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

Chapter 7 Mountains and Seas in One Heart

Chen Qing had already transcended the self and the external world.

The experience of seventeen years of arduous cultivation and the foundation of the first realm of perfection in the dream body blended together, and the vast accumulation transformed into a raging torrent, completely breaking through all kinds of constraints!
In an instant, a strange scene appeared before his eyes—

Majestic mountains rise abruptly from the ground, while the vast ocean surges forth!

Mountains and seas reflect each other, combining strength and gentleness, evolving profound and true meanings of martial arts in the spiritual realm!

boom!
A cool breeze poured down from the Niwan Palace, like the Milky Way flowing into the Yellow Court.

"The spirit of harmony!"

The key to this second stage of harmonious foundation building lies in introducing the Qi of Great Harmony, nourishing the body, and forging the foundation for longevity!
Now, this harmonious energy descends from the Niwan Palace and finally flows into the Huangting Palace in the lower dantian.

Wherever this energy passes, the bone marrow vibrates, the twelve meridians are as if being washed by jade liquid, the filth turns into black energy and is expelled from the pores, and the originally blocked acupoints are opened one after another!

This is the sign of the early stage of the second realm: the Taihe Qi flows through the main meridians!
The five elements of spiritual light within the dantian suddenly swirled, and a faint glimmer of natal light appeared!
"Life and death merge, and magical power flourishes! My dream body has truly broken through to the second realm, the Foundation Establishment Realm!"

As his thoughts flowed, Chen Qing's aura surged like a tide, spiritual energy transformed into mist and swirled around him. To his left appeared a majestic mountain, and to his right, a vast blue sea. In the end, the mountains and sea merged, forming a wondrous scene of mountains and seas intertwined above his head!

"Internal and external forces interact, creating an unusual phenomenon! He has actually broken through to a higher realm!" Lü Han's pupils dilated sharply. "A phenomenon of mountains and seas merging! But how can someone who cultivates mountain-based techniques also possess the intention of embracing all rivers in the sea?!"

Confused, he thought he had misread it, so he calmed himself down, raised his hand to wipe his eyes, making his pupils gleam, and when he looked again, he was even more surprised!
"It's not simply a mixture of water elements, but a fusion of the true meaning of mountains and seas, with a powerful yet enduring quality, and a majestic yet inclusive spirit! Having never ventured into the realm of water, yet comprehending the meaning of the vast ocean solely through a single visualization?"

Xu Zhaoying's eyes widened, and she understood why Elder Lü had lost his composure!

"Could it be as Elder Lü said, that this person possesses such high comprehension and the ability to draw inferences from one instance to another, that he can grasp the essence and break through to a higher realm with just a glance?!"

"Zhaoying," Lü Han suddenly spoke, "You are closest to the princess, do you know when she will return?"

Xu Zhaoying was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and said, "The time has not yet been determined."

Lu Han's gaze darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "Then go to the princess's residence first and report what happened today."

Xu Zhaoying was taken aback and asked, "Isn't this too hasty?"

"It will be too late once Li Benji takes the person back to Xuanyu!" Lu Han's fingers kept making hand seals hidden in his sleeve. "With the comprehension Chen Xu has shown today, if he assists the princess, it will be of great benefit to her cultivation!"

"I... alright." Xu Zhaoying glanced at Chen Qing, finally nodded, and turned to leave.

Lu Han stared intently at Chen Qing, who was in meditation, his eyes growing increasingly eager: "Although his spiritual bones are ruined, he has turned misfortune into blessing and his comprehension has improved even further? If that's really the case, then he's not some dregs of medicine, but clearly a rough gem that hasn't been carved yet!"

"call--"

After a while, Chen Qing exhaled a long breath, opened his eyes, and saw the illusion of mountains and seas vanish in his eyes.

The world before my eyes suddenly became clear, and five-colored spiritual energy flowed in my field of vision.

He looked down at his hands, his knuckles like jade, and a faint glimmer of light emanating from beneath his skin.

