Chapter 394: Chapter 183: True Astral
Being able to communicate with the Heaven and Earth Bridge was already an unexpected delight, and the fact that her True Qi had been tempered was an even more tangible benefit. She was filled with anticipation for her next breakthrough.
Peng Zhen seemed to recall something and said, "Speaking of which, I heard yesterday that Junior Brother Tan’s prized disciple, Yan Yaoyang, also attempted a breakthrough. It seems... the result wasn’t as ideal as Shanshan’s. I heard he even struggled with the Energy Introduction stage and suffered a considerable loss."
A faint smile touched Chu Jinyun’s lips. "Shanshan, after all, once received a generous gift from the Sect Leader and consumed that drop of Three Hundred Years Earth Core Milk. Her Root Bone has been elevated to Nine Forms. When it comes to sensing the Heaven and Earth Bridge and guiding Primordial Qi to temper one’s Astral Force, the advantage of her Root Bone aptitude is naturally different."
"Indeed!"
Peng Zhen nodded emphatically. "The better one’s Root Bone, the higher their affinity with the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Communicating with the bridge and guiding Primordial Qi for tempering are both smoother and easier, so the probability of breaking through the bottleneck is naturally greater."
Although Yan Yaoyang’s Root Bone was also extraordinary, he was certainly at a disadvantage compared to Nie Shanshan’s enhanced Nine Forms Root Bone.
It could be said that the Three Hundred Years Earth Core Milk played an indispensable role in Nie Shanshan’s ability to perform Energy Introduction and benefit so greatly this time.
Peng Zhen stroked his beard, his eyes full of expectation. "Shanshan is exceptionally talented and has a stable temperament. I believe it’s highly likely that she will follow in Shen Xiuyong’s footsteps and become another young Astral Force expert in our Sect."
But Chu Jinyun gently shook her head. "Brother Peng, it’s too early to say such things. Although she has made some gains this time, her foundation still needs careful polishing, and her True Qi needs more time to settle and accumulate. Without a period of patient, grinding work, she cannot attempt a second breakthrough. And whether that second attempt will succeed is a complete unknown. How can we make such a bold claim so easily? After all, she hasn’t reached the Astral Force Realm yet. It’s simply too early to talk about this."
As the topic shifted, Peng Zhen suddenly thought of someone. "By the way, Senior Sister Chu," he asked, "I seem to recall that Chen Qing’s Root Bone... is it only Four Forms?"
Chu Jinyun pondered for a moment before nodding. "According to the cross-examination at the time, it was indeed Four Forms, without a doubt. I don’t know if he’s had any opportunities to consume a treasure to enhance his Root Bone since then. If he could raise it to Five or Six Forms, then given his fortuitous encounters and temperament, there might still be some hope for him."
Peng Zhen slowly shook his head, a trace of regret in his tone. "The disparity in Root Bone can usually be compensated for with resources and Elixirs to speed up one’s daily cultivation. But when it comes to the major bottleneck of a new Realm, it becomes a hard wall. With the foundation of a Four Forms Root Bone... trying to break through to the Astral Force Realm will be difficult!"
Chu Jinyun nodded slightly. "If he’s stuck at this bottleneck for several years, he’ll lose all his drive, and his future path..." She trailed off, but her meaning was clear.
As Astral Force experts, both of them were well aware of the crucial role Root Bone played when breaking through a bottleneck.
It was true that Chen Qing’s combat prowess was astonishing and his fortuitous encounters profound. However, the limitation of his Root Bone, especially when facing the chasm that was the Astral Force Realm, would likely become an insurmountable obstacle in his path.
His path to this breakthrough was destined to be far more arduous than that of Nie Shanshan or Yan Yaoyang.
.....
The upper echelons of the Wutai Sect were naturally paying close attention to the breakthrough attempts of their Core Disciples.
The successive failures of Nie Shanshan and Yan Yaoyang to reach the Astral Force Realm didn’t cause much of a stir within the Sect; in fact, it was considered normal.
They believed this failure was actually a valuable experience for the two, helping them accumulate insights, polish their foundations, and lay a more solid groundwork for their next attempt.
Besides, both were still young and had accumulated deep foundations. A single failure was nothing to be concerned about.
Inside the Quiet Chamber, Chen Qing was completely focused, his mind free of distractions.
With the Heaven and Earth Bridge open, the vast Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi continued to pour into his body, but it was no longer the violent torrent from the beginning. Instead, it had become a gentle, trickling stream that was far easier to control.
His entire Heart and Spirit was immersed in his Dantian Sea of Qi.
There, his Cyan Wood True Qi, once as vast as an ocean, was undergoing an astonishing transformation.
The process was not instantaneous.
The newly born wisp of Cyan Wood True Gang acted as a powerful core.
Chen Qing carefully guided the subsequent influx of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, along with his own Cyan Wood True Qi, to revolve around this core of True Gang, continuously compressing and tempering it.
It was a slow and meticulous process.
