Leaving the Imperial Library Pavilion, Qi Shiyun looked at Lianshan Xin, who was clutching the box tightly against his chest, and could not help but laugh. "There's no need to be so excited. It isn't anything particularly precious."
Lianshan Xin replied earnestly, "What comes easily to you, my lady, is a treasure this student sought in vain for the first eighteen years of his life."
Qi Shiyun paused, taken aback.
Lianshan Xin said nothing more.
That was simply the way of the world.
Things that ordinary people struggled an entire lifetime for, some were born possessing.
And most importantly, even after struggling an entire lifetime, an ordinary person might still never attain them.
By comparison, Lianshan Xin was fortunate.
At least he had his cheat code and had seized the opportunity.
Even so, he was already lagging behind countless others right from the starting line.
All he could do was strive to catch up in the days ahead.
The two walked forward in silence, the smile on Qi Shiyun's face fading. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and turned to him. "To the seclusion chamber. I will stand guard and help you break through to the Qi Condensation realm."
"Thank you, my lady."
Lianshan Xin did not stand on ceremony.
He had never taken a Qi Condensation Pill before and had no experience breaking through realms; he truly needed someone experienced by his side to watch over him.
"My lady, will breaking through to the Qi Condensation realm affect my cultivating immortality?"
"It won't. Martial arts is the cultivation system best suited to the world's current environment, and it doesn't conflict with our immortal cultivation. In fact, because so many immortal arts have been lost and the worldly environment has changed, the old cultivation realms of immortal arts are no longer applicable. Nowadays, we mostly use the martial arts system to classify our realm and cultivation. It's just that compared to ordinary martial artists, we are somewhat more enigmatic, and our capabilities can't be judged by common sense."
"Somewhat more enigmatic?"
"Simply put, a Qi Condensation realm martial artist is merely in the third realm of martial arts; it is exceptionally difficult for them to leap realms and defeat a True Intent realm martial artist of the fourth realm. But we are different. The methods of an immortal cultivator in the Qi Condensation realm are mysterious and unpredictable—it's even possible to leap realms and defeat a fifth-realm Grandmaster."
"That formidable?"
"Naturally. Back then, an immortal cultivator in the Qi Condensation realm defied the odds to slay a fifth-realm Grandmaster, making a name for herself in a single battle and ascending the Hidden Dragon Rankings."
Admiration and anticipation flashed in Lianshan Xin's eyes. "That must have been a true favored child of heaven."
Qi Shiyun nodded. "Indeed. That was me."
Lianshan Xin: "..."
*You truly have a knack for singing your own praises.*
Yet all teasing aside, that was genuinely astounding.
In Lianshan Xin's understanding, fighting above one's realm meant a minor Core Formation cultivator slaying a Foundation Establishment patriarch. What Qi Shiyun had done was practically equivalent to a mighty Qi Refining master slaying a Core Formation cultivator.
Calling her a favored child of heaven was by no means an exaggeration.
"Work hard under me, and the day will surely come when you ascend the Hidden Dragon Rankings as well. I have an intuition that your talent for cultivating immortality is not a bit inferior to mine," Qi Shiyun said, dangling the proverbial carrot.
Yet it wasn't an empty promise.
She had asked herself honestly: back when she was still a nobody, she would never have dared to clash directly with the Crown Prince.
Lianshan Xin had dared.
On that front, Qi Shiyun felt outmatched.
"Can you not measure my level of talent precisely, my lady?"
Qi Shiyun explained, "In ancient times, there were supposedly treasures capable of measuring the quality of spiritual roots, but in this day and age, they have long been lost. That is why seeds of immortal cultivation are so exceedingly rare throughout the world, completely unpredictable. But the sensory perception of the immortal art I cultivate cannot be mistaken. You are definitely the Chosen Son of Heaven for our lineage."
Seeing how absolute she sounded, and most importantly, seeing how she had already invested such immense capital in him, Lianshan Xin chose to believe her.
