Chapter 38: One with confidence, one in despair, and one by chance

  In the dead of night, a faint yellow glow emanated from the dull moon in the dark and gloomy sky.

  Inside the hall, Li Shaofeng and Guan Yundong were standing in front of the Fourth Elder's chamber. Li Shaofeng stood upright with his head held high and chest out, but his expression was filled with deep doubt. Beside him, Guan Yundong looked terrible, his face still swollen from the beating he had received, and the pain in his chest made him feel even more miserable. He hung his head low, his face dark, and his eyes gleamed with a fierce light. Compared to the physical pain, he was suffering even greater humiliation and anger deep within his heart.

  Yes! He can't forget the slap on his face and the kick in his chest that Tang Qing gave him in the mountain forest courtyard today. This is an unforgettable shame for him, and he must make Tang Qing pay a bloody price, unable to live or die!

  "Four Elders, that Tang Jing clearly hadn't refined his physical body, so why would he...” After returning from the courtyard, Li Shaofeng had been thinking about this question, but unfortunately, he couldn't understand it at all. Tang Jing's situation was completely beyond his comprehension. Although he looked calm on the surface, in his heart, he still felt a lingering fear even now. The magnitude of Tang Jing's power, the ferocity of his aura, and the decisiveness of his killings had all shocked him, and he secretly thanked himself for not having made a move at that time. If he had, his outcome would probably have been the same as that of Guan Yun Dong.

  Apart from this, the shame in his heart was not much less than that of Guan Yun Dong. As a disciple of the outer sect who ranked among the top two, he was suppressed by Tang Jing's aura at that time and didn't even dare to speak. This made him completely unable to accept it.

  Four elderly men sat in chairs, with a pair of eyes on their deep faces that were even more gloomy. When they spoke, their voices also carried a chill. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be Shangguan Qiusuo who has done something to that kid." He thought for a moment and could only think of this possibility to explain clearly. He stroked his goat beard with his hand, let out a cold hum, and said, "However, you don't have to worry. Tonight, I will do my best to help you complete the foundation. In the next few days, you will retreat and break through. Try to transform before the Jinwu Grand Competition."

  Li Shaofeng's expression was slightly surprised, he is now at the 9th level of foundation building, as long as he prepares properly, he can break through in one go. However, breaking through also has unpredictable dangers, in order not to affect the Jinwu Grand Competition, he originally planned to break through after the Jinwu Grand Competition, but unexpectedly, the four elders are now asking him to break through before the Jinwu Grand Competition, he is puzzled, but did not speak up.

  Beside him, Guan Yun Dong raised his head, his eyes somewhat excited, a fierce smile at the corner of his mouth, and said, "Fourth Elder, if I successfully build my foundation, break through afterwards, transform and enter the realm of Qi after rebirth, will I be a match for that Tang Qing?"

  "After the transformation, the physical strength can increase by several thousand pounds, specifically how much depends on each person's innate talent. You two have excellent qualifications, conservatively estimated, after the transformation, your physical body can also exert a force of three thousand pounds." The four elders sipped their tea expressionlessly and continued, "So, as long as you complete the foundation-building, killing Tang Qing will be as easy as turning over one's hand."

  "Alright! I respectfully request the four elders to lend a hand and help your disciple complete the foundation building!"

  Guan Yun Dong said fiercely that he now only had one wish, which was to trample Tang Qing under his feet and tread on him wantonly.

  Li Shaofeng, who was beside him, looked much more calm and collected, and spoke out the doubts in his mind. "As Fourth Elder said, Shangguan Qiusuo had made a move on Tang Jing's body, allowing Tang Jing to borrow external power. Does Fourth Elder know how much external power he can borrow?"

  "Good question!"

  The four elders nodded, somewhat approving of Li Shaofeng's meticulous thinking. "Even if Shangguan Qiusuo has great abilities, Tang Jing is just an ordinary person after all," they said. "He may be able to exert a thousand pounds of force with the help of external forces, but if he wants to borrow more, humph! His untempered physical body can't withstand it, so Shaofeng, you don't need to worry about this!" After a pause, they continued, "Moreover, when you transform and enter the realm of Qi, and true energy is born in your Dantian, even if Tang Jing has boundless strength, he will be like an ant before you, waiting for you to slaughter him."

