CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 100: ROBUST QI

When Yang Luochen heard what Chai Bao said at the door, he was initially stunned. Then, he became furious.

How dare they! Every single one of them... All coveting his disciple! It was already enough dealing with that scamp Shang Yunfang, whom he had reluctantly agreed to take a disciple with, practically holding his nose. Today, he had gone out for a meal, only to encounter Zuo Zongquan plotting against his disciple. He had thought that after dealing with the outsiders, his mood for the day was quite good. But upon returning home, he found there were covetous ones inside as well!

"No! Absolutely not!" Yang Luochen said furiously. "Do you think taking a disciple is like buying cabbage? Can you actually bargain with me over this?"

Chai Bao fell silent for a moment.

He wasn’t usually this kind of person, but today he was truly tempted. If Chen Ku only possessed the Great Strength Root Bone, it would have been one thing. But he... he could even catch four arrows in mid-air! Such Eye Power—he was clearly a born Divine Archer! At this age, with such a Root Bone and talent, not just Chai Bao himself, but even generations of ancestors who cultivated the Sky Eagle Eight Arrows had never encountered such a promising candidate. And now, this prospect was right here in the hall, not an outsider. Since he had discovered him, he truly couldn’t resist the urge to teach him. Just like Elder Shang, who insisted on finding a disciple with talent superior to his own to carry on his inheritance—who wouldn’t feel the same? To watch such a gem be wasted, or to let it be polished to unleash a potential far beyond what one might initially see...

So Chai Bao said softly, "Elder Yang, please consider it. This child..."

BANG!

As a result, Yang Luochen, his face dark, walked straight into the courtyard, slammed the main door shut, and gave Chai Bao the cold shoulder.

"If you want a disciple, go find one yourself! Why does everyone keep eyeing my disciple every day? Have you no pride?!"

---

Chen Ku was still unaware of Instructor Chai’s true intentions.

Before he knew it, the next day had arrived.

Today was a day for the Butcher Court, and Chen Ku was in luck; it was another day when Demons were brought in.

It was a flock of Black Spirit Doves.

Exactly sixteen of them.

They were the source of the most important ingredient for the Seven-Blood Pill: demon blood.

Although these doves had become Demons, they did not belong to the powerful class among Demons; like herbivores, they still ate only grains.

But they had a unique trait: exceptional endurance and memory. Besides being used in medicine, Black Feather Pigeons were also often cultivated by various factions into evolved versions of messenger pigeons.

Once they took flight, they could fly for three days without food or water.

Moreover, their memory was exceptionally remarkable.

[The Diagram Master killed sixteen Black Feather Pigeons... and obtained eleven strands of First Realm Demon Evil Qi.]

[Black Feather Pigeon Change·Shape Shifting]

[Shape Shifting Part: Black Feather Pigeon Eye (Light Sensing Everywhere)]

Chen Ku looked at the ability of the pigeon’s eye.

Unlike the eagle’s distant vision and magnification, the pigeon’s eye’s ability was to clearly discern directions from light, never getting lost.

But this was not the ability Chen Ku needed the most. There were two abilities he desired above all. One was flying, and the other...

As Chen Ku continued to infuse the Evil Qi of the Black Feather Pigeons,

perhaps due to good luck,

on the third attempt, he achieved the ability he wanted.

[Black Feather Pigeon Change]

[Transformation Part: Pigeon Brain (Photographic Memory)]

Here it comes!

Chen Ku was well aware that even the most ordinary pigeon could remember routes flown years earlier, which is why pigeons were cultivated by the Imperial Court’s post stations and various factions as messenger pigeons.

This was due to the pigeons’ Photographic Memory.

And as a Demon, the Black Feather Pigeon’s talent in this aspect was terrifyingly enhanced beyond that of ordinary pigeons.

Chen Ku immediately went inside his house and picked up the two books, the "Treasure Flood Dragon Demon Illustrated Book" and the "Qiu Dragon Demon List."

He read through each page.

Then, he discovered that the content and characters he had read seemed to have truly imprinted themselves in his mind; he had a Photographic Memory and had memorized everything.

Such an ability, if I had it in my former life, I could have easily passed any university entrance exam.

Even in this world of martial arts and strange powers, it was of extraordinary use.

Unfortunately, if the Flower Fox Mink evolves further, it will become a Second Realm Demon... I don’t have the Evil Qi from a Second Realm Demon’s Embryo Form. Otherwise, I would definitely refine both the Black Feather Pigeon and the White Jade Eagle into the Flower Fox Mink, making it live up to its name and transforming it into a Deity-Sealing Strange Beast with wings on its ribs.

In the Second Realm were humanity’s Mystic Barrier masters.

The difference between major Realms can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. Chen Ku felt that he was not yet capable of assassinating a Second Realm Mystic Barrier master. Unless... his Qi Power increased further, and he had more methods at his disposal.

Even so, he released the Flower Fox Mink, setting it on a seven-day mission to hunt Volcanic Crows at Fire Beak Mountain.

Then he began to take one Seven-Colored Pearl daily, increasing his Qi Power.

Seven days passed.

