svetikya Chapter 216, Fifth Divine Aperture, Wuchen's Secret Meeting
Chapter 216, Fifth Divine Aperture, Wuchen's Secret Meeting
Chapter 216 The Fifth Divine Aperture, Wuchen's Secret Meeting (6.6k words, Day 4 of Extra Updates)
On Moon Peak, Fairy Qingyue's cave dwelling was shrouded in a faint moonlight.
A beam of moonlight traced a graceful arc from the direction of the inner palace, landing in front of the guest hall. The light then dissipated.
Yue Qingqiu's stunning figure then came into view.
She was still wearing that moon-white sect robe, the hem swaying gently with her movements, her aura as cold and aloof as a moonlit pool.
"I'm sorry, senior brother. Qingqiu was in deep seclusion and didn't notice anything outside. I've kept you waiting."
Yue Qingqiu spoke calmly, maintaining a half-step distance from Ping Xingye, and gently gestured for him to sit on the stone bench in the guest hall.
"Please sit down."
Hirahoshino's gaze swept across the guest hall. There was a jade table between two stone benches, clearly indicating that they were deliberately keeping their distance.
He sighed inwardly, but said nothing more and sat down as instructed.
"How was your trip to the State of Qi, Senior Brother?"
Yue Qingqiu was the first to ask a question.
Both of them are pillars of the Star Moon Sect and core candidates for the next generation of Nascent Soul cultivators. She has always paid close attention to this important matter concerning the future development of the sect.
When Hirahoshino brought up serious matters, his tone became more enthusiastic:
"Most things went fairly smoothly."
During his five years in the State of Qi, he fought against demons and monsters several times, and even joined forces with several other Golden Core prodigies to kill a Nascent Soul demon.
Later, under the guidance of True Monarch Shaking Mountain, I used my battle merits to exchange for the main ingredient of the Nascent Soul Pill. With the auxiliary materials stored in the sect, refining a Nascent Soul Pill should not be a problem.
Moreover, tempered by the flames of war, my magical power has stabilized at the peak of the Golden Core stage, and in terms of cultivation, I already possess the basic conditions to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
"Oh? That's not bad."
Upon hearing this news, a rare faint smile appeared on Yue Qingqiu's usually cold face, and a hint of relief flashed in her eyes. If Ping Xingye could successfully form his Nascent Soul, it would undoubtedly be a great help to the Xingyue Sect.
"but……"
Ping Xingye abruptly changed the subject, his tone instantly becoming somber, the frown between his brows deepening. He raised a hand and tapped his brow.
"When I returned this time, I had a filthy demonic soul mark between my eyebrows. It was from the explosion of the Nascent Soul demon's essence when I killed it."
I went to Qingyun Cave Heaven to see the Old Ancestor of Qingshan, but he couldn't completely eliminate it either. He only taught me a suppression technique.
He specifically reminded me that I needed to resolve this mark first, otherwise rashly attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage might leave hidden dangers in my Dao foundation.
Upon hearing this, Yue Qingqiu's brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of worry appeared in her eyes:
"Is there a solution?" She looked up at Hirahoshino, her tone filled with concern.
Ping Xingye frowned and shook his head, his gaze falling on Yue Qingqiu, hesitant to speak, his expression conflicted.
"Speak your mind. We've known each other for over a hundred years, there's no need to be so reserved."
Seeing his appearance, Yue Qingqiu had a vague premonition of something bad, but she still asked.
Hirahoshino took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind:
"Qingqiu, how many years have you been accumulating the power of moonlight?"
I have come here today to ask you a favor—could I borrow your moonlight power? With this power, my chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage might increase by half a percent.
"If I successfully form my Nascent Soul, all the starlight power I cultivate over the next thirty years will be yours to use, how about it?"
His eyes held a hint of expectation, and his tone softened.
However, upon hearing this, Yue Qingqiu's expression instantly turned cold, and the moonlight aura surrounding her became sharper.
"Senior brother, I thought you still remembered your vow."
After that incident decades ago, you and I agreed to maintain a superficial relationship as Daoist partners in front of outsiders, but in private, we would just be ordinary fellow disciples.
