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

Chapter 16 Heaven's Will
As the pill entered his throat, the essence of the five elements poured out like a celestial river, instantly exploding in Chen Qing's meridians!

Fiery! Surging! Profound! Sharp! Gentle!

Instantly, his entire body turned crimson as if branded, his veins bulged, and his sweat vaporized into mist before it even dried. His internal organs seemed to be thrown into a furnace and repeatedly burned in the true fire of the five elements.

"The five elements of spiritual essence within the body need to be maintained in balance. If one element is allowed to dominate, the remaining four elements will be gradually devoured and transformed into resources, thus causing the five elements to become imbalanced..."

With a sliver of clarity, Chen Qing managed to focus his mind and, following the essentials of cultivation, visualize the various images!
The illusory mountain in his sea of ​​consciousness crashed down, suppressing the violent medicinal power!

Then comes the long, gentle ocean breeze, which transforms the rampant spiritual essence into a stream.

"Click——"

His bones cracked like popping beans, and his body shone with a jade-like luster and golden light!

In the dream, the meridians of the body expanded continuously under the impact, and the inner walls shimmered with a crystal-like light.

Time flies!
After an unknown amount of time, as the torrent gradually calmed down, a roar like a dragon's cry suddenly came from the dantian!

The harmonious energy surged like the raging river, spinning wildly under the influence of the medicine. Wisps of clear light emerged from it, intertwining to form a hazy glow that illuminated the entire sea of ​​qi as if in a dream.

"Congeal!"

The myriad rays of light suddenly contracted, condensing into a single, dazzling starlight in the center of the Qi Sea!
A mysterious and profound atmosphere immediately filled the surroundings.

"This child is truly remarkable!"

Deep within the villa, in an octagonal pavilion, Dingbo Jun, holding a cup of tea, spoke with feeling.

His and Zheng Shuangjun's gazes pierced through the courtyard wall and landed on the quiet room.

"With the Nine Aperture Meridian Opening Pill before him, even cultivators at the Third Realm would waver in their resolve." Dingbo Jun put down his cup, his voice filled with undisguised admiration. "Yet he remained as still as an old monk in meditation, patiently refining his essence, energy, and spirit to their peak perfection! He possesses remarkable composure!"

After a moment of silence, Zheng Shuangjun said, "The princess has a discerning eye." Although his tone was flat, it was already a very high compliment.

the other side.

In a waterside pavilion a little distance from the main courtyard.

Xu Zhaoying stood by the window, holding a long sword, gazing in the direction of Chen Qingjing's room.

"Holding back but not releasing, accumulating strength and waiting for the right moment?"

at this time.

"boom--"

A profound and silent thought soared into the sky, startling all the spirit birds in the garden into flapping their wings!
"coming!"

Dingbo-jun, Zhengshuang-jun, Xu Zhaoying, and the other concerned individuals all focused their attention!

"Seven days of meditation, one day of swallowing the elixir, and it seems he has grasped the essence of the Destiny Talisman!" Dingbo Jun was taken aback at first, then sighed deeply, "If his spiritual bones were still intact, his achievements would be beyond our comprehension! Alas!"

Zheng Shuangjun seemed to be deep in thought, then suddenly said, "I heard that Brother Lü is investigating where the spiritual bones that Chen Xu was dug out went."

"Investigate! We must investigate!" Dingbo Jun said solemnly. "Whoever dug up this spiritual bone may have destroyed a true immortal in the mortal realm!"

As he spoke, he stood up.

"But we must first stop him from condensing the complete life talisman. Without a inherited method and bloodline, condensing it rashly is like a blind man touching an elephant or a blind man embroidering—it all depends on fate! This first life talisman is the talisman of one's destiny, so we cannot be careless!"

Zheng Shuangjun nodded and said, "When his spiritual bones were removed, his life talisman had already been destroyed once. This time, he must be extra careful in his cultivation."

in the house.

Within Chen Qing's dantian, a phantom of a talisman interwoven with mountains and seas was emitting spiritual light. The talisman's patterns resembled ancient seal script, and each flash caused his magical power to surge.

The nascent form of a destiny talisman!

Chen Qingxin was shocked. If he made a concerted effort at this moment, he could complete the qualitative change of "condensing qi into life talisman", step into the late stage of the second realm of Chonghe Foundation Building, comprehend innate techniques, and his power would surge when he cast techniques!
But the next moment, he suddenly awoke, and his teacher's warning from before his death surfaced in his mind—

A destiny talisman is born of heaven, but its fortune and misfortune are unpredictable. In the past, some people condensed the "Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman" in one fell swoop, which could summon heavenly thunder to descend upon the world with a single thought! However, there are also those with extraordinary talent who condensed the "Weak Water Talisman," whose magical power was weak and powerless, and who could never break through the third realm in their lifetime!

