Promise!

Chapter 250, triple

hum!
The Holy Spirit Pearl resonated with the Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade, causing it to float up and rotate above Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang respectively.

Immediately, both of them felt the difference. The Holy Spirit Pearl and the Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade acted like an amplifier, amplifying the spiritual power that they had released while practicing the Yin-Yang Union Technique, and naturally increasing their cultivation efficiency several times over.

If the efficiency of the two cultivating the Yin-Yang Union Technique was originally one, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit Pearl and the Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade, it has now increased to ten.

In this state, the two could no longer hide many secrets from each other and could directly and clearly perceive each other's mental strength.

Shangguan Yunchang was extremely shocked. Zhuang Jin's spiritual power was much stronger than hers. Spiritual power is the outward manifestation of the soul, which means that Zhuang Jin's soul strength is much stronger than hers!
But how is this possible? !
One of the most important criteria for aristocratic families in selecting the next head of the family is the strength of their soul. Only those with strong souls, exceeding a certain threshold for breaking through to the Yin God realm, will be given concentrated resources to cultivate and help them quickly pass through the Innate True Qi Realm and Gang Qi Realm, break through to the Innate Corpse Slaying Realm, and then attempt to break through to the Yin God Realm.

If your spiritual strength is insufficient, even if you break through to the Innate Realm, no matter how noble your status, you will be directly abandoned and will not be given many resources.

Shangguan Yunchang's own soul was not weak, exceeding that of ordinary innate martial artists by 20-30%, which was why she could become the next head of the family. However, Zhuang Jin's soul was much stronger than hers.
'If this person isn't cultivating the Black Fiend Technique, he probably has a better chance of reaching the Yin Spirit realm than I do.'

Shangguan Yunchang was shocked, then regretful, and then relieved.

Sensing these emotions, Zhuang Jin's expression turned somewhat strange: "Miss Shangguan, what are you thinking about?"

Only then did Miss Shangguan realize that in this state, the two could sense each other's emotions. However, Zhuang Jin's emotional fluctuations were not as great as hers; he was more simply curious and delighted with the "Yin Yang Union Technique."

—People usually express their thoughts and ideas through words. However, words can lie, but this mental energy is the most direct and real reaction. In this state, it is like being naked.

The two suppressed the strange feelings in their hearts, calmed their minds, and entered a state of pure cultivation, free from thoughts and desires.

Instantly, their respective spiritual powers seemed to transform into two poles, which, under the magnification of the Holy Spirit Pearl and the Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade, interfered with reality, forming a vortex in the center of the two, drawing on the power of the ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing Marrow. As it spun, it split into two streams, each entering the body to carry out the step of refining attributes.

……

Ten days later.

Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang sat cross-legged facing each other. The piece of ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing marrow in the center had visibly shrunk considerably, and the deep purple aura within it had become much fainter.

At this moment, the innate qi within the two bodies, having absorbed and condensed the energy of the ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing marrow, has been completely purified into innate ice qi. Due to its extremely high purity, it has already shown signs of the next realm ahead of schedule: crystallization!
Moreover, during this process, their mental strength has significantly increased, their aptitude has greatly improved, and their affinity for the energy of heaven and earth has increased dramatically. This means that from now on, their cultivation speed will be faster, and their path in martial arts will be much broader.

The only imperfection is that, at this point, while the condensation of attributes is almost complete, the ultimate ice attribute has not yet been condensed; it is just a little short.

In this kind of thing, even the slightest error can lead to a world of difference; that tiny difference can create an insurmountable chasm between one and the true ultimate attribute.

Even if the probability is increased again with the "Yin Yang Fu Shen Technique", it does not mean that it can be guaranteed that the ultimate attribute can be condensed. This special physique is extremely difficult to achieve.

'It seems there's no other way.'

Zhuang Jin sighed inwardly, circulated his cultivation technique, and began to break through to the third level of the Innate Qi Realm.

As he broke through the bottleneck of the third level of the Innate Qi Realm, the absorption of the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow, which was about to stop due to the saturation of their bodies, resumed at this time, and the vortex between the two suddenly expanded by another circle.

Shangguan Yunchang was initially disappointed and had considered giving up. However, upon sensing this change, she was surprised but also seized the opportunity and continued to practice the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Technique with Zhuang Jin.

This time, 99% of the energy absorbed by the two spiritual powers from the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow was absorbed by Zhuang Jin to break through his realm. Shangguan Yunchang's own body was nearly saturated, but in the process, she forcibly continued to absorb that last bit of energy to make up for the slight difference in condensing the ultimate attribute.

hum!
Here, in Zhuang Jin's dantian, as endless purple light spots surged in, the innate qi completely crystallized and was tinged with a rich purple hue, pure and bright, giving people a feeling of warmth yet seemingly containing extreme coldness, the two contradictory yet harmoniously unified.

