Upon returning to his courtyard, Chen Qing immediately began to refine and absorb the Centennial Earth Core Milk.

The moment the first drop entered his mouth, a torrent of incredibly pure energy surged through his limbs and into every corner of his body.

Like a vine nourished by spring rain, his Cyan Wood True Qi grew wildly, strengthening and condensing.

The Seventh Orthodox Meridian was quickly filled and stabilized, and it even began to faintly push against the gateway to the Eighth.

Meanwhile, the other three True Qi were also nourished by this pure energy, advancing significantly as a rising tide lifts all boats.

Once he had stabilized his current realm, Chen Qing began to cultivate the final Heart Method: the Eight Desolates Mountain-Suppressing Technique.

He only needed to cultivate the Eight Desolates Mountain-Suppressing Technique to the first level to be able to form Kun Earth True Qi.

With four drops of Centennial Earth Core Milk remaining, his progress was bound to accelerate dramatically.

「Several days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Chen Qing remained in seclusion, cultivating arduously.

At that moment, in the center of his Dantian Sea of Qi, a speck of incredibly pure, condensed, earth-yellow True Qi slowly took form!

Kun Earth True Qi!

The moment that wisp of True Qi materialized, his entire Sea of Qi began to boil.

Within his Dantian Sea of Qi, the origins of his five True Qis—Cyan Wood, Geng Metal, Gui Water, Li Fire, and Kun Earth, each with a wildly different attribute—suddenly erupted into turmoil!

The life force of Cyan Wood was mercilessly shredded by the sharpness of Geng Metal. The gentle yin of Gui Water attempted to douse the scorching blaze of Li Fire, only to be burned away with a SIZZLE. Li Fire, in turn, raged against Cyan Wood, while Geng Metal violently pierced the Kun Earth that sought to ground them all... The five distinct True Qis lost their fragile equilibrium, instantly clashing, devouring, and repelling one another in a violent frenzy!

His Cyan Wood True Qi, the very essence of life, was particularly vulnerable. Assaulted by the flames of Li Fire and the blades of Geng Metal, it began to shrink at a visible rate, devoured by the other rampaging energies.

A tempest raged within his Dantian. The violent clash sent his qi and blood churning, and a flicker of alarm crossed his face.

’This is bad!’

Chen Qing’s heart pounded. He immediately focused all of his Heart and Spirit, trying to suppress the five rampaging True Qi origins.

BOOM!

The five streams of True Qi tangled together in a mad frenzy.

Finally, after a Herculean effort, Chen Qing barely managed to suppress the five True Qis, forcing them back to their respective positions and stopping them from devouring one another.

But the delicate balance was incredibly fragile. The five True Qis were like savage beasts pinned to the ground, thrashing restlessly within his Dantian Sea of Qi, threatening to erupt in a backlash at any moment.

’Five Elements Cultivation... The backlash is this violent! I have to find a solution immediately, or else...’

Chen Qing was still shaken by the experience, a cold sweat breaking out on his temples.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Chen Qing set out for the Tingchao Armory once more.

This time, his objective was crystal clear: find any method that could suppress the rampaging Five Elements True Qi within him and avert the crisis of a full-blown backlash.

He plunged into the vast ocean of scriptures, frantically scouring ancient scrolls, tattered notes, and even miscellaneous texts on forbidden arts for anything related to elemental conflict, True Qi backlash, attribute suppression, or balancing techniques.

He no longer held out hope for some ethereal master-treatise or method of fusion. All he wanted was a way to stabilize the chaos raging within him!

However, the outcome was still discouraging.

Records on the concurrent cultivation of multiple True Qis were few and far between. Those that mentioned conflict and backlash were even rarer. And as for a solution... there was practically nothing.

The section in the sect founder’s journal that mentioned the True Insights of Primordial Five Elements True Astral was limited to marveling at the Heart Method’s power and lamenting the loss of its master-treatise. It was of no help for his current predicament.

’It seems the Armory holds no clues.’

Chen Qing set down the last potentially relevant scroll, his brow tightly furrowed.

The turmoil of the True Qi within him had not completely subsided.

’Li Baichuan might know something, but that Old Deng is incredibly tight-lipped.’

One day, Chen Qing was fishing on the shores of Dingbo Lake, quietly pondering his options.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.

"Chief Disciple! Chief Disciple!"

Yu Bao’er’s clear voice held a note of caution, as if she were afraid of scaring the fish or disturbing Chen Qing.

Chen Qing asked, "What is it?"

Yu Bao’er jogged over. "Senior Brother, someone is here to see you! They’re already at the Cyan Wood Institute!"

"Who?" Chen Qing asked, his tone placid.

"He says his name is Pang Qinhai, the Captain from Gaolin County! He also brought a teenage boy with him!" Yu Bao’er replied hurriedly.

’Pang Qinhai!?’

Chen Qing was certainly no stranger to that name.

’If it hadn’t been for his letter of recommendation, I probably would have had to go through the Military Examination just to get a chance to join the Wutai Sect.’

With a flick of his wrist, Chen Qing’s fishing rod drew a graceful arc. The hook broke the surface, a one-year-old Silver-Scaled Treasure Fish dangling from it.

He casually tossed the fish into a nearby basket, his movements fluid and seamless.

"Understood. I’m on my way back."

.....

「In the reception hall of the Cyan Wood Institute.」

Pang Qinhai, dressed in casual clothes, sat upright, a strange mix of apprehension and curiosity rising within him.

Standing beside him was his second son, Pang Yu. The boy was about fourteen or fifteen, with a build nearly that of a grown man.

Pang Yu couldn’t hide his fascination, his eyes darting about, taking in the decor of the Wutai Sect institute’s main hall with a sense of wonder.

"Captain Pang, it’s been a long time."

As Chen Qing walked in with a smile, Pang Qinhai instinctively rose to his feet and looked toward him.

His gaze was a complex, indescribable mixture of shock and awe.

The Chen Qing before him stood tall and straight. His steps were steady, and his aura was as profound as the ocean.

’This was a far cry from the boy who had once painstakingly practiced the Long Arm Fist at the Zhou Institute in Gaolin County.’

’He carried himself with the unmistakable air of a Chief Disciple, the head of an entire institute!’

Pang Qinhai’s mind reeled, and he was left utterly speechless with shock.

’Just how much time has passed?’