Chapter Sixty-Nine: Transforming Vital Energy into Astral Force

Qin Ming merely entertained the thought for a moment. He quickly dismissed the idea—encountering a Golden Core master was hardly something that could be done on a whim.

Still, acquiring such a rare attribute filled him with joy.

He harvested the two fully matured Five-Colored Rice plants and the two Scarlet-Silver Flax plants, storing them away in his pouch, then carefully erased all traces from the spiritual field.

Afterward, he returned to Clear Breeze Cottage.

Inside the meditation chamber of the courtyard, Qin Ming sat cross-legged on a cushion. In the cultivation world, even constant vigilance and caution could not guarantee safety from calamities and misfortune—when disaster struck, there was often no escape.

The only true path was to strengthen oneself and thus walk further on the road to immortality.

He first ate a bowl of the finest Blood Locust Rice he had already cooked, circulating his blood and energy through several cycles.

Then, with a thought, he used a “Vitality Crystal” trait.

Boom!

In an instant, a torrential surge of energy poured into his body like a downpour. Qin Ming couldn’t help but let out a muffled groan and hurriedly activated the “Hundred-Treasure Glass Scripture” to refine the influx of energy.

The vitality contained within this “Vitality Crystal” far surpassed the enhancement provided by Blood Locust Rice.

Gradually, the already dense vitality within Qin Ming’s body accumulated to a peak.

A transformation began!

Boom!

His mind thundered as the energy within him was compressed to its very limits, and an entirely new force was born inside him.

Vitality transformed into true force!

The glassy treasure robe that had once formed from his energy underwent its own transformation the moment he broke through to the seventh layer of the “Hundred-Treasure Glass Scripture,” turning into a “Glassy Treasure Armor” condensed from true vitality.

Its defensive effect soared to a new height—below Foundation Establishment, few magical attacks could break through this armor.

With his body tempered by true vitality, Qin Ming’s physical strength and power were vastly enhanced.

Stepping into this realm, his strength now far surpassed his peers; even among those who had perfected their bodies, he had few rivals.

Excited, Qin Ming stood, produced the supreme Green Void Sword, and channeled his power to stab at his own skin.

The blade’s aura swept past, yet he remained completely unharmed!

“Just the strength of my physical body alone is now comparable to the finest defensive treasures!”

And with the protection of true vitality as well…

Now, even an average Foundation Establishment cultivator would be hard-pressed to do him harm.

He had entered the late stage of body refinement. Though he wouldn’t claim invincibility within the marketplace, he was more than capable of defending himself.

Feeling the powerful energy surging within, Qin Ming was keenly aware that he was no longer the person he once was.

A glint of determination flashed in his eyes. With a clench of his fist, a three-inch aura of true vitality appeared around it.

One punch from him now could prove fatal even to a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.

After stabilizing his new realm, Qin Ming began to plan his next steps.

He had now mastered the seventh layer of the “Hundred-Treasure Glass Scripture”—his energy transformed into true vitality.

The path ahead was to cultivate the scripture to the ninth and final layer, reaching the realm of projecting true vitality outward.

At that point, his body refinement skills alone would rival an early Foundation Establishment cultivator.

In the days that followed, Qin Ming consumed his remaining four “Vitality Crystal” traits, causing his true vitality to surge even further.

Now, he was only halfway from breaking through to the eighth layer.

Next, he used the five “Minor Lifespan” traits.

Instantly, an indescribable force of time seemed to descend upon him.

His lifespan increased by fifty years. Combined with the longevity effects of his Evergreen Art, he now had over one hundred sixty years of life even at the Qi Refinement stage.

The turning of years and passage of time is a law of heaven and earth, a power even high-level cultivators struggle to touch.

The further one progresses in cultivation, the more desperately one craves longevity. Many cultivators fail to overcome this barrier and regret it for the rest of their days.

Even in the market, elixirs that extend life are rare and expensive, and usually grant only the slightest increase.

Qin Ming opened his eyes, feeling the changes within, his heart brimming with joy.

With a long life ahead, he now had ample time to pursue higher realms.

Half a month later, Qin Ming visited Gathering Pavilion again to seek out Gu Qingzhao for the latest news.

From her, he learned that the story of Lingyu Sect and Golden Cloud Valley reaping immense benefits in the Cloud Marsh had already spread across the entire Wei Kingdom.

Now, all manner of cultivators and factions were gathering at Qingyang Market.

Not only was Hundred Blossom Sect arriving, but other powerful, large-scale cultivation clans were making their appearance as well.

Some minor factions were waiting in the shadows, yet to reveal themselves.

In the world of cultivation, the status of a sect is not determined by the resources it controls, the number of prodigious disciples it possesses, or the strength of its mid-level cultivators.

Rather, it is defined by the cultivation level of the sect’s most powerful member.

For example, in the Wei Kingdom where Qin Ming resided, Lingyu Sect, Golden Cloud Valley, and Hundred Blossom Sect were all considered second-rate, because their strongest cultivators were only at the False Core stage.

Thus, according to what Gu Qingzhao told Qin Ming, the turbulence behind the current situation was likely being stirred by an even greater force.

Otherwise, Lingyu Sect would never allow other factions to run rampant on their own territory.

Because of this, after claiming a third-grade spiritual vein, Lingyu Sect and Golden Cloud Valley refrained from immediate conflict, choosing instead to cooperate and quietly amass wealth.

But with too many itinerant cultivators being recruited, secrecy could not be maintained, no matter how careful the two sects were.

...

Leaving Gathering Pavilion, Qin Ming walked along the main street of Qingyang Market.

Suddenly, a fierce argument erupted ahead.

He glanced from afar and saw a group of Hundred Blossom Valley cultivators confronting those of Golden Cloud Valley.

Both sides were visibly agitated; if not for the restraint enforced within the marketplace, swords would already be drawn.

Qin Ming did not linger, quickening his pace to leave.

Back at his residence, he watered the spiritual herbs in his medicine field and fed the four-winged Frost Bees with Spirit Beast Pellets.

Just as he was about to return to his cultivation—

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone rapped on his door.

Peering outside, Qin Ming hastened to open it.

It was his neighbor, the elder of the Feng brothers, Fellow Daoist Feng Yuan.

He was covered in wounds, bandages wrapped around him, several shocking gashes on his bald head, his right arm gone, his face ashen and spiritless.

“Fellow Daoist Feng… what happened to you?” Qin Ming hurriedly ushered him inside and poured him a cup of water.

Feng Yuan did not drink. He sat in a daze for a while, then looked at Qin Ming and muttered in a low voice, “On this expedition to the ruins, Fellow Daoist Huang, Fellow Daoist Yan, and… my brother Feng Fan—all perished…”