Chapter 458: Rapid Progress, A Turn to Perfection, The Master's Message

Chapter 458: Rapid Progress, A Turn to Perfection, The Master's Message

January 15, 2025

"There is someone capable! Who could it be?"

The Third Shengzhu initially found it hard to believe, but he soon realized the truth.

"Big Brother is talking about that young man, isn't he?"

"Indeed, in this world today, aside from him, who else has the power to suppress all others and truly intimidate the petty?" The First Shengzhu nodded in agreement.

The Second and Third Shengzhu remained silent.

They knew that their older brother was speaking the truth.

If one were to talk about who could currently awe the four directions and stand above all cultivators, it could only be that young man.

"But will he be willing to step forward?" The Second Shengzhu asked.

The three brothers had established Shengshan due to the grand vow they made in the past.

That young man was not bound by such a vow and might not be willing to take on this thankless task.

"Let's give it a try. Although he seems ruthless, if we look at his actions over the years, he actually has compassion for ordinary people."

In the past, he was even willing to travel thousands of miles to avenge the ordinary people of a small town who had suffered a tragic death, and he destroyed the Liuyun Sect.

This time, with the incident in Frostwater City, Li Changbo had threatened to annihilate the entire city, which provoked the young man's intervention.

It was evident that the young man stood on the side of righteousness.

Moreover, his master was a figure with a virtuous aura.

Perhaps we can approach him from this angle and find a way to persuade him."

The First Shengzhu already had an idea in mind.

The other two Shengzhus thought for a while and agreed that their older brother made sense.

"Big Brother is right. It might be worth a try. If he is truly willing to step forward, perhaps we can re-establish the rules of Shengshan."

"Let Tianji handle this matter. He is an old acquaintance of the young man, and his personal disciple is also a close friend of his. It will be easier to persuade him."

"Indeed, Tianji is a good choice."

After the three Shengzhus finished their discussion, a flying message flew out from Shengshan and landed on the Tianji Tower in the Holy City.

Upon receiving the message, the Sage of Heavenly Secrets' expression changed dramatically.

...

Time passed day by day, and Lu Qing's actions in Frostwater City caused a stir among various factions.

Many factions became more cautious, even instructing their disciples to be vigilant and watch out for a young man and a little girl within their territories.

If they encountered them, they were to treat them with utmost respect and as honored guests, ensuring the mimics had a pleasant time.

There was no choice; that young man was simply too intimidating.

Even Golden Core Immortals were powerless before him.

The Hanging Mountain, with its tens of thousands of years of heritage, was said to have been destroyed by him.

Such an existence could easily uproot and annihilate any faction if provoked by a foolish disciple.

Therefore, no faction dared to take this matter lightly.

However, as various factions carefully searched for the siblings' traces, months passed, and they were astonished to find that the siblings had not reappeared.

The entire world had not heard any news of the siblings' whereabouts.

It was as if they had suddenly disappeared without a trace, their location unknown.

Of course, even so, many factions remained vigilant.

After all, given the young man's strength, hiding his tracks from others was child's play.

Perhaps they had changed their appearances and continued their journey.

Amidst this eerie atmosphere, strange phenomena frequently occurred across the world.

These were the signs of powerful cultivators breaking through, including those entering the Primordial Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, and even the Golden Core Realm.

It indicated that after years of brewing following the revival of the world's essence, the numerous talented cultivators who were once limited by the heavens were finally adapting to the changes and breaking through their own limits, entering new realms.

As more and more powerful cultivators advanced, the world's landscape gradually began to shift.

Many newly emerged powerful cultivators and sects started their expansion journeys to seize more cultivation resources.

During this process, conflicts and clashes naturally arose, leading to frequent battles.

The turmoil in the outside world did not affect Lu Qing.

Deep underground, in the spiritual vein, no one could sense their presence.

Moreover, with Lu Qing sealing the only entrance with formation techniques, no one could disturb them.

At this moment, Lu Qing sat in the cave, meditating with his eyes closed.

The rich spiritual aura in the surrounding area was continuously absorbed by Lu Qing, refined and transformed by the Five-Element Gourd, and then converted into extremely pure Five-Element Magical Power.

