Stealing Immortal

Chapter 122: Chapter 121: Breakthrough

The night sky was an immaculate, deep blue.

The small courtyard on Cyan Bamboo Peak was silent, the only sound the rustling of the wind.

Chen Qingyang sat on the dais, using the Starlight Body technique to immerse his Divine Sense in the vast sky. As his True Essence circulated without cease, he reached into the unseen and performed an inference to find Li Sheng’s location.

This method was limited by his own cultivation, his target’s cultivation, and the difficulty of the Astrological Inference. Thus, simply deducing Li Sheng’s location didn’t take much effort.

Chen Qingyang saw a golden light, tinged with purple, shining from Li Sheng. It corresponded with a Star Map in the heavens, forming a unique astral pattern. Upon closer inspection, he recognized this particular Star Map as "Great Harvest."

It signified that his endeavors would surely come to fruition; by aligning with the opportune moment, he was guaranteed to reap the rewards. Li Sheng’s cultivation was destined to break through tonight.

Chen Qingyang also saw that beyond the Star Map corresponding to Li Sheng, another, far more massive Star Map revealed just the tip of the iceberg before vanishing behind a nebula, making it impossible to see clearly.

Perceiving it carefully, he felt a faint connection between it and himself. A sudden realization dawned on him: ’This Star Map represents me. Li Sheng is leaning on it for support. The meaning is self-evident. It all depends on what path he chooses to walk after his cultivation breaks through.’

After a moment, Chen Qingyang opened his eyes and glanced to the side. Xu Baoling looked like a lifelike, three-dimensional painting hanging on the wall. Her eyes were lightly closed, her clothes fluttering. Her long, shapely thighs were pressed tightly together, her waist and chest forming a stunning curve. Bathed in the light of the Gathering Yin Array, she possessed a kind of sacred beauty.

He then used the Astrological Inference method on her. Xu Baoling’s current cultivation was equivalent to the Qi Refining Sixth and Seventh Realm, so performing an inference on her wouldn’t be too difficult for him.

His True Essence surged, his body shimmered with the light of the Starlight Body technique, and the celestial Star Map materialized in his mind. The images drifted by slowly as he searched for Xu Baoling’s unique Qi Mechanism. This step was called "Seeking," and it was the most difficult part of any inference.

He recalled how even someone with Master Xuan Gui’s skill had spent several nights searching the vast unseen to find him—a calamitous star entering the grand game.

His mental energy and True Essence were both being consumed. After a great while, he finally sensed a familiar aura.

It was a speck of golden light, its source unclear. Chen Qingyang proceeded to the second step, "Slicing," attempting to discern the Star Map’s origin and outline. But even after a long time, he gained nothing, and had instead consumed a great deal of his True Essence.

Helpless, he had no choice but to give up.

This was something far beyond what Xu Baoling could achieve at the Qi Refining Sixth and Seventh Realm. Chen Qingyang pondered this seriously. It could only mean her destiny was impossible to predict. It was either supreme fortune or utter disaster; her fate held only these two possibilities. She would either die a brutal death or live a magnificent life.

He thought about how her destiny was inextricably linked with his own. ’Could it be that her fate will ultimately be reflected in my own... It’s really hard to say.’

Having just expended a great deal of True Essence, Chen Qingyang began to meditate deeply once more, continuing until dawn.

For the past three months, he had practically been in seclusion, focusing on his cultivation and alchemy. He saw no one and involved himself in nothing. His Root Acupoint was now completely stable. With a mere thought, he could draw the Earth Vein Yin Fiend up through his legs, using them as pillars to root himself to the earth. The sheer power of his True Qi was worlds beyond what it had been before.

He dressed in a white robe, tied up a lock of his dark hair, and looked at himself in the Copper Mirror. He seemed to have grown a little younger, appearing just like a teenager.

A practitioner’s apparent age wasn’t something they could control at will—at least, Chen Qingyang couldn’t at his current stage. Such changes in appearance were entirely related to the speed of one’s cultivation progress.

It was just like how Liu Tao, trapped in the Qi Refining Ninth Realm for two hundred years, had her qi and blood weaken until she looked like an old crone. Chen Qingyang, advancing at a rapid pace, was the complete opposite.

He began to circulate the Great Soul Scripture, using his powerful Perception Power to subtly alter his Qi Mechanism. He meticulously adjusted the rhythm of his breathing and the flow of his qi, ensuring that, on the surface, he did not appear to be in the Realm of Essence Condensation.

By now, Xu Baoling was no longer in the Alchemy Room, but was speaking in the small courtyard. When Chen Qingyang pushed the door open, he saw them gathering dozens of Jade Boxes, all filled with the Tier Four Yang Replacement Powder he had accumulated over this period.

"Master, we’ve finished counting the elixirs you’ve accumulated. There are one hundred and twenty-five in total. However, we’re completely out of raw materials. The few Merit Copper Coins we have are just a drop in the bucket for replenishing our alchemy supplies."

In almost three months, Chen Qingyang had been able to produce five elixirs per batch. Having now completed twenty-four batches, he had amassed one hundred and twenty of them. It sounded easy, but for anyone else, it would have taken an unimaginable amount of effort.

’Master Yun Ci is truly ruthless!’

"It’s fine. I’ll figure something out for the Merit Copper Coins. For now, store the elixirs. I’ll make a trip to Four Golden Peaks in the next day or two."

Xu Baoling asked, "Master, are you going to see my master?"

Chen Qingyang nodded. "Exactly. Otherwise, where would we get the ingredients for alchemy?"

"That’s true," Xu Baoling added. "To a Foundation Establishment Master, a few Merit Copper Coins are nothing. And since you’re able to provide so many elixirs after only half a year, given my master’s disposition, she’ll surely agree to your request."

