Chapter 71: Emerging from Seclusion

The Geng Metal and Xin Metal entered his body, though they were only two small masses. As metal qi, their effect was even greater than that of sword qi.

Wherever the metal qi passed, it felt like his body was being slashed by thousands of blades, akin to the agonizingly slow execution method known as Lingchi.

Yet as his Karma True Yuan circulated, it was as if the parched land had received the first rain after a long drought—Instantly, an indescribable sense of refreshment washed over him. In an instant, Qin Shu felt as though he were dancing between heaven and hell, unable to stop himself from continuing.

The pain was nearly equal to that intense body tempering session at the Cu Yue Mountains.

As the metal qi circulated through his body once and returned to the Middle Dantian, it surged towards his Golden Core.

A symphony of fing-fing-fing resonated within his mind—the sound of metal qi colliding with his Golden Core.

The Golden Core was robust; this amount of metal qi couldn’t harm it. Instead, some of its essence was absorbed, further strengthening the Golden Core’s solidity.

After realizing this, Qin Shu slowly exhaled, expelling the residual metal qi from his body.

The exhaled breath transformed into a sword, releasing a streak of sword qi that shot into the distance. Only after an indeterminate time did it dissipate, leaving behind a trail that stained the ground golden, forming specks of golden sand.

Opening his eyes, he took stock of his body.

Having endured the destructive force of the metal qi followed by the reparative power of his Karma True Yuan, Qin Shu felt a slight increase in the strength of his qi passageways.

This could be an excellent method for body tempering, he mused, save for the fact that it’s still somewhat lacking in intensity.

He decided to increase the intensity by adding ten kilograms of refined metal into the Karma Cauldron, resulting in an even greater concentration of Gengxin Metal Qi.

After another inhalation, his expression turned menacing.

Ten times the intensity meant ten times the pain.

The metal qi wreaked havoc within him, shattering his qi passageways as it scattered indiscriminately.

But the Karma True Yuan swiftly followed, instantly mending the qi passageways and reabsorbing the metal qi.

This cycle of destruction and repair continuously strengthened his qi passageways and body.

After one major circulation, ten times the usual amount of metal qi entered his dantian, launching a fierce assault on the Golden Core.

The once perfectly round Golden Core began to develop faint white fissures under the onslaught of metal qi.

Instantly, the lower dantian’s Karma True Yuan surged in, transforming into Karma True Fire. It then combined with the essence of the metal qi to repair these flaws.

His divine sense morphed into a massive hammer, repeatedly forging the Golden Core while also integrating the essence of the metal qi.

Post-forging, the Golden Core grew even more resplendent and robust.

Qin Shu exhaled once more, releasing sword qi that traveled further than before, leaving behind an even larger trail of golden sand.

The ten-kilogram intensity was still manageable for him.

However, for his third attempt, he didn’t dare to multiply it by ten again, instead opting for a twenty-kilogram enhancement.

Twenty kilograms was not his limit, but it was just the right intensity for him to handle comfortably.

After nine more sessions of tempering, he found that the pain had diminished significantly. At this point, such levels of gold qi no longer posed any harm to his Golden Core, so he decided to increase the quantity further.

He doubled the amount to fifty kilograms. After refining his body with the gold qi, he would then refine his Golden Core, getting two uses out of each batch.

Time flew by unnoticed as he devoted himself to cultivation. Before he knew it, three years had passed.

Throughout this time, the Karma Cauldron, under Xiao Yan’s watchful eye, automatically produced medicinal pills. Qin Yue would then come to retrieve them, leading to a booming business for the Qin Clan Pill Pharmacy in Divine Water City.

In a mere three years, the pharmacy achieved an annual turnover of eight hundred million spiritual soul coins.

This was all without the Karma Cauldron operating at full capacity. Had it done so, the potential earnings would have been even greater.

Despite this, the pill pharmacy had drawn the attention of Divine Water City’s prominent clans. However, after investigating and discovering that a Qin family daughter was the apprentice of the Water God Palace’s Seventh Palace Master, they decided to leave things be.

