Chapter 28: The Ten Grades of Qi Guidance

Inside a certain room.

“Snore... snore...”
The sound of snoring rose and fell like the waves of the sea, each surge louder than the last.
Dawn broke.

His gaze fell upon Chu Qingchen, sprawled across the bed and sleeping like the dead. The figure on the bed was in the deepest of slumbers. At this, Tianming couldn't help but sigh and shake his head—his older friend's snoring was truly something else. No wonder he’d been forced to have a room all to himself.

Still, there was not a hint of impatience on Tianming’s face. After all, he was living under someone else’s roof; it would hardly do to be fussy.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
However, after blowing the dust off a bowl and watching it shimmer under the moonlight, Tianming noticed that the bowl was actually quite pretty—almost as if it were something of considerable value.

What a pity!

With a wry smile, Tianming sighed. No matter how beautiful it was, what use was it here? This wasn't Earth, where antiques and curiosities could fetch a price as collectibles. Here, treasures of cultivation reigned supreme.

As he was about to stow the bowl away in his dimensional space, a voice sounded in his mind.

A familiar chime rang out, instantly lighting up Tianming’s eyes. That sound always heralded something good.

“Hidden cultivation technique discovered. Would you like to exchange it for experience points?”

Tianming’s smile grew. As he had suspected, this bowl was no ordinary object.

“Exchange.”

Suppressing his excitement, Tianming conveyed his decision to Dora.
If it had been a magical artifact, he might have hesitated. But as for techniques, he had access to an infinite supply courtesy of Dora, so he had no need for this one. As for selling it for primal stones, Tianming thought better of it—not only was it troublesome, but it would also arouse suspicion, and in the end, the stones would just be converted to experience points anyway.

“Congratulations, Tianming! Successfully exchanged for the first layer of the Divine Celestial Manual—gained 10,000 experience points!”

“Chime. Upgrade conditions met.”

“Promoted to Qi Drawing, Level Two!”

“Promoted to Qi Drawing, Level Three!”

...

“Congratulations—Tianming has leapt to Qi Drawing, Level Ten. Only 3,050 experience points more needed to break through to Foundation Establishment, Level One. Keep it up!”

As the voices echoed one after another, Tianming felt as though enlightenment had flooded his mind. His whole body was as light as a drifting white cloud, buoyed on the breeze—never had he felt so free, so at ease, so brimming with power and confidence.

“So this is the tenth level of Qi Drawing?” he muttered to himself, marveling at his newfound strength.

Lifting his hand, he watched as silver energy gathered instantly in his palm. The speed of this condensation stunned him—it truly deserved to be called the peak of Qi Drawing. Compared to the sluggish pace at Level One, the difference was worlds apart.

Chime, chime!

Upon reaching the peak of Qi Drawing, the energy within could begin to undergo elemental transformation.

Elements were the fundamental building blocks of all matter in the universe, containing the very essence of energy—gold, wood, water, fire, earth, and the rest of the natural five elements. Most sentient beings sought understanding of these five elements. Yet above them, there existed a force that encompassed all elements: the Power of the Colorless Element.

The Power of the Colorless Element was a form that transcended the five elements—unaffected by any single one, it both fused with and repelled them.

Just as Tianming was basking in joy, a message shot into his mind.

Ah...

So that was it.

No wonder his energy had just been silver-white—he’d thought it odd, but Dora had answered his unspoken question without hesitation.

“Dora, did you set me up with this Colorless Element?” Tianming wondered silently.

The Power of the Colorless Element—if it truly surpassed the other five, and was their union—then with his own mediocre talent, it could only have been Dora’s doing.

“Sorry, that question is outside the scope of inquiry.”

Tianming’s lips twitched. That answer was as good as nothing.

“Then, why didn’t I get a reward for reaching the tenth level of Qi Drawing? Surely you can answer that?” Tianming pressed on.

Last time he leveled up, he’d received a chance to draw a lottery. This time, nothing. It puzzled him—even though he’d used Dora’s help, he had exchanged the bowl fair and square, and now the bowl was gone from his possession.

“Lottery opportunities are only granted when advancing to a new major realm.”

The cold, unfeeling voice sounded as expected. Tianming’s expression didn’t change.

All right.

He’d only asked offhand. In truth, he was elated—being able to leap so many levels at once was satisfaction enough. As the saying goes, contentment brings happiness.

That was precisely his mood now.

...

The full moon hung high in the sky.

Under the endless stars, starlight scattered across the Celestial Path.

A tall figure in the robes of an inner disciple walked down the center of the great road, occasionally glancing around to appreciate the scenery.

“Senior Brother Tianming?”

At that moment, a short figure paused under the tall man’s gaze.

Ah!

Tianming, surprised to be recognized, realized that So Yangcan’s earlier public display had made him known to many disciples. For that, he now felt a bit grateful to the outer disciple—he’d conveniently given Tianming a chance to establish his authority.

“And you are?”

Yet he did not grow arrogant or disrespectful—he cupped his hands politely to the passing outer disciple.

“Xi Ren.”

Seeing Tianming’s look of puzzlement, Xi Ren introduced himself.

“Oh? Out so late and not resting?” Tianming nodded and asked curiously.

He himself was too excited to sleep, and with Chu Qingchen’s earth-shaking snores, Tianming had no choice but to go for a walk.

“Aren’t you out and about yourself, Senior Brother?” Xi Ren shook his head.

Tianming gave a wry smile. He had his reasons, but of course, he could not reveal them—he could only nod again, resigned.

“Well then, do you know any interesting places around here?” Tianming continued.

Wandering aimlessly was pointless. He decided it was better to consult someone local.

“If you’re looking for fun, Senior Brother, Celestial Lake is a good choice!”

Xi Ren looked up at Tianming in surprise. People usually asked him about cultivation, not about amusements. Still, considering the powerful backer behind Tianming, Xi Ren thought it best to answer honestly.

“Celestial Lake?” Tianming echoed.

No wonder this was the Celestial Sword Sect—everything had “celestial” in its name. He finally understood why Yi Sha and the others had been so surprised on the boat.

“Yes, Celestial Lake. We’re currently on the Celestial Path. The Celestial Pavilion stands opposite the Celestial Lodge, to the left of the path. Behind the lake lies the pavilion—just head straight that way; it’s quite convenient.” Seeing Tianming’s confusion, Xi Ren turned and pointed the way.

“Thank you, Brother Xi Ren!” Tianming nodded with a smile.

He hadn’t expected this junior to be so amiable, though he figured it was likely thanks to Vice Hall Master Yi Wudi’s influence. Still, he was grateful.

“Not at all! It’s my honor as a junior to be of service to you!” Xi Ren shook his head.

For some reason, whenever he looked at this senior brother, Xi Ren felt a surge of inexplicable goodwill, though he couldn’t quite explain it.

“Would you like to come along?” Tianming asked, nodding gently.

He thought it might be lonely to go alone, so he tried to invite his newfound guide.

“No, I need to keep cultivating. Farewell, Senior Brother!” After a moment’s hesitation, Xi Ren smiled and declined.

Though reluctant, Xi Ren couldn’t afford to slack off—he was just a disciple without any background.

Tianming...

He watched Xi Ren’s departing figure with some surprise—he hadn’t expected to be refused. Clearly, this junior was a diligent one, sneaking out at night just to train.

Tianming couldn’t help but sigh. Truly, people shouldn’t compare themselves to others. He never trained, yet had reached the tenth level of Qi Drawing—one step from breaking into the Foundation Establishment realm. If the other disciples knew, they’d surely be consumed with envy and shame.