I lift my hands and wave them around a few times.
Thick white shadows of vibrations follow them in confusing patterns, as this physique suppression technique is not perfectly synced at first.
Every time I breathe in and out, it fluctuates a bit too.
Meimei wakes up with a yawn and jumps off my lap, as though I've been sitting here for quite a while.
I stand to my feet and reflexively start to practice the movements ingrained in my mind.
They perfectly follow the transitional movements of this Martial Spirit Physique.
I make large lunges across most of the 5 element cultivation array and sink deeper and deeper into concentration.
The pockets of my physique that burst out of my body during the complex movements become less and less.
I fall into a flow state and can eventually control its output as easily as the translucent figure in my vision did.
In a split second, I can release the full output of an acquired initial stage spirit grade physique, and in the next, suppress it to the point where not even an echo of a vibration comes off me.
Then, with a single thought, I can release the full power of this spirit grade physique back into my surroundings. There is a pure white visible layer of vibrations that covers my body, that feels like dense flexible armor.
It feels exceptionally pure and strong.
I've only felt a few spirit grade physiques myself, but they all feel like they're rigid and flawed compared to the simplicity of this Martial Spirit Physique.
My focus moves inward, as not only is the outside of my body protected, but the inside is too.
When this physique is activated, the tension points all tether to my muscles and bones, making me extremely physically strong. The difference between the perfected mortal grade and the initial spirit grade is like night and day.
Even my meridians feel many times more sturdy, and my spirit roots are more robust and capable of channeling more qi with less effort.
I concentrate, and practice the 5 element qi control technique I worked hard on for many long weeks before.
In a matter of seconds, hot elemental qi pours through every root, and I focus to mentally merge the strongest meridians in my upper body.
A clean cycle of five elemental qis flows through them without much harmful pressure.
I stand to my feet, and I'm able to maintain the transitioning wood, fire, earth, metal, and water qi that are siphoned through acupoints to create a perfect self sustaining cycle. There are no longer burnt wood particles left behind in the fire, and even the dense metal dissolves and produces clean blue water qi.
Before the meridians felt far more constrained. Now, the intense spirit grade vibrations hold the meridian walls tight so no leakage pours out, and my larger more robust late stage qi refining body makes controlling qi itself a much easier task at the micro level too.
I begin performing my newly learned Martial Spirit Movements simultaneously..
With slow and careful movements, I'm able to maintain the cycling elemental qi inside my body for up to half an hour.
After hundreds of cycles, some impurities do build up, tinting the qi a more brown coloration, but I'm still able to cast my best spell, Martial Fireball, at any moment in less than a second.
However, when I exert my full strength to perform the Martial Spirit punches and kicks, far more strain is put on my body, and I have to release the cycling qi earlier.
I find that siphoning less qi into the cycle allows me to perform more intense movements without losing my grasp on the qi control. It results in a weaker spell once released, but I can hold this cycling qi on standby much longer without any risk of overly straining my meridians
I test my limits for about an hour, and even step into the rematch simulator for a few rounds.
When I appear before a 9th level blood demon with a perfected mortal grade physique, their attacks look slow, and their punches harmless.
I'm able to kill them with a single punch, and do not even need to target weaknesses in their physiques.
My sparring sessions here do not last long, as they have little benefit.
I return to the cultivation array and activate my illusory demon's concealment art and suppress my qi cultivation down to that of a mortal without a dantian.
However, there is qi saturating my skin, flesh, and bones so densely that anyone with strong spiritual senses can still perceive that something is not normal.
I stand at almost 185cm tall now, and after my body was reshaped and purified further in my late stage of qi refinement breakthrough, there are changes that cannot be hidden. My skin, hair, muscle, and facial symmetry have shifted, and there is an essence that surrounds me that no mortal can hold.
When I try to manipulate my Martial Spirit's aura, I'm able to only release a small amount of vibrations, equal to that of the old mid stage mortal grade I used as cover before.
However, they feel far more pure and stable. Most cultivators cannot tell physical type physiques apart, but I'm certain a foundation establishment cultivator with keen enough senses would be able to notice these vibrations are not actually Mortal Grade.
I turn my attention to the flame toad on the far side of the array and send a mental message to him, asking if it is possible for him to hide the black and red aura surrounding his body. I ask if it's possible for him to appear as a normal level 4 flame toad.
