Chapter 233: Chapter 135: Primordial

In the Quiet Chamber, sandalwood incense still wafted through the air, but the atmosphere seemed to have frozen solid.

Chen Qing knew that any further concealment was futile.

He gave Li Baichuan a deep bow. “Master Li, your perception is truly profound. This disciple… this disciple’s paltry little trick was no match for your insight.”

He was admitting to cultivating both Gui Water True Qi and Geng Metal True Qi.

Li Baichuan unhurriedly raised his teacup, took a small sip, and said nothing.

Chen Qing’s mind raced, but his expression remained cautious as he asked, “Master Li… if this disciple may be so bold, how did you see through my ruse? I was certain I had put my utmost effort into the Concealment Technique.”

He couldn’t help but wonder, ’Li Baichuan saw through it, but what about the other masters?’

’Sect Leader He Yuzhou, for instance?’

’He must not have seen through it. Otherwise, given his position as Sect Leader, had he discovered I possess Three True Qi, he would have summoned me for questioning long ago. Things would never have remained this peaceful.’

Li Baichuan set down his teacup and said slowly, “I’m getting on in years. My Cultivation… it’s nothing special, can’t compare to the Sect Leader’s. But when you’ve lived as long as I have and seen as much, your eyes learn a thing or two.”

Chen Qing hurriedly replied, “Master Li, your insight is unparalleled and your perception is flawless. This disciple is in absolute awe!”

Li Baichuan waved a hand, cutting off his flattery. “You were right to hide it. If anyone else were to find out, you would be in grave danger. The Demon Sect, needless to say, would stop at nothing to either eliminate or abduct a potential threat as great as you.”

“Even the other three major sects—Qixia Manor, the Xuanjia Sect, and Cold Jade Valley—would never stand idly by and watch a prodigy of your caliber emerge in the Wutai Sect. They would use every means at their disposal, both overt and covert, to ensure you either meet an early end, switch your allegiance, or… become a ’subject’ for their research.”

“You are right, Master Li. This disciple will take your teachings to heart!”

A chill ran down Chen Qing’s spine. Li Baichuan’s words were no exaggeration.

“So, until you have enough power to protect yourself, it’s best you take this secret to your grave. Don’t even tell that sweetheart of yours.”

Li Baichuan’s words seemed to carry a pointed meaning.

Chen Qing’s heart skipped a beat. “This disciple understands. This secret is known only to heaven, earth, you, and me.”

Although, he didn’t actually have a sweetheart.

Li Baichuan gave a slight nod, a gesture of approval for his attitude.

He picked up the Longevity Scripture but seemed to have lost interest in reading it, placing it gently to one side.

“Since you already possess Cyan Wood, Geng Metal, and Gui Water True Qi, I imagine you’ve begun to sense the subtle connection between them, haven’t you?” Li Baichuan began slowly.

Chen Qing’s spirits lifted. This was the very heart of his greatest question and hope. “This disciple has indeed felt it. Although the three types of True Qi have different attributes, they don’t seem to reject each other completely. There’s a faint sense of mutual generation and flow. This disciple ventures to guess… do the Five Schools Heart Methods… all originate from a single source?”

A flicker of approval flashed in Li Baichuan’s eyes, along with a look that seemed to say, ’So the boy finally gets to the heart of the matter.’ “Correct. The Core Heart Methods of the Wutai Sect’s Five Major Branches were not created independently. They… originate from the fragments of a true Supreme Martial Arts Heart Method!”

“Unparalleled Martial Arts?!”

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed, and his heart stirred.

Unparalleled Martial Arts!

An art that stood a tier above even Upper-Grade Martial Arts!

It was rumored that the True Qi (True Astral) one cultivated from it, in terms of both sheer volume and purity, far surpassed that of Upper-Grade Martial Arts. The only caveat was that they were notoriously difficult to cultivate.

Chen Qing couldn’t resist asking, “Master Li, does that mean… does that mean if I master the Five Schools Heart Method completely, I can… I can recreate that Supreme Heart Method?”

“Of course not!”

Li Baichuan dashed his hopes without a moment’s hesitation. “Do you think it’s that easy? If one could succeed simply by mastering the five heart methods, then this Supreme Heart Method wouldn’t be worth much! They are merely the ’branches and leaves,’ the ’fragments’! What’s truly missing is what unifies them all, what commands the Five Elements True Qi, governs their endless cycle of birth and destruction, and ultimately forges them into one—the General Principles!”

“The General Principles?”

Chen Qing frowned. “Why is it missing? The Wutai Sect was founded seven hundred years ago. Surely the Sect Founding Ancestor…”

Li Baichuan said lightly, “It’s a long story, and one of our Wutai Sect’s greatest secrets and regrets. Seven hundred years ago, the Sect Founding Ancestor, a peerless genius, had the good fortune to acquire a Jade Scroll. Recorded upon it was that very Supreme Heart Method which contains the dao of the Five Elements Birth and Destruction: the True Insights of Primordial Five Elements True Astral!”

“However, the Jade Scroll was already damaged and incomplete. The most crucial section, the General Principles, consisted of nothing but a few vague and cryptic phrases. Relying on his supreme wisdom, our ancestor managed to comprehend and reverse-engineer these fragments. He broke the whole into parts, deconstructing it into five relatively independent heart methods that could each be cultivated on their own—the very foundation of our Five Institutes today. He had intended to try and complete the General Principles once his own Cultivation grew deeper or after finding more clues, but alas…”

Li Baichuan continued with a melancholic sigh, “The Wutai Sect is left guarding the ’branches and leaves’ of a Supreme Heart Method, but has lost the ’root’ that would allow them to truly flourish and grow into a towering tree.”

Chen Qing listened, his heart in turmoil. He had never imagined the Wutai Sect had such a tortuous history, and now he finally understood why the Five Schools Heart Method seemed independent yet were faintly interconnected.

“The General Principles…”

Chen Qing murmured, looking at Li Baichuan. “Master Li, do you… do you know the whereabouts of the General Principles?”

He reached into his robes and pulled out all the silver notes he had on him—a thick stack worth several thousand taels of silver. He offered them respectfully with both hands. “This disciple is willing to give everything he has, and only asks that Master Li might offer his guidance!”

Li Baichuan slowly shook his head. “No.”

Disbelief was written all over Chen Qing’s face. “Master Li, is it because this disciple’s offering is…”

“See? Getting impatient again?”

Li Baichuan cut him off. “Just like that He Yuzhou! Back when he first became Sect Leader, he was full of ambition. He caught a whiff of this secret from the ancestor’s scattered notes and came running impatiently to ask me about it. The moment he got a scrap of information, he couldn’t contain himself. He never stopped to consider if what I told him was true or false, let alone whether he had the fate to go chasing after it!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep