Free Web NovelChapter 420: Chapter 407: Purple Qi from the East
「The seventh day in the Valley of Meteorology.」
Cyan Treasure had its eyes closed, its nostrils flaring and contracting, its mouth shut tight. The scales on its body rippled with a unique rhythm, as if it were singing.
For Cyan Treasure, who had achieved Perfection in its Breathing Technique, breathing was as simple as eating or drinking.
It had already perceived the Innate Qi countless times, not to mention Gu Ming had been secretly giving it extra training time at night.
In reality, the senior students and their peers were still struggling just to perceive the Innate Qi.
Gu Ming’s and Lu You’s Pet Beasts had already adapted to the properties of Innate Qi and, like Mianmian, could directly capture the free-roaming Innate Qi in the air with their Divine Sense.
Of course, this had taken a considerable amount of time.
These seven days of training alone had been equivalent to nearly three months in the dreamscape.
It wasn’t easy.
At this moment, Cyan Treasure’s Divine Sense delved into its Dantian, where it saw two Inner Cores trembling slightly. Fine, cloud-like patterns had appeared on their surfaces.
A hint of purple Qi emerged around the Inner Cores, spreading out like a drop of ink in clear water.
As this tinge of color appeared, the aura of Cyan Treasure’s twin cores became exceptionally profound, far surpassing their previous quality.
This was on top of the Five Blood Divine Medicine it had taken some time ago, along with all sorts of other precious cultivation resources.
The quality of Cyan Treasure’s muscles, bones, and everything else had reached the peak for a Two-star Pet Beast. All that was left was to split its Inner Cores into three to evolve into the domain of a Three-star Pet Beast.
However, Cyan Treasure would naturally not take a path that everyone else could think of, and Gu Ming would not agree to it taking such a path either.
Every Little Cyan Snake that had attempted this path had failed to evolve.
In fact, there were hundreds of millions of failed cases documented in countless academic papers. This number might seem shocking, but you have to remember, the Little Cyan Snake itself is a Basic Type Pet Beast. Anyone can form a contract with one, and they are incredibly simple and easy to raise.
With such a massive population of people raising them, the number of failed cases was naturally going to be astronomical.
And among all the aforementioned failed cases, not a single one had resulted in a successful evolution.
This was enough to prove that directly splitting a Little Cyan Snake’s Inner Core into three was an evolutionary path doomed to failure.
Other successful evolutions were only achieved through completely transforming the bloodline or even restructuring the bones and muscles to break through.
But Cyan Treasure had not undergone any such transformations to date.
At this moment, Cyan Treasure was walking a path no other Pet Beast of its generation had ever taken: Qi Refining Evolution.
As the morning sun began to rise, it used the Green Treasure Breathing Technique to successfully draw in a wisp of the dawn’s purple Qi.
The aura was faint yet profound—it was the legendary "Innate Qi."
The moment the Inner Cores were touched by the purple Qi, a sudden change occurred.
The most direct response came from its closely connected Great Dao Foundation: the Dragon Pattern Tripod Foundation Platform.
The tripod’s body hummed with a light tremor, and every pattern on its surface glowed with a brilliant golden luster as the purple Qi suffused it.
The illusion of a giant dragon within the tripod raised its head and opened its mouth, intending to swallow the two Inner Cores for refinement!
Seeing that even a Divine Beast of the ancient Dragon Race coveted Innate Qi so much, Gu Ming became even more certain:
’The path of Qi Refining Evolution is one we absolutely have to take.’
"Arouse your own will. Suppress it," Gu Ming guided in a low voice.
The Dragon Elephant Illusion in the Foundation Establishment Platform had too strong of an independent will; Cyan Treasure had to firmly seize control.
Hearing his voice, Cyan Treasure focused its Divine Sense. A moment later, a blurry but resolute illusion of a Little Cyan Snake appeared above the Dragon Pattern Tripod.
The Cyan Snake gave a soft cry and swept its tail, firmly suppressing the dragon illusion within the tripod.
It coiled its body, cradling the two Inner Cores and placing them within the tripod to be refined together.
The Dragon Pattern Tripod let out an unwilling hum, but it ultimately could not defy Cyan Treasure’s absolute will.
