A few days later, the wind and snow in Anping County finally let up. Just as expected, the official commendation from the Prefecture City’s Merit Department arrived, and with it, a cart laden with cultivation resources.
Inside the duty room of the Evil Suppression Department, County Captain Zhang Cheng looked at the scroll in his hands, a rare smile gracing his features.
He pushed a dark wood box, exquisitely carved with auspicious beasts, across the table to Chu Bai. His voice was tinged with emotion:
"Chu Bai, this is the second time you’ve received an ’Outstanding’ rating. The reward in silver taels from the Prefecture City is more generous this time, and they even directly bestowed a rare Earth Treasure."
Chu Bai took the box and, holding his breath in anticipation, slowly opened it.
In an instant, a profound, cold, and ethereal glow suffused with boundless Water Qi filled the entire room.
In the center of the thick silk lining, nestled a bead that was a solid, deep azure, like the eye of the ocean depths.
A tiny, spinning vortex was faintly visible within the bead, emanating a soul-soothing Spirituality.
"An Earth Treasure, the Abyssal Spring Pearl."
Zhang Cheng explained from the side, his voice filled with admiration, "This item is formed where the deepest Water Veins converge. Finding one in a thousand years is a rare feat. Not only can it generate exceptionally pure Water Element Origin, but more importantly, it can cleanse the impurities from a Cultivator’s body and pacify any turbulence in their Magical Power."
"You previously acquired the Mountain-Suppressing Platinum. While its Earth Qi is potent, it’s also unavoidably heavy and sluggish. Now, with this Abyssal Spring Pearl to balance it, water and earth will nourish each other. Your great Five Elements circulation will undoubtedly reach a new level."
"Thank you, Director. My thanks to the Court for this reward." Chu Bai was overjoyed as he felt the refreshing coolness emanating from the pearl.
’This is exactly what I need most right now. With this Earth Treasure, the Five Elements Gathering Spirit Array in Qingfeng Courtyard will no longer be a mere cycle. It will become a true Spirit Land, possessing the Power of Creation.’
"In addition to this Earth Treasure, the token for selecting a Secret Technique from the prefecture’s vault has also been issued."
Zhang Cheng produced another Profound Iron Token, this one engraved with the character for ’Secret’, and handed it to Chu Bai. "You chose that Body Refining Secret Technique last time, and I presume you’ve reached Minor Achievement with it by now. This time, you may choose one of the two remaining Secret Techniques in the vault."
Chu Bai accepted the Token, his mind already made up.
After leaving the duty room, he once again stepped into the Secret Technique Vault, its air thick with the scent of sandalwood incense.
The old soldier guarding the vault was still dozing. Sensing Chu Bai’s aura, he merely cracked open an eye before letting him pass.
He came to a stop before the three yellowed Jade Scrolls.
’The Iron Bone Casting Body Technique I chose back then allowed me to forge a body of steel, which proved miraculously effective against Wei Chuan, who was at Qi Cultivation Perfection.’
And now that his cultivation had reached the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, his Divine Thought had advanced yet again, and the acuity of his senses had long surpassed the ordinary.
’In the current climate, I’m not lacking in offense or defense. The only thing I’m missing is a true method for concealing my presence and striking with the element of surprise.’
Without a moment’s hesitation, Chu Bai reached out and took the Jade Scroll that shimmered with a dark, ethereal light.
Secret Technique: Hidden Shadow.
"A Secret Technique has Spirituality; it can hide from the wind and evade the water."
Chu Bai sent his Divine Thought into the scroll. Instantly, countless insights about concealing one’s aura, distorting light, and becoming one with the shadows flooded his Sea of Consciousness.
This was no ordinary Stealth Technique. It was a top-tier infiltration skill that allowed one to mobilize their internal Magical Power to mimic the rhythms of plants and stones, thereby vanishing completely from all perception.
’I missed out on it last year, but I’ve finally obtained it.’
Chu Bai clenched the Jade Scroll, his eyes glinting with steely resolve.
Stepping out of the vault, Chu Bai looked up at the threads of the Law Net, faintly visible above the clouds. His fighting spirit surged.
’The Earth Treasure is in place, and the Secret Technique is learned. Now, in this final year, I must break through to Qi Cultivation Perfection in one go and make a real attempt at climbing the so-called Celestial Ladder.’
Several months drifted by in the swirling Spiritual Mist of Qingfeng Courtyard.
With two Earth Treasures—one of water and one of earth—anchoring it, the Five Elements Gathering Spirit Array had undergone a world-altering transformation compared to before.
Inside the Cultivation Room, the five-colored mist had nearly solidified into tangible ribbons of light that flowed slowly through the air, weaving a magnificent Five Elements Landscape.
Chu Bai sat cross-legged at the Array’s core, his breathing long and steady.
In his past cultivation, although he had used the Guiyuan Technique to forcefully drive the Five Elements circulation, a subtle imbalance had always existed within his Spiritual Power.
The Spiritual Qi of Metal, Wood, and Fire, bolstered by higher-grade resources he had previously acquired, circulated with the ferocious speed of a great river surging eastward.
Meanwhile, the Water and Earth Qi, despite being supported by Spiritual Objects like the Half-Pond Mud, ultimately lacked the same foundation and couldn’t keep pace with the other three.
This imbalance was like a speeding carriage with two large wheels and two small ones. While his Microscopic level of control allowed him to forcibly maintain stability for short periods, it would inevitably impede his progress to the next Realm in the long run, and could even cause latent injuries.
But now, everything was different.
In the earth-aspected eye of the array, the Mountain-Suppressing Platinum radiated a steady, dark-gold Earth Qi, anchoring the profound foundation like the unmovable Mount Tai.
In the water-aspected eye, the Abyssal Spring Pearl pulsed with the azure light of an Origin Water Vein, providing a source of fluid vitality like a hundred rivers flowing to the sea.
Guided by Chu Bai’s Magical Power, the two Earth Treasures erupted in a brilliant radiance.
Under the precise orchestration of his Microscopic-level Guiyuan Technique, the once-sluggish Water and Earth Qi instantly swelled, roaring like two awakened dragons as they surged into the great river of the Five Elements within him.
In that instant, the great Five Elements circulation within Chu Bai’s body finally reached a point of perfect equilibrium.
The agitating dissonance caused by the mismatched tiers of Spiritual Qi vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented sense of seamlessness and harmony.
His Magical Power flowed through his meridians without the slightest hint of resistance, each circulation a baptism akin to the dawn of creation itself.

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