Chapter 283
"Master of the Tower, you said that after I left, soone was spying outside?"
Lu Qing was slightly startled.
"Indeed, and that presence was extrely sinister. Even when I rely sensed it, I was already filled with a chilling dread. However, that person seed to be extraordinarily powerful and highly cautious. The mont they detected my presence, they imdiately withdrew."
Recalling the aura he had sensed earlier, the Tower Master of Tianji Tower still felt a lingering fear. It was the most evil presence he had ever encountered in his life.
"It seems my earlier premonition was correct; indeed, soone is eyeing Miss Hu."
Lu Qing understood. Fortunately, before leaving, he had asked the Tower Master to stay in the courtyard. Otherwise, relying on Xiao Li alone might not have been enough to protect everyone. After all, people's hearts are deceitful, and Xiao Li, as a spirit beast, was still too naive. Even though it was powerful, it might not be able to defeat those hidden, treacherous enemies with many tricks.
Thinking of this, Lu Qing realized that staying at Tianji Tower was indeed more suitable. So, he no longer declined the Tower Master's offer and continued staying in the courtyard.
Not long after, Lin Zhirui also returned safely to Tianji Tower and brought a piece of news to Lu Qing and the others.
"Young Master Lu, Elder Chen, Xuankong Mountain seems to be adamant that you two have fallen into demonic ways. Although many powerful figures present at the ti did not believe it, Xuankong Mountain is, after all, one of the Four Great Secret Realms. It holds considerable prestige among the various sects. If Xuankong Mountain publicly declares this to the world, I fear so forces eager to curry favor with them might seize the opportunity to target you."
Lin Zhirui recounted the events that had transpired after Lu Qing and Elder Chen had left, without hiding the fact that he had revealed part of their backgrounds to the powerful figures present.
"But rest assured, Young Master Lu, I did not reveal the location of Jiuli Village. I only said that I t you during my travels over the years," Lin Zhirui added at the end.
"Do you think those bald monks from Xuankong Mountain will believe that?" Lu Qing asked.
"It doesn't matter whether they believe it or not. I've already given my explanation. Whether it's true or false depends on whether they have the skill to discern it. They can't possibly use the Vajra Subduing Demons Array on
in front of so many powerful figures. If they did, Xuankong Mountain's reputation would be truly ruined."
Lin Zhirui laughed, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. He once had a sense of admiration for the mysterious place that was Xuankong Mountain. But after today's experience, he realized that the so-called mysterious places were no different from the sects outside. There were plenty of petty and despicable people among them as well. In fact, the hypocrisy and tyranny of Xuankong Mountain were even worse than those of ordinary sects.
The disillusionnt made Lin Zhirui despise such forces even more.
While Lu Qing and the others were chatting, the monks of Xuankong Mountain were gathered around the corpse of Hui Xin, who had been crushed to death by Lu Qing, with expressions of deep sorrow.
"Elder Xuanming, Hui Xin is dead. Are we really going to let that little bastard go just like that?"
A young monk, full of grief and indignation, shouted. He and Hui Xin were fellow disciples who had grown up together. Earlier, they had both leaped out to block Lu Qing. Seeing Hui Xin being crushed to death by Lu Qing filled him with both shock and fear, mixed with a bit of relief. The fear was, of course, due to Lu Qing's power, but the relief ca from the fact that it was Hui Xin, and not him, who had been captured by Lu Qing. Otherwise, he would be the one lying dead on the ground now.
However, he couldn't let this relief be seen by the elders, so he preemptively questioned them.
"We can't let this matter slide, but that young man is too strange. We must first investigate his background before making detailed plans," Xuanming replied calmly.
"Elder Xuanming, do you think what that Tianji Tower disciple said earlier was true?" another monk asked.
"Half true, half false, but mostly false. That young man's words are not to be trusted," Xuanming said indifferently.
"Outrageous! A re disciple of Tianji Tower dares to lie to us!" Xuan Nu roared angrily. Despite having been severely injured by Lu Qing earlier, he had now completely recovered, except for so lingering weakness in his aura, which was a testant to the profoundness of Xuankong Mountain's techniques.
