Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 197 - 23: Breaking Through the Qi Hai Realm

The bedroom door was tightly closed. Shen Qing sat like a pine tree, his form upright on the bed. He gently pinched a smooth, white pearl in front of him with two fingers.

This was the Wish Power Pearl he had obtained from Du Yuntong. It seemed ordinary and unremarkable.

If you weren't part of the court system or a noble family, you wouldn't know that this pearl was worth five hundred taels, enough to exchange for a small house.

For ordinary people in Great Zhou, they couldn't earn such an amount in a lifetime.

"Almost there."

Shen Qing furrowed his brows tightly, opened the wooden box, took out the Jade Token inside, and examined it for a few moments.

"Is it okay to just place this Jade Token on the Dantian?"

Shen Qing expressed some doubt, but he silently placed the Jade Token on the skin of his Dantian.

"Hiss... so cold."

Aside from the icy sensation, there was no change.

Just as Shen Qing was about to let it go, the Jade Token affixed to his Dantian began to grow colder, and the chill spread rapidly throughout his body from the Dantian as the center.

The Wish Power Pearl pinched in Shen Qing's hand seemed to be activated, becoming crystal clear, slowly emitting a soft white glow, and gently floating up to hover in front of his chest.

Under Shen Qing's watchful eye, the Wish Power Pearl began to spin slowly, its glow flickering like a heartbeat.

In a trance, Shen Qing seemed to hear countless whispers beside his ear, unsettling his mind and gradually making his emotions irritable.

Just when Shen Qing thought he was about to go mad and wanted to stop cultivating, the pervasive chill on his body seemed to form an invisible hand, pressing down all the chaotic whispers.

Buzz!

The rotation speed of the Wish Power Pearl became faster, reaching a critical point and releasing wave after wave of ripples.

These ripples spread swiftly, like the guiding beacon in the deep sea, pulling in the almost imperceptible thin spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

In a moment, the wayward spiritual energy outside seemed to be drawn by invisible strings, all converging here, filling the entire room and surrounding him.

Shen Qing felt extremely amazed.

"Is this... spiritual energy?"

Under the guidance of the Wish Power Pearl, these spiritual energies gradually became rich and pure, adhering to Shen Qing's skin, permeating into his body through the apertures and along with his breathing, merging with his bloodline, nourishing every inch of skin, every bone.

Shen Qing felt as if his entire body was being pricked by needles, the discomfort seeping into his very bones and flesh, omnipresent.

A moment later, the strength he had accumulated through days of hard practice expanded and boiled like a blazing fire under the infusion of this powerful spiritual energy.

They collided and merged, producing roars as if a galloping multitude of horses were running wildly within him, becoming ever more intense, shaking his spirit immensely.

"Here it comes!"

Shen Qing's heart tightened, ready for action.

He had been practicing martial arts for more than half a year, and together with the "studies" at the Martial Arts Hall in recent days, he had gained sufficient insight into the trajectory of martial arts.

From his cultivation experience in Taiping County, from Great Perfection of Qi and Blood to Stretching and Bone Refining, from Strengthening Tendons and Bones to Skin Tempering and Qi Cultivation, it all remained within the stage of training muscles and bones, which was the method of the Jianghu.

In the whole world, most Jianghu martial artists without proper footing were also concentrated at this stage. If one could explore and reach the Qi Cultivation Realm, they would be considered a notable figure in small places.

But for the dignitaries of Great Zhou, this was just the beginning.

Beyond Qi Cultivation Realm, there were Qi Hai Realm, Yu Luo Realm, Dan Realm, Innate Realm, Spirit Void Realm, and Primordial Spirit Realm, the six great realms.

This six great realms constituted the true path of cultivation.

Among them, the Qi Hai Realm was a major watershed for martial masters. Crossing it meant true transcendence, granting at least ten more years of life.

There was even a saying among the court's martial arts, "Only upon achieving the Qi Hai Realm, are you one of us."

To step into the Qi Hai Realm required transforming Qi energy into True Qi, metamorphosing all the strength cultivated in the body under the blessing of nature's spiritual energy into True Qi, casting the Spirit Sea, and accommodating the heavens and rivers.

Shen Qing was undergoing this process now.

Thinking of this, ripples surged in his heart, growing ever more excited as time passed.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

Finally, at a certain moment, all the Qi energy seemed to find a breakthrough, converging into a torrent that fiercely assaulted the seemingly insurmountable barrier within Shen Qing.

With a low and long roar, the barrier shattered violently, and the Qi energy instantaneously transformed into purer and stronger True Qi!

Shen Qing was enveloped in a radiance of heavenly glow, wisps of brilliance flowing through all corners of the room.

Right after his True Qi metamorphosis, countless spiritual energies continuously poured into his body.

A gleam flashed in Shen Qing's eyes, and his face became immensely excited.

He clearly felt that as the True Qi surged and converged, an unprecedented warmth and sense of fulfillment emerged in his Dantian.

There, a vast ocean seemed to be quietly forming.

Shen Qing closed his eyes, immersing his mind in the Dantian.

The True Qi flowed endlessly like rivers, surging and mighty, continuously rushing through.

The roaring of waves echoed in his ears as if he were seeing an ocean formed of True Qi.

Above this ocean, True Qi began to spread like morning mist, gently winding and interweaving with the meridians throughout his body.

With a low and long rumbling, this newly formed Qi Sea completely stabilized, boundless as far as the eye could see.

After a moment, Shen Qing noticed that the odd discomfort throughout his body quickly receded like the tide, replaced by the gentle roaming of True Qi within him instead of strength.

"It's done!"

Shen Qing opened his eyes, clenched his fist, and felt his whole body brimming with surging power.

Just with a casual move, the True Qi ocean inside roared to life, and the aura it emitted made the surrounding space tremble.

Shen Qing looked at his hand, indescribable joy showing on his face, unable to resist a long shout.

Considering it might not be entirely appropriate, he held back, but his mouth still curled into a smile, unable to hold back laughter.

Shen Qing glanced outside the window and saw the sunset had completely sunk below the horizon, and night had quietly descended. Yongzhou City was already immersed in darkness, yet he, seemingly the only firefly in the night, was glowing all over.

After officially breaking through to the Qi Hai Realm, he now possessed the capital to continue climbing.

Shen Qing put away his thoughts and removed the Jade Token from his Dantian, instantly letting the chill fade.

The Wish Power Pearl, which was floating in front of him, also fell.

Shen Qing reached out to catch it and was surprised to find that after his refining, the Wish Power Pearl had shrunk by a circle.

At this rate, it would be completely exhausted after two or three more uses. Shen Qing felt the consumption was somewhat high.

Generally, the Wish Power Pearl was only issued once a year; it shouldn't deplete this quickly.

However, with no one to compare to, Shen Qing didn't know if his situation was normal.

He put the Wish Power Pearl, now refined by a third, into his bosom, planning in his heart, "Once I receive my Wish Power Pearl salary at the end of the year, I might try consulting the old coach at the Martial Arts Hall a few times to see if this is normal."

The Wish Power Pearl he used for this breakthrough was acquired from the County Magistrate of Taiping County, from a source not quite upstanding, quietly and inexplicably.

If known by those with malicious intent, it might cause trouble.

In a county town where talents abound, it would be wise to remain cautious.

It would be best to wait until my own Wish Power Pearl is granted before seeking advise from others—it's more secure.

Shen Qing set his heart on his decision, stopped thinking any further, and fell into a deep sleep.

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