gradually calmed down.
Then, they all felt that what the second senior brother said made a lot of sense.
Yes, they can't even handle the strange beasts guarding the tower outside, so who knows what kind of dangers lie inside?
If the dangers inside are even more terrifying than the guardian beasts outside the ancient tower, they would probably all perish inside.
Given the mystery surrounding the ancient pagoda, even Lu Qing might not be able to protect them completely.
After all, no matter how strong he was, he was only at the Golden Core Realm, while that ancient tower was clearly built by an unimaginably powerful being.
Thinking about this, the Qiankun Sect disciples who were initially somewhat resentful gradually felt relieved.
Seeing their expressions, Lu Qing smiled and looked at Qin Zheng with renewed respect.
In fact, most of the strong people in the dense forest understood what he said, but those who could truly resist such temptation and make a decision were truly worthy of respect.
"It seems you have already made your decisions."
"In the end, we were just too weak. There was a treasure trove right in front of us, but we didn't have the ability to seize the opportunity," Qin Zheng sighed.
Lu Qing's heart stirred slightly, and he suddenly smiled and said, "That's not necessarily true. We may not be able to obtain the opportunities in the ancient tower, but there are still other opportunities in this secret realm."
