In the quiet room, Xiao Wuchen absorbed the information and maps provided by the Xuan Yi Guards. His sense of urgency grew stronger. The Xuan Yin Sect's actions were clearly targeting the spiritual veins of the Great Qian Dynasty. He could no longer approach this matter as a mere mortal martial artist. He had to transform the intelligence into an absolute advantage for himself within the power structure.
He decided to contact National Preceptor Miaokong first. As a cultivator, the National Preceptor would grasp the importance of "spiritual veins" the quickest, and the Alchemy Academy had the deepest understanding of spiritual energy and formations.
Xiao Wuchen went to the Alchemy Academy again and presented National Preceptor Miaokong with a secret letter from the Xuan Yin Sect and a special geographical map drawn by the Xuan Yi Guards.
Upon seeing the map, National Preceptor Miaokong's expression instantly turned solemn, followed by shock. He grabbed the secret letter, read it carefully, and then abruptly looked at Xiao Wuchen.
"This is absolutely not something an ordinary martial artist could draw! These markings are standard 'Pulse-Tracing' array diagrams from the cultivation world. There really is a higher-level cultivation force controlling the Xuan Yin Sect!"
Grand Preceptor Miao Kong's beard trembled with excitement. "They're not after you; they want to seize the foundation of this world! Once the spiritual veins are taken away or destroyed, the spiritual energy of our Great Qian Dynasty will be completely depleted, and all hope for cultivation will be extinguished!"
Xiao Wu Chen calmly said, "Grand Preceptor, from the matter of the Evil Pill, I vaguely sensed that the Xuan Yin Sect's schemes have transcended mere grudges. I'm presenting this information in the hope that you can use the power of the Alchemy Academy to set up a counterarray and stop the Xuan Yin Sect."
Xiao Wuchen's intelligence was timely, accurate, and crucial. It immediately earned him unparalleled trust from the Grand Preceptor.
"Excellent! Excellent! Your contribution this time far exceeds the value of your place on the Heavenly Ranking!" Grand Preceptor Miaokong promised excitedly. "Rest assured! I will immediately report to His Majesty and utilize all of the Alchemy Academy's array resources. As the first Heavenly Ranking expert in the Inner Court to discover the spiritual vein crisis, you will receive the Alchemy Academy's full support!"
The promised support includes:
- The Perfection Pill for Establishing the Pulse: This pill will help Xiao Wuchen quickly break through to the Perfection of the Establishing Pulse realm and prepare for the Core Formation attempt.
Access to the Spirit Gathering Array: This allows Xiao Wuchen to cultivate within the Spirit Gathering Array of the Alchemy Academy, accelerating the conversion of true qi into "yin-yang spiritual energy."
Xiao Wuchen was overjoyed. He had successfully transformed knowledge into cultivation resources and gained the protection of the strongest figure in the cultivation world!
After acquiring the necessary resources, Xiao Wuchen wasted no time. He knew that, in order to be effective in the upcoming "Spirit Vein Competition," he needed to break through to the Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible.
He began cultivating in the Spirit Gathering Array at the Alchemy Academy. In this environment of rich spiritual energy, the conversion efficiency of his "Purple Qi Comes from the East" technique increased significantly.
The true energy within his body was cleansed and compressed at a visible speed, and the "yin-type spiritual energy" was constantly growing stronger.
Perfecting the Foundation Establishment stage means thoroughly refining the true energy within the body to the limit of the Foundation Establishment realm, preparing for Core Formation.
Xiao Wuchen had a clear goal in mind. He knew that, once he broke through to the Perfection stage of Foundation Establishment, the next step would be the crucial Core Formation stage. This would widen the gap between him and ordinary martial artists, giving him the strength to face the cultivation forces behind the Xuan Yin Sect.After Xiao Wuchen submitted information about the spiritual veins to Grand Preceptor Miaokong, his status and treatment changed dramatically. Instead of being an "outlier" who needed to be studied, he became a key figure in the Alchemy Academy's fight against external cultivation forces.
Grand Preceptor Miaokong kept his promise. He personally gave Xiao Wuchen a "Pulse Building Perfection Pill."
The pill contained pure spiritual energy and medicinal power that stabilized true qi. This greatly reduced the time it would take Xiao Wuchen to reach the Perfection of the Pulse Building stage while avoiding the risk of qi deviation.
"This pill is priceless. Only the Alchemy Academy can refine one in ten years," the Grand Preceptor solemnly instructed. "You must take it within the Spirit Gathering Array and complete the breakthrough in one go! Only by reaching the Perfection of the Pulse Building stage can your true qi be thoroughly refined, laying the most solid foundation for Core Formation."
Xiao Wuchen accepted the pill, his heart filled with gratitude. It was not just a resource, but also a gift and a sign of recognition from a cultivator to a mortal martial artist.
Just as Xiao Wuchen was about to leave, the Grand Preceptor Miaokong called him back. His tone was more secretive and serious.
"Now that you've come into contact with cultivation, Wuchen, I'll tell you the truth," the Grand Preceptor said in a low voice. "Regarding the spiritual veins, you must never tell the Emperor the whole story."
Xiao Wuchen frowned slightly and looked at the Grand Preceptor with confusion.
"Spiritual veins are as important to cultivators as an emperor's empire," the Grand Preceptor explained. "His Majesty is a wise ruler, but he is ultimately mortal. Once he learns of a power foundation beyond the mundane, his first instinct will be to control it, not protect it. He will try to use his imperial power to interfere with the Alchemy Academy's protection of the spiritual veins."
This will complicate the protection work and give the Xuan Yin Sect an opportunity. Moreover, His Majesty will become extremely suspicious of anyone possessing 'spiritual energy.'"
The Grand Preceptor made his meaning clear: for the greater good, part of the truth must be concealed from the Emperor, and the protection of the spiritual veins must be entrusted entirely to the Alchemy Academy (i.e., the cultivators). Xiao Wuchen instantly grasped the political intrigue. This wasn't a matter of loyalty but the boundary between mortal imperial power and the power of cultivation. The Grand Preceptor was using his intelligence to vie for dominance over "supernatural power" before the Emperor.
He was now caught between loyalty to the Emperor and loyalty to the Great Dao.
"This junior understands. This junior will report to His Majesty that the Xuan Yin Sect is plotting evil formations that affect the fate of the nation, but the specific details must be resolved by the Imperial Preceptor 'using Daoist methods.'" Xiao Wuchen immediately offered a perfect explanation.
"This junior understands. This junior will report to His Majesty that the Xuan Yin Sect is plotting evil formations that affect the fate of the nation, but the Imperial Preceptor must resolve the specific details 'using Daoist methods.'" Xiao Wuchen immediately offered a perfect explanation that protected the Imperial Preceptor and satisfied the Emperor.
The Imperial Preceptor, Miaokong, smiled with satisfaction. "A promising young man. Remember, in the cultivation world, power is the greatest loyalty."