Chapter 147

"Trying to trick me?!"

Jiang Ye looked at Liu Qingyu on the edge of the cold pool, a flash of solemnity in his eyes, his whole body frozen there like a stone statue, even his breathing deliberately suppressed to the lowest.

He had considerable confidence in the aura-restraining of the deer-form true intent.

Since he comprehended this true intent, it had never failed.

It's just that the strength of this Liu Fengzhu of Profound Water Peak is unfathomable.

Was that monologue of hers really detecting something, or was she tricking him into coming out?

Thoughts surged in Jiang Ye's heart, but he didn't dare to make the slightest movement.

Liu Qingyu carefully examined the empty cold pool, light flowing in those star eyes, sweeping from the water surface to the shore, from the shore to the surrounding trees, and after confirming there was no aura, she murmured softly:

"Looks like it won't work without some means."

The moment the words fell, she raised one hand, and a green onion-like jade finger pointed slowly toward the starry sky.

The action was soft and elegant, as if plucking a zither string.

The next instant, a wisp of starlight in the sky seemed to be attracted by something, falling from the nine heavens, accurately landing on Liu Qingyu.

That starlight was silver-white like practice, reflecting her figure like a goddess descending from the star palace, cold and holy, shrouded in a layer of faint silver brilliance, even her hair glowing.

Seeing this scene, the pupils in Jiang Ye's eyes shrank violently.

Liu Qingyu can absorb starlight?!

This eerie scene instantly reminded him of the woman who could absorb moonlight, Yang Han.

One absorbs moonlight, one absorbs starlight; could there be any connection between the two.

"Could it be that this Liu Qingyu also has a special constitution..."

Jiang Ye's heart trembled slightly.

A bad premonition rose from the bottom of his heart.

He had seen Yang Han's methods; that woman hid a small moon in her body, and once detonated, it was a killing move of mutual destruction.

If Liu Qingyu also possessed a special constitution like Yang Han...

That meant the other party must also have special methods.

Sure enough.

Liu Qingyu waved her hand, and that starlight shrouding her body instantly rippled, spreading in all directions like ripples. That starlight appeared soft, yet carried a power that penetrated everything.

Wherever it passed, the water mist dissipated, the tree shadows became distinct, and even the pebbles at the bottom of the pool were clearly visible.

"Not good..."

Jiang Ye secretly said in his heart.

That starlight spread too fast, like an invisible tide, covering the sky and earth, with nowhere to escape.

He didn't have time to escape, and that starlight had already swept across the cold pool, reflecting his figure.

That withered figure loomed in the pool water...

"It's you?!"

After seeing the figure in the cold pool clearly, a flash of astonishment, a trace of surprise, and a trace of hidden shyness crossed Liu Qingyu's star eyes.

Because Jiang Ye's figure was soaked in the water, that simple gray robe was already soaked through, sticking tightly to his body, and the starlight fell on him, reflecting the outline of his body clearly.

He was only withered on the surface, but the body under the robe, after being washed by Xu Qinghuan's true yin power and the constant body-tempering of the "Diamond Body Refining Technique," had long been reborn.

The muscle contours were distinct, the lines smooth and powerful, even clearer than those of a middle-aged man, the sense of power rushing toward his face, forming a sharp contrast with his aged face.

Liu Qingyu, who had never had intimate contact with a man, saw such an abrupt scene, and a faint blush instantly appeared on her fair earlobes.

That blush was extremely faint, like the first color of peach blossoms in early spring.

But because her skin was too fair, against the backdrop of the starlight, that faint blush was particularly eye-catching in the night, like plum blossoms in the snow, hard to ignore.

However, she was a Liu Fengzhu after all, having seen countless storms.

She took a light breath, stabilized her emotions, and that beautiful face returned to its usual composure.

She looked at Jiang Ye with burning eyes, and a shallow smile with unknown meaning appeared on her face:

"Really didn't expect that the person playing hide-and-seek with me..."

"Would actually be the one with the most limelight in the Tianqing Sect recently..."

"Elder Jiang."

Seeing that he was exposed, Jiang Ye didn't pretend anymore; he coughed lightly, a flash of embarrassment on his aged face, cupped his hands and said:

"Liu Fengzhu Liu, Jiang just borrowed the cold pool of your peak to cultivate, and had no malicious intent. If there was any offense, I hope you will be magnanimous."

Anyway, there is more than one person in the Tianqing Sect who cultivates multiple types of true qi.

Exposing that he cultivates both water and fire true qi is nothing.

"Oh? Cultivate?"

Hearing this, Liu Qingyu immediately thought of the water qi she had sensed before.

A flash of strange color crossed her star eyes, "You also cultivated water-element true qi..."

Hearing that Jiang Ye cultivated two types of true qi, she wasn't as shocked as she imagined.

After all, the two girls under her were both geniuses who cultivated two types of true qi.

Sect Master Brother even cultivates three types of qi.

Moreover, she had heard Luo Song say that Jiang Ye was a super genius who cultivated the "Great Sun Heavenly Flame True Qi."

That qi-nurturing method is known as the most difficult in the Tianqing Sect; even Luo Song himself failed, but he succeeded.

For such a genius, cultivating two types of true qi is perfectly normal.

Liu Qingyu looked at Jiang Ye with somewhat playful eyes and smiled softly:

"Elder Jiang really hides deep..."

"Next time you want to nourish water qi, you can come openly."

"Being so sneaky, it's inevitable that people will misunderstand..."

Her voice was soft, yet carried a bit of teasing and ridicule.

Saying that, she looked at the clear water of the cold pool and seemed to think of something, the smile on her face becoming more playful:

"By the way, Elder Jiang."

"Your aura-restraining skills are so good, you almost deceived me."

"You should... not have done anything strange here..."

Her voice was still soft, but a sharp light flashed in her star eyes, like a sword hidden in the starlight.

Hearing this, Jiang Ye felt alert in his heart.

He instantly realized that she was probing him on the side to see if he had "accidentally" seen the Hua sisters in the cold pool.

Jiang Ye immediately revealed a blank look and said:

"Liu Fengzhu Liu, Jiang came here because this cold pool is full of water qi and is a rare cultivation treasure on Profound Water Peak."

"The reason I chose the dead of night was just to avoid attracting attention; after all, cultivating multiple types of true qi in the sect still seems a bit flashy."

"I don't know what 'strange things' you are referring to..."

He spoke frankly, looking directly at Liu Qingyu without any evasion.

In those aged eyes, there was only a piece of frank clarity, without the slightest guilt.

Liu Qingyu stared at him for a while.

A moment later, the smile on her face slowly subsided, replaced by a trace of faint relief.

An old man of this age.

Shouldn't be as bad as she thought.

She didn't ask further, just nodded slightly, her voice soft: "I naturally believe Elder Jiang's words. It's just..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the cold pool, "Although this cold pool is a cultivation place of my Profound Water Peak, it is not a forbidden area. Since Elder Jiang is here for cultivation, you can come directly next time, just let me know, no need to hide your figure like this..."

"Thank you for your understanding, Liu Fengzhu Liu."

Jiang Ye cupped his hands slightly, secretly feeling relieved in his heart.

Subsequently, Jiang Ye found an excuse, saying it was getting late and it was inconvenient to continue disturbing, and hurriedly bid farewell and left.

Liu Qingyu watched Jiang Ye's figure slowly disappear at the end of the mountain path with her star eyes, a flash of solemnity crossing her brows, and she murmured softly:

"This person's talent is truly extraordinary."

She waved her hand, her figure walking back nimbly as if stepping on a small stream.

"Eh? Is someone still practicing at such a late hour."

Walking halfway, Liu Qingyu's gaze turned slightly, falling on a quiet corner.

In the moonlight, a girl with a cold temperament, like an ice lotus, was practicing boxing in the night.

Her movements were clean and neat, every move carrying a bit of chill.

"I remember... her name is Liu Yiyi..."

A flash of appreciation crossed Liu Qingyu's eyes.

She had some impression of this girl; she was brought over by Xie Tang, and after swallowing the Heavenly Heart Ice Seed Lotus in the ruins of the previous dynasty, her root bone was improved again, and she was admitted to the inner sect in advance.

She is indeed a person with deep blessings.

"Can observe further."

Liu Qingyu nodded secretly.

She saw the girl's talent and diligence in her eyes.

She didn't go up to disturb, just watched quietly for a while, then turned and left.

Returning to the Tianyangfeng herb garden.

Jiang Ye sat cross-legged on the open space of the herb garden.

Recalling the scene of Liu Qingyu drawing starlight just now, he felt even more moved in his heart.

At this moment, he remembered what the Five Elements Old Man had said to him—without a special constitution, the higher you go, the more you suffer...

He took out the bead the Five Elements Old Man had handed to him, a flash of deep color in his eyes.

