Chapter 375 - 204: Domineering Efficacy

Seeing that she recognized the pill at a glance, Jiang Che felt a sense of relief.

He then briefly recounted how he had obtained the pill from the Four Seas Tower.

After listening, the look in Ye Lianzhen’s eyes as she gazed at Jiang Che grew even more complex.

She carefully took out the Elixir Pill and placed it in the palm of her hand.

Then, she closed her eyes and used her pure True Qi to meticulously examine it, inch by inch.

After a long moment, she slowly opened her eyes and let out a long sigh.

"You kid... you have some incredible luck."

She placed the Elixir Pill back in the Jade Box, her voice tinged with emotion. "Although hundreds of years have passed and much of this pill’s Medicinal Power has dissipated, its core properties remain intact. It is indeed a Supreme Treasure Medicine, capable of forcibly stimulating your Divine Thought to help you charge that final Celestial Sect. Furthermore, there are no impurities or hidden dangers within the pill. You can take it without worry!"

"That’s wonderful!"

With Ye Lianzhen’s confirmation, the last trace of doubt in Jiang Che’s heart vanished completely!

Ye Lianzhen looked at Jiang Che, her heart filled with a swirl of emotions.

’This boy is growing up way too fast...’

Her thoughts drifted back more than three years, to when Jiang Che had first entered the Cangyun Sect.

Back then, he was just an ordinary disciple with a mediocre Root Bone and an impure aura, someone no one thought much of.

He was a stubborn young man who, for the sake of his future on the Martial Dao, had to choose the perilous path of Dissipating Skill.

But now?

The young man before her had long since shed all his immaturity.

His every move carried the sharp edge of a seasoned warrior.

More importantly...

He was actually on the verge of breaking through to the True Master Realm!

How much time had passed?!

Ye Lianzhen silently calculated in her mind.

All told, it had been just a little over three short years since the day Jiang Che first set foot in the Cangyun Sect!

And this boy was only twenty-one years old!

A twenty-one-year-old True Master?!

The moment the thought occurred to her, even Ye Lianzhen, the Dean of Yanluo Courtyard who had weathered countless storms, couldn’t help but gasp!

This was... too absurd!

She was suddenly reminded of Luo Kun.

Her Senior Brother Luo, who had sorrowfully left the Sect because of his own Root Bone’s limitations.

’Oh, Senior Brother Luo...’

A complex look surfaced in her eyes as she gazed at Jiang Che.

’If you only knew that the disciple no one believed in has now come this far...’

’I wonder... what expression you would make?’

’You would probably... find complete peace with it!’

A moment later, she pushed her thoughts aside, slid the Jade Box back to Jiang Che, and advised,

"Go. Enter your seclusion with a clear mind. The pill’s Medicinal Power is potent. When you make your attempt, you must guard your mind and not rush things."

"I understand!"

Jiang Che nodded solemnly and carefully put the Jade Box away.

"Thank you, Dean Ye!"

He bowed to Ye Lianzhen, then turned and left Yanluo Courtyard.

...

After returning to the Chief Courtyard, Jiang Che went straight to his meditation chamber.

After sealing the Stone Door, he took the Jade Box from his robes and removed the Elixir Pill.

Instantly, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the entire chamber.

Without further hesitation, Jiang Che popped the Elixir Pill into his mouth.

The pill instantly dissolved into a stream of cold energy that surged through his body, chilling his organs.

Then, a mysterious energy exploded within his Sea of Consciousness!

His Divine Thought, forcibly infused by this potent and pure energy, began to grow wildly at an unimaginable speed!

’Such powerful energy!’

Jiang Che was inwardly shaken!

He could clearly feel his Divine Thought, once as fragile as a blade of grass,

had, in that instant, become incomparably robust—a towering tree!

Opportunity knocks but once!

’Now!’

Jiang Che roared in his mind, immediately guiding his Divine Thought to charge the final barrier.

BOOM!!!

This time, it was nothing like the previous futile attempts, which felt like an egg striking a stone!

Under this powerful assault, the indestructible barrier actually showed faint signs of loosening!

’I’m about to succeed!’

Joy surged in Jiang Che’s heart!

Not daring to relax for a moment, he continued to frantically drive his surging Divine Thought—bolstered by the pill’s power—to assault the weakening barrier again and again!

However, just as the barrier was about to shatter completely,

the unexpected happened!

Jiang Che could clearly feel his once-overwhelmingly powerful Divine Thought begin to recede rapidly, like an ebbing tide!

The Medicinal Power seemed to have run out!

And without the continued assault, the nearly-shattered barrier began to heal at a visible rate!

’No!!!’

Alarmed, Jiang Che tried to gather his Divine Thought again for one last effort.

But it was all in vain.

BOOM!

A violent backlash erupted from the resealed barrier!

Jiang Che felt his head was about to explode. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he collapsed, unconscious.

...

An unknown amount of time passed.

Jiang Che slowly awoke.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a bitter smile gracing his lips.

In the end, he had fallen short at the final hurdle...

This ’substitute’ pill was no True Essence Pill, after all.

Though its initial Medicinal Power was potent,

it lacked staying power and ultimately fell short of that final step.

Jiang Che couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

However, when he calmed his mind and turned his gaze inward toward his Sea of Consciousness,

he was suddenly taken aback.

It turned out that while his Divine Thought was no longer as robust and powerful as it had been right after he took the pill,

it was still much stronger than before!

It was no longer a "blade of grass."

Instead, it had grown into a "small tree" half his height!

At the same time,

the barrier at his Baihui Acupoint, which had seemed to heal completely, was not pristine!

It was covered in a web of fine, yet indelible "cracks"!

