53: Lingwu Bridge!
Luo Qingyi's integration was like moonlight spilling into the courtyard, adding a clear radiance to the Chen Family without disturbing its warmth.
She was no longer the 'Miss Luo' observing from the sidelines, but the 'Little Aunt' Hongyuan relied on, the sister Su Wan and the others confided in, and even more so, the indispensable bright moon in Chen Fan's heart.
Life in the Chen Family Courtyard, amidst the bustling guests at Lanyue Residence, the increasingly dazzling glory of the 'Ju' mark at Golden Brocade Pavilion, and the awe-inspiring atmosphere emanating from the shouts of the Boulder Formation in the Courtyard Guard Hall, settled into a comforting richness and a vibrant tranquility.
The most significant change was undoubtedly the Spirit Beast, Little White.
The once frail cub was now almost adult-sized, its entire body covered in snow-white fur that shimmered with a soft silver glow in the sunlight.
Under the continuous enhancement of the Encyclopedia of All Things and the nourishment of the Spiritual Qi from the Zhengyang Lake Secret Realm, its intelligence grew daily, having long transcended the Realm of mere wild beasts.
It consciously took on the responsibility of 'guarding,' especially for the young Hongyuan, almost always by his side.
When Hongyuan quietly read a scroll, it would curl up beside him and feign sleep, its long tail gently sweeping away the dust from the paper;
When Hongyuan squatted in the courtyard observing ants and leaves, Little White's pale golden eyes would also intently follow, as if it could perceive the profound mysteries of Heaven and Earth reflected in the child's gaze.
Even more astonishing was its sensitivity to auras; the butler, Zhou Wenyuan, once personally witnessed it emit a low growl and fix its gaze like lightning, radiating an imposing aura, at an unfamiliar visitor with ill intentions.
This Spirit Beast had become a unique and deeply hidden asset of the Chen Family.
And the passive enhancement of the Encyclopedia of All Things, like spring rain nourishing all things, silently permeated the Chen Bloodline, stimulating the blossoming of talents far beyond common sense.
The eldest son of the main branch, Chen Qi'an (Ping'an), at only twelve years old, already showed the makings of a Family Head.
He assisted in internal affairs, allocated resources, was well-organized, and possessed a steady demeanor, subtly inheriting Chen Fan's 'wisdom as vast as the sea's profundity.'
Although his martial arts progress was not as rapid as Rui Lin's, his Foundation was exceptionally solid, especially in his deep comprehension of the Treading Yang Step improved by Chen Fan; his movement technique was extraordinarily agile, and he could already assist Zhao Tiezhu in training some of the Courtyard Guards, displaying a maturity beyond his years that often drew admiration from Zhou Wenyuan.
The second son, Chen Hongrui (Ruilin), was already making a name for himself within the Tianshu Pavilion!
At the tender age of eight, the Iron Bone Realm barrier was as thin as a cicada's wing to him; breaking through was only a matter of time!
His bones were incredibly strong, and his Qi and blood were incredibly vigorous, so much so that even the Pavilion Master, Lei Wanjun, often clapped his hands in amazement, privately telling Chen Fan directly:
"This child's bone structure and innate talent are rarely seen in a hundred years! Given time, he will surely become a pillar of the Tianshu Pavilion!"
Subsequently, he gradually received Lei Wanjun's full instruction, and furthermore, due to Chen Fan's status as a 'Guest Elder Grandmaster,' he was able to access the core body-tempering secret techniques within the Pavilion.
Miss Lin Jing Shu, the pearl of the Lin Family in theCounty castle, also subtly cast increasingly different glances his way, and a hint of childhood admiration naturally arose.
The eldest daughter of the Family, Chen Hongju (Qiong Ju), was different from the two boys.
She did not display the sharp brilliance of her elder brother.
However, on the design drafts of the Golden Brocade Pavilion, her delicate and nimble handwriting increased daily.
Not only did she perfectly utilize her 'Literary Heart Carving Dragon' talent with ease, but she also demonstrated a creative talent that transcended the Family's enhancements.
The patterns under her brush were no longer merely exquisite; they also incorporated a profound understanding of natural rhythms.
The trajectory of morning dew rolling off a leaf tip, the fleeting charm of rolling clouds, all could transform into inspiring ideas that captivated hearts.
A 'Flowing Cloud Chasing Moon' warm jade anklet, designed primarily by her and finally refined by Su Qing, sparked a scramble among the noblewomen of theCounty castle, causing the value of the 'Ju' mark to reach new heights.
And the youngest son of the Family, Chen Hongyuan, continued to maintain his persona as the quietest 'anomaly' in the Family.
The longer he spent reading illustrated records, sometimes he would even quietly observe the trajectory of dancing dust motes in light or the ripple patterns on the water's surface for half a day.
