Qin Chu found Qian Lingwu's idea quite good; once a live captive was caught, the question of his background could be clarified.
"When do we start?" Qian Lingwu was a bit excited, finding the matter quite thrilling.
"Wait until I enter the Fourth Stage," Qin Chu said after some thought.
Looking at Qin Chu, Qian Lingwu nodded, "Then we'll follow your lead. Once you reach the Fourth Stage Spirit Origin Realm, your combat power will greatly increase."
After a brief chat, Qian Lingwu arranged for someone to get food. Qin Chu took out a classic text to study. His gaze fell upon a page in the book, which stated that if the Sacred Blood reached a high enough level, it would give rise to Sacred Bones. The location of their emergence was uncertain, but the area where Sacred Bones appeared would definitely undergo special changes.
Qin Chu couldn't help but wonder if the constant warmth in his chest was a sign of this. After a moment of thought, he dismissed the idea, as only King-grade Sacred Blood had the chance to give rise to Sacred Bones. For now, it was better to focus on steady Cultivation.
With Cultivation, Qin Chu's Thousand Waves Sword Art also matured. The only drawback was his inability to launch Sword Qi attacks from a distance.
"Qin Chu, although you've been at the Peak of the Third Stage True Origin Realm for a while, you should still stabilize your Foundation before attempting a Breakthrough. Everything before the Third Stage is considered Foundation, and this Foundation needs to be built solidly," Qian Lingwu said to Qin Chu after he finished practicing his sword art.
"I understand. Although I'm eager to enter the Fourth Stage Spirit Origin Realm, I won't blindly attempt a Breakthrough," Qin Chu replied.
Seeing that Qin Chu had a plan, Qian Lingwu said nothing more; she was simply worried about him.
To this day, Qin Chu still had no Master and had been cultivating by himself, making him prone to errors. Qian Lingwu was a bit puzzled; Qin Chu's Aptitude was definitely top-tier, so why hadn't anyone in the Azure Cloud Sect taken him as a Disciple?
Qin Chu had also considered this question. Since no one brought it up, he didn't ask. In reality, there was a misunderstanding involved.
Did no one want to take Qin Chu as a Disciple? No, many people did, but due to Mo Daozi, no one could. And Mo Daozi himself felt he had a problem; he hadn't grasped Sword Intent, so how could he guide Qin Chu? This led to Qin Chu, despite his Heaven-Defying Aptitude, having no Master.
Another point that puzzled Qian Lingwu was that in a short period, Qian Lingtian had visited her Spirit Dance Palace twice, something he had never done before. She had inquired, and Qian Lingtian's reply was that he had nothing much to do recently, so he came to wander around.
Was he truly idle? Qian Lingtian had plenty of matters to attend to. He came simply to observe Qin Chu. He had arranged for people to investigate Qin Chu, but Qin Chu's records in the Azure Cloud Sect only started from his entry; before that, it was a blank, nothing at all. No background, no family history. This made him feel it was impossible, so he decided to observe Qin Chu up close, but still yielded no results.
A month and a half after arriving in the Great Qian Imperial Capital, Qin Chu entered seclusion, preparing to Breakthrough to the Fourth Stage Spirit Origin Realm.
In the path of a Cultivator, if the First Stage Qi Gathering Realm is the start and the Second Stage Qi Condensation Realm is the transition, then the Third Stage is considered Foundation Establishment.
The First Stage is about gathering Origin Qi, the Second Stage is about refining Origin Qi, and the Third Stage is about condensing gaseous Origin Qi into liquid Origin Qi. To become a Fourth Stage Cultivator, one must Cultivate an Origin Qi Core Bead. A Cultivator with a Core Bead will experience a significant increase in the level and quality of their Origin Qi, which is the only way to support Origin Qi attacks from a distance, such as Sword Qi and blade aura attacks.
Qin Chu's heart was steady. He knew the path ahead would be difficult, and having strength was the best way to protect himself.
Qin Chu circulated his Origin Qi, spinning it within his Dantian. After a while, he directed the Origin Qi to impact the central area of his Dantian. He was now condensing and compressing the Origin Qi. When the liquid Origin Qi was compressed to a certain extent, it would become solid, and the Core Bead was the form in which solid Origin Qi existed.
Upon learning that Qin Chu had entered seclusion, Qian Lingwu felt a pang of worry. She didn't return to her room to Cultivate but stayed in the garden outside the side hall where Qin Chu resided, guarding him. She knew this Breakthrough was a test for Qin Chu; success would mean a transformation.
Time slipped by, and Qin Chu's Origin Qi condensation and compression continued.
A night passed, and Qin Chu's Dantian was already half empty. All the Origin Qi that had filled his Dantian had moved to the central area, leaving half the Dantian space empty, and the quality of his Origin Qi had doubled.
He continued; as long as the Core Bead hadn't appeared, Qin Chu would keep compressing and condensing his Origin Qi.
Another day passed, and the volume of Qin Chu's Origin Qi energy body was again halved, leaving three-quarters of his Dantian space empty.
He still had to continue. Qin Chu sat cross-legged, unmoving, like an old monk in meditation, appearing incredibly calm. But this was merely an illusion; inside Qin Chu's Dantian at this moment, Origin Qi was rapidly spinning, producing a rushing sound as it rotated.
On the third day, Qin Chu's Dantian became completely empty. He had compressed the Origin Qi into a tiny space, and it was already in a jelly-like state, yet the speed of its rotation showed no signs of slowing.
On the fourth day, as the sun rose, Qin Chu's Dantian experienced a violent tremor, and a white ice point appeared. Then, under the impact of the jelly-like Origin Qi, the ice point grew larger and larger. As the ice point expanded, Qin Chu's jelly-like Origin Qi also diminished.
When the jelly-like Origin Qi disappeared, a white, pigeon-egg-sized spherical bead appeared in Qin Chu's Dantian. The Core Bead! That was the mark of a Fourth Stage Spirit Origin Realm Cultivator: the Origin Qi Core Bead!
The formation of the Core Bead absorbed all of Qin Chu's liquid Origin Qi, leaving his Dantian empty. However, Qin Chu knew that this single Core Bead was far more potent than the liquid energy that had previously filled his Dantian.
After stabilizing his Cultivation, Qin Chu stood up. As he stretched his body, his bones emitted cracking sounds. Fourth Stage; he had now become a Fourth Stage Spirit Origin Realm Cultivator.
Exiting the room, Qin Chu drew his Azure Spirit Sword and immediately performed the Thousand Waves Sword Art.
As Qin Chu swung his Azure Spirit Sword, streams of Sword Qi flew out from it. The Sword Qi struck the bluestone on the ground, sending stone chips flying!
"Congratulations!" Qian Lingwu said to Qin Chu.
"Thank you," Qin Chu bowed to Qian Lingwu.
"You're too polite. You're quite a young expert now. Next, you must work hard. If there's anything you need my help with, just tell me," Qian Lingwu said.
Qin Chu shook his head. He indeed had a problem, but he didn't plan to trouble Qian Lingwu. He wanted to return to the Azure Cloud Sect to solve it. It was a problem with his Origin Qi Cultivation Technique. The Heaven Origin Incomplete Manual only recorded Cultivation methods before Core Formation; there was nothing after Core Formation. Qin Chu hadn't decided whether to continue with the previous method or seek a new Cultivation Technique.
"You should rest well, and then we'll go fishing to see if we can lure out those who wish you harm," Qian Lingwu said to Qin Chu.