dmims Chapter 234 Rank 4 Lightning Liquid, Continue to Endure
Chapter 234 Rank 4 Lightning Liquid, Continue to Endure
Chapter 234 Fourth-Order Lightning Liquid, Continue to Endure
More than an hour ago.
Inside the inner palace, Chen Yi personally received Yue Qingqiu.
Yue Qingqiu was dressed in a moon-white robe, with delicate silver moon patterns embroidered on the hem. As she walked, her robe fluttered lightly, exuding a cool and otherworldly aura.
A closer look reveals that her face shows a hint of weariness compared to a few years ago, yet it still cannot conceal her ethereal, captivating beauty.
Chen Yi could easily guess that in recent years, the Star Moon Sect had been repeatedly targeted by other forces, and she had to handle all the sect's affairs, big and small, personally, worrying about the competition for sect resources.
She also had to find rare spiritual items to help her break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. This double pressure was completely different from the days when she only needed to focus on cultivation in her early years, so she naturally showed signs of fatigue.
To Chen Yi's surprise, despite the numerous affairs, Yue Qingqiu's magical power became even more refined.
The moonlight spiritual energy flowing around her was as clear as glass, without any impurities. It was clear that she had never relaxed her cultivation over the years, and knew that cultivation was the foundation for standing in the world of immortal cultivation.
Her cultivation of the "Moon Technique" deepened, and the moonlight essence accumulated within her body became even more abundant than before, adding a touch of warmth to her otherwise aloof temperament.
For male cultivators practicing the "Star Technique," the allure of such a fairy, who possesses both charm and pure moonlight magic, is all the more intense.
Chen Yi sat opposite Yue Qingqiu, his eyes filled with admiration, a gentle smile on his face. He spoke first, asking:
"Senior sister, you must have worked hard managing the sect's affairs these past few years."
"I wonder how well you've prepared the items needed for your Nascent Soul breakthrough, Senior Sister?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Qingqiu gently shook her head, a bitter smile appearing on her face:
"It's difficult."
In recent years, the Star Moon Sect has been targeted by other forces. Whenever a Nascent Soul Spiritual Item appears at an auction, it is snatched up by the other side at a price far exceeding the market price, leaving us no chance to compete.
So far, I've only managed to acquire one item, 'Moon Spirit Purifying Water'. As for other crucial items, such as the 'Lightning-Avoiding Pearl' which can withstand lightning tribulations...
Or perhaps the three essential ingredients for refining the Nascent Soul Pill—the Nascent Soul Fruit, the Cold Marrow Branch, and the Purple Gold Flower—are still nowhere to be found.
At this point, Yue Qingqiu paused, without mentioning any treasures to guard against inner demon tribulations.
The Moon Technique she cultivates has a hidden characteristic: at the critical moment of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, if she can engage in dual cultivation of spirit and soul with a cultivator who cultivates the Star Technique, the "Star Moon Essence" generated by their fusion can not only greatly improve the quality of Nascent Soul formation, but also form a layer of protection at the spiritual level, effectively resisting the invasion of inner demons.
This is the key to the Star Moon Sect's ability to survive for thousands of years and to always have a number of Nascent Soul cultivators, and it is also the unique advantage of this dual cultivation technique.
However, since this matter involves core secrets of the sect and concerns her own privacy, she naturally wouldn't easily mention it to others.
When the topic turned to treasures that could protect against lightning tribulations, Chen Yi suddenly had an idea.
He had previously paid attention to such treasures when preparing for his breakthrough to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, and later he delved into the method of fusion between immortals and martial arts.
He then realized that he didn't need to rely on anything external; he had already cultivated the ability to resist lightning tribulations on his own.
Each of the lightning crystal cores nurtured within the body contains pure lightning spirit power, sufficient to initially withstand the bombardment of a top-tier third-order lightning strike.
Even though the Nascent Soul Tribulation is a fourth-tier event, and the last two strikes are rumored to potentially reach the power of a mid-grade fourth-tier tribulation, Chen Yi still has a way to deal with it:
By arranging multiple lightning crystal cores in a specific way to form a simple lightning spirit array, the power of the array can be used to deflect the force layer by layer, which can always block the impact of one or even half a lightning tribulation.
Even more so, if he were to succeed in cultivating Thunder Crystal Marrow in the future, this core item, which condenses the ultimate power of thunder spirit, could detonate like a self-destructing magic weapon at a critical moment. Perhaps a single one could withstand a fourth-order thunder tribulation.
