227: Reappearance

Inside Bamboo Rhyme Residence, the lanterns were about to go out.

The gifts from Xuantian Valley during the day, the overly intense care from the two Valley Masters, and the disturbance brought by the sudden status of "Named Disciple" finally settled down as the night deepened. Qin Feng sat cross-legged in the Quiet Room, his breathing long and steady, deliberately emptying his thoughts to let his state of mind return to a clear calm. His fingers unconsciously caressed the four warm yet cool Black Tortoise scales in his arms; a heavy and solid feeling faintly came through, as if silently soothing his mind.

He knew that beneath this calm, new waves might be brewing. And the key to discerning the precursors of those waves was about to arrive.

The zi hour arrived.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the light screen unfolded on time, its cold faint light reflecting his mind.

【Daily Intelligence has been refreshed...】 (zi hour):

1. 【White】: Li Changqing and Sikong Ye jointly sent a "highly enthusiastic and sincere" message talisman to Pavilion Master Yue Long of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, accompanied by twenty boxes of various High Grade Medicinal Pills of extremely high quality. The core message of the talisman could be summarized as: "We at the Medicine King Valley have taken a liking to these two fine talents, Qin Feng and Su Yuchun! Regardless of whether they belong to your Hundred Flowers Pavilion or not, we want them! Name your conditions!" Pavilion Master Yue Long received the talisman and the generous gifts late at night; filled with suspicion and uncertainty, she convened a meeting with her trusted Elders overnight to discuss. The news they finally gathered was that the two Valley Masters of the Medicine King Valley had been behaving "quite abnormally recently, suspected to have had a mishap in their cultivation or been disturbed by Heart Demons, acting frantically." Yue Long didn't know whether to laugh or cry; she temporarily set aside her doubts and replied with cautious and tactful wording.

2. 【Red】: Li Changqing has secretly decided that in three days, once Xiao Chun's status as a "Named Disciple" is officially settled and everything has calmed down, he will personally lead Qin Feng and Xiao Chun to the Medicine King Valley's true core treasury, the "Myriad Medicine Spirit Treasury," promising them that they can freely choose treasures or equivalent Materials from the non-sect-treasure areas.

3. 【Red】 ??? descends, ???, ?????

Qin Feng's gaze quickly swept over the information.

The first piece of White intelligence made him stunned at first, and then his mouth couldn't help but twitch, revealing a trace of a helpless bitter smile. The way these two Valley Masters "dug at the walls" was truly... simple and crude, frighteningly enthusiastic. Fortunately, the rumors of "being possessed and going crazy" that Pavilion Master Yue Long heard had, to some extent, eased her vigilance and hostility, turning it into a laughable misunderstanding. This result wasn't bad.

The second piece of Red intelligence made his spirits rise. The Medicine King Valley's core treasury, the "Myriad Medicine Spirit Treasury"! Free choice! The weight of this promise was far heavier than the previous verbal "take a look"! This was clearly a substantial token of gratitude and investment decided upon by the two Valley Masters after careful consideration. The trip to the treasury in three days was something to look forward to.

However, when his gaze fell on the third piece of intelligence, all the bitter smiles and excitement instantly froze, turning into a cold shock that rushed straight to his head!

It was the Red 【???】 again!

Just like when he rescued the mysterious Blue-Clad Woman at sea, when the seal on Xiao Chun's forehead appeared and the mysterious blue light entered, and when his own Sword Heart and Sword Bone broke through.

How similar the System's brief abnormal prompts were! Just like before, there were no descriptive words at all, only cold question marks and a piercing red color!

"Descends"... Is it that mysterious and unfathomable Blue-Clad Woman? Did she really appear just now in Xuantian Valley when we lost consciousness?

What did she talk about with the Sacred Venerable Xuanwu? "???, ?????" What earth-shattering content was in this blocked information?

Great curiosity and a faint sense of unease gripped Qin Feng's heart. He subconsciously focused his mind, trying to "see clearly" the hidden words, just as he had interpreted intelligence in the past.

At the very moment his intent touched that line of crimson question marks—

"Ding!"

An unprecedented prompt, carrying a certain cold mechanical texture, exploded directly in the depths of his Soul, making his mind dazed for a moment.

"Warning: The Host's current strength is insufficient, and Soul intensity has not reached the standard. Forcibly peeking at this level of encrypted intelligence carries an extremely high risk."

"Minimum safe unlocking condition: The Host's cultivation reaches the Martial Emperor realm. If you wish to unlock it now, are you willing to pay the price of 'half a year' (Intelligence System function stagnation period) to attempt a forced unlock?"

Half a year! System function stagnation!

He withdrew all thoughts of testing, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on his back. Martial Emperor realm! He was currently only at the Mid-stage Martial King; it seemed like he was only one major Realm away from Martial Emperor, but the chasm between them was no different from a heavenly moat! He didn't know how much Opportunity and time would be needed to cross it.