Please, senior brother, don't hold such thoughts anymore, lest it damage our relationship.
"Qingqiu, I'm doing this to increase our chances of reaching the Nascent Soul stage! We are both pillars of the sect's future, and my successful Nascent Soul formation would be a good thing for the sect!"
Ping Xingye's voice became more agitated. He suddenly stood up and walked towards Yue Qingqiu's seat, seemingly wanting to persuade her further.
Before he could get close, Yue Qingqiu raised her hand and waved it, and a pale silver moonlight screen instantly blocked the two of them, stopping his steps.
Her tone was firm and unwavering:
"Even the Green Mountain Ancestor, a powerful cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage, couldn't resolve your demonic soul imprint. How much of an effect can my Moon Essence power possibly have?"
Besides, you're not without a suitable person by your side—your "confidante sister," isn't she also practicing the "Moon Technique"?
Go find her; there's no need to come looking for me.
"Alas... you still won't forgive your brother."
Looking at the light screen in front of him, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, and his tone weakened.
"forgive?"
Yue Qingqiu's expression grew increasingly cold, her voice dropping to freezing point, filled with suppressed anger.
"She is my personally taught disciple!"
You actually want me and my disciple to join you... How dare you have such an absurd idea!
Her fingertips trembled slightly, clearly angered by Hirahoshino's past actions, making it difficult for her to maintain her usual aloofness.
"Let's not talk about that. Senior brother, is there anything else?"
Yue Qingqiu's tone was noticeably impatient, indicating she no longer wanted to dwell on the past and was ready to ask him to leave.
Hirahoshino wasn't really keen on leaving, and seeing her change the subject, he immediately searched his mind for a new angle, finally finding one after a moment:
"Junior sister, that guest elder Chen Yi, you were the one who spearheaded the recruitment into the sect, weren't you?"
"good."
Yue Qingqiu nodded in agreement, her tone carrying a certainty.
"He is a third-tier spirit chef and is now a quasi-third-tier puppeteer. The contract he signed clearly states that he will serve as an enshrined figure in my Star Moon Sect until he advances to the late stage of Core Formation."
"All we need to do is provide the spiritual veins and regular offerings. It's a sure-fire way for the sect to profit. Is there a problem?"
"There's no problem, it's just the cave he's currently staying in..."
Ping Xingye changed the subject again, wanting to bring up the temporary cave dwelling, a hint of barely perceptible expectation hidden in his eyes.
Yue Qingqiu interrupted him directly, explaining clearly and logically:
"That cave dwelling was agreed upon by the sect beforehand."
He has two Tier 3 spirit pets that have a huge demand for spiritual energy, and ordinary Tier 3 low-grade spiritual vein caves are simply not enough for them.
The sect's existing third-tier mid-grade spiritual vein cave dwellings were all occupied by the elders. After discussing with my senior brother, the sect leader, I temporarily allocated that small cave dwelling to him for use.
If my senior brother feels this is inappropriate, we can find him a more suitable place.
I've also heard that Elder Chen and his spirit pet have consumed a great deal of spiritual energy, even affecting the spiritual vein of your main cave dwelling. It would be good to find a cave dwelling with an independent spiritual vein."
"That's not what I meant..." Hirahoshi felt a pang of frustration.
He originally intended to offer to change Chen Yi's cave dwelling, not because he was truly concerned about the influence of the spiritual vein, but because he didn't want other male cultivators to live in the place where Yue Qingqiu had once resided.
He hoped to use this to make her appreciate his feelings, even if it only stirred up a trace of past memories.
But now, it has become Yue Qingqiu who is "letting" him go to change cave dwellings.
Although the events were the same, the name and the underlying meaning had completely changed, and his little scheme had come to nothing.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his awkwardness, and adopted a more serious tone:
"Qingqiu, recruiting a Core Formation guest elder is no small matter."
Although Chen Yi seems honest on the surface, have you ever thought about this?
How could a cultivator who can raise two third-tier demonic beasts at the same time be a simple character?
Moreover, he promised to stay until the late stage of Core Formation as soon as he arrived. This suggests that either he has a secret reason for joining my Star Moon Sect, or he is absolutely confident that he can advance to the late stage of Core Formation.
