Upon learning of Zhou Qingyu's return, Chen Qinglian and Zhao Yanyun both came to visit, finally putting their worried hearts at ease.
Zhao Yanyun smiled and said, "Young Master Zhou, I am very relieved to entrust my Elder sister to you."
"Mother, let's go. Tonight, I will Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm and give the Xingyun Pavilion Elder, who is about to arrive, a surprise!"
"I believe he will value me even more."
Chen Qinglian, with a face full of smiles, accompanied Zhao Yanyun to the Cultivation room in the manor.
Zhou Qingyu was not idle either.
As soon as they left, he closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and closed his eyes to Cultivate.
"The Nine Revolutions Undying Scripture is only one last revolution away."
A complex look appeared in his eyes:
"Before, I Cultivated this Scripture for Ancient Moon Supreme."
"Now, that kindness is severed!"
"It's time to Cultivate for myself."
Muttering this in his heart, he skillfully circulated the Mind-Cultivation Technique of this Scripture—Whale Devour.
Ordinary people improve their Cultivation by slowly absorbing Spiritual Qi through their Meridians, then converting it into Spiritual Qi.
Zhou Qingyu was different.
After the accumulation of the first eight revolutions, as soon as he circulated "Whale Devour," the Meridians in his body were like starving ghosts released from an eight-hundred-year prison.
They greedily devoured the surrounding Spiritual Qi!
In just the blink of an eye, the Spiritual Qi in the room was completely absorbed.
But this was far from enough to satisfy the Meridians' needs, and they absorbed the distant Spiritual Qi with even greater force.
Midnight.
Zhao Yanyun was drenched in sweat, at a critical moment of her Foundation Establishment Breakthrough.
She vaguely felt that she had touched a blurry barrier.
She only needed to absorb the Spiritual Qi in the secret chamber, concentrate it, and then charge through to Breakthrough this barrier and ascend to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"With my talent, wouldn't it ruin my life if I married someone like Zhou Qingyu?"
She felt fortunate in her heart, took a deep breath, and prepared to charge with all her might.
But suddenly, the abundant Spiritual Qi that she had spent many precious resources to fill the secret chamber with mysteriously vanished in an instant.
It was as if an invisible giant mouth had swallowed all her Spiritual Qi.
"What's going on?"
Zhao Yanyun had no choice but to give up her Breakthrough, her eyes filled with rage.
Chen Qinglian, who was guarding the door, also noticed the abnormality and exclaimed in shock, "So much Spiritual Qi absorbed in an instant?"
"This, who is this Senior Breakthroughing?"
Zhao Ruyuan and the Family Elders all rushed over, their expressions changing drastically.
Zhao Ruyuan, as the Family Head, had the highest Cultivation and understood even more what the speed of this Spiritual Qi dissipation meant.
His eyes showed a hint of horror: "I once saw the Xingyun Pavilion Elder Cultivate, but the speed at which he absorbed Spiritual Qi was not even one-tenth of this!"
Composing himself, he cupped his hands and shouted, "May I ask which Senior is Breakthroughing in my Zhao Family?"
"The Zhao Family is unworthy, but we are willing to act as Protector for Senior!"
His voice was clear, but for a long time, there was no reply.
Zhao Yanyun, whose Foundation Establishment Breakthrough was interrupted and failed, heard her parents' shouts and only then realized that an unimaginably powerful being was Breakthroughing near the Zhao Family.
Her heart trembled, and she quickly calmed her anger, saying respectfully, "Father, who, who could this be?"
"Shh!" Zhao Ruyuan, however, acted as if he revered a god, quickly making a shushing gesture.
"Don't ask! Don't be curious! Don't investigate!"
"Since this Senior doesn't wish to show himself, it means he doesn't want to be disturbed!"
"It's best if we pretend not to know."
Zhao Family members were forcibly dispersed by Zhao Ruyuan and forbidden to leave their rooms.
The entire Family was on tenterhooks.
They feared disturbing him and incurring his wrath.
It wasn't until dawn, when the movement of absorbing Spiritual Qi disappeared, that they slightly breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time.
In the woodshed, Zhou Qingyu stopped Cultivating.
His eyes held a hidden spiritual light, a sign of having Cultivation.
He inwardly examined himself, and even he, who was once the strongest in the world, was startled: "Third Layer of Qi Condensation?"
When he Cultivated the eighth revolution, he remembered it took a full three days to Breakthrough to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation.
This time, he Breakthrough to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation overnight?
The ninth revolution was as different from the first eight revolutions as Heaven and Earth!