Little Red opens an eye and grunts, quickly pulling the outward display of his two spirit grade physiques deep into his body.
They completely disappear from my senses.
A ripple of thought comes back, asking me for a single foundational crystal.
I pull one from my storage, and toss it his way.
Little Red catches the hot stone with his tongue, and swallows it whole.
The stone becomes covered by an elusive veil of vibrations, and only a faint, consistent aura of weak qi particles start to seep from his skin. The false aura perfectly mimics a 4th level qi refining spirit beast without any physique.
I try pushing my enhanced spiritual senses inward, but I sense nothing but a weak flame toad. It has something to do with his dormant innate physique, but it's impossible to scan.
A smile creeps onto my face, as if even I can't find a flaw, this will work perfectly.
I nod. "Good. You'll be coming with me."
Little Red lazily hops over to me, then springs upward on his last jump to land directly onto my head.
He lets out a croak when I grab him off and place him on my shoulder. He closes his eyes while digging half of his body into my robes, resting up against the obsidian silk vest beneath.
The bronze door opens up, and we leave my hidden realm.
Wang Yang and his massive white spirit moose are standing in the back of the cultivation chamber when I reappear.
His gaze focuses on me first, confused at my suppressed aura, as before I left, this old man felt the full pressure of my spirit grade physique's breakthrough.
He doesn't say a word, only clasping his fists and bowing his head before me.
The enormous moose does the same, letting out hot wisps of qi from its nose as it grunts in thanks.
Both of these 6th level Foundation Establishments now have extremely pure, hot, and undamaged souls, from their outside wisps down to their very centers.
The immense willpower both controlled before, using high amounts of their internal qi pressure to keep their souls intact, now is free to be used as they wish.
My skin tingles, as I feel the combat ability of both of them has increased by a significant degree.
Some of the wrinkles in this old patriarch's face have gone away, and when he lifts his head, his posture and the aura around him are filled with far more vitality.
–
We walk out of the underground chamber and up to the halls where sunlight shines through glass windows.
Many mortal servants bow their heads and wait for us to pass before continuing their work.
I follow the duo outside, through a large archway that leads to many other smaller structures behind the large brick castle.
I breathe in the fresh morning air and enjoy the rays of sun hitting my skin as we walk down the back side of the mountain.
There is a very small amount of five elemental qi flowing through my strongest meridians as we walk. It doesn't use up much of my strength to maintain, and I feel like starting this habit of keeping the cycle moving at all times will be beneficial.
Now that we're no longer in confined spaces, I can also really see how much my spiritual senses have grown.
They burst out just about 105 meters. This is 5 meters further than what my system scans claimed an average initial stage foundation establishment's spiritual senses were.
My vision and hearing have become far more acute too. There are tons of practice training courtyards behind the estate, with various initial, mid, and late stage cultivators sparring and training as they would any other day.
Almost half of them have some kind of spirit beast by their side, ones I did not see present at the wedding.
It's odd that many of them act as though they've all just begun their training again after a rest break.
Some still sit in the grass or on marble patios, staring up at the sky, enjoying the nice day.
Their gazes all shift to the patriarch as he strolls through, but my own vision locks onto four figures I haven't seen in quite a while.
A fat man, a shorter woman, an eagle, and a bear stand in one of the public gathering areas, surrounded by many family members, but they quickly stop their chatter when they realize who is here.
Wang Ming steps forward out of the crowd as we approach and bows to his grandfather.
Wang Yang smiles. "You've come out of your secluded cultivation with great progress. Congratulations on your 9th level qi refining breakthrough."
Mu Shulan steps forward too, her cultivation at the perfected stage of level 8, bowing in a similar manner of greeting.
"You've made excellent progress too."
Their spirit beasts behind them have identical levels of qi cultivation, and subtle vibrations radiate off all four of them.
There is no solidified physique in either of them, but they carry far more weight than cultivators without one.
I push my spiritual senses in further and take a deep look into their bodies and souls out of curiosity.
Their meridians are extremely clean and cleared out.
Both of them certainly ate a heavenly grade healing elixir.
Mu Shulan appears slightly taller, and her hair and skin look healthier and more vibrant.