This kind of cultivator doesn't seem like the type to be content to remain subservient to others for long. Moreover, he comes from the Qi Kingdom, which has just experienced a demonic invasion; you can't even be sure if his soul has been invaded by demons.
Hirahoshino's tone grew increasingly serious, carrying a hint of warning:
"If you and I are not in the sect for any reason in the future, and he suddenly clashes with those two demonic beasts, with his abilities and the combat power of his spirit pets, he could very well bring great trouble to the sect."
Actually, Hirahoshino didn't really have much of a problem with Chen Yi; what he truly cared about was...
During his journey south, Yue Qingqiu took the initiative to recruit a male cultivator.
And he was not consulted at all during the entire process.
This feeling of being out of his control made him very uncomfortable.
After all, in his heart, he and Yue Qingqiu were still the sect's recognized "Daoist couple," and important sect affairs should be discussed and agreed upon, rather than her making decisions alone.
"Leaving aside his culinary skills, he is already a near-third-tier puppeteer, and Master Chen himself said that he has the hope of becoming a third-tier puppeteer within twenty years!"
Now that I've encountered such talent, I can't just let it slip by, can I?
Yue Qingqiu's tone carried an undeniable certainty, and when she spoke of Chen Yi's abilities, a hint of admiration even flashed in her eyes.
She continued her rebuttal with clear and logical reasoning:
"As for your claim that he can afford to raise two Tier 3 spirit pets, that's because you haven't seen the beast pills he makes."
The beast pills he refined were exceptionally effective; several True Persons within the sect who kept third-tier Great Demons had already benefited from them.
They even suggested that I ask Master Chen to lower the material requirements, but I refused.
Talented people deserve appropriate treatment; how can they be easily wronged?
"To be honest, I even think that the sect is currently treating Chen Yi a little too poorly."
Moreover, the contract we signed with him had very limited restrictions:
If any Nascent Soul senior steps in to help him break the contract, he can leave the sect at any time.
In this situation, we should improve his compensation to retain him long-term, rather than harboring unfounded suspicions.
"and,
I examined this person's character with the Moon Heart Mirror back then, and there were no problems whatsoever.
Over the past few years, the sect members have come to know him quite well.
Several female Foundation Establishment cultivators took the initiative to show him their affection, but he remained unmoved.
He has never even visited Yuefeng once, spending his days holed up in his cave, cultivating diligently.
Although there are rumors that he has feelings for his niece and maid, based on my observation, Hu Mingyue is still a virgin, so the rumors are unfounded.
She leaned forward slightly, her gaze falling on Hirahoshino, her tone carrying a hint of questioning:
"Where in the entire cultivation world can you find a cultivator who is so dedicated to his cultivation, acts in a proper and unconventional manner, and possesses such remarkable skills?"
And even if we take a step back and assume he really runs into trouble in the future, the sect still has a Nascent Soul ancestor to oversee things. Could he possibly cause any real chaos?!
Yue Qingqiu's words were clear and well-reasoned, and she spoke with great enthusiasm, leaving Ping Xingye speechless and unable to refute them.
He remained silent for a moment before finally finding a new angle, his tone tinged with a barely perceptible bitterness:
"Qingqiu, you only showed a cold concern for your brother's situation from beginning to end;
But when you talked about that Chen Gongfeng, you not only spoke at length, but your expressions were also so vivid.
"Isn't he much better than me, your brother, in your eyes, junior sister?"
"I'm just stating the facts!"
Yue Qingqiu's face instantly darkened, and her tone turned cold.
"Hoshino Hirahara,
If you have nothing else to do, please leave. I don't have time to argue with you about these trivial matters.
Besides, you can ask me to care if you want.
"If you simply shun women for a hundred years, just like Elder Chen, and uphold the duties of a cultivator, I will naturally care for you as I would for any other male cultivator in a sect!"
"Oh well, let's not talk about it anymore."
Seeing that Yue Qingqiu's face had completely darkened and that he had even changed his address from "senior brother" to his full name, Ping Xingye felt a chill run down his spine and quickly softened his tone to change the subject.
