Chapter 167: Switching Cultivation Methods, Love Settled

After placing Spirit Stones into the Spirit-Gathering Formation arranged yesterday and activating it with a Spell Incantation, the formation began to operate.

Lin Changqing sat cross-legged in the center of the array, took out the Jade Slip containing the cultivation method of the Five Elements Chaos Sutra, and once again reviewed the Qi Refining stage portion of the technique.

He went through it from beginning to end one more time, and only after confirming there were absolutely no issues did he formally begin switching his cultivation.

Operating the Five Elements Chaos Sutra, he guided the Spiritual Energy within his dantian to circulate along the new method's pathways; fortunately, since both possessed the Chaos Attribute, there was no need to scatter his cultivation and start over.

As the new cultivation method guided the Spiritual Energy in his dantian through twelve Heavenly Circuits, Lin Changqing finally noticed that the total quantity of Spiritual Energy had decreased slightly.

However, the quality of the Spiritual Energy had improved somewhat, a result aided by the Spirit-Gathering Formation continuously supplying fresh Spiritual Energy.

Once he understood the principle, he had a general idea in his heart and continued circulating the Five Elements Chaos Sutra to convert his Spiritual Energy, a process that took longer than Lin Changqing had anticipated.

He had originally expected to successfully switch cultivation within three to five days, but unexpectedly, it ultimately took ten days, and his Cultivation Base dropped from Qi Refining Eighth Layer to Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

The total amount of Spiritual Energy had decreased by about sixty percent, but its quality was now more than double what it was before; he estimated that upon reaching Qi Refining Ninth Layer, the quality would be exactly five times what it was prior to switching cultivation.

In other words, where he previously needed ten units of Spiritual Energy to manipulate a Dharma Artifact once, he now required only four units, and furthermore, Lin Changqing felt his foundation was now extremely solid, possessing a sensation as firm as a rock and as stable as Mount Tai.

His control over Spiritual Energy was now effortless, flowing smoothly and perfectly according to his will.

Just as Lin Changqing completed his cultivation switch, the outside world had already become extraordinarily lively; mainly, the villagers had been fine for the first few days, but over the following five or six days, they had gathered around Chen Zi Ya's home almost every single day.

When Lin Changqing emerged from Closed-Door Cultivation, he saw Chen Zi Ya standing guard outside his room.

Seeing that Lin Changqing had successfully emerged, Chen Zi Ya finally breathed a sigh of relief.

During these past few days, she had to worry about Lin Changqing while also stepping forward to deal with the village Elders, and on top of that, villagers came daily to surround her home, begging her to take action against the demons.

She was nearly overwhelmed, but fortunately, Lin Changqing had finally emerged from seclusion.

"Senior Brother, wonderful! You're out!" Chen Zi Ya said happily, feeling as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Junior Sister!" Seeing Chen Zi Ya's worried expression and realizing she had been guarding the doorway to protect his Dharma cultivation.

Lin Changqing's heart surged with emotion; unable to restrain himself any longer, he stepped forward and tightly embraced her in his arms, this time holding warmth and soft jade fully against his chest, reluctant to let go for a long time.

Suddenly embraced by Lin Changqing, Chen Zi Ya's body initially stiffened, but soon she went as soft as a noodle; had Lin Changqing not been holding her, she might well have collapsed, her face flushed completely red.

Her hands were initially at a loss, but eventually, she wrapped them around Lin Changqing's waist; smelling his scent, her heart inexplicably settled into peace.

"Junior Sister, once we return, I will ask the Clan Leader and Grandfather to step forward and propose marriage to Elder Chen Jieyi and the Great Grandmother on my behalf."

"As for your parents, I will wait for an appropriate time to shamelessly seek their permission for your hand myself!"

"Are you willing to marry me and become my Dao Companion?"

Upon hearing Lin Changqing's words, Chen Zi Ya was overwhelmed with joy and shyness; she could only press her face tightly against Lin Changqing's chest and respond in a tiny voice: "Young Lady is willing; everything shall follow Senior Brother's arrangements."

The two simply stood there, quietly embracing one another, neither speaking a word to ruin the beauty of this moment.

After quite some time, Chen Zi Ya remembered that a large crowd of village Elders and villagers were still waiting outside.

She had to speak softly: "Senior Brother, many villagers are gathered outside; let us go and handle the situation first!"

Only then did Lin Changqing reluctantly release her, nodding and saying, "Very well, let us go take a look!"

He then recalled the Purple Crystal Scorpion Swarm and retrieved the Array Disk of the Small Five Elements Illusion Array.

The two then walked toward the Chen Family living hall, and before they even arrived, they could already hear a clamor of voices inside.

After exchanging a glance, the two stepped into the living hall.

The moment they entered, all sound in the hall immediately vanished, for the villagers held great awe toward Immortal Masters.

