Jing Qian didn't know whether he should feel happy or worried!
The Fatebinding opportunity that others could only dream of, he had encountered three whole times.
But the unexpected turn of events had instead pushed him right to the edge of life and death.
The flames of the second Violet Life Furnace were even stronger than the first!
Yet he had just undergone one complete Binding; both his body and his mana had been consumed to the very limit.
His charred, battered body had only just begun to recover.
And now, this third Binding had nearly wrung every last ounce of power from within him.
Jing Qian felt like he had become a fragile glass doll inside a blazing furnace
translucent and glowing red, yet on the verge of melting away entirely.
But the Binding pressed on, unstoppable. His divine sense was once again pulled back into that turbid void, and in his ears suddenly rang a cry:
"Ah!"
The whispering voice that had endured so much was finally broken!
Eighty-one times beaten, robbed of its precious Life Essence, without even a moment to breathe?
But such were the laws of the Dao.
The space could only deliver three glowing orbs once again, and they dropped before Jing Qian.
This time, though, the breach in the space's defenses turned out to be all to his benefit.
The space didn't realize that Jing Qian was already drained, his oil burned to the last drop.
Thus, all three patterns offered this time were golden in quality, showing the utmost sincerity from the start.
It seemed that the strange White Fang Pattern from earlier truly had been the limit.
And for the first time, the Black Jade Stele remained motionless, allowing Jing Qian to act freely.
He dared not delay. From the three golden patterns, he quickly chose one, pulled it into his sea of consciousness, and brought the third Binding to an end.
This had been his fastest, yet also most thrilling and dangerous Binding.
When his divine sense returned to his body, a torrent of vital energy surged out from the chamber, rushing to envelop him.
This chamber was no ordinary room; it carried its blessing of dense spiritual energy.
Jing Qian immediately sank into a deep seclusion.
This time, the growth he gained in cultivation was unprecedented.
...
Outside the Chamber
Tao Yong clapped his hands with delight, marveling at the miraculous effects of the Reincarnation Innate Fate Method, while also praising his own precise and skillful coordination.
It was a pity that, as an official of the Academy, he was forbidden to share any details of what happened to a cultivator inside.
Otherwise, he would have gladly called together friends and sung Jing Qian's feats to the heavens.
...
At the Hunzhou Market
Inside a teahouse of the Gongye Proper Store, a monk and a Daoist were locked in a heated dispute.
The Dragon-Elephant realm abbot declared:
"Brother Gongye, those three ships of ninth-grade White Copper were painstakingly forged by my temple over two years. They cannot just vanish without explanation!
I cannot return to the temple with nothing to show for it!"
Opposite him sat Gongye Liang, steward of the Gongye Store, the backbone of the Gongye clan that monopolized Hunzhou's metal-smelting trade.
He replied calmly:
"Master Miaojue, no one could have foreseen someone striking the Dragon-Drinking Gong at that exact time.
This was a calamity beyond anyone's control.
Our Gongye clan has worked with your She Dizang Temple for many years. Don't let this accident damage our relationship.
Look, for this batch of Sea Fang Iron, I'll raise the purchase price by ten percent, as partial compensation for your loss."
But Miaojue was not comforted.
The great monk pressed on:
"My three ships of goods are still inside the Liyuan Dragon's belly. Could the Prefecture not send people to retrieve them?
If the authorities are unwilling, I will go myself into the dragon's belly."
Gongye Liang shook his head:
"Master, that is impossible. The interior of the Liyuan Dragon is a forbidden zone. On all of Hunzhou Island, few can enter such a place."
Miaojue then tried another tack:
"What of compensation? Doesn't the Prefecture have measures for losses caused by the Dragon-Drinking Gong?
My three ships, and the sailors aboard them, since all were swallowed by the Liyuan Dragon, surely the authorities must give some account?"
Again, Gongye Liang shook his head:
"Master, your ships met their fate on the Hun River before clearing customs to enter the island. They don't count as Hunzhou's property, and thus fall outside the Prefecture's jurisdiction.
There will be no compensation.
Here's my suggestion: once I discover who struck the Dragon-Drinking Gong, you can approach them directly. Perhaps with She Dizang Temple's influence, you may secure some restitution."
The great monk's face darkened with fury. He was seething inside, yet for the moment, he had no recourse.
...
Jing Qian did not know whether he should rejoice or worry.
Through the accumulation of successive Fatebindings, it was as if he had advanced two full grades within the Ninth Rank, and the empowerment he gained was immense.
At this moment, he felt his entire being brimming with unprecedented strength and fullness.
His soul seemed to have been nourished by sweet dew clearer, stronger, and sharper than ever.
His thoughts were quicker, his mind more agile, an incredible leap in perception and awareness!
It was as though he had swapped out his brain for another, one that could pierce through the very essence of all things.
His Life Essence power had also surged, flowing at will, ready to be summoned or dismissed with a thought.
The transformation of his body was even more astonishing. Once broken and battered, his flesh had now been fully reforged, muscles firm, bones gleaming like jade, the very picture of overflowing vitality.
At this moment, Jing Qian's soul, mana, and flesh had all reached a new peak.
The joy of cultivation was something he savored to the fullest.
When he slowly opened his eyes, what entered his sight felt like an entirely new world.
The familiar scene had completely overturned everything, had shed its ordinary form and appeared instead in a wondrous, data-like, qi-infused state.
Casually, he reached into the Void Realm and pulled out the ninth-grade copper hammer, holding it in his hand for inspection.
Every dimension of the hammer, down to the micrometer, was laid bare before his eyes.
Even its material composition and the forging techniques used were imprinted directly into his mind.
A sudden confidence welled up within him as if, so long as he had the materials, he could casually craft an identical hammer with ease!
Yet this was not his limit.
With a raise of his hand, eight threads of Soul-Weaving strands unfurled, quickly intertwining between his palms.
In no more than fifteen minutes, a rune pattern with over 6,400 branching structures had been woven.
Then, invoking the Rune Imprinting Art, the rune shot into his sea of consciousness, condensing into a White Fang Life Essence, replenishing his body.
He recalled that when he first cultivated this very Drawing Yuan Technique, it had taken seven long hours to complete the drawing.
Now, his efficiency had increased by dozens of times, if not more!
And all of this terrifying boost in perception and intellect came from a single, brand-new Life Pattern:
Life Pattern: Worldly Insight
Grade: Golden Root
"Worldly affairs are like fleeting clouds, scarcely worth asking about.
Why trouble over gain or loss?
Better to recline in peace and eat one more meal."
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