After all, the entire Divine Water City fell under the Water God Palace’s influence. With Qin Qing poised to become the next Palace Master, these clans aligned with the Water God Palace wouldn’t dare to cause offense.

Even the Ye Family, the most influential clan in the city and Ye Ruoshui’s family, cared little for such earnings; they wouldn’t have been interested even if the profits were ten times greater.

As for the lower-tier members of the Ye Family, while they might envy the profits, they, too, would not dare to offend the current Qin Family.

Even the lower branches of the Ye Family, who had distant relations with Ye Ruoshui, dared not offend Qin Qing’s direct descendants.

As a result, the Qin Family’s development in Divine Water City proceeded smoothly.

On Qingping Island, after consuming the final ton of refined metal, Qin Shu’s Golden Core completed fifty percent of the first phase.

Under the gold qi’s refinement, his body grew even more formidable. The results were comparable to his previous body refinement in the Cu Yue Mountain Range, albeit with a longer duration and greater pain.

However, he found himself becoming addicted to this bittersweet sensation.

He believed that with another eighteen tons of refined metal and eighteen more refine sessions, he could achieve perfection in the first phase. This would elevate his Indestructible Body to the next level.

Pausing his cultivation, Qin Shu recalled that the time had come for Qin Gui’s awakening; he must not miss it.

Stretching lazily upon rising, his joints crackled like firecrackers.

The condensed gold qi had been distributed throughout his body, with particular strengthening of his bones.

Every bone, including his skull, now solidified by the gold qi, became far tougher. His skin and muscles underwent a similar transformation.

His physical defense had significantly increased.

Exiting his makeshift secluded cultivation hut, he found Xiao Yan watching the Karma Cauldron concoct pills. Upon seeing him emerge, Xiao Yan excitedly exclaimed, “Master, you’re finally out!”

“Good work, Xiao Yan,” Qin Shu said, patting his foot digit. Noticing the creature’s size had increased since maintaining its usual form, he marveled at its growth.

Soon, through perception, Qin Shu realized something was amiss. “Xiao Yan, you’ve reached fifth rank! How did you do it so quickly?”

“Heh heh, master, didn’t you say I can eat as many of the guarded pills as I want? After eating quite a few, my strength has been steadily increasing without me even noticing.”

Now, when standing, it towered over twenty meters tall, even more majestic than before. It resembled both a Celestial Dragon and a Vermilion Bird, exuding a divine aura.

“In that case, feel free to eat as many of these pills as you’d like from now on,” Qin Shu said, completely opening up the supply of pills to Xiao Yan.

But Xiao Yan shook its head. “Master, there’s no need. I also require time for my growth to solidify. Otherwise, my foundation might be compromised. After my breakthrough, I haven’t consumed any more pills.”

“True enough!” Qin Shu nodded. “Now, I’m heading to Divine Water City. Do you wish to stay here or come with me?”

“I’ll be going to the blood pact space,” Xiao Yan replied.

Qin Shu’s sea of consciousness contained insights into the Dao of good fortune, which greatly aided the fusion and development of the Celestial Dragon and Vermilion Bird bloodlines within Xiao Yan.

In a flash of azure light, it was drawn inward.

Then white light illuminated, and Qin Shu reappeared in the Qin Clan Estate.

Heavenly River No. 9 Estate had been renamed, with several new inhabitants added.

Qin Shu’s cousins had married within the city, marking the birth of the fourth generation of the Qin family.

Qin Yu, Qin Rou, and Qin Ying had also reached the age to discuss marriage, but Qin Shu advised them against rushing into matrimony, promising surprising developments in the future that would benefit them greatly.

These three elder sisters trusted their youngest brother implicitly and, unwilling to marry, continued helping manage the Pill Pharmacy.

As for the younger ones—Qin Shu’s cousins—they were still studying at school.

In the past couple of years, a few had begun awakening their abilities. Perhaps due to Qin Shu’s influence, two of his cousins—the two youngest girls and the two youngest boys—successfully awakened. One attained Gold rank, two achieved Moonlit rank, and one reached Sunlit rank.

This delighted Old Mister Qin Wushang immensely, making him feel his life had been truly worthwhile.

Sadly, he couldn’t share this joy with his own father.