Chapter 183 - 182: Dual Souls

'Observe the situation,' he thought. 'That's the key.'

'From what I saw yesterday through Stealing Immortal, Master Water Moon was meditating. And with the Elemental Separation Conference just a few months away, she's probably in deep seclusion, trying to break through to the next realm.'

'If that's the case, I can be bold and try to drain the Jade Peach Profound Wood completely. If not, I'll have to be extremely cautious. After all, if a Master shows up, I'll be trapped.'

Today, Chen Qingyang was dressed in an azure long-robe, sitting upright on a meditation cushion. Behind him stood Xu Baoling.

She was combing his long hair, like a personal maid. She parted it on both sides, letting two strands fall to his chest. The rest of his hair was gathered up and fastened at the crown of his head with a jade hairpin, while the remainder was left to hang freely down his back.

She held up a copper mirror for Chen Qingyang to see. The face in the reflection had lost much of its sharp edge, replaced by a scholarly elegance. He looked like a young man just coming of age.

"This hairstyle really suits you best, Master!" she said, looking extremely pleased with her handiwork.

With that, she put the copper mirror away.

Chen Qingyang sighed. "I've been on Cyan Bamboo Peak for two or three years. Not only have I not aged, but I've actually grown younger."

Xu Baoling replied, "Master, do you know what you look like right now?"

Before Chen Qingyang could answer, she continued, "You're like a dashing knight in fine clothes on a spirited steed. You have a heroic air, yet your brilliance is hidden, like a pearl with a divine light concealed within."

Chen Qingyang suddenly laughed. "I'm not as amazing as you make it sound. That grand description doesn't fit me at all."

But Xu Baoling's tone was firm. "It is! Especially the part about a 'divine light concealed within.' Nothing about you is on the surface, Master, but when it's revealed, it's absolutely dazzling!"

Chen Qingyang just smiled and stood up. As Xu Baoling smoothed out his robes, he said, "Thank you. Hearing you call me 'Master' feels more and more awkward. From now on, just like the others... call me Senior Brother Chen."

Xu Baoling froze for a moment, her hands pausing unconsciously. "I think... I've grown used to it..."

But Chen Qingyang's tone left no room for debate. "Then you'll get used to calling me Senior Brother just as quickly. Once you've formed your Yin Spirit Body, you can return to Four Golden Peaks if you wish. If you don't want to go back... then you can go visit your master."

It was a simple change in title, but for Xu Baoling, it signified an acceptance of her status.

If she still had her physical body, her eyes would have welled up with tears. "Yes... Senior Brother!"

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, a far cry from the seductive, worldly woman he had first met.

Chen Qingyang stepped outside and employed his Wind Control Skill. In an instant, he seemed to travel from spring into the height of summer. The world outside Cyan Bamboo Peak was scorching hot. The land was covered in lush foliage, and all the plants and trees radiated with vigorous life.

Moments later, he saw a city standing in the river valley. Using a token, he gained direct entry. After navigating the streets, he found his Fourth Senior Brother, Ji Rang, in a palace-like building.

"Junior Brother, what are you doing here? There are only ten or so days left. How are those elixirs you were preparing coming along? Do you still have time to make a trip to the Jin Kingdom?"

'My fourth senior brother is as worried as ever,' Chen Qingyang thought, hearing such words the moment he arrived. He could only reassure him. "Senior Brother, I've already prepared most of the forty-eight elixirs. I'll absolutely have them all ready by the end of the month. You don't need to worry about me so much!"

Ji Rang looked puzzled. "Does that Separation Huo Dragon Pearl really help with alchemy that much?"

Chen Qingyang nodded. "It definitely does. Otherwise, why would that Steward Lu target me so relentlessly? Forget about the past, just think about the last Li Yang Assembly. If Martial Uncle Liu hadn't been there, who knows how much I would have suffered."

"Mm." Ji Rang nodded. "That makes sense. It's supposed to be Sect property, after all. Otherwise, the Lu Clan wouldn't be treating it like their private treasure, forbidding anyone else from even getting near it."

"Exactly." After these initial pleasantries, Ji Rang invited Chen Qingyang to take a seat.

He was the Guardian Envoy here, primarily responsible for creating and maintaining the arrays for the Spirit Fields and other locations. As such, he spent most of his time here and was rarely at their master's Dao Field.

"I mainly came today to put your mind at ease, Senior Brother. But I also wanted to ask you about something. You're experienced and know a lot, so you might have an answer," Chen Qingyang said, taking a sip of the tea his brother had offered.

"What is it?"

Chen Qingyang said three words: "The Elemental Separation Conference."

'Of course, the conference isn't my real goal,' he thought. 'I mainly want to use this topic to find out if Master Water Moon is truly in seclusion.'

"Junior Brother, have you heard some rumor? Are you worried that your cultivation level will affect our branch's share from the Earth Deity? You don't need to worry about that at all. For one, Master has already broken through. And I'm afraid even Eldest Senior Brother is about to reach Foundation Establishment. We're still number one on Golden Bamboo Peak."

Chen Qingyang shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother, but that's not it. I want to know if every Foundation Establishment Master and disciple on Cyan Bamboo Peak is required to attend the Elemental Separation Conference."

"That's right. As you should know, the greatest benefit in the world of cultivation comes from the Earth Deity. The Earth Deity is the very reason the world's sects are ranked, and it's the source of countless conflicts."

"This conference on Cyan Bamboo Peak is personally presided over by a Golden Core True Monarch. The blessings of the Earth Deity are apportioned based on the cultivation and seniority of the Masters and disciples. However, that only concerns those at Half-Step Foundation Establishment and above, so you really don't need to worry about it."

