Inside the stone hut, Chen Ping slowly withdrew his Cultivation.

After three days, he had finally stabilized his Cultivation base, preventing any regression.

The mass of Qi in his Dantian had solidified, thick as a toothpick, flowing gently and smoothly.

Just as Chen Ping was about to get up and leave, an unprecedented and peculiar sensation suddenly descended upon him.

It was as if a pair of invisible eyes had opened within his body. He clearly “saw” the blood flowing through his veins, the beating of his heart, and the subtle paths through which Qi circulated within his Meridians.

Inner Sight!

With a slight stir of thought, this perception instantly expanded outward.

The stone walls were no longer an obstacle. Everything within a ten-zhang radius outside the hut was directly reflected in his mind like ripples on water.

A gray moth in the corner was vibrating its dust-covered wings, crawling slowly.

A droplet of water seeping through a crack in the roof hung at its tip, about to fall but not yet.

Countless imperceptibly tiny dust particles floated in the air, each drifting and colliding along chaotic trajectories.

Everything was revealed in minute detail, without the slightest discrepancy.

Within this small space, all movements and details were directly presented to his consciousness, without the need for eyes or ears.

Chen Ping’s heartbeat Involuntarily quickened by a few beats.

If nothing unexpected had happened, this must be the legendary “Divine Sense” possessed only by Cultivators.

The feeling of controlling everything was indeed intoxicating.

However, after maintaining it for only a dozen or so breaths, a wave of intense dizziness suddenly struck him.

The mass of Qi in his Dantian had visibly shrunk by a noticeable amount!

He immediately gathered his focus and cut off the Divine Sense’s probing. The consumption was too great.

In that short moment, nearly half of his Qi had been depleted.

He sat back down cross-legged, circulating the Evergreen Art, silently absorbing the sparse Qi from heaven and earth to slowly replenish what he had consumed.

In his heart, he gained the most direct understanding of both the power and limitations of Divine Sense.

Once his Qi had recovered to fullness, Chen Ping stood up and pushed open the stone door.

He needed to truly experience the strength of the 1st Level of Qi Condensation.

With steady steps, he headed straight for the side room where miscellaneous items were stored.

Inside were piled ordinary iron farming tools that had once been used for tending the herb garden but were now discarded.

He casually picked up a fine iron hoe about a foot long and two fingers thick. Among Mortals, this thing could be considered sturdy.

He weighed it in his hand, took a deep breath, and mobilized all the strength in his muscles without using any spiritual power at all. Suddenly, he punched the thick iron plate of the hoe.

Thud!

A dull roar echoed through the storeroom. The tough iron plate of the hoe was struck with a clear fist imprint, deeply dented with distorted edges.

The hoe handle vibrated violently with a buzzing sound.

Chen Ping withdrew his fist; the knuckles were slightly reddened.

The force of this punch was probably close to four thousand pounds.

The limit of pure Physical Strength was likely about this much—enough to shatter stone tablets and crack rocks but insufficient to truly destroy such ordinary iron.

He set down the dented hoe and picked up another intact fine iron rake tine.

This time, he slowly mobilized the Qi within his Dantian.

That gentle stream of energy surged out along the Meridians in his arm, quickly covering his entire fist.

A faint glow, barely visible to the naked eye, enveloped his knuckles.

Chen Ping’s eyes focused as he aimed at that thick rake tine and threw another punch!

Boom—Crack!

A piercing metallic shattering sound exploded!

This time, the sound was completely different—sharp and explosive.

The fine iron-forged rake tine was as fragile as rotten wood under a fist imbued with Qi.

Wherever his fist struck, the fine iron shattered inch by inch into pieces.

Countless small iron fragments and debris scattered in all directions, striking the walls and floor with pitter-patter sounds.

All that remained was a twisted and broken rake handle and a floor littered with gleaming iron shards.

Chen Ping withdrew his fist, watching as the glow covering it slowly dissipated. He was completely unharmed.

He looked down at the mess of iron shards on the floor.

