Chapter 185: Climbing Golden Sword Mountain
In a blink of an eye, it is already February with lush grass and singing birds.
In the past two months, Qin Ziling continued to eat Chi meat every day as a tonic, and of course he also ate some other nourishing things, such as purple mist spiritual rice, green mist spiritual rice and so on.
"Dielang Gong" is water-based, so eating Huachi meat is actually the most suitable .
Coupled with Qin Ziling's breakthrough foundation of qi and blood, as well as the ability of gold to produce water and his powerful soul to control it in detail, the aspect of qi refining also has some complementary effects on martial arts.
In just two months, Qin Ziling's wave-layering power had reached its limit.
Now Qin Ziling's qi and blood power, plus the cold iron power and the overlapping waves power, the three forces combined into one, has almost doubled compared to when he killed Long Xiaotian years ago.
Of course, in the field of Qi Refining, the number of black snake phantoms is still increasing, but very slowly, from two hundred and thirty-six to two hundred and fifty-six. Obviously, there is still a long way to go before it can increase to three hundred and sixty-five.
The number of green wood phantoms was growing quite fast, from one hundred and nine to one hundred and forty-nine, a full increase of forty, but it began to slow down from then on.
Apparently, the progress of practicing "Evergreen Green Wood Technique" has reached a plateau. If one wants to improve it quickly, one needs to consume more advanced elixirs that can enhance the wood-type Qi.
The improvement of his soul was still slow, but fortunately he was making progress every day, which made Qin Ziling feel at ease.
Because among the three paths, relatively speaking, the soul realm is the highest and also the most illusory and mysterious. Qin Ziling has not taken any elixirs or magic medicines that specifically nourish the soul, so its progress is within Qin Ziling's expectations.
Taking into account the progress in the three ways, especially the amazing progress in martial arts, Qin Ziling is confident that if he were to meet Long Xiaotian again, he should be able to kill Long Xiaotian alive with martial arts and Qi training techniques alone, without using his soul or silver corpse.
After the Dielang Jin reached its limit, Qin Ziling asked Xiao Qing for the "Qinglong Xuanmu Jue".
Although the "Qinglong Xuanmu Jue" technique also has some water characteristics, it is still fundamentally wood-based. Metal produces water, and water produces wood.
After practicing Dielang Jin to its limit, it is just right to practice "Qinglong Xuanmu Jue".
When Qin Ziling began to practice the "Qinglong Xuanmu Jue", Xia Yan, under his guidance and daily nourishment at any cost, finally succeeded and became a Huajin martial artist.
This made Qin Ziling feel greatly relieved.
Because more than ten days ago, Xiao Qing's upper body had already completed the cowhide layer, which was much smoother and faster than expected.
In her spare time, she had mentioned to Qin Ziling several times, intentionally or unintentionally, that Xia Yan's control over strength could no longer keep up with her needs.
This put Qin Ziling under considerable pressure.
Because the "Qinglong Xuanmu Jue" technique has the attributes of water and wood, the external manifestation of Xiao Qing's bragging level is different from that of the "Han Tie Zhang Technique".
The latter really looks like cowhide, while the former has the vitality and tenderness of green leaves sprouting and the smoothness of water. It not only does not affect the beauty, but has a unique temptation taste.
Therefore, Qin Ziling really didn't dare to take the risk.
Fortunately, Xia Yan finally lived up to his expectations and became a Hua Jin martial artist at the critical moment.
When Xia Yan became a master of Hua Jin, several inner sect brothers and sisters who had studied with Qin Ziling at Shuiyue Villa had successfully condensed their strength one after another.
All of this was within Qin Ziling's expectations.
To achieve success in martial arts, there are three key factors: one's own aptitude, external resources, and the guidance of a famous teacher.
The reason why wealthy families can remain prosperous and powerful is not because the qualifications and bones of wealthy families' children are much better than ordinary people, but because their ancestors have laid a solid material foundation for them, giving them an absolute advantage in resource supply and guidance from famous teachers. This also leads to the continuous emergence of strong children from wealthy families. If everything goes well, they will grow bigger like a snowball.
Shen Xiujing and others were able to enter the inner courtyard. In fact, their own qualifications and roots were not bad. What they lacked were the supply of resources and the guidance of famous teachers.
And since Qin Ziling had his showdown with Zuo Le, the last two shortcomings have been made up.
As for famous teachers, there are two great Hua Jin martial arts masters, Zheng Xinghan and Zuo Le, who teach him personally and are very dedicated. This treatment is much better than that of the core disciples of the four major families in Fangqiao City.
The same is true for resource supply.
Therefore, the breakthroughs of Shen Xiujing and others were natural.
Compared with the breakthroughs of Lu Taiqiang, Shen Xiujing and others, although Zuo Le, Zheng Xinghan and Shao E are also constantly taking in large amounts of supplements, they have not yet reached the threshold of bone refining.
The progress of Zuo Le and the other two was also within Qin Ziling's expectations.
After all, the great bone refining martial artist can be considered a top-notch expert not only in Fangqiao City, but also in the entire Xiyun Province. The threshold of bone refining is naturally not so easy to reach.
Even if they do manage to touch it, most people can only reach this point after a lifetime of hard work.
This is because most of them do not have secret medicines for bone refining. Even if they do, they are usually either elixirs like the "Nine-Turn Blood Essence Bone Strengthening Secret Pill" or secret medicines made from the flesh and blood of fourth-grade lower-level alien beasts. The success rate of bone refining is very low.
It was only because Qin Ziling had the Hua Chi in his hand that, as long as Shao E and the other two touched the threshold of bone refining, there would be great hope for them to succeed.
So now, Qin Ziling is paying special attention to the progress of the three people.
Once a great bone-refining martial artist appears under his command, not only can Qin Ziling entrust many things to them, but the base camp in Fangluo City will also be truly stable.
Qin Ziling now had the capital to advance and retreat freely.
"No hurry, no hurry!"
Sitting cross-legged behind the screen, listening to the occasional "bang bang bang" sound of palms hitting flesh in the cave, and thinking about the changes and progress in the past few days since returning from the dragon vein land, Qin Ziling smiled and shook his head, then slowly closed his eyes and practiced the "Qinglong Xuanmu Gong".
Strength is condensed from one's own qi and blood. Every time you condense a bit of strength, you have to replenish a bit of qi and blood in time.
Taking the supply of Qi and blood into consideration, when it comes to refining strength, you can only use one method at a time. It's not like refining Qi, where you can practice both water and wood at the same time, because refining Qi absorbs the Qi of the five elements of heaven and earth.
The Qi of the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth is inexhaustible and will not have any effect on the entity.
…
Two months passed in a blink of an eye, and it was already April.
At this time, Xisheng Mountain is lush and green and full of vitality.
In the cave, behind the screen, Qin Ziling was still practicing the "Qinglong Xuanmu Gong".
Qin Ziling practiced the "Dielang Gong" for only two short months, but he had refined the "Dielang Jin" to the limit.
But when it came to the "Qinglong Xuanmu Gong", the progress slowed down significantly.
In the same two months, the progress of Qinglong Xuanmu Jin is at least half as slow as Dielang Jin, and the speed is showing a tendency to slow down.
But this is much better than Qin Ziling had imagined.
Originally, he only had the cold iron force.
In just four months, he now possesses three types of strength, and the total amount of comprehensive strength is more than twice as much as before.
This was a result he had never imagined before.
Originally, he thought that he still had a long way to go before he could reach the combat power of a grandmaster and hunt down a fifth-grade exotic beast. But now it seems that his sudden idea of condensing his strength in martial arts a few years ago has allowed him to take a shortcut. He is expected to be on par with a grandmaster in the near future, and even have the strength to kill a fifth-grade exotic beast.
Therefore, Qin Ziling is not anxious at all now.
Practice the "Qinglong Xuanmu Gong" neither hurriedly nor slowly, and condense the Qi and blood into Qinglong Xuanmu Jin bit by bit.
"when!"
When Qin Ziling was practicing the "Qinglong Xuanmu Gong", a crisp sound of metal clashing was heard outside.
"Miss, you succeeded!"
Then Qin Ziling heard Xia Yan's surprised voice again.
"Successful?" Qin Ziling immediately stopped practicing and walked out from behind the screen upon hearing this.
In the middle of the cave, Xiao Qing stood upright, as if he was wearing a green dragon scale armor, looking indescribably heroic.
"I didn't expect you to succeed so quickly!" Qin Ziling was very surprised to see that Xiao Qing had successfully tempered his limbs and torso.
"Yes, it succeeded!" Xiao Qing gently stroked his hard skin that looked like dragon scales, his emotions surging.
For this day, she went to the gates of hell twice!
The first trip was forced, while the second one was voluntary and more dangerous.