He secretly calculated: Chen Yi was just a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation. The difference in cultivation and status between him and Yue Qingqiu was like a vast chasm, posing almost no threat to him.
Those words were merely a pretext to test Yue Qingqiu's attitude. Now that he saw her resolute stance, he naturally wouldn't make a fool of himself.
"Junior sister, the main ingredient for the Nascent Soul Pill has been obtained. I plan to visit Qingyun Cave Heaven soon to ask them to help me refine a Nascent Soul Pill."
Hei Hoshino then changed the subject, talking about his future plans with a hint of urgency in his voice.
"The Nascent Soul Pill?" Upon hearing this, Yue Qingqiu's brows furrowed again. Her tone softened considerably, but it still carried genuine concern as she earnestly advised,
"Didn't Ancestor Qingshan say that you shouldn't rush to break through to the Nascent Soul stage right now?"
If the demonic mark between the eyebrows is not removed, it is very likely to aggravate the inner demon tribulation during the formation of the infant.
Senior brother, why don't you take it easy?
It would be better to go to the Vajra Temple to seek out a secret method of mind cultivation, practice diligently for decades, and wait until you have completely controlled that mark before forming your nascent soul.
Besides, even if we wanted to refine the Nascent Soul Pill, our sect's Ancestor Yuelan is skilled in alchemy. Why insist on going to Qingyun Cave Heaven?
"Sigh, the condition of our Ancestor Yuelan..."
Heijiro shook his head, letting out a sigh filled with unspeakable heaviness, and offered no further explanation.
The Old Ancestor Yuelan died in a heavenly tribulation when her Daoist partner formed an infant. After that, she single-handedly supported the Star Moon Sect for hundreds of years, and her physical body was already overdrawn.
Even if one were to forcefully begin alchemy now, it would still require consuming one's own vital essence—
As a descendant with the same bloodline as the ancestor and a direct disciple, Ping Xingye knew these things better than others and felt more sorry for the ancestor's sacrifices.
"As for what my junior sister said about 'delaying it for a few decades'..."
Hirahoshi shook his head again, his tone now tinged with a hint of melancholy.
"The current trend in the cultivation world has arrived; all those below the Nascent Soul stage are now mere ants."
If we don't seize this opportunity to advance to the Nascent Soul stage now, we may find it difficult to establish ourselves in the future.
Junior sister, if I fail to form my Nascent Soul this time, you must find a way to successfully form your Nascent Soul within a hundred years.
Otherwise, my Star Moon Sect may face unforeseen calamities in the upcoming upheavals.
"Senior brother, you shouldn't be too impulsive. It's not too late to try to break through to the Nascent Soul stage when everything is ready." Yue Qingqiu was still unwilling to give up trying to persuade him, with a hint of worry in her eyes.
Hirahoshino simply shook his head, said no more, and got up to take his leave.
There were some thoughts he couldn't fully explain to Yue Qingqiu: he was already over three hundred years old, and if he didn't break through to the Nascent Soul stage now, even if he succeeded by chance in the future, he would have almost no potential to advance to the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
But his ambitions went far beyond that.
He longed to one day reach the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and recreate the glory days of the Star Moon Sect ten thousand years ago; this was an obsession he could not easily give up.
……
Less than half a month after Ping Xingye returned, he sent someone to inform Chen Yi to change his cave dwelling.
Chen Yi, being dependent on others, had no choice but to obey. Fortunately, this time it was a benefit: he was given a more complete cave dwelling with abundant spiritual veins.
He and his two spirit pets began to tidy up. The burrows dug by the treasure-hunting rats had to be filled in one by one, the spirit bird nest of the Crimson Soul Sparrow had to be carefully dismantled and moved, and even the hidden formations set up in the cave had to be removed one by one and then re-set up after being moved to a new place.
The new cave dwelling that Chen Yi coordinated was originally the residence of Xingmu Zhenren, an elder in the mid-stage of the Core Formation realm.
In recent years, Master Xingmu has been stationed in an affiliated immortal city by the sect and rarely returns to the sect.
When Ping Xingye communicated with him, he promised to give up half of the profits of the Immortal City to him personally. After Xingmu Zhenren learned of this, he naturally agreed to give up his cave.
