The next morning, Lao Mo and I dragged our exhausted bodies out of the hospital.
Lao Mo was groggy and tired, his clothes dirty and torn. He said to me,
"Brother Qin, I won't be going to work today. Go tell my master for me."
Both of our phones had been ruined by water.
Hearing this, I just grunted, and then we parted ways, hailing taxis away from the hospital.
Fortunately, we still had tens of yuan in cash on us. Otherwise, without phones, even getting a taxi would have been inconvenient.
Upon returning to Huangquan Road.
I went directly to Wanshoutang.
The shop was still open.
As soon as I entered, I saw my Uncle-Master.
Uncle-Master was squinting, leaning back in his rattan chair, listening to Peking Opera on the radio.
His fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest.
As soon as I entered, Uncle-Master said,
"Xiao Mo, why are you so late today?"
Uncle-Master had not opened his eyes. Hearing this,
I smiled and replied,
"Uncle-Master, it's me, Qin Ze."
Upon hearing my voice, Uncle-Master finally opened his eyes.
Seeing me enter, he asked,
"Oh! It's Xiao Qin! I thought it was Xiao Mo! This kid is so late today, still hasn't come to work. He must have been playing games until late last night."
Hearing this, I gave a wry smile,
"Uncle-Master, you've misunderstood Lao Mo this time.
We went to catch water ghosts last night..."
"What? Catch water ghosts?"
Uncle-Master exclaimed in surprise.
With a "swish," he sat up straight from his chair.
I nodded,
"Yes, Uncle-Master, we went to catch water ghosts. I came to ask you yesterday, but you were drunk. We went in the afternoon.
It was a whole night of trouble, and we only just got back.
Lao Mo also got injured, and his phone got wet.
When we returned, he asked me to tell you that he won't be coming to work today.
Please grant him leave!"
After I finished speaking, Uncle-Master frowned,
"Injured? What happened, is it serious? Where did these water ghosts come from?"
Uncle-Master quickly inquired.
I then recounted what Qing Dai had told me yesterday, how Lao Mo and I killed water ghosts in the Qingshan River.
And that the water ghost was from the Youming Sect, a Daoist crow.
Also, the water ghost Heitou, and the two specters by the riverbank.
The corpse-gatherer Grandpa Jiang and that he was hospitalized.
And the incident in the hospital where a ghost infant was sealed in the morgue, all of which I explained to Uncle-Master.
After hearing me out, Uncle-Master gasped.
After all, what happened last night was truly perilous.
Lao Mo and I had both narrowly escaped death.
But fortunately, our fates were strong, and we didn't suffer any major issues.
Uncle-Master took a deep breath,
"Thank goodness, thank goodness, neither of you are hurt.
As for the Youming Sect, we cannot interfere right now.
This force is too immense.
It exceeds our scope of management.
I will inform Yunxia about this matter.
Let the Daoist sect handle it.
Old Jiang and I have a decent relationship.
Though not very close,
We have some acquaintance.
This way, we will go see him together this evening.
After all, Old Jiang saved your life this time."
I grunted, chatted with Uncle-Master for a few more words,
Then Uncle-Master waved his hand, telling me to go back and rest.
My body was truly exhausted.
So without hesitation, after saying goodbye to Uncle-Master, I left Wanshoutang.
On the way, I bought some steamed buns and returned to No. 81 across the street.
After filling my stomach and taking a shower, I sat on the bed and took a deep breath.
I had intended to adjust my true qi and then go to sleep.
But who knew that as I took this breath, I was surprised to find.
After this life-and-death battle.
After surviving in the water under extreme conditions.
I had actually sensed a slight opportunity for a breakthrough.
Upon feeling this opportunity, I was completely unsettled.
I had been groggy and wanting to sleep just moments ago, but now I was instantly invigorated.
What sleep? I would break through right now.
I sank my qi to my dantian and began to inhale spiritual energy.
For a moment, my true qi flowed throughout my body.
Dao qi vibrated.
Waves of energy, centered on me, began to spread outwards.
The feeling of breakthrough was within reach.
Invisibly, I had already touched the bottleneck of breakthrough.
"It's here..."
I thought to myself.
Then I pushed towards this acupoint.
Once this acupoint was opened, my cultivation would advance another level.
Reaching the peak of the Soul Palace realm.
When my master was alive, he said I had great talent.
My life attracted ghosts, but I was naturally suited for cultivation.
Destined to walk this path of the underworld.
Xia Qiuxi also said that at my age, reaching the Soul Palace realm as a young cultivator was already rare.
If I were to break through again and reach the peak of the Soul Palace,
It would truly be unimaginable.
After all, I am only twenty-one years old.
I continuously attempted to break through, constantly urging my Dao qi.
Once, twice, three times...
I don't know how long it took.
The barrier that was blocking me was instantly broken by me.
At that moment, I felt my dantian become larger.
The Dao qi I could absorb and store also became more abundant.
Moreover, the thirteenth strand of true qi began to condense in my dantian.
Little by little.
Soon, the thirteenth strand of true qi appeared.
At this instant, it felt as if a meridian in my body was unblocked.
My entire body trembled, and a surge of Dao qi erupted outwards.
An even greater sense of power flowed into my body.
It was as if every cell had become active.
I broke through, I broke through again.
This time, I reached the peak of the Soul Palace.
Just one step away from ascending to the Profound Core realm.
Yunxia Gu said that in the past hundred years.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth had gradually depleted, reaching a state of decline in modern times.
The great trend of heaven and earth was no longer suitable for cultivation.
Now, anyone who practiced the Dao and opened a spiritual spring could be considered an outstanding talent.
One in ten thousand.
If I could form a Profound Core before the age of twenty-two.
I would be the most astonishing young talent of the past hundred years in this era of decline...