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.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
