Chapter 559: Qi Power, 3rd Stage
“Qi Power, 3rd Stage!”
Looking at the large words flashing on the Magic Testing Stone, the youth’s face was grim. He turned and walked straight back into the crowd.
Beside the stone, a young man coldly announced, “Ming Yan, Qi Power, 3rd Stage! Rank: Low!”
As soon as the young man’s words fell, a commotion broke out in the bustling small square. Several people expressed their pity, either in hushed whispers or loud sighs, while a few others lowered their voices to mock him.
The youth remained unmoved, a sliver of a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
His gaze was like a torch, as if he could see into the future. His name was Ming Yan, the eldest son of the patriarch of the Ming family, one of the three great families in Guangding City. Ming Yan had started cultivating Qi at the age of four. By the time he was ten, he had broken through the 10th Stage of Qi Power, condensed a Qi Cyclone, and became the youngest Qi Practitioner in the history of the Ming family.
But unpredictable storms gather in the sky. Three years ago, when his strength and reputation had reached their absolute peak, he suddenly fell from grace. For unknown reasons, his Qi Cyclone dissipated. Overnight, years of cultivation were destroyed. Moreover, as time passed, the Qi in his body grew less and less.
The direct result of his dissipating Qi Power was a severe drop in his strength. As the patriarch’s eldest son, this situation made it very difficult for him to inherit the family estate. But he was the eldest son after all, and no clan member dared to disrespect him to his face.
His younger brother’s strength gradually rose, but there was no rift between the siblings. In fact, his younger brother, Ming Zhu, had stood up for him multiple times. The bond between the brothers had always been strong.
It was just that Ming Yan couldn’t accept it. He had always been the one protecting his younger brother. He never expected to be so powerless now, relying entirely on the newly advanced Qi Practitioner Ming Zhu for protection. His reputation as the “Great Trash of Guangding City” had already spread like wildfire.
With a bitter turn, he left the small square like a lone wolf. Ming Zhu, who had been waiting there, chased after him and bowed respectfully to his older brother. “Brother, you once said that a true man must know how to pick things up and when to let them go.”
Ming Yan smiled. “I did say that. But when push comes to shove, I realize I was just full of empty talk. I can neither pick it up nor let it go. Don’t try to console me. I want some peace and quiet.”
Watching his brother’s desolate silhouette, Ming Zhu was overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions.
It was late at night. On a small hill in the backyard of the Ming family estate, Ming Yan lay sideways on the grassy slope, gazing up at the hazy, pitch-black sky. Fine streaks of rain hit his cheeks, but the fire in his eyes only burned brighter.
He lay there in the rain, letting it soak his clothes. In the darkness, he raised his right hand and circulated his Qi Power. A faint pattern of a seven-ringed hexagram appeared on the back of his hand.
Ming Yan roared, “You’ve eaten enough! It’s time to let me go!”
The hexagram pattern flashed continuously, as if speaking to him. In this pitch-black night sky, the hexagram suddenly expanded and actually detached from Ming Yan’s body, manifesting into a luminous phantom.
“I borrowed your fate and your Qi Cyclone to gain an identity to exist in this world. Are you interested in coming into contact with another kind of power, a powerful one?”
Looking at the light-shrouded figure in front of him, Ming Yan didn’t quite understand what he meant by ‘fate’ and ‘another kind of power’. Out of habitual caution, he declined, “I only want to focus on the Path of Qi. Since Senior can detach from the mark and appear, I presume you no longer need my meager Qi Power for sustenance. Our meeting was destined, but let us part ways here.”
After saying that, Ming Yan’s heart pounded wildly. He turned his head and walked away, terrified that a pair of hands would grab him or turn back into a hexagram to attach to his body once more.
Over the past three years, Ming Yan had tried every method imaginable. He was completely unable to tell anyone that his Qi Power was being devoured by the hexagram pattern. He couldn’t express it in any way; it was as if an invisible force was blocking him.