In other parts of the cave, Xiao Yan, Xiao Li, and the Five-Element Winged Snake were also diligently cultivating.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Qing suddenly trembled all over.

An overwhelmingly powerful aura flashed from his body and then was quickly suppressed by him.

However, this sudden surge of energy startled Xiao Yan and Xiao Li awake.

Lu Qing opened his eyes, filled with awe.

"Finally, I've successfully completed the first transformation of the Perfect Golden Core Art."

Indeed, the aura from earlier was a sign that he had completely mastered the first transformation of the Perfect Golden Core Art, reaching perfection.

After some cultivation, he would be able to attempt to break through to the second transformation.

"How much time has passed?" Lu Qing asked, sensing the passage of time.

At his level, he was incredibly sensitive to time.

Even in this underground spiritual vein where it was pitch-black, he could still accurately grasp the flow of time.

With a slight sense, a look of surprise appeared on Lu Qing's face.

"Has it been almost half a year already?"

Indeed, time flies when one is immersed in cultivation in the mountains, where days and nights are indistinguishable.

"Brother, what just happened?" Xiao Yan asked as she ran over.

She had been cultivating when she was suddenly startled awake.

Xiao Li and the Five-Element Winged Snake also came over.

"Sorry, I just had a sudden breakthrough, and for a moment, I couldn't control the surge of energy, which disturbed your cultivation." Lu Qing apologized.

"It's great that you've made a breakthrough! That's wonderful!" Xiao Yan exclaimed with delight.

"Yes, it's a cause for celebration," Lu Qing said with a smile.

At the same time, he was also amazed.

The first transformation of the Golden Core was even more challenging to cultivate than he had imagined.

Even with the support of the spiritual vein, it still took half a year to reach the perfection of the first transformation.

Otherwise, relying solely on absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth, he wouldn't know when he would achieve success.

Fortunately, during this trip, they had discovered this spiritual vein.

Lu Qing felt the dense spiritual aura still present in the cave and was very satisfied.

With this treasure trove, he might even be able to cultivate the second and third transformations of the Golden Core.

"Ah Qing, Ah Qing, look what I found while you were cultivating!" Xiao Li said, bringing over a bag.

Lu Qing took the bag and felt its weight.

Opening it, he saw a radiant glow, and inside were nearly half a bag of Spirit Stones.

He estimated that there were at least seventy or eighty stones.

"Ah Qing, I and that stinky snake dug up all the Spirit Stones in this cave. I can sense that there are still some in the cave wall, but I didn't dare dig them out recklessly. I wanted to wait for you to wake up from your cultivation before deciding what to do."

Xiao Li's voice echoed in Lu Qing's mind.

Lu Qing asked, "Xiao Li, how many Spirit Stones did you sense in the cave wall?"

"Not too many, probably only about half of what's in this bag. Some are also located deep within the cave wall."

Lu Qing thought for a moment and shook his head. "Then let's not dig for now. We don't want to risk collapsing this place."

They were deep underground, and if the cave collapsed, although he was confident in his ability to escape, it would be a great loss to destroy this spiritual vein treasure.

"I was thinking the same. That's why I didn't dare dig recklessly. That stinky snake wanted to take matters into its own hands and dig, but I scolded it severely."

As Xiao Li took credit, she also didn't forget to tattle on the Five-Element Winged Snake.

Lu Qing turned to look at the snake.

The Multicolor Winged Snake immediately retracted its head, as it had only been focused on completing the task assigned by its master and didn't consider the consequences.

Seeing the snake's submissive attitude, Lu Qing didn't know what to say.

The Multicolor Winged Snake, having grown up in the Mystic Realm, was indeed rather simple-minded.

Compared to Xiao Li, who had always fought alongside Lu Qing and often read books, the snake was not as intelligent.

For example, when it came to soul communication, Xiao Li could speak directly, while the snake could only roughly express its thoughts, a significant difference.

Perhaps, Lu Qing thought to himself, it was time to encourage the snake to study more.

As Lu Qing stroked his chin, the Five-Element Winged Snake, who had been keeping its head down, suddenly felt a chill down its spine, making it even more anxious, fearing punishment from its master.

However, after waiting for a long time, it did not receive any punishment.

Lu Qing asked, "By the way, how's your cultivation going?"

