All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 220 Second-Class Qualification!

"Is this what a superior physical constitution is?"

Zhou Qing was somewhat dazed. He hadn't expected that his Gu Master aptitude hadn't improved yet, but instead, he had completely activated his bloodline power and awakened his super-grade root bone by using the Spirit-Subduing Gu.

He felt some changes happening in his body, both inside and out.

At this moment, more text prompts appeared in his field of vision.

[Ice-like Skin and Jade Bones: Achieving a superior bone structure through the use of the Spirit-Subduing Gu and the Ice Soul Spider bloodline, this allows for the maximum activation of the Ice Soul Spider's bloodline power, significantly enhancing physical defense. Cultivation speed for water, wood, and ice attribute martial arts is greatly increased. Your meridians are more resilient, and your blood and qi are purer; there will be no bottlenecks before breaking through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top. When breaking through major bottlenecks, the probability of being disturbed by inner demons is reduced.]

"There are no bottlenecks before the Three Flowers Gather at the Top. You just need to accumulate resources to cultivate to the twelve blood exchange stages as quickly as possible!"

Seeing the effect of the "ice-skin and jade-bone" skin, Zhou Qing's eyes lit up.

He cultivated various techniques and finally managed to raise his physical constitution to the superior level. With the help of the Wood Spirit Transformation Technique, his physical constitution was now comparable to the highest level.

Later, after mastering the Ice Fiend Gu, and with the help of the [Mysterious Ice Body] brought by the Ice Fiend Gu, when cultivating ice, water, and wood attribute techniques and martial arts, he gained an effect similar to that of a superb innate bone, but it was ultimately not a true superb innate bone, and he still had to continuously activate the Ice Fiend Gu.

Zhou Qing can still possess the Spirit-Subduing Gu for twenty years, and perhaps he can elevate his innate talent to the terrifying level of a spiritual body.

So-called spiritual beings are born with an extremely high affinity for the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

According to ancient texts, martial artists with spiritual bodies can cultivate smoothly all the way to the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, unless they die prematurely. They will only encounter a bottleneck when they attempt to break through to the Five Qi Gathering at the Origin.

However, even if there are bottlenecks, it is easier for them to break through than for most martial artists.

Moreover, possessing a spirit makes it easier to gather malevolent energy.

The Three Flowers Gather in the Cauldron, embodying the essence of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

The Five Elements converge to the origin, drawing in the five evil elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

High-level martial artists are in harmony with heaven and earth, and all great power returns to themselves, making them no less powerful than Gu Masters, and in some aspects even superior.

However, for Zhou Qing, both martial arts and Gu techniques are merely means of protecting his path.

Awakening his superior physical constitution now is a shortcut for him to reach higher levels.

In the past few months, he has cultivated to the point of perfecting the three blood exchange stages, but he is stuck at the bottleneck of the Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke Realm.

Although Zhou Qing had only been at the third stage of blood exchange for a short time and his cultivation speed was already extremely fast, he was not satisfied.

Now that the bottleneck is gone, the cultivation speed can be further improved.

Zhou Qing collected the demonic gu into his primordial aperture and nurtured it with his true essence.

Only one-tenth of the Ice Soul Mystic Spider's essence blood was used; the rest could be absorbed slowly, eventually improving both the Gu Master's and Martial Artist's aptitudes.

"This time, we've turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise."

Zhou Qing looked at the Spirit-Subduing Gu, whose color had faded considerably, and was in a good mood, but a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes.

If given the chance, Zhou Qing wouldn't mind avenging the two who intercepted the Spirit-Slaying Gu.

This unexpected blessing in disguise was simply because Zhou Qing had enough trump cards up his sleeve.

Otherwise, the spirit-summoning gu, which had been planned for years, would be like a useless chicken rib.

Both Wu Hongyang and Wu Xia are mid-stage second-tier Gu Masters, but their strength is unknown.

However, the fact that the two arrived riding on third-tier Heavenly Bull Gu indicates that they are highly regarded by the Second Ancestor and their strength should surpass that of Gu Masters of the same tier.

However, the true essence required for a third-tier combat-type Gu worm is too much.

A third-tier combat-type Gu worm can instantly drain a peak second-tier Gu master dry. Only a peak second-tier Gu master with first-class aptitude can barely activate it once.

This is the insurmountable gap between second-order and third-order systems.

As for the third-tier consumable Gu worms, they are not something that ordinary third-tier Gu masters can afford to use, let alone submit them to second-tier Gu masters.

Moreover, most third-tier consumable Gu worms contain the power of heaven and earth; once they erupt, the user may be the first to die.

Although the Heavenly Beetle Gu is a third-tier Gu worm, it doesn't have much combat power; its only advantage is its incredible speed.

"It's time to go back."

Zhou Qing gazed at the sky turning a pale white in the distance, put away the Gu worms, and quickly headed towards the direction of Bingyun Mountain Village.

By the time he returned to the mountain stronghold, it was already broad daylight.

After returning home and resting for a while, Zhou Qing began his next training session.

In just a few days, Zhou Qing naturally broke through to the fourth stage of blood exchange, reaching the Qi and Blood Smoke Realm, and his strength increased greatly.

That night, Zhou Qing left the mountain stronghold again and ran to the mountains and forests hundreds of miles away.

Buzz!

Zhou Qing stood in the forest, his blood and qi boiling intensely. Thick blood and qi gushed out from his skin and pores, eventually turning into a blood-red mist that rose into the sky and gathered above his head, forming a tangible blood-red mist that looked like a beacon fire from afar.

However, the inside of Zhou Qing's blood and qi smoke was tinged with purple, faintly condensing into a dragon shape.

Moreover, as Zhou Qing unleashed his full power, his qi and blood began to condense on his body surface, eventually turning into a translucent light purple qi shield with black smoke rising from it, making it look extremely eerie.

Zhou Qing came to a big tree, reached out and placed his hand on the trunk. The entire tree turned black, withered and turned to dust at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Is this the Poison Dragon True Qi?" Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened. He hadn't expected that he could successfully condense the Poison Dragon True Qi at the Qi and Blood Wolf Smoke Realm, and release the deadly poison stored in the Poison Dragon Blood Sac at any time.

Regardless of the attack and defense capabilities of this Poison Dragon True Qi, its instantaneous poison alone can catch most martial artists off guard, making it an excellent choice for sneak attacks.

His venomous dragon blood sac already possessed such power even before storing the deadly poison of the Heavenly Poison Insect.

If the Tiger Demon Tai Sui were to absorb the deadly poison of the Heavenly Poison Insect and then use the flesh of the Tai Sui to adapt to the poison, it would be hard to imagine how much its poison power would be enhanced, perhaps even rivaling that of a living Heavenly Poison Insect.

To test the changes in his strength, Zhou Qing released the Heavenly Fire Centipede.

"Crimson Flame, come on, let me see if you've improved lately."

Zhou Qing waved to Chi Yan.

"Hiss!" The Heavenly Fire Centipede hissed excitedly, its hundreds of legs moving in unison, its body beginning to condense fire-attribute true essence, and a violent stream of air gushed out.

clang!clang!clang!
Zhou Qing's body was covered with the True Qi of the Poison Dragon, and he used his physical strength to fight the Heavenly Fire Centipede hand-to-hand. Every punch landed squarely, causing the Heavenly Fire Centipede's carapace to tremble violently and leaving it dizzy and disoriented.

Zhou Qing felt his blood boiling. Compared to the fighting style of a Gu Master, the fighting style of a martial artist was more likely to make one's blood rush.

However, just as Zhou Qing felt his blood rushing to his head and he was extremely excited, a cool sensation appeared in his mind, calming him down from his state of agitation.

"Ice-like skin and jade-like bones, huh?" Zhou Qing came back to his senses and looked at the slightly dented fist mark on the Heavenly Fire Centipede's carapace. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't hold back. Didn't you eat? Is that all you've got?"

"Hiss—!" The Heavenly Fire Centipede raised its upper body high, and a large amount of true essence gathered in its mouth. The terrifying high temperature brought by the Heavenly True Fire caused the surrounding air to distort slightly.

