Chapter 9: What Master Says Goes

With a thought, he compressed the half-man-tall piece of Qingluan Meat down to the size of a meatball.

“Xiaoyu, open your mouth!” Chen Ping said, walking over to Lin Xiaoyu.

“M-Master… I can’t take it anymore…”

Lin Xiaoyu’s consciousness was already beginning to blur. She felt as if her body were about to explode.

“Listen to your master, take another bite!”

Chen Ping stuffed the Qingluan meatball directly into her mouth.

“Circulate the 《Heavenly Dao Divine Art》 and refine it with all your might!”

Lin Xiaoyu trusted her master instinctively. Even though she was in agonizing pain, she still did as she was told.

The meatball melted the moment it entered her mouth, turning into an even more violent azure torrent that surged into her already overwhelmed meridians.

“Ahhh!”

Lin Xiaoyu let out a pained groan, slipping from the stone bench onto the ground and curling into a tight ball.

The azure light on the surface of her body flared up suddenly, condensing into a near-solid glow.

The surrounding grass and flowers, hit by this surge of spiritual energy, grew wildly at a visible rate, shooting up half a foot in the blink of an eye.

Even more terrifyingly, two forces were clashing violently inside her body.

One was the divine beast spiritual energy from the Qingluan Meat, pure yang and incredibly fierce.

The other was the source power of the awakening Heavenly Dao Divine Physique, pure and holy.

And outside of these two forces, the last trace of the grey-black Heaven-Detested Physique source power was putting up a final resistance.

A three-way battle was raging, and the battlefield was Lin Xiaoyu’s body.

“Hang in there!”

Chen Ping knelt on one knee and pressed his hand against Lin Xiaoyu’s back, slowly channeling his own Grand Dao Source Power into her.

His energy was of an extremely high quality and contained Primordial Violet Qi. The moment it entered Lin Xiaoyu’s body, it immediately began to harmonize the chaos.

The azure, golden, and grey-black currents began to circulate in an orderly fashion, no longer colliding chaotically as they had before.

Yet, Lin Xiaoyu’s pain did not subside.

She could clearly feel her body breaking down and rebuilding itself.

Her meridians ruptured inch by inch, only to be replaced by tougher, newly formed ones.

Her flesh, blood, and bones shattered and reformed, each cycle bringing an agonizing, piercing pain.

Had it not been for her master’s power supporting her, she would have lost consciousness long ago.

Time trickled by.

The sun set and the moon rose, filling the sky with stars.

At the summit of Luoxia Peak, the radiance emanating from Lin Xiaoyu grew brighter and brighter.

At first, the light was predominantly azure. Then, the gold deepened, and finally, the azure and gold intertwined, completely swallowing the last trace of grey-black.

When the first ray of morning light pierced the darkness…

Boom!

A silent roar erupted at the summit of Luoxia Peak.

Lin Xiaoyu erupted with a brilliant golden light that shot straight into the clouds.

In the sky, the clouds were blasted open into a massive vortex. Violet Qi surged thirty thousand li from the east^[1], and ten thousand rays of auspicious light illuminated the heavens and the earth.

Across the seventy-two peaks of the Qingyun Sect, every cultivator was startled by this celestial phenomenon.

“Is that… the direction of Luoxia Peak?”

“Violet Qi from the east, ten thousand rays of light… Has someone awakened a Saint Physique?”

“How is that possible? Doesn’t Luoxia Peak only have that useless peak master and a Heaven-Detested Physique?”

Strands of divine sense and countless gazes turned toward Luoxia Peak.

But just as they tried to investigate, the soaring golden light suddenly retracted, and the phenomenon vanished without a trace.

It was as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

The summit of Luoxia Peak.

Lin Xiaoyu slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes had turned a faint gold, with violet qi swirling deep within her pupils.

Her skin was as translucent and white as jade, radiating a warm, gentle luster.

Her entire aura had transformed completely, making her look like a celestial maiden descending from the nine heavens, sacred and inviolable.

Even more astonishing was her cultivation base:

Qi Refining fifth layer, sixth layer, seventh layer…

It broke through all the way to the ninth layer of Qi Refining, Great Circle, before finally stopping!

She was only a hair’s breadth away from Foundation Establishment!

“M-Master…”

Lin Xiaoyu looked at Chen Ping, her eyes filled with gratitude and lingering fear.

Chen Ping withdrew his hand and let out a long sigh of relief.

It worked!

