Chapter 196 - 195: Raising Fish

Chapter 196: Chapter 195: Raising Fish

What was once black was now a fiery red.

There was no heaven or earth, no sun or moon—only this color surrounded him. The Conscious Fish, carrying the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl, seemed to merge with it as they darted through the space.

Deep within the flames, he saw something like a piece of colored glass, or perhaps amber—crystalline, translucent, and breathtakingly beautiful.

A powerful force emanated from within it.

Chen Qingyang had a clear goal. The Conscious Fish drew near and began cultivating mid-air using the Nanming Red Emperor’s Method. Extremely pure Five Elements Qi was slowly drawn from the amber and circulated within the Conscious Fish’s body.

This Dharma Gate was truly incredible, fully deserving of the four words in its name: "Celestial Burning and Sea Boiling." Even with a simple simulation of the Qi Mechanism’s flow, the fish was already growing noticeably stronger.

The Separation Huo Dragon Pearl also reacted, beginning to absorb the amber’s energy. Having cultivated together for so long, the two complemented each other. As their Qi Mechanisms flowed, they formed a continuous line, drawing endlessly from the amber.

’This is undoubtedly a greater opportunity than just finding Five Elements Essence. I don’t know how everyone else is doing in this Tai Xu Elemental Separation Conference, but I’m definitely going to make a killing.’

Leaving the Conscious Fish behind, Chen Qingyang decided not to waste the remaining time and started walking. It was difficult to get his bearings here. Somehow, by the time he emerged, he found himself standing before Xu Wuji again.

Perhaps sensing something was amiss, Xu Wuji’s eyelids twitched. He opened his eyes to see Chen Qingyang standing before him, and the thought immediately surfaced: ’This guy is like a ghost that won’t leave.’

Chen Qingyang bowed to him. "Heh heh, Senior Brother Xu. We meet again!"

Upon seeing him, Xu Wuji’s expression soured. "Hmph! You brat are truly uncanny. It took me a great deal of effort to find this place, yet you managed to follow me here!" His disgust was plain to see.

Chen Qingyang ignored his hostility. "Senior Brother Xu, don’t forget that I carry the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl. I’ve always had an affinity for this Five Elements Fire."

At this reminder, Xu Wuji’s face filled with jealousy and regret. "I can’t believe a treasure like that ended up with you. Now scram! Don’t interfere with my Cultivation!"

Chen Qingyang had no desire to engage with him either. ’Besides, there’s no opportunity to pull any tricks and steal his Immortal Seedlings here.’ "Senior Brother, your mouth is as foul as ever," he said. "That’s not a good trait to have. I think it’s best if I keep my distance!"

With that, his figure vanished into the darkness.

Staring in the direction he had vanished, Xu Wuji gritted his teeth in helpless rage. Chen Qingyang, for his part, truly wished he could provoke him into having a fit, just to get some Immortal Seedlings.

He had thought about it seriously over the past few days. He had snatched opportunities from Xu Wuji three times, right in front of him, yet he hadn’t received a single Immortal Seedling. This could only mean that while the Five Elements Essence was useful to Xu Wuji, its loss wasn’t enough to impact his Cultivation.

In his own case, for example, if his internal Five Elements Sword reached a certain level of mastery, it would be of immense benefit to his future on the Great Dao. If he were to lose it, it would most likely hinder his future progress.

Even without the help of his Conscious Fish, he could still search for Five Elements Essence, though his progress was much slower. The seven-day period proved to be long enough, however, for Chen Qingyang to amazingly gather another complete set of Five Elements Essence.

[Inner Nourishing Five Elements Sword (Embryonic): (19,999/80,000)]

The progress remained the same, but the upper limit had become absurdly high. Advancing the Five Elements Sword further would now be extremely difficult. According to Gentle Breeze’s calculations, it would require a full ten million Spirit Stones.

He continued to wander through the darkness, but he didn’t find any more Five Elements Essence, even with the aid of his Five Elements Sword. It seemed that nearly all the easily detectable ones had been found, and those that remained were extremely well-hidden.

While taking a short rest, he turned his attention back to the Conscious Fish. Setting aside the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl for the moment, he saw that the fish was now wreathed in flames. It was growing more and more proficient with the Nanming Red Emperor’s Technique; the number of meridian lines within its body had increased, and their circulation had become exceedingly complex.

He had originally thought it would take the Great Soul Scripture, Volume Three to reach this stage. He never expected to receive the benefits of a True Dragon and be nourished by the Li Yang Earth Fire, giving it a natural affinity for the Fire Element.

Cultivating on its own was the first step toward becoming an independent entity.

[Nanming Red Emperor’s Celestial Burning and Sea Boiling Daoist Truth: (5/8,000)]

The skill’s previous cap was 3,000, and now it had jumped straight to 8,000. This meant he didn’t even have to cultivate it himself; the Conscious Fish alone could make significant progress in this Dharma Gate for him.

With its South Li Fire and True Mingtang, this technique would be a massive help for his study of the Alchemy Dao and the refinement of Magical Artifacts. No wonder Master Jing Yuan had insisted on correcting his path from the Sword to Fire.

’But it’s strange,’ he thought. ’He was the one who gave me the Sword Manual, and he’s also the one who’s changing my path to Fire. What exactly is he planning?’

’Could it be that when he gave me the Sword Manual, he didn’t really consider me his disciple? Was he just letting me fend for myself? After all, Sword Cultivators are rare on Cyan Bamboo Peak. Then, after seeing how quickly my Cultivation was advancing, he changed his mind and decided to teach me formally.’

’That would also explain why the Master bestowed such a great opportunity upon me this time.’

Chen Qingyang felt deeply conflicted about all this. On one hand, he suspected Master Jing Yuan had secretly reported to the Demon Sect, causing Li Qianxue to end up in her current predicament. On the other hand, he was grateful for the man’s earnest guidance.

’Oh well. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Whether it’s Li Qianxue or Jing Yuan, the path I must walk is my own. Some things are just scenery along the way, and some people are just passersby.’

For the remainder of the time, Chen Qingyang continued nurturing his fish. He watched as the progress on his Nanming Red Emperor’s technique grew to 6,000. The amber, wreathed in flames, had already shrunk by more than half and, by the looks of it, was still diminishing.

After an unknown period, under the combined absorption of the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl and the Conscious Fish, the amber finally dissipated into nothingness. Chen Qingyang then saw that even the red flames lingering in this place had begun to scatter.

This change naturally startled Xu Wuji. Through his Conscious Fish, Chen Qingyang saw him clearly. After a moment of shock, Xu Wuji began chasing after the dissipating fiery light.

[Nanming Red Emperor’s Celestial Burning and Sea Boiling Daoist Truth: (1/16,000)]

He checked the Dharma Gate again and saw it had broken through to another level. Nurturing the fish had been highly effective. It was now surrounded by surging flames and contained a body of True Power. Chen Qingyang estimated it was only a sliver weaker than himself, already at the Essence Condensation Second Realm.

Seeing that time was not yet up, he continued his painstaking search. He only managed to find a single piece of Wood Spirit Essence. Just as he finished its refinement, the darkness silently seemed to split open.

A beam of light shot down from the opening, piercing through layer after layer of barriers and reaching into the far distance.

Chen Qingyang had just shifted his gaze toward it when a majestic voice echoed out, "The seven days are up. Come out, all of you."

It was the voice of Qing Yao True Monarch.

The ten disciples in the space didn’t move, but they could distinctly feel the world shifting around them as if the stars themselves were realigning. After a blinding flash of white light, they found themselves standing amidst green mountains and clear waters. Before them was a White Jade Archway, inscribed with the words "Five Elements Grotto Heaven."