However, Chen Yi did not reveal a word of these thoughts to Yue Qingqiu.
After all, with his current abilities, if he wanted to help Yue Qingqiu defend against the lightning tribulation, he could only forcibly implant a large number of lightning crystal cores into her body. This move was not only extremely risky, but would also expose his own body-refining trump card.
Since the Thunder Crystal Marrow had not yet been truly refined, he had no idea whether it could be lent to others.
Moreover, even if he obtained the Thunder Crystal Marrow, he would never easily reveal it to others.
This was his fundamental reliance for breaking through to the fourth level of Body Refinement. Before successfully forming his Nascent Soul and truly stabilizing his strength, he could not easily reveal any of his trump cards.
Each with their own thoughts, the two sat quietly in the inner chamber and silently sipped a few mouthfuls of spiritual tea.
The crisp sound of cups lightly touching the jade table broke the silence, and Yue Qingqiu finally spoke about the main purpose of her visit.
She first took two heavy pouches from her storage bag and pushed them to the table, then solemnly took out two porcelain bottles from her sleeve.
The porcelain bottle gleamed with a warm, jade-like light, and was actually made of third-grade spirit jade. A faint aura of magical power lingered around the mouth of the bottle, clearly to prevent the spiritual energy in the blood essence from leaking out.
"Junior brother, here is the fourth-tier thunder beast essence blood you requested. I asked many people to search for it, and finally managed to gather two portions."
Yue Qingqiu's gaze fell on the porcelain vase, her tone carrying a hint of expectation.
"Regarding your earlier statement about refining a high-grade, third-tier Azure Thunder Brew, how confident are you in your ability to do so now?"
Chen Yi did not answer immediately. He raised his hand, took the porcelain bottle, and probed the mouth of the bottle with a faint spiritual power swirling around his fingertips.
A moment later, he withdrew his spiritual power and nodded slightly to Yue Qingqiu, indicating that the quality of his blood essence met the requirements.
Then, he leaned forward slightly and spoke in a steady tone:
"Senior sister, regarding improving the quality of Azure Thunder Brew, I currently have two directions for improvement. Please listen to them before making a decision."
"The first type is to enhance the duration of the user's Thunder Spirit transformation."
The original Azure Thunder Brew could maintain the Thunder Spirit state for a quarter of an hour, but after the improvement, it can be extended to an hour.
However, this method has a limitation: during the physical transformation period, the user's combat ability does not improve much; it only significantly enhances their comprehension of thunder spirit techniques. It is more suitable for daily practice by cultivators who practice thunder spirit attribute techniques.
"The second approach is to keep the duration of the Lightning Spirit Transformation unchanged, and instead enhance the accompanying Lightning Escape Technique effect."
After the improvement, the user can raise their Lightning Escape Technique to the peak of the third tier in a short period of time, and their movement speed can increase several times compared to normal.
However, this would completely sacrifice the offensive bonus that Thunder Brew provides, reducing it to a mere means of survival.
After Chen Yi finished speaking, he picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and looked at Yue Qingqiu with a calm gaze:
"Senior sister, which of these two approaches to improvement do you think is more valuable?"
Chen Yi explained the two directions for improvement in detail, and Yue Qingqiu's face showed obvious surprise.
Her hand holding the teacup paused slightly, her gaze falling on Chen Yi, and she spoke with a hint of surprise:
"Junior brother has such ingenuity; it seems you've put a lot of effort into making Azure Thunder Brew these past few years, haven't you?"
"To be honest, my junior brother has been in seclusion for the past few years, focusing his mind mainly on researching this item, and only using the remaining time to hone his own cultivation."
Therefore, when my senior sister mentioned the Thunder Beast's essence blood in a message half a year ago, I was in a crucial research phase and was unable to leave seclusion to reply in time. I hope my senior sister will forgive me.
Chen Yi spoke in a calm tone, as if he were talking about an ordinary little thing, without deliberately emphasizing his own contributions.
These words clearly moved Yue Qingqiu.
She put down her teacup, her eyes filled with genuine concern, and her voice was softer than before:
"Junior brother, you've worked so hard. You've devoted most of your seclusion time to this so that the sect can obtain high-grade spiritual wine, sacrificing so much..."
"Rest assured, the sect will never forget what you've done. In the future, once I successfully form my Nascent Soul, I will definitely find a way to obtain rare resources for you as compensation."
"You're too kind, senior sister. That's not what I meant."
Yue Qingqiu waved her hand, telling Chen Yi not to be modest anymore, "What's yours will be yours."
