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

Chapter 97 "Self-Reliance" [First Update]

Apprenticeship?

Fang Da'ao and Qu Xiaoyao, who were watching the commotion from inside the gate, exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.

The sect leader was far away in a military post when he sent them a message, telling them to pay attention to the people coming and going. As a result, some people came to become his disciples.

"Our sect leader is not in the mountains," Fang Da'ao said, his tone wary. "Please return."

"Oh?" The man looked disappointed, but then smiled and said, "It's alright. The path to enlightenment is difficult, but sincerity can move mountains. I am willing to build a hut outside the mountain gate and wait for Sect Leader Chen to return before paying my respects."

His tone was sincere, and his eyes were clear.

Fang Da'ao, however, felt that the scene was very familiar.

Three months of intensive training passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the quiet room of the Guanhai Pavilion, the sounds of dragons roaring and tigers howling gradually subsided.

Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes. His muscles were as strong as steel, and the medicinal power had been completely refined and integrated into his muscles, bones, and skin!
He clenched his fist, and the air popped as he squeezed it!

Immediately, Chen Qing frowned slightly.

"The tempering of the muscles and bones has reached its limit, but this feeling of 'emptiness' from the inside out has not been filled. This means that the medicinal effect has run out, but the 'momentum' of this tempering is still at its peak. It would be a real pity to stop here!"

His mind raced, his gaze sweeping over the dark Qiankun bag of the Rainbow Gold, before he shook his head.

"The physical body is the foundation for surviving in this world. If it is mixed with impurities, it may become stronger temporarily, but it will leave hidden dangers. External things are ultimately just external things. That is why this Bone Tempering Ointment and True Essence Condensation Dew are so precious!"

Thinking this, Chen Qing's thoughts touched upon the miniature Yin spirit in the Niwan Palace, and he was suddenly stunned. Then an idea came to mind.

“If external things don’t work, what about the inner spirit? When the Yin spirit returns to the body, it can cultivate both life and spirit, and nourish the divine essence! This Yin spirit is transformed from the essence of the soul in the dream body! Rather than leaving it to the main body to condense the Yin spirit as icing on the cake, why not turn it into firewood to fill the gaps in my physical body?”

Once this thought takes hold, there will be no more hesitation!

Chen Qing focused his mind on the Niwan Palace (a point on the back of the head), and called out softly to the small glass figure sitting cross-legged beside the Dao Seed: "Merge!"

"Om-"

The miniature Yin spirit suddenly shone brightly, its clear light flowing around!
It did not resist; instead, it dispersed willingly, as if returning to its origin!

Strands of pure and refined divine essence and true essence, far surpassing ordinary spiritual energy, burst forth from his limbs and bones!

"Boom!"

The muscles, bones, skin, and membranes that had already reached their limit, under the infusion of this pure divine essence, were like parched earth receiving rain after a long drought, greedily absorbing, expanding, and transforming!
As the last bit of Yin God imprint was absorbed, an unprecedented sense of power filled his limbs and bones!
"Crack!"

An invisible constraint has been shattered!

Chen Qing's blood and qi surged dramatically, and the pressure emanating from his physical body alone caused the defensive runes on the walls of the quiet room to flicker unpredictably!

His physical body had already taken a step ahead, transcending the shackles of the second realm of perfection and stepping into a brand new realm!

"It's done! With this physical body alone, I might be able to rival a cultivator at the early stage of the Yin Spirit realm. It's just a pity that the Yin Spirit I've been feeding back has been exhausted. What will happen next... hmm?"

suddenly!

A flash of inspiration struck his mind like lightning!
"If I enter a dream again, I will refine the Yin Spirit of my dream body to its peak once more. When I wake up, will the 'miniature Yin Spirit' that was completely consumed in my main body be able to return again?!"

The moment this thought arose in his mind, his heart pounded like a drum!
If it could come true, wouldn't it be possible to do it every time?
Once it's used up, it will be fed back again next time, and so on. This way, the Yin spirit becomes an inexhaustible "renewable resource"!
Many previously unthinkable methods will become standard practice!

Extending this further...

What about the outer layer of rice grains?

Could this cycle repeat itself endlessly?

"We must verify this!" Chen Qing's heart surged with excitement. "If there were a secret method specifically for reversing one's foundation and transforming one's spirit into a physical body, wouldn't the efficiency be doubled if combined with this method?"

As he pondered, another idea struck him.

"If Yin spirits can be repeatedly generated, then wouldn't it also be possible to use magical artifacts or methods for refining souls, spirits, and Yin spirits, such as the Myriad Soul Banner and the Soul Refining Puppet? I could refine my own Yin spirit into it, use it myself, be self-reliant, and rely on myself—heaven rewards diligence! Unfortunately, such methods require a secret channel to obtain, and they are not easy to find in a short time..."

After calming his mind, he felt a little regretful.

"It's a pity I didn't think of this before. Otherwise, I should have tried replacing one of those secret techniques in the Merit Treasury that reverse the foundation and transform the spirit into the body. However, there's no rush. Whether it can truly be repeated still needs to be verified." Thinking this, he returned to his current priority: condensing his Yin Spirit.

In the present world, to gather Yin spirit, in addition to perfecting one's own marrow and achieving a pure mind, one also needs spiritual veins and protective formations.