  At the beginning of practice, it is about building a foundation, and after building a foundation, the elixir field cultivates energy.

  Once you enter the realm of Qi, after cultivating true Qi in your Dan Tian, the power of your internal energy can overwhelm all kinds of physical strength.

  "Good!" After getting the affirmative, Li Shaofeng let out a loud shout, his fighting spirit overflowing. With both hands clasped in fists and one knee on the ground, he respectfully said, "I humbly request that the four elders assist me in completing my foundation! Shaofeng will definitely not forget the kindness of the four elders!"

  ……

  At the same time, in a hall within the Ningguo Mansion.

  Shangguan Qixue sat in a chair by the square table, wearing a comfortable and smooth purple long dress. Although it was a loose robe, it couldn't hide her proud figure. Under her white and smooth neck, through the open collar, you could vaguely see her full and enticing breasts. Her originally beautiful face was now filled with worry, her elbow resting on the table, her slender fingers constantly rubbing her temples.

  Her original plan was to help Tang Qing cultivate at all costs, using the Qingyu Gate as a springboard to enhance his status. In this way, once Ling'er and Mo'er's affair is exposed, if Tang Qing achieves some success and becomes a core disciple of a major sect, there will be room for mitigation.

  But... now that I know Tang Jing has taken the Qihua Tiger Pill, his tendons, bones and skin have undergone a transformation, causing his foundation to be in disarray. In this state, although he has boundless strength, he will ultimately be unable to cultivate. If he can't cultivate, how can he achieve success? How can he enter the Grand Sect? Without cultivation, how can he raise his status?

  *sigh*...

  As Shangguan Qianxue let out a soft sigh, Biyi had already brought Tang Cheng over.

  "Biqi, you go rest now."

  Bi Yi responded with a sound, and then looked at Tang Qing with a complicated gaze before turning around and leaving.

  "What's with the smell of wine? Have you been drinking?" Just as Tang Qing entered, a pungent smell of wine hit her in the face. Ouyang Xue raised an eyebrow and looked up to see Tang Qing sitting on the chair, looking utterly carefree and idle.

  "You..." Shang Guan Xue now had no energy to get angry, looking at Tang Qing, she just wanted to sigh silently, a rotten wood cannot be carved!

  "What's the point of calling me over in the middle of the night?" Tang Qing casually sat down on a chair, looking somewhat bored as he gazed around. He appeared slender and weak, with a slightly handsome face that gave off a bookish impression. Although he was wearing a robe, his chest was exposed, which made him look even more out of place. This guy's lazy demeanor only added to the strangeness.

  Shangguan Qixue took out a white jade bottle from somewhere and handed it over, saying weakly, "Drink it."

  "What is this?" Tang Jing took it over, opened it and took a look. A refreshing fragrance wafted up to his nose. Upon closer inspection, he saw that inside was filled with a small amount of sparkling transparent **, its smooth surface reflecting a faintly colored sheen. As the fragrance entered his nostrils, he felt invigorated and refreshed, his whole body filled with energy.

  Three-colored Heavenly Spring!

  Tang Qing's expression didn't change, but his pupils suddenly contracted. This Three-Colored Heavenly Spring was renowned as the Sacred Spring of the World, containing the essence of life and having a miraculous effect after consumption. Not only could it reconnect severed meridians, but also gradually repair damaged dantian. Thinking about this, Tang Qing secretly sighed - these women had first helped him refine his body with the Mouldy Dan, then washed his marrow, and now they had even obtained the precious Three-Colored Heavenly Spring for him.

  "This thing is quite precious, right?"

  Tang Qing deeply understood his own situation. Although the Three-Colored Heavenly Spring contained life energy, it had no effect on him. However, it had a miraculous healing effect on his physical body.

