Huode never expected Ren De to come looking for him today, and even less expected him to say such things.
Although the two of them had never seen eye to eye since childhood, they were still martial brothers who had cultivated together for seven or eight hundred years. Huode knew Ren De's character—though a bit stubborn, serious, and traditional, his integrity was trustworthy. If it weren't so, the Sect Head Senior Brother wouldn't have entrusted him with managing all matters of the Yunxia Sect during his seclusion.
"Senior Brother, if you truly want to help me and think for the sake of our Yunxia Sect, then arrange for Gu Qingfeng's promotion to Direct Disciple as soon as possible. The faster, the better."
Since Ren De had already spoken to this extent, Huode didn't hide anything either. "Recently, that bastard Shuide has been busy scheming in the shadows. I suspect the Nine Glories Alliance might be planning a major move, and it should happen around the end of the year."
"That old fox Jinde isn't an easy lamp to light either. He must also know the Nine Glories Alliance will make a big move by year's end, so he'll definitely try to get ahead. That old fellow has a large group of families and factions supporting him. It's highly likely he'll attempt a forced takeover. Before any of that happens, we must first make Gu Qingfeng a Nine Halls Direct Disciple. Once he becomes a Direct Disciple, whether Jinde tries a takeover or the Nine Glories Alliance plays any tricks, we won't fear them."
Ren De nodded. He might be serious and stubborn, but he wasn't a fool, nor was he blind. He knew Huode spoke the truth.
"Gu Qingfeng is now the top chief of the Twelve Courtyards. According to the rules, if he passes the trial formation, he qualifies for promotion to Nine Halls Direct Disciple. However..." Ren De furrowed his brows deeply. "I think Jinde and Shuide must also be able to guess that Gu Qingfeng might be the person you brought in to contend for the Heir Apparent position. When the time comes, those two will surely oppose it by any means possible. Of course, as long as Gu Qingfeng passes the assessment, their opposition will be useless."
Huode took a sip of wine and gave his guarantee. "That's not a problem. Don't doubt Gu Qingfeng's capabilities. No matter how those two bastards try to make things difficult, they won't be able to stump him."
"If that's really the case, then nothing could be better...
Only...
There's one thing. Is Gu Qingfeng truly a Mutated Constitution resulting from a failed Foundation Establishment?"
"You could say so."
Huode's response made Ren De pause. What did 'you could say so' mean?
Seeing Ren De's puzzled expression, Huode shook his head and replied, "Don't ask me. I don't know either."
"Although our Yunxia Sect has no rule stating that someone who failed Foundation Establishment cannot become a Nine Halls Direct Disciple, if Jinde and Shuide seize on this point..." Huode could hear Ren De's implication and said with a bitter smile, "Senior Brother, don't try to fish for information from me either. To be honest, I really don't know what's going on with Gu Qingfeng. But he did say he can re-establish his Foundation. If he says he can, then he definitely can. As for when... that I don't know. From the sound of it, it might not be for another eighty or a hundred years before he recovers..." Huode had asked Gu Qingfeng, who said he needed to wait until his Physical Body was completely restored before re-establishing his Foundation. As for what 'completely restored' meant, Huode didn't know. But he knew Gu Qingfeng's Physical Body had been damaged by the Heavenly Dao's judgment. Since it was the work of Heaven itself, Huode reckoned that even with Gu Qingfeng's immense capabilities, it would probably take eighty or a hundred years to recover.
"In that case, we need to think of a good way to deal with Shuide and Jinde."
...
That night.
The moonlight was somewhat dim, the night breeze chilly.
The Qingyang Region was located in the northwest frontier of this world, where the weather was bizarre and changeable. In ancient times, the scorching sun during the day could bake a person to death, while the night could be freezing cold enough to freeze one to death.
Perhaps because of the revival of all things after the Great Calamity of the Heavens, the weather in the Qingyang Region seemed much milder. At least in the two months since Gu Qingfeng awoke, the weather had been normal.
At this moment, he sat cross-legged on the bed, bare-chested, wearing only a pair of thin pants. His long black hair hung loosely, his handsome face calm and content. His eyes were slightly closed as if in meditation. Around his neck hung a piece of bone jade, about the size of a thumb, looking somewhat worn and inconspicuous.
His bare upper body revealed a bronze-toned skin over a robust physique—not an ounce too fat, not a bit too thin, as if every inch of his skin contained boundless power. Upon closer inspection, each pore was like a greedy vortex, madly absorbing the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
Within his body, all his bones glowed with a bronze hue, tinged with purple. His bones, blood, and internal organs were all the same.
Strange meridians intertwined like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree.
Within the meridians was a vast, surging sea of spiritual power, like a tsunami.
The spiritual power was extremely pure, without any impurities, not even a trace.
No matter how turbid the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was, once Gu Qingfeng inhaled it into his body, he would refine it to its purest form.
He did not lack spiritual power.
If he wished, with one great inhalation, he could drain the entire Qingyang Region of all its spiritual energy.
As for re-establishing his Foundation, the spiritual power within him was already sufficient.
It was just that his Physical Body hadn't fully recovered yet.
As for when it would fully recover, to be honest, Gu Qingfeng didn't know either. After all, his Physical Body had been judged by the Heavenly Dao. Not only did he not know when it would fully recover, he didn't even know if it could fully recover at all.
Gu Qingfeng considered whether he should go ahead and establish his Foundation first, cultivating while recovering.
After some thought, he felt this method was feasible.
Hmm, he'd find a suitable opportunity to establish his Foundation first.
He wasn't in a hurry.
There was nothing to rush about. Everything would follow its natural course.
After cultivating for a while, he opened his eyes and glanced at the little turtle on the bedside. The little fellow seemed drunk again, sitting on the bedside, leaning against the wall, holding a wine jar, head drooping, fast asleep.
Ever since Gu Qingfeng brought this little fellow back, it had been able to eat and sleep—eating its fill then sleeping, waking up then eating. Two days ago, it even developed a fondness for fine wine, drinking at least one or two jars a day, with signs of increasing consumption.
Gu Qingfeng couldn't be bothered to pay it any mind. After all, the little fellow was drinking wine from Huode's cellar.
With nothing else to do, he took out that multi-colored crystal to study.
After researching it for so many days, he had almost figured it out. If his guess was correct, this thing should be called a 'Dao Heart Stone'.
This object was very complex, and also...
How to put it? Very special. Like the Buddhist relics, a Dao Heart Stone could only form after the Physical Body died. And it wasn't that a Dao Heart Stone would definitely form after the Physical Body died—it required a great supernatural method to leave behind a Dao Heart Stone after death.
Who would use a great supernatural method to kill themselves just to refine a Dao Heart Stone?
A normal person wouldn't do that.
Unless forced by circumstances.
And this 'forced by circumstances' only happened in one situation: Reincarnation.
Gu Qingfeng had once seen records about this in some ancient texts. It said that in the past, many great powers, before undergoing Reincarnation, would use great supernatural methods to refine their Physical Bodies into Dao Heart Stones. After all, Reincarnation required the soul to enter the Gate of Reincarnation. Once inside, whether one could successfully reincarnate was unknown—the soul might instantly be torn to shreds, or it might fall forever into some endless darkness...
Even if one did reincarnate, no one could guarantee they would awaken their past-life memories. Some might never awaken in their entire lifetime, completely unaware they had reincarnated. Others might have some impressions, but they were just impressions—vague and hazy.
If one left behind a Dao Heart Stone in their past life, relying on this object might help recover past-life memories.