Now it seems that these two trips to the gates of hell were not in vain!
"Next, do you want to continue to train other parts of your body, or prepare to condense your strength?" Qin Ziling asked.
"No, I feel that my torso has reached my limit. It would be a waste of time to try other parts. Let me start concentrating my strength today!" Xiao Qing replied.
After Xiao Qing finished speaking, his energy and blood began to subside.
The skin that looked like the scales of a blue dragon rippled like water, and then it was as if Xiao Qing had taken off the scales on her body, revealing skin as smooth as cream.
"This..." Qin Ziling didn't expect that there was a woman who could take off her "clothes" automatically without using her hands.
This was obviously Xiao Qing's first time as well, and he didn't think of this for a moment.
When she came to her senses, she found that Qin Ziling was staring at her.
Xiao Qing was startled, but soon took the clothes handed to her by Xia Yan with a calm face.
"Brother, can I put on my clothes now?" Xiao Qing asked, holding the clothes and blinking at Qin Ziling.
Qin Ziling turned around, slowly closed his eyes in pain, and then waved behind him.
Women’s psychology is too strong, which is sometimes a huge test for men!
Xiao Qing looked at Qin Ziling's back and a happy smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Qin Ziling was too powerful, and his methods were endless. This was the only time Xiao Qing could see him being defeated.
Xiao Qing quickly put on her clothes, then walked around to Qin Ziling, smiled sweetly at him and said, "Brother, I'm fine now. I can start to condense my strength."
Qin Ziling looked at Xiao Qing, who was smiling sweetly, and secretly shook off the images that were not suitable for children in his mind, and asked, "Don't you need to get familiar with it?"
"Brother, have you forgotten that I was once a Hua Jin martial artist?" Xiao Qing asked instead of answering.
"Yes, then let's prepare to condense our strength." Qin Ziling nodded.
"Yeah!" Xiao Qing nodded, then took out a ceramic jar from his bag.
This is the Xiao family's last secret bone-refining medicine. It is made from the flesh and blood of a fourth-grade lower-level exotic beast with wood attributes. It is most suitable for refining the bones of the Xiao family's descendants who practice the "Qinglong Xuanmu Gong".
But now it is only enough for Xiao Qing to use to re-condense his strength.
If he couldn't gather his strength again with the help of this secret medicine, Xiao Qing would probably have no choice but to take the risk and use the blood and flesh of the Chi.
No matter how mild the potency of the Chi Blood and Flesh medicine is, its efficacy is ultimately close to that of a fifth-grade exotic beast. It is still somewhat risky for Xiao Qing to use it to concentrate his strength.
Moreover, concentrating strength and refining bones are two different realms, and the secret medicines used also need to have a different level.
Having consumed the blood and flesh of Hua Chi in advance, Xiao Qing’s secret bone refining medicine in the later stage might become a problem again.
…
Two hours later.
A stream of air lingered around Xiao Qing.
The airflow became faster and stronger.
Then it quickly condensed into a five-meter-long, thick as a human leg, with shining green scales on its body, two horns on its head, and five claws on its belly.
This green dragon is vivid and lifelike, emitting great majesty, it seems unreal or real.
A low and majestic dragon roar sounded in the cave, and then the green dragon that had coiled around Xiao Qing soared into the sky, then stretched out its five claws and grabbed Qin Ziling.
Qin Ziling smiled faintly upon seeing this, raised his palm knife, and slashed at Qinglong through the air.
The powerful airflow rushed out, forming a shadow of a giant sword as big as a door panel in the air, emitting a cold light, and fell towards Qinglong.
"Bang!" A loud noise.
The five claws of the Qinglong were cut off directly. The Qinglong howled, rolled in the air, and turned into a rolling airflow that was taken back by Xiao Qing.
"This!" Xiao Qing had a complicated expression when he saw Qin Ziling easily kill the green dragon formed by his own strength with one sword.
"Don't be discouraged, you are actually very good!" Qin Ziling stepped forward, patted Xiao Qing's shoulders, and comforted her in a earnest manner.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qing glared at Qin Ziling fiercely, but soon smiled happily.
Qin Ziling also started laughing when he saw this.
"Although I am still much weaker than you now, I am still much stronger than before. In the past, my strength could only fight against an ordinary great martial artist in the early stage of bone refining, but now I am confident that even if Pang Qiwei comes in person, I can defeat him. So from now on, big brother, you don't have to stay here to guard me." Soon, Xiao Qing stopped laughing and said confidently.