Each compression reduced the volume of the True Qi while causing a leap in its quality; each tempering was like forging away impurities, leaving behind only the purest essence.
The True Qi gradually became heavier and more condensed. Its color grew deeper, emitting a brilliant cyan luster that was like both jade and steel.
As the days passed, the Cyan Wood True Qi within Chen Qing’s Dantian visibly diminished. In its place, an increasingly vigorous mass of Cyan Wood True Gang grew.
「One month later.」
The figure sitting cross-legged in the Quiet Chamber suddenly trembled. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi that had gathered around him slowly dispersed, and everything returned to calm.
Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes. A sharp light flashed within them before being withdrawn.
He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air. It was so long and sustained that it created a nearly imperceptible cyan ripple in the air.
He looked inward at his Dantian and saw that within his Sea of Qi, the once vast, smoke-like ocean of Cyan Wood True Qi had vanished. In its place was a slowly flowing mass of cyan True Gang!
With just a slight movement of his intention, he could make the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi resonate with it.
"So this is Astral Force?"
Chen Qing slowly raised his right hand, his thoughts stirring.
In an instant, an incredibly condensed wisp of cyan True Gang emerged from his palm and hovered there silently.
This was completely different from the hazy, gaseous glow of externalized True Qi!
True Qi dissipates rapidly after leaving the body, its power plummeting. True Gang, however, can remain condensed without scattering, allowing for astonishingly powerful offense and defense outside the body!
At the same time, his Fate Plate panel also changed.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence: Success is Assured]
[Cyan Wood Eternal Spring Technique Fifth Layer: (1/10000)]
Chen Qing did not immediately emerge from his seclusion. Instead, he continued to cultivate in isolation to consolidate his new Realm.
「Another month later.」
He discovered a very practical problem.
The monthly Cultivation Resources the Sect supplied to Core Disciples, such as high-quality Truth Condensing Pills and Quenching Essence Pills, now had a minuscule effect on his cultivation of Cyan Wood True Gang. He could barely feel any increase in his progress.
Even the most effective resource, the Langya Pavilion’s Earth Core Milk Mist, while still able to speed up his Cultivation, was far less potent than it had been when he was in the Embrace Pill Realm.
However, its effect on his other four Heart Methods was still quite significant.
’So this is the normal cultivation speed for a Seven Forms Root Bone, even with [Heaven Rewards Diligence],’ Chen Qing mused.
Chen Qing didn’t feel discouraged. On the contrary, he was very clear-headed about the situation.
For an ordinary expert who had just broken through to the Astral Force Realm, spending several years, or even longer, to cultivate from the Early Stage to the Middle Stage was the norm.
’I should pay a visit to Master Li,’ Chen Qing thought.
After tidying himself up, Chen Qing made his way to the Cyan Wood Institute’s Transmission Square.
At this time of day, the square was usually teeming with disciples, but today it was strangely deserted.
Only a sparse handful of disciples were still present, making the vast square feel empty.
Chen Qing’s gaze swept across the square, but he didn’t see Yu Bao’Er or Luo Xinyi.
Slightly surprised, he beckoned to a nearby disciple who was practicing his forms.
The disciple’s name was Zhang Yuan. He was about eighteen or nineteen and had entered the Cyan Wood Institute from the Outer Courtyard a year ago. His aptitude wasn’t top-tier, but he was extremely hardworking in his daily Cultivation, so Chen Qing had a vague impression of him.
When Zhang Yuan saw the First Senior Brother summon him, he immediately stopped his practice and hurried over. "First Senior Brother," he said, bowing respectfully, "you’ve come out of seclusion! Do you have any instructions for me?"
Chen Qing nodded slightly. "Why is the Transmission Square so deserted today? And where did Yu Bao’Er and Luo Xinyi go?"
Zhang Yuan’s face immediately lit up with excitement. "First Senior Brother," he replied hurriedly, "word is that a special envoy from the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect has graced our Wutai Sect with his presence! Many of our martial brothers and sisters couldn’t help but run to the main gate to try and catch a glimpse of the Upper Sect’s envoy. Senior Sister Yu and Senior Sister Luo went with them."
Chen Qing’s heart skipped a beat. ’The Celestial Treasure Upper Sect!?’
He had previously heard the Sect Leader, He Yuzhou, mention that the Wutai Sect was required to present offerings to the Upper Sect. From this, he had a basic understanding of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect, knowing it to be a behemoth that ruled over the Three Paths.
But for a special envoy from the Upper Sect to personally visit the Wutai Sect was an extremely rare event.
In a normal year, the Upper Sect would simply receive its tribute as usual; it rarely dispatched envoys to personally visit its subordinate Sects.
’Why would an envoy come at a time like this?’
Chen Qing’s brow furrowed, his thoughts racing. ’Could it be related to that plan I heard about... the one to gather geniuses from the Hundred Sects for centralized training?’
The implications of this were enormous. If that was truly the reason for the visit, the entire power structure of Yunlin Prefecture, and by extension all its subordinate Sects, would likely be affected.
.....
