Just as Gu Chengyin's right foot crossed the threshold of the warm pavilion, and both his feet planted firmly on the bluestone tiles of the corridor outside, an indescribable throb suddenly exploded from deep within his dantian!
The sensation was like a volcano that had been dormant for ten thousand years suddenly awakening. The boundless true qi accumulated within his body finally found an outlet to vent at this very moment!
The bottleneck was broken.
The gates to the Foundation Establishment realm swung wide open!
Gu Chengyin did not stop walking, nor did he show the slightest abnormality. He maintained his posture and continued walking forward along the palace corridor.
But within his body, an earth-shattering storm had already been unleashed!
His dantian's sea of qi expanded abruptly. The once lake-like, calm sea of true qi instantly transformed into a raging vortex, madly absorbing the surging energy rushing in from his limbs and bones.
His meridians cried out, his acupoints trembled, and his bones emitted faint cracking sounds as they underwent a thorough remolding.
The majestic true qi surged and circulated along the previously opened odd meridians and eight vessels, as well as the twelve standard meridians. With every complete cycle, it became a fraction more solid and a fraction purer.
The impure sensation belonging to the Qi Condensation stage rapidly faded away, replaced by a condensed power.
This was a leap in the level of life.
The torrent of true qi began to impact those obscure secondary meridians and minute acupoints.
It brought a slight tearing pain, but what followed was a vastly expanded space for power circulation and a much closer connection with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Gu Chengyin could even clearly see the free-floating specks of spiritual light in the air.
They were far clearer than what he had seen during the Qi Condensation stage.
It felt as though with just a single thought, he could draw them in and absorb them.
Subsequently, the true qi began to nourish his physical body.
His bones became tougher, his muscle fibers were repeatedly washed and refined, and his internal organs were nourished by the pure energy, growing increasingly powerful. As his blood flowed, it faintly carried a pale golden luster.
On the surface of his skin, a grayish-black, sticky substance seeped out. These were the impurities and old hidden injuries being expelled from his body.
However, hidden beneath his official robes at this moment, and subtly controlled by Gu Chengyin's precise true qi, it quietly evaporated without anyone noticing.
By now, the group had gone their separate ways. After bowing to Luo Zhao and the Second Prince, the three cabinet ministers headed in the direction of the Grand Secretariat.
The Second Prince, Luo Yanchen, left behind an unfathomable glance before heading toward his own carriage.
Luo Zhao walked in front, while Gu Chengyin silently followed behind.
The hem of her dark palace dress swayed gently with her steps.
She did not notice the anomaly in Gu Chengyin behind her. She merely walked in silence, exuding a cold aura that kept strangers at bay.
Gu Chengyin desperately suppressed the boiling true qi fluctuations within his body while his mind raced.
When he and Luo Zhao arrived at the carriage of the Crown Heir's procession and stopped walking, the surging true qi within his body finally calmed down.
Foundation Establishment realm, early stage.
He was only a single step away from the middle stage.
Gu Chengyin felt the abundant, majestic power in his limbs and bones that exceeded the Qi Condensation stage by more than ten times. He felt his divine soul become unprecedentedly clear and robust, and he felt that intimate connection with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as easy as moving his own arm...
An indescribable sense of exhilaration and heroic spirit almost burst from his chest.
But this was only the beginning.
The impact brought about by today's political storm in the imperial court was far from over.
The downfall of Xiao Song and his retirement to his hometown meant the complete collapse of a massive political faction that had monopolized the court's affairs.
As one of the key figures who brought down the Xiao clan, his name would spread across the two capitals and thirteen commanderies via the official gazette, to be known and discussed by countless people.
The Xiao clan was purged, leaving countless positions vacant.
Although he did not directly participate in the aftermath, as the one who blew the lid off the situation, his deterrent power and fierce reputation would be deeply rooted in the hearts of officialdom.
Taking over as the Chief Steward of the Internal Affairs Department meant he would directly manage the palace's internal affairs, parts of the royal industries, the Golden Feather Guards, and more, becoming one of the closest eyes, ears, and right-hand men to the Emperor and the Crown Heir.
Furthermore, the fates of countless eunuchs, female officials, and royal merchant managers would rest in his hands. The weight of his power could easily be imagined.
Concurrently serving as the Right Vice Minister of Rites was an even stronger signal.
The Ministry of Rites was originally responsible for sacrifices, ceremonies, diplomacy, and education. Now that Emperor Luo explicitly pointed out using his identity as the heir of an immortal clan to deal with cultivation sects, it meant he would be pushed to the forefront of interacting with cultivation factions.
The influence brought by this position would transcend the imperial court and extend to the entire cultivation world of the Great Luo Empire.
Then there was his identity as the heir of the Qingyun Immortal Clan.
After being officially certified in the imperial court today, it would no longer be a secret that needed to be covered up, but would become his public background.
It was foreseeable that very soon, countless factions would attempt to make contact and test the waters.
And finally, there was the romantic rumor of his engagement with Luo Zhao...
Every single one of these items, taken individually, represented immense influence and authority.
When they were superimposed and converged upon him, Gu Chengyin alone, the true qi they could convert into would be extremely terrifying.
Gu Chengyin even had a premonition.
Perhaps in less than a day, or perhaps in just a few hours, when these news spread through the officials leaving the court, when the various formal appointment documents were issued, and when all factions began to re-evaluate his weight...
That terrifying influence would transform into unprecedentedly majestic true qi, like a breaching flood, washing away all obstacles.
Foundation Establishment middle stage? Late stage?
With the enhancement of the top-tier heaven-grade cultivation method, the Qingyun Art, it was not impossible to reach the grand completion of the Foundation Establishment realm in a single day.
Just as Gu Chengyin's heart surged with excitement and he forcibly suppressed the urge to immediately circulate the Qingyun Art to refine true qi, a system pop-up window he had been waiting for quietly emerged in his line of sight.
The style of the pop-up window was incredibly simple, devoid of any decoration, containing only a single line of clear, small text:
[Hypnosis Count +1]
Gu Chengyin's breathing suddenly hitched.
It was here!
It was finally here!
Ever since returning from Luoshui Commandery and discovering that Luo Zhao had broken free from the hypnosis, Gu Chengyin felt as though he had been walking on thin ice.
This Crown Heir, who appeared soft and obedient but harbored hidden murderous intent, was like a sharp sword hanging over his head, threatening to fall at any unknown moment.
Hypnotize her again? Or perhaps hypnotize Emperor Luo?
That would be underestimating Luo Zhao's ruthless decisiveness and the unfathomable depths of Emperor Luo.
Just as Luo Zhao could break free from the hypnosis, heaven only knew how many hidden trump cards Emperor Luo possessed.
Moreover, Gu Chengyin could confirm that Luo Zhao already knew the hypnosis was triggered by eye contact.
Because ever since returning to the Divine Capital, Her Highness had never looked him in the eyes for more than three breaths of time.
Therefore, the best method was, while maintaining the current situation, to dismantle all of Luo Zhao's countermeasures and then hypnotize her once more.
An unspoken mutual understanding could not be maintained for a lifetime.
Only by holding everything in his own hands could he find true security.
Gu Chengyin silently stared at Luo Zhao, who was boarding the Crown Heir's carriage, and...
The crimson figure standing beside her.
If he wanted to re-hypnotize Luo Zhao, Shangguan Yunying was an unavoidable hurdle he had to cross.
Fortunately, his hypnosis count this time...
Was two.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
