My Swordsmanship Has No Upper Limit

Chapter 268: Chapter 143: Qi Cultivation Method: Star River Secret Manual

The speaker was a graceful and elegant noblewoman. Seeing Ji Qinglian and Ji Qinghui gathered by her side, Zhong Ming immediately realized that this was their mother, the Princess Consort, Luo Qinzhu.

Since he and Ji Qinghui were rivals, Zhong Ming had assumed the lady would hold a grudge against him. Therefore, as he looked at her, his gaze was inevitably filled with a bit of wariness.

But a moment later, he realized he had been overthinking things.

Not only did the Princess Consort refrain from causing trouble, she even took out a lustrous, pure-white jade bottle covered in star patterns. "To meet a hero such as yourself in the Commandery Mansion brings me joy, on my husband’s behalf. This bottle was crafted from Meteor Jade and is called the ’Starry Bottle.’ Each night, if you place it under the stars, it will automatically gather the boundless starlight and condense it into pure Power of Starlight. When you cultivate the Star River Secret Manual, a little Refinement is all it takes to convert it into your own Magical Power. The bottle has already accumulated some Power of Starlight, which you may use immediately."

"?!"

This sudden gift of a priceless treasure left Zhong Ming stunned on the spot.

He wasn’t the only one. The siblings, Ji Qinghui and Ji Qinglian, also stared at the Starry Bottle in their mother’s hand with faces full of astonishment, giving their mother a strange look.

Prince Qinghe, who was standing to the side, also raised an eyebrow. But in a flash, he understood the reason behind it, which led him to say to Zhong Ming, "Young friend Zhong Ming, since Qin Zhu holds you in such high regard, just accept it."

Seeing that the Prince himself had spoken, Zhong Ming immediately cupped his fists and said sincerely, "Thank you, Prince. Thank you, Princess Consort."

After receiving the treasure, Prince Qinghe didn’t let Zhong Ming leave. Instead, he waved a hand, inviting Zhong Ming to the study for a talk.

Seeing this, Zhong Ming naturally followed.

However, halfway there, Zhong Ming suddenly sensed something, causing him to stop in his tracks and cast a sharp gaze toward a certain direction within Prince Qinghe’s Mansion.

"What is it?"

Prince Qinghe noticed his action, which prompted his question.

After gazing in that direction for a moment and seeing nothing, Zhong Ming shook his head and said, "It’s nothing... I felt a chill. I just get the feeling someone is saying my name."

"HAHAHA..." His words made Prince Qinghe laugh. "It’s inevitable that you would feel that way. A tree that stands out in the forest will be toppled by the wind. Right now, your glory is boundless, but because of that, many people will be jealous of you, even to the point of—developing killing intent!"

As they spoke, they arrived at the study. After confirming that the area was secure, Prince Qinghe’s expression immediately grew solemn.

"Zhong Ming, I can tell you in no uncertain terms, because you support me, your current situation is quite dangerous... The six Major Sects that have come to the Qinghe Commandery Mansion will not be content to leave with just a few paltry rewards. To prepare for the coming calamity, they want resources—vast quantities of resources."

"And if they want to obtain resources from my hands, the first thing they must do is utterly defeat the Qinghe Commandery Mansion and make me feel an intense sense of crisis."

"Your string of victories has put you on the cusp of the storm, and what’s more, it has made you a thorn in the side of the six Major Sects."

After he finished, Prince Qinghe’s tone turned earnest. "Knowing all this, are you still prepared to work for me? ...You can withdraw. The pressure of directly opposing the six Major Sects is too great. Even if you back out, I won’t blame you. And what’s more, neither I nor Qin Zhu will take back the resources we’ve given you!"

Prince Qinghe’s sincerity toward Zhong Ming was abundant, but Zhong Ming didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he posed a question back to Prince Qinghe: "Prince, can you guarantee that the six Major Sects won’t break the rules and send people of a High Realm to deal with me?" freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

"Of course." Prince Qinghe said this with great confidence. "The great calamity of heaven and earth has not yet arrived, and the order of the Immortal Dynasty has not collapsed. And the imperial family of the Frost Moon Immortal Dynasty is named Ji!"

"In that case, there’s no problem." As confident as the prince was, Zhong Ming laughed, an arrogant smile spreading across his face. "Prince, as long as you can guarantee the six Major Sects won’t break the rules, I will not retreat."

"Also, as long as the enemy is at the same level as me, I will obtain victory for you."

"No matter who the opponent is, I can win!"

Zhong Ming spoke this last sentence with decisive, soaring confidence.

And his arrogance, far from displeasing Prince Qinghe, actually caused the prince to let out a long sigh of relief.

What he needed right now was a peerless, supremely confident prodigy.

Afterward, having received a satisfactory answer, Prince Qinghe also made a guarantee to Zhong Ming.

"As long as you can win, I will always support you... You should be aware that after forging a Dao Foundation, a Cultivator’s Cultivation makes use of Celestial Spirits and Earth Demon, correct?"

"I know a thing or two."

Zhong Ming did indeed have some knowledge on the matter.

The forging of a Dao Foundation is considered the culmination of a Cultivator’s first stage of Cultivation.

However, for the entire path of Cultivation, both Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment could only be considered the beginning.

Furthermore, the entire Foundation Establishment stage is spent polishing the Dao Foundation as much as possible, allowing it to grow and become more perfect.

Alas, an individual’s power is finite. Thus, some ancient sages, upon reaching the limits of mortal strength, thought to borrow the Power of Heaven and Earth to perfect themselves.

The saying, "The Way of Man is to take from the deficient to give to the excessive; the Way of Heaven is to take from the excessive to supplement the deficient," is the perfect description of cultivation in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Celestial Spirits and Earth Demon are the condensed essence of the Power of Heaven and Earth, and they are also the powers that best represent Heaven and Earth.

Therefore, the main practice during the Foundation Establishment stage is to refine Wind Fiend Qi into one’s Dao Foundation, body, and Divine Soul, making one’s own foundations even more perfect.