Chapter 97: The Imperial Court's Actions
Chapter 97: The Imperial Court’s Actions
"Phew!"
Gu Qingfeng let out a long breath and turned his gaze to the Master’s True Intent Painting before him.
This time.
He discovered that the True Intent within the painting had completely dissipated.
Just as he had expected.
The True Intent contained in the painting could only support his cultivation up to the Seventh Level of True Intent.
There was no other way around it.
If it were a Master’s True Intent Painting from its peak, it would likely allow him to cultivate up to the Eighth or even Ninth Level of True Intent.
Unfortunately.
This painting had been in the Zuo family’s possession for many years, and much of its True Intent had already faded. Now, it could only support cultivation up to the Seventh Level of True Intent, which was its limit.
At this moment.
With the True Intent completely gone, the painting was nothing more than an ordinary image, devoid of any additional power.
Next.
Gu Qingfeng approached the desk, spread out a sheet of rice paper, closed his eyes to meditate and focus, and then reopened them. He dipped his brush in ink and began to sketch a new image, completing it in a single, fluid motion.
In the next instant.
The rice paper suddenly shattered, scattering into countless fragments.
Seeing this, Gu Qingfeng shook his head slightly. "Indeed, the power of True Intent is not something ordinary paper can withstand. Even if I wanted to leave behind such True Intent, I would need to find a treasure capable of bearing its power!"
He wished to emulate the ancients and leave behind his own True Intent.
Unfortunately.
Ordinary rice paper could not handle it.
The Master’s True Intent Painting that the Zuo family had provided was clearly made of something far more special.
With this realization.
Gu Qingfeng temporarily abandoned the idea of leaving behind his own True Intent.
Of course.
There were other methods to leave behind True Intent, but using a special treasure to carry it would ensure that the True Intent could be preserved for a much longer time.
...
With the breakthrough in True Intent.
Gu Qingfeng felt his strength had improved.
Afterward.
He continued to cultivate other martial arts and delve into the mysteries of the Overlord Blade Slash.
Even though the True Intent from the painting had been exhausted, this did not mean that he had no further potential for advancement.
It simply meant that without the assistance of the True Intent, his subsequent progress would be much slower.
For this reason.
Gu Qingfeng established the Sharpening Hall. He gathered some of the weapons left behind by the martial artists he had slain, from the Gu Family Manor’s treasure vault, and placed them in the Sharpening Hall. He intended to use the power of these weapons, steeped in the blood of battles, to hone his own True Intent.
It was known that any weapon, once used by a martial artist for a period of time, would retain some unique essence.
However.
This essence was often extremely faint, making it difficult to detect, and even if detected, it would have little effect.
Only the divine weapons wielded by top-tier experts, which were constantly refined by their owners and stained with the blood of powerful foes, could develop a much stronger essence.
Currently.
The Sharpening Hall contained only a few divine weapons, all of which had been wielded by martial artists at the Bone Tempering stage or higher.
In the center of the Sharpening Hall stood a rack made of black iron, upon which the Evil-Slaying Blade was prominently displayed.
Regular maintenance of the blade deepened Gu Qingfeng’s connection with it, gradually transforming it into an even more powerful divine weapon.
Since the establishment of the Sharpening Hall, Gu Qingfeng spent most of his time there in cultivation, rarely leaving, sometimes staying for days on end.
Occasionally, Gu Qingfeng would take a walk, offer some guidance to Gu Yang’s cultivation, spend some time with Xu Yulan, and visit his two younger sons.
Life went on like this.
It seemed that everything had returned to a true state of tranquility.
...
The morning sun shone through the windows.
Gu Qingfeng sat cross-legged in the Sharpening Hall. Suddenly, the yang energy of the sun poured through the skylight and into his abdomen, causing the power of the Qingyang Art to circulate rapidly. In a moment, the technique broke through from the fifth level of perfection to the initial sixth level.
The breakthrough from the fifth to the sixth level was significant.
Before the sixth level, the cultivation focused on refining the blood, but from the sixth level onward, it involved refining the bones.
Gu Qingfeng felt the pure yang energy generated by the Qingyang Art seep through his blood and flesh, merging into his bones. His already highly refined bones began to expel some impurities.
Once the impurities were expelled, Gu Qingfeng felt his golden bones become even smoother, though they were still not entirely flawless.
"Once the Qingyang Art advances further, it should be able to continue refining my golden bones. If I can perfect my martial arts and develop a flawless physical body, my strength will surely undergo a fundamental transformation!"
Gu Qingfeng sensed the changes in his physical body as the impurities were expelled. His blood and qi circulated smoothly, and his strength had a slight but noticeable increase.
Although this improvement wasn’t significant, at his current level, every bit of enhancement was crucial.
Three days after Gu Qingfeng’s breakthrough, Gu Yang came to visit again.
"Father!"
In the Sharpening Hall, Gu Yang bowed and, as he spoke, his gaze involuntarily fell on the Evil-Slaying Blade in the center.
The blade had a spirit of its own.
The powerful blade intent it contained influenced the domineering blade intent he had cultivated, creating a subtle resonance between them.
Gu Qingfeng opened his eyes but remained seated. He said slowly, "Tell me, what has happened?"
"There has been a major upheaval in the Nine-Bend Path. The Zuo family and the Crimson Flame Sect, along with other thousand-year-old clans and sects, have entered the Nine-Bend Path to suppress an evil entity, but they all met with defeat."
"Rumors say that the evil entity is extremely powerful, and hundreds of thousands of civilians in Cloud Mountain City have perished at its hands. The Evil-Suppression Bureau has also lost several Spirit Master-level experts, including Deputy Commander Jiang Qin of the Guangyang Prefecture Evil-Suppression Bureau!"
Gu Yang reported truthfully.
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingfeng’s eyes flashed with a sharp light.
"Is this information accurate?"
"Eight or nine out of ten!"
Gu Yang paused, then continued, "If those clans and sects hadn’t entered the Nine-Bend Path and engaged in battle with the evil entity, this news wouldn’t have spread. I’ve also sent people to investigate the situation in the Nine-Bend Path. The imperial court seems to be evacuating the civilians from the area, and the Evil-Suppression Bureaus of various prefectures are mobilizing to deal with the evil entity collectively!"
Gu Yang’s words made Gu Qingfeng’s expression turn serious.
If the imperial court was taking such drastic measures, then the rumors were likely true.
After all, if it weren’t for the severity of the situation, the imperial court wouldn’t have acted so decisively.
While Gu Qingfeng was contemplating, Gu Yang added, "The commotion caused by the evil entity in the Nine-Bend Path has led to officials from the imperial court coming to the Gu Family Manor, seeking Father’s help to collectively slay the evil entity.
"However, since Father was in seclusion, I didn’t disturb you."
(End of Chapter)
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