Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

Chapter 441: Chapter 198: Primordial

CRACK! CRACKLE!

A continuous series of crisp cracks, like popping soybeans, echoed from within his body. In that instant, his muscles, bones, internal organs, marrow, and even his skin underwent a monumental transformation.

His skin grew smooth and resilient, shimmering with a faint, jade-like luster. It seemed less like a body of flesh and blood and more like something forged from precious jade.

Most peculiar of all, as the blood flowed through his veins, it carried faint wisps of golden light, suffused with an incredibly vibrant life force.

His internal organs were enveloped in a thin, barely perceptible golden halo, making them exceptionally robust.

Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes, a flash of golden lightning seeming to flicker and vanish in their depths.

He clenched his fist lightly. Without even using his True Astral, just the pure Power of his Flesh Body, the air around his knuckles erupted with a sonic boom!

’So this is the Mixed Element Realm...?’

He murmured to himself, his voice laced with a hint of incredulous shock.

With a thought, he straightened his fingers into a blade and swiped lightly across his other arm.

With the current strength of his Flesh Body, ordinary blades would struggle to harm him, yet this strike, infused with his own Gang Qi, still left a shallow white mark.

However, as he watched, the white mark faded and vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within two or three breaths, his arm was restored to its original state, as smooth as jade, as if it had never been harmed!

"Everlasting Life, rapid self-healing!"

A brilliant light shone in Chen Qing’s eyes.

This was one of the most significant traits of the *Eight Extremes Vajra Body* after reaching the Mixed Element Realm!

The Flesh Body achieved Primordial Unity, and his Life Force was immense. Ordinary injuries could heal almost instantly.

As long as an injury wasn’t instantly fatal, he could recover from it quickly.

This undoubtedly elevated his survivability and combat endurance by several orders of magnitude!

Moreover, he felt that his strength, speed, reflexes, the acuity of his five senses, and even his fine control over his body had all been elevated to a whole new level.

Now, with his Flesh Body alone, he could withstand the True Astral of an ordinary Early-stage Astral Force expert without a scratch!

After a long while, Chen Qing finally calmed himself and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The breath was focused and did not disperse, shooting out like a white, gaseous arrow for a foot before slowly dissipating.

Over the next few days, Chen Qing focused on consolidating his newly advanced Flesh Body, familiarizing himself with his surging Qi Blood Power and astonishing self-healing abilities. At the same time, he completely refined the remaining essence of the Ice Marrow Mushroom, which slightly improved his Cyan Wood and Kun Earth True Astrals.

During this time, news that the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect was recruiting geniuses from all over for training at Xu Wang Mountain spread like wildfire. Like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, it caused a massive uproar throughout the Jianghu of Yunlin Prefecture and even among the common folk, creating a huge sensation.

For the vast majority of ordinary martial artists and commoners, the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect was a legendary existence. It was an aloof power that ruled the Three Paths, completely beyond their reach on any normal day.

For it to now be openly selecting geniuses from all its subsidiary forces was undoubtedly an unprecedentedly grand event!

As the news continued to spread, discussions grew increasingly heated.

Throughout Yunlin Prefecture City, from the main streets to the back alleys, in teahouses and taverns, it was the sole topic of conversation.

"Have you heard? The Celestial Treasure Upper Sect is recruiting!"

"Xu Wang Mountain! That’s the very heart of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect! If you could get in, wouldn’t that be like ascending to the heavens in a single step?"

"Astral Force cultivators under forty, and Late-stage Embracing Pill cultivators under thirty... Heavens above, those requirements are too strict!"

"As expected of an Upper Sect. With requirements like that, no ordinary person could get in."

"In our Yunlin Prefecture, how many people could possibly qualify? Chief Chen Qing of the Wutai Sect must be one, right?"

"I hear Xiao Bieli of Cold Jade Valley is also on the verge of a breakthrough. And then there’s Qixia Manor... er, well, Qixia Manor can hardly fend for itself these days."

"But this means competing against geniuses from fifty other prefectures! If someone can distinguish themselves from that group, imagine their future! They’ll surely become a great figure renowned throughout the Three Paths!"

Awe, envy, longing, doubt... a mix of emotions swirled together, making this the hottest topic in Yunlin Prefecture.

Countless people speculated on just how many from their own prefecture would be selected, and how many of those could actually gain a foothold in the veritable lion’s den that was Xu Wang Mountain.

Within the Wutai Sect, discussions were just as rampant.

Shen Xiuyong, Chen Qing, Yan Yaoyang, Nie Shanshan, Li Lei, and Li Wang—the ones who had qualified and were preparing to go—naturally became the focus of every disciple’s attention.

Two days before their departure, Shi Ziyi and Fang Rui of the Xuanjia Sect arrived at the Wutai Sect.

The Xuanjia Sect’s Primordial Qi had been grievously wounded, and the masters Within the Sect were few and far between. Sect Leader Shi Kaishan had yet to recover from his severe injuries, and Elder Du Lingchuan also needed to recuperate. They simply could not spare enough people to escort them to Celestial Treasure City.

After discussions between the upper echelons of the two sects, it was decided that the pair would travel with the Wutai Sect’s contingent, allowing the groups to look out for one another.

Shi Ziyi and Fang Rui had extremely complicated feelings about this.

During the great competition between the four sects, they had been rivals. Now, after the Xuanjia Sect’s great disaster, they had to rely on the Wutai Sect for protection.

Both secretly resolved to seize this heaven-sent opportunity. They would do their best in Celestial Treasure City and strive to be chosen by Xu Wang Mountain, in the hopes of one day restoring the Xuanjia Sect’s prestige.

On the eve of his departure, Chen Qing once again visited the rear courtyard of the Cyan Wood Institute.

Li Baichuan was the same as always, his expression serene as he sat cross-legged on a cushion, as if the turmoil of the outside world had nothing to do with him.

"This disciple greets Master Li!"

Chen Qing cupped his fist in a salute. "I am set to depart tomorrow. Do you have any instructions for me, Master Li?"

As he spoke, he placed a bundle on the stone table. Inside was a thick stack of silver notes and some Treasure Medicines that were no longer of much use to him. They would be a hassle to carry, so he decided to present them to Li Baichuan as a gift of respect.