Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint-Chapter 151 - 108: Poisonous Spider

The improvement in his Root Bone had significantly sped up his Cultivation progress.

Every day, Chen Qing could clearly feel his strength growing.

This was especially true for the Nine Revolutions Gilded Gold Technique. It had reached a critical point, and breaking through to the first layer to condense Geng Metal True Qi was only a matter of time.

This filled him with ever-growing anticipation.

Over the following days, Chen Qing spent his free time fishing for Treasure Fish and occasionally patrolling the area around the Fishery.

Because his Root Bone had reached the Five Elements level, his progress in all his Martial Arts was accelerating, advancing much faster than before.

「In the blink of an eye, two months passed, and the height of summer had arrived.」

On this day, Chen Qing sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

Inside his Dantian, before his Cyan Wood True Qi had even settled, a point of extreme sharpness suddenly materialized at its center!

His surging Qi Blood Strength was like Refined Iron thrown into a Forging Furnace, mercilessly torn apart and compressed by this vortex!

With every tear, every refinement, the sharpness at the core grew purer, transforming from an intangible edge into a tangible Silver Core!

VMMMM—!

A clang sharp enough to pierce Gold Stone erupted from the depths of Chen Qing’s marrow!

At the critical moment, the core point, compressed to its absolute limit with its silver light coalesced into substance, suddenly imploded!

Like a dying star, its sharp edge turned inward!

A point of silvery light, so pure it seemed capable of severing all things, suddenly erupted!

Immediately, a stream of cold, sharp, and indestructible Geng Metal True Qi shot out from the collapsed core!

It instantly pierced his entire body, flowing through every meridian and washing over every inch of his muscles and bones!

Wherever it passed, his meridians rang like quenched sword blanks. Impurities in his flesh, muscle, and bone were ruthlessly expunged, leaving behind an ice-cold hardness and an extreme sharpness containing terrifying Penetration Power! 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Nine Revolutions Gilded Gold Technique Layer 1 (1/2000)]

"So this is Geng Metal True Qi?"

Chen Qing exhaled. He stretched out his palm, and the pale golden Geng Metal True Qi materialized above it.

This True Qi was sharp and domineering, possessing far more killing power and destructive force than his Cyan Wood True Qi.

Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes, and a golden glint seemed to flash within them for an instant.

He opened his palm, and with a slight thought, a wisp of pale golden Geng Metal True Qi coiled around his fingertips like a tiny serpent, emanating an incomparably sharp aura.

With another mental push, his Cyan Wood True Qi also emerged—vibrant, gentle, and resilient.

The two streams of True Qi were clearly distinct within his body. The Cyan Wood was full of life, while the Geng Metal was sharp and deadly.

They occupied different regions of his Sea of Qi. Although there was a faint pull between them, it was as if an invisible barrier separated them, preventing any real fusion or interaction.

’Five Elements Heart Method...’

Chen Qing stared at the two vastly different types of True Qi on his fingertips and thought, ’The Five Institutes of the Wutai Sect each cultivate one of the Five Elements: Geng Metal, Cyan Wood, Gui Water, Li Fire, and Kun Earth. Each institute’s Heart Method has a different focus and attribute. But I’ve never heard of anyone cultivating multiple types at once, let alone fusing them.’

His Sea of Qi now felt even more vast with the addition of a second type of True Qi.

Moreover, he had now opened two of the Twelve Orthodox Meridians, and the speed at which he could circulate and regulate his True Qi was much faster than before.

’Could it be that only by gathering all five types of Five Elements True Qi can I truly break this barrier, create some kind of profound synergy, and even... transform them into a more powerful form of True Qi?’

A jolt went through Chen Qing at this thought.

The Heart Methods of the Five Institutes were all secret teachings of the Sect. Cultivating multiple types would be anything but easy.

Furthermore, the Five Elements both generate and overcome one another. The slightest mistake could lead to a conflict of True Qi and a disastrous cultivation deviation.

Just as Chen Qing was lost in thought about his Geng Metal True Qi, Liu He’s panicked voice came from outside.

"Steward Chen! Steward Chen, something’s wrong! Senior Brother Sun Dacheng from the Patrol... he’s... he’s injured again!"

Chen Qing frowned, quickly retracted his True Qi, and pushed the door open.

He saw Liu He, her face pale, and Qian Xiaoliu half-supporting, half-carrying Sun Dacheng as they approached from the courtyard entrance.

Sun Dacheng’s face was tinged with blue. His left sleeve was torn, revealing a claw mark so deep the bone was visible, stretching from his shoulder to his forearm. The flesh was mangled, and the edges of the wound were a blackish-green, a clear sign of potent poison.

His breathing was rapid; he was clearly not lightly injured.

"What happened?"

Chen Qing asked in a low voice, striding forward. A gentle stream of Cyan Wood True Qi instantly flowed into Sun Dacheng’s body, temporarily sealing his blood vessels to slow the poison’s spread and protect his heart meridians.

"S-Steward..."

Qian Xiaoliu gasped for breath, his eyes filled with lingering fear. "We were on our routine patrol of the dense reed area upstream from the canal. Just as we got close to the water, a black shadow—SWISH—shot out! It was too fast! All I saw was a pair of glowing green eyes and claws. Dacheng reacted quickly and blocked it, but he got scratched... After it landed the hit, it immediately dove back into the water and vanished. Judging by its size, it looked like a Ghost-faced Water Monkey!"

"A Ghost-faced Water Monkey?"

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed. This type of Exotic Beast usually lived in the depths of Qianchuan Marsh. While vicious, they were typically solitary, not very large, and their claws carried only a mild toxin.

This was already the fourth time in the last two months that a patrol disciple had been injured by an Exotic Beast!

The species of Exotic Beasts in the previous attacks were all different, too: an Iron Armor Turtle, a Poison Dart Frog, and even a highly venomous Iron Wire Snake. Their frequency of appearance and level of aggression far exceeded previous records.

And it wasn’t just No. 7 Fishery; several nearby fisheries were experiencing the same thing.

Half a month ago, a steel-toothed barracuda tore through a fishing net at No. 6 Fishery and injured two Outer Courtyard disciples.

Just two nights ago, No. 9 Fishery lost seven or eight three-year-old Three-Stripe Carp, a heavy loss.

Exotic Beasts appearing so frequently... this was no coincidence!

Song Ming, the Steward of No. 9 Fishery, had held the position for many years and had always been diligent and responsible, rarely making a mistake.

Chen Qing had privately discussed his thoughts on the abnormal beast activity with him a few times. Both were deeply concerned, and Song Ming had already compiled a report of the situation and submitted it to the Sect.

"First, help Dacheng inside. Use the best Antitoxic Powder, and get a Clear Heart Pill for him to take."

Chen Qing instructed Liu He and Qian Xiaoliu. His Cyan Wood True Qi had a miraculous effect on Healing and Detoxification and had temporarily stabilized Sun Dacheng’s condition, but follow-up treatment with Elixirs was still necessary.

The pressure on the Fishery’s security had increased sharply. If this continued, not only would there be more disciple casualties, but the loss of Treasure Fish would also skyrocket. At the end-of-year review, he, the Steward, would be held responsible.

Just as Chen Qing was pondering a countermeasure, Sun Xiaomiao’s voice came from the Fishery entrance.

.....