Chapter 460 (1)
When Lu Qing returned home with Xiao Yan, it was already evening.
That night, a fiery red pearl appeared in his hand.
It was the Fire Spirit Pearl, the very one he had obtained from the Cold Water Palace's treasure vault.
The secret realm of Cold Water Palace was dominated by ice-based powers.
Because of this, the Fire Spirit Pearl had been stored deep within the vault, unable to absorb any external energy.
By the time Lu Qing discovered it, its power had nearly dissipated.
Therefore, during his secluded cultivation beneath Everlasting Regret Mountain’s underground spiritual vein, he had placed the Fire Spirit Pearl there for nurturing.
After half a year of being nourished by the spiritual vein, the pearl had absorbed enough spiritual energy and had now regained its former might.
Now was the time to refine it properly.
Holding the Fire Spirit Pearl in his palm, Lu Qing focused his mind, sending a wisp of Divine Soul Power into the pearl to establish ownership.The refining process went smoothly. Lu Qing easily left his Soul Imprint within the pearl.
Immediately, the Fire Spirit Pearl transformed into a streak of light and flew into his Brow Acupoint.
Upon entering his Brow Acupoint, the pearl swiftly flew toward the center of the acupoint’s space.
Initially, it attempted to compete for the central position with the Earth Spirit Pearl. However, a faint fluctuation soon emanated from the Earth Spirit Pearl.
At the same time, an ethereal Soul Rune projection emerged from the Earth Spirit Pearl.
The Fire Spirit Pearl trembled slightly before shrinking down and obediently orbiting around the Earth Spirit Pearl in a profound trajectory.
Lu Qing observed this quietly without interfering.
Spiritual artifacts like the Five Elements Pearls naturally possessed a trace of sentience.
Though he had refined and taken ownership of them, he did not wish to erase their intelligence.
For matters of hierarchy, it was best to let them sort themselves out.
As expected, the Earth Spirit Pearl held the superior position.
That was unsurprising—after all, it had accompanied Lu Qing the longest and had been nurtured to great strength. With the Soul Rune embedded within, it had firmly secured its dominance.
Moreover, the Earth Element was known for its stability and weight, serving as the foundation of the Brow Acupoint Space.
It was only natural that it suppressed the Fire Spirit Pearl.
With the Fire Spirit Pearl submitting, it began revolving around the Earth Spirit Pearl in an intricate pattern.
At that moment, a mysterious connection began forming between the two pearls.
Simultaneously, Lu Qing, as their master, experienced a strange resonance in his heart.
He was momentarily startled and carefully concentrated on this newfound perception.
Soon, he realized that the resonance emanated from multiple directions, all from vast distances away.
Moreover, the aura he sensed from these distant sources bore a striking resemblance to the Earth Spirit Pearl and Fire Spirit Pearl.
“So that’s how it works…”
A sudden revelation dawned on Lu Qing.
“These resonant auras must be coming from the other Five Elements Pearls. So, as long as I possess at least two, I can detect the locations of the remaining ones?” 𝘳𝘢NȫᛒĘȿ
A smile surfaced on Lu Qing’s face.
Previously, he had been skeptical about his chances of gathering all five pearls.
But now, he realized that the Five Elements Pearls had an intrinsic ability to sense one another.
As long as he collected two, finding the rest would be much easier.
Filled with excitement, Lu Qing immediately focused on deciphering the locations of the remaining pearls.
After some time, a realization took shape in his mind.
“Three more pearls… One seems to be in Zhongzhou, another far in the Extreme West, and the last one… is deep in the Eastern Sea?”
Upon determining these rough locations, Lu Qing was taken aback.
The ones in Zhongzhou and the Extreme West should be relatively easy to retrieve.
But the one in the Eastern Sea… That was a different story.
He recalled the sensation he had felt over half a year ago when he had traveled to the coast with Xiao Yan and the others.
Back then, the vast ocean had instilled a rare sense of unease in him.
If even he had felt wary of that endless sea, then the deep ocean—where no human had ever set foot—must contain unknown and formidable dangers.
“But there’s no rush. I should wait until Master’s tribulation is over and Sacred Mountain’s affairs are settled. Then, I can slowly gather the remaining pearls.”
Lu Qing had a strong intuition that fully collecting the Five Elements Pearls would bring him great benefits.
Previously, he hadn’t known the locations of the other pearls, but now that he did, there was no way he would leave them be.
…
The day after Lu Qing returned, nothing significant happened.
Doctor Chen remained in seclusion, refining the two treasured pearls that Lu Qing had given him.
However, on the third day, Lin Zhirui, who had been traveling abroad, returned.
The first thing he did was pay a visit to Lu Qing, bringing an invitation from the Three Holy Lords, requesting him to meet them at Sacred Mountain.
Lu Qing, however, did not immediately agree.
Instead, he replied that his Master was about to undergo his tribulation, and he could not leave. Everything would have to wait until after the tribulation.
Lin Zhirui had no objections to this.
He understood Doctor Chen’s importance to Lu Qing. Since facing a Heavenly Tribulation was such a critical event, Lu Qing would surely remain by his Master’s side to protect him.
…
On the fourth day, at dawn, while Lu Qing was meditating, a voice suddenly rang in his mind.
“Ah Qing, I’m ready for my tribulation.”
Lu Qing’s eyes snapped open, and he immediately ended his cultivation, making his way to the Half-Mountain Courtyard.
“Master, you’re saying it’s time?” he asked.
Doctor Chen nodded. “Yes. These past two days, I’ve been refining the two pearls you gave me. They are indeed treasures of the Magical Artifact level.”
“The moment I fully refined and took control of them, the Water Element and Fire Element energies within them washed over my Divine Soul and physical body, further stabilizing and tempering them.”
“The interaction of water and fire granted me incredible insights. After completely digesting these realizations and integrating them into my Dao of Water and Fire, the opportunity for my breakthrough naturally emerged.”
At this moment, Doctor Chen’s complexion was radiant, exuding a harmonious and complete aura.
Lu Qing could clearly sense that his Master had reached the Peak Foundation Establishment Realm.
Moreover, his foundation was incredibly robust.
Judging purely by his aura, Doctor Chen was no weaker than Li Changbo, the Golden Core cultivator whom Lu Qing had encountered before.
He could even sense a wisp of Heavenly Tribulation energy gathering above Doctor Chen’s head.
This meant that Doctor Chen was already at the threshold of tribulation—just a single thought away from summoning the Heavenly Lightning.
“When do you plan to face the tribulation?” Lu Qing asked.
“Right now.”
“Now? That’s a good choice. The sooner, the better. Master, take this.”
Lu Qing took out a crystal-clear jade stone filled with swirling misty energy.
Doctor Chen accepted it, and upon sensing its abundant spiritual energy, his expression changed.
“This is…”
“This is a Mid-grade Spirit Stone. It contains an incredibly pure amount of Spiritual Qi, which can be directly absorbed and refined.”
“During the tribulation, it will allow you to restore your spiritual power at the fastest possible speed.”
Under normal circumstances, even a Low-grade Spirit Stone was enough for a Golden Core cultivator to train for a considerable period.
Although Doctor Chen had a solid foundation, a Low-grade Spirit Stone should have been sufficient for his tribulation.
However, since Heavenly Tribulations were unpredictable, Lu Qing preferred to be cautious.
To ensure absolute safety, he provided a Mid-grade Spirit Stone instead.
Doctor Chen’s grip tightened around the jade stone.
“Spirit Stone…”