Chapter 245: Returning to Great Shun, Meeting the First Seat!

He felt as if he had plunged into an ice cavern, but not because of what Mingyou had said.

It was because, as Mingyou's words fell, a flickering firelight abruptly flared within the memory scene and shone directly onto him!

'What did he do!?'

In an instant, Wang Ping strictly guarded his sea of consciousness while activating all the talismans deep within it, preparing to resist Mingyou's highly probable soul-searching attempt.

Wang Ping knew better than anyone that there were no unbreakable spells in the world. Even the sea of consciousness defenses from the Five Thieves Heaven-Stealing Series had countermeasures. Hadn't Lian Shengyue's memories been exposed by his Azure Sea Rising Tide Wondrous Art? Who knew if Mingyou might use that very same technique on him!

Of course, that technique wasn't actually all that formidable.

First, the Azure Sea Rising Tide Wondrous Art could only be used when the target had lost all ability to resist; otherwise, it was easily blocked.

Second, when Wang Ping conceptualized this art, he had also considered what to do if it were ever used against him. The answer was quite simple:

It was useless against him.

This art had been developed by the Great Joy Wisdom King of the Brahma Nation specifically to target Immortal Gate cultivators; its effect on Brahma Nation cultivators was actually quite minimal.

Especially for a cultivator who had received the Great Joy Wisdom King's blessing. With a protector wisdom consort by his side, Wang Ping didn't need to worry about failing to suppress his soul's impulses and consequently leaking his memories. He could initiate dual cultivation of the soul at any time through the Void Joy Non-Dual Guardian Consort Talisman.

As for the issue of gender, that was even simpler.

Wang Ping had read the Other-Transformation Freedom Control Desire Realm Celestial Manual. This technique allowed for free transformation between male and female, completely unbound by gender.

This was not just a transformation of the physical flesh.

It could be used on the soul as well.

The more Wang Ping thought about it, the more solemn he became. He stood ready for the attack, yet no anomalies occurred. After Mingyou finished speaking, the memory scene simply shattered with a crash.

"..."

In reality, Wang Ping opened his eyes. After a long while, he exhaled a deep breath, finally finding the spare energy to ponder Mingyou's borderline admonitory words.

He soon came to a conclusion.

He couldn't dismiss it completely, but he couldn't fully believe it either. After all, these qi refining practitioners of Biyang's had never cared about immortal morality. They truly were the type to deceive and launch sneak attacks against lower-realm cultivators.

So, rather than Mingyou's warning, Wang Ping focused more on the information hidden in his words: 'Therefore, the Martial Dao inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace really is related to the Qi Ingestion Method. It is a new path distinct from Qi Refining, merely incomplete. The First Seat used her peerless talent to supplement a portion of it...'

Thinking of this, Wang Ping suddenly broke into a wide grin.

'A dead end?'

He didn't believe that statement at all. Perhaps the current Martial Dao was indeed a dead end, but the path was right underfoot. Paths had always been forged by people, one step at a time.

'That Biyang's cultivator is actually on guard too!'

'Otherwise, why would he ask the First Seat to come out and accept the conferment, even offering to bestow a Qi Ingestion Method inheritance? It's all to bring her under control.'

Wanting to control her meant he lacked confidence.

'Furthermore, he mentioned that the Martial Dao, this incomplete Qi Ingestion Method, offers no help to the current me. But what about the complete version? It's impossible for it to be completely useless.'

'I'll ask Lord Treasure Cauldron about it later.'

Mingyou's words did not plunge Wang Ping into despair or despondency. He was never one to turn back before hitting a brick wall. Whether it would succeed or fail, he would only know after trying it himself.

"Master?"

Coming back to his senses, Wang Ping realized that You Xuexin had sidled up to him again. She grasped his weakness, her beautiful eyes shimmering so intensely they seemed ready to drip tears.

...Even so, there was still some pressure.

Wang Ping decided to vent a little.

Of course, this wasn't because he lusted after women. It was mainly because he wanted to use You Xuexin's Bliss Immortal Physique to quickly complete the final qualitative transformation of his magical power.

...

The rain stopped and the clouds cleared.

Feeling his magical power become significantly purer once again, Wang Ping released You Xuexin in satisfaction. He then glanced at Lian Shengyue, who was still drooling off to the side.

"Boom!"

A bolt of Heavenly Thunder struck down, permanently sending this true transmission disciple on her way. Having started this, he had to go all the way; with such a deep enmity already forged, it was impossible for Wang Ping to let her live.

'After my intentional defeat at Dao Proving Mountain, most people in the Immortal Gate probably think I'm strong on the outside but hollow on the inside. The next time I go, there will definitely be many looking for me to seize my qi destiny. Some of the bolder ones might even disguise themselves as bandit cultivators to rob and kill me.'

The corners of Wang Ping's mouth curled up slightly.

He was fully prepared to take them all on. This was exactly why he had deliberately lost—to put it bluntly, he was chumming the waters to catch a batch of fish.

'What does a small loss of qi destiny matter?'

'Through these people, I can earn it back many times over... Yeah, there's no rush to undergo the lightning tribulation. I can definitely keep playing the shark in this fish pond for a while longer.'

Immediately after, Wang Ping stood up and looked at You Xuexin.

"Alright, I'm heading back to the Eight Trigrams Furnace. I'll leave Lian Shengyue's things to you. Stabilize your divine powers properly and continue gathering intelligence within the Immortal Gate for me."

"Yes~"

You Xuexin responded languidly.

Wang Ping didn't mind. He rode his escape light straight out of the Cave Abode, then circulated his Latent Concealment magical power to hide his figure as he rapidly escaped into the Cosmic Deep Space.