Zhou Qing felt a chill run down his spine. The feeling of facing the Heavenly True Fire was completely different from when he was facing an enemy.

boom!
A highly condensed ball of true essence, resembling a giant fireball, shot out from the mouth of the Heavenly Fire Centipede. In an instant, it struck the Poison Dragon True Qi attached to Zhou Qing's body. Before he could even react, he was blasted away, crashing through seven or eight trees that were as thick as two people could hug before finally coming to a stop.

"You're serious!"

A large hole was punched into the front of the Poison Dragon True Qi, and Zhou Qing couldn't help but laugh and curse.

"Come again! Come again!"

In response to Zhou Qing's request, the Heavenly Fire Centipede arrived in an instant, its tail falling heavily like a long whip, smashing towards Zhou Qing's body.

boom!
With a deafening roar, Zhou Qing's body was blown more than ten meters away by the fierce wind.

"Rip!" He tore open his tattered sleeve and saw a clear red mark on his right arm, from which blood was seeping out.

"Now, I can fight against someone of the same level with just my physical body."

Zhou Qing smiled.

The Heavenly Fire Centipede absorbed a degenerated fire-attribute divine seed, making it one of the top-tier Gu worms in terms of both combat and defense.

Although it didn't use its full strength just now, it's still not something an ordinary martial artist at the Qi and Blood Smoke Realm could easily fool.

Even with their sharp feet, they couldn't break through Zhou Qing's defenses in one fell swoop. In a real battle, Zhou Qing would naturally not stand still and withstand the enemy's attacks head-on.

Moreover, Zhou Qing hadn't activated his bloodline power to release the Ice Soul Cold Qi in order to test the strength boost brought about by this breakthrough; otherwise, there wouldn't be any marks on his hands.

The terrifying defensive power brought by the Poison Dragon Golden Body technique alone is enough for Zhou Qing to stand out among his peers.

"Hi~"

Seeing that Zhou Qing was injured, the Heavenly Fire Centipede shrank its size, turning into a small centipede about a foot long, and crawled to Zhou Qing's trouser leg, rubbing against his body affectionately.

"You do have a good eye," Zhou Qing said with a laugh, reaching out to grab the Heavenly Fire Centipede.

"Have you changed?"

Zhou Qing stared at the Heavenly Fire Centipede in front of him, slightly taken aback. He noticed that the Heavenly Fire Centipede's color seemed to have changed, and its carapace was now gleaming with a ruddy luster.

He looked closely and realized that the Heavenly Fire Centipede had reached the edge of evolution.

[Refine: Heavenly Fire Centipede]

[Rank: Mid-grade Tier 2 (Can be evolved and combined)]

[Progress: Complete (755/800)]

"It seems that the degenerated fire-attribute divine seed fragment is a good match for you."

Zhou Qing murmured.

Thinking of this, he then checked the growth progress of the Ice Fiend Gu through the jade tablet.

[Refinement: Ice Fiend Gu]

[Rank: Mid-grade Tier 2 (Can be evolved and combined)]

[Progress: Complete (584/800)]

"It seems that the Ice Fiend Gu will need another six months or so to evolve. The Heavenly Fire Centipede may be able to evolve in the next few months."

Zhou Qing pondered to himself.

The Ice Fiend Gu only needs to be fed with the essence blood of the Ice Soul Mystic Spider. However, it is not fast at refining the essence blood of the Ice Soul Mystic Spider, and it also consumes a lot of spirit stones, so it needs time.

As for the Heavenly Fire Centipede, it may have been due to the degenerated divine seed taking effect that it surpassed others later on.

"It seems that once the Heavenly Fire Centipede evolves, I will have the means to return to the Southern Frontier."

Zhou Qing thought that if he could obtain a few more fragments of the degenerated divine seed, he might be able to allow the Heavenly Fire Centipede to reach the peak of the second tier as quickly as possible.

It has been almost a year and a half since he arrived at Bingyun Mountain Village.

"I wonder how Master and the others are doing, and what about Grandma and Qingqing?"

