Chapter 138: This is the Profound Radiance State!
On the way to the Transportation Division, Xu Qing happened to pass the Sixth Peak shop in which the shopkeeper had tried to scam him. Upon noticing the place, he stopped outside the door. As everyone in the area greeted him reverently, the shocked shopkeeper and clerks noticed what was happening and rushed out to kowtow. “Well met, Senior!”
Xu Qing looked coldly at the shopkeeper but didn’t say anything.
Sweat poured off the shopkeeper’s face onto the ground, and his back was already soaked. He was terrified, and had the feeling his life was on the line. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that Xu Qing would reach Foundation Establishment. Back during that incident, he had mostly been frightened of Second Highness. Xu Qing had hardly been worth giving thought to.
The shopkeeper was an attendant of Honor Guard Idlecloud from the Sixth Peak, so no Offpeak disciples would dare to mess with him. But Xu Qing was now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the shopkeeper had no idea if Honor Guard Idlecloud would risk hostilities with a fellow Foundation Establishment cultivator just to help an attendant.
As the shopkeeper trembled, Xu Qing looked away from him and moved on.
Even after Xu Qing was gone, the shopkeeper felt paralyzed, like he had just toed the line between life and death.
The reason Xu Qing hadn’t killed him was because it was too expensive. What was more, he didn’t want to beat the grass to startle the snake. He had learned from Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior that the shopkeeper was connected to Idlecloud, who was currently listed on his bamboo slip. He just hadn’t found a good opportunity to take action.
For now, he put the matter out of mind. On this, his first trip down the peak after his breakthrough, he was finally coming to realize why he had hardly seen any Foundation Establishment cultivators in the city. They just attracted too much attention. Wherever he went, everyone was watching him.
Only people who loved attention would feel comfortable in such a situation. And it was worse considering Xu Qing preferred sticking to the shadows. It was simply impossible to do that with so many people paying attention to him.
Considering that the Foundation Establishment cultivators on the Seventh Peak were all grim individuals who had slaughtered their way out of the Offpeak world, it was only natural that none of them were like that.
What does everyone else do? He could only speculate.
Thinking about these matters, he hurried through the streets even more quickly on his way to the Transportation Division. Along the way, he sent a voice message to Zhang San, and found that he was indeed back already. Upon arriving at the Transportation Division, Xu Qing spotted Zhang San in his gray daoist robe. Next to him, with his lower half back, was the Captain, also wearing a gray robe.
Perhaps the ordinary workers in the Transportation Division didn’t realize it, but Xu Qing, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could sense that they were a lot stronger than before. In fact, just looking at them, he knew that they had both risen to the Foundation Establishment level. They were just masking their auras.
The two of them squatted on some sandbags, Zhang San smoking a pipe, the Captain munching an apple. As the sun shone down on them, their gray robes seemed particularly splendid. It didn’t take long for them to notice him approaching. And when they saw his violet daoist robe, the Captain smiled proudly, while Zhang San sighed.
“You lose,” the Captain said. Zhang San took out a spirit stone and handed it to the Captain.
Seeing all this, Xu Qing realized that his previous speculation that they were leaving the sect for Foundation Establishment breakthroughs had been correct.
Grinning, Zhang San said, “Xu Qing, why are you actually wearing your violet robe? Foundation Establishment cultivators in Seven Blood Eyes only wear their colored robes when something important is happening. Otherwise, you stick out too much.”
Zhang San was now a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he hadn’t forgotten Xu Qing’s ferocity in the Grand Competition. Thus, he kept things as friendly as possible, while also explaining to Xu Qing why he and the Captain weren’t wearing violet robes.
“You should go back and change ASAP,” Zhang San continued. “By the way, don’t spend all your time on the peak. Nothing’s more boring than Onpeak life. Didn’t you notice that there are basically no Foundation Establishment cultivators up there? You listen to me. Every single one of them is completely treacherous. They all wear gray robes and hide down here in the Offpeak world. And who can blame them? Everything is much more exciting and much more convenient down here.”
Xu Qing nodded seriously.
As for the Captain, he smiled enigmatically and said, “For all you know, Xu Qing, you might have already run into some gray-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators. You just didn’t realize it. Hardly anyone on the Seventh Peak flies around everywhere like Honor Guard Li. Besides, he only started doing that after he took up working for Elder Zhao. And you only see Zhang Yunshi when he shows up for work. People say he actually enjoys helping out newbies. By the way—” he took a bite out of his apple, then cleared his throat and continued, “Deputy Director Xu, you owe your director 10,000 spirit stones. When do you plan to settle up, huh?”
Xu Qing looked at the Captain. Just like before he had reached Foundation Establishment, the Captain’s cultivation base fluctuations were impossible to read.
“The director?” Xu Qing asked.
“Yeah, that’s right. After I got back, I was appointed as the director of the Violent Crimes Division. So, Deputy Director Xu, I suggest you get those spirit stones together as quickly as possible. The director is running a bit low on cash right now.” Seeming very pleased with himself, the Captain looked at Xu Qing expecting him to be envious.
Recognizing this look from the Captain, Xu Qing didn’t need any prompting. “Congratulations, Captain.”
“Hahaha! It’s great to be chatting like this again with you, Deputy Director Xu. Although, you need to update your form of address and call me Director.”
Xu Qing nodded. “Okay, Captain.”
“Director!” the Captain corrected, then viciously took a bite of his apple.