He was just one final step away from a true breakthrough!

A wave of elation washed over Jiang Che!

Although he still needed time,

he was confident he could shorten that time to less than a year!

In the days that followed, Jiang Che continued to assault the increasingly loose barrier at his Baihui Acupoint.

One day, a disciple from Yunhai Courtyard suddenly appeared at his door.

He said that Jiang Che’s master was looking for him.

Jiang Che’s heart skipped a beat. ’My master rarely summons me. Has something major happened?’

Not daring to delay, he immediately set off for Yunhai Courtyard.

...

Within the main hall’s meditation chamber in Yunhai Courtyard.

When Jiang Che entered, he found his master, Xu Qingshan, standing by the window with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the clouds drift by.

Seeing Jiang Che, he nodded with a smile, appearing to be in good spirits.

’It doesn’t seem to be bad news...’

Jiang Che breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and said,

"Master, you were looking for me?"

"Che’er, have you heard about the selection for the Celestial Strategy Guard?"

"I have."

"Haha..." Xu Qingshan stroked his long beard and smiled. "Although the Court’s formal decree hasn’t been issued yet, I received the latest news a short while ago..."

"This matter is all but confirmed!"

"And the selection is expected to take place within the next two months!"

Jiang Che’s heart sank.

’So soon?!’

He had thought he would have at least half a year to prepare.

But now he only had two months!

Two short months wasn’t nearly enough time to break through that final barrier!

However, a surge of defiant pride rose within him.

’So be it!’

’So what if I’m not in the True Master Realm?!’

’I, Jiang Che, have made a habit of defeating foes in higher realms! It’s second nature to me!’

’Even without breaking through to the True Master Realm, with my current strength, I can still put up a fight!’

Xu Qingshan seemed oblivious to Jiang Che’s inner turmoil. He simply continued, his voice filled with longing and wistfulness,

"Ah, Che’er, the Three Top Sects are in a completely different league from a regional Sect like ours. You must fight for this opportunity!"

"Not only do they have supreme Cultivation Techniques that can lead one to the Great Dao of True Mastery, but they also possess unimaginable Cultivation Resources!"

"Once you truly reach the True Master Realm, you’ll discover that to continue advancing, you need to consume a precious elixir called the Rejuvenation Pill!"

"A Rejuvenation Pill?" Jiang Che asked, taken aback.

"Correct." Xu Qingshan nodded, a hint of resignation in his voice. "This pill uses thousand-year-old Dragon Blood Ginseng as its main ingredient, supplemented by dozens of other Heavenly and Earthly Treasures like Nine Leaf Ganoderma and Earth Vein Marrow Liquid. It takes an Alchemy Grandmaster years of painstaking effort to refine a single batch. Its primary function is to directly replenish and strengthen a True Master’s foundational True Qi. You could call it the... sole sustenance for a True Master’s continued cultivation!"

"Do you have any idea how precious this pill is?"

Xu Qingshan gave a self-deprecating laugh and held up one finger. "Someone like me, a courtyard dean, can only receive a measly one per year from the Sect’s Treasury!"

"Even the Sect Leader, our Master, receives no more than three a year."

"But if you were to enter one of the Three Top Sects..."

His voice was filled with irrepressible envy!

"Even as an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple, you would receive one every month!"

"And if you were to go a step further and become one of those rare True Disciples..."

"You would get five every month!"

"Not to mention the Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands that can help one glimpse the secrets of True Mastery!"

"You should know, there are only three in the entire Great Chu Dynasty, and each is controlled by one of the Three Top Sects!"

"In short, the benefits are beyond your imagination!"

"I... will of course do everything in my power to earn a place!"

After listening to his master’s explanation, a powerful sense of longing welled up within Jiang Che.

But then, a doubt surfaced:

"But... at the end of the day, I’m a disciple of the Cangyun Sect. Would the Cangyun Sect let me go? To send a disciple they’ve worked so hard to cultivate to another Sect..."

"Haha, you foolish boy." Xu Qingshan chuckled and shook his head. "You don’t need to worry about that."

"First of all, the Celestial Strategy Guard selection is a direct imperial decree from His Majesty—it’s the highest command of the Court! Never mind our Cangyun Sect; not even the Taiyuan Sect would dare defy it. We have no choice in the matter!"

"Besides," he looked at Jiang Che, a hint of relief in his eyes, "I’ve also received some inside information. To appease the regional Sects, the Court has already arranged compensation. Any Sect whose disciple is successfully chosen will receive a massive grant of top-tier resources, jointly provided by the Court and the Three Top Sects!"

"More importantly..." Xu Qingshan’s voice grew earnest. "No matter what heights you reach in the future, you will forever bear the mark of the Cangyun Sect. The Cangyun Sect will always be your roots!"

"Furthermore, the Cangyun Sect can use your name to recruit more and better prospects for the Martial Dao, allowing the Sect to prosper!"

"And if you ever see the Sect in trouble, you are obligated to help! Otherwise, you will be spurned by the entire Jianghu and branded as an ungrateful traitor!"

"Of course!" Jiang Che replied without hesitation. "Once a disciple of the Cangyun Sect, always a disciple of the Cangyun Sect!"

"Good!" Xu Qingshan nodded emphatically, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "In short, just put aside all your concerns and give everything you have to secure that spot!"

"As long as you succeed..."

He looked at Jiang Che, his gaze suddenly turning sharp.

"Then whether you’re facing Xie Songnian or even the General behind him, Qin Fuhu..."

"you will no longer have anything to fear!"

"I understand!"

Jiang Che said in a low voice as a sharp light glinted in his eyes.

He then took his leave of his master and left the meditation chamber.

...