There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 5 Silence is Silence

"Visualization diagram... Visualization diagram..."

As Chen Qing stepped into the hall, his mind was still preoccupied with the visualization diagram of the "Taiyue Tongtian Jue".

The image matched his practice perfectly. The visualization in the fragment of the "Haiyue Fragment" depicted the sea and mountains standing side by side, with a majestic mountain rising on the edge of a vast ocean. Unfortunately, half of the mountain was missing, which caused him to lack a certain tenacity in his seventeen years of practice, and each time he visualized it, he felt there was something incomplete.

"That painting of Mount Taiyue might be able to complete the meaning of the mountains and seas..."

Click-click—

As he was thinking, he suddenly heard the sound of teeth chattering beside him.

It was the short, stout man who had been traveling with him; his face was ashen, and he was trembling all over.

This man, named Jiang He, came from a poor family and came here only to seek an opportunity for cultivation.

Seeing his fear, Chen Qing couldn't help but say, "The evaluation is only once every three years. The worst that can happen is that you're sent back to your hometown. You're not like me, who wants to go back to Xuanyu. What are you afraid of?"

"He was afraid of being rated as inferior and sent to the princess's residence."

A cold voice suddenly interrupted: "Don't you even know where you are? You actually thought of running away! If Chen Jun hadn't refused to run away with you, which emboldened him and made him come over obediently, he would already be in custody."

Chen Qing looked up.

A woman with a heroic and spirited appearance was leaning against a pillar. Her tight-fitting clothes accentuated her lithe figure. She held a long sword in her arms and smiled.

With just one glance, Chen Qing found information about this woman in the fragments of memory—she was Xu Zhaoying, a fellow test taker. This woman had a powerful background and had been rated as top-notch in the assessments over the years, but her cultivation progress was slow.

But what bothered him most this time was the meaning behind the other party's words.

"If someone is rated as low-ranking, they'll be sent to the princess's residence?"

Chen Qing frowned slightly.

In my memory, before being imprisoned, "Chen Xu" had met the Tenth Princess several times, but after cultivating here for seven years, he never saw her again. How could someone who was considered inferior be allowed to go?
Xu Zhaoying looked him over meaningfully and asked, "Since you come from the Chen family, you must know about Princess Xiyao's background, right?"

What is the princess's background?
A hint of doubt flashed in Chen Qing's eyes, and fragments of memory surged forth—

The tenth daughter of the Immortal Emperor, with unparalleled beauty, a cold and aloof temperament, and possessing... the bloodline of a hundred races?
Chen Qing's pupils contracted slightly.

The Hundred Races were the dominant forces that ruled the world before the rise of humanity, but now they mostly lie dormant in the Northern Cold Continent.

Xu Zhaoying gently stroked the sword sheath and whispered, "Because Princess Xiyao has the bloodline of Qingqiu, there are rumors that those who are judged three times are ostensibly sent back to their hometowns, but in reality, the princess is drawing blood from them to practice her skills."

Chen Qing frowned and said, "They all failed the assessment, which means their aptitude is poor. What's the point of refining them? It seems this rumor is untrue."

Xu Zhaoying suddenly took a half step closer, her breath sweet as orchids, and said with a smile, "Perhaps it is precisely because the key to cultivation is unclear that the princess needs to verify it herself."

Chen Qing was taken aback.

Jiang He shivered even more violently.

"Now that you know all this," Xu Zhaoying suddenly stared intently at Chen Qing, "are you now considering running away?"

Chen Qing shook his head.

Since it's just a dream, why should we care?

Even if it were true, let alone just a rumor, I would still dare to go.

“It seems you have no prejudice against foreign races. Don’t worry, the rumors are false. The princess doesn’t have time for such things. She…” Xu Zhaoying was about to say more, but suddenly her ears twitched and she changed the subject, saying, “Elder Lü is coming.”

"I am very grateful to Mr. Li for personally delivering these things."

Two people were walking side by side in the corridor.

One of them had black hair and a white beard, exuding a refined aura, and held a scroll in his hand. He was none other than Lü Han, the elder in charge of this mountain retreat. The other was tall and thin, with an empty black robe and a cold expression. He was Li Benji, the head of the Bing-character prison in the Xuan Prison.