Such a bizarre phenomenon completely exceeded Ming Yan’s understanding. Guangding City was considered a major western city in the Maka Empire, but even a Nine-Star Grand Qi Master like his father didn’t possess such an ability.
At most, a Grand Qi Master could destroy an area of a hundred meters with a major ultimate move. Perhaps only those Qi Kings, who claimed to be able to wipe out an entire city, possessed the miraculous ability to commune with heaven and earth and manifest mystical phenomena.
This strange condition that prevented him from speaking was highly likely a Qi Secret possessed by continent-level powerhouses at the Qi King stage or above.
Ming Yan slipped away quickly, drenched from head to toe. It was hard to tell if it was rain or sweat. Only after he distanced himself from the backyard hill did he glance back. Finding that the phantom of light had disappeared, he couldn’t help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
“Looking at it from another angle, an entity that can turn into a mark and revive itself is definitely a powerhouse at the Qi King stage or above who possesses a secret art. They might even be a Qi Emperor. If I can avoid offending them, I should. I’ll just treat these three years as working for free. As long as my foundation isn’t ruined, I can start over from scratch!”
Ming Yan’s spirit was still intact. In this pitch-black, rainy night, he stood straight as a spear piercing the sky, his heart surging with emotion.
Right at this moment, a burst of light shone in front of him. The hexagram flashed, and the phantom gradually dimmed. A man suddenly appeared—dressed in a long black robe with a seven-ringed hexagram badge pinned to his chest, boasting silver hair, a handsome face, and a slender build.
Despite the torrential rain, the man was not wet in the slightest. His white hair flowed freely, displaying an extraordinary bearing.
Ming Yan gasped sharply. When did this person appear? Could he be the person from the mark? To think he was this terrifying!
“Senior…”
The white-haired man raised his slender right hand. Intimidated by him, Ming Yan couldn’t help but shut his mouth.
“Ming Yan, do you truly wish to focus solely on the Path of Qi and refuse to try another kind of power? This is a power with immense potential. For instance, the Power of Vows that prevented you from speaking about me—as long as you take this path, you can use it right now.”
The cold, clear voice made Ming Yan’s heart pound even harder. He had always firmly believed that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. At times like this, he was even less willing to trust and dared not be greedy. All he wanted was for this unfathomable powerhouse in front of him to leave quickly.
Therefore, he said, “Senior, I truly wish to walk the Path of Qi, taking it one step at a time—from an unranked practitioner to a Qi Practitioner, from a Qi Practitioner to a Qi Master, and then to a Grand Qi Master. My family’s secret manual is merely a Profound-tier cultivation method, offering no path beyond Grand Qi Master. If Senior would take pity and bestow upon me a Heaven-tier or Earth-tier cultivation method so I can continue my path in this lifetime, I would be eternally grateful.”
After speaking, Ming Yan’s heartbeat accelerated. He tried hard to hold his breath, not drawing in the freezing air. Yet, one thought kept circling in his mind: I’m crazy. Cultivation methods were the most highly guarded secrets. If it were an Earth-tier combat technique or even a secret art, it might be possible to be gifted one. But asking for an Earth-tier or even Heaven-tier cultivation method was almost impossible.
Even the Ming family’s Profound-tier cultivation method, the Homogeneous Fire-Seizing Art, was only a Profound-tier method that led straight to the Nine-Star Grand Qi Master realm. Moreover, it couldn’t even be considered top-notch among Profound-tier methods because it lacked the final sublimation volume. Otherwise, a normal Profound-tier cultivation method should allow one to cultivate all the way to the Qi Spirit realm.
At the very least, one could become a One-Star Qi Spirit powerhouse. If it were a top-grade Profound-tier method, even the Nine-Star Qi Spirit realm could be comprehended.
The white-haired man’s eyes flickered with white light. An invisible ripple emanated from him, as if he could see through everything. He smiled genially. “You want a Heaven-tier cultivation method? Considering the chains of fate linking you and me, and since I don’t wish to kill you, that’s actually doable. Let’s make a vow. I don’t have a Heaven-tier cultivation method on me right now, but if you tell me where to find one, I’ll go fetch it and bestow it upon you. In exchange, the chains of fate between us will be written off.”