On the eve of the handover, Master Xingmu specially rushed back to the sect from the Immortal City to hand over the reins to Chen Yi in person.
When Chen Yi met him, his first impression of the elder was that he was "upright and composed".
He had a dignified appearance and a powerful and refined magical power. Although he did not deliberately release his aura, he naturally exuded the majesty of a superior, which was obviously the demeanor he had honed by sitting in a celestial city for many years.
"To be able to take on the responsibility of guarding the immortal city, he is indeed no ordinary cultivator," Chen Yi thought to himself in admiration.
Soon, Chen Yi, along with his two spirit pets and a group of servants including Hu Mingyue, completed the relocation.
The spiritual vein of the new cave dwelling originates from a branch of the main vein of Xingfeng, and its spiritual energy is far more abundant than that of the previous temporary cave dwelling.
Chen Yi can finally cultivate without any worries about insufficient spiritual energy;
Even the Crimson Soul Sparrow and the Treasure-Seeking Rat can freely breathe in spiritual energy in their daily lives without having to consciously restrain themselves.
After setting up the array, spirit plant garden, and spirit pet residence in the new cave, Chen Yi once again entered a state of seclusion and intensive cultivation.
As the days went by, his magical power steadily accumulated, and he was not far from the perfect stage of Core Formation.
His physical cultivation was also steadily improving under the continuous supply of Azure Thunder Brew.
However, a question lingered in Chen Yi's mind: when the golden crystal core energy in his body had accumulated to nearly a hundred strands and was about to fuse, what should he do next?
The young monk had previously warned him that once he fused with the Hundred Strands of Golden Crystal Marrow, it was highly likely that his superiors would sense it, and he would face the risk of being devoured.
If that's the case, he might have to abandon this established path and find another way.
Fortunately, the supply of lightning crystals and lightning crystal cores within the body is currently sufficient thanks to the Azure Sky Lightning Brew, and the body refining progress is steadily advancing.
The body-refining effect of the fusion of gold and lightning was already better than that of purely cultivating the Vajra Technique, which gave him more confidence.
However, there are no predecessors to refer to on this path of fusion of gold and lightning. Whether he can continue on this path and what the future development direction will be are still unclear to Chen Yi. He can only move forward slowly through exploration.
He had heard that the Mountain-Shaking True Man who smashed the headquarters of the Demonic Temple with three punches back then was practicing the path of dual cultivation of body and spirit.
This senior's body-refining method integrates the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and can unleash terrifying power with a wave of his hand, making him a model of dual cultivation of body and mind.
If given the opportunity, Chen Yi sincerely hoped to seek guidance from this senior on his body-refining challenges.
However, the opponent was a powerful expert in the late Nascent Soul stage, while he was only in the early Core Formation stage.
The difference in their cultivation levels was like an insurmountable chasm; they didn't even have the chance to meet, let alone ask each other for guidance.
Besides physical cultivation, Chen Yi's spiritual cultivation is also about to reach a bottleneck.
Having previously cultivated the "Refining God Technique," he had already condensed four colors of divine consciousness: cyan, blue, red, and gold. Now, his divine soul strength had reached the peak of the mid-stage of Core Formation, and it was difficult to make any further progress.
Chen Yi had calculated that to break through this bottleneck, he might need to develop a fifth divine aperture and cultivate earth-type divine sense as well.
Once all five elements of spiritual consciousness are complete, the divine soul may be able to advance further.
After perfecting his Five Elements Divine Sense, he would have more confidence to attempt to break through to the second level of the "Purple Lightning Soul-Nourishing Technique," which is a true Nascent Soul level divine soul secret technique.
Chen Yi has already made some initial progress on how to activate the Earth-type Divine Aperture.
The ancient stone wall that was taken out from the Thunder Pool of Thunder Peak contained the spiritual energy related to opening the earth element divine aperture.
Recently, he has begun to try to absorb the power of the stone wall. He has accumulated some spiritual energy combining earth and lightning. His fifth divine aperture, the "Heavenly Pillar Point," is also faintly itchy and hot, which means it has been touched.