Her breakthrough into the late stage of qi refinement has grown her into a far more mature young woman, but there is still a shyness in her stance and eyes that has not gone away.
The young woman holds onto Wang Ming's arm from behind once both of them raise their heads.
Her soul is tinted green, and so are the subtle vibrations coming off her.
I find Wang Ming's soul to be a subtle dark grey color, tethered to the growing vibrations inside him.
As they stand together, I pick up on small wisps of each other's souls that twist between them.
Faint lines of green tremble in the fat man's body, and sturdy areas of grey stay behind in the brown-haired woman.
A light series of dings sounds in my inner ear, and two identical system secrets appear.
[Ding!]
[A more valuable secret within the target has been located. Old data overwritten.]
[The inferior innate Verdant Wood Physique's intent and the inferior innate Gluttonous Physique's Intent have been interwoven in a minor soul bond after an exchange of Primal Yin and Primal Yang. Both must progress down their own paths to gain further stability. Both have the potential to awaken true innate physiques upon breaking into the foundation establishment realm.]
Wang Yang smiles and turns to the crowd. "Please, give me a moment with the young heirs and our guest. Return to your training."
As many distant relatives walk away to head back to their own courtyards, I overhear a few of them.
"The Patriarch probably knows something about that celestial event."
"Do you think it's that teen he keeps inviting around, Li Hao?"
"I doubt it. Look, he's the same level as the 4th level flame toad on his shoulder. The young heir probably gifted him a matured one from the farm to help him break through into the mid stage so young. It has one of the weakest qi foundations I've ever felt."
"Maybe the event was one of the minor foundational clans that comes to visit the city often. The foot traffic out of town has increased a lot lately."
"That, or maybe a Lin or Wei Clan heir broke through in private."
"Hey, be quiet. The patriarch can still hear us…"
I inwardly smile at these remarks but look over to Wang Ming.
"Celestial Event? Did we miss something interesting?"
He nods in my direction. "Yes, there was a bright white cultivator in the sky. The clouds parted, and streams of golden sunlight came down. He performed hundreds of movements with his fists and weapons, then disappeared as fast as he came. Spirit grade and higher physiques are sometimes recognized by the heavens when they're awakened, but I've never seen one like this…"
The old patriarch nods, and his soul fluctuates in understanding, but qi ripples around his dantian holding him back from mentioning anything too revealing.
I step forward and smile. "Interesting. I believe that was my fault. I used a few secret techniques to heal your grandfather's soul. Unfortunately, I cannot share them with you, but I'd appreciate it if you would keep our hand in the matter a secret."
The fat man's eyes widen in surprise.
"Is it true? Your soul injuries are healed? I thought the elder that visited from the sect said it would take a Tier 3 elixir at the very least…"
Wang Yang smiles. "Indeed, I have been healed, and my spirit moose too. I've been blessed with the ability to see you grow to take my place caring for the descendants of our clan. The heavens are kind."
He looks to me, nods, then stares at the sky.
Wang Ming bows his head to me again.
"You've allowed me and my wife to safely break through multiple minor realms, and now you have saved my grandfather's life. I know you called us sect brothers, but how can I accept such a title!"
I wave him off. "Come on, not this again. Don't take it so seriously. I'm simply helping those that help me."
At the far edge of my spiritual senses, I perceive a young boy breathing heavily while running up the hill with a steel crab on his back.
Wang Tengru stops and hides in the bushes on the far side of this courtyard and peeks at us in curiosity.
I let out a chuckle to myself and step forward, putting up both fists. "You just hit the 9th level of qi refinement, didn't you? What do you say, want to spar?"
Wang Ming looks surprised at first, and even Little Red wakes up in confusion from my words, but Wang Yang's spiritual senses push out even further than mine do. He is amused at my plan to entertain this secret visitor.
"I'll close the area off."
The old man starts to step back, but I pull a tuft of grass out from my storage. It is filled with dense perfected stage qi, a perfected mortal grade heavy fist enchantment, and a glint of heavenly aura.
"If you could light this up to fill the courtyard, that would be helpful too. Use it all."
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Author's Note:
One chapter of Five Element Overlord will be posted every weekday: M,T,W,TH,F.
If you'd like to support me, and read 45+ chapters ahead of the public release schedule, my patreon is linked in my bio:)
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