  "I don't want to talk much now, you'd better drink it down."

  This Sancai Tianquan was something she had begged her grandfather and grandmother for, and it was also her last hope. If it didn't work this time, then she would really collapse completely, with no other way out.

  Even if Shangguan Qixue didn't say anything, Tang Qing wouldn't be polite. Just as Shangguan Qixue had just opened her mouth to say a word, he poured the Sancai Tianquan from the white jade bottle directly into his stomach like drinking cool water. This stuff wasn't sweet or salty, and it didn't have any flavor at all, just like cool water. Very quickly, Shangguan Qixue stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "Sit cross-legged, don't think about anything, I'm going to use the Sancai Tianquan as a guide again to wash your marrow!"

  As soon as he heard that he was going to wash his marrow, Tang Jing's face lit up with a smile and he quickly sat down cross-legged, saying, "Last time the washing of the marrow may have been a bit short, so it didn't have much effect. This time you can take a little longer." After the last washing of the marrow, Tang Jing's physical body had recovered quite a bit, but this was not enough to make him excited. In fact, when Shangguan Qiusuo helped him wash his marrow, the feeling was extremely wonderful, just like being gently massaged all over by a highly skilled technician, it felt extremely comfortable.

  "Want it even longer? Do you think washing marrows is a game? Last time I washed Tang Qing's marrow, the power consumed by Shangguan Qixue probably couldn't be recovered in just a few months. This guy says it lightly, wanting to extend the time for washing marrows? Does he want me to sacrifice three years of my cultivation to wash his marrow?"

  No more words were spoken, and they began to wash Tang Qing's bones.

  One moment, two moments... an hour, two hours have passed.

  Shangguan Qixue's face was deathly pale, her forehead covered in sweat, and even her slender body was trembling slightly. In contrast, Tang Qing sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, looking extremely comfortable and happy, as if he were a carefree deity, only lacking the gentle hum of satisfaction.

  It wasn't until a long time had passed that Shangguan Qiyue suddenly removed her palm from Tang Qing's forehead, took several steps back, and finally steadied herself. Her slender body seemed to be swaying unsteadily, and when she opened her eyes, they were filled with despair. Even the corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably, distorting her expression. She pointed at Tang Qing, "No use... no use... even the Three-Colored Heavenly Spring can't repair your foundation... it's over, I have no other way..."

  Shangguan Qixue closed her eyes, biting her lip, with an expression of utter despair.

  Tang Qing also opened his eyes, and in his double pupils was a gleam of delight. "Perhaps the time for washing the marrow was too short," he said. "Or... let's try washing it some more?"

  "Ah!" This time, Tang Qing's washing of his marrow had consumed a tremendous amount of cultivation. Xiang Junxue was so weak that she could barely stand steadily. Upon hearing Tang Qing's words, she suddenly felt an intense anger, her blood and energy surging to her heart, making her head spin dizzily. She only managed to utter one word before she nearly collapsed onto the ground. Tang Qing, who was standing beside her, quickly took a step forward and caught her in his arms, asking, "Are you alright?"

  "Let... let me go..."

  Shangguan Qixue was too weak, almost exhausting all the true yuan in her dantian, causing her body to become limp and even her voice became hoarse. However, she still couldn't help but struggle a little because Tang Qing's one hand was supporting her waist while the other hand was caressing her buttocks.

  "Oh."

  Tang Qing didn't mean to, it was just a casual hug, and then he helped Shangguan Qiusuo to the chair, said goodbye, and left quietly.

  In the dead of night, as Tang Qing walked through the mountain forest, with each step he took, a small portion of Shangguan Qianxue's true yuan was refined within his body. When he reached the entrance to the courtyard, all of Shangguan Qianxue's true yuan had been fully refined. Just as he was about to return and rest, he suddenly felt a warm energy spreading throughout his body. He curled up his lips and said, "The life force contained within this Three-Colored Heavenly Spring isn't bad... Ah, with the help of this life force, I can just reform my physical body."