I tamed beasts and achieved immortality in the world of cultivation.

After Qian Youfu left, Half Moon Lake returned to its former tranquility.

Early in the morning, Chen Qing stood by the second-floor window, looking at the misty spiritual energy on the lake, and took a deep breath.

He has been living a very regular life these past few days.

In the early morning, he cultivates the "Canglan Technique" to draw spiritual energy into his body and temper his meridians; in the afternoon, he practices the "Nunhun Technique" to nourish his soul and strengthen his spiritual awareness; at night, he circulates the "Cangling Technique" to suppress his cultivation level, so that from the outside, he is just an ordinary disciple at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

The three techniques, practiced in rotation, were quite fulfilling.

"Time to feed the fish."

Chen Qing withdrew his gaze, went downstairs to the lakeside, took out feed from his storage bag, activated his spiritual power, and transformed it into a shower of spiritual rain that fell onto the lake surface.

In an instant, nearly three thousand blue carp leaped out of the water, more than a hundred of them quite large. The splashing water created a cacophony, and the spray soaked the hem of Chen Qing's robe.

Chen Qing smiled slightly, looking at the lively fish with great satisfaction.

In another five or six months, this batch of blue carp will be ready for market. At that time, with over five thousand essences in hand, the fragile foundations of Qingtian and Danyu after breaking through to the first-tier high-grade level will be significantly stabilized.

"Chen Qing! Chen Qing!"

A thought, tinged with excitement, drifted from afar.

Chen Qing turned his head and saw Qingtian rushing over from the hillside on the opposite side of the lake. His four-foot-tall body moved through the forest as if it were flat ground, and the three golden hairs on his head swayed back and forth in the morning breeze.

"What's wrong?" Chen Qing asked.

Qingtian darted in front of him in a few swift movements, dusted off his hands, and transmitted his thoughts: "Today I shattered that boulder! I punched it three thousand seven hundred times, and it's finally broken!"

Chen Qing glanced at its slightly red and swollen fists, frowning slightly: "Didn't you apply any medicine again?"

"I've applied it, I've applied it." Qingtian chuckled, took out a small porcelain bottle from behind his ear and shook it. "I'm taking good care of myself now, after all, I still need to keep these fists to protect you, Chen Qing."

Chen Qing chuckled and reached out to rub its head: "Alright, go take a rest. It's time to take the Blazing Essence Pill today."

"Okay, okay." Qingtian waved his hand, ran back to the small building in a flash, squatted on the stone bench, took out a dark red Blazing Yuan Pill from somewhere, threw it into his mouth and chewed it with a crunching sound, while his other hand did not forget to open the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" which was already worn out from being read so many times.

Chen Qing shook his head and turned his gaze to the other side of the lake.

Dan Yu stood under the large willow tree by the lake, his slender neck slightly lowered, staring at the dilapidated "Nth-hand alchemy furnace" in front of him. Fortunately, there was no longer any ordinary yellow firewood; the furnace was now filled with pure white crane-heart flames.

With a gentle peck, the lid of the furnace was lifted, and three round pills flew out, spun in the air, and landed in the jade plate at her feet.

Niwa looked down, nudged something with her beak, and then—

"puff."

A burst of white flame shot out, and the three pills turned to ashes.

"Failed again." Dan Yu's cool voice rang in Chen Qing's mind, tinged with a hint of frustration. "The timing was still a little off."

Chen Qing walked over, glanced at the ashes in the jade plate, and said gently, "No rush, take your time. How long have you been learning alchemy? You've already made quite a bit of progress."

Dan Yu glanced at him, then proudly raised her head: "Of course I know there's no rush, I'm just striving for perfection."

Chen Qing's lips twitched: "...Fine, you can strive for perfection."

He secretly began to make plans in his mind.

Dan Yu's current pills aren't even low-grade first-tier, so they don't cost her many spirit stones; they're all just ordinary pills. However, given her current diligence, it shouldn't be long before she masters first-tier pills.

If she is still required to refine pills at that time, it will cost money – after all, the most important thing in pill refining is to practice with spirit stones.