【Ding! Detected that disciple Lin Xiaoyu has completely awakened the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique (100% awakening rate)!】

【Heaven-Detested Physique conversion complete, Heavenly Dao Divine Physique fully activated!】

【Disciple’s cultivation: Qi Refining ninth layer Great Circle!】

【Ding! Emergency quest completed!】

【Quest rating: Perfect!】

【Distributing rewards:】

【1. Host’s cultivation increased to the seventh layer of Qi Refining in the 《Grand Dao Divine Scripture》!】

【2. Obtained Divine Ability: 《Grand Dao Evasion Technique》!】

【3. Obtained treasure: Map of Mountains and Rivers (Replica)!】

【4. Obtained high-grade spirit stones x100,000!】

【5. Obtained disciple exclusive reward: Heavenly Dao Divine Ability 《Eye of Heavenly Punishment》 inheritance jade slip x1!】

The barrage of system notifications left Chen Ping momentarily overwhelmed.

What delighted him even more were the changes inside his own body.

A massive amount of Grand Dao Source Power flooded in, pushing his cultivation base directly from the fourth layer of Qi Refining to the seventh.

Furthermore, every single layer was perfectly consolidated, his foundation incredibly solid.

At the same time, a profound evasion technique appeared in his mind, the 《Grand Dao Evasion Technique》.

Driven by the power of the Grand Dao, its speed far surpassed ordinary evasion techniques, and it even allowed him to traverse through space, making it extraordinarily wondrous.

As for the Map of Mountains and Rivers, although it was a replica, it was still a rare spatial treasure. It contained a hundred li of mountains and rivers within, and could be used to trap enemies, cultivate, or store items.

As for the hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones… Chen Ping was already numb to it.

The one thing he did not lack right now was spirit stones.

“Master, are you alright?” Lin Xiaoyu asked with concern, seeing the shifting expressions on Chen Ping’s face.

Chen Ping snapped out of it. Looking at his disciple, who had undergone a complete transformation, a gratified smile appeared on his face:

“I’m fine. But what about you? How do you feel?”

Lin Xiaoyu stood up. Feeling the surging power within her body, excitement flashed in her eyes:

“I feel… like a completely different person. My perception of heaven and earth is countless times clearer, my spiritual energy flows as naturally as an extension of my own limbs, and…”

She raised her hand, her mind shifting slightly.

A wisp of pale golden spiritual energy swirled at her fingertips. The energy was incredibly pure, faintly triggering a resonance with the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

“The Heavenly Dao Divine Physique is indeed extraordinary,” Chen Ping praised.

After a moment’s thought, he retrieved the inheritance jade slip for the Heavenly Dao Divine Ability 《Eye of Heavenly Punishment》 from his system space and handed it to Lin Xiaoyu.

“This is a Divine Ability I obtained in my earlier years, and it fits your physique perfectly. Study it well, but remember, do not use it lightly before your cultivation is high enough.”

Just from its name, the 《Eye of Heavenly Punishment》 was clearly a devastating technique of slaughter.

With Lin Xiaoyu’s current cultivation, forcing its execution would likely trigger a backlash.

“Thank you, Master!” Lin Xiaoyu said, accepting it respectfully.

Right then, the sound of rushing wind echoed from the distance.

Three streaks of sword light landed on the summit of Luoxia Peak, revealing three members of the Hall of Discipline.

The leader had a cold expression as his eyes swept over Chen Ping and Lin Xiaoyu in the courtyard.

His gaze lingered on Lin Xiaoyu for a moment, a flicker of surprise and suspicion crossing his eyes.

“Peak Master Chen,” the elder said, cupping his hands.

“A celestial anomaly occurred over Luoxia Peak just now, and the sect ordered us to investigate. I wonder…”

“Oh, you mean that burst of light just now,” Chen Ping said, his face a picture of calm.

“My disciple was careless during her cultivation and accidentally blew up the Purple Mist Treasure Lantern I’ve treasured for years. It’s a real shame, that lantern was passed down from my grandmaster.”

He shook his head and sighed as he spoke, looking thoroughly heartbroken.

The three members of the Hall of Discipline exchanged glances.

The Purple Mist Treasure Lantern?

They had never heard of it.

Besides, no matter how they looked at it, that celestial anomaly did not seem like something caused by an exploding magic treasure.

But since Chen Ping was adamant, they could not press the matter.

“In that case, we shall take our leave.”

The leader gave Lin Xiaoyu a long, deep look before flying off on his sword.

Once the three were out of sight, Lin Xiaoyu asked in a low voice, “Master, will lying to them like this…”

“What is there to fear?” Chen Ping waved his hand dismissively.

“They don’t have any proof. Besides, whatever your master says goes.”