Chapter 716 - 285: Challenge 2

Chen Qing watched Zhang Baicheng’s departing figure, his gaze profound.

He was completely unfazed by Zhang Baicheng’s offer of a one-hand handicap, even finding it rather dull.

When Chen Qing returned to his small courtyard on True Martial Peak, dusk had quietly fallen. Lanterns had already been lit along the veranda, their warm, dim glow dispelling some of the winter chill.

"Senior Brother." Qing Dai heard him and came out to greet him, as gentle and deferential as ever.

Chen Qing gave a slight nod. Without breaking his stride, he walked directly toward the Quiet Chamber and said, "Qing Dai, come with me."

Qing Dai’s heart tightened. Not daring to delay, she quickly hurried to catch up.

Inside the Quiet Chamber, Chen Qing turned to face her, his gaze calm. "I need to enter seclusion for a period of time. During my absence, you will be in charge of all matters in the courtyard. Unless it is a direct order from the Sect or a visit from Master himself, no one and nothing is to disturb me. Remember, no one."

This was the first time Qing Dai had heard Chen Qing give instructions in such a serious tone. She knew this seclusion must be of great importance. She immediately replied with solemnity, "Yes, Senior Brother! Qing Dai understands. I will guard the courtyard well and ensure no one disturbs your cultivation!"

"Mm."

Chen Qing was confident in Qing Dai’s abilities. He waved his hand. "Go on, then. There’s no need to prepare any meals. Just guard the entrance."

"Yes." Qing Dai bowed again before quietly exiting the Quiet Chamber, gently closing the door behind her.

She stood outside the door and took a deep breath. The gentle look on her face faded, replaced by an alert vigilance, like a she-panther guarding her den. She began meticulously arranging a rotating night watch with the other three women to ensure Chen Qing would not be disturbed.

「Inside the Quiet Chamber, as the door closed.」

Chen Qing sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, took out the new elixir crafted by Zhang Yi, and consumed it.

The elixir dissolved the moment it entered his mouth. A gentle yet immense medicinal power instantly spread throughout his body like a warm spring current, surging into his limbs and bones.

Chen Qing immediately focused his Heart and Spirit, Embracing the Origin and Guarding Unity. The spell for the Primordial Five Elements True Astral slowly began to circulate within him.

At first, the medicinal power was like a trickling stream, gently nourishing his meridians.

But as the spell’s circulation sped up, the warm current gradually grew scorching hot, as if transforming into rushing magma that surged violently through his resilient meridians.

His Dantian Sea of Qi instantly began to boil! Brilliant red, yellow, azure, white, and black lights shone together, like five awakened Flood Dragons churning and writhing within his Sea of Qi, frantically devouring and merging with the pure Primordial Qi from the Element Merging Pill.

...

「At the same time.」

Deep within Nine Heavens Peak, in a secret chamber.

Lu Chenming sat cross-legged, the aura around him fluctuating violently, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

His face was flushed, veins bulged on his forehead, and beads of sweat constantly formed only to be vaporized by the searing heat emanating from his body.

Within his body, the Astral Force he had long since polished to flawless perfection was undergoing an earth-shattering transformation.

His Heart and Spirit was completely immersed in the Sea of Will, a place that existed somewhere between the real and the illusory.

There, his originally vague and scattered Saber Intent was being forcefully condensed by a powerful conviction and the insights into the Saber Path he had accumulated over many years.

’Condense! Condense for me!’

Lu Chenming roared silently in his mind. He could almost hear a shackle somewhere inside him groaning under the unbearable pressure.

Countless flashbacks of his saber practice flashed through his mind: the immaturity of his first time holding a hilt, the confidence of achieving Great Success in his Saber Technique, the bitterness and subsequent acceptance of his defeat on the Seven-Star Platform... All these emotions, all these insights, finally converged into a single point—the ultimate pursuit of the saber’s edge, of cleaving through everything!

BZZZZ—!

A soft hum exploded deep within his soul.

In his Sea of Will, all the fragments suddenly coalesced, forming a formless, intangible blade that radiated an intent to sunder all, to advance unyieldingly—a blade of pure will!

The very instant this blade took form, the Astral Force within him, which had long been saturated to its absolute limit, seemed to find its final outlet. It collapsed inward and condensed, undergoing a qualitative change into True Essence—a purer, more powerful energy capable of stirring the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi around him!

BOOM!

Inside the secret chamber, an invisible wave of energy erupted from Lu Chenming, slamming against the walls with a deep, muffled boom.

His tightly shut eyes snapped open. A brilliant light shot from them, like tangible saber blades piercing the air.

He had succeeded!

After much hardship, he had finally broken through the bottleneck that had plagued him for years and officially stepped into the True Essence Realm!

He felt the True Essence rushing through him like a great river—more than ten times purer and more powerful than his previous Astral Force. He also felt the Martial Dao Will, now a distinct presence within his mind, obeying his will as easily as his own limbs.

Lu Chenming’s heart filled with immense joy and elation.

He rose to his feet, an irrepressible surge of heroic spirit welling up within him.

He did not choose to conceal his aura. Instead, with a single thought, he released his newly formed Martial Dao Will without reservation!

CLANG—!

An invisible clang, like the ring of a saber, seemed to originate from the summit of Nine Heavens Peak, clearly resonating in the Heart and Spirit of every perceptive master on the surrounding peaks.

The Saber Intent was incomparably sharp, carrying a decisive and piercing edge that announced the birth of a new True Essence Realm master!

"That’s... a Martial Dao Will! Someone has broken through to the True Essence Realm!"

"It’s coming from the direction of Nine Heavens Peak! What a sharp Saber Intent!"

"It’s Senior Brother Lu Chenming! He succeeded!"

In an instant, powerful figures on Nine Heavens Peak were startled, and the sound of them cutting through the air followed one after another.

Several Elders and Stewards of the Nine Heavens Lineage were the first to arrive outside Lu Chenming’s secluded chamber. Sensing the piercing Saber Intent that had yet to fully dissipate, their faces all showed relief and joy.

"Congratulations, Nephew Lu!"

"Congratulations, Chenming, on finally reaching the True Essence Realm. The Great Dao is now within your reach!"