After saying this, Yue Qingqiu composed herself and began to carefully consider the two directions Chen Yi had proposed.
She tapped her fingers lightly on the jade table, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke:
"Junior brother, the first type of improvement specifically for cultivation may only be truly useful to cultivators who specialize in thunder spirit techniques."
Our Star Moon Sect is based on the Moon Lake Spirit Vein, but our sect's heritage lacks orthodox lightning-attribute cultivation techniques, and few of our disciples practice lightning-attribute spells. Therefore, this direction has limited value for us.
"I think it would be better for my junior brother to focus on the second direction."
A top-tier, third-order lightning escape technique that can be maintained for a quarter of an hour—this speed and endurance are comparable to the blood escape techniques of the demonic sects that require burning one's life essence.
What's even more remarkable is that Lightning Release itself also comes with a certain degree of lightning protection, making it difficult for ordinary techniques to intercept.
Even if they encounter ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators chasing them, as long as they can take the Thunder Brew in time, they will have a chance to escape using the power of Thunder Escape.
The improved version of this premium Thunder Brew is worth at least as much as a fourth-tier treasure.
Yue Qingqiu's eyes were resolute, clearly indicating that she had made a decision. Her fingertips unconsciously tightened around the storage bag at her waist.
"Junior brother, with the materials available, how confident are you in your ability to create this Thunder Brew Escape Technique?"
"A premium lightning brew specializing in escape techniques? I'm about 50% sure."
"Fifty percent?"
For a third-tier high-grade spirit wine, that probability is indeed not low.
Yue Qingqiu muttered to herself, then looked up at Chen Yi, her tone solemn.
"I have just gathered two portions of fourth-tier Thunder Beast essence blood here, and I have also prepared two portions of the other supporting materials for my junior brother."
I hope to hear good news from my junior brother a year from now, that he has successfully refined the Thunder Brew technique.
As she spoke, she pushed two heavy storage bags in front of Chen Yi. The openings of the bags shimmered with spiritual light, clearly indicating that they were filled with rare spiritual materials.
After finalizing the matter of Lei Niang, Yue Qingqiu did not immediately get up to take her leave. Instead, she changed the subject and mentioned Chen Yi's cultivation technique, "Star Technique," wanting to take the opportunity to offer some guidance.
When Yue Qingqiu met Chen Yi before, she always felt that he was different from before, especially his eyes. They were not as plain as before, but instead had an indescribable clarity, as if there was pure spiritual power flowing in his eyes.
She had only ever seen this feeling in the eyes of the sect's patriarch, True Monarch Yuelan.
Surely Junior Brother Chen's soul couldn't have broken through to the Nascent Soul stage?
No, I must have misread it.
Yue Qingqiu shook her head, denying her suspicions, as they were far too shocking.
With Yue Qingqiu's peak Golden Core cultivation, she naturally couldn't see that Chen Yi had concealed his divine sense to the fourth level. However, based on her intuition that the "Moon Technique" and the "Star Technique" were of the same origin, she vaguely sensed that Chen Yi was not simple.
Could it be that while Chen Yi was in seclusion researching Thunder Brew in recent years, his cultivation of the Star Technique had also made a breakthrough?
She secretly guessed what was going on, and under the pretext of giving guidance, she wanted to do some tests. She gathered a wisp of moonlight spiritual power at her fingertips, as if to demonstrate the basic techniques in the "Star Technique".
However, to Yue Qingqiu's surprise, during the exchange on the cultivation of the "Star Moon Technique," she had just mentioned a key point in the cultivation of the "Star Technique"—"Star power entering the body needs to be harmonized with moonlight."
Chen Yi then followed up on the topic and pointed out the key point: "Whether it's moonlight or the essence of the sun, it's nothing more than the stellar power of countless stars acting on us."
His tone was calm, yet he pinpointed the optimal details in the technique with precision, answering fluently and even adding subtle insights she had never noticed.
Those key points of the Star Technique that had stumped her for so long, such as "the triple tempering method of star core condensation" and "the best time for star-moon resonance," Chen Yi had already thoroughly studied on his own. His understanding of the technique far exceeded her expectations.
After a brief exchange, Yue Qingqiu was surprised to discover that Chen Yi's "Star Technique" had actually reached the late stage of the third level. His body was surrounded by a faint moonlight halo as star power flowed around him, clearly indicating that he had thoroughly mastered the basic fusion method of the "Star Technique" and the "Moon Technique".
