Chapter 311: Essence Exchange

When it comes to cultivation, there are two principles: the ant and the fish-dragon.

The ant represents accumulation. Though its strength is minuscule, by working tirelessly day and night, it can build magnificent nests within sheer cliffs.

The fish-dragon is the transformation of a carp leaping the Dragon Gate. It means to transform when the time is right, to take a gamble when the opportunity arises, and to leap forward without the slightest hesitation.

The meaning is to both value gradual accumulation and seize the moment for a breakthrough.

Now, when Chen Qingyang sat in meditation again, the wind blew ceaselessly around him. Thanks to the Gathering Spirit Array, the speed at which he absorbed Spiritual Qi was quite fast. As it passed through his meridians, retaining the essence and expelling impurities, the rate was more than double what it was before. This meant his speed of accumulation had doubled.

As for the fish-dragon principle, that went without saying. For him, it was as if there were no bottlenecks in anything he did. ‘Even without considering Stealing Immortal, I must be approaching Li Qianxue’s level.’

In the blink of an eye, five or six years had passed since he was given a new life, and not a single day had been wasted.

It was a fine spring day.

The window was open, and a gentle breeze brushed against Chen Qingyang’s face. He sat facing the window, taking in the scenery outside.

The bamboo forest just outside the small courtyard was lush and pleasing to the eye.

“Do we have any Tier Four Dongming Upper Mansion Pills left in stock?”

‘There are so many things I don’t keep track of myself that I’m starting to forget them. Something like how many elixirs I’ve refined—I have to ask Xu Baoling about it.’

“Senior Brother, there are still twelve left.”

“That’s about enough. I’ll take these to Fulu Workshop. I’ll pay back what I owe later. After I get the pill formula, I still need to make a trip to Gentle Breeze. There’s so much to do.”

Xu Baoling knew that of the nine Fire Element Essences Chen Qingyang had saved up, at least five could be traded for other things.

“Senior Brother, you said that Shopkeeper Wang won’t do business with you. Would he really trade with you for no good reason?”

“A trade has to be made. It’s just a matter of how much profit I stand to gain or lose.”

“Hmph!” Xu Baoling exclaimed softly. “You risked your life for these, Senior Brother. What if you have to give up too much profit?”

Chen Qingyang gazed out the window. “I think… that’s unlikely. I owe them so much money, he won’t offend me so easily. Besides, he’s always been hoping I’d do business with them!”

Hearing this, Xu Baoling nodded. “That’s right. Maybe by the time the twenty-year limit is up, you’ll already be a Foundation Establishment Master. Would he still dare to come asking for payment then?”

Chen Qingyang was rather confident about this matter.

“No, I still have to pay him back the principal. At most, I’ll add a little interest. I’ll just let him earn a bit less, that’s all.”

“Alright, Senior Brother is truly righteous!”

After some small talk, Chen Qingyang opened his palm again. The square seal fell into his hand, and he examined it carefully once more.

‘Two days of hard work, and my progress only increased by five points. It’s an extremely difficult practice. But feeling the pressure of the Celestial Dao from it, along with that vast aura belonging to the Upper Purity of the firmament, I still feel deeply satisfied.’

‘Especially those four characters, ‘Qingxu Tai Hao’—the more I look at them, the more delighted I become!’

‘The Ancient Celestial Court Secret Realm, the perceived transformations of the Yin Yang Five Elements… it is the Pure Yin Righteous Dao.’

“Senior Brother, don’t tell me you can’t wait to test the power of this Divine Power?”

“I’ve had the thought, but there’s no opportunity for now.”

But Xu Baoling said, “What do you mean, no opportunity? I see plenty of them. It hasn’t been long since you broke through to the Essence Condensation First Realm, Senior Brother. If you wait a little longer, see if the Sect assigns any missions. If not, there will definitely be one when you break through to the Essence Condensation Second Realm.”

‘That’s true. The Tai Xu Sect is massive and has affairs everywhere that require dispatching cultivators at Essence Condensation or higher. Liu Tao just went through one, after all.’

“Then I’ll just wait!”

‘The two-month deadline is approaching. I have to hurry up with my alchemy, go to Yun Ci’s place, then over to Chao Rui’s, and ask Jing Shu for a one-month extension.’

‘There’s just so much to do.’

Upon arriving outside Fulu Workshop, he summoned his back-basket and elixirs, slung the basket onto his back, and headed inside. First, he handed over the elixirs and exchanged them for Spirit Stones.

Afterward, he went to the Commander’s Lower Palace to pay his respects to Senior Brother Liu Wenzheng. Now that Chen Qingyang’s cultivation had improved significantly, when he looked closely, he could faintly grasp the Qi Mechanism Path of this Half-Step Foundation Establishment Senior Brother.

Unlike before, when all he could sense was overwhelming power and nothing else.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Liu!”

Seeing it was Chen Qingyang, Liu Wenzheng was of course very enthusiastic. This was, after all, someone he had personally scouted and recruited. “I heard from the people at Wandanyuan that the last two times, you didn’t hand in Tier Five Earth Root Life Transformation Pills, but Tier Four Dongming Upper Mansion Pills instead. Such a change truly surprised me!”

Chen Qingyang had thought this senior brother was too busy with his countless duties to pay attention to such trivial matters. He hadn’t expected him to still be keeping an eye on him.

Refining an elixir for the Sixth Realm with only the cultivation of the Essence Condensation First Realm was truly unthinkable. He could only say, “I thought it was a small matter, so I didn’t want to bother you, Senior Brother. The truth is, my cultivation broke through, and on top of that, I’m practicing the Nanming Red Emperor True Understanding and I have the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl. That’s how I have this ability.”

Once he said this, Liu Wenzheng looked him over carefully. “My, my, Junior Brother, it’s only been three years since you entered Essence Condensation, right? It’s like you’ve suddenly opened up some bottleneck and are progressing incredibly fast. Back in the day, it took even me five years. I was twice as slow as you, Junior Brother.”

‘It was impossible to know how many years this senior brother had been cultivating, but to reach the Half-Step Foundation Establishment Realm meant he was quite talented, even if he never had the fortune to become a true Master later on.’

“Senior Brother, you don’t need to be so modest. You’re already at the Half-Step Foundation Establishment Realm. You’re only half a step away from becoming a Master.”

Liu Wenzheng chuckled lightly. “Junior Brother, you don’t understand. It’s not half a step, but a finish line I’ll never reach. I know my own situation very well. Otherwise, why would I waste all my energy on these mundane affairs? But… I’ve come to terms with it.”