But Chen Qing thought about it and realized that Dan Yu was aloof and never made any demands on herself; this was her only hobby.

That's it.

At worst, he could just spend some spirit stones and treat it as raising a daughter. Chen Qing could accept the idea of ​​raising sons frugally and daughters lavishly.

Thinking of this, Chen Qing shook his head and stopped worrying about it.

Seeing that he was still standing there, Danyu waved his wings dismissively: "You're blocking the light."

Chen Qing: "...Fine, I'm leaving."

He turned and went back to the small building.

Silvermoon was curled up in a ball at the doorway of the second-floor quiet room, her fluffy body slightly cool in the morning light. Seeing Chen Qing come up, she raised her head, her deep green eyes blinking, and a soft, sweet thought emanated from her:

"Chen Qing."

"Hmm." Chen Qing squatted down and patted her head. "How are you feeling today?"

"It's fine." Yinyue stuck out her pink little tongue and licked his fingers. "It's just... my legs are still a little sore."

Chen Qing smiled. This was the training method he designed for Yin Yue: running thirty laps around the lake every morning and evening to train endurance and speed; then practicing basic combat skills such as pouncing, biting, and dodging to strengthen the body.

Chen Qing took out a spirit beast pill from his storage bag and handed it over: "Eat it and rest well. We'll practice again this evening."

Silver Moon let out a howl, snatched the spirit beast pill into its mouth, squinted its eyes, and lay down on the spot with a look of enjoyment, its tail wagging gently twice.

Chen Qing rubbed Yin Yue's head, sat cross-legged on the futon, and continued to circulate the "Canglan Technique," breathing in and out spiritual energy.

……

On this day, Chen Qing was cultivating in the quiet room on the second floor as usual.

The three cultivation techniques, "Canglan Technique," "Yunhun Technique," and "Cangling Technique," circulate in a cycle, with spiritual energy flowing slowly through the meridians. The soul is as clear and bright as the moon reflected in water, and the breath is contained so perfectly that not a drop of water leaks out.

Suddenly, an indescribable pressure swept in from the south!

The oppressive force was as vast as the sea and as heavy as a mountain, as if the entire world had frozen in that instant.

Chen Qing suddenly opened his eyes and quickly walked to the window. He saw a golden sun slowly rising in the southern sky, its rays shining brightly and dyeing half of the sky golden.

The great sun streaked across the sky at an astonishing speed, heading towards Yunzhou City in the west. Wherever it passed, spiritual pressure poured down like a tide, causing plants to bow their heads and birds and beasts to fall silent.

"This is……"

Chen Qing was startled.

Golden Core True Lord!

The Lingyun Sect boasts no fewer than a hundred Golden Core True Monarchs, but Chen Qing has only sensed such power from afar once or twice during the sect's grand ceremony. He subconsciously compared this oppressive aura to the few early-stage Golden Core elders he remembered seeing—

He's many times stronger than those elders!

"Most likely it's that late-stage Golden Core cultivator from Xuanzhen Peak..." Chen Qing muttered to himself, then shook his head.

Whether he's in the mid-stage or late-stage of the Golden Core realm, he's a powerful expert sent by the sect to oversee things.

Chen Qing knew that the Lingyun Sect had a profound foundation, with more than a dozen Nascent Soul Ancestors within its ranks, but those at that level would not easily make a move. Unless the Blood Soul Sect launched a large-scale invasion and a sect war broke out, the Nascent Soul Ancestors were mostly in seclusion, diligently cultivating and seeking the elusive path to the Divine Transformation.

For border skirmishes like this, sending a Golden Core True Monarch to oversee the situation is sufficient.

Chen Qing came to his senses and saw that the golden sun was getting farther and farther away, eventually turning into a point of light and disappearing in the direction of Yunzhou City. The overwhelming pressure also gradually dissipated, and the world returned to clarity.

Chen Qing stood by the window, gazing westward, her eyes fixed on the view for a long time.

With a late-stage Golden Core cultivator in charge, the safety of the three northern states of the Wu Kingdom is guaranteed. If the Qian Kingdom wants to send people to infiltrate again, they'll have to think twice.

His safety for the next six months is secure!