Ming Yan simply assumed the man didn’t want to give him one. Although somewhat disappointed, he also breathed a sigh of relief. He respectfully said, “The Maka Empire has two great holy lands. Rumor has it that their Holy Lords are both Qi Ancestor powerhouses. Their foundational cultivation methods are inevitably Heaven-tier methods. However, those great sects are incredibly powerful, and I fear even Senior would find it difficult to rival them.
“Furthermore, even if you were to retrieve it, I imagine those great holy lands wouldn’t just let the matter go after losing their cultivation method. How could I peacefully obtain it and practice it? I appreciate your good intentions, but I must decline.”
The white-haired man gave a half-smile and said warmly but with an undeniable tone, “If you refuse, my only option is to kill you to sever the chains of fate.”
Anger surged to Ming Yan’s head, but he tried hard to suppress it. After several internal struggles and taking in a few deep breaths of cold air to calm his mood, he continued respectfully, “Naturally, I do not wish to die. The two great holy lands of the Maka Empire are both first-rate sects on the Qi Continent: the Tianlan Sect of Mount Tianlan in the north, and the Ghost Nether Palace of the Bitter Bamboo Swamp in the south. If Senior is willing to go, you can head straight there and take them.”
The white-haired man nodded. A golden scale suddenly appeared in front of the two of them. Invisible chains linked them together, and an antique scroll materialized. It was written in the text of the Qi Continent alongside some sort of indecipherable squiggles that Ming Yan couldn’t read, outlining the exact conditions the white-haired man had just mentioned.
Before he could look closely, he felt that something extremely important had been placed on the scale, with the scroll resting on the other end.
The white-haired man seemingly spoke a language he couldn’t understand, imbued with a mysterious power. The torrential rain grew even heavier, yet it couldn’t touch the two of them in the slightest. Ming Yan was drenched in sweat and couldn’t help but gulp. The white-haired man declared, “The contract is established. In three days, I shall bestow a Heaven-tier cultivation method upon you, and the chains of fate between us shall dissolve!”
Ming Yan felt his vision go black and promptly lost consciousness.
Watching the youth faint in front of him, a hint of a smile appeared on Ace’s lips. Paying no more attention to Ming Yan, he tore open the void and vanished in a flash, arriving near the Tianlan Sect on Mount Tianlan in the north, standing alone atop an isolated peak.
“So this is the Tianlan Sect. What a world full of paradoxes. As a Level 4 entity, forcibly descending upon this world is naturally unfeasible; it would inevitably attract the attention of this world’s Level 4 powerhouses. I only sent a clone of my divine sense to descend, but who would have thought that the Great Source Consciousness of this world would be so powerful? It sent down a tribulation that nearly obliterated this sliver of my divine sense clone.
“Fortunately, I discovered Ming Yan, the Child of Fate. On the surface, I absorbed his Qi Cyclone, but in reality, over these three years, I slowly siphoned away more than half of Ming Yan’s fate potential. This allowed me to gain a legitimate identity in this world, but it also locked my fate with his.
“Killing him is certainly one way out, but firstly, it goes against my values. Secondly, the backlash would be too severe. The backlash from killing a world’s Child of Fate would be enough to obliterate my clone once more.
“His willingness to make a vow with me was the best approach.
“I just don’t know where Bayen’s dream clone descended. The Great Source of this world—or the ‘Heavenly Dao’ as they call it—is truly too powerful. I hope Bayen manages to develop well.”
Ace’s eyes flickered with white light as he carefully observed the Tianlan Sect. The grand formation slowly opened, and a delicate young girl with bright eyes and white teeth walked out. She was incredibly beautiful and dressed in intricate, magnificent attire. Led by an old man, she exited the north gate of the mountain-guarding grand formation, where a team of fierce cavalry was already waiting.