“Sure,” Xu Qing replied with another nod. Taking out three large apples, he gave one to Zhang San and one to the Captain.
Grinning, Zhang San said, “Would the two of you calm down already? I finished fixing your dharmaboat, Xu Qing. In a minute I’ll take you over there to see it. Ai. It’s hard to believe the three of us all reached Foundation Establishment so smoothly. It feels like it’s been a lifetime since the last time we were together.
“I honestly never thought I’d see Foundation Establishment. I heard that a lot of people broke through after the Grand Competition. And Ding Xiaohai was one of the first. He made the breakthrough here in the sect.” Zhang San sighed.
“What an idiot, right?” the Captain said, taking a bite out of the apple Xu Qing had just given him. “Everyone else went to the Grand Competition to get rich. He went to become a conclave disciple. Then the first thing he does afterward is reach Foundation Establishment. What was the point of the whole conclave thing?
“I hope neither of you are ever like that. Deputy Director Xu, I think you’re doing fine. You don’t care about anything but getting rich, so you’re not in danger of becoming an idiot. But Zhang San, you need to watch yourself.”
At this point, the Captain lowered his voice. Looking both mysterious and very excited, he said, “Alright, listen up, both of you. I’ve been working on a big plan. I still need to get a bit more information, but once I do, the plan will be ready to carry out. I’m going to take the two of you with me, and we’re going to make out like bandits. The rewards are going to be far more spectacular than Joine’s flesh.”
Zhang San suddenly looked like he was on guard, as did Xu Qing.
“What are you looking at me like that for?” the Captain said, glaring at them. “Fine, I won’t explain any further. Besides, I have to gather some more information first. Regardless, the two of you are far too weak. You need to form life flames as quickly as possible, so that you can unleash the power of the profound radiance state. Otherwise, I won’t let you take part in my plan.”
The Captain rose to his feet.
“What exactly is the profound radiance state?” Xu Qing asked. He had heard about and read a bit regarding the profound radiance state, but that was all theoretical. He had never actually seen it.
Zhang San also looked curiously at the Captain. Apparently, he was in a similar situation as Xu Qing, having not had many dealings with Foundation Establishment cultivators when he was in Qi Condensation.
“You want to know?” the Captain asked, smiling at Xu Qing and Zhang San. “Ah, whatever. Considering we’ll be working together in the future, I guess I might as well explain. Do you know why I wanted to get some of Joine’s flesh? It’s because after you eat the flesh of a godly entity, you can open multiple dharma apertures in rapid succession. And that makes it possible to form your first life flame. So, what is the profound radiance state? Instead of using words to explain, I’ll just show you.”
Suddenly, a shocking rumbling sound erupted from within the Captain, like heavenly thunder. As everything around them shook, a terrifying shockwave rolled out from him.
Xu Qing’s eyes went wide with shock as he backed up rapidly.
It was like there was a furnace inside the Captain that had been ignited, sending intense heat rippling out in all directions. At the same time, the fluctuations coming off of him instantly became stronger than before by many times over.
The Captain looked like he was made of fire now. There was a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering image projected behind him, but even looking at it was painful to the eyes. And everything around him rippled and distorted. Then he moved.
Xu Qing saw nothing but a series of afterimages, and then his mind reeled with an intense sensation of deadly crisis. He wanted to fall back, but wasn’t fast enough.
The Captain was right in front of him, holding his right hand out.
Clasped in his fingers was a single one of Xu Qing’s hairs. Because of the intense heat, it rolled up and dissolved into ashes.
Xu Qing’s pupils constricted as the furnace within the Captain suddenly went out, and he returned to his normal state. Smiling at Xu Qing, he said, “Deputy Director Xu, if I had wanted to kill you just now, you’d be dead already.”
Xu Qing didn’t say anything in response, but his heart was pounding and his mind spun in shock. Most of what he had known about the profound radiance state came from what he’d read in jade slips. But seeing it in real life was totally different.
Just now, the Captain had seemed completely invincible.
“Of course, I am a genius,” the Captain said proudly, “so when other people enter the profound radiance state, it’s not as impressive. But you wouldn’t stand a chance against them either. Entering the profound radiance state involves unleashing power from all of your dharma apertures. When you do that, both your magical techniques and your fleshly body reach their peak state. It doesn’t last for long, but it’s enough to either kill your enemy or escape with your life.
“The only way to fight the profound radiance state is to also be in the profound radiance state yourself. And Foundation Establishment cultivators without the profound radiance state are as weak as wild chickens. Therefore, little Ah Qing, don’t let the wild chickens you’ve seen in the past fool you about what Foundation Establishment cultivators are like. You need to work hard! And remember to hurry up and pay back the 20,000 spirit stones you owe me.”
Smiling, the Captain took a bite out of his apple and then walked a few paces away. There, he shot into the air in a beam of light, heading, not toward the Seventh Peak, but toward the Violent Crimes Division.
Xu Qing watched him go. The sense of danger he had experienced just now was like nothing he had ever experienced before. And it left him feeling very anxious. He needed to open more dharma apertures, and get to 30 as soon as possible. With a life flame, he could then enter the profound radiance state. That was obviously a big priority.
Zhang San was also standing there silently. A moment later, he chuckled bitterly and shook his head. “The Captain is such a freak. Come on, I’ll take you to your dharmaskiff.”
Xu Qