When Guo Xiaotian leaked the Day and Night Breathing Technique, he nearly died in Wolf Valley Pass.
If the experts from Yuanchu Mountain were to find out about a Cultivation Technique as powerful as the Qi Refining Art, both master and disciple would likely be doomed beyond recovery.
Even he had to be extremely careful when cultivating it, not daring to leak the slightest hint, or even tell Yan Zhen.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them. It was that one more person knowing meant another layer of danger—it could even cost someone their life.
"My master has said the same thing."
Yan Zhen nodded in deep agreement.
"Commander Wei is also stuck at the True Martial Realm, so he must feel the same way," Chu Lingguang said.
"My master is in the Qi Refining Realm," Yan Zhen corrected him.
Chu Lingguang felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, staring at Yan Zhen in disbelief.
"Well, half of one!" Yan Zhen amended.
Chu Lingguang stared blankly at Yan Zhen, hoping he would continue.
Yan Zhen let out a long sigh. "My master was able to break through not by relying on a cultivation method, but by obtaining a Qi Refining Pill from Yuanchu Mountain."
"He gathered intelligence on the Turkic army, saving the Court from immense losses, and only broke through a short while ago."
"He said that without a proper cultivation method to support him, he can only be considered to be in a Half-Step Qi Refining Realm. Ever since he broke through, he’s been in immense pain. He’s tasted the power of that level, yet he can’t take another step forward. He says his life’s journey ends here, forever standing at the threshold of the Qi Refining Realm."
"He told me that I must, no matter what, enter Yuanchu Mountain and obtain a proper cultivation method. I shouldn’t throw away every other opportunity for a single Qi Refining Pill."
Yan Zhen said, his eyes turning red.
Wei Yongguang, like Guo Wei, was a First Generation Grandmaster who treated Yan Zhen as his own son. Yan Zhen would not be where he was today without Wei Yongguang’s years of meticulous guidance.
"That’s so cruel of Yuanchu Mountain. They let your master taste the thrill of that power, only to lock him at the threshold and deny him any further progress. Anyone would go insane," Chu Lingguang said, filled with righteous indignation.
He knew that once you get a taste of something sweet, you’ll do anything to get a second bite. One could only imagine the torment of seeing that second bite right in front of you, yet never being able to reach it.
Yuanchu Mountain used these very tactics to control people, dangling the prize just out of reach to make them do everything in their power to serve the sect in exchange for a cultivation method.
Chu Lingguang felt that not only the Great Yuan Dynasty but the entire world was being manipulated by Yuanchu Mountain and the Demon Sect. Everyone was just a puppet on their strings.
"My master has now placed all his hopes on me. He isn’t asking me to help him take another step, but only that one day, I can let him feel the true power of a Qi Refining Realm expert," Yan Zhen said, clenching his fists.
Both he and Chu Lingguang knew how wicked Yuanchu Mountain was, but the cultivation methods were in their hands. To advance, one had to play by their rules, passing test after test until the sect was satisfied. Only then was there a chance to enter Yuanchu Mountain and cultivate.
"Wouldn’t it be great if someone leaked a Qi Refining Realm cultivation method for the entire world to see?" Chu Lingguang mused, feigning a daydream.
"Yuanchu Mountain would probably slaughter everyone in the world and destroy that Cultivation Technique before anyone could successfully cultivate it," Yan Zhen replied without a second thought.
Wei Yongguang was the Commander of the Imperial Guard. Having become a Half-Step Qi Refining Realm expert with the help of a Qi Refining Pill, his high-ranking and powerful position meant he knew many secrets.
Since Yan Zhen had been by his side for years, he naturally learned things that Chu Lingguang didn’t know.
Hearing this, Chu Lingguang broke out in a cold sweat.
To be honest, it wasn’t that Chu Lingguang had some grand ambition in leaking a cultivation technique for the world to use. He simply wanted to see Yuanchu Mountain fly into a rage.
He’d never imagined people could be so depraved.
’Annihilate everyone in the world! What a monstrous sin that would be.’
He shuddered, recalling Guo Wei’s words: no matter how the Court changed or how many dynasties rose and fell, Yuanchu Mountain always endured.
He had always assumed Yuanchu Mountain’s longevity was due to it being transcendent and untainted by worldly affairs.
That was until his cultivation reached the True Martial Realm.
Until he saw Eunuch Liu guarding Black Bear Island day and night just so Xuanyuan Jinkang could enter Yuanchu Mountain.
Until he saw the hopeful look in Liu Ziyun’s eyes.
Until he saw the gray at Guo Wei’s temples and realized that despite having the talent to reach a higher level, his master was left frustrated and unfulfilled due to the lack of a proper cultivation method.
...
Only then did Chu Lingguang’s view of Yuanchu Mountain change.
