"Oh? He’s on the verge of opening his eleventh Main Meridian..."

He Yuzhou gently tapped his fingers on the armrest. "It seems Second Master He of Qixia Manor’s Gilded Fire Essence Pill was a great help to him. With the Centennial Earth Core Milk on top of that... Hmm, breaking through to the state of Eleven Orthodox Meridians shouldn’t be difficult for him."

"He might even stand a chance against Xiao Bieli."

He changed the subject, asking, "What about the other sects? How far has Xiao Bieli progressed on his ’Lifeng’ path?"

Sang Yanping’s expression grew solemn. "According to our intelligence and that of Mist Rain Tower, after defeating Shi Ziyi from the Xuanjia Sect, Xiao Bieli rested for several days. Reportedly, he arrived at Qixia Manor about half a month later and challenged the leading figure of their younger generation, ’Burning Flame’ Feng Shuhao."

He Yuzhou was silent for a moment.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible sigh. "Achieving the state of Eleven Orthodox Meridians and defeating Fang Rui and Shi Ziyi in succession... Leng Qianqiu has found himself a fine disciple."

"Yan Yaoyang is the most outstanding disciple of our Wutai Sect’s younger generation. He also has the support of Qixia Manor, so he lacks neither resources nor Cultivation Techniques..."

He Yuzhou’s voice dropped. "I hope... he can be a match for Xiao Bieli."

The top expert of a Sect represents its current strength, while the number one of the younger generation symbolizes its future potential.

Both held weight, though people might emphasize one over the other.

If Xiao Bieli truly succeeded on his ’Lifeng’ path, Cold Jade Valley’s prestige would undoubtedly grow even greater.

* * *

The turmoil in the Council Hall barely caused a ripple in Chen Qing’s heart.

With the Centennial Earth Core Milk in hand, he had only one thought: ’Turn it into strength as quickly as possible.’

Returning to his private courtyard, Chen Qing sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion and took out the Jade Bottle containing the drop of Centennial Earth Core Milk.

The moment he uncorked the bottle, an indescribably rich fragrance instantly filled the Quiet Chamber. It wasn’t the scent of flowers, but a pure, powerful aura of vitality. Just a single breath seemed to invigorate the True Qi in his limbs.

Inside the Jade Bottle, a single drop of liquid, condensed as if solid and colored like warm jade, floated quietly.

Chen Qing took a deep breath. Without further hesitation, he tilted his head back and poured the drop of Centennial Earth Core Milk into his mouth!

BOOM!

The instant the Earth Core Milk entered his mouth, it didn’t transform into a warm current. Instead, it was like a volcano, dormant for millennia, suddenly erupting!

An unimaginable torrent of energy, like a river bursting its banks, poured into Chen Qing’s entire body!

This power was so vast and immense that it surpassed the atomized Earth Core Milk by ten, even a hundred times!

This was no longer nourishment; it was a direct scouring!

He pushed his four Heart Methods to their absolute limit!

His Dantian Sea of Qi churned like a boiling nebula as the four-colored True Qi spun and collided madly, desperately trying to absorb the energy.

Guided by the combined force of these four powers, the torrent of energy from the Centennial Earth Core Milk was forcibly drawn into the pathways of his meridians.

It scoured every inch of his meridian walls, cleansed the subtle impurities from his True Qi, and with unstoppable momentum, charged ferociously toward the barrier of the seventh Main Meridian!

CRACK!

It was as if an invisible barrier had been shattered by a great hammer.

The seventh Main Meridian—the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian—was opened with barely any resistance!

But this was only the beginning!

Chen Qing could clearly feel a subtle improvement in the quality of his True Qi. The benefits were self-evident.

A few breaths later, when the drop of Centennial Earth Core Milk had been completely refined and absorbed, Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes.

He slowly exhaled a long, turbid breath. His aura was continuous and deep, a notch stronger than before.

’Seven Orthodox Meridians! I’m not far from the Late-stage Embracing Pill.’

Chen Qing felt the surging True Qi within him, his heart filled with excitement.

The effects of the Centennial Earth Core Milk were indeed much better than that of ordinary Earth Core Milk.

However, his cultivation speed had already increased significantly after reaching the Six Forms Root Bone, and he wasn’t far from opening his seventh Main Meridian anyway. That was why he was able to take the Centennial Earth Core Milk and break through directly to the state of Seven Orthodox Meridians.

Outside the window, the night was deep. A fierce wind howled, and raindrops the size of beans pattered against the roof and courtyard as an unexpected downpour began.

Chen Qing took a small black notebook from his robes.

There were many names inside, ninety-nine percent of which had been blotted out or crossed off.

"The Ye Family... Ye Zhenshan."

As Chen Qing looked at the name, his gaze, seen through the curtain of rain, grew deep and icy.

He had not forgotten that the Ye Family had previously sent people to follow and investigate him.

Besides the Ye Family, there was another heavily marked name: ’Liu Family’.

He possessed the Liu Family’s Treasure Armor, so he had to be cautious.

Better safe than sorry.

The pouring rain drowned out all other sounds in the world.

’The timing is perfect now.’

Chen Qing crossed out Ye Zhenshan’s name, then stood up and walked out of the courtyard.

On this rainy night in the Prefecture City, pedestrians were scarce.

* * *

Inside the Moon Embracing Painting Boat, the lights were bright, but the sound of strings and pipes was muffled by the rain.

Ye Zhenshan was reclining on a low couch covered in soft brocade. The table before him was a mess of cups and plates, a pot of fine "Drunken Immortal Brew" already more than half empty.

His face was flushed, and his hazy eyes were filled with profound grief and bitter resentment.

"Useless! All of them are useless!"

Ye Zhenshan suddenly smashed the Jade Cup in his hand onto the floor, shattering it to pieces. Wine splashed everywhere. "The Wutai Sect... What a Wutai Sect! Has all the silver my Ye Family offers them each year gone to feed the dogs?!"

The old steward, Ye Zhong, who was standing by, flinched in fear. He quickly stepped forward and urged in a low voice, "Master, calm down! Be careful what you say! The walls have ears..."

"Be careful? Careful my ass!"

"The Wutai Sect... What have they done? Huh?!"

Ye Zhenshan slammed his hand on the table, looking half-mad. "They just sent a few worthless elixirs, some tattered, commonplace Cultivation Technique fragments, and a flimsy ’Pension Order’? Are they treating us like beggars! Does my Ye Family lack such trifles?!"