The Dragon Pattern Tripod was a tool, not the Pet Beast’s master. It was a Great Dao Foundation attached to Cyan Treasure, not something condensed from physical matter.
In essence, it was also a product constructed by Cyan Treasure itself. The only difference was that the materials it used were the ethereal aura of the Great Dao from outside its body—something illusory and intangible.
The Pet Beast simply had to exert its own power, and it could crush it with absolute will.
The Innate Qi was finally brought under control, slowly suffusing the Dantian.
After some time, Cyan Treasure took another breath.
This time, what it drew in was not the morning sun, but the grand, swirling, rose-colored cloud phenomenon above its head.
As a new wisp of Innate Qi entered its body, it was poured into the Dantian.
The Dantian seemed to transform into a miniature valley, where a meteorological phenomenon suddenly arose from nothing.
Above the Dantian, clouds suddenly gathered and dispersed. Fine droplets of rain fell, nourishing all things, and tiny bolts of electricity even coursed along the Dantian’s inner walls.
Cyan Treasure couldn’t help but recall a mantra from the Green Treasure Breathing Technique.
’To take in the vast waves is not to devour, but to merge.’
’It is not to conquer Spiritual Qi, but to resonate with it.’
’The object of resonance could be Spiritual Qi, or it could be Innate Qi.’
As another bolt of lightning tore through the meteorological clouds above its Dantian, Cyan Treasure suddenly opened its maw. Its forked tongue flickered out, the curled surface spreading like a cloud.
A serpentine cry echoed through the air.
It was not a hiss, but a clear, resonant cry.
This cry pierced through the rain and clouds, causing the distant Thunder Marsh Flood Dragon to pause for a moment. The Purple Crystal on its forehead flickered, its purple Qi roiling unstably, almost bursting from its body to be captured by Cyan Treasure’s Breathing Technique.
This infuriated the Five-star Thunder Marsh Flood Dragon. Its large, round spirit eyes glared angrily, and the lightning around its body surged as it clearly prepared to attack Gu Ming’s group.
The senior students observing its Breathing Technique immediately became alert, each summoning their Pet Beasts to prepare for battle.
But just then, Elder Huo waved his hand, motioning for them to sit down.
"This flood dragon is a Spirit Beast native to the Valley of Meteorology. It has been cultivating here for who knows how many years and has the geographical advantage.
"If it attacks with its full power, its might is no less than that of a Six-star."
Elder Huo’s gaze swept over the crowd. "The strongest among you is only a Five-star. Clashing with it head-on is not a wise strategy."
He took a step forward, his robes fluttering despite the lack of wind.
"I’ll handle this.
"You all continue your Cultivation.
"Watch carefully how it breathes during combat and see if it uses Innate Qi."
Before his words had even faded, a figure had already soared into the air, heading straight for the enraged flood dragon.
Elder Huo didn’t summon multiple Pet Beasts. With just a flick of his sleeve, a cyan shadow shot out.
It was one of his main Pet Beasts, the Eight-star "Star Compass Beast."
This beast was shaped like a floating Bronze Array Plate, its entire body engraved with the stars of the heavens.
The moment it appeared, it began to manifest an array formation on its own. Silently, a "Small Circulation Trapping Array" was already in place.
Lines of starlight descended, binding the roaring Thunder Marsh Flood Dragon within a small, confined space.
An Eight-star against a Five-star was like a father beating his son.
Not to mention that Elder Huo was an Array Master to begin with. His Pet Beast unleashed its ultimate move right from the start, throwing out an array to suppress its opponent.
Even if the opponent could devour meteorological phenomena and refine them into combat power, it was no match for an Eight-star array.
The Thunder Marsh Flood Dragon roared repeatedly, lightning flashing around its body, but it was like being trapped in a mire.
Every one of its struggles had its power cleverly neutralized by the shifting stellar orbits.
Elder Huo’s intention was to trap the enemy, not to kill it.
The Array Power flowed like a gentle stream, only slowing its movements without harming it in the slightest.
"Look at the Purple Crystal on its forehead."
Elder Huo, who had just stood up, sat back down with an air of relaxed ease. He had unconsciously slipped back into his teacher mode, using the Sound of the Great Dao to instruct his students.
