At his current level, he could often get to the heart of an issue with just a few words, leading the disciples he guided to sudden epiphanies and immense benefits.

This caused his prestige among the disciples of the Cyan Wood Institute to soar.

Meanwhile, after being dismissed by Master Li several times, Yu Bao’er felt the pressure. Her cultivation became exceptionally diligent, and she reined in much of her former lively and impetuous nature.

Time flowed by like a quiet stream.

In the blink of an eye, two months of peaceful and fulfilling cultivation passed quietly.

Chen Qing had cultivated his Eight Desolates Mountain-Suppressing Technique to the Fourth Layer, and his Cyan Wood True Qi grew ever more abundant, bringing him closer and closer to the Astral Force realm.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Cyan Wood Eternal Spring Technique, Fourth Layer (4511/5000)]

[Eight Desolates Mountain-Suppressing Technique, Fourth Layer (79/5000)]

One day, Chen Qing was fishing at Dingbo Lake, his heart and spirit tranquil.

A figure approached from the distance. It was none other than Li Wang, the Chief Disciple of the Li Fire Institute.

He walked up to Chen Qing and plopped down beside him familiarly. "Junior Brother Chen, something’s happened."

The fishing rod in Chen Qing’s hand trembled slightly, sending ripples across the water’s surface. With a smooth flick of his wrist, he pulled back the line. It rose lightly, the hook empty.

The cunning Treasure Fish had sensed the subtle movement and change in aura on the shore and had already taken the opportunity to struggle free and flee.

That was the way of Treasure Fish; their Spiritual Sense was exceptionally sharp, and they would slip the hook at the slightest disturbance.

Chen Qing wasn’t annoyed. He set his fishing rod aside and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Li Wang’s brow was furrowed, his tone grave. "Junior Brother Chen," he said in a low voice, "it’s the Liu Family."

"The Liu Family?" Chen Qing’s gaze sharpened.

"That’s right."

Li Wang nodded. "I heard that recently the Liu Family, along with several other families from the Yunlin Commerce Association they’re on good terms with, have been attacked frequently. Many people have died, and... their deaths were horrific. All their Essence Blood was drained, like the work of the Demon Sect."

"They say that even two mid-stage and one late-stage Embracing Pill Power expert from the Liu Family have been killed. Now, everyone in the Liu Family is in a state of panic. The Liu Family Patriarch, Liu Mingxuan, even went to Cold Jade Valley personally to visit Elder Leng Qianqiu. He must have gone to ask for help or discuss countermeasures."

Hearing this, a thought stirred in Chen Qing’s mind.

’Did the Liu Family provoke the Demon Sect?’

He couldn’t help but recall the scene on Nine Waves Island when Zuo Feng had escaped with Zheng Hui.

’Could it be Zheng Hui?’

Chen Qing had kept this matter in mind all along.

As the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The Zheng Family was, after all, once a great family of Yunlin Prefecture with deep roots. It was impossible for them to just vanish into thin air after their fall.

’Could it be that Zheng Hui colluded with the Demon Sect to take revenge on the Liu Family?’

"Anyway, let’s not talk about that."

Li Wang shook his head. "I heard that Senior Brother Yan has been teaming up with Fang Rui from the Xuanjia Sect and Shi Ziyi. They’ve completed several missions issued by the Jingwu Guard together. Apparently, they’ve racked up a lot of points, made some good hauls, and exchanged them for some nice items. According to the grapevine, disciples at my level will also be able to officially get a Military Merit Order soon."

He looked at Chen Qing. "What do you think, Junior Brother Chen? We could try teaming up then, too. If we watch each other’s backs, we’ll definitely be more efficient."

This was the main reason he had come looking for Chen Qing.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Chen Qing raised an eyebrow. "The Jingwu Guard Tokens are being distributed on a large scale now?"

He recalled that at the Mansion Master’s banquet, only the dozen or so people who made up the Five Heroes and Seven Talents held them.

"Mhm, that’s the word."

Li Wang nodded. "It’s not just me. I heard that some of the stronger late-stage Embracing Pill Realm disciples from various sects will be receiving the tokens one after another."

This wasn’t hard to understand. The Jingwu Guard’s primary goal in introducing the Military Merit system was to cast a wide net, recruit personnel, and expand their influence.

The initial trial run among a small circle of top geniuses seemed to have gone well, so it was only natural to expand the distribution now.

For the Sect disciples, it was another stable channel to obtain rare resources. For the Jingwu Guard, it was a way to mobilize more people to do their bidding at minimal cost and expand their influence. It was truly a win-win situation.

"I’ll pass."

After a moment of thought, Chen Qing shook his head. "I plan to enter secluded cultivation for a while to focus on breaking through a bottleneck. For now, I have no interest in external affairs."

Yan Yaoyang and the others were likely accumulating Military Merit with the primary goal of obtaining the priceless Astral Condensing Pill. However, that item wasn’t a necessity for him. With his [Heaven Rewards Diligence] Fate Plate, breaking through to the Astral Force realm was just a matter of time.

"Alright, then."

Seeing this, Li Wang nodded in understanding, though with a hint of disappointment. "I also heard that Xiao Bieli of Cold Jade Valley and Feng Shuhao of Qixia Manor seem to be preparing to break through to the Astral Force realm as well."

As he said this, his tone was tinged with a mix of wistfulness and envy.

Only after opening all Twelve Orthodox Meridians and reaching Embracing Pill Realm Perfection did one have the right to knock on the door to the Astral Force realm. He had only opened nine so far and was still a ways off.

"Feng Shuhao is also preparing to break through to the Astral Force realm?"

Chen Qing couldn’t help but ask upon hearing this. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

In his memory, when they had met at the Mansion Master’s banquet, Feng Shuhao’s aura hadn’t been as profound as Xiao Bieli’s. It seemed he had only reached Embracing Pill Power Perfection not long ago.

’And he’s already preparing for a breakthrough?’

’That speed is a little astounding.’

Li Wang said with certainty, "That’s right. I heard Feng Shuhao’s cultivation has progressed with astonishing speed recently. He’s like a new force that’s suddenly emerged. He’s been gaining a lot of prominence within Qixia Manor, and they’ve probably poured a lot of resources into him."

Then he lowered his voice. "And Senior Sister Nie Shanshan... I haven’t seen any sign of her for about a month. I heard from the Gui Water Institute disciples that even they rarely see her. They’re guessing she’s also in secluded cultivation, attempting to break through to the Astral Force realm."

Chen Qing nodded slightly. Nie Shanshan had opened her Twelve Orthodox Meridians some time ago, so it was normal for her to be attempting a breakthrough to the Astral Force realm now.