In the cultivation of the Star Moon Technique, Chen Yi was no longer a junior cultivator who needed her guidance, but a genius cultivator who could have an equal conversation with her and even surpass her in certain details.
In fact, Chen Yi might be the best dual-cultivation Star Technique cultivator in the late Core Formation stage of the Star Moon Sect.
Yue Qingqiu looked at Chen Yi, her tone full of regret: "Junior brother, it's such a pity that you only use the Star Technique as a secondary cultivation method."
With your exceptional talent in the Star Technique, if you could convert all the mana in your body into pure stellar mana, given your deep understanding of the technique, reaching the late Core Formation stage in the future would be no difficult task.
Then, a suitable female cultivator within the sect who practices the "Moon Technique" will be found for dual cultivation. With the nourishment of the Star Moon Essence, there might even be a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul realm. This is an opportunity that countless cultivators dream of!
Her words were earnest, and her eyes were full of expectations for Chen Yi's future. She clearly hoped that this talented junior brother could go further.
Faced with such advice, Chen Yi simply shook his head slightly, his tone remaining calm:
"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister, but I have always only enjoyed studying skills such as spiritual cooking and puppetry. I have never had any hope of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm."
At present, I only seek to improve my skills and hone my abilities steadily, and I am not willing to pursue excessively high realms.
Moreover, the power of the Star Technique is too sharp and fierce, and it is easy to disturb my mind when I operate it, which is not conducive to my fine control of spiritual power and research into skills.
As for the wood-based cultivation method that I, your junior brother, specialize in, it is not only gentle and gradual, but also has the effect of prolonging life. This kind of cultivation rhythm is more suitable for me.
Yue Qingqiu strongly disagreed with Chen Yi's statement that he lacked ambition.
In her view, having talent but not pursuing higher levels is undoubtedly a waste of opportunity.
But she also understood that everyone's path of spiritual practice and pursuits were different, and she couldn't force others to change their minds. She could only sigh softly and suppress her regret deep in her heart.
"Very well, since Junior Brother has already made up his mind, Senior Sister will not try to persuade him any further."
She thought to herself: Chen Yi is unwilling to find a Daoist partner for dual cultivation, and he is unwilling to make the "Star Technique" his main cultivation method. It is such a pity that such talent is being wasted.
The two discussed cultivation for about an hour, from their insights into the details of the "Star Manual" to their experiences in cultivating wood-based techniques. When the conversation gradually subsided, Yue Qingqiu got up to take her leave.
As Yue Qingqiu walked out of Chen Yi's cave dwelling, she happened to see Ping Dong tending to spiritual herbs in the spiritual plant garden near the entrance.
Ping Dong, dressed in a blue robe, was bending over and using his spiritual power to smooth the spiritual veins of a third-tier wood spirit, his movements showing a deliberate caution.
Upon hearing footsteps, Ping Dong immediately straightened up, turned around, bowed respectfully to Yue Qingqiu, and said in a respectful voice:
"Greetings, Chief Principal Qingyue."
He kept his head down, staring at the ground, to conceal the amazement in his eyes and the greedy desire for his former Daoist partner's body.
Since he returned to the Star Moon Sect a few years ago, he has been focused entirely on his arduous cultivation and has not yet touched a single woman.
In his heart, he had great ambitions in this life. Apart from Hu Mingyue and Yue Qingqiu, two female cultivators with top-notch talent and appearance, the other female cultivators in the sect were simply not worthy of his attention.
Yue Qingqiu looked at Ping Dong, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes:
"Oh? Pingdong, you have already formed your Golden Core. You should do something more important, such as participating in the competition for sect resources and honing your combat skills. These simple tasks of tending to spiritual plants can be left to outer disciples or servants."
If Junior Brother Chen makes any unreasonable demands on you, you don't have to tolerate it. You can tell me, and I'll talk to him on your behalf.
"Junior Brother Chen"?
Ping Dong's heart tightened when he heard those three words—when did Qing Qiu become so close to that outsider?
He was her former Daoist partner, and now that he was managing the spiritual plants, he actually needed her to plead for him on behalf of others.
A sense of displeasure quietly welled up in his heart, but he showed no sign of it on his face, maintaining his respectful demeanor.
"Reporting to the Chief, that's not true."
"Master Chen never asked me to do these things. I just happened to pass by the spirit plant garden during a break from my cultivation today, and I saw that the leaves of these spirit plants were covered with some dust. I felt an urge to help take care of them."