After listening, Li Benji replied, "Because of my past relationship with the princess, I often arrange for her to test her skills. This time, I heard that someone was about to be dismissed and I came to bring that person back. I also brought this painting along the way, but I don't know what to do with it. The 'Hundred Rivers Flowing to the Sea' painting is an important artifact passed down by the Nahai Sect. There are still remnants of this sect who have not been eliminated. If the news leaks out..."

Lu Han waved his hand and laughed, "Don't worry, it's the daughter of the princess's retainer who is practicing the 'Vast Expanse Sutra' here. She's not quite there yet when she's trying to visualize the Vast Expanse Painting. It's said that her father wrote to the princess for help and got her permission to bring out this 'Hundred Rivers Returning to the Sea' painting for her to study."

"The princess is indeed courteous to scholars and men of talent."

"arrive."

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the entrance of the main hall.

“Let’s go in together.” Lu Han pointed inside the door. “There’s a Xuan Yu here. I heard he has some background, but unfortunately his spiritual bones were destroyed. Now his aptitude is low. He’s been cultivating for several years but he’s still in a daze. If he can’t give a clear answer today, you can take him back.”

“I know who it is.” Li Benji nodded with narrowed eyes and followed Lü Han inside. Sure enough, he saw “Chen Xu”, but said nothing, waiting to take the man back after the evaluation.

Chen Qing was somewhat surprised to see him. He didn't want to cause trouble, but seeing the other person looking at him with a cold smile from time to time, he was a little puzzled.

"This person seems to have some prejudice against me. Did I offend him before?"

The cultivation assessment was not complicated and was conducted in batches. Apart from Chen Qing, Jiang He, and Xu Zhaoying, there were seven other people present. Lü Han summoned each person one by one to inquire about their cultivation insights, making the whole process open and without any reservations. This was originally a test of skills set up by the princess. Since everyone's cultivation methods were different, they naturally expressed their own opinions. However, the later they came in, the more disadvantaged they became.

Chen Qing wanted to hear everyone's opinions, but the people in front of him were trembling with fear, either stammering or repeating themselves without being able to explain the changes in qi and blood in the first realm.

"Incoherent and rambling, with no point whatsoever." Lü Han waved his hand in disappointment. "You may all leave."

“It’s over!” Jiang He was even more worried when he heard this. “We’re probably not even as good as them…” He turned to look at Chen Qing beside him and saw that the latter had a furrowed brow, so he sighed.

Ugh!
This is the same kind of worry I have!
Little did Chen Qing know that after listening to everyone's explanations, he became increasingly puzzled.

"Logically speaking, the Primordial Immortal Dynasty is located in the Central Spirit Continent, and the Ten Princesses are of noble birth. Even if the people they choose are not good, they shouldn't be that bad. How come they can't even explain the key points of the first realm? Is it because it is a dream and cannot exceed my understanding?"

Thinking of this, he recalled the background of this era and a flash of inspiration struck him.

"In this era, although there are sages who have opened up the path to immortality, the common knowledge of cultivation may not have been widely disseminated! If I were to organize the general knowledge of cultivation realms in the 'Haiyue Fragment'..."

Thinking of this, Chen Qing's eyes gradually brightened.

Although he viewed this place as a dream, he received feedback from the dream that the princess's mansion was rich in resources, and he was determined to obtain the visualization diagram of the "Taiyue Tongtian Jue". If he was sent back, how would he have any chance to come into contact with it?

"Next, Chen..."

Just as Lü Han was about to call out names, Xu Zhaoying suddenly spoke up: "I'll go first."

Lu Han said in a friendly tone, "Very well, the items you need have been delivered. Now that the assessment is over, you can take them."

Xu Zhaoying glanced at the painting and stepped forward to ask questions.

"I know your abilities, so I'll just ask a simple question," Lü Han said with a smile, stroking his beard, a stark contrast to his previous businesslike demeanor. "So... have you found the cause of the bone stiffness and flesh pain you mentioned last time?"

Bone stiffness and muscle pain?

Chen Qing's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be bone streaks?
In the era of the Hidden Star Gate, the first realm, "The Initial Opening of the Yellow Court," had been meticulously divided into four stages: early, middle, late, and perfect.

Among them, cultivators in the mid-stage of the first realm need to use high-purity earth vein jade marrow to condense their bones; the higher the purity, the better the effect. Conversely, if inferior earth vein jade marrow is used to temper the bones, it will cause bone mutations, producing stone spots and hard thorns that pierce the flesh from the inside, resulting in hard bones and painful flesh.