"Okay, I just need to leave here to do something recently. You and Xia Yan should stay here for a while. Don't rush to refine your bones. You can practice the 'Qinglong Xuanmu Jin' to the limit first. When you can't move forward anymore, try to condense the 'Dielang Jin'." Qin Ziling said.
"Two kinds of strength? Is this okay?" Xiao Qing looked shocked.
"How do you know if you don't try? Your foundation is very solid now. Your mind and will have been very firm and strong after two tests of scattered energy. Water and wood are mutually beneficial. Your Xiao family's 'Qinglong Xuanmu Jin' already contains some water properties. If you try to condense 'Dielang Jin', the probability of success should be very high.
Of course, this will definitely delay your progress in cultivation, but I have a lot of good tonics here. Using them to condense your strength should make up for a lot of the delay." Qin Ziling said.
Xiao Qing said nothing upon hearing this, but just lowered his head in thought.
After a long time, Xiao Qing made a decision.
"Brother, everyone has his or her own way of cultivation. I'm different from you. I have limited talent. I've been at the gates of hell twice just for the sake of my limbs and torso. But I won't be so lucky every time in the future. So I think I can't be greedy or distracted anymore. Instead, I must be enterprising and move forward courageously on one path!" Xiao Qing said with a firm gaze.
Qin Ziling was greatly shocked when he heard this, he lowered his head and remained silent.
Along the way, he cultivated his spirit, martial arts, qi, and even corpse refining.
Not only that, in the way of Qi training and martial arts, one not only pursues the limit, but also pursues the completeness of the five elements.
If Xiao Qing were to go by what he said, he was simply extremely greedy and distracted!
"Have I taken the wrong path? Am I being too greedy and distracted? No, since God has allowed me to be reborn, since I have merged two and a half souls from the beginning, I can do many things at the same time, and I have reached the realm of driving objects from the beginning. I can control the three bronze corpses from the beginning...
Then the path of being strong and complete is my path! Others cannot follow this path, nor do they have the confidence, but I can! I have made my whole body of iron, and I can also achieve the five kinds of strength and the five kinds of true power!"
But soon, Qin Ziling's hesitation turned into determination.
"You're right. Everyone has his or her own path. Just keep going down your own path!" Qin Ziling raised his head slowly and said to Xiao Qing calmly.
"good."
"However, you'd better wait until you become a Bone Refining Great Martial Artist before going out. By then, with your foundation, you will have no problem fighting against a Bone Refining Middle Stage Great Martial Artist." Qin Ziling nodded.
"I think so too!" Xiao Qing nodded, his eyes showing anticipation.
…
One day later, at the foot of Jinjian Mountain, a man with two mustaches on his lips, a small tuft of beard on his chin, and a not-so-obvious scar on his left cheek was standing at the entrance to the mountain holding the hand of a little boy.
The man with the mustache is naturally Qin Ziling, and the little boy is Zuo Cong.
Next to the two men, there were two men wearing gray Taoist robes with a golden sword embroidered on the cuffs.
These two men are disciples guarding the Jinjian Mountain Pass.
Qin Ziling and Zuo Cong were stopped by them as soon as they arrived.
Qin Ziling gave them a beast bag and asked them to convey the message "an old friend is visiting" to Feng Ziluo, and then he took Zuo Cong and waited patiently at the entrance to the mountain.
The main peak of Jinjian Mountain, Jinjian Peak, is a thousand feet high, like a giant sword piercing the sky.
The mountain is full of green pines and cypresses, waterfalls and flowing springs. There are quaint Taoist temples among the ancient cypress and pine forests halfway up the mountain. On the top of the mountain stands a huge palace with a huge square in front of the palace.
At the top of the mountain, the palace is shrouded in clouds and mist, and is looming in the sky, reflecting golden light in the sun, just like the legendary fairy palace where immortals live.
Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up at Jinjian Peak, one can't help but feel awe and yearning.
"Master, is this the place where I will study Taoism in the future?" Zuo Cong looked up at Jinjian Peak, his eyes revealing a hint of anticipation and yearning.
"That's right." Qin Ziling touched Zuo Cong's little head.
As soon as Qin Ziling finished speaking, a melodious bell sounded from the top of the mountain, echoing among the mountains.
Then, the sound of cranes' cries was heard, and three white dots on the top of the mountain broke through the clouds and shot down the mountain like arrows.
The white dot grew bigger and bigger, and when it was dozens of meters above Qin Ziling and Zuo Cong, it had turned into a giant crane with its wings spread over ten meters and its golden crown shining in the sun.
The giant crane in the middle was riding on a man in white, with his back straight and as sharp as a sword or a spear. He was none other than Feng Ziluo, the current leader of the Golden Sword Sect.
On the giant cranes on the left and right were riding old men wearing green Taoist robes and holding whisks in their hands. They were between sixty and seventy years old and looked like immortals.
"Master, it's an immortal!" Zuo Cong's eyes widened when he saw Feng Ziluo and the other two flying down from the sky riding on giant cranes.
The disciple on duty at Yamaguchi's eyes widened when he saw the three golden-crowned cranes swooping down with the sect master and two elders sitting on their backs.
In their impression, the sect leader had not come down the mountain to greet guests in person for many years.
"As expected, packaging is very important. Riding an exotic bird, one is instantly upgraded to an immortal. No wonder so many people are trying their best to become a disciple of the Qi Refining Sect."
Qin Ziling secretly curled his lips in disapproval, but he was still quite satisfied that Feng Ziluo personally rode a crane and brought people to greet him.
The golden-crowned crane flapped its wings, creating a storm, and then landed on the ground.
Feng Ziluo and the two elders flew down from the golden-crowned crane.
"Brother Qin, I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person!" Feng Ziluo bowed to Qin Ziling. He was usually cold and arrogant, but it was rare for him to force a smile on his face.
The two elders who had followed down to greet the guests bowed together. Their eyes, which had originally seemed dim, suddenly became as sharp as swords, as if they wanted to see Qin Ziling thoroughly.
However, these two elders were only in the late stage of true power cultivation, while Qin Ziling's level of Qi training was not inferior to theirs . Moreover, his soul was powerful, and his control over his aura and magic power had reached a subtle level. How could they see through him?
"Brother Feng, you're welcome!" Qin Ziling and Zuo Cong returned the gift.
"Who is this?" Feng Ziluo's gaze quickly fell on Zuo Cong.
"This is my disciple Zuo Cong. The main reason I came to the Golden Sword Sect this time is for him." Qin Ziling said.
"It turns out to be Junior Nephew Zuo!" Feng Ziluo nodded, and then said: "Brother Qin, this is not the place to talk, please follow me up the mountain."
"Okay." Qin Ziling nodded.
"Elder Fang, please take care of Junior-Junior Brother Zuo." Feng Ziluo instructed an elder on the left.
"Can Zuo Cong and I ride on a big crane together? This will save Elder Fang the trouble." Qin Ziling smiled and said without waiting for Elder Fang to answer.
He wasn't used to riding a big bird with a grown man!
"How can this be possible!" Before Feng Ziluo could answer, Elder Fang said, "This golden-crowned crane is a third-grade exotic bird. Its sharp claws can pierce through golden cave stones. It can even grab tigers and black bears and tear them apart alive. It is extremely ferocious. Even though it was domesticated and raised by our Golden Sword Sect since it was young, only elders like us who are in the late stage of true strength in the Golden Sword Sect are capable of riding it."
"Brother Qin, what Elder Fang said is true. The golden-crowned crane is ferocious and aggressive by nature, and it is only because our Golden Sword Sect has the secret method of taming it that we can raise some for riding. Although Brother Qin is very powerful, after all..." Feng Ziluo took over the conversation.
"Brother Feng, don't worry. I think I should be able to control a third-grade exotic bird." Qin Ziling interrupted calmly.
Elder Fang saw that Qin Ziling still didn't believe him despite his kind words and the sect master's reminder. He couldn't help but feel annoyed at his arrogance, so he pointed at the golden-crowned crane he was riding and said, "Then Fellow Daoist Qin, go and try first to see if you can ride it. Fellow Daoist Qin, you should be more worried. This evil beast is very fierce. Without me by its side, it will attack anyone who gets close."
"Master!" Zuo Cong became worried when he heard this and quickly grabbed Qin Ziling's sleeve.
Qin Ziling smiled, picked up Zuo Cong, and said, "See how I can help you tame this golden-crowned crane."
After saying that, Qin Ziling took Zuo Cong into the air, stepped on the void, and flew towards the golden-crowned crane.
When the Golden Crowned Crane saw Qin Ziling and Zuo Cong flying towards its back, its eyes flashed with ferocity, and it let out a cry, then pecked at Qin Ziling with its long, sharp beak.
