Chapter 489 - 246: Major Advancement in Cultivation, Target: Gu King

Chapter 489: Chapter 246: Major Advancement in Cultivation, Target: Gu King

Beneath the Demon Suppression Tower at Golden Spring Temple.

In the tranquil stone chamber, a dense Spiritual Mist swirled slowly.

Chen Sheng sat cross-legged and bare-chested in the center of the Spirit Pool. As he completed the final Circulation, he slowly exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

[Mental Realm: Second Realm (269/1000)]

[Nine Steps to Heaven: Minor Achievement (189/500)]

[Blood Slaughter Floating Light Body: Perfection (1976/2000)]

[Six Paths True Scripture - Profound Mastery Chapter: Great Success (177/1000)]

Gazing at the progress on the Celestial Book Panel, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Chen Sheng’s eyes before he refocused his mind.

The Seven-leaf Thunder Ginseng truly lived up to its name as a Body Tempering Holy Medicine. Although only ten short days had passed since he began refining it, its immense medicinal potency and pure Thunderbolt Power had already brought about a remarkable tempering of his physical body.

His Meridians had grown tougher, a faint Thunder Sound rumbled with the surging of his qi and blood, and his bones and skin felt as though they had been repeatedly forged, their strength greatly increased.

Combined with the nourishment of the Golden Spring Spiritual Liquid and an abundance of other resources, his current Cultivation speed could be described as advancing by a thousand miles a day.

By his rough estimate, at this rate, Chen Sheng was confident he could push his Cultivation to the peak of the Thunder Sound Realm, the middle stage of Profound Mastery, in three to four months at most.

"Senior, since you have already arrived, why not come in for a talk?"

Chen Sheng’s eyes snapped open, his gaze as sharp as lightning, fixed on the closed stone door of the chamber.

Though he had been cultivating just now, his Spiritual Sense was always extended outwards, constantly alert to any disturbance from the outside world.

The moment that undisguised, yet rhythmically unique pressure of the Pill Realm approached, he had sensed it.

Who else could it be but the free-spirited and unconventional Nie Xiangjun, with such a familiar aura?

"Tsk..."

A light, slightly teasing click of the tongue came from outside the door.

"You won’t even call me ’Auntie’ anymore."

Nie Xiangjun’s voice, languid and teasing, carried clearly through the stone door.

CREAK—

The heavy stone door was pushed open by a gentle yet immense force.

A figure in white, as pure as snow, floated in silently, their feet not touching the dust, hovering three inches above the ground.

Nie Xiangjun was still dressed in a simple Daoist Robe, her long hair held up by a single wooden pin, and in her hand, she carried that ever-present vermillion wine gourd.

Her gaze swept over Chen Sheng’s bare torso—his muscles well-defined, a faint crimson-gold luster flowing over his skin—then fell upon the pool of vibrant Spiritual Qi beneath him, and she couldn’t help but shake her head.

"What a colossal waste..."

Nie Xiangjun sighed. With a flicker of movement, she appeared at the edge of the Spirit Pool.

"This is the number one Spiritual Spring in all of Ning’an. Countless people would kill for a chance to use it. But you? You’re just using it as a bathtub?

Even in my Nie Family, I’ve never seen any of the younger generation dare to be so extravagant."

"I’m simply making the best use of it."

Chen Sheng’s expression remained calm. He didn’t rise, but with a flick of his hand, he telekinetically pulled over the black outer robe hanging by the pool and draped it casually over his shoulders.

"Using this spring to aid my cultivation yields twice the results with half the effort. Refining it into Spiritual Liquid is time-consuming and laborious; it’s far more practical to directly absorb its primordial Spiritual Qi."

He was telling the truth.

The reason this Spiritual Spring could produce the Golden Spring Spiritual Liquid was that it contained an extremely pure and abundant Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism.

Cultivating here, the efficiency of absorbing Spiritual Qi far surpassed any other place, and it had been instrumental in the rapid advancement of his Cultivation.

"Did you come with instructions for me, Senior?"

Chen Sheng adjusted his robe slightly and asked directly.

’Nie Xiangjun is a Pill Realm Grandmaster and a core figure of the Nie Family. She would never visit a junior—and nephew-in-law—like me for no reason.’

Nie Xiangjun didn’t stand on ceremony. She uncorked her wine gourd, tilted her head back to take a large gulp of the fragrant Spirit Wine, and let out a satisfied sigh before speaking.

"’Instructions’ is too strong a word. I’ve come for three main reasons."

"I’m listening," Chen Sheng said, his gaze calm.

"The first matter concerns the Ning’an branch of the Nie Clan," Nie Xiangjun said, swirling her wine gourd.

"Oh?"

Chen Sheng raised an eyebrow.

"Is the Nie Family... here to call me to account?"

"It hasn’t come to that."

Nie Xiangjun waved her hand dismissively, an enigmatic smile on her face.

"The family has long been aware of Nie Changming’s little schemes. I’m just stopping by on my way to tell you this—the Nie Family supports all of your decisions in Ning’an."

"The prerequisite, however, is that you don’t truly harm the core interests of the Nie Family. On that point, I’m sure someone as smart as you can naturally grasp the proper balance.

After all, strictly speaking, you’re practically one of the Nie Family now. As Lingxi’s husband, our interests are, to a certain extent, aligned."

But then, her tone shifted, becoming somewhat probing.

"However, I am a bit curious. Why did you go to all the trouble of propping up that Initial Saint Sect? What’s your endgame?

Could it be... you’re trying to leave yourself an escape route in the Jianghu?"

Chen Sheng’s expression didn’t change as he answered with composure:

"You exaggerate, Senior. Talk of an escape route is baseless. It’s just that the Ning’an Martial World is currently a house divided. Internally, the sects fight amongst themselves, while externally, powerful neighbors watch like vultures.

If a strong power doesn’t unite the factions and establish order, it’s only a matter of time before chaos erupts again, harming the common people and hindering the Government Office’s administration.

Sects like the Iron Sword Sect either lack the strength or the unity of purpose. The Nie Family’s branch, being new arrivals, would also struggle to win over the masses.

Left with no other choice, this junior could only take matters into his own hands and foster a power that could truly implement the will of the Government Office and stabilize the Jianghu. The Initial Saint Sect was born for this very purpose."

Hearing this, Nie Xiangjun gave a light chuckle, neither confirming nor denying his words.

Of course, she didn’t believe Chen Sheng was acting purely out of public-spiritedness, but as long as it didn’t harm the Nie Family’s interests, they were happy to see it succeed.

A second-rate Jianghu Influence confined to a single prefecture wasn’t enough to warrant the Nie Family’s excessive attention or fear.

And it was for this very reason that the Nie Family could tolerate Chen Sheng’s domineering approach to the distribution of benefits.

"The second matter is more of a personal one."

Nie Xiangjun’s tone lightened, and a hint of teasing even appeared in her eyes.

"Before I left, that girl Lingxi specifically asked me to tell you that if the Lord Inspector is truly so busy with official duties, managing a thousand tasks a day, that he can’t find the time, he needn’t force himself to write to her so often."