The young girl elegantly boarded a lavishly bejeweled carriage. With a posture as haughty as a beautiful swan, she was escorted away by the cavalry team.
Ace seized the opportunity to transform into a shadow and slipped into the old man’s shadow, following him inside the mountain gate of the Tianlan Sect.
This clone of Ace, having devoured the majority of the Child of Fate’s fate potential, had already recovered Legendary-level strength. This was roughly equivalent to an ordinary Qi Ancestor in this world, though still a hair inferior to a veteran Qi Ancestor.
Qi Ancestor powerhouses were the ultimate powerhouses on the surface of this world, roughly equivalent to Epic or Legendary Heroes, ranging from Level 3 to the absolute peak of Level 3.
It was also the absolute limit of what the so-called Heaven-tier cultivation methods could reach. As for the realm above that—the legendary Supreme of Qi, commonly known as Qi Venerate—it only existed in historical legends and was never seen in the world.
Ace had been in this world for three years and already knew what kind of world this was. It was deceptively similar to a wildly popular story from his previous life. This world only had one kind of power: Qi Power. People had developed this power to the absolute pinnacle, deriving a total of eight ranks: Qi Practitioner, Qi Master, Grand Qi Master, Qi Spirit, Qi King, Qi Emperor, Qi Ancestor, and the legendary Qi Venerate.
In Ace’s eyes, a so-called Qi Practitioner was at a similar realm to a Senior Wizard Apprentice. However, if one were to compare the variety of their methods, they definitely fell short of a wizard. The later ranks followed a similar pattern; a Qi Ancestor was equivalent to a Legend, and the strongest Qi Ancestors were equivalent to Epics.
In the historical legends of this continent, three Supremes of Qi had successively been born: the Primogenitor Supreme of Earth, the Supreme of Metal, and the Supreme of Wood.
Legend had it that every Supreme was favored by the world and stood at the center of the vortex of fate. Furthermore, they had to be born in a great era, a golden age of prosperity, where a large number of Qi Ancestor powerhouses had to emerge to compete against each other and fight for the Path to Supreme before the next Supreme entity could be born.
Moreover, every Supreme would rule the continent for a very long time. That period was both an age of prosperity and an era of sorrow.
During an era ruled by a Supreme, no one else could achieve the Supreme realm because the Supreme’s Dao was branded into the Heavenly Dao and was simply too overwhelmingly powerful. One had to wait countless years until the Supreme achieved perfect merit and opened the legendary Supreme Secret Realm, distancing themselves from the mortal world to become immortal and imperishable.
An unknown number of years had passed since the last Supreme’s rule. Even Qi Ancestor powerhouses had never seen one. Yet, they all firmly believed that such an era truly existed, and there were even those who searched for the Supreme Secret Realms, hoping to obtain the secret of immortality and imperishability.
It must be known that even Qi Ancestor powerhouses, who could live for two hundred thousand to five hundred thousand years, would eventually wither and die. For example, in the Tianlan Sect, the current Sect Master was merely a Qi Emperor—a strength roughly equivalent to a Golden Wizard. The Supreme Sect Master of the Tianlan Sect, however, was rumored to be a Qi Ancestor powerhouse who had already lived for nearly four hundred thousand years, having mastered the path of longevity.
Although Ace was not afraid, he wouldn’t act rashly. Since he wanted to gift a Heaven-tier cultivation method to Ming Yan without any hidden dangers to sever their locked fate, thereby cutting ties without suffering a backlash, he had already made up his mind to completely exterminate this sect’s powerhouses and disband the rest.
The old man was completely unaware that a terrifying wizard had attached himself to his shadow. He walked with his usual stern expression, listening to the respectful greetings of the sect disciples as he returned to the cave dwelling where he cultivated.
Slowly closing the door to his cave dwelling, the old man carefully placed various supplementary medicinal ingredients into a large alchemy furnace. He then activated the strange flame within his dantian, the Vermilion Bird Flame of Southern Li.
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