The power of this punch far exceeded that of pure Physical Strength alone. If it struck flesh and blood… the consequences were unimaginable.

He fell silent for a moment.

This was the power belonging to Cultivators—the formidable destructive force enhanced by Qi.

A sense of solid control welled up within him.

Chen Ping turned and left the storeroom; his steps became somewhat lighter as he unconsciously hummed an off-tune melody under his breath.

The spiritual herbs in the herb garden were still growing well. Thanks to Wang Fa and others’ diligent care, he didn’t need to worry about them anymore.

After making a round of inspection to confirm everything was fine, Chen Ping remembered that jar of Ten Perfect Great Tonic Soup.

It was time to go thank Bai Zhi.

Arriving at Bai Zhi’s stone hut, he found the stone door tightly shut.

He knocked several times but received no answer.

A regular attendant cleaning a nearby herb plot looked up and recognized Chen Ping.

“Manager Chen, looking for Manager Bai?”

“Yes. Is she here?”

“Manager Bai…” The attendant set down their small hoe. “She left several days ago. I heard she used some connections to directly enter the Outer Sect! Such good fortune.”

Chen Ping’s raised hand paused mid-air before slowly lowering after a moment.

“Oh… I see. Thank you.”

He turned and left. His steps remained steady, but that off-tune humming had stopped at some point without him noticing.

Returning to his own stone hut and closing its door behind him, the slight buoyancy brought by increased strength seemed cut off by that stone door.

Inside felt particularly empty and silent.

Walking over to the table and seating himself down, his fingers unconsciously traced across the cold desktop surface.

She left.

Without even giving a chance to thank her face-to-face.

Recalling that night when she carried the scalding earthenware jar, her slightly flushed cheeks, the hurried departing back figure…

An extremely faint, indescribable, ambiguous flavor quietly spread within his heart, then was suppressed again.

Between people, it was ultimately like this.

Seemingly close, yet separated by an invisible distance.

Upon this Immortal Path, life and death were unpredictable, gatherings and partings impermanent. Perhaps remaining somewhat detached was the way toward longevity.

He silently spoke within his heart: Bai Zhi, congratulations. May your Immortal Path be smooth.

Bai Zhi was the first, and also currently the only person within this cold, desolate Sect who could be considered a friend.

Shaking off that inexplicable emotion, Chen Ping redirected his attention back onto himself.

Retrieving the Jade Pendant kept close against his body, a warm, smooth texture transmitted through his touch.

Suddenly, a thought emerged without warning: Legendary world-shaking magical treasures could transform into streams of light and hide within a Cultivator’s Dantian, cultivating life alongside their master. This Jade Pendant is so miraculous, capable of communicating with a separate space and nourishing spiritual herbs… Could it possibly…

Once the thought arose, he could no longer suppress it.

He attempted mobilizing a wisp of pure spiritual power from his Dantian, Gingerly injecting it into the Jade Pendant.

Hum.

The Jade Pendant lightly vibrated within his palm, actually absorbing that faint wisp of spiritual energy.

The originally warm, smooth jade surface seemed to have an extremely faint shimmer flow across it, fleeting like an illusion.

Chen Ping’s heart fiercely jumped.

There was a reaction!

Holding his breath and concentrating his entire will, he attempted issuing a command toward the Jade Pendant: Enter Dantian!

The instant the thought landed, the Jade Pendant in his palm suddenly erupted with a soft yet not glaring white light.

The light flashed and vanished. Chen Ping’s palm was already empty.

He immediately used Inner Sight toward his Dantian.

He saw, beside the slowly rotating finger-thick Qi mass, something quietly suspended.

Exactly that Jade Pendant!

It had shrunk countless times, like a tiny speck of jade-colored light, gently enveloped and nourished by the Qi within his Dantian’s Sea of Qi, exceptionally stable.

Success!

The Jade Pendant truly could be stored within his Dantian.

Thus, his own secret no longer needed to worry about being exposed.