"Just like that? Just like that, I become that 'Qing A Wang'? Isn't that a bit too rash?" Li Yan was taken aback.
"You... you... idiot!" Hearing Li Yan's words, Gong Chenying stomped her foot in anger, causing a rumbling sound in the small courtyard. Her jade-like hands were constantly twisting and intertwining, her face as lovely as a dew-kissed flower. The slender figure sitting at the stone table swayed gracefully like a ripe peach branch, mesmerizing Li Yan and stirring a certain impulse within him.
For a moment, the small courtyard was filled with a romantic atmosphere. Gong Chenying kept her head down, listening to Li Yan's slightly quickened breathing. Her own heart began to race, and her breathing quickened as well.
Li Yan shook his head, his eyes gradually clearing. He was no lecher. Besides, if he pushed the shy and angry Gong Chenying too far, she might just fly into a rage and send him to bed for ten days to half a month with a single kick.
'It seems that the status of 'Qing A Wang' must be extremely high in the Tianli Clan, and it must be very close to the core of the Tianli Clan's upper echelon. A Ying's status in the Tianli Clan must be very high.' After calming down, Li Yan's mind began to analyze rapidly.
"'Qing A Wang' is limited to one person per generation, and they usually come from a few core families within the clan. You and Lu Zhenyuan are exceptions," Gong Chenying's voice came over just then. Although her face was still shy, her composure was gradually returning.
"There are some things you don't need to know now, at least not before you reach the mid-stage of the Golden Core. What you need to know is that if you are willing to cultivate 'Qiongqi Purgatory,' you will have to accept an assessment from the Tianli Clan. And within five years, someone from the clan will definitely come to assess you. If you fail the assessment then, it's possible... possible that the incantations will be erased from your memory, and even your successfully cultivated 'Qiongqi Purgatory' body will be crippled. This will definitely cause harm to your body. The most important point is that death may occur during the assessment.
"If you pass the assessment, the subsequent six layers of the cultivation method will be like Min'er's; for every task you complete, you will receive one layer of the cultivation method," Gong Chenying said slowly, her voice regaining its calmness.
Li Yan frowned. The price for cultivating this was extremely high. One mistake could affect his existing cultivation, or even result in direct death. And even if he didn't die, he didn't want any of his memories to be erased after failing the assessment. But how could he give up this top-tier cultivation method? He estimated that if he succeeded in cultivating it, his strength would increase by at least one or two levels. What a heaven-defying method this was. It wasn't like now, where without spirit power and protective talismans, his physical body was only slightly tougher than a mortal's. Thinking of the scene where Gong Chenying was pierced in the abdomen by that demonic cultivator's Potian halberd, if it had been him, or even Gan Shi and the others, they would probably have exploded and died on the spot under the full force of the magical treasure's spirit power.
"Was it the same for that Lu Zhenyuan?" Li Yan asked after thinking for a moment.
"Him? He was different. He only started cultivating after marrying that generation's... that generation's core female of the Tianli Clan and becoming a true 'Qing A Wang.' You can also choose this path, but you need to at least reach the mid-stage of the Golden Core to be qualified to go to the Tianli Clan. Lu Zhenyuan also went to get married after reaching the mid-stage of the Golden Core. Of course, if you go to the Tianli Clan before the mid-stage of the Golden Core, you can still get married, but you will lose the noble status of 'Qing A Wang' and also forever lose the qualification to cultivate 'Qiongqi Purgatory'," Gong Chenying replied, but she paused at the beginning of her sentence. Li Yan keenly noticed the loophole in her words but immediately understood Gong Chenying's hesitation. It might have involved her own identity, so she had changed her wording.
Li Yan already understood Gong Chenying's meaning. He was different from that Lu Zhenyuan. One was a true "Qing A Wang," and the other was a prospective "Qing A Wang." He still didn't understand this identity, but the meaning was already clear. He hadn't expected to have to reach the mid-stage of the Golden Core, or else he would lose the qualification to cultivate this top-tier body refining art. Another way was the one Gong Chenying was talking about now, to cultivate in advance, but the risk was extremely high. He would need to accept an assessment from the Tianli Clan, and the result of the assessment could even be the cost of his life.
After saying these words, Gong Chenying fell silent, waiting for Li Yan's decision. She wanted Li Yan to become stronger. She knew what a top-tier cultivation method could bring to a cultivator. But she could not violate her clan's rules, so everything needed to be decided by Li Yan himself. She was a decisive woman, with the blood of the Tianli Clan flowing in her body—brave, feisty, and unafraid of hardship. For the man she had chosen, she also hoped that he would be incomparably powerful and have a brave heart. Especially for cultivators like them who went against the heavens, it was very difficult to go far without a heaven-defying heart.
In fact, there was one thing she didn't say. If Li Yan failed the Tianli Clan's assessment, if Li Yan lived, she would live; if Li Yan died, she would die. And she would choose to follow him without hesitation. She would not leave behind anything of herself in this world.
If Li Yan failed the assessment, he might also lose his status as the "Qing A Wang" of the Tianli Clan. At that time, if Li Yan was still alive, she would extinguish the wish in her heart, give up everything, and wander the world with Li Yan.
Li Yan's expression was uncertain, constantly changing. Time passed bit by bit. Gong Chenying was also thinking about her own concerns with her head down. Coming today was to explain the matter of Zhao Min and the "Qiongqi Purgatory" art before she went into seclusion. This way, she would have fewer distracting thoughts and could focus on breaking through her realm with her whole heart and mind.
After half a cup of tea's time, a resolute look flashed in Li Yan's eyes. After repeatedly weighing the gains and losses, he finally made a decision.
It was unknown when he himself would be able to cultivate to the Golden Core stage. Although he had Pingtu's help, that was only for a single promotion. But one thing was certain: whether now or in the future, if he were to die on some outing, any number of guarantees would be empty talk. It was better to have more life-saving means. As for the five-year assessment, with Li Yan's intelligence, how could he face it head-on? At worst, if his life was in danger, he would just wrap up Gong Chenying and teleport to Pingtu's secret room. At that time, with the abilities of the cultivators in this realm, who could find the two of them?
As for erasing his memory, that was even more impossible. At that time, he would simply cultivate in the secret room until after the mid-stage of the Golden Core before coming out, or even cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage. At that time, how could a Nascent Soul still be controlled by others? With a Nascent Soul's cultivation, going to the Tianli Clan, this matter could definitely be resolved. Thinking of these things, Li Yan had already made up his mind.
"Then I will learn this art. I want to see if I, Li Yan, have this ability," a ruthless look flashed in Li Yan's eyes.
But his words were not specific. It was unclear whether he meant he had the ability to pass the natural chasm of the first three sentences of the first layer's incantation, or if he had the ability to pass the assessment within five years.
Gong Chenying was thinking with her head down. Suddenly hearing Li Yan speak, and then hearing clearly what he said, her heart couldn't help but be filled with joy. The Tianli people looked down on cowards the most. Although she had already committed herself to Li Yan for this life, deep down, she still hoped that Li Yan was a man who could move mountains and push seas. What's more, if there were conditions for the clan members to practice this "Qiongqi Purgatory" art, as long as it wasn't asking them to die immediately, no matter how difficult the conditions, the Tianli people would choose to cultivate without hesitation. This was the character of the Tianli people. But how could she know Li Yan's thoughts? He was a person who would use his brain if he could, and would never use brute force even if he had to exert himself.
"Alright then. I will teach you the first layer of this 'Qiongqi Purgatory' first." Seeing that there was an answer, Gong Chenying said no more. With a wave of her jade-like hand, a pale yellow jade slip appeared in her hand. She placed it on her smooth forehead and closed her eyes.
Not long after, Gong Chenying opened her beautiful eyes. Looking at Li Yan, who had been quietly watching her from across the stone table, her pretty face turned slightly red. She reached out and handed the jade slip over, at the same time instructing, "This is the incantation for the first layer. Only if you can successfully cultivate the first three sentences of the incantation can you continue to cultivate. Otherwise, you must not force yourself to cultivate. The consequence of that will only be you exploding and dying."
