Qi Cultivation Starting from the Repair Panel

A moment later, he opened his eyes, his gaze steady, and headed straight towards the west of the city.

The west of Lingbi City, compared to the bustling center, appeared more tranquil. On both sides of the street were grand estates, with high walls and arrays isolating the inside from the outside.

Chu Zheng's steps halted in front of a seemingly ordinary courtyard, with blue tiles and white walls, the ancient facade seemingly plain, except for the presence of two martial cultivators standing guard at the entrance, indicating that this was not an ordinary household.

Upon seeing Chu Zheng approach, the two cultivators, who had evidently been informed beforehand, immediately bowed in greeting and silently made way for him.

Chu Zheng pushed the door open and entered.

The courtyard was serene, with several unknown spirit plants planted, their leaves emitting a faint glow.

In the courtyard stood two figures like stone statues, none other than Zheng Ping and Chu An.

"Master!"

Seeing Chu Zheng safe and sound, the two individuals instantly relaxed, their tense emotions replaced by immense joy.

Zheng Ping's voice trembled slightly with excitement, and Chu An's eyes reddened, his figure almost dashing forward, yet he forcefully stopped a few steps from Chu Zheng, daring not to overstep.

"It's good that there's no trouble."

Chu Zheng glanced over them, feeling slightly relieved, his expression softened a bit:

"This place is not suitable for a long stay; let's go."

With that, he turned directly, and Zheng Ping and Chu An followed heavily with agreement.

As the trio reached the courtyard entrance, a rotund figure, as if having calculated his timing, was right there at the entrance—Tu Fugui.

His face bore a habitual smile; he greeted Chu Zheng with a chuckling smile, bowing slightly in a posture low enough:

"Mr. Zheng Chu, before this, Old Tu acted recklessly, causing offense; it truly was circumstances beyond my control. I hope the young friend can forgive me and not take it to heart!"

He smiled heartily, clearly here to resolve any misunderstanding.

Chu Zheng halted his steps, his gaze fell on Tu Fugui's jovially round face, and he returned the courtesy:

"Great Saint weighs his words heavily; being entrusted and fulfilling tasks is a duty; how can it be blamed? The junior understands."

His tone was calm, showing no concern for past events.

Moreover, right now he doesn't have the qualification to go up against a Great Saint; the other party offered a way out, it was wise to take it.

Being unforgiving will only push both sides into an awkward position, possibly bringing unnecessary trouble.

Tu Fugui was somewhat surprised, the smile on his face became more genuine as he handed over a storage ring and stepped aside: "This modest gift, I hope you accept it smilingly."

"Great Saint."

Chu Zheng did not take the storage ring. There was not a hint of jest in his expression, as he spoke quietly:

"Xue Qing needs no one else beside her, including that Jade-faced Young Master from the Song Clan. Matters like this should not be done going forward to avoid trouble."

Some news had already spread all over Lingbi City, even if he didn't want to hear it, it had reached his ears.

Previous matters were largely due to Tu Fugui's influence.

Tu Fugui's expression paused, as he met Chu Zheng's gaze, feeling a slight chill in his heart, unable to maintain his smile, nodded to mask the awkwardness:

"Understood."

Chu Zheng said no more, nodding slightly, he led Zheng Ping and Chu An quickly through the courtyard entrance, their figures soon disappeared into the crowd.

"How strange."

Tu Fugui scratched his head with a light click, full of puzzlement:

"I thought it was one-sided love, but who knew the feelings were mutual, yet how could this be the outcome, what a sigh..."

He shook his head slightly, thinking of his son who joined the Xueqing Sect, his face resumed its previous smile, humming a tune, he turned and left.

At the end of the day, he's not the one feeling uncomfortable, so why should it concern him.

......

......

Just as Yun Tianji previously mentioned, less than two years after Chu Zheng left Spiritual Wall City, the news of the Heaven Burial Ceremony had spread throughout the Near Immortal Realm.

This stirred a thousand waves, for cultivators without clan support, this was undoubtedly a stairway to heaven.

If they could shine in the legendary Heaven Burial Ceremony, even gaining entry to the Heaven Burial Palace, it would mean a leap from carp to dragon.