However, Chen Yi used most of the Thunder Spirit essence contained within the stone wall to improve the quality of the Thunder Crystals within his body and the quality of the Thunder Soul in his divine soul.
If we rely solely on the remaining power to fully open the Tianzhu acupoint, we are still lacking in the necessary skill and may need to wait for the right opportunity.
"Perhaps, when the time is right, I should go and lure Lei Feng again."
Chen Yi secretly pondered that since Yinlei Peak was a place where lightning-type spiritual veins converged, it might be able to provide him with the final assistance to open the earth-type divine aperture.
Now that Chen Yi has achieved the Golden Core stage, his body-refining strength is extraordinary, especially the defensive capabilities of his Thunder Crystal, which are comparable to those of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.
He was no longer as fragile as he was during the Qi Refining stage; he could go to most places in the cultivation world except for the fourth-order areas.
That day, Hu Mingyue quietly entered Chen Yi's cultivation room and whispered her report:
"Uncle Chen, you have received a letter from the Ji family in northern Zhongzhou."
Chen Yi stopped his cultivation practice, raised his hand, and took the jade slip she handed him.
The jade slip is light blue in color and has simple restriction runes engraved on its surface, revealing the unique family mark of the Ji family.
A wisp of cyan magic power emanated from his fingertips, gently brushing across the surface of the jade slip. With a soft "hum," the restriction was released.
Then, he probed the jade slip with his divine sense, and Ji Wuchen's gentle voice rang in his mind:
"When Wuchen went to Qi, he was unable to meet Fellow Daoist Chen, which he greatly regretted."
Upon hearing that my fellow Daoist had arrived in Zhongzhou, I was overjoyed.
Now that Wuchen has returned to his family, he wishes to meet with his fellow Daoist as soon as possible.
The things we agreed on in the past have changed slightly, and I would like to ask Fellow Daoist Chen for help.
Furthermore, if you have any resource needs, please inform us in advance, and I will prepare them accordingly as a sign of sincerity.
After reading the message, Chen Yi put away the jade slip, tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, and fell into deep thought.
Ji Wuchen comes from a top-tier power with a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in charge, and is also a direct descendant of a family. Normally, there is almost nothing in the family that he cannot solve. Why would he specifically write to ask for my help?
Chen Yi pondered to himself:
Behind this matter, either the Ji family encountered external troubles that were difficult to resolve internally, or there was internal strife within the family, and Ji Wuchen did not want to escalate the situation, so he sought help from outsiders.
In either case, it is not advisable to get too involved. Once you get caught up in the vortex of a powerful force like the Ji family, you could easily get burned.
Furthermore, one should not rashly ask for too much just because the other party promises to provide resources, as that would appear greedy and make it easier to get involved in disputes.
After a moment's thought, Chen Yi took out a blank communication jade slip, infused it with his divine sense, and left a reply:
"My cultivation is shallow and my abilities are limited. I am afraid I cannot provide much help to Young Master Ji. I hope you will forgive me."
However, the scenery around Moon Lake is quite pleasant. If Young Master Ji has some free time, he may come to Moon Lake for a private visit.
At that time, Mr. Chen can take the time to meet with the young master privately and reminisce about their past.
His intention was clear:
If Ji Wuchen were to visit the Star Moon Sect in public, he would have to treat him as a "Sect Inheritor and Third-Rank Spirit Chef," and adopt an attitude that he could not interfere in other matters.
However, if they meet in private, neither party needs to consider their status, so what difficulties would Ji Wuchen face?
I can offer assistance as appropriate depending on the situation, but I will never openly get involved in the affairs of the Ji family, and I will always keep a low profile and distance.
After writing his reply, Chen Yi handed the communication jade slip to Hu Mingyue and instructed her:
"Go and send this message to the Ji family in the northern part of Zhongzhou through the sect's communication array."
"Okay, Uncle Chen."
Hu Mingyue took the jade slip but did not leave immediately. Instead, she said to Chen Yi:
"Uncle Chen, I've reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, it's time to think about Foundation Establishment."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi scanned Hu Mingyue with his divine sense and noticed something amiss.
"Huh? You've actually cultivated the Moon Technique to such a level?"
(End of this chapter)