Chapter 506 - 219: Middle Stage
Chen Qing returned to his small courtyard and closed the gate. Every scene from moments before replayed clearly in his mind.
Luo Ziming’s seemingly casual, yet pointed, probing.
’He must have truly dismissed his suspicions about me...’
Chen Qing’s tense Heart and Spirit relaxed slightly. ’That Purple Light, and the top of the Celestial Treasure Tower it’s connected to... What’s involved is likely far beyond my imagination. It was enough to make an Elder from the Nine Heavens Vein personally come and test an Inner Sect Disciple...’
’I can never let it be exposed! At least, not until I have enough strength to protect myself. I can’t show even the slightest hint of anything unusual!’
He walked over to the stone table in the courtyard and sat down.
After all, Chen Qing still had no idea what the Purple Light was connected to.
Based on his previous investigation on Ten Thousand Laws Peak, the Purple Light was likely an Intention left behind by a powerful master.
As for who that master was, it was still a mystery.
And for it to warrant a True Essence Realm Elder’s personal attention—an Elder who couldn’t tell anyone about it—the matter was clearly not that simple.
Then, Chen Qing got up and walked to a corner. The little fella seemed to sense his presence and immediately started chirping, "CHIRP! CHIRP!" full of energy.
He carefully gave it food and water, adding a sprinkle of Bone Strengthening Pill powder. Watching it gobble everything down, much of the gloom in his heart dissipated.
After caring for the fledgling eagle, Chen Qing delayed no longer and walked straight into his Quiet Chamber.
He took out one of the High-quality Quenching Gang Pills and placed it in his mouth.
The Elixir melted the moment it entered his mouth. A majestic yet gentle medicinal power instantly dissolved, surging through his limbs and bones like a bursting flood before finally converging in his Dantian Sea of Qi.
Chen Qing immediately sat cross-legged, Embracing the Origin and Guarding Unity as he operated his Heart Method at full capacity!
Inside his Dantian, it was as if his Five Elements True Astral had been injected with boundless vitality. It instantly began to boil!
Like an awakened Flood Dragon, it began to spiral, collide, and merge with an insane, unprecedented speed!
RUMBLE...
A sound like muffled thunder rolled through his body.
The vast medicinal power was rapidly refined by his Heart Method and poured ceaselessly into the Five Elements True Astral, causing it to condense at a visible rate!
The pores all over Chen Qing’s body opened, drawing in wisps of pure Primordial Qi that merged into his body and joined the frantic circulation.
His body trembled slightly as his aura climbed higher and higher, already reaching the very limit of the Early-stage Astral Force!
The formless yet resilient barrier to the next Realm lay clearly before him.
「Two days later.」 The progress on the panel in his mind had reached its bottleneck.
[Fifth Layer of Five Elements True Astral: (9999/10000)]
Chen Qing’s Intention was highly focused, guiding the Five Elements True Astral that had already become majestic to the extreme.
BOOM!
Within his Dantian, the True Astral roared, circulating endlessly. The generative force of the elements was pushed to its limit, condensing into an even more terrifying power!
The Five Elements True Astral, now accumulated to its absolute peak, transformed into a brilliant, dazzling five-colored torrent.
RUMBLE—!!!
A colossal boom erupted from the depths of his Dantian!
That resilient barrier shattered on impact!
In that instant, it was as if the seas had parted and the sky had opened!
His Dantian seemed to expand several times over in an instant. The Five Elements True Astral, which had once filled it to the brim, now seemed sparse as it rushed into this new space.
But the surging Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi from the outside world, along with the remaining power from the Elixir within his body, immediately flooded in. Refined by his Heart Method, it rapidly filled this newly born, vast Sea of Qi.
The newborn Five Elements True Astral was incredibly dense, shimmering with a five-colored crystalline light as it flowed. It radiated a majestic pressure several times more powerful than before!
Its quality and sheer volume had undergone a tremendous change!
The entire process was both as natural as water carving a path and as tumultuous as a raging sea.
An unknown amount of time passed before the surging aura in the Quiet Chamber gradually subsided.
Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes. A brilliant light flashed within them before being concealed.
He clenched his fist gently, feeling the Five Elements True Astral coursing through his body like a great river. An unprecedented sense of power filled him completely.
Mid-stage Astral Force!
[Heaven Rewards Diligence: Success is Inevitable]
[Sixth Layer of Five Elements True Astral: (1/20000)]
The sheer volume and solidity of the True Astral in his body now was far beyond what it had been in the Early Stage.
With a slight thought, a slowly circulating, five-colored crystalline light trembled.
’Mid-stage Astral Force... I wonder what floor of the Celestial Treasure Tower I can reach now. But I should consolidate my Cultivation first, no need to rush.’
Chen Qing took a deep breath and began to deliberate.
’To compete for resources, I’ll inevitably have to reveal some of my strength.’
’The probing from Luo Ziming and the others is still fresh in my mind. It’s made me realize that while hiding my true abilities is a way to protect myself, I can’t appear too mediocre or worthless.’
’That’s just how the world is. If I just keep a low profile and never show what I’m capable of, I’ll be easily underestimated, or even become a pushover for others to bully as they please.’
’True intelligence isn’t about hiding blindly, but about demonstrating the right amount of value at the right time, in the right way.’
’Hiding your strength doesn’t mean you should act like a fool.’
’Being too low-key will just make others think my potential is limited, that I’m not worthy of more resources or attention.’
’When that happens, not only will it be difficult to earn Contribution Points, but I might also miss out on protection Within the Sect and the chance to build alliances.’
’Now that I’ve reached the Mid-stage Astral Force and fully grasped the Mountain Thunder Momentum, it’s time to let people see my progress.’
’But I also know that my real trump cards—like the Five Elements True Astral and the secret of the mysterious Purple Light in my mind—must remain deeply hidden.’
’This time, I need to show the Upper Sect my potential so they’ll invest more resources in me, but at the same time, I have to avoid being thrown into the spotlight too early and becoming a target for those True Disciples.’
’I have to find a balance between showing strength and appearing weak.’
Chen Qing’s gaze was tranquil. A plan had already formed in his mind.
The world admires the strong; no one pities the weak.
He would be a tree worthy of cultivation—one that continuously grew upward, but also knew when to rein in its branches.