At this point, Ping Dong deliberately circulated his internal magical power, actively displaying his cultivation level:
"Furthermore, I've been cultivating very diligently lately. If the Chief doesn't believe me, he can check my Star Technique cultivation level!"
As he finished speaking, a faint silver-blue aura emanated from his body, and his stellar magic condensed into a small star core in his palm, exuding a pure and profound aura.
Driven by the power of the Golden Core, his Star Technique has been cultivated to the mid-stage of the third level, and the quality of his magic power is extremely high, not much different from that of Ping Xingye back then.
His proactive display was not only to prove his efforts, but also to gain Yue Qingqiu's attention and recognition.
However, Yue Qingqiu had just witnessed Chen Yi's cultivation of the "Star Technique" in person. In terms of the quality of magic power alone, Chen Yi's stellar magic power, which was as refined as glass and carried a faint starlight quality, was several levels higher than Ping Dong's.
More importantly, Chen Yi disregarded his outstanding talent in the Star Technique and had no intention of switching to it, focusing all his energy on his spiritual cooking and puppetry skills.
In contrast, Ping Dong, upon seeing her, couldn't wait to display his cultivation level. Yue Qingqiu knew all too well what kind of eagerness he was displaying.
Having cultivated for many years, she had seen countless cultivators who harbored romantic feelings for her, so Ping Dong's little thoughts could not be hidden from her at all.
Yue Qingqiu looked at the star core in Ping Dong's palm, her tone calm yet carrying a hint of advice:
"Pingdong, you just need to focus on your arduous cultivation and don't need to worry too much about these trivial matters."
By the way, you can learn more from Master Chen about how to overcome external desires and maintain a pure state of mind.
In this respect, no one in the entire Star Moon Sect has done better than him.
After saying this, Yue Qingqiu stopped and turned to leave. Her white robe fluttered lightly as she quickly disappeared at the end of the cave path.
"I should learn from him?"
"Is there no one in the entire Star Moon Sect who did it better than him?"
Ping Dong stood frozen in place, staring wide-eyed in the direction Yue Qingqiu had left!
I almost couldn't help but burst into a tirade.
Junior sister, do you want to see what you're saying?
Our Star Moon Sect is a sect that practices dual cultivation, and you actually want me to learn how to be a "eunuch" who never touches women?!
He simply couldn't understand how his junior sister, who once valued the dual cultivation tradition and cherished the direct lineage of the sect, could have become like this.
You should know that he is currently the only Core Formation cultivator in the Star Moon Sect who has cultivated the "Star Technique" and is at the Second-Rank Purple Extreme Golden Core stage.
Such talent would have been a key Nascent Soul seed cultivated by the sect in the past, and the patriarch would have paid close attention to him personally. But now, his junior sister dismissed him with just one sentence.
Ping Dong felt both angry and frustrated, and an indescribable sense of grievance and resentment welled up in his heart.
He even considered going to see the Nascent Soul Ancestor immediately and requesting to return to the fourth-grade low-level spiritual vein that he used to control to cultivate.
But as soon as the thought popped into his head, he forcibly suppressed it:
Firstly, if he were to confess to the ancestor in advance that he had been nurtured, and were to expose his secret of possessing another body and being reborn while cultivating in the fourth-tier spiritual vein, he would be unable to cope with any unexpected events, given that he has not yet recovered to the peak of the Golden Core stage.
Secondly, he wanted to stay in Chen Yi's cave and keep a close eye on Chen Yi, making sure that Chen Yi and Junior Sister Qingqiu didn't get too close, and even more so, that Chen Yi wouldn't take away his woman.
Thirdly, he hadn't yet found an opportunity to get close to Hu Mingyue.
The incredibly pure and untapped Moonlight Essence within Hu Mingyue's body greatly benefits his cultivation of the Star Technique. He must find a way to seize this essence in order to improve his cultivation level more quickly.
[Continue to endure.]
Ping Dong took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the frustration and anger in his heart, and the star core in his palm slowly dissipated.
He silently told himself: In this life, if you're going to endure, you have to endure to the end; if you're going to eat, you have to eat the best!
What are these grievances now? When he returns to the Nascent Soul Realm and takes control of the sect, he will take back everything he has lost and everything he wants.
Thinking this, Ping Dong quietly relaxed his hands that were hanging by his sides, deeply concealing the fierceness in his eyes, leaving only a respectful and cultivated demeanor.
Watching Yue Qingqiu leave, I took a deep breath and told myself that my junior sister and Chen Gongfeng were just ordinary fellow disciples and there was nothing between them.
(End of this chapter)