The ultimate attribute—Ultimate Ice—is complete!

After tea time.

Zhuang Jin completely purified his innate purple energy and opened his eyes almost simultaneously with Shangguan Yunchang.

At this moment, the auras of the two intertwined, and the ice-attribute spiritual energy of the entire cave seemed to have met a king, humming and gathering, submitting, and the Xuanbing marrow of the entire cave was also slightly trembling.

Shangguan Yunchang's face lit up with joy, then she looked at her in surprise: "You've also condensed the ultimate attribute, and you've even broken through to the third level of the Innate Qi Realm in one fell swoop?"

"Indeed, I felt something and made a breakthrough."

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly, then wiped his hands together. Innate Qi surged in his hands, and a dazzling purple light extended from them, transforming into a solidified purple sword. Except for its color, it was exactly the same as the Ice Soul Divine Sword on his back, even down to the finest patterns.

This is precisely the mark of the third level of the Innate Qi Realm—Qi Transformation!
……

'At the third level of the Innate Qi Realm, he has surpassed Li Tingguan, Shen Tu Biao, and others, breaking through the Xuantian Division's blockade against Innate martial artists outside the three major families, and has gone a step further, exceeding the limits reached by ordinary Innate martial artists.'

Zhuang Jin thought to himself, then looked at Shangguan Yunchang: "Miss Shangguan, do you still stand by what you said before?"

"What?"

Shangguan Yunchang didn't react for a moment and subconsciously asked a question, but she quickly realized that it meant "as long as you beat her, the matter of marrying into the family" and immediately rolled her eyes: "How can you have the nerve to bully me, a mere second-level Innate Qi Realm cultivator, when you are only at the third level of the Innate Qi Realm?"

At this moment, although she has also condensed an ultimate attribute and can fight against opponents of higher levels, she cannot fight against someone with the same ultimate attribute as Zhuang Jin.

"Among those of the same realm, I admit that I would have little chance of defeating Miss Shangguan. Only when my realm surpasses that of another level do I feel somewhat confident."

Zhuang Jin readily admitted it, adding, "However, to be fair, although our cultivation levels are indeed one level apart, I broke through on my own merit. Is Miss Shangguan going to renege on her promise?"

"You, I... um?!"

Shangguan Yunchang looked at Zhuang Jin, and suddenly a thought struck her, and she began to seriously consider the question.

For a woman raised in an elite family like her, always maintaining rationality and weighing the pros and cons, she wouldn't exactly scoff at or believe in anything as unrealistic or delusional as love. But upon reflection, she suddenly realized that Zhuang Jin did seem somewhat suitable.

If she were to become the head of the Shangguan family in the next generation, she would not be able to marry out. According to the old custom, one of the three great families would be exchanged for her, which would be considered a semi-marriage-in. However, the other two families of the same generation did not think much of her.

As for Zhuang Jin, his own strength is... decent. In addition, considering his previous encounters with the Fire Phoenix and Ice Phoenix, as well as his communication and study of the "Yin Yang Fu Shen Technique," his appearance is slightly different. Well, he's barely acceptable.

Zhuang Jin himself, with the Holy Spirit Pearl in hand, has a chance to reach the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm.

As mentioned before, there are no more than one person in each of the three major families in Cangzhou City who have reached the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm. They are considered top-tier combatants below the Yin God level and are of great value to the families.

Zhuang Jin cultivates the Black Fiend Technique, so there's no need to worry about him breaking through to the Yin God Realm and turning the tables. He's truly someone you can trust.

—The probability of a martial artist who cultivates the Black Fiend Technique breaking through to the Yin God Realm is about one in several hundred billion, according to the statistics of the eight hundred years of the Great Qian Dynasty. Those few exceptional cases are either due to the immortals personally helping them when they were alive, or due to the martial artist obtaining great opportunities.

The former is impossible now, as that immortal has long since vanished without a trace. As for the latter, even a single Holy Spirit Pearl wouldn't be enough. Perhaps only a treasure hidden in the immortal's ruins containing a superior-grade Azure Origin Pot would have a slight chance, but how could that be possible?

Zhuang Jin was alerted by the Purple Kangaroo and dug into the Xuanbing Marrow, which was a coincidence. Normally, only Shangguan Yunchang should be able to come here.

In short, Zhuang Jin is indeed a very suitable candidate from all angles: he is pleasing to the eye, has self-worth, and poses no threat.

As for the issue of Black Fiend's offspring?

Although he had the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow to enhance his aptitude, Shangguan Yunchang thought that Zhuang Jin would be stuck at a certain level of the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm. When he was stuck at the bottleneck, his potential would no longer be continuously consumed. The family's foundation and various secret medicines, especially those that were effective for offspring, were abundant, so this was not a problem for her.

After careful consideration, Shangguan Yunchang realized that as long as she agreed, even getting past her family wouldn't be difficult, which was actually quite feasible.