The faint silver mark between his brows was gentle and restrained, only occasionally, when no one was around, would a subtle, almost imperceptible halo of light circulate.
He spoke very little, yet his words, when uttered, often went straight to the crux of the matter, causing even Chen Fan to look sideways.
Luo Qingyi paid particular attention to him, her eyes holding deep anticipation and an indescribable solemnity.
Chen Family's 'unofficial core members,' Liu Chengzong and Han Xuemei, the 'rejuvenated' in-laws, also became increasingly energetic.
Besides guiding the Courtyard Guards, Liu Chengzong found more joy in teasing his young son, Liu Zhenye (Ye Geer); the courtyard often echoed with his hearty laughter and Ye Geer's babbling as he learned to speak.
Han Xuemei, on the other hand, became the most capable 'consultant' during Su Qing and Liu Qianqian's pregnancies, with rich experience, meticulous in every detail, taking thorough care of the two pregnant women.
Su Wan, Su Qing, and Liu Qianqian, the three mistresses of the Chen Family, also glowed with vitality and had smooth, unhindered Qi circulation under the continuous nourishment of the Dual Cultivation Technique.
Su Wan managed the household with increasing ease, and the threshold to the Iron Bone Realm was on the verge of loosening;
Although Su Qing's pregnancy became more apparent, her Mental Energy was excellent, and design inspiration flowed like a spring, cooperating seamlessly with Hong Ju;
Liu Qianqian, with her pregnant belly, had a stable Golden Viscera Realm Foundation; her valiant demeanor remained undiminished, and she would occasionally still guide Ping An in his fist and foot techniques, proving that women are no less capable than men.
The entire Chen Family was like a giant tree with deep roots, a strong trunk, and flourishing branches and leaves, under the blessings of the Encyclopedia of All Things; every branch was striving to stretch, radiating its own unique brilliant light.
However, the most eye-catching 'obsessed person' in the Chen Family Courtyard was still the Family Head, Chen Fan.
The common knowledge of the Immortal Realm brought by Luo Qingyi was like a giant stone thrown into his heart lake, stirring up monstrous waves.
Those profound descriptions about the essence of Spiritual Qi, energy transformation, and Mental Energy activation resonated intensely, almost obsessively, with his powerful Comprehension Ability, his personal experience in the Zhengyang Lake Secret Realm, and his Mental Realm after achieving Major Achievement in the Nourishing Spirit Method.
He completely immersed himself in the ultimate deduction of the 'Spirit Martial Bridge.'
In the study, the lights burning all night had become the norm.
The floor and walls were covered with papers filled with arcane symbols and energy pathways.
He was no longer content with merely improving martial arts; instead, he used the vast Qi and blood of the Peak of Vein Unblocking and Channel Flowing as a Foundation, and the Mental Energy, solidified like substance by the Nourishing Spirit Method, as a guide, intending to fuse with the Secret Realm's Spiritual Qi, and at the end of Mortal martial arts, forcefully carve out an unprecedented 'Dao' that belonged to him, Chen Fan, and possibly to the entire Chen Family!
He called it—the 'Spirit Martial Bridge.'
"Qi and blood like a Dragon, channels unblocked and flowing, are the Foundation of the bridge... Mental Energy like a craftsman, refined like gold, is the force of construction... Drawing the Pure Yang Spiritual Energy of the Secret Realm as fuel, not to plunder Heaven and Earth, but to use this 'external fire' to refine one's own essence, Qi, and spirit... The ultimate goal is, at the point where this bridge connects, to open up within the body an 'Origin Place' that can 'self-generate' and 'nurture' higher-level energy..."
Chen Fan murmured to himself, his fingertips unconsciously tracing complex and profound trajectories in the Void Realm, his eyes burning with a flame intertwined with wisdom and fanaticism.
His aura was perfectly balanced and contained, clearly at the Peak of Vein Unblocking and Channel Flowing Realm, only one step away from the Heavenly Cycle Realm, where Qi permeates the entire body and internal Qi can temporarily leave the body!
Luo Qingyi often sat quietly beside him, gazing at his focused profile, listening to his almost Dao-like murmured deductions.
Her heart was filled with indescribable shock.
What Chen Fan was thinking and contemplating had touched upon the edge of some extremely profound theories in the Immortal Realm, and some of his ideas were even unheard of by her.
This light of wisdom, born from the dust of the Mortal world, filled her with deep reverence in addition to pride.
She no longer easily offered guidance; more often, she was a silent witness and a resonance for his inspiration, only providing slight illumination with Immortal Realm common knowledge at critical junctures to prevent him from making mistakes.
The Zhengyang Lake Secret Realm, this blessed land separate from the Mortal world, became Chen Fan's most important Dao field, and also the only place to verify the 'Spirit Martial Bridge.'
He sat cross-legged by the golden shimmering lake, his eyes tightly closed, his mind deeply concentrated.
Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Encyclopedia of All Things glowed, emitting profound analytical power.
The Mental Energy, solidified like substance and bestowed by the Major Achievement of the Nourishing Spirit Method, now transformed into countless slender and tough invisible tendrils, cautiously probing into the intensely thick Pure Yang Spiritual Energy before him.
It was no longer the initial ignorant perception, nor the passive absorption of the Nourishing Spirit Method.
This time, it was active, precise control and guidance!
"Pure Yang is dominant... yet the Secret Realm's small Heaven and Earth form their own cycle, with the Five Elements and Yin and Yang hidden within, achieving a delicate balance... Water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth... Earth and metal generate each other... Water-attribute Spiritual Qi is the most gentle and peaceful, and has the highest affinity with Mental Energy..."
Combining the deep analysis of the Encyclopedia of All Things with his own deductions, Chen Fan's understanding deepened.
His intent was highly concentrated, like the most precise weaver, carefully capturing and separating a wisp of the 'gentle water-attribute' Spiritual Qi that was most easily guided by Mental Energy.
This wisp of Spiritual Qi, ethereal as smoke, under the guidance of his powerful Mental Energy, flowed slowly along a special 'experimental channel' temporarily opened within his body, using his ultimate control at the Peak of Vein Unblocking and Channel Flowing.
This channel incorporated the profound pathways concerning energy Fusion from the essence of Dual Cultivation methods.
Buzz!
When this wisp of Secret Realm water-attribute Spiritual Qi, so faint it was almost negligible, was successfully guided and merged into his vast torrent of Qi and blood, which was at the Peak of Vein Unblocking and flowed like a great river, a sudden change occurred!
There was no anticipated rejection or conflict; instead, it was like a drop of clear spring water falling into molten lava, instantly embraced and assimilated!
An indescribable sense of comfort, originating from the Origin of life, swept through his entire body, as if every tempered cell was humming with satisfaction.
His Physical Body's Foundation, which had already reached the Peak of Mortal martial arts and was incomparably powerful, actually experienced a subtle yet incredibly real sensation of 'solidification' and 'ascension' with the Fusion of this tiny wisp of Spiritual Qi!
What shocked his mind even more was that the vast and pure Origin energy, dormant deep within his body and originating from Luo Qingyi's Foundation Establishment Yuan Yin, seemed to be touched by this faint wisp of external Spiritual Qi; it gently rippled, actively releasing a trace of even more gentle and pure energy, which then merged with the water-attribute Spiritual Qi into the torrent of Qi and blood, jointly nourishing and tempering this body that was already nearing the limits of a Mortal.
"It's done! The path is crude, and it consumes a great deal of Mental Energy... but this direction is absolutely correct!"
Chen Fan suddenly opened his eyes, golden light bursting forth from them, like two miniature blazing suns, filled with uncontrollable ecstasy and excitement. The aura of the Peak of Vein Unblocking and Channel Flowing subtly surged uncontrollably, causing ripples in the surrounding Spiritual Qi.
He slowly raised his palm, his intent more concentrated than ever before.
This time, it was no longer pure Mental Energy radiating outwards to distort the air.
Just an inch above his palm, an extremely faint blue light point, as subtle as a water mark, stubbornly lit up like a flickering candle in the wind, shimmering slightly!
This light point was precisely that wisp of 'gentle water-attribute' Secret Realm Spiritual Qi that he had successfully guided, bound, and temporarily manifested externally, relying on his own Mental Will and martial arts Foundation!
Although faint, although fleeting, this was indeed Chen Fan—a 'Mortal' who had not yet stepped onto the Immortal Path—who, with his self-created concept of the 'Spirit Martial Bridge,' had successfully activated and initially controlled Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the special Realm of the Zhengyang Lake Secret Realm!
His method was distinctly different from the 'Qi entering the body' of Cultivators, yet it was a genuine, heaven-reaching shortcut he had personally forged!
"The Spirit Martial Bridge... the first step, is finally connected!"
Chen Fan's voice carried a subtle tremor, reverberating powerfully in the silent core of the Secret Realm, filled with the heroic spirit of one who had overcome obstacles.
His gaze was piercing, directed towards the golden lake surface, which contained endless Pure Yang Spiritual Energy; his vision seemed to penetrate the shimmering ripples, seeing deep beneath the lake, within the crevices of the Gold-Armored Spirit-Bearing Clam's shell, a trace of increasingly solidified, mysterious light quietly emanating, as if nurturing the rhythm of life.
The road ahead was still long and fraught with thorns.
Yet at this moment, Chen Fan's chest swelled with unprecedented certainty and heroic ambition.
The Family shone like stars, each radiating its own brilliance;
His loved ones were by his side, their hearts intertwined;
The path ahead was illuminated, and the Grand Dao was within reach!