Chapter 703 - 281: Fish King

This time, the change to his panel was different from before. A new Spear Intent had appeared, and it was labeled True Martial Spear Intent.

"What does this mean?"

Chen Qing fell into deep thought.

"Congratulations on your great improvement in spear technique, Brother Chen!"

Meanwhile, Qing Dai was the first to react, her beautiful eyes shimmering with excitement.

Perilla, Su Yue, and Qinghua quickly followed suit, their voices filled with excitement. "Congratulations, Brother Chen!"

They could all sense that Chen Qing’s spear technique seemed to have broken through to a new level.

A flicker of satisfaction showed in Chen Qing’s eyes, but he quickly composed himself.

He shook his head, his tone calm. "I’ve only just gained initial insight into a Spear Intent. The road ahead is still long."

’I know that my master, Luo Zhixian, has completely mastered the Ten Extremes Spear Intent,’ he thought. ’His every move is a Supreme Skill, and he can even manifest a terrifying Divine Technique like Thunder Radiance.’

’I’ve only just cultivated the True Martial Demon-Vanquishing Spear to the Extreme Realm and condensed its corresponding Spear Intent. This is just the first step.’

Still, the increase in his strength was tangible.

Chen Qing mused to himself. ’My True Martial Demon-Vanquishing Spear is at the Extreme Realm, my Spear Intent is newly formed, my Dragon Elephant Wisdom Vajra Body is at the Fourth Layer, my Primordial Five Elements True Astral is far more powerful than that of other Astral Force masters at my level, and I also have the Unparalleled Martial Arts of the True Martial Seal...’

’If I were to unleash my full power and use every technique at my disposal... I wonder if I could fight an expert who has just entered the True Essence Realm?’

The thought swirled in his mind, tinged with anticipation.

He knew there was a fundamental gap between the Astral Force and True Essence Realms—the transformation of True Astral into True Essence, allowing one to command the Power of Heaven and Earth. But he was confident his foundation was strong enough to close some of that gap.

’Perhaps I can’t win, but surely I’d be able to hold my own, or even contend with them?’

Chen Qing carefully studied the True Martial Spear Intent, striving to fully integrate it into his own spear technique system until the intent arose naturally with a single thought.

One afternoon, as he was practicing his spear technique in the courtyard, Zhu Yu rushed over with some news.

"Brother Chen, Shen Xiuyong and Qiao Hongyun from Xu Wang Mountain are back."

Zhu Yu’s tone was somewhat grave. "But I heard that Senior Brother Shen seems to be injured and is recovering at his residence on Xu Wang Mountain."

Hearing this, Chen Qing paused his Profound Dragon Spear Technique, his brow furrowing slightly.

Shen Xiuyong was a close friend. Hearing that he was injured naturally concerned him.

"I understand. Thank you, Junior Brother Zhu."

Chen Qing nodded, put away his long spear, straightened himself up, and set off for the residential area of Xu Wang Mountain.

He navigated the familiar path to Shen Xiuyong’s small courtyard, where the gate was ajar.

Chen Qing pushed the gate open and entered. He saw Shen Xiuyong leaning back on a bed inside, his face pale and his aura much weaker than usual.

Qiao Hongyun was sitting on a stool to the side, speaking with him in a low voice.

"Junior Martial Uncle Shen."

Chen Qing stepped inside and asked with concern, "I heard you were injured. How are you feeling now?"

Seeing Chen Qing arrive, Shen Xiuyong forced a smile and tried to sit up straight, but Chen Qing gestured for him to stop.

"It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious. I’ll be fine after a few days of rest."

"What exactly happened?" Chen Qing asked, his brow slightly furrowed.

’Shang Lujing is at Late-stage Astral Force, and Qiao Hongyun has a Mid-stage Astral Force Cultivation. Their group isn’t weak.’

Qiao Hongyun chimed in from the side, his voice laced with a hint of lingering fear. "On our way back to the Sect, at the border of Qiu Long Path and Yellow Maple Path, we ran into a few Demon Sect bastards. There were four of them, and two were at Late-stage Astral Force. Old Shen got hit by a sneak attack... Luckily, we managed to join forces and kill two of their Astral Force experts, so they finally retreated."

’The Infinite Demon Sect!?’

Hearing that they had encountered people from the Demon Sect, the tension in Chen Qing’s heart instinctively eased. As long as it wasn’t a matter of internal strife Within the Sect, things were much simpler.

But this relief lasted only a moment. An inconspicuous detail in Qiao Hongyun’s words instantly set off alarm bells in his mind.

He pressed, "You just said... they ambushed you without provocation?"

Qiao Hongyun nodded in confirmation. "That’s right. We were just traveling normally, and they attacked without any warning."

Chen Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly as he began to ponder inwardly.

Qiao Hongyun cursed, "Those Demon Sect fiends are getting more and more audacious."

Shen Xiuyong caught his breath and looked at Chen Qing. "Enough about me. I heard that you... you’ve already become a True Disciple of the Sect? How long has it been?"

Chen Qing nodded calmly. "Yes."

Qiao Hongyun also stared at Chen Qing with a burning gaze. Before they had left the Sect for their mission, Chen Qing was already a True Successor Candidate at the height of his fame, but attaining the position of a True Disciple was incredibly difficult.

To think that in such a short time, he had actually reached that level.

They had vaguely heard the news upon their return to the Sect, but hearing Chen Qing confirm it himself still left them deeply shocked.

Shen Xiuyong, however, laughed heartily. "Excellent! Truly excellent! For our Wutai Sect to produce a True Disciple of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect—what an incredible honor!"

He seemed to recall something, and the smile on his face grew wider. "Right, I have some good news for you, too."

"Oh? What good news?" Chen Qing asked.

"This time, I was ordered back to Yunlin Prefecture on official business, and on the way, I took a detour through the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp to visit the Wutai Sect."

Shen Xiuyong’s voice swelled with pride. "The Sect Leader... he’s successfully broken through and stepped into the True Essence Realm!"

"Sect Leader He has broken through to the True Essence Realm?"

Chen Qing was also shaken by the news.

Although he had long known that He Yuzhou’s foundation was profound and that he was just one step away from the True Essence Realm, hearing the definitive news still brought him joy.

A True Essence Realm expert, whether in the Sect or in the wider region, carried a completely different weight.