Chapter 109: Chapter 108: Advancement to Celestial Level

On the morning of New Year’s Day, those who rose before the sun were surprised to find the sky seemed bluer than usual—so blue it was turning purple!

This was exceptionally rare weather for Cyan Dragon City in the winter. In particular, the captivating streak of purple on the eastern horizon was many times richer than normal.

Even the great and noble families rose early to witness this unusual sight. Many believed it was a sign of a heaven-sent omen!

"Miss, you have to get up and look! It’s so beautiful!" a serving girl from a wealthy household called excitedly outside her mistress’s window.

"You silly girl, you’re getting more unruly by the day. *Yawn*... I’m so sleepy!" A beautiful young woman, draped in a magnificent fur cloak, emerged lazily from her room. But when she looked up, she was stunned by the astonishing purple in the sky. Her cherry-red lips parted slightly as she stammered, "It really is... so beautiful!"

"Master, you must come and see, or you’ll miss your chance once the sun comes out..."

"Father, Father, come quick! The sky is so pretty!"

"Your Majesty, look! This is a heaven-sent omen! The Founding Emperor must know of your frustrations these past six months and has manifested a miracle!" said Eunuch Li, who hadn’t been seen for a long time, his face a mask of sycophancy as he addressed the emperor.

The current emperor of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom, Zhao Yuanli, looked up at the rich purple on the horizon and couldn’t help but nod in admiration. "Such an Anomaly is indeed a heaven-sent omen! Decree to the realm that next year’s taxes shall be halved!"

"..."

...

All these events, sparked by the astonishing purple in the sky, had nothing to do with Qin Li. At this moment, Qin Li was at the most critical juncture of breaking through to the Celestial Level!

It had to be said that the Inner Core of a Celestial Level Spirit Beast was simply too powerful. The bit of energy that Watermelon had absorbed didn’t even amount to one percent of it!

The soybean-sized ball of purple qi that was originally inside Qin Li’s body had now completely vanished. In its place, a fist-sized purple vortex had appeared in his dantian!

The vortex spun slowly. Above it floated the Inner Core of the Celestial Level Spirit Beast, the Black Water Kui Ox, which was steadily shrinking.

Qin Li continuously circulated the Innate Purple Qi Technique, flushing and scouring the meridians in his body. He had lost count of how many cycles he’d completed. Each time, it felt like he was just a hair’s breadth away from breaking through to the Celestial Level—as if success was right before his eyes—but every attempt ended in failure at the last moment!

Qin Li wasn’t the least bit anxious. ’If the Celestial Level was so easy to break through, Celestial Level Martial Artists wouldn’t be in such high demand in this world!’

Looking closely, it was as if a volcano lay hidden beneath the purple vortex. At its center, things undulated slowly, like the scene before a volcanic eruption. Bubbles constantly rose from the center of the vortex, only to pop and merge into it.

This cycle repeated over and over. Finally, just as the Inner Core of the Black Water Kui Ox completely disappeared, the purple vortex in Qin Li’s dantian abruptly stopped spinning.

It was as if the entire world had fallen silent with it.

Silence.

DRIP... DRIP... DRIP!

Like the sound of water drops falling into a tranquil pool, a few drops of liquid fell from an unknown source into the center of the purple vortex in Qin Li’s dantian.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the purple vortex began to spin wildly. A thick stream of rich purple qi, about the width of a little finger, shot across the sky from the horizon... like a meteor, heading straight for Cyan Dragon City!

In that instant, the entirety of Cyan Dragon City was thrown into an uproar!

Countless people let out sky-shattering cheers, while just as many turned pale with fright!

In the imperial palace, Eunuch Li shrieked in a high-pitched voice, "Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"

Zhao Yuanli, who possessed an Earth Level cultivation, frowned and barked, "Enough! This is a celestial phenomenon! What’s all this shouting about? Have you no decorum?!"

Eunuch Li smiled obsequiously. "Your Majesty is so calm in the face of change. This servant can’t hope to match your poise..."

...

The purple vortex inside Qin Li’s body was struck by the beam of purple qi from the sky and exploded with a roar! An earth-shattering energy instantly flooded his limbs and bones. At once, a powerful aura burst forth from his body, soaring to the heavens!

Throughout Cyan Dragon City, every Martial Artist who had reached the Celestial Level—whether they were in seclusion or not—felt a sense of alarm. They all opened their eyes at the same time, a flicker of shock in their gazes.

A supreme expert had been born!

When a Celestial Level Martial Artist successfully advanced, it would indeed generate a powerful aura, even alarming the entire city. But those who could trigger a celestial Anomaly were, without exception, supreme experts!

In the entire history of Cyan Dragon City, such a phenomenon had never occurred!

’So... who could it be that possesses such tyrannical strength?’

"Find out where that beam of purple qi landed! Now!" At that moment, the Sect Leaders of many major powers simultaneously issued this command to their subordinates.

Even in the imperial palace, Emperor Zhao Yuanli instructed Eunuch Li, "Go and find out where that purple qi landed! Such a supreme expert must be recruited for my Royal Family! Remember, if you find him, you must treat him with the utmost courtesy! Whatever he wants, you will promise it on my behalf! If you let another family poach him, I’ll have your head!"