After hearing the explanation, Chen Qingyang nodded thoughtfully before casually asking his real question. "I heard that even Master Water Moon, from the neighboring peak, is also in seclusion?"

Asked at this moment, it sounded like idle chatter, so Ji Rang didn't think much of it. "Junior Brother, do you know what realm that Master is at?"

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

"Master Water Moon is currently at the Fifth Realm of Foundation Establishment, only half a step away from entering the Sixth Realm. She's quite ambitious and wants to break through before this year's Elemental Separation Conference, so her being in seclusion is a certainty."

'Compared to her, Yun Ci is truly remarkable,' Chen Qingyang mused. 'She's cultivated for far less time than Master Water Moon, yet her cultivation is higher, and she even broke through two realms in a row.'

Chen Qingyang followed up, "Does that mean the other Masters are also in seclusion?"

But Ji Rang shook his head. "Not all of them. Our Martial Uncle, Liu Pei, for instance, isn't in seclusion. He's still far from a breakthrough, so why would he put himself through that?"

'Hearing this, I can be even more certain,' Chen Qingyang thought. 'Master Water Moon is definitely in seclusion. She won't have any spare energy to pay attention to Peach Immortal Valley. I need to absorb as much Spiritual Qi as I can from the Jade Peach Profound Wood before I'm discovered.'

"You're absolutely right, Senior Brother."

He made a little more small talk with Ji Rang before taking his leave, using the excuse that his senior brother was busy. He left Fulu Workshop, planning to wait for nightfall before making his move.

...

That night, Chen Qingyang was once again clad in a profound robe, his appearance colder and more severe than it had been during the day.

He used the Void Step Introduction to rise into the air, soaring through the sky until he was above Peach Blossom Valley moments later. With his Conscious Fish already in place, he knew exactly what the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley were up to.

Jiao Sheng, who had been cultivating there a moment ago, had also gone home. Chen Qingyang concealed himself within a peach tree and, with a wave of his hand, recalled the Conscious Fish. He then entered the tree's trunk and once again laid eyes on the section of Jade Peach Profound Wood.

It glowed with a jade-green luster, surrounded by faint, floating green specks. The silvery shimmer was the array Master Water Moon had put in place. As long as that array remained undisturbed, the Master shouldn't notice anything amiss.

He drew over a wisp of Wood Spirit Qi. The Profound Wood Incense Burner materialized, hovering before his chest. It was quickly enveloped by the Wood Spirit Qi and began to absorb the spiritual energy once more.

He had no idea what kind of Divine Wood this Magical Treasure had been forged from, but it was wood-elemental, allowing it to be refined by Wood Spirit Qi. In the hands of that Demon Sect Disciple, it had possessed a powerful corrosive ability. But after his modifications, its very nature seemed to have flipped, and it now teemed with life force.

He continued this process until dawn.

Unlike the previous day, where there had been no visible change, the Profound Wood Incense Burner now had a faint green glow, indicating it had absorbed a considerable amount of Wood Spirit Qi.

He checked the small golden characters: Stolen Immortal Seedlings: 3,125. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Chen Qingyang repeated this process every day for the next seven days. He watched as the glowing Jade Peach Profound Wood grew considerably dimmer, while his Profound Wood Incense Burner began to look like it was carved from greenish-blue jade.

The Qi Mechanism within it was condensed almost to its absolute limit. In total, he had harvested fifteen thousand Immortal Seedlings. 'A Master's Dao Foundation truly is profound,' he thought.

Today was the ninth day. Chen Qingyang estimated that after tonight, the Jade Peach Profound Wood within the peach tree would be gone completely. Along with it, this entire ten-li Spring Breeze Peach Blossom Realm would vanish.

'I really am a walking disaster,' he mused.

It was once again the dead of night.

Specks of green light floated out, all flowing into the now verdant incense burner, causing it to swell to about a foot wide as it spun before Chen Qingyang's chest.

Fortunately, the peach tree was as thick as a wall, and since he was positioned with his back to the Seven Immortals, they wouldn't notice anything amiss for the time being.

Through his Conscious Fish, he saw that the Jade Peach Profound Wood, once wreathed in green light, had completely withered. At the very end, a small, golden drop of what looked like peach resin seeped out and also flew toward the incense burner.

Immediately, Chen Qingyang sensed an anomaly within the incense burner and submerged his Divine Sense inside.

Inside the Magical Treasure, there was a world unto itself.

Within this world, the small drop of peach resin seemed to have developed a Spiritual Rhythm. It floated back and forth amidst the lush greenery, as if it were about to birth its own consciousness.

All Magical Artifacts, once graded, are divided into the nine grades: Dust, Fetus, Bone, Blood, Soul, Meridian, Marrow, Aperture, and Profound.

When its Spiritual Rhythm is nurtured to its peak, it can become an Artifact Soul. Chen Qingyang immediately used his Nine Refining Forging Technique, refining the drop with his Mingtang True Fire. The peach resin reacted at once.

He pressed harder, supplementing the Mingtang True Fire with the Li Yang Earth Fire. Under the combined heat of the two flames, the peach resin began to glow with a brilliant golden light and turn transparent.

As he continued to apply pressure, the peach resin, enveloped by the Mingtang True Fire, slowly grew larger, eventually taking the form of a young girl.

She had her hair tied in childish topknots, a round face, and large, lively eyes that shimmered like a clear spring.

She wore a pink dress, her features were pretty and her figure lovely. Her skirt billowed as if in a nonexistent wind, revealing calves as fair as white jade.

She looked identical to the Peach Demon Divine Soul he had refined.

'Could this be... two souls in one body?'