"A true breakthrough? The incomplete artistic conception of the 'Haiyue Fragment' was first largely filled in by the 'Taiyue Map' from my memory, and then further solidified by this 'Hundred Rivers Flowing into the Sea Map'..."

To advance from the first realm to the second, one must first stabilize the Yellow Court, then gather the five elemental spirits, and finally find a quiet cave to seclude oneself for three months to avoid the disturbances of worldly turbidity.

Even if one does all of these, very few people can actually pass the test.

In this dream, however, a single visualization was all it took to achieve the desired result!

"Is it because the spiritual energy of this world is abundant? Or is it because 'Chen Xu' has a profound foundation and is a cultivator who has started over, thus making his progress smooth?"

Upon internal observation, Chen Qing saw that the harmonious energy in his dantian was like clouds and mist, with the mountain and sea rhythms perfectly blended without any obstruction.

As he was pondering, he suddenly felt a gaze fall on him, and when he looked up, he saw Lü Han staring at him.

Lu Han stroked his beard and smiled: "Mountains are majestic and the sea is vast. Young friend, your breakthrough is truly wondrous."

Not wanting to cause any further trouble, Chen Qing said, "It was just a fluke, nothing more."

"Just luck?" Lu Han shook his head. "The path of cultivation is a series of steps, each a new level. You had your spiritual bones destroyed, yet you still managed to break through to the next realm. Such luck is something I've only seen once in my life." As he spoke, he took out a scroll of silk. "This book, 'Miscellaneous Records of Cultivation,' records the insights of ancient cultivators after breaking through to the next realm. It may help you stabilize your realm."

"Thank you very much, venerable elder."

Chen Qing didn't stand on ceremony. He took the silk scroll, glanced through it briefly, compared it with the Dream Outside Technique, and secretly shook his head.

It is chaotic and disorganized, far inferior to the systems of later generations, and fragmented, unlike the well-organized system outside of dreams.

However, Lu Han's good intentions were clearly an emotional investment, so Chen Qing naturally wouldn't refuse. Besides, it was the wisdom of the ancients, and there might be some merit to it, so he put it away.

"From now on, we will both be working under the princess, so we should be on good terms." Lü Han laughed heartily. "Seven years ago, the princess went to explore a ruin and has not returned. However, news about you has been sent to her. She will definitely summon you when she returns. Until then, you can focus on your cultivation." Seven years ago, she went to the ruin to train?

Chen Qing suddenly realized why he had been taken out of the Xuan Prison and then there had been no further movement.

Lu Han then said, "You've just broken through, so first consolidate your realm and summarize your experiences. That way you can answer the princess's questions. Go and rest for now."

Chen Qing didn't stand on ceremony and took his leave. Although he had advanced with the help of the "Hundred Rivers Flowing to the Sea" painting, he still had the Taiyue Visualization Painting in his heart.

Lu Han didn't try to keep him, but as soon as he left, he immediately summoned people: "Investigate! Bring up everyone related to Chen Xu, relatives, friends, and enemies, without missing a single one. Also, find out who has his spirit bones that were dug up."

"Follow the order."

After the subordinates left, a voice came from behind the screen: "Does Lord Lü really intend to win over this guilty man?"

"Foolish!" Lu Han's sleeves fluttered. "No matter what his past identity was, things are different now! How can we let go of a genius who can fill the gaps in his cultivation and summarize the gains and losses in his realm?"

There was no more sound from behind the screen.

Following his memory, Chen Qing returned to his residence and took out the book "Taiyue Tongtian Jue" from a corner of the bookshelf.

The moment the pages of the book were turned, a majestic and extraordinary peak suddenly came into view!
The mountain's imposing presence, like a colossal spirit, weighed him down with just a fleeting glance, making his breath catch in his throat.

"Truly a magnificent mountain!"