If one survives, with heavenly fate as protection, at that time, all Ten Great Ancient Clans would extend an olive branch, allowing departure from the mire and providing an opportunity to touch the supreme path, standing alongside ancient clan prodigies.

Soon, one of the Ten Great Ancient Clans, the Xu Family, sent an envoy to the Immortal Realm.

With the envoy's arrival, the selection matters for the Heaven Burial Competition spread like a storm.

After discussions with the Lin Xian Three Clans, the Xu Family envoy ultimately set the competition date for twenty years later.

For cultivators who often go into seclusion for centuries, twenty years passes in the blink of an eye. Yet, for those wanting to stand out now, it is undoubtedly the final sprint stage, requiring one to raise their battle power at any cost.

Amidst this fervent wave sweeping the Upper Realm Four Heavens, Chu Zheng led Zheng Ping and Chu An away from the noise to find a secluded place, setting layers of restrictions to begin yet another seclusion.

......

......

The abode was deep and the stone walls were cold. Chu Zheng sat cross-legged at the core of the spirit vein, his aura settled like an abyss, his Dao Integration Perfection realm meticulously polished, flawless, mana rushing like the Yangtze River, divine sense condensed like tempered steel. Yet, that step, that final threshold between celestial and mortal, lay like a chasm, blocking his way.

Without the guidance of the tribulation qi that should have descended, he felt always short of that final stride.

Originally, according to routine tribulations, he would naturally step into the Heavenly Immortal Realm.

But now, the laws of heaven and earth seemed particularly stingy towards him, the anomaly, making that crucial step difficult to take.

Like owning the key to unlock the door but unable to find the invisible door's location.

In a mere instance, over a decade quietly passed in sitting and constant attempts.

Chu Zheng didn't stubbornly kick against the boundary of the realm; he focused most of his energy on studying the law-breaking rune.

Among the various great divine skills in Qi Refining, many are now beyond his reach, requiring time to explore, and some divine skills are still laborious for him to use.

In the current Near Immortal Realm, immortal path cultivators dominate the mainstream, their protective immortal light, their magic treasures, and immortal techniques are based on pure mana and divine sense.

If he wants to break through in the upcoming Heaven Burial Competition and seize those precious spots, his greatest reliance may still lies on the law-breaking rune.

Over these past years, he has immersed himself fully, continuously deducing and analyzing, making significant progress compared to before, but it needs verification.

During seclusion, Chu Zheng wasn't entirely cut off from the world; Zheng Ping and Chu An occasionally went out and brought back some news to this barren land.

The most notable piece of news regarding Xue Qing caught Chu Zheng's attention.

She had officially entered the Martial Path Eighth Realm, achieving the status of Martial Saint and swept through all opponents in the same realm in the Near Immortal Realm with an unbeatable stance, assertively claiming victory.

The Martial Pavilion had prematurely granted her the qualification to leave the Near Immortal Realm and a direct entrance ticket to the Heaven Burial Ceremony, sparing her the need to participate in the bloody preliminary selection, directly granting her the opportunity to compete for the final Heaven Burial Palace quota in the border wilderness.

When the news arrived, Chu Zheng was in the void engraving runes with his fingers, which slightly paused, he remained silent for a moment, a complex light flickering deep within his eyes.

Since that day onward, Chu Zheng no longer shut himself away in seclusion, choosing to travel and explore.

With the Heaven Burial competition imminent, time was running out for him; waiting idly, the realm won't break through by itself—he needed pressure to force the stagnant bottleneck to loosen.

Chu Zheng walked out from the secluded cave after more than a decade, this time without taking Zheng Ping and Chu An.

He roamed the land of Falling Leaves Heaven, seeking a mysterious opportunity.

He didn't conceal his trajectory, openly displaying his aura like a beacon in the night, soon attracting the attention of some living creatures.

Ultimately, a figure blocked his path.

"Who dares to trespass in our clan's domain?"

It was a True Immortal, with a majestic aura, protective immortal light, akin to a god descending to the mortal world, full of authority, blocking Chu Zheng's way.

Chu Zheng's calm eyes brightened slightly, his long-settled Yuan Qi began to surge violently, boundless heaven and earth primordial qi converged towards him from all directions, vehemently.

At that moment, the tightly closed Immortal Ascension Gate finally budged, revealing a slit.