“Once we both break through to the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm, I will become the designated head of the Shangguan family and have a certain say. You will also break through to the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm and have a certain weight in the eyes of the aristocratic families. If you haven’t changed your mind yet, you can give it a try.”

Shangguan Yunchang said this half-jokingly, but this attitude was almost an admission of guilt.

"Okay, then it's settled."

Zhuang Jin thought of his idea of ​​'having Shangguan Yunchang in the Suspended Heaven Division to shield him, and living off her to reach the Yin God Realm,' and immediately decided to settle the matter.

Looking at Zhuang Jin's shameless and even proud attitude, Shangguan Yunchang felt helpless and amused, but her mood also changed. After thinking for a moment, she instructed him: "Since you have no contact with the round table meeting, you should not get involved or participate in it in the future."

This single sentence reveals a great deal of information.

Clearly, the Suspended Heaven Division, the Shangguan family, and the Round Table Gathering are intricately connected. What's even more alarming is that Shangguan Yunchang actually knows that Zhuang Jin has no contact with the Round Table Gathering and is not among them. Does this mean that she also knows all the other members of the Round Table Gathering?

Since the Shangguan family and the Xuantian Division were aware of this, why didn't they intervene? What were they waiting for? Or rather, what did they want to do? What big fish were they trying to catch?
'really! ’

Zhuang Jin thought to himself, considering that his relationship with Shangguan Yun Chang was different now, and pressed on while the iron was hot, asking, "You three great families take turns in charge of the Suspended Sky Division. For the past ten years, it has been your Shangguan family's turn. Is the round table meeting related to your Shangguan family? Or is your Shangguan family the mastermind behind it all? As one of the candidates for the next family head, are you also deeply involved as a test?"

"Could the source of your painting be the Round Table Meeting?"

"Before the roundtable meeting, the Alliance, Feng Qingyin attacked the Cen family, resulting in more than ten deaths and injuries... I remember, our first meeting was at Tongfu Teahouse. That day, your attitude towards Cen Huakun... You didn't seem to like the Cen family very much, so, what's the reason behind this?"

"The Freemasons, who came before the Tongmenghui, were the ones I killed when I came out and ran into you. That can't be a coincidence, can it?"

"Furthermore, since the Sky-Piercing Commander's Plate can eavesdrop, when you challenged me to a duel that day, did you overhear something behind my back?"

Shangguan Yunchang didn't expect Zhuang Jin to be so perceptive, thinking of so much in just one sentence. She stared at Zhuang Jin without saying a word, her lips slightly pursed. Looking at this person's face, she felt so disgusted.
Zhuang Jin met Shangguan Yunchang's gaze and instantly understood what she meant—you know too much.

He felt that if he continued talking, this little vixen would become enraged and slash at him with her sword.

Of course, now that he has broken through to a higher level, Shangguan Yunchang is no match for him. However, he still keeps quiet.

Although Shangguan Yunchang did not answer, Zhuang Jin already had the answers to many questions in his heart at this moment.

After that, Zhuang Jin didn't tease or test her any further. Since Shangguan Yunchang didn't tell him some things on her own initiative, he felt it was better for him to pretend he didn't know. It's better to be ignorant than to be ignorant!

The two divided the treasures here and had already completed the step of refining attributes. Zhuang Jin had even broken through to the third level of the Innate Qi Realm, so it was indeed not advisable to stay here for long.

After communicating with Shangguan Yunchang, Zhuang Jin used a secret method to further refine the Holy Spirit Pearl. Then, he used a secret technique to prepare to absorb all the Xuanbing Marrow in the cave.

hum!
The Holy Spirit Pearl floated in mid-air, radiating rings of chaotic light patterns that enveloped the entire cave. Instantly, the Xuanbing Marrow of the cave emitted specks of energy light that surged in.

The Holy Spirit Orb accepts all such pure ice-attribute energy without reservation, absorbing and containing it without limit.

It contains ten attributes: Yin, Yang, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, and Ice. It is essentially a small world of energy, truly embodying the saying "Greatness lies in inclusiveness." Otherwise, it wouldn't be worthy of the title "Saint."

After a full incense stick's time, the Xuanbing Marrow, which had filled the entire cave, had its energy completely absorbed, lost its luster, and shattered and vanished in an instant, as if it had been weathered for countless years.

Instead, the Holy Spirit Pearl, which was originally a chaotic color, faded its color during this period and became as pure as ice. Then, it was stained with a mysterious purple aura. A lifelike ice phoenix circled around it, containing terrifying ice attribute energy, which was full of heavy pressure, making it feel as if a heavy stone had been placed on the hearts of these martial artists.

"receive!"

Zhuang Jin silently used a secret technique to make the Holy Spirit Pearl's radiance subside, the divine object concealing itself, and it spun smoothly into his hand before he put it away and left with Shangguan Yunchang.

……

(End of this chapter)