Li Yan reached out and took the jade slip. It still carried the faint fragrance of a young woman's body and a residual warmth. After taking it, Li Yan also placed it on his own forehead, and his Divine Sense immediately sank into it.
Seeing Li Yan take the jade slip and place it directly on his forehead, Gong Chenying seemed to have thought of something. Her pretty face turned even redder, and her eyes seemed to hold the spring rain, like a crabapple tree in the rain.
After Li Yan's Divine Sense entered the jade slip, the first thing that came into his Divine Sense were two human-shaped diagrams. The person in these two diagrams had a face as black as iron, was barefoot, and was half-naked from the waist up, in two extremely strange postures. Below each diagram were several sentences of incantation.
Li Yan was immediately attracted by these two diagrams at first glance. But with just the first glance at the strange postures in the two diagrams, Li Yan felt an indescribable awkwardness in his heart. Li Yan calmed himself and looked closely at one of the diagrams. A chaotic and vexed feeling immediately arose in his heart. He felt a mouthful of stagnant qi blocking his chest like a heavy mountain and a sunken stone. It was indescribably uncomfortable. Li Yan was greatly alarmed. He hadn't even looked at the incantation; just one look at this diagram gave him this feeling of suffocating to death. He fiercely bit the tip of his tongue. Under the intense pain, Li Yan's Divine Sense instantly withdrew. His face was pale, his forehead covered in dense sweat, and the long robe on his back was also soaked through with sweat. He was panting heavily.
Gong Chenying sat opposite, watching Li Yan the whole time. She silently counted in her heart, "Three breaths." She couldn't help but sigh. This jade slip was carved by her from memory; it was not the original jade slip from the clan. If it were the original jade slip from the clan, the backlash would be even greater.
This was actually also a kind of assessment, to test the potential of the person cultivating this art. Anyone who entered this jade slip would usually be attracted by those strange diagrams at first glance and would unconsciously look at them. No matter which of the two diagrams they looked at, their mind would be drawn in by the great Dao contained within. The longer they could hold on, the greater the probability that they could successfully cultivate "Qiongqi Purgatory." Back then, Gong Chenying had held on for five breaths, and Zhao Min for eight breaths. It was just that Gong Chenying was looking at the original version from the clan, and Zhao Min was looking at a copy. In general, the aptitude of the two was similar. And Li Yan had only held on for three breaths. This probability was too small. It meant that Li Yan's aptitude was very ordinary. If this were in the clan, he would probably be rejected directly.
Gong Chenying suppressed the disappointment in her heart and gave a light laugh, like a peach blossom blooming. "This art needs to be cultivated in coordination with the incantations below. You can only look at it while circulating your spirit power."
Then her pretty face turned solemn, and she slowly said to Li Yan, who was slowly recovering, in a grave tone, "The first diagram is the method to coordinate the cultivation of the first three sentences of the incantation. It is the standard to determine whether a person has the ability to cultivate this art, and it is also the foundation of the 'Qiongqi Purgatory' art. Only after this diagram is cultivated can the next step be taken, which is the second diagram in the jade slip. Only by completing the cultivation of the first three sentences of the incantation can the body have the foundation to accommodate the subsequent cultivation of this art. You must remember this point, you must.
"The first diagram can only be cultivated for seven days at most. If you fail to succeed in seven days, you absolutely cannot continue to cultivate. Otherwise, you will definitely suffer a backlash. At best, all your meridians will be shattered; at worst, you will die."
Listening to Gong Chenying's extremely serious warning, Li Yan looked at the jade slip in his hand, his heart still somewhat horrified. Just one diagram had almost made him suffocate and faint. This "Qiongqi Purgatory" art was truly terrifying to the extreme. But what he didn't know was that if he had been facing the original jade slip treasured within the Tianli Clan, the outcome might not have been like this. His Divine Sense would have directly collapsed, and a serious illness would have been a light outcome.