Inside a lavish and magnificent chamber, a young man sat cross-legged on the bed.
Qin Changqing was frantically absorbing the medicinal power of the Nine Revolutions Foundation Pill. Faint golden spiritual energy even began to appear around his body, circling him and shining brilliantly.
The cultivation system of this world was well-structured, divided into Body Tempering Realm, Postnatal Realm, Innate Realm, Profound Realm, and Golden Core Realm.
Each of these five major realms was further divided into four stages: early stage, middle stage, late stage, and Great Perfection.
Below the Innate Realm, all were considered martial artists, focusing primarily on tempering their flesh and blood.
Though the Postnatal Realm and Innate Realm were only one step apart, the difference between them was like heaven and earth.
As the saying went, below the Innate Realm, all are ants. Cultivators in the Innate Realm could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and comprehend its laws.
As for whether there were realms beyond the Golden Core Realm, it was unknown. From what Qin Changqing understood, the Golden Core Realm was already the peak of this world, attainable only by ancient monsters of super sects.
Suddenly, Qin Changqing opened his eyes. The surrounding golden spiritual energy surged rapidly into his body.
His previously stagnant cultivation began to rise rapidly—middle stage Postnatal Realm, late stage Postnatal Realm, Great Perfection Postnatal Realm…
Spiritual energy poured into him like a flood. Qin Changqing’s face twisted in pain. With his Postnatal Realm physique, he should not have been able to absorb so much energy.
Not to mention a Postnatal martial artist—even an Innate Realm cultivator would risk having their meridians, even their dantian and qi sea, burst apart if they absorbed this much in one go.
Beside him, Luo Qingyi had been watching Qin Changqing’s condition. The massive fluctuation of spiritual energy had already alerted her.
Seeing him drenched in sweat and grimacing in pain, she hurried over to check on him.
She reached out and gently grasped his wrist, intending to examine his condition.
But unexpectedly, a powerful suction force suddenly began to draw the spiritual energy from her body.
Already injured and not yet fully recovered, her legs gave way, and she collapsed directly into Qin Changqing’s arms.
At this moment, she had no time to feel embarrassed. She quickly steadied her mind and began circulating her technique with all her strength to resist the overwhelming suction coming from his body.
“Qin Changqing! Qin Changqing! Wake up!”
Her body weak, Luo Qingyi could only call out to him softly.
But Qin Changqing was in a strange state, as if completely cut off from the outside world.
Left with no other choice, Luo Qingyi clenched her teeth and poured all her strength into resisting. Otherwise, the spiritual energy within her would be drained completely.
As the energy entered his body, it tempered his flesh and cleansed his meridians. He felt himself enter a state of perfect clarity.
Within his qi sea, spiritual energy surged like a roaring tide.
Golden energy gathered into a massive vortex, spinning rapidly. Suddenly, a golden dragon burst forth from the vortex and soared upward.
The dragon opened its enormous jaws and devoured all the spiritual energy within the qi sea.
Qin Changqing was shocked. “What is this?!”
Before he could react, the golden dragon expelled the energy it had just swallowed. The golden energy slowly condensed, transforming into a pool of liquid gold.
Spiritual energy had liquefied!
This transformation normally required reaching the Innate Realm. At his current level, it should have been impossible.
Could it be that the intensity of the spiritual energy in his qi sea had already reached the level of the Innate Realm?
That shouldn’t be possible. He was only barely at half-step into the Innate Realm. This was his first time absorbing the energy of heaven and earth… could it be because of that golden dragon?
He had no idea where the golden dragon had come from, but for him right now, it was undoubtedly a blessing.
Observing it closely, he saw the dragon circling within his qi sea, occasionally opening its mouth and letting out thunderous roars, as if saying: not enough… still not enough.
When the storm of energy finally subsided, the dragon seemed to have eaten its fill. It transformed into a streak of golden light and plunged into the golden pool.
Back when he was in the Postnatal Realm, he could only use the power of his blood and qi to activate martial techniques. Not only did it place a heavy burden on his body, but the power was also unsatisfactory.
Now, using spiritual energy, everything—speed, power, and fluidity—had improved drastically.
Against that black-clothed woman he encountered at the Royal Medical Institute, he was now confident he could defeat her in a single strike.
The increase in his realm gave Qin Changqing immense confidence.
Ling Feng, is it? The Chosen One, is it? Playing the pig to eat the tiger, is it? Then I’ll turn you into a real pig!
Qin Changqing opened his eyes and stretched comfortably. Only then did he realize that Luo Qingyi was nestled in his arms.
Her brows were tightly furrowed, fine sweat beading on her forehead. Her face was pale, and her lips parted as she breathed heavily.
In his good mood, Qin Changqing suddenly felt a mischievous impulse.
He pulled her closer, resting his head on her shoulder, and whispered softly by her ear, “Fairy, can’t wait any longer? Coming into my arms on your own initiative?”
His warm breath brushed against her neck, causing her cheeks to flush like clouds at sunset, both embarrassed and angry.
Even though her body was weak, she somehow found the strength to struggle free from his embrace.
“You! How dare you!”
“Don’t think that just because you saved my life, you can do as you please with me! Once my injuries recover, I will definitely—”
Before she could finish, Qin Changqing cut her off with a smile, “Once you recover, what? Kill me with a single sword?”
“You—”
Luo Qingyi was furious. Suddenly, she coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted.
“Fairy Luo…”
“Why did you faint again…”
Qin Changqing quickly caught her and carried her in two swift steps, placing her gently back onto the bed.
That might have gone a bit too far. It was clear that this cold fairy’s guard against him was lowering, but it seemed his progress had been a bit too fast.
If only he could see her favorability… how much was it now?
He should apologize to her properly later. After all, she was a righteous-path fairy, not some demonic enchantress. One couldn’t rush these things.
Qin Changqing stepped out of the inner chamber and instructed the maids, “Go to the Royal Kitchen and see if there are any delicate pastries or light dishes. Bring something mild.”
“If you run into the Royal Feather Guard patrols, be smart about it. You know what should and shouldn’t be said. Yesterday, those people ruined my mood. I don’t want to see them again today.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
The young maids saw Qin Changqing’s stern expression and sensed his dissatisfaction with their performance the night before.
After speaking, Qin Changqing immediately turned and returned to the inner chamber. Tomorrow, he would finally meet the legendary Chosen One, Ling Feng.
He was truly looking forward to it.
Ling Feng… Ling Feng… let me harvest you properly.