"The records left by my grandmaster, uncle, and master contain the key points and essentials for condensing life talismans. Before, my cultivation level was not high enough, so they were left to gather dust in my meditation room. But now that my cultivation level in my dream is high enough, I can barely take a look!"

He was in a dream, and although his cultivation level was sufficient, he rashly condensed a talisman, which resulted in a fate talisman that was incompatible with his physical body in the real world. This caused him to lose the opportunity and convenience of mutual learning!

With a thought flashing through his mind, Chen Qing immediately followed the key to cultivation, using the true meaning of mountains to suppress the nascent life talisman.

hum!
Just then, white fog suddenly rose all around!
An irresistible sense of detachment descended upon me instantly!
The seven-day period in my dream has arrived!

Chen Qing was prepared for this and remained completely calm. At the last moment, just like last time, he left a few lingering thoughts in his dream body—

"Focus on your cultivation, there's no rush to condense a complete life rune!"

"There's no need to force yourself to study painting; just practice whenever you have free time!"

"To comprehend the techniques both in and out of dreams, to share knowledge and learn from each other!"

As the last divine thought was transmitted, Chen Qing completely relaxed his mind.

A white mist filled the air, engulfing consciousness.

But what he didn't know was that, in that instant, the dream body, having lost its main soul, fell into a strange state.

Without thoughts or desires, yet with a clear and lucid mind;

Without ego or attachment, the essence of Tao arises spontaneously!

The highest form of detachment!

But this state is short-lived, fleeting in an instant. Outside the dream, within the Hidden Star Gate.

Chen Qing, who had been sleeping soundly all night, suddenly opened his eyes!

"boom!"

A surge of pure spiritual energy suddenly poured into the crown of the head!
Instantly, the pores of his body opened up, his inner energy surged like a raging river, and the golden light in his Yellow Court Palace burst forth, almost bursting out of his body.

"One night's feedback is equivalent to six months of arduous training!"

Chen Qing was overjoyed. He circulated his inner energy throughout his body, and his inner energy surged like a tide, becoming increasingly abundant!
However, the perfection of the first realm has its limits. After the surging internal energy circulated several times within the body, it was like a tide crashing against a dam, making it difficult to advance any further!

"If the cultivation level is not yet full, this feedback alone can save at least half a year of arduous cultivation!"

He was just lamenting—

"Buzz!"

Another stream of harmonious energy flowed back, and wherever it passed, the meridians felt as if they were bathed in sweet rain, and the internal energy circulation suddenly became perfectly smooth.

Chen Qing was immediately invigorated, but before he could rejoice, his five senses were suddenly filled with a deafening roar!
A warm, fiery red spiritual energy poured in from the top of the head!
"Fire elemental energy!?"

Following closely behind are the lush and vibrant wood elemental energy, the heavy and steady earth elemental energy, the sharp and fierce metal elemental energy, and the gentle and flowing water elemental energy!

Five streams of pure spiritual energy were poured in one after another!

"All five elements are present!"

Chen Qing's pupils contracted.

The Nine Aperture Meridian Opening Pill he swallowed in his dream actually fed back the essence of the Five Elements to the present world!
"Although it's only one or two tenths of what I dreamed of, its quality is superb! In this way, there's no need to collect any more Five Elements spiritual items, and I can choose a day to try to advance!"

To break through from the first realm to the second, one needs to gather all five elements of spiritual objects and harmonize yin and yang in order to draw upon the primordial energy and cleanse the marrow to establish a foundation. However, after years of planning and searching with his master, he had not obtained many spiritual objects. Furthermore, the expenses for building formations, cultivating techniques, and his senior brother's living expenses had consumed a great deal of resources. Now, he only had wood and earth elements left.

The feedback from that night completed the most crucial piece of the puzzle!
"Nourish yourself for three days until your essence, energy, and spirit are fully replenished, then choose an auspicious time to break through..."

Chen Qingqiang suppressed his joy, slowly finished his exercise, and let the five elements circulate in his meridians, imbuing them with his own aura. He didn't just sit there; he got up, opened the window, and the mountain breeze carrying moisture rushed in.

In the distance, Fang Da'ao was practicing his morning exercises, the sound of his fists whistling and echoing with the thunderous roar of tigers and leopards; Qu Xiaoyao was squatting by the herb garden, carefully loosening the soil around a medicinal herb.

"Uncle-Master!" Fang Da'ao immediately stopped his movements and bowed when he saw him open the window. "Just now, when it was just dawn, a peddler selling medicine came and lingered outside the mountain gate, saying that he wanted to buy our herbs. I saw that his eyes were not right, so I sent him away. Since you were asleep, I did not disturb you."

Chen Qing frowned slightly.