Zhou Qing thought of his old friends in Nanli County.

After obtaining the Spirit-Slaying Gu, his longing for home surged through him, and he recalled many things from the past.

"Let's talk about it after this period passes."

After a moment, Zhou Qing regained his composure. To be on the safe side, he decided to wait for the Ice Fiend Gu to evolve together before leaving Ice Cloud Village.

Two high-grade second-tier combat-type Gu worms, the Ice Fiend Gu can also amplify his bloodline power, and coupled with his Gu Dao cultivation, it should be enough for him to have the power to protect himself when facing a peak second-tier expert.

Moreover, his purpose in returning this time was only to pull Wei Sheng and the others out of the quagmire of the Five Poisons Sect, and he did not need to make enemies of a second-tier peak expert.

"If only we could get our hands on the Heavenly Beetle Gu."

Zhou Qing couldn't help but sigh. If he had a Tier 3 Heavenly Beetle Gu in hand, he could run away at any time if he encountered a strong enemy, unless he encountered a Tier 3 expert.

Unfortunately, Wu Hongyang and Wu Xia mostly stayed at Bingyun Mountain Village, and they always went out together.

Zhou Qing wouldn't make a move without absolute certainty.

At dawn, Zhou Qing returned to the mountain stronghold and remembered that the Four Flavors Wine Worms were running low on food. He went to the restaurant to buy some fine wine, only to find that all the good wines were sold out.

"Young Master Wu, please slow down!"

Just as Zhou Qing was about to leave, a familiar voice came from the second floor of the restaurant.

Several clansmen were seen surrounding a young Gu master, Wu Hongyang, who was drunk and unsteady on his feet.

The person beside him was supporting him, their face full of flattery.

This man had dark skin and an ugly appearance; he was none other than Wanqi Qingshi.

As soon as the group of people walked down the stairs, Wan Qiqing saw Zhou Qing standing in front of the counter. His smile froze for a moment. He nodded to Zhou Qing and then helped Wu Hongyang out of the restaurant.

Zhou Qing walked out of the restaurant, watched the backs of the group, and then turned and left.

However, to Zhou Qing's surprise, Wan Qiqing came to his door that very night.

"Zongzheng, I'm sorry, please don't blame me."

Wanqi Qingshi apologized to Zhou Qing as soon as he arrived.

"Why apologize?" Zhou Qing raised an eyebrow.

“I know, Wu Hongyang stole your spot to use the Spirit-Slaying Gu, so he has a grudge against you,” Wan Qiqingshi quickly said.

"This is nothing, let alone an enmity." Zhou Qing's tone was nonchalant. Although his relationship with Wan Qiqingshi had greatly improved after the trip to Fallen Immortal Valley, they were not exactly friends. He naturally wanted revenge, but he wouldn't talk about it.

"I only have third-class aptitude. Without a stroke of luck, I have no hope of breaking through to the third rank, and even the hope of breaking through to the second rank is slim. Wu Hongyang promised to give me a spot to enter the Golden Rainbow Path, so... I'm sorry!" Wan Qiqingshi apologized again, his expression somber.

"I only wish for the long-lasting prosperity of the Gu Dao." Zhou Qing smiled faintly, said nothing more, and turned to return home.

He didn't blame Wanqi Qingshi at all.

Because everyone's circumstances are different, some people have no choice.

Of course, Wanqi Qingshi might not be important to him.

"I hope this won't bother you," Zhou Qing said as she returned upstairs and gazed out from the railing.

If given the chance, he would not let Wu Hongyang and Wu Xia go.

As for whether it will affect Wanqi Qingshi's entry into Jin Hong Dao, that is none of his concern.

Half a year is neither a long nor a short time.

That night, Zhou Qing used the Spirit-Summoning Gu, which had restored some of his vitality.

This time, his Yuanqiao underwent a tremendous change. The calm lake of true essence rippled, and his true essence increased out of thin air. The true essence that had just exceeded half now rapidly occupied more than three-quarters of the area of ​​his Yuanqiao.

"Second-class qualification, done!"

Zhou Qing's eyes were filled with excitement.

(End of this chapter)