He observed intently and saw the strange rocks at the foot of the mountain, each line of which subtly corresponded to the way of heaven; he saw the clouds and waterfalls on the mountainside, their movement and stillness containing endless mysteries; and he saw the snow on the peak reflecting the morning sun, a transcendent realm pointing directly to the great Dao!
"Although the details of the Taiyue Technique are not as good as the Haiyue Fragment, the artistic conception of this picture is far superior to the incomplete Haiyue Picture! I have just broken through to the next level, so I will use this body in the dream to try it out properly and further graft the Taiyue Visualization Picture onto the Haiyue Fragment."

The moment the thought arose, Chen Qing immediately looked at the picture and visualized the magnificent mountain scenery in his mind!

Its internal energy circulated spontaneously, surging like a river bursting its banks in the previously unblocked meridians!

As time passed, an earthy yellow halo appeared around him, and mountain-stone patterns emerged on his skin. The air in the room suddenly became heavy, as if suppressed by an invisible mountain.

suddenly!

"laugh!"

A tearing, excruciating pain shot through my meridians!

Chen Qing suddenly opened his eyes, his clothes soaked with cold sweat, and his dantian felt like it was being burned by a raging fire.

"Clashing cultivation techniques?"

Following the "Haiyue Fragment" and the manuals of his elders, he quickly deduced the key points.

Although the mountain formations in "Taiyue Jue" are wonderful, they are too domineering, unlike the inclusive "Hundred Rivers Returning to the Sea" painting. The sudden change in the visualization puts a huge burden on the body, which will naturally cause problems.

"If we proceed step by step, we can gradually adapt. Fortunately, it's just a dream. If it were our physical body in reality, once it's damaged, our foundation would be shaken, and future cultivation would be difficult. However, we can be less cautious in a dream. After all, the spiritual bones of this body have been dug out and used for trial and error. Perhaps we can find other paths."

Wiping away the cold sweat and calming his disordered internal energy, Chen Qing was not discouraged. This failure, on the contrary, allowed him to glimpse an even greater opportunity!

"The value of the Taiyue Visualization Diagram is beyond doubt. If it can be combined with the 'Hundred Rivers Returning to the Sea Diagram' and the essence of both can be integrated into the 'Haiyue Fragment Scroll', it will surely fill in the gaps and improve the grade of the technique! Moreover, given time, I can even integrate the subtle and profound aspects of the Haiyue Fragment Scroll into the 'Taiyue Heaven-Reaching Technique' and promote the transformation of this technique!"

At this moment, he became even more aware of the value of this dream within a dream.

"Divination of cultivation techniques in a dream, a dream lasting seven days, which consumes a month of real time, is equivalent to more than half a year of hard training! If one can also set long-term goals for the body in the dream, and coordinate with the jumps in the time nodes of entering the dream, one might be able to gain several years of experience and insights out of thin air!"

In the following days, Chen Qing did not go anywhere else, but focused on meditation and cultivation.

Seeing that he was devoted to cultivation, Lü Han offered his full support and did everything he could to help him.

It wasn't until the seventh day of this dream that Chen Qing finally had a slight respite.

"The seven days have passed; it's time for the physical body outside the dream to awaken."

He reviewed his gains and, though he hadn't met the Tenth Princess, he had still reaped considerable rewards. After some thought, he decided not to use his Dao traces to leave a continuation of the dream, nor did he intend to extend the duration of this dream.

"Whether I see the princess or not, what does it matter? Let nature take its course. We could try the time-jumping effect, though! Let's see if jumping between the two dream sequences allows this dream body to cultivate on its own; I'll just get the experience points..."

As the mist began to rise, Chen Qing gathered the last vestiges of clarity, repeatedly chanting, attempting to imprint an obsession upon his mind and body—

"Focus on your practice! Comprehend the visualization diagram! Complete the incomplete scroll of the Sea and Mountain!"

Finally, in the instant his consciousness faded, he saw his body from the dream rise cross-legged and begin its cultivation...

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(End of this chapter)