It felt like a hand pressing down on everyone’s heads, blocking their paths and suffocating them.
"The world has never been fair. Don’t let it consume you with hatred. Perhaps one day, if we can enter Yuanchu Mountain, we can change things."
Yan Zhen noticed the shift in Chu Lingguang’s mood and offered a comforting smile.
Chu Lingguang froze.
’A true hero makes the most of his youth.’ Chu Lingguang had thought about confronting Yuanchu Mountain, changing the status quo, and seeing the sect’s panicked reaction.
Yan Zhen was a favored prodigy with lofty ambitions, a true hero of the Great Yuan. Confronted with such injustice, his desire for change must burn even brighter than Chu Lingguang’s.
Perhaps his desperate drive to achieve great things wasn’t just about entering Yuanchu Mountain to cultivate and experience the power of a higher realm. Perhaps he wanted to change the world with his own strength.
Chu Lingguang might not have believed it coming from anyone else.
But hearing it from Yan Zhen, he was filled with solemn respect. Not everyone in this world would bow to Yuanchu Mountain; Yan Zhen was proof of that.
"We have to get into Yuanchu Mountain to cultivate as soon as possible. Only when we have enough power of our own can we make this world of cultivation a little fairer," Yan Zhen said, patting Chu Lingguang’s shoulder.
From Chu Lingguang’s indignant expression, he could easily tell that Chu Lingguang was also a man with ideals.
"Right. If you can’t beat them, join them," Chu Lingguang said with a nod.
Yan Zhen frowned. There was something off about Chu Lingguang’s words, but after a moment’s thought, he realized he was right. He felt the same way.
’I hope that one day, I can teach you the Qi Refining Art,’ Chu Lingguang thought to himself.
He desperately wished a prodigy like Yan Zhen could cultivate the Qi Refining Art alongside him. They could break through the True Martial Realm, enter the Qi Refining Realm, and explore the profundities of the art together.
But alas, Yuanchu Mountain was too powerful.
Chu Lingguang didn’t want to endanger Yan Zhen.
He was certain Yan Zhen would enter Yuanchu Mountain to cultivate, perhaps even before he did.
"Spiritual Qi?"
While Yan Zhen was recuperating at Wolf Valley Pass, Chu Lingguang took him down into the mines the next day to experience the abundant Spiritual Qi.
Without having mastered the Qi Refining Art, Yan Zhen couldn’t yet refine Spiritual Qi into Spiritual Power. However, just like Lin Shirong, he could absorb the Spiritual Qi to strengthen his Qi Sea Power.
It also had a healing effect on his body.
’Even without a Qi Refining Realm cultivation method, ordinary people can absorb Spiritual Qi and strengthen their Qi Sea. Perhaps the True Qi in the Qi Sea really can be purified by the Qi Refining Art, just as it can be strengthened by absorbing Spiritual Qi... just as I thought.’ A realization dawned on Chu Lingguang.
The abundant Spiritual Qi allowed Yan Zhen’s injuries to heal completely in a remarkably short time.
He opened the Mental Realm map.
Chu Lingguang saw that Yan Zhen only had two hundred ninety-seven responses left to awaken. He had already awakened sixty-six, which had formed three streams of power.
As for himself, he had awakened thirty-nine responses, but they had formed a single Qi Vortex Power. In terms of raw strength, Chu Lingguang’s one stream of power was even stronger than two of Yan Zhen’s combined.
This was because he had awakened more responses simultaneously.
Still, he was amazed that Yan Zhen had managed to awaken so many more responses than him.
After all, Chu Lingguang’s stats for the Mental Realm Evolution Method had already reached Perfection, as had his Great Cang Heart Method. While his innate aptitude might not match Yan Zhen’s, he had always thought that with the help of Favor Points, he would one day surpass him. He never expected that to be just wishful thinking.
He had even thought that Qin Yu and Yan Zhen combined wouldn’t be his match. But Yan Zhen was as formidable as ever, always one step ahead.
"My master helped me."
"After he broke through, he helped me awaken three streams of power in quick succession," Yan Zhen said with a smile.
"Oh."
Chu Lingguang hadn’t expected that. He felt a little better.
All meetings must eventually come to an end.
「Ten days later.」 Yan Zhen left Wolf Valley Pass. He planned to return to the Hundred Thousand Mountains to continue his search for Andenuk. If he couldn’t find him, he would slay more demons or venture alone into Turkic territory to disrupt their troop formations.
As detestable as Yuanchu Mountain was, it remained his only path to advancement.
It was just as Chu Lingguang had said: if you can’t beat them, join them.
After Yan Zhen left, Chu Lingguang focused on refining his Dantian True Qi Power. He hoped to convert it into Spiritual Power and slowly achieve a breakthrough through his own efforts.