He has already exchanged for a set of Three Stars Guardian Flags, which can be used as a protective array to protect himself and restrain spiritual energy. What he lacks is a spiritual vein, which he will absorb spiritual energy and stabilize his soul body after condensing his Yin spirit.

Many of the minor sects in Nanbin do not have spiritual veins. They have to find them elsewhere, either by chance or by renting or borrowing them.

For Chen Qing, the first and foremost thing is the spiritual vein of Black Reef Island.

After he had thought it through, he summoned the woman in the palace dress.

"Sect Leader Chen," she said with surprise, "you want to use the spiritual vein node to condense your Yin Spirit?"

“Exactly,” Chen Li replied matter-of-factly. “What’s wrong with that?”

The woman took a deep breath, suppressing the sense of absurdity in her heart.

The person before me was only at the mid-stage of the second realm when he first arrived, but broke through to the late stage overnight in order to ascend Mount Xuyuan; he encountered danger in the mountains and entered the perfect realm in the heat of battle; now, after three months of quiet cultivation, he is about to break through to the Yin God realm?! Is breaking through realms in cultivation as easy as drinking water or eating for him?

The study of cultivation no longer exists!
Composing herself, she carefully said, "Although the recent garrison duty is nearing its end, remnants are emerging deep within the Vortex Abyss. The needs for healing, weapon forging, and array setting are immense, and coordination at various points is quite tight. I'm afraid we'll have to wait a few more days." After a pause, the woman added, "Furthermore, condensing the Yin Spirit is no small matter; it's fraught with unpredictable dangers. Sect Leader Chen has a profound foundation, so we must proceed with extreme caution..."

"It's alright, I know what I'm doing." Chen Qing waved his hand. "Please do your best to arrange it, and I'm willing to pay the market price for the necessary expenses." He still had plenty of blood marrow crystals in his sleeve and didn't want to owe anyone a favor in this matter.

Seeing that he had made up his mind, the woman did not try to persuade him further: "I will go and inform the envoy of Su and do my best to mediate."

Before long, Su Zhijin arrived in a hurry. Before he even got there, his laughter preceded his arrival: "Haha, Sect Leader Chen! Your cultivation has improved so rapidly, it's truly astonishing!" After he stopped, he looked Chen Qing up and down, and finally exclaimed sincerely, "Amazing!"

Suppressing his smile, Su Zhijin said seriously, "Leave the matter of the spiritual vein node to me! Even if I can't spare the Black Reef Island for the time being, I will definitely find you an excellent spiritual vein within the Southern Province, so as not to delay your breakthrough! At the latest, I will get back to you the day after tomorrow!"

Chen Qing immediately cupped his hands and said, "In that case, thank you for your trouble, Envoy Su."

"It's my duty!" Su Zhijin said with a smile. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he took his leave.

Even after leaving the quiet room, Su Zhijin was still sighing.

The woman in the palace dress inquired about the expenses and the grade of spiritual veins she was using.

"Naturally, it's a top-grade spiritual vein! This boy has gone from the mid-stage of the second realm to almost reaching the threshold of the Yin God realm in just three months. His foundation is even more solid than that of a true disciple of a major sect! Killing a Rainbow Transformation Golden Body is as easy as taking something out of a bag! He will surely be a figure who stirs up the winds and clouds one day! What is a little investment now!"

He paused, then sighed, "Old Xu has such keen insight; he must have seen through this long ago, which is why he's been so considerate. Experience truly matters!"

After seeing Su Zhijin and the other person off, Chen Qing composed himself.

"The spiritual vein node still needs a day to develop; it's a good time to explore it in a dream!"

Once the idea of ​​"renewable Yin spirit resources" took hold, it spread like wildfire. Even with his unwavering will, his Dao heart was restless.

However, before entering the dream, Chen Qing still followed his usual practice and reviewed the several cultivation techniques he needed to comprehend.

"Condensing the sharpest metal of heaven and earth, forging the primordial sword core, tempering it day and night, with a mere thought, sword energy surges forth, capable of taking a head from a hundred miles away..."

The opening outline of the *Yuan Tai Sword Scripture* was chillingly murderous. He hastily memorized it, then turned to the last page, where a line of small print caught Chen Qing's attention—

"This technique originated from the Taibai Sword Kingdom. At that time, the metal element was the dominant element in Dongling Continent, and the Sword Kingdom ruled over the entire continent, uniting all directions with unparalleled power. Later, as the five elements rotated, the Sword Kingdom collapsed and transformed into a sect, and this technique was also scattered..."

"The Five Elements rotate?" Chen Qing frowned slightly. "The Five Elements, the foundation of Heaven and Earth, can actually rotate and change?"

He suppressed his surprise and doubt, firmly imprinted the essence in his mind, and then picked up the "Tai Xu Gan Ying Pian" again.

The divine sense probed in, and the opening lines were: "The vast void and the six directions are filled with spirit and chaos, mysterious beyond mystery, neither alive nor dead. By understanding its mysteries, one can glimpse the true face of the Great Dao..."

He focused his mind and memorized the profound and obscure scripture, then checked the little monkey's progress before sitting cross-legged and falling asleep.

White mist surged, and the Taoist scroll hung in the air.

"Dream!"

　I'll still guarantee at least three chapters today, and I'll try to bring the second chapter earlier...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)