Chen Qing cupped his hands in a salute and got straight to the point. "Elder Ma, I wish to apply to imprint five complete Heart Methods: the *Nine Revolutions Gilded Gold Technique*, the *Profound Nether True Water Technique*, the *Crimson Sun Heart-Burning Technique*, the *Eight Desolates Mountain-Suppressing Technique*, and the *Cyan Wood Eternal Spring Technique*."

Upon hearing this, Elder Ma’s grizzled white eyebrows rose slightly.

Imprinting the orthodox Heart Methods of every institute at once was an extremely rare occurrence.

He lowered his voice. "Chief Chen, are you...?"

Chen Qing remained calm as he explained, "My Cultivation has reached a bottleneck, and I wish to peer through the gates of the Astral Force realm. Though each Heart Method takes a different path, all great Ways lead to the same end. Master Li himself encouraged his disciples to learn from all sources and synthesize their knowledge. I am imprinting these techniques to study them intently. I hope that by building a deep foundation, I can one day make a breakthrough and better serve the Sect."

His tone was sincere and his reasoning sound: he was preparing to break through to the Astral Force realm by studying the unique properties of different attribute True Qi. This was not without precedent in the Sect; it was just that very few had ever tried to gather all Five Elements as he was doing.

Elder Ma watched Chen Qing intently for a moment before finally just nodding.

Given Chen Qing’s current status and demonstrated potential, the request was not unreasonable.

He asked no more questions. Turning, he retrieved a specially made Printing Scroll. "In that case, I will imprint them for you. You know the rules: the Heart Methods must not be shared."

"I understand. Thank you, Elder Ma," Chen Qing responded.

Soon, the complete verbal formulas and Qi Flow Diagrams for the five Heart Methods were fully imprinted.

Chen Qing inspected them carefully. After confirming everything was in order, he tucked the imprinted scrolls into his robes, thanked Elder Ma once more, and turned to leave the Armory.

Just as he stepped out of the Armory’s main gate, he ran right into Xu Qi, who had a troubled look on his face.

Xu Qi started upon seeing Chen Qing and quickly cupped his fist. "Senior Brother!"

Chen Qing asked, "Junior Brother Xu, are you here at the Armory for a Cultivation Technique?"

Xu Qi took a deep breath and said gravely, "Senior Brother, there is something I must confess to you. Only then can my conscience be clear."

"Oh? What is it?"

Chen Qing watched him, his gaze placid.

Xu Qi lowered his head slightly. "To answer, Senior Brother, a few days ago, before you returned, our own Junior Brother Hong Liangcai approached me in private. He... he said some foolish things about the Chief position being open. His words were meant to incite and provoke, and he said he would support me... I rejected him sternly on the spot! I swear I have no such outrageous ambitions!"

At this, he hurriedly pledged his loyalty. "I know full well that the position of Chief of the Cyan Wood Institute belongs to you and you alone, Senior Brother! Only your Cultivation and prestige are enough to win over the masses and allow our Cyan Wood Institute to hold its own within the Wutai Sect! I feel nothing but admiration and trust for you, Senior Brother. I have no ulterior motives! Even though this is in the past, I’ve been turning it over in my mind and felt I had to be honest with you to prevent any future misunderstandings."

Chen Qing listened in silence, his expression unreadable. Only when Xu Qi finished did he smile faintly. "So that was it. Junior Brother Hong is quite zealous. Were you tempted?"

At his words, Xu Qi scrambled to answer, "No! Absolutely not! I swear to the heavens! I wasn’t then, and I’m certainly not now! Senior Brother, please don’t misunderstand!"

Seeing his nervous state, Chen Qing chuckled. "I was just asking. What are you so nervous about?"

Xu Qi didn’t dare relax in the slightest. "I’m not nervous," he said. "I’m just overjoyed that you’ve returned safely, Senior Brother, and was worried you might get the wrong idea."

Chen Qing nodded, not pressing the issue. He asked a few brief questions about Xu Qi’s recent cultivation before waving a hand dismissively. "Alright, I understand. You can go."

"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Senior Brother! This disciple will take his leave!"

Xu Qi bowed again hastily, only then letting out a small sigh of relief.

As he watched Xu Qi’s retreating back, a glint appeared in Chen Qing’s eyes.

Xu Qi’s proactive confession had saved him the trouble of having to put him in his place. It also showed that most people in the institute understood the current power dynamic.

’I can’t be bothered with such petty, wavering ambitions for now,’ he thought. ’I have more important things to attend to.’

...

「Meanwhile, inside a secret stronghold of the Demon Sect.」

The atmosphere was cold and oppressive.

The Blood Rakshasa, Hu Mei, sat on a high seat, her bewitchingly beautiful face now covered in a layer of frost.

Below, a kneeling spy trembled, not daring to even breathe.

"Missing... for seventeen whole days, with no news at all..."

Hu Mei’s voice was bone-chillingly cold. "Ming and You... they didn’t even send out a final Blood Talisman to call for help?"

The spy buried his head even lower. "Reporting to the Protector, that is correct. We have repeatedly investigated all clues in the area where they were last seen. The inn at Black Water Pier has been reduced to rubble. There are signs of a fierce battle, and the residual auras are chaotic, but we have found no trace of them leaving the area."

"According to a summary of intelligence from various sources, an Astral Force Elder from the Earth Element Sect, Yu River, was spotted nearby later that day... Furthermore, we’ve received word from the Wutai Sect. Their Chief of the Cyan Wood Institute, Chen Qing, was also reportedly at the scene. He supposedly escaped by a stroke of luck and has since returned to his Sect."

"Chen Qing?" Hu Mei’s brow furrowed. "That brat from the Wutai Sect? What’s his Cultivation now?"

"He’s reported to be at the Late-stage of Embracing Pill. His strength is considerable; he once defeated Xiao Bieli of Cold Jade Valley."

The spy answered hurriedly, "But there’s no way he could have been a match for Ming and You. In my opinion, he just got lucky and escaped during the chaos."

Zuo Feng, who was standing to the side, scoffed and interjected, "Chen Qing? I’ve heard of that brat. He’s got some talent, sure, but to say he killed Ming and You? That’s utterly preposterous. Though their Cultivation Technique prevented them from ever reaching Astral Force, Ming and You have decades of accumulated Power. Their joint attacks are insidious and almost impossible to defend against. How could some junior possibly stand up to them? I say the odds are it was that old bastard Yu River who ambushed them in the shadows!"