"That's right, Elder Xuanming. Why didn't you capture that Tianji Tower disciple on the spot? With our thods, it wouldn't be difficult to force out the origins of that master and disciple pair!" another monk chid in loudly.
No one doubted Xuanming's words, as they knew Xuanming had mastered a secret soul technique that allowed him to easily discern the truth of others' words.
"We absolutely cannot do that. Today, using the Vajra Subduing Demons Array to try to subdue and convert that old man was already a rash move. If we were to recklessly capture a core disciple of Tianji Tower, not only would Tianji Tower not let it slide, but the other three Secret Realms might not stand idly by either. Besides, Tianji Tower has deep ties with Sacred Mountain. We can't say for sure if the three Sacred Masters would intervene."
Upon hearing this, the other monks fell silent. While they could ignore the attitudes of the other Secret Realms—after all, there was an agreent among the Secret Realms not to interfere in each other's affairs lightly—they had to respect the three Sacred Masters. Because here on Sacred Mountain, the three Sacred Masters were nearly invincible. Even if the leaders of the Secret Realms ca personally, they couldn't guarantee they could defeat the Sacred Masters. However, due to certain agreents, the Sacred Masters and the Secret Realms had an understanding not to act rashly.
"But you are right. The prestige of Xuankong Mountain cannot be challenged. That young man killed Hui Xin, so he must answer for it. Otherwise, where would the prestige of Xuankong Mountain be? Now that the world is changing, Xuankong Mountain will inevitably enter the world. We cannot allow any challenge to our authority."
"Elder Xuanming, what should we do then?"
"Let the people from Wujian Tower handle it," Xuanming thought for a mont before replying. "We've sheltered them for so long; it's ti they earned so rit."
"Wujian Tower?" a monk exclaid in surprise. "But the people of Wujian Tower are all madn. If they start a killing spree in Sacred City..."
The most crucial issue was that those madn were formidable, with exceptional assassination techniques. Even they, the monks of Xuankong Mountain, could fall prey to them if they were careless.
"So what?" Xuanming said calmly. "It's the people of Wujian Tower taking action, not Xuankong Mountain. What does it have to do with us?"
...
That night, Lu Qing sat cross-legged on his bed, reflecting on the day's events. Xuankong Mountain's sches had not surprised him. They would first slander their opponents as demonic heretics, placing themselves on the moral high ground, and then righteously strike them down. These so-called upright sects had always operated this way. Although Lu Qing despised such tactics, he also knew that the current situation was indeed unfavorable for them. The more hypocritical the sect, the more insidious their thods. As the saying goes, "Open spears are easy to dodge, hidden arrows hard to guard against." Who knew what tricks those monks from Xuankong Mountain would use against them?
Even though he wasn't afraid, Lu Qing could still sense the danger in their current situation. In addition to Xuankong Mountain's treacherous and hypocritical enemies, there was also a mysterious presence watching them from the shadows. Moreover, after displaying his strength on Sacred Mountain during the day, it was hard to say if there were other forces harboring ill intentions towards them.
Adding to this was the increasingly strong sense of opportunity in the air, which made Lu Qing feel an unprecedented sense of crisis.
"The reason I feel this danger is because my strength is not yet sufficient."
Lu Qing carefully perceived the subtle danger that was faintly stimulating his soul, but his mind grew even more clear and calm.
"As long as my strength is sufficient, no matter what sches or tricks they use, they will all be like dust in the wind, easily swept away."
"Perhaps, it's ti for
to break through."
An understanding arose in Lu Qing's heart. He had always intended to suppress his cultivation, waiting to seize an opportunity before breaking through to the Precelestial Realm. But now, the intense sense of crisis made Lu Qing realize that in this treacherous and dangerous Sacred City and Sacred Mountain, his current strength was not enough to control the situation and protect those around him.
It was fine for now, but when that opportunity finally erged, Sacred City and Sacred Mountain would undoubtedly be ten tis more chaotic than they were now. Who could predict what might happen then?
"Enough. In this world, how can everything truly be perfect? Pursuing perfection too much can sotis lead to regret. If my stubbornness results in Xiao Yan and my master being hard, what good is so-called perfection?"