The ingestion of seven Seven-Colored Pearls and the consumption of an entire high-quality Treasure Herb finally brought Chen Ku’s internal Qi Power to the threshold of another breakthrough.

Robust Qi is different from Sufficient Qi. It’s not just about accumulating Qi Power, but also about forming a kind of momentum...

Chen Ku recalled the teachings of his two masters:

There’s a saying, ’righteousness emboldens the spirit.’ What is Robust Qi? It’s having momentum, an aura that can exert pressure, making people unconsciously feel oppressed by your presence. Only by achieving Robust Qi can one truly understand the essence of merging intent and Qi, aligning Spirit and Inner Qi.

Chen Ku began to focus on sensing the resonance between his Spirit and Inner Qi, seeking to find his own momentum.

This step was closely related to the intent behind his moves.

It was the spiritual imprint of an individual’s own Cultivation.

---

As Chen Ku was striving for the Robust Qi of the late stage of Inner Qi, the twelfth lunar month arrived.

The twelfth lunar month, the last month of the year. There was a saying: ’After the Laba Festival comes the New Year.’ Some of the solar terms and the calendar of the Daji Dynasty were quite similar to those of Chen Ku’s former life.

"This winter, it seems there will be no snow. A cold winter without snow means next year’s harvest will surely plummet..." Sui Qingfang, wearing a green inner robe and draped in a large white fox fur-lined cloak, said softly.

"Next year, I fear it will be another lean year. The Demon People of Peace Path will surely seize this opportunity to stir up major civil unrest."

"I didn’t expect Miss Sui, though a young lady, to see things so clearly."

Behind Sui Qingfang stood a noble young man with his hands clasped behind his back. His sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes turned to look at her as he said, "Even if that happens, a bunch of rebellious Demon People won’t achieve much. What you should be worrying about, Miss Sui, is how to deal with those of us from Qiu Dragon Mansion."

The young man, named Lin Xinglong, had deep eyes.

Looking at the plum blossoms blooming in the courtyard, he said, "If things really don’t work out, after the spring examination, you should come with me to Qiu Dragon Mansion."

Upon hearing this, Sui Qingfang’s slightly martial eyebrows rose slightly.

"Cousin, do you look down on the younger generation of Baojiao County so much? Although Baojiao County is small, Qilin can also be hidden in its fields. There are a few whom even you, from Qiu Dragon Mansion, should not underestimate."

"Oh?" Lin Xinglong chuckled lightly.

"You’re not talking about Xie Qingfeng, are you? In terms of age, he’s not yet thirty but already possesses Fourth Realm Cultivation and is known as Thirteen Young Master Xie. His talent and Root Bone are indeed, even in Qiu Dragon Mansion, worthy of being called Outstanding. However... this time it’s the Military Scholar examination for twenty-year-olds, and he won’t be participating."

"Besides Thirteen Young Master Xie, there are others, of course," Sui Qingfang said flatly.

"Haven’t some of the people from Qiu Dragon Mansion already started compiling a list of talents in Baojiao County? In time, you will naturally see this generation of Baojiao’s youth."

"Just say it directly, Miss Sui." Lin Xinglong’s eyelids drooped slightly, making his gaze narrow as his peripheral vision swept over Sui Qingfang on the veranda.

"From your tone, it seems you are quite optimistic about someone, even thinking they can compare with those from the Prefecture City."

"Yes, this person is named Chen Ku, and he’s only seventeen this year," Sui Qingfang said, revealing Chen Ku’s name.

"Seventeen isn’t a particularly valuable age. Seventeen-year-olds with Inner Qi are a dime a dozen in the Inner City," Lin Xinglong said indifferently.

"I haven’t finished," Sui Qingfang stated earnestly. "Seventeen, with a Root Bone of the Irresistible Power of Four Elephants. Reportedly... just a few days ago, he stepped into the mid-stage of Inner Qi. A young man like this, can’t he be compared with your people from the Prefecture City?"

Lin Xinglong finally looked at Sui Qingfang with a serious expression. "Oh? There’s such a person?"

---

「In the courtyard.」

Chen Ku’s hands were long as he swept out with his staff. Unlike before, this strike was filled with a ferocious impulse.

It was as if a Fierce Ape intended to smash everything before it.

A violent momentum, accompanied by Chen Ku’s Inner Qi, dispersed into his Force Power and throughout his entire body.

I understand now. I cultivate the Fierce Ape Mighty Staff, and the momentum it trains is encapsulated in a single word: ’ferocious.’ This is the momentum of the Skyward Strike, and it is also the momentum of my Inner Qi...

Chen Ku felt his Spirit merge into his Inner Qi, endowing the already robust Inner Qi with a distinct momentum.

Late stage of Inner Qi! Robust Qi! Only with sufficient Qi Power, and then momentum, can it be called Robust Qi! I have the momentum... but it’s still not enough. I need to continue practicing... However, I have indeed achieved the late stage of Inner Qi.

An entire Seven-Colored Pearl Fruit, combined with an Ultimate Skill and the enhancement from his additional spiritual power, had successfully elevated him another level.

Just as Chen Ku was silently sensing the formidable Qi Power within his body, the Flower Fox Mink he had released returned after seven days.