Mingxia Mountain is located in a remote area, and ordinary merchants would never come here. This peddler is probably here to scout the way.

"If this happens again, report it immediately." After giving the order, Chen Qing ruffled the hair of the little manta ray that had come closer. "Go and take stock of the spiritual essence in the storeroom and see how many more days it's enough to maintain the formation."

"Yes!"

After the two children left, Chen Qing went to patrol the mountain and check the formation. He found that the spiritual light of the mountain-protecting formation was dim and it could only last for another half a month at most.

“Activating the great formation requires magical power. When Master was alive, he could replenish it with magical power, but he still had to go down the mountain every month to collect it. Now that the reserves are running out, we have to go out to collect it. But what Xiao Zong fears most is being targeted. The likes of Haiyuan Temple have won over Han Sha. If they find out the truth, they can calculate the day and ambush me when I go down the mountain.”

Chen Qing was pondering when, unexpectedly, a strange change occurred within his body!
After circulating through the meridians a few times, the five streams of pure spiritual energy returned to the dantian, where they intertwined with the Taihe Qi, transforming into a five-colored, mottled energy that then expanded uncontrollably!

The colorful energy suddenly erupted, causing the acupoints to tremble wherever it passed, and it seemed to have the potential to break through the barriers on its own!
"not good!"

Chen Qing hurriedly used his profound skills to suppress it, but the torrent was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins. It was wrapped in the energy of harmony and was running all over his body, showing a clear sign of going into a state of demonic possession!

"boom!"

The dantian's energy sea boiled, instantly forming a vortex that frantically devoured the internal energy within the body and the external天地元气 (heaven and earth energy)!
This situation was almost identical to when I broke through the barrier in my dream!
"It was my oversight! The five elements of spiritual energy are mutually reinforcing and restraining, achieving a delicate balance within my body. However, after merging with the Taihe Qi, it unexpectedly triggered the opportunity to break through to the next realm on its own! After all, Taihe Qi is only available in the second realm, and the five elements of spiritual energy are required to break through to the second realm. The order is reversed, but they are still closely related!"

It wasn't his oversight, but rather that how could an ordinary cultivator refine the Great Harmony Qi in the first realm? Naturally, no one would have thought that the Five Elements Spiritual Qi's premature encounter with the Great Harmony Qi would spontaneously create an opportunity to break through the realm!

At this moment, the torrent is becoming increasingly violent. If it is forcibly suppressed, it will at least damage the meridians, and at worst, cause qi deviation!

Chen Qing made up his mind; he had already decided!

"To fail to seize a divinely granted opportunity is to suffer the consequences! Let us take advantage of this heaven-sent opportunity and break through to a higher realm in one fell swoop!"

at the same time.

A faint light flickered in the cave at the foot of the mountain.

"The Hidden Star Sect Leader is usually very reclusive," Shi Hong, dressed in green, frequently looked towards the summit of Mingxia Mountain. "Except for that time at Xuanji Chess Academy, he almost never shows his face, let alone goes down the mountain."

On the nearby bluestone, Liu Wang of Haiyuan Temple chuckled and said, "He's just thinking about how to break through to the second realm, but how easy is it to find five elemental spiritual objects?" After saying that, he flicked the dust off his white robe.

Shi Hong hesitated and said, "But during the test at Xuanji Chess Academy that day, this person had quite an air about him. He probably has some luck on him and is a talented person."

“We’ve taken his disciples! We’ve already made enemies! That’s why we can’t wait for him to break through, but instead we have to take his foundation!” Liu Wang sneered, and a short sword with a blue glow slid out from his sleeve. “Don’t worry, junior sister. There are many talented people, but many die. Those talented people who die are said to have shallow luck! I entered the Dao at the age of sixteen and have killed quite a few geniuses.”

Shi Hong said, "But what if he doesn't come down the mountain..."

“He will come down the mountain,” Liu Wang said decisively. “The Hidden Star Sect’s spiritual essence can only last for another half a month at most. Once the great formation is extinguished, he will be trapped like a turtle in a jar! Besides, to break through to the second realm, he needs five elemental spiritual items, which he also needs to collect when he goes down the mountain. By the way, what about the things I asked you to prepare?”

Shi Hong took out a brocade pouch from her bosom and took out a few items: "Five Poisons Powder and three Thunderfire Talismans, which I recently asked for. Is this really necessary? He is a first-realm cultivator."

"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit," Liu Wang nodded in satisfaction. "Go tell Junior Brother Zhao to guard the northern foothills. If you discover the Hidden Star Sect Leader, don't alert him. Send a signal first."

"What does Senior Brother want?"

“You all say he has an extraordinary presence,” Liu Wang stroked his short sword, “but I cannot find peace of mind in my Daoist heart without personally slaying him.”

(End of this chapter)