The celestial phenomenon came and went quickly. Following that powerful aura that soared to the heavens, the incomparably rich and captivating Innate Purple Qi on the horizon began to slowly fade. It vanished just as the sun rose, and a torrent of sunlight shone down upon the cold walls of Cyan Dragon City.

Everyone was extremely excited, believing it was a heaven-sent omen. The coming year would surely be even better!

Little did they know, this omen was, in fact, for the benefit of one person alone!

Right now, a massive purple vortex was coiled inside Qin Li’s dantian, occupying the entire space!

The vortex was horizontal, flowing slowly like a brilliant, dazzling river of stars. The pure Innate Purple Qi within it was endless and self-sustaining!

Qin Li slowly opened his eyes. They were as placid as an ancient well, as tranquil as an autumn pool.

He moved his body slightly, a faint smile gracing his lips. ’I was originally thinking about going to test what level my strength has reached, but it seems that’s no longer necessary.’

’If I were to show up at any testing site, I’d probably cause a huge commotion.’

’What a joke. A Celestial Level expert doesn’t have testing equipment at home? He has to go to a public testing spot? People’s jaws would drop in shock!’

Besides, Qin Li had no intention of revealing his true strength too soon.

When he was at the Earth Level, he had dared to fight a Celestial Level head-on. Now that he had truly entered the Celestial Level, Qin Li realized just how lucky he had been, and how dangerous it was to confront a Celestial Level expert back then!

For one thing, the power of a Celestial Level Martial Artist was more than a hundred times greater than that of an Earth Level one!

A simple punch from a Celestial Level Martial Artist would be immensely powerful. And because he cultivated the Only I am Venerable combat technique, his strength was far greater than others at the same level!

Previously, to fight a Celestial Level Martial Artist, he needed to rely on the Divine Sword Blood Drinking and the Only I am Venerable combat technique. But now, Qin Li was confident that he could defeat a Martial Artist of the same rank using just the Treasure Sword that Fang Haonan had given him and the various Martial Arts he had learned in his past life!

This would be an excellent help in concealing his identity. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He let out a long breath. ’I never thought I’d be the one to truly benefit from a disaster this time!’ If not for saving Watermelon, he would never have exhausted the last bit of Innate Purple Qi in his body. Then, it would have been impossible for that vortex to form from the destruction, and even more impossible to trigger a celestial Anomaly during his breakthrough. That incredibly pure stream of Innate Purple Qi had completely reforged his dantian!

"Ah, Junior Martial Uncle, you’re finally out of seclusion!" Since last night, Watermelon had a feeling that his Junior Martial Uncle would come out today! So, he had stood guard outside Qin Li’s door all night, refusing to listen to anyone who told him otherwise.

Even with a Profound Level cultivation, standing outside in the freezing cold all night was not comfortable, yet Watermelon’s face was covered in a genuine, heartfelt smile.

"You silly kid, what good does standing out here all night do besides freezing yourself?" Seeing Watermelon shivering from the cold, Qin Li felt a pang of pity and scolded him with a stern face.

"Hehe, I’m happy, I’m happy!" Watermelon said, then opened his mouth wide and let out a huge sneeze.

"Get your butt to the kitchen and have them make you a bowl of ginger soup!" Qin Li gave Watermelon a light kick, his smile full of relief. ’No matter what, the kid’s life was saved.’

’He’s probably the first person in history to cultivate the Only I am Venerable combat technique, endure three Nirvana cycles, and still live, right?’

Hu, Bu Yunyan, and Leng Yao all rushed over at this time. Seeing the refreshed and energetic Qin Li, they were all overjoyed. Bu Yunyan smiled and said softly, "Young Master, Happy New Year!"

Hu also grinned. "Happy New Year!"

As for Leng Yao, her expression was a little unnatural as she faced Qin Li. A blush quietly crept onto her cheeks. She tried to maintain her past coldness, but for some reason, her heart was in turmoil first.

Qin Li looked at Leng Yao and smiled gently. "Leng Yao, Happy New Year!"

"Ah, yes, yes..." Leng Yao looked flustered and avoided Qin Li’s warm gaze. She couldn’t help but feel that his eyes held some indescribable meaning.

Bu Yunyan and Hu exchanged a secret smile. Knowing that Leng Yao was easily embarrassed, they didn’t tease her too much. The four of them entered the dining room. Having not eaten for a long time, Qin Li’s appetite was whetted by the sumptuous feast on the table, and he ate with great delight.

...

That night, watching the fireworks that filled the sky over Cyan Dragon City, painting the brilliant night with a kaleidoscope of colors, Qin Li stood alone in silence. He thought of that peerlessly beautiful face and whispered, "It’s been two years. Are you well?"

Then he recalled Leng Yao’s awkwardness around him all day, and he felt a little apologetic. ’I probably should have said something to her. At the very least... I should have thanked her for everything she’s done for me.’

But Qin Li felt he couldn’t bring himself to say such things, nor could he make any promises to her.

All of this was because Qin Li was suppressing a single, driving ambition in his heart. If he could not set foot on Profound Island and openly bring his woman back, he would never accept any other woman!

’After all, what right does a man who can’t even protect his own fiancée have to protect another woman?’ (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com. More Chapters, support the author, support official reading!)