"Brother, I've reached the Primordial Realm of Perfection!" Er Ya replied excitedly, the first to answer Lu Qing's question.

"Ah Qing, Ah Qing, I've also achieved Foundation Establishment Perfection!" Xiao Li echoed with equal enthusiasm.

Lu Qing nodded in response.

Before their seclusion, Er Ya had been at the Minor Accomplishment stage of the Primordial Realm, while Xiao Li had reached the Major Accomplishment stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After half a year of cultivation, both had made remarkable progress.

He then turned his attention to the Quintessence Five-color Winged Snake.

The snake lowered its head slightly, seeming a bit embarrassed.

In the past six months of cultivation, it had only managed to strengthen its physical body without any other breakthroughs, remaining at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage.

Seeing this, Lu Qing instantly understood the situation.

However, he wasn't surprised.

The snake had already reached Foundation Establishment Perfection, and if it were to break through further, it would be at the Golden Core Realm.

For a spiritual beast to advance to a higher realm was far more challenging than for a human cultivator.

Moreover, according to Yan's teachings, spiritual beasts also needed to face the Thunder Tribulation when attempting to enter the Golden Core Realm, and the Heavenly Tribulation they faced was often even more powerful than that of human cultivators at the same level.

So, it wasn't unexpected that the snake was still stuck at Foundation Establishment Perfection.

After a moment's thought, Lu Qing said, "You've been at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage for quite some time now. During this seclusion, you've also made your physical body more robust.

Once you've fully digested the gains from this period, I'll give you a few lotus seeds."

Upon hearing this, the snake's head shot up, its eyes filled with delight.

"So, in the coming days, focus on your cultivation and make your foundation even more solid. The stronger your foundation, the higher your chances of success in the tribulation."

The snake eagerly nodded, like a chick pecking at rice.

Seeing this, Lu Qing couldn't help but smile.

The lotus seeds from the Quintessence Lotus were of great importance to the snake.

After refining them, it would likely be ready to face the tribulation.

After encouraging the snake, Lu Qing took out a jade talisman and sensed it, only to be slightly startled.

"Master has sent me a message?"

Before entering seclusion, he had informed his master that he had discovered a treasure site and would be secluding himself with Er Ya for a while, so there was no need for concern.

But now, with his master sending a message, Lu Qing wondered if something had happened.

He immediately read the information stored in the jade talisman.

He found that his master had sent three messages.

The first two were from two months ago, both conveying the same message: the Sage of Heavenly Secrets had visited and was seeking him out for an important matter.

The third message was sent three days ago.

In it, his master said that he had recently gained some insights and might soon face the Thunder Tribulation.

"Master is about to face the tribulation?!"

After reading all three messages, Lu Qing immediately disregarded the first two and focused entirely on the last one.

He promptly replied, asking his master about the situation.

However, a long time passed without any response from his master.

Lu Qing grew anxious.

Without further delay, he led Er Ya out of the cave.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Er Ya asked, seeing Lu Qing's worried expression.

"My master sent a message a few days ago, saying he might face the tribulation soon. I'm not sure about the current situation, but we need to hurry back," Lu Qing explained as he rushed out with Er Ya.

He felt a bit regretful.

He had been so engrossed in his cultivation that he had forgotten to check the jade talisman, missing such crucial information.

If something had happened to his master because of this oversight, he knew he would never forgive himself.

"Grandpa Chen is about to face the Thunder Tribulation! We must hurry back!" Er Ya exclaimed, her worry evident.

Er Ya, now a Primordial Perfection cultivator, had a deep understanding of the path of cultivation.

Moreover, she had witnessed Lu Qing's tribulation in Central Province, so she was well aware of its dangers.

After exiting the cave, Lu Qing quickly placed over a dozen jade talismans around the entrance, forming a complete formation that concealed the cave's location.

With this setup, even a Golden Core Realm cultivator would struggle to see through the illusion unless they were highly skilled in formation techniques.

Once everything was in place, Lu Qing and Er Ya rose into the sky and flew straight into the azure void.

Upon reaching the sky, Lu Qing wasted no time and immediately summoned the Ethereal Flying Vessel, entering it without hesitation.

In the next instant, the vessel vanished from its original spot, propelled by magical power.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end