Double Blessings

Having gained experience from his prior breakthrough, opening his spiritual apertures for the second time felt exceptionally familiar and smooth.

To be safe, Zhou Ping still took a heavy gulp of White Marrow Brew. He then began to guide the Spiritual Qi within his body according to the Jade Rock Spirit Origin Art. The Spiritual Qi inside him emitted a faint white light, far thicker and more condensed than the Qi he had cultivated before.

Immediately after, this Spiritual Qi gathered in one place to form a vortex, which then began to frantically compress and condense.

Faint traces of Spiritual Qi also converged from all directions, merging into his body to make the vortex even stronger. However, its effect was minimal; he mainly had to rely on himself.

The richer the ambient Spiritual Qi, the greater the advantage for a cultivator's daily training or breakthrough. In some of the world's most Qi-rich paradises, one could successfully break through even if they were short by two or three strands.

Naturally, such extremely rich domains mostly only appeared over massive spiritual veins or within specialized spirit-locking and spirit-gathering formations.

The Azure Cloud Sect did possess such cultivation secret realms, but that was not something Zhou Ping could ever hope to access.

The vortex continued to condense, finally transforming into a speck of white light the size of a rice grain, glowing with a jade-white luster.

Zhou Ping's body trembled slightly. The white light suddenly erupted, reopening a tiny spatial void within his lower abdomen. The Spiritual Qi throughout his body poured in like a rushing flood, filling the space with a vast whiteness.

"Hoo!"

Zhou Ping exhaled a stream of turbid air several feet long. His breath was vast and vigorous, and a faint Pressure settled over the surroundings.

He was in no rush to leave seclusion. Instead, he took out a small bottle from his side. Strands of Qi surged within it, radiating a pure white jade light.

This was the jade-stone Qi collected by Zhou Chengyuan, prepared especially for Zhou Ping.

Thinking back to when he entered seclusion, and how Zhou Chengyuan had stubbornly shoved this item into his hands, Zhou Ping sighed with emotion. "I might as well refine it. I can't let down Chengyuan's good intentions."

Even though Zhou Chengyuan could collect jade-stone Qi, gathering enough to fill this small bottle would take several months at the very least.

And since Zhou Chengyuan was naturally active and playful, who knew how much painstaking effort he had put into this.

Outside the stone chamber, Zhou Xuanya and the others sensed the stable and vigorous aura emanating from within and let out a cheer.

Zhou Chengyuan sat on a tree branch, sporting a proud, delighted little smirk.

With their worries dispelled, Zhou Changhe and Zhou Xuanya sat nearby and chatted idly. Meanwhile, the four-year-old Zhou Chengming sat quietly to the side, cultivating.

However, his aptitude was much poorer. Having cultivated for over a year, he had only managed to gather two strands of Spiritual Qi. Without a Fated Chance, he likely had no hope of breaking through to Qi Condensation.

Zhou Qianling sat by the pool, lost in thought. Finally, she stood up and walked over to Zhou Xuanya. "Fifth Uncle, I have already reached fifteen strands. I can break through."

Zhou Xuanya, who had been mid-conversation, froze. "Is your foundation stable?"

Logically speaking, it should have been very difficult for Zhou Qianling to reach fifteen strands. But considering her demon race bloodline, coupled with her constant consumption of spiritual plants, she indeed could not be judged by common sense.

Yet, realizing that he himself had only managed to cultivate eleven strands to date, Zhou Xuanya felt a twinge of dejection.

Still, seeing the younger generation surpass the old, he was naturally gratified from the bottom of his heart.

Zhou Qianling shook her head. "Fifth Uncle, I actually reached fifteen strands two months ago. I've been polishing my spiritual power for the past two months."

Zhou Xuanya had originally wanted to caution her not to be too hasty, but those words immediately died on his lips.

He then shot an imperceptible glance at Zhou Chengyuan and Zhou Chengming, sighing inwardly that girls were simply far less trouble.

"The clan happens to have one Green Jade Pill. Fifth Uncle will fetch it for you shortly. Take some time to adjust your condition first," Zhou Xuanya said.

He had initially felt that this Green Jade Pill from the Huang family was somewhat useless, but to think it would actually come in handy now.

In truth, the Zhou family felt the Green Jade Pill wasn't of much use to them, yet they couldn't exactly sell it either.

After all, for the Zhou family to casually sell a Pill that every other clan vied for would raise too many questions. If word got out, it would only invite unnecessary trouble. It was better to keep it hidden away.