If possible, he actually wanted to openly reveal his identity just to see if any blind inner sect disciples would transform into bandit cultivators to hunt him down, allowing him to justify a counter-robbery... Unfortunately, he had other pressing matters right now and couldn't afford to waste time, so he could only give up on the idea.

...

The Eight Trigrams Furnace, Great Shun Capital.

Inside the Tribute Hall.

Wang Ping descended on his escape light. With the conclusion of the battle against Kunyun, the Tribute Hall—which had previously engaged in a victorious strategic retreat—naturally returned to the capital in triumph.

As soon as Wang Ping arrived, Chenlong walked right up to him.

"Brat, you're out of seclusion?"

"Sir... did you break through again?"

Wang Ping evaluated Chenlong with some surprise, noticing that the severe injuries Chenlong had sustained several months prior were now almost completely healed.

"Don't answer a question with a question."

Chenlong shot Wang Ping a glance, maintaining his usual composed demeanor. "My Divine Intent has improved again. I have gained a deeper understanding of invincibility."

"Breaking through is only natural."

Hearing this, Wang Ping immediately grew curious. "How did it improve?"

After all, he was also planning to delve into the Martial Dao. However, he had to admit that his martial arts progression speed had plummeted drastically since he broke through to the Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank.

Ultimately, the issue lay in the growth of his Divine Intent. So far, he had only experienced a single improvement, and the reasons for it had been extremely ambiguous and vague.

Evidently, this was the flaw of an idealism-based Martial Dao. While the results were great—a single moment of enlightenment could yield massive improvements—the downside was exactly the same. Without logic, idealist cultivation was nowhere near as systematic as the mature immortal dao, making it highly unsuitable for a peerless genius like himself.

He wouldn't even know where to allocate stat points if he tried.

Therefore, now that Chenlong claimed his Divine Intent had improved again, Wang Ping naturally wanted to learn from his advanced experience. Perhaps it could be useful to him as well?

Then, he listened to Chenlong explain:

"While healing, I suddenly realized that as long as I restrict the scope enough and apply more conditions, the closer I become to being invincible in the mortal realm."

"Take right now, for example."

"I am the strongest martial artist surnamed Chen in the current era whose main weapon is a saber and who is equipped with Divine Armor. Upon realizing this, my Divine Intent immediately surged."

Wang Ping: "..."

That was it?

Just then, a light breeze suddenly blew past, and an ethereal voice echoed out. "Do not underestimate Chenlong's method. He has genuinely cultivated it to an impressive level."

"...Master!"

Compared to calling Mingyou "Master," Wang Ping's shout this time was fully genuine and heartfelt. However, in the very next second, a fiery light began to radiate from his body.

Immediately after, Mingyou's voice reverberated through heaven and earth. "If you still wish to extend your lifespan and take another step forward rather than becoming a handful of yellow earth, then step forward voluntarily like Dousheng and accept the Immortal Gate's conferment. I hold a Qi Ingestion Method inheritance that is perfectly suited for you."

The voice was calm, the tone ethereal and distant.

Wang Ping suddenly understood. When Mingyou told him to pass a message to the First Seat earlier, he literally meant to pass the "message"—Mingyou's voice had been attached to his body!

For a time, heaven and earth were completely silent.

After an unknown amount of time, the stagnant breeze began to blow once more. The ethereal voice remained as composed as ever. "A qi refining practitioner. Senior truly overestimates me."

"A Qi Ingestion Method inheritance... Empty words are useless without proof. Which inheritance does Senior hold? Not just any technique will be beneficial to me."

Before the voice faded, Mingyou provided the answer:

"The Celestial Immortals' Secretly Bestowed Ageless Longevity Scripture. It might not guarantee a breakthrough, but it can at least help you extend your lifespan by a thousand years... If you have doubts, I can bestow the first half upon you right now."

As he spoke, radiant light converged between heaven and earth.

Immediately after, a Daoist manual tumbled out from the light, only to be held aloft by a light breeze. Its pages rustled as they flipped, as if someone were browsing through it.

After another moment, the ethereal voice spoke again:

"How will the conferment take place?"

"In three months, a true transmission disciple from the Immortal Gate will naturally descend to the mortal realm to regulate the secular world and confer titles upon the world. Both Dousheng and yourself are candidates for this conferment."

"Acceptable," the ethereal voice laughed.

Mingyou's voice remained as flat as before. "Upon receiving the conferment, you will also receive the remaining half of the technique. Attend in your true body; do not hide any longer."

With that, the fiery light dissipated.

Wang Ping stood in place, his eyelids still lowered, not daring to utter a word until the ethereal voice rang out again. "Relax, this senior has already left."

"He couldn't stay long in the Eight Trigrams Furnace anyway."

Only then did Wang Ping look up, a bit worried. "Master..."

"This is a good thing."

The ethereal voice chuckled lightly, appearing exceptionally calm. "If it were a bad thing, your master would definitely run faster than you. It's not your turn to worry about me."

...That made sense. The First Seat's intuition carried a lot of weight.

Following that, a gust of wind blew, and the half of the Celestial Immortals' Secretly Bestowed Ageless Longevity Scripture gifted by Mingyou dropped into Wang Ping's arms with a thud.

"Take a look."

"This technique is rather interesting. Your Martial Dao is currently bottlenecked and stagnant. Looking at these Qi Ingestion Methods should help you draw analogies and find a way through."

"Thank you, Master!"

Wang Ping hurriedly cupped his hands in thanks. He was indeed very interested in this so-called Qi Ingestion Method. However, he knew that since Mingyou dared to bestow this technique so openly, there was an eighty percent chance it would be useless for breaking through his divine power blockade. It would likely only serve as a reference.

Therefore, compared to this, he valued another source of information much more.

The Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron!