Chapter Ninety-Nine: Confession

Thunder represents the might of Heaven, and thus, it holds the potential to condense into the Essence of the Dao.

Qingyuan knew well how arduous this path was. Even though he had emerged from the Zixiao Palace, he had never dared to entertain such ambitions, seeking only the Essence of the Fire element among the Five Elements.

Yet, he had truly succeeded in condensing the Essence of the Dao.

Before this moment, he had even prepared himself for the possibility of failure.

"The Sound-Listening Shell..."

Qingyuan looked at the shell in his hand and suddenly realized that the value of the bolt of thunder that had struck it far exceeded any magical treasure.

Had he obtained a mere bolt of divine thunder, he could have sought insight from it, but success would have been far from guaranteed. Even if he had been fortunate enough to gain insight, the resulting Essence would inevitably have been of the fire attribute.

To seek the Essence of the Dao through divine thunder—the phrase "one in ten thousand" would hardly suffice to describe the slimness of the hope. Yet, the thunder striking the shell had allowed him to perceive the Dao, magnifying that faint hope a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

*Crack.*

Suddenly, another fissure appeared on the Sound-Listening Shell, joining the three previous cracks.

One more crack, and it might shatter—or perhaps, it would undergo some other strange transformation.

"The Sound-Listening Shell... only one more listening session remains."

Qingyuan had intended to give it to Gucang, hoping the creature might also condense the Essence of the Dao. But he knew his own background in Zixiao Palace granted him knowledge and insight far beyond that of ordinary cultivators, and even then, his success had relied on a measure of luck.

If Gucang could use this to condense its own Essence, that would be for the best.

"Next, the Dao techniques..."

Having condensed the Essence, Qingyuan did not immediately end his seclusion; he continued to consolidate his gains.

A cultivator who has condensed the Essence of the Dao, if sufficiently practiced, need not chant incantations or form hand seals; they can manifest their Essence at will, much like Lu Yushuang of the Huanhua Pavilion.

Qingyuan had no time to master the Five Elements Essence, so he chose the fire-based techniques he was most familiar with and refined them.

He knew many third-tier fire Dao techniques. He selected two of the simplest yet most potent, meditating on them and circulating his true energy through his meridians to memorize the pathways. He aimed for the level where a single thought would trigger the immediate flow of true energy, allowing his Dao techniques to be unleashed in an instant.

...

A day and a night later, Qingyuan finally emerged from seclusion.

Gucang stood up and hurriedly addressed him as "Master."

Qingyuan responded.

Gucang scrutinized him, sensing an aura that was profound and unfathomable. Realizing his master had succeeded, it laughed aloud.

But Qingyuan’s face showed no great joy. Though he had stepped into the third tier, there were still immense obstacles ahead, and his current abilities were still insufficient.

"Come here."

Qingyuan summoned Gucang. He gathered the items useful for combat—the Iron God’s Gall, the Tiger-Wolf, the Blue Talismans, the Wind Talismans, the Gloomy Ebony Nails, and the Red River White Night Yin Spirit Carriage, which could only be deployed at the third tier—and placed them into the bag he had obtained from Chen Xing.

Then, he took out the bottle of medicinal pills. According to Chen Xing, a furnace yielded twelve pills, divided equally between them. They had six each. Chen Xing had used one, Qingyuan had given him two, leaving three; one had been used to save Gucang, leaving only two.

Qingyuan kept one for himself and handed the other to Gucang.

Gucang received it with both hands, looking slightly puzzled.

"I leave the Ancient Immortal Bag in your care; you may use everything inside," Qingyuan said, handing over the pills. "This bottle of medicine can replenish vitality; if you are injured in the future, it may save your life."

Gucang felt uneasy and asked, "Master, why are you doing this?"

"I am going to a place that is extremely dangerous," Qingyuan replied. "The Ancient Immortal Bag is a rare treasure. I entrust it and everything inside to you, so that if I meet with an accident, it will not fall into the hands of others."

"Is there really a place so dangerous that even with your current abilities, your life would be at risk?" Gucang asked in astonishment.

"Indeed, it is very perilous," Qingyuan nodded slightly.

Gucang hesitated, but Qingyuan, reading its intent, shook his head. "You are injured and your cultivation is still low; you cannot come with me to face such danger."

Hearing this, Gucang lowered its head and said nothing more.

"Furthermore... this Sound-Listening Shell..."

Qingyuan warned, "Practice diligently. Once you reach the peak of the second tier and wish to attempt condensing your Essence, you may use the shell to listen carefully to the lectures of the Venerable One inside and gain insight."

He paused, then smiled. "If I return, you should listen to the thunder within instead, and ignore the Venerable One’s teachings. My knowledge is no less profound than his. If I return, I will teach you one by one. Naturally, the benefits of the thunder sound far outweigh those of the Venerable One’s voice."

Gucang listened, but could not feel at ease.

Qingyuan patted its head. "This place is too conspicuous and not suitable for a long stay. As a creature of spirit, if other cultivators see you, they might try to 'subdue the demon.' There is another place on the map, better hidden than this one, where no one will come searching for divine thunder. I will take you there first."

With that, Qingyuan waved his hand. A flash of fire erupted, and the rock sealing the cave entrance shattered instantly.

Gucang was startled. It was no longer a naive creature; it knew that for a third-tier cultivator to unleash a Dao technique instantly required immense proficiency. The cultivator who had stolen its divine thunder had not reached such a level, still needing to form hand seals and chant, which was exactly how Gucang had found the opening to escape with its life.

It had not expected its master, having just reached this level, to already possess such skill.

Qingyuan smiled at it. "Practice diligently; what is difficult about this?"

Gucang nodded in affirmation.

...

Under the blue sky and white clouds, the scorching sun receded.

Lu Yushuang and Yuling strolled leisurely through the jungle.

Occasionally, a beast or person would attempt to harass them, but a single sword stroke was all it took to leave the ground covered in frost.

Lu Yuling tilted her head to look at the young girl.

Yuling was originally a flower of these mountains, already able to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, much like human breathing and meditation. But the lifespan of a flower is extremely short; without becoming a spirit, they live only three to five years.

Yet Yuling was different; she was uniquely gifted. The Huanhua Pavilion had entered the mountains specifically for her.

Now that they had found Yuling, the others had gone to collect the divine thunder, leaving Lu Yushuang to look after this newly accepted junior sister.

Recalling the man from before, Lu Yushuang, with her cold temperament, felt no particular enmity and had no desire to entangle herself further, but since Yuling found it amusing, she let her be.

"Do not rush; we will find him soon," Lu Yushuang said slowly. "He is good at hiding his tracks and is quite sharp, but had it not been for the battle between the Venerable Ones earlier, we would have already tracked him down."

"Senior Sister..." Yuling asked softly, "When we find him, are we going to kill him?"

Lu Yushuang glanced at her. "Was that not what you wanted?"

Yuling thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Not necessarily."

Lu Yushuang smiled, patted her head, and said, "Then we shall capture him and let you decide his fate. How about that?"

Yuling nodded firmly.