The secret is all inside this.

"After I cultivate the metal-element true qi, I can initially unlock this secret!"

Jiang Ye took a deep breath, put the bead away close to his body, and began to close his eyes to rest, adjusting his breathing, and restoring his state to the best.

Sunrise in the east, a touch of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.

The first ray of morning light pierced through the mist, sprinkling on Tianyangfeng, dyeing the green pines and cypresses into a piece of light gold.

Jiang Ye opened his eyes violently, essence light shooting from his eyes.

At this moment, the metal qi between heaven and earth is most prosperous.

He immediately faced the west and, according to the breathing method recorded in the "Supreme White Metal Essence Qi-Nurturing Method," nourished the killing and sharp qi between heaven and earth.

When the first ray of metal qi was sucked into his dantian.

At that moment, Jiang Ye's body shook violently, as if struck by an invisible thunderbolt.

In his dantian, the four pills trembled in unison, as if an earthquake had begun, somewhat out of control.

Jiang Ye's brows furrowed, and fine sweat beads seeped from his forehead.

He instantly realized that the difficulty of cultivating the fifth type of true qi was harder than cultivating the previous four types combined.

No wonder people who cultivate five elements true qi are so few.

The space of the dantian is limited, the capacity of true qi is limited; every time a type of true qi is added, the consumption of mind, the burden on meridians, and the pressure on the dantian are all geometric increases.

He didn't stop, just gritted his teeth, slowly guiding that wisp of metal qi, letting it coexist with the other four-colored true qis.

Metal qi is sharp, like a knife or sword, charging and colliding in the dantian, cutting the edges of other true qis.

Earth generates metal.

The moment the metal qi appeared, the earth-element true qi took the initiative to surge up, like the earth carrying all things, slowly accommodating that sharp qi.

This time, the time he spent in seclusion was longer than ever before.

Sun rises and moon sets, stars shift.

The Tiankui grass in the herb garden swayed in the morning breeze and drooped in the twilight, day after day passed.

On this day, early morning.

Jiang Ye sat cross-legged, his whole body shrouded in a layer of faint golden light.

That golden light was sharp and cold, like the frost of autumn, and also like a drawn sword.

"Almost there."

Jiang Ye whispered to himself.

His mind sank into his dantian, guiding those scattered metal qis to gather in one place.

He followed the method recorded in the "Supreme White Metal Essence Qi-Nurturing Method," using intention to control qi, and using qi to condense the pill.

Time passed bit by bit.

In the dantian, those scattered metal qis finally began to gather slowly toward the very center of the dantian.

They rotated, intertwined, and fused, like countless tiny gold sands kneaded together by an invisible hand, gradually forming a blurry outline.

That outline became clearer and clearer, more and more solid.

The gold-white light became brighter and brighter, thicker and thicker, illuminating the entire dantian.

Under the illumination of this light, the other four-colored pills trembled slightly, emitting a low resonance, as if welcoming the arrival of this new partner.

Hum—!!!

A light sound, like a sword being drawn from its sheath, carried a killing and sharp aura.

A gold-white pill slowly took shape in the center of the dantian.

It was perfectly round, its surface as smooth as a mirror, yet faintly had fine patterns, like the blade of a knife or sword, and also like the texture of metal.

Metal qi becomes a pill!

Five elements gathered!

At this moment, something seemed to be ignited in Jiang Ye's body.

In the dantian, the five pills trembled simultaneously, emitting a low hum, the sound like an ancient bell ringing, echoing in his body, shaking his meridians until they trembled slightly.

Immediately after, the five-colored light erupted suddenly, no longer the scattered chaos of each doing its own thing, but connecting into a piece.

Crimson-gold generates earth-yellow, earth-yellow generates gold-white, gold-white generates water-blue, water-blue generates light cyan, light cyan generates crimson-gold.

Five types of true qi, like five streams flowing into the same lake, nourishing each other, supporting each other.

Jiang Ye opened his eyes slowly, and five-colored light flashed alternately in those aged eyes.

Then it slowly faded away, returning to silence.

Jiang Ye stood up slowly, a curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He could feel that the true qi in his body was more than twice as thick as before, and it was endless, as if it would never be used up.

"This is the five elements generating each other, endless and continuous!"

Jiang Ye couldn't help but laugh loudly.

His mind moved, fusing the five types of true qi together, gathering them at his fingertips.

The next instant.

Boom—!!!

A wisp of five-colored flowing light like chaos actually surged from his fingertips.