Chen Qingyang said, "I added an extra fifty elixirs to our original agreement with today in mind. If things get difficult, I might even be able to ask for her help. Do you think she’ll agree?"

Xu Baoling replied without a second thought, "My master is cold and pragmatic, and her devotion to the Dao is second to none. If it’s profitable and beneficial to her path, she will naturally take action."

Chen Qingyang nodded. "Exactly. That’s what I was counting on."

With that said, Chen Qingyang turned his gaze to Li Sheng. While he had been speaking with Xu Baoling, the two young men had been packing away the elixirs off to the side.

"Your cultivation broke through last night, yet you’ve stayed silent about it. You’re certainly a patient one!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ping, who was standing nearby, was stunned. So this junior brother who had come up the mountain with him had already broken through to Qi Refining. From now on, he was truly one of the Immortals.

Li Sheng immediately bowed with clasped hands. "It wasn’t my intention to hide it, Senior Brother Chen. I just... haven’t figured out where to go from here."

Chen Qingyang smiled. "You must understand, a cultivator’s lifespan is long. We aren’t bound by the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death like mortals are. We have far more freedom and fewer restrictions. That’s why every choice you make is critical. And when it’s time to choose, you must choose. There is no room for hesitation."

It was just like his own experience. When his cultivation broke through, he had been unwilling to go to Four Golden Peaks and suffer the disdain of others. He had persevered, and now he was growing ever closer to Li Qianxue and had gained many opportunities. All of this was the result of his choices.

Li Sheng lowered his head in silence for a moment. When he looked up again, he seemed to have made a decision. "Senior Brother Chen, if it’s possible, I’d like to stay here. The people I know best are here, this is the environment I’m most accustomed to, and my deepest attachments are here. If I went somewhere else, I honestly wouldn’t know what to do."

Chen Qingyang could see his sincerity and didn’t hesitate. "You can. I can’t pass a Dharma Gate on to you without authorization, so you’ll only be able to cultivate to the Third Realm of Qi Refining. During that time, I will provide you with elixirs. As for what to do after you reach the Third Realm, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."

The Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique had the effect of refining one’s Dantian and Meridians. Even after a breakthrough, practicing it for a few more years would be no problem at all; it would even help solidify his foundation. Furthermore, the elixirs he would have access to were a benefit he couldn’t get anywhere else.

Li Sheng immediately dropped to his knees. "Thank you, Senior Brother Chen."

"None of that. I’m not a fan of such formalities."

Seeing their conversation end, Zhang Ping spoke up. "It’s only been a year, Junior Brother Li. You’re so fast! Senior Brother Chen, when will it be my turn?"

Chen Qingyang had actually considered this. Zhang Ping’s aptitude was average at best. If not for the nourishment from his elixirs, there was a real risk he might never even reach the Qi Refining realm.

Chen Qingyang said, "Your path is different from his. You’ll need to persevere until you’re at least forty."

Forty years old. That was still twenty years away.

Zhang Ping remained calm at this. "Senior Brother Chen, what does it matter if it takes twenty, thirty, or even forty years? I don’t even mind if I never enter the Immortal Sect. Life is pretty good right now, isn’t it? To be honest, when I first got here, I was thinking about secretly running away down the mountain."

In Chen Qingyang’s opinion, this was actually the best mindset to have. Once a person like this set foot on the correct path, they would rarely encounter bottlenecks later on. The most difficult part was always the beginning.

"It’s good that you think that way."

After chatting with them, Chen Qingyang went for a stroll. As far as the eye could see, the landscape was a breathtaking vista of mountains and rivers.

He walked slowly, observing and thinking, savoring the feeling in his heart. It wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky that he started back toward the small courtyard.

This time, while still a good distance away, he spotted a young woman in a red dress. It was Hong’Er, whom he hadn’t seen in days.

Beside her were several other disciples on Miscellaneous Task duty, all from Tian Jingzhao’s Cave Mansion. They were carrying a large supply of alchemy ingredients.

’I haven’t been to see him in four or five months. That fellow must be getting anxious thinking about his Tier Four Yang Replacement Powder.’

After the disciples on Miscellaneous Task duty set the items down, Hong’Er dismissed them and walked over to Chen Qingyang, bowing first. "Greetings, Senior Brother Chen!"

"Mm, follow me inside."

Inside the Alchemy Room, he brewed a pot of tea for her, just as he had last time. Hong’Er only took a small sip.

"Senior Brother Chen, you haven’t visited in three or four months. Senior Brother Tian is getting a little anxious. He was too proud to come himself, so he sent me. But... I overheard Senior Brother Tian talking with someone, and they said you went to the Separation Dragon Pill Institute and had some fortuitous encounters?"

Chen Qingyang didn’t deny it. He simply said, "That’s right. You can go back and tell Tian Jingzhao I’ll pay him a visit in a few days."

"Mm." Hong’Er just nodded lightly. "Oh, right. Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Hu have been coming around frequently lately. I reckon the only reason they haven’t come looking for you is because they’re busy with something. They’ll probably come as soon as they’re finished. You should be on your guard, Senior Brother Chen."

Thinking of the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley, Chen Qingyang was actually quite keen on dealing with them. ’Who wouldn’t want a free Immortal Seedling? Not to mention that peach tree they have.’

"Alright, I understand." As he spoke, he handed her a Qi Gathering Pill. It was Tier Two.

"The effects of this elixir will be quite noticeable. Start the refinement process now, and you can leave once you’re finished."

The young woman’s face lit up with joy. "Thank you, Senior Brother Chen!"

A subtle shift occurred in the Alchemy Room. After Hong’Er finished refining the elixir, her cheeks were flushed and rosy, like two apples.

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