And the price of a forced unlock was something he couldn't bear. Half a year meant he would lose his greatest advantage of foresight; in this world full of hidden dangers, it would be no different from a blind man riding a blind horse!

This reminded Qin Feng of the last time he went into seclusion to charge into the Martial King Realm, using three months of intelligence Fusion to obtain the latter part of the Daoist Primordial Chaos Art. But this time, it would be a flat wait for half a year.

Moreover, it was possible that this intelligence wasn't even important to him.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his churning thoughts and desire for inquiry. Reason told him the System was right. Touching information at that level now might not only yield nothing but also cost him his greatest reliance—the daily and... stepping steadily toward a higher Realm step by step.

He no longer looked at that third piece of intelligence full of temptation and danger, and chose "No" with his intent.

On the light screen, the third piece of Red intelligence slowly dimmed, shrouded in a thicker mist, leaving only a cold mark as if silently reminding him that this world was far deeper and more mysterious than what he saw.

At the same time Qin Feng suppressed the stormy waves in his heart and made his decision, a subtle change was occurring in another Quiet Room in the Bamboo Rhyme Residence.

Xiao Chun had not fallen asleep. She sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, holding the fast-asleep earthy-red small beast "Little Fire" in her arms, her palm quietly supporting the "northern darkness star essence pearl" bestowed by Xuanwu.

Under the dim yellow light of the Quiet Room, the pearl flowed with a quiet deep-blue luster, the nebula inside seemingly rotating slowly, emitting a cool and moist yet boundless aura of vitality. This aura resonated wonderfully with the Myriad Medicine Origin power produced by the natural circulation of the Returning Origin Guiding Heart Art within Xiao Chun's body, like a stream flowing into a river or a cool breeze brushing through a forest, merging seamlessly.

Treating the Sacred Venerable Xuanwu's injuries during the day had certainly consumed a huge amount of energy, but under the Sacred Venerable's feedback and the pearl's nourishment, she had not only fully recovered but also seemed to have undergone a deep-seated baptism. At this moment, as her mind completely settled and she guided the power of the pearl to flow slowly through her limbs and bones, deep into her Dantian and Sea of Consciousness, a natural sense of enlightenment quietly emerged.

It was a more delicate and essential perception of "vitality." She could "see" the color, vigor, and flow trajectory of every wisp of vitality within her body, and could even faintly feel their weak resonance with the infinite Spiritual Qi of the plants in the outside world. The power of the northern darkness star essence pearl, like the most brilliant mentor, constantly smoothed out the slight, imperceptible agitation she felt from suddenly gaining great power, purifying her Origin and widening the boundaries of her Meridians and Sea of Consciousness.

Unknowingly, within her Dantian's Qi Sea, the True Essence vortex that had already stabilized at the Early Stage Martial King quietly accelerated its rotation. A point of emerald light full of vitality at the center became increasingly solid and bright, and its volume expanded slowly but firmly. Her aura rose step by step, like a bamboo forest after spring rain, becoming increasingly robust.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, no surging leakage of energy. Everything happened naturally under the push of a moist, silent, yet irresistibly powerful vitality.

When the faint sound of the night watchman's clapper came from outside the window, signaling that the night was deep, Xiao Chun slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes remained as clear as ever, yet they seemed to reflect a deeper sea of vitality; the luster was restrained, and her spirit was full. She gently clenched her fist, feeling the power flowing within her was more than a notch thicker and more solid than before; a sense of control and fullness never felt before arose spontaneously.

Early Stage Martial King... Peak!

With the help of the mysterious power of the northern darkness star essence pearl, coupled with the unique realization and baptism brought by healing the Sacred Beast during the day, her cultivation had actually taken another step forward in just one night, firmly stepping into the Peak of the Early Stage Martial King, not far from the Middle Stage. More importantly, her control over her Myriad Medicine Body and her understanding of the Returning Origin Guiding Heart Art had also reached a completely new level.

She lowered her head, looking at the pearl with flowing luster in her palm, then looked at Little Fire, who was sleeping soundly in the crook of her arm and whose fur seemed a bit shinier from unconsciously absorbing the pure vitality around her; a pure and joyful smile appeared on her face.

Then, she raised her head, her gaze seemingly able to penetrate the walls of the Quiet Room, looking toward where Qin Feng was, and also toward the direction of Xia Ya's and Ji Ruxue's rooms.

The young girl's gaze was soft yet firm as she made a silent but extremely solemn vow in her heart:

"Brother Feng, and Sister Xia Ya, Sister Xue..."

"I seem to have become a little stronger again."

"In the future, I will definitely use this power better..."

"I must protect you all."

The night was gentle, wrapping the young girl's silent vow and new power together into the peaceful embrace of the Medicine King Valley. The silhouettes of the distant mountains stood silently under the starlight, as if witnessing growth, and as if foretelling that the wings of the fledgling eagle leaving the nest were becoming more powerful day by day.