As these thoughts surfaced in Lu Qing's mind, his
heart grew even calr and clearer. At this mont, he understood his true desires and what he most wanted to protect.
With this understanding, a sense of spiritual clarity arose in Lu Qing's heart. He no longer suppressed his cultivation and, following his thoughts, the qi orifice in his dantian opened instantly. At the sa ti, the surrounding world's elental energy began to surge violently.
"Hmm? The elental energy is fluctuating! The source is in A'Qing's room. Is A'Qing about to step into the Precelestial Realm at this mont?!"
As soon as Lu Qing's qi orifice opened and the external elental energy was drawn in, the old doctor in the adjacent room instantly noticed it. This feeling was all too familiar to him, a sign of soone at the peak of the Postnatal Realm about to step into the Precelestial Realm.
The old doctor's heart skipped a beat, and in the next mont, his figure disappeared from the room.
However, when he arrived outside Lu Qing's room, the fluctuations in the elental energy suddenly vanished.
"A'Qing..."
The old doctor was about to send a voice transmission when Lu Qing's voice echoed in his mind.
"Master, it's nothing, just that I had a bit of an insight during my cultivation. There's no need to worry. By the way, the commotion just now might have alard Lord Zhirui. Could you please handle him for ?"
Understanding dawned on the old doctor as he realized that Lu Qing must have reached a critical point in his cultivation and was temporarily unable to show himself. Just then, he heard Lin Zhirui's voice from outside the courtyard: "Elder Chen, I just sensed a fluctuation of elental energy..."
Inside the room, Lu Qing relaxed when he heard his master go out to greet Lin Zhirui. However, an endless stream of doubts arose in his mind.
"Why can't I step into the Precelestial Realm?"
Lu Qing carefully examined his body. His dantian's qi orifice had opened, and he had even refined a wisp of true qi. But strangely, he still felt that he was in the Postnatal Realm. He had not entered the Precelestial Realm, nor had he experienced the earth-shaking phenonon of heaven and earth's rules shaking and the appearance of elental mist to help him condense a Precelestial body, as his master had.
Equally strange was the fact that he could continuously draw in elental energy, refining it into true qi, using it for himself. However, just absorbing elental energy without forming a Precelestial body could not be considered a true Precelestial Realm.
"What is this? A Postnatal Realm that can cultivate true qi?"
Lu Qing was sowhat dumbfounded, unable to comprehend why he was in this situation. He had always thought that stepping into the Precelestial Realm was rely a matter of willpower. Now that he wanted to break through, he found himself in an awkward situation. It was rather embarrassing.
But Lu Qing was no ordinary person. He quickly cald down, entered a state of enhanced perception, and began carefully sensing and analyzing his condition.
After a while, as he continued to analyze, a realization dawned on Lu Qing.
"So that's it. It's because my accumulation is too deep, and once I truly step into the Precelestial Realm, I will be extraordinarily powerful. The current rules of heaven and earth have not yet fully matured and cannot accommodate an extraordinary Precelestial like ."
After using his enhanced perception, Lu Qing finally understood what was happening. It turned out that his repeated breakthroughs and self-strengthening had resulted in such a deep accumulation in the Postnatal Realm that once he broke through to the Precelestial Realm, it would be an earth-shattering event. However, the rules of heaven and earth had just started to change, and the spiritual energy had only recently revived. The rules of heaven and earth had not yet fully evolved. With the current immature rules, there wasn't enough power to induce the creation of an extraordinary Precelestial being like Lu Qing.
This led to his current awkward situation. Although he had begun to absorb elental energy and refined it into true qi, his realm remained in the Postnatal stage.
"What a strange situation."
Lu Qing found it sowhat amusing and unexpected that such a situation could occur. The only consolation was that although he hadn't officially entered the Precelestial Realm, refining true qi had significantly strengthened his power. At the very least, with true qi, he could now use many more techniques and thods he had inherited in his mind.
"I wonder when the rules of heaven and earth will fully evolve."
Lu Qing silently pondered. Just then, his expression suddenly changed, for he sensed several hidden auras stealthily entering Tianji Tower, making their way toward their small courtyard.
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