"You've Breakthrough?"
Zhao Yinxi's face, covered with gauze, revealed two clear black and white eyes, curiously sizing him up.
Although she had no Cultivation, she clearly felt that there was an extra layer around Zhou Qingyu.
"Didn't I say I was going to make your younger brother cry? How can I do that without Breakthroughing some Cultivation?"
Zhou Qingyu teased.
Zhao Yinxi's small mouth opened in surprise. She heard that Breakthroughs were very difficult.
Each layer required several months, or even a year, of accumulation.
Even a top Spiritual Root like her younger sister, Zhao Yanyun, took a full month to Breakthrough to the First Layer of Qi Condensation.
However, Zhou Qingyu might have Cultivated for a long time before coming to the Zhao Family.
He just happened to Breakthrough last night.
Thinking of this, she pondered for a moment, then flipped open the bedding on the bed, revealing a hidden compartment beneath the bed board.
Inside were three slightly yellowed Medicinal Pill bottles.
"These are Yuánqì Liquid that my father secretly gave me. Take them."
Zhou Qingyu was speechless for a moment.
After all, Zhao Ruyuan still had a bit of conscience as a father, secretly taking care of his daughter.
Then he asked, "Why don't you use them yourself? Yuánqì Liquid can speed up Cultivation, and it might even allow you to Breakthrough to the First Layer of Qi Condensation.
"With Cultivation, your situation will greatly improve."
Zhao Yinxi smiled bitterly: "If I used them and accidentally Breakthrough, my stepmother would guess that my father secretly helped me, and then she would cause trouble for my father again."
"So you should use them."
Zhou Qingyu was speechless for a moment.
How fortunate he was to meet such a kind girl.
He took the Medicinal Pill bottles and looked, his mouth twitching slightly, saying with a wry smile, "They've expired."
The Yuánqì Liquid showed light red foam, a sign of expired Medicinal Pills.
"Ah?" Zhao Yinxi clutched the Medicinal Pill bottle, her eyes full of reluctance: "My father gave these to me with great difficulty."
Seeing her on the verge of tears, Zhou Qingyu smiled and patted her head.
"Silly girl, it's just Yuánqì Liquid, and it's the Low Grade kind. I'll find a way to get you three better ones!"
Zhao Yinxi sniffled and looked at him in surprise: "You can also do Alchemy?"
Unlike medicines used by Mortals, the Medicinal Pills and other items used by Cultivators cannot be refined by ordinary people.
Because Heaven And Earth Treasure containing Spiritual Qi often also contain a large amount of harmful Impurities.
One must rely on powerful Soul Power to forcibly strip the Impurities from them.
And Alchemists are even rarer than top Spiritual Roots like Zhao Yanyun.
They are born with Soul Power stronger than ordinary people, capable of easily refining Heaven And Earth Treasure.
In the vast Qingdi City, there was only one Alchemist apprentice.
"Barely, I suppose."
Although Zhou Qingyu had lost his Cultivation, his Soul Power was far from that of an Emperor, but it was still far beyond ordinary people.
It was just that he had not been certified by the Pill Pavilion, so he could not be considered a true Alchemist.
But refining a few bottles of Yuánqì Liquid was effortless for him.
After instructing Zhao Yinxi not to go out, he went alone to the Wanbao Pavilion.
Looking at the empty Wanbao Pavilion, his mouth twitched for a moment.
"Did they worry about exposing me, so they packed up the shop overnight and ran away?"
"I still wanted to get some Materials and reduce your President's sentence when I regain control of Tian Yuan Divine Prison."
No choice, he could only go into the mountains to search himself.
After a brief inquiry, he arrived at Lianyun Mountain, thirty li outside Qingdi City.
This mountain was rich in Spiritual Qi and was the growing place of Moon-Gazing Grass, the main Material for Yuánqì Liquid.
However, he searched several mountain tops but couldn't find a single plant.
He only found some roots that had been picked by others.
"Someone got here first." Zhou Qingyu sighed slightly.
Just then.
An angry cry came: "Let go! Let go of me!"
Immediately after, wild laughter followed.
"Shout, shout until your throat breaks, no one will hear you!"
Zhou Qingyu's mouth twitched slightly.
He actually encountered such a clichéd situation.
He didn't even think, turning around to leave.
He accidentally stepped on a branch, making a creaking sound, and the woman exclaimed in surprise: "Is anyone there? Is anyone there, please?"
Zhou Qingyu said expressionlessly, "No one, you two continue."
He didn't think he would encounter such a good thing as a hero saving a beauty in the deep mountains.