Zhou Qianling nodded sensibly, then sat back down by the pool, looking relaxed and content.

To her, this was her absolute favorite place. The deeper her cultivation grew, the more obsessed she became with the silence of the mountain forest. She even spent more than half the day lounging around the Purple Gold Vine.

Zhou Changhe looked at Zhou Qianling, his eyes brimming with affection. This was his own niece. With Qianling around, their main branch's three lineages would always have someone to back them up. Even a hundred years from now, they wouldn't fall into true decline.

Before long, Zhou Xuanya returned, carrying several wooden boxes in his hands.

"Qianling, this is the Green Jade Pill. You must take it precisely when you are condensing the vortex-not a moment too early, nor a moment too late."

"This is a Blood Replenishing Pill. If the vortex grows unstable and the breakthrough fails, you must take it immediately to avoid leaving behind any hidden injuries."

"This is Earth Origin Paste. Once you go inside, apply a layer over your lower abdomen first."

"This is the Mountain Clear Qi, along with the cultivation method for Mountain Clear Stream."

...

Zhou Xuanya had turned into a nagging worrywart, stuffing the items into Zhou Qianling's hands one by one.

"Go on. Chengyuan and I will stand guard outside."

Zhou Qianling shook her head and pointed to a specific spot. "Fifth Uncle, I don't want to use the stone chamber. It's scary in there. I want to break through over there. I can perform much better in that spot."

The direction she pointed was precisely where the Purple Gold Vine grew.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Changhe easily hoisted Zhou Chengming up by the collar with one hand. "Let's go. Come down the mountain with your uncle. We can't delay your sister's breakthrough."

Dangling in midair, Zhou Chengming struggled incessantly. "Uncle, I can walk! Put me down!"

"No, you walk too slowly."

Zhou Changhe flatly refused. He then took great strides toward the waist of the mountain, holding the boy as though he were merely carrying a wriggling parcel.

"Chengyuan, lock down the lamb in the woods too," Zhou Xuanya called up into the tree.

Zhou Chengyuan yawned. "Already locked down. It won't disturb her."

Although he sounded lazy, he had in fact already activated his array plate to seal the lamb away tightly, ensuring not even a single bleat could escape.

Even though Zhou Qianling always tattled on him, he was her older brother. Naturally, he wouldn't hold a grudge against his little sister.

Zhou Xuanya also retreated far into the distance, terrified that the slightest noise might interfere with Zhou Qianling.

Zhou Qianling slowly sat down in front of the Purple Gold Vine and placed her hand against its surface.

The Purple Gold Vine trembled slightly. Though it had not yet developed a true spiritual consciousness, it seemed to be responding to Zhou Qianling.

This sight made Zhou Xuanya and the others marvel from afar. The demon race was truly blessed by the heavens. Zhou Qianling merely possessed a trace of their bloodline, yet her affinity for the Dao of flora and the clear winds vastly surpassed theirs. As for those true demonic creatures birthed and nurtured by heaven and earth, they were born with tyrannical physiques and innate mastery over foundational techniques and divine abilities.

If the human race were not so adept at learning and innovating, and did not place such profound importance on passing down their legacy to ensure each generation relentlessly strove for self-improvement, they truly would have no means of contending against the demon race.

Zhou Qianling's breakthrough progressed rapidly, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. The only hurdle came at the critical moment when she ran short of Spiritual Qi. In the end, she had to take a bite out of the Purple Gold Vine to achieve a successful breakthrough.

Afterward, she remained seated and began to refine the Mountain Clear Qi, causing her aura to grow increasingly robust.

Meanwhile, the Purple Gold Vine that she had bitten into took on a sickly, wilted appearance. However, as Zhou Qianling continued to cultivate, the vine slowly began to recover its vitality.

Watching this unfold, Zhou Chengyuan's jaw dropped in shock.

"Fifth Uncle, legends say that some spiritual plants seek out guardian spirit beasts for protection, allowing both to grow stronger together. Little Sister hasn't turned into the Purple Gold Vine's guardian spirit beast, has she?"

Immediately, Zhou Xuanya smacked him on the forehead.

"Don't spout nonsense. Qianling is human. How could she possibly become a guardian spirit beast?"

Yet, staring at the symbiotic state between Zhou Qianling and the Purple Gold Vine, Zhou Xuanya couldn't help but feel a little uncertain himself.

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