Finally, the old master Chen Qingzong regained his composure and led the way in paying respects to Lin Changqing: "This old one greets Immortal Master Lin!" The villagers also bowed and called out in unison: "We greet Immortal Master Lin!"

Lin Changqing supported the old man and spoke: "My apologies, everyone; I did not expect this cultivation session to last ten days, far longer than I anticipated, keeping you all waiting."

"My Spirit Beast, the Golden Winged Bird, has already discovered the source of the problem, so there is no need for everyone to continue gathering at the Chen residence."

"After I give a few instructions, I will enter the mountains to resolve the issue; for now, everyone please return home!"

In fact, on the second day of Lin Changqing's Closed-Door Cultivation, Chu Yi had already searched the area spanning several hundred li multiple times.

Surprisingly, he found nothing at first; it was only later, by employing his Talent Spell, the Golden Eye Breaking Void Eye, that he managed to discern something.

He did not find the expected Demon Beast skilled at hiding; instead, about thirty or forty li away from Tongshan Village, he discovered an array, specifically an array designed for concealment.

On the second day of Lin Changqing's seclusion, Chu Yi had already relayed the news of this array's discovery to Lin Changqing through their Contract, but at that time, Lin Changqing was at a critical juncture of his cultivation switch and could not possibly emerge.

Therefore, he had only instructed Chu Yi to fly farther away and under no circumstances approach that array, merely to keep watch from a distance until Lin Changqing emerged from seclusion to handle it.

Now that Lin Changqing had emerged, since the situation was completely different from what he had anticipated, he did not plan to bring Chen Zi Ya along.

Bringing her would actually be unsafe, as they were clearly facing Cultivators, and he did not know how many people were inside or whether any Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators were among them.

Under these circumstances, it was more convenient for him to go alone; with that Light Gauze Magical Treasure capable of invisibility, along with Lu Youqiang and Lu Xiaoya who possessed the Wind Escape Technique, his safety was basically guaranteed.

If that proved insufficient, he could still reveal his trump card and release Lin Zhangliu to skewer them like kebabs; he believed that even if the opponents were also at the Foundation Establishment stage, none could withstand Lin Zhangliu's surprise attack.

After all, Lin Zhangliu's Root Hairs could pierce even the Void, let alone one or two defensive Spiritual Artifacts; such defenses would be skewered into a string by Lin Zhangliu in a matter of moments.

Other villagers intended to speak further, but they were all halted by the old master Chen Qingzong.

Subsequently, he led everyone to bid farewell to Chen Zi Ya's father and Lin Changqing before departing cleanly and decisively, without any dragging of feet.

Lin Changqing nodded; this old gentleman was a perceptive man, no wonder he could still serve as Village Head at such an advanced age.

Turning to Chen Zi Ya's father and elder brother, he said: "World Uncle, Senior Brother, I am truly terribly sorry; a minor accident occurred during this Closed-Door Cultivation, causing the duration to be longer than expected."

"I have caused you considerable trouble; I will enter the mountains shortly to see exactly what is happening and strive to resolve the problem before returning."

Chen Zi Ya's father smiled and replied: "Junior Nephew is being too polite; it was no trouble at all, merely hosting the village Elders and soothing everyone's emotions; there was no real inconvenience."

Chen Zi Ya's elder brother also added: "Indeed, since both you and Young Lady are Immortal Masters, no one dared to say anything too excessive; we simply hope the problem is resolved quickly so everyone can enter the mountains to hunt."

Lin Changqing nodded and said: "World Uncle and Senior Brother, please rest assured; it should not take too long, as I already have some clues."

Turning again to Chen Zi Ya, he said: "Junior Sister, I will not bring you along on this trip into the mountains; please stay home and keep your parents and family company; I will return very soon."

Chen Zi Ya shook her head and said: "Senior Brother, let me go with you; I can assist in Demon Beast Hunting, and at the very least, I can arrange formations to trap the Demon Beasts inside."

Lin Changqing refused again: "Chu Yi searched for two days and found no Spirit Beasts, so this is likely not the work of a Demon Beast but rather done by Cultivators; however, as long as it is within the mountains, it will be manageable."

"Moreover, you know my capabilities; that place is essentially a hunting ground for my Spirit Beast; no matter how many people come, the outcome for me will be the same; nothing will happen, so rest assured! Just wait safely at home for my return."

Chen Zi Ya also knew Lin Changqing's abilities; if dealing with Cultivators, her presence would only force Lin Changqing to split his attention to care for her, which was indeed inappropriate.

So she could only agree to let Lin Zhangqing enter the mountain alone, constantly urging him to stay safe.

If the opponent's strength was too great, he should not take risks but return early and seek reinforcements from the Qingyun Sect.

After Lin Zhangqing nodded in agreement, he bade farewell to Chen Zi Ya's family, commanded his Flying Sword, and headed into the mountains.

(End of Chapter)