"We can talk about immortal cultivation later. First, go take the Qi Condensation Pill, advance to the Qi Condensation realm, and then clear all the meridians throughout your body."
"Wait. Advance to the Qi Condensation realm first, and only then clear all my meridians?"
Lianshan Xin looked slightly bewildered. "Doesn't the Qi Condensation Pill allow one to skip straight from the Body Tempering realm past the Meridian Connectivity realm, reaching the Qi Condensation realm directly? Why do I still need to open all my meridians?"
Qi Shiyun chided, "What were you thinking? How could there be such a thing as getting something for nothing in this world? The Qi Condensation Pill merely helps you condense qi ahead of time—something you should only have been able to achieve after opening every meridian in your body. But your meridians are completely blocked; with your current cultivation in the Body Tempering realm, there is no way you could ever clear them. Only by wielding the power of condensed qi can you forcefully blast those meridians open. Only then can you become like everyone else—a martial artist who has attained great accomplishment in Body Tempering, great accomplishment in Meridian Connectivity, and finally condensed their qi successfully."
Lianshan Xin pondered this for three seconds, quickly grasping her meaning and the true function of the pill.
The Qi Condensation Pill was meant for boarding the train first and buying the ticket later.
Normal cultivation dictated that one tempered the body first, connected every meridian, and finally condensed qi.
The Qi Condensation Pill simply swapped the second and third steps.
Consummate the relationship first, register the marriage later, and skip the bride price altogether.
*Tsk.*
*The logic actually holds up remarkably well.*
"Did the expert who created the Qi Condensation Pill frequently dine and dash?"
Qi Shiyun glanced at Lianshan Xin in surprise, then nodded. "You actually guessed right. It is said that when that founder roamed the mortal realm, he frequently dined and dashed."
"Very reasonable."
Lianshan Xin even suspected that founder might have been a scumbag on a grandmaster level.
The fundamental principle behind this Qi Condensation Pill reeked of a scumbag's worldly wisdom.
"We're here."
Qi Shiyun led Lianshan Xin into the seclusion chamber.
Inside, there were two prayer mats. Qi Shiyun took the initiative and sat on the one to the right.
Lianshan Xin sat across from her, opened the box, and saw the pill inside, surrounded by swirling currents of energetic force.
"This pill... is it alive?"
"Of course it's inanimate. There is simply a measure of astral qi infused within it. Many of the Qi Condensation Pills circulating in the outside world were only concocted by disciples of the Celestial Master. The one in your hand is an authentic product personally crafted by the Celestial Master, of the very highest quality. If your cultivation bears fruit in the future, remember that you owe the Celestial Master a favor."
As she spoke, Qi Shiyun's expression turned exceedingly solemn.
"Lianshan Xin, be sure to remember what I'm telling you. A favor owed to a great figure is not so easily repaid."
"I will remember," Lianshan Xin said, nodding gravely.
"It will be best if you truly do."
Her tone now carried a touch of the mysterious detachment typical of immortal cultivators.
"The Celestial Master hails from Mount Kuang, and many disciples of Mount Kuang also enter Bailudong Academy to study. According to the academy's records, quite a few were personally instructed by Thousand Faces."
Lianshan Xin: "..."
"This time, Lord Heavenly Sword was a hairsbreadth away from cutting Thousand Faces down. At the critical moment, a mysterious expert intervened and rescued Thousand Faces from beneath the lord's blade. By Lord Heavenly Sword's judgment, that mysterious expert likely hails from the Six Sects of Mount Kuang.
"Lianshan Xin, you have accepted the Celestial Master's grace, undertaken Heavenly Sword's mission, and joined my Heaven's Chosen lineage. Weighed down by such karmic ties, you are destined to stand at the heart of the vortex in the days to come.
"This path will not be easy. Do you still wish to take this Qi Condensation Pill?"
Without a word, Lianshan Xin tossed the Qi Condensation Pill into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
To hell with karmic entanglements.
He only knew one thing: he was boarding the train first and buying the ticket later—he would condense his qi before worrying about the rest.
Chapter 23