’The people didn’t move, but the world itself did.’ Such a profound and unfathomable True Skill was far beyond Chen Qingyang’s comprehension.

Before the ten disciples could even regain their senses, the world around them shifted again. They were back on the high platform where they had started, with Qing Yao True Monarch and the ten Masters standing before them.

This Secret Realm had become the True Monarch’s personal domain. He could reshape its reality with a mere turn of his hand.

The True Monarch’s voice rang out, "The seven-day conference has concluded. Some of you have gained considerable benefits from me, while others have not. But on this path of Cultivation... how far you can go isn’t determined by a single moment. All of you, return!"

Chen Qingyang had a nagging feeling that he was one of the "some people" the True Monarch was referring to. ’I wonder if he detected me frequently using the Conscious Fish inside the Five Elements Cave Mansion?’

’If he did, would he see it as a strange natural creature, like the True Dragon did? Or would he just think it was a mass of True Qi?’

In any case, the True Monarch hadn’t approached him about it yet.

After his speech, the disciples first bid farewell to the True Monarch, then departed with their respective masters.

Chen Qingyang followed Master Jing Yuan. Before he could utter a single word, his master swept him up, and they rode the wind. When they landed again, they were in a world where it was eternally spring. The sounds and aura were deeply familiar—they were outside the Sumeru Secret Realm.

"Master!" Chen Qingyang called out softly.

The Master had a youthful face, but he carried himself with a classical grace and a heroic air. Dressed in his Profound Robe, he looked somewhat intimidating.

Anyone with such a strong heart for pursuing the Dao tended to give off this piercing impression. Jing Yuan was like this, and so was Yun Ci.

But in a more detailed comparison, Yun Ci’s purpose was purer. Jing Yuan, on the other hand, had an added layer of complexity about him, which was especially evident in the divine light that occasionally flashed within his eyes.

"Tell me, what exactly did you gain in the Five Elements Cave Mansion?" There were no pleasantries; he got straight to the point.

"Master, since entering the Five Elements Cave Mansion, I followed your instructions. Using the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl as a guide, I found Fire Element True Qi and cultivated the Nanming Red Emperor’s Method..."

He spoke only of cultivating the True Qi of the Five Elements and how his Nanming Red Emperor’s Technique had improved significantly. He said nothing of anything else.

It was hard to read any expression on the Master’s face other than that complexity. It was impossible to tell whether he was satisfied or not.

"For those who cultivate pills, everything depends on their fire. You should know this. I had you abandon the Sword to cultivate the Nanming technique because I took into account the great opportunity you possess in the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl. It absolutely cannot be wasted. You must understand, an ordinary person could attain the Great Dao with just one opportunity like this. You must recognize that this Fire is that one opportunity for you."

On the surface, this was the best possible arrangement for Chen Qingyang: to use the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl as a breakthrough point and form his own Dao.

It also indirectly showed that Master Jing Yuan had genuinely put thought into his future.

He bowed with clasped hands once more. "Only now do I understand the purpose behind your arrangement, Master. Thank you for your wise planning."

The Master spoke again. "Your talent for Cultivation is greater than I anticipated. As for why you were languishing at the Four Golden Peaks for so long, and how you ended up there in the first place... I imagine it’s inseparable from Qianxue."

"But what’s past is past, and one shouldn’t dwell on it. From now on, focus only on the present. If you can find a suitable Dao and cultivate it diligently, your future achievements may not be inferior to your Eldest Senior Brother’s."

As he spoke of this, that same wistful sigh from before was present in his voice. Chen Qingyang desperately wanted to ask about the whole story, but the words that came to his lips were only a few: "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Master."

The Master, however, looked at him with an exceedingly complex gaze. "I do hope... that you truly understand!"

The strange tone sent a chill through Chen Qingyang’s heart. ’I’ve been so careful,’ he thought, running through his actions again. ’How could I have given myself away?’

"I will listen to whatever you say, Master!"