Chapter 8: Something Happened to the Disciple

【Ding! Detected that disciple Lin Xiaoyu’s Heavenly Dao Primordial Qi Refining has broken through to the fifth layer!】

【Ding! The host has received a 100,000-fold cultivation reward!】

【Cultivation upgraded to Grand Dao Primordial Qi Refining fourth layer!】

Boom!

A massive amount of Grand Dao Source Power surged into his body out of thin air, rushing and circulating along the path of the 《Grand Dao Divine Scripture》.

Chen Ping felt his entire body shudder as his cultivation bottleneck shattered instantly.

The fourth layer of Qi Refining, which would have normally required several days of bitter cultivation to reach, was achieved just like that, as natural as water flowing into a channel.

Moreover, it was not just his cultivation that increased; his physical strength, the range of his divine sense, and his comprehension of the Grand Dao all saw a slight growth.

“That girl is really working hard.”

Chen Ping put down his picture book, a gratified smile appearing on his face.

Looking through the window at the room next door, he saw that Lin Xiaoyu’s lights were still on, and he could faintly sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy.

It seemed she had gone straight to cultivating after dinner without taking a break.

“Well, diligence is always better than laziness.”

Chen Ping stretched, blew out the oil lamp, and lay down to sleep in high spirits.

Having such a hardworking disciple meant he could level up just by lying down. This feeling…

Was truly amazing.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.

Luoxia Peak was quiet, save for the rustling of the wind through the old locust tree and the faint sound of spiritual energy circulating in Lin Xiaoyu’s room.

Meanwhile, ten li away on Tianjian Peak, the main hall was brightly lit.

“The fifth layer of Qi Refining?”

Li Xuangang frowned as he listened to his disciple’s report.

“Are you sure you didn’t see wrong? That little girl with the Heaven-Detested Physique went from a mortal to the fifth layer of Qi Refining in seven days?”

The disciple kneeling below trembled in fear:

“R-Reporting to Peak Master, this disciple used an investigative talisman to confirm it. It is indeed the aura of the fifth layer of Qi Refining. And…”

“And what?”

“And her spiritual energy fluctuations are very strange. It doesn’t seem like the ordinary 《Qingyun Art》… it seems to be of extremely high quality.”

Li Xuangang fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand. “Dismissed. Keep watching her.”

“Yes!”

The disciple felt as if he had been granted a grand pardon and hurriedly withdrew.

Li Xuangang was left alone in the hall.

He walked to the window and looked toward Luoxia Peak, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

“Chen Ping… just what methods did you use to train a Heaven-Detested Physique to this extent?”

Seven days, the fifth layer of Qi Refining.

Such speed was something even the once-in-a-century geniuses of Tianjian Peak could not achieve.

Unless… Luoxia Peak really hid some secret.

“Three months…” Li Xuangang muttered to himself.

“This seat^[1] will see just how long you can hide it.”

He turned and walked back to sit on his cushion, but he no longer had the peace of mind to cultivate.

Meanwhile, on Luoxia Peak.

Chen Ping rolled over, sleeping soundly.

In his dream, he seemed to see himself leading Lin Xiaoyu to sweep the field at the Qingyun Sect Grand Competition.

Li Xuangang’s old face turned green with anger, and he was ultimately forced to obediently hand over three bottles of Marrow-Cleansing Spiritual Liquid…

“Heheh…” Chen Ping chuckled in his sleep.

The night was still long.

But some people could no longer sleep.

The sun was already high in the sky by the time Chen Ping slowly crawled out of bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he pushed open his door.

The sunlight in the courtyard was just right, shining brightly on the stone slabs.

“Morning, Xiaoyu,” Chen Ping said with a yawn.

Lin Xiaoyu was squatting by the kitchen door cleaning vegetables. Hearing his voice, she looked up with a helpless smile.

“Master, it’s not early. It’s already noon.”

Chen Ping squinted at the sky and scratched his head. “Huh, so it is.”

“Master, I’ve already prepared the food. Come eat.”

Lin Xiaoyu stood up and carried several plates to the stone table.

Today’s meal was exceptionally sumptuous.

A dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots, a plate of wild chicken stewed with mushrooms, and a pot of wild herb soup.

The dishes steamed, glistening with an appetizing sheen under the sunlight.

What caught Chen Ping’s attention even more was that a faint, pale green glow seemed to circulate over each dish.

“Master, I added a bit of that wild game you mentioned,”

Lin Xiaoyu said, looking a little embarrassed.

“I only cut a tiny piece. It should be fine, right?”

Chen Ping nodded and sat down, picking up a piece of bamboo shoot with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth.

The bamboo shoot was crisp, carrying the fresh scent of the mountains. But the moment it went down his throat, a gentle yet majestic surge of spiritual energy rushed down his esophagus and flooded into his limbs and bones.

The spiritual energy was incredibly pure, seemingly carrying an ancient and sacred aura. Wherever it passed, his meridians were nourished until they felt slightly warm.

As expected of divine beast meat…

Chen Ping was secretly startled. He quickly circulated the 《Grand Dao Divine Scripture》 to guide and refine this spiritual energy.

His cultivation was still low, and the quality of the spiritual energy contained within the Qingluan Meat was simply too high. Fortunately, he had the Grand Dao Divine Physique as a foundation.

Even though it was just a small piece, it made his entire body feel warm and unspeakably comfortable.

“Xiaoyu, you eat too,” Chen Ping urged.

“Okay!” Lin Xiaoyu scooped some rice and sat down opposite him.

She took a sip of the soup first, then picked up a piece of chicken.

The first few bites were fine, but as she continued eating, her expression began to change.

An unnatural flush rose to her cheeks, fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, and her breathing grew rapid.

“Xiaoyu, what’s wrong?” Chen Ping noticed her abnormality.

“Master… I, I feel hot all over…” Lin Xiaoyu put down her chopsticks and propped her hands on the stone table, her body trembling slightly.

“My dantian… my dantian feels like it’s about to explode…”

As she spoke, the spiritual energy around her began to leak out uncontrollably, forming a hazy green light over the surface of her body.

“Oh no!” Chen Ping’s expression changed.

This was his precious disciple, the very core of his 100,000-fold returns!

System! What’s wrong with Xiaoyu? he asked urgently in his mind.

The mechanical voice sounded immediately: 【Detected that disciple Lin Xiaoyu’s body is overloaded with spiritual energy from the Qingluan Meat. Reason: The consumed amount exceeds the bearing limit of her current cultivation.】

“Consumed amount?” Chen Ping was stunned and looked at Lin Xiaoyu.

“Xiaoyu, how much of that wild game did you add to the food?”

Gritting her teeth to endure the pain, Lin Xiaoyu held up a hand to show the size:

“Just… just a piece about the size of a palm…”

Chen Ping: “…”

He remembered that when he gave her the piece of Qingluan Meat yesterday, he had told her to use at most a finger-sized portion at a time.

This girl actually consumed so much at once!

System, what do I do now? Chen Ping roared in his mind.

【Option One: Forceful redirection. Success rate: 30%. May damage the Dao foundation.】

【Option Two: External suppression. Success rate: 50%. However, spiritual energy will stagnate in the body, leaving massive hidden dangers.】

【Option Three: Destruction before creation. Consume all the remaining Qingluan Meat to fight poison with poison, completely unleashing the potential of the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique. Success rate: 70%.】

She has to eat more, and finish all of it? Chen Ping almost thought he had misheard.

System, you’ve got to be kidding me. If she eats any more, won’t Xiaoyu explode and die?

【Destruction before creation is the only way to fully awaken the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique. Currently, the disciple has 25% of the Heaven-Detested Physique remaining in her body, and the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique’s awakening progress is at 30%. If successful, the transformation will be completed in one go, and the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique’s awakening progress will reach 100%.】

【Emergency Quest Issued: Help Lin Xiaoyu fully awaken the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique!】

【Quest Reward: Massive rewards will be distributed based on completion rate (including but not limited to cultivation breakthroughs, Divine Ability inheritances, and rare treasures).】

Chen Ping looked at Lin Xiaoyu groaning in pain before him and gritted his teeth.

I’ll take the gamble!