"Replying to Elder Lü," Xu Zhaoying replied calmly, "The Vast Expanse Scripture says: 'Bones are the marrow's residence and the foundation of Qi.' Therefore, I believe that this pain is a sign that Qi and blood are tempering the bones. Thus, the harder the bones become, the more progress one makes in cultivation, and the more the blood and marrow are filled. Only by enduring the pain and tempering oneself can one strengthen one's resolve in the Dao and make progress."

She paused, then added, "However, I have also discovered that drawing energy from the earth's veins into the body can alleviate pain, which may be a useful reference."

Lu Han stroked his beard and smiled, "I will remember this matter and submit it to Dingbo Jun and others for their consideration."

Li Benji had been observing coldly for a long time, but then glanced at Chen Qing and suddenly said, "The bone hardness and flesh pain experienced by those in the initial stage of cultivation is not an isolated case. A master I know spent more than twenty years trying to determine the cause, but he still couldn't find it. If Miss Xu can find out the root cause, that would be a great achievement. By the way, Chen Xu, you come from a prestigious family and have fought in the Western Wilderness, so your knowledge should be better than others. What do you think of Miss Xu's insightful opinion?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Is this a case of praising someone to death, or provoking conflict?
Chen Qing frowned slightly. Why did this person seem to be targeting him? Could it be that "Chen Xu" really had a grudge against him in the past?

However, upon hearing this, Lü Han felt it would be impolite to contradict Li Benji, so she readily agreed, "Alright, you tell me."

After weighing the pros and cons, Chen Qing said, "What Fellow Daoist Xu said is indeed reasonable. However, I think it may not necessarily be that the marrow is full. There is also the possibility of 'the bones are like ice and the marrow is like frost,' which means that the bones are cold and thorny. This is probably not a sign of progress in cultivation, but rather a hidden danger."

"Oh?" Li Benji raised an eyebrow. "Even the experts in Yujing haven't made this conclusion, yet you speak with such certainty. Have you figured something out?"

Lu Han pondered for a moment and said, "The path of cultivation varies from person to person. There is no universally applicable experience. It is already rare for anyone to be able to find a method that suits them from cultivation. I think this can be considered an explanation."

Xu Zhaoying lowered her head and remained silent.

Li Benji replied, "Empty talk is useless. If you have real skills, you should tell us how to solve the problem."

After listening, Lü Han said, "Fellow Daoist Li, you just said that even the experts in Yujing have no definitive conclusion, so how could Chen Qing possibly have a solution? This matter is..."

Chen Qing suddenly said, "I once read in an ancient book that if you have stone spots or cold thorns on your bones, you can use 'Earth Vein Essence' to re-temper your bones and muscles, and recuperate for more than a month. You should also soak your body in overnight ice water from time to time, which should alleviate the symptoms. You should especially avoid forcing yourself to cultivate, otherwise it will aggravate the injury."

"Ancient books?" Li Benji's expression darkened slightly. "Even the experts in Yujing have never mentioned this method. How dare you spout such nonsense?"

Lu Han raised his hand to stop him. He understood the hostile intent in the words, but he couldn't care less about Li Benji's feelings at this moment.

“An old friend of mine had the same symptoms back then, but he recovered later. When I asked him why, he remained tight-lipped and refused to reveal the remedy. I’ll have to ask him another day if he used the Earth Vein Essence.” After a pause, Lü Han looked Chen Qing up and down. “It seems that you are living a muddled life, but in reality, you are biding your time.”

Jiang He listened in stunned silence, secretly shocked: "Chen Xu usually keeps a low profile, how could he have such insight? But every time I ask him, he says he has no experience, he's just lying to me? So I'm the only one who's wasting my time?"

Lu Han's gaze was intense as he asked again, "Do you have any deeper insights into the realm of 'Huang Ting Chu Pi'? Today's assessment is the main topic, so let's talk about that."

All eyes turned to Chen Qing once again.

Chen Qing pondered to himself, "The cultivation system of this dream era should still be in the exploratory stage. Perhaps by introducing some insights from later generations, it might attract attention and lead to further twists in the dream's plot..."

　Friends passing by, please bookmark this if you're interested... It's so sad being a newbie...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)