World's No. 1 Swordsman

Chapter 280: The Qi Meridian Wall! The Method to Break the Seal! (II)

In the fifth year of Wang Sheng's confinement, the Hidden Earth Sect followed Lady Meng's advice. It drafted an ambitious plan and submitted it to the authorities.A year later, the plan was put into motion. The authorities invested massive amounts of manpower and resources, and each Daoist heritage also did its best to assist behind the scenes.

In the eighth year of Wang Sheng's confinement, a qi meridian that locked in most of the Hua Republic's internal primal qi appeared in the sky, stretching across the land like a horizontal barrier. It spiraled above the splendid mountains and rivers of the Hua Republic.

Within the first six months after the qi meridian was completed, the Hua Republic's primal qi barely leaked out at all. The primal qi within the Earth Qi Seal continuously flowed through Mount Pingdu, which then spread the qi to every corner of the Hua Republic. 

In that time span, the concentration of primal qi steadily increased, and the entire Hua Republic began to resemble the Immortal Realm. Qi-Nurturing Stones repeatedly dropped in price on the black market, and the spiritual veins under various sacred mountains rapidly awakened.

In truth, the qi meridian matter was the primary reason that the authorities had decided to launch the Universal Cultivation Method ahead of schedule. It was the best way to ensure that the entire population could benefit.

After six months, once the Hua Republic's primal qi concentration reached its limit, the excess primal qi began spreading across other regions of Earth. Nevertheless, the qi meridian ensured that the Hua Republic would retain the highest level of primal qi concentration.

Every advantage came with a price, though. While the Universal Cultivation Method extended lifespans across the populace, it also brought a range of new social problems that the authorities had to address step by step.

Locking primal qi in the Hua Republic through the qi meridian turned the nation into a cultivation sanctuary, but it also mounted pressure on it from all directions. Multiple factions used force against the Hua Republic through different means.

Not long after, unmistakable signs of an approaching storm surfaced. 

With the Dao of Immortality progressing, primal qi became the most precious resource for the future. Before the other nations even challenged the Hua Republic, its dense primal qi had already drawn in wave after wave of ghosts, fiends, monsters, and other inhuman creatures. Daoist masters found themselves quite busy, traveling constantly to answer calls for help everywhere.

The principle behind the qi meridian was actually quite simple: it was a compound application of a large-scale qi-gathering formation.

Lady Meng had given the Hidden Earth Sect a method for locating spiritual veins. She had also warned them that over the next decade or so, the Earth Qi Seal would gradually weaken and begin to release.

After conducting their research, the Hidden Earth Sect proposed a bold idea: construct a qi meridian wall using underground spiritual veins. This would prevent the Earth Qi Seal's primal qi from flowing freely beyond the Hua Republic.

Once the authorities approved the plan, they naturally followed it up with a range of additional studies and modifications, leading to the final version. Over the following year, the Hua Republic proved once again why it was known as the true master of infrastructure.

They activated spiritual veins with formations and buried large numbers of Qi-Nurturing Stones in areas without spiritual veins, forming large-scale qi-gathering formations.

The method was quite simple, but the Hua Republic's territory was vast…

As each qi-gathering formation lit up and every spiritual vein became a conduit for the flow of primal qi, the Hua Republic's cultivation world entered a new era of brilliance.

***

In the Earth Qi Seal.

"Yaoyun, how long have we been here?"

""

Wang Sheng raised his hand to thoughtfully examine the lines of his palm. He then sighed quietly. "Alright, at least we don't have to be here for a hundred years. I was afraid I'd wake up to a world completely changed, like a man who dozed off watching a game of chess and woke to find the board rotted."

Their confined space remained filled with colorful brilliance. Wang Sheng sat in a corner against the stone wall and bent one leg. His long, slightly disheveled hair hung loosely.

Despite having spent twelve years in confinement, he didn't look that different. His hairstyle now just had a bit more unruly flair than before.

Everyone had moments where stillness led to restlessness. In recent years, Wang Sheng often found himself unable to focus on cultivation, just like that very second. During such periods, he would just space out for long periods before forcing himself back into sword training or meditation.

The past twelve years, from his perspective, truly felt like a long period of seclusion. Yet to Yaoyun, it was merely a small segment of her cultivation path; it didn't affect her state of mind in the slightest.

"How's Senior Sister?"

""Yaoyun replied."" 

" that's good," Wang Sheng responded. His eyes turned a little dreamy as he smiled. "There was a time when I kept thinking that once I had caught up to her cultivation realm, I would finally be able to raise my head and proudly say that I would protect her for the rest of our lives.

"My realm has surpassed hers by quite a bit now, yet I still feel unsure. Once we get out of here, I wonder if she'll feel distant toward me."

""

"Forgive me if this is too forward, Yaoyun, but have you ever been in love?"

Yaoyun snorted softly."

Wang Sheng smiled. "A test of the heart?" 

Yaoyun, who was beside him, sat quietly next to Spiritless. Having restored her slender figure, she now exuded the grace of a female Celestial Immortal—a being rarely seen upon this earth.

Even if Mu Wanxuan was the only one in Wang Sheng's heart, he had lived side by side with Yaoyun for twelve years. Hence, he could not help but sometimes feel a few ripples within. It was nothing more than the natural stirrings of the heart, though.

Right now, one of Spiritless's blade protruded from the formation disc. Its condition remained completely stable.

Wang Sheng unwittingly drifted into a daze again. He opened his left hand, and streams of clear qi coiled around his fingertips, where faint lightning flickered.

Yaoyun also fell silent for a while. Her pale hands gently smoothed the edge of her skirt as she murmured dreamily, ""

Wang Sheng smiled bitterly. Asking would change nothing, so he had stopped asking.

Yet soon after, he stared at Yaoyun. "Can we leave now?"

""Yaoyun telepathically replied.""

"Has the Earth Qi Seal fully unraveled?"

""

Wang Sheng frowned and solemnly said, "We've waited so many years. Waiting another two or three makes no difference."

"

"

""

Wang Sheng's spirit surged. He stood up and paced, unable to conceal his joy.

A thought then struck him. He turned to Yaoyun and made a formal Daoist bow. "Thank you, Yaoyun—, thank you, Your Highness!"

Yaoyun snorted slightly. Her tone remained as cold as ever.

""

Wang Sheng hummed thoughtfully. "Breaking through right now would be easy, but my Heavenly Abode Realm is still incomplete. Since I wouldn't be able to draw out its full potential, I'd rather wait another year or two to consolidate my foundation."

""

"Is it complicated?"

"

Wang Sheng gave the matter some thought, then immediately nodded. Although the process did not sound completely safe, it at least gave him a chance to escape in six months.

Wang Sheng clenched his fists. Lightning crackled from every part of him. A crucial question then crossed his mind.

"Uh... can Spiritless actually cut through those celestial crystals?"

Yaoyun's lips curled into a faint smile. Instead of answering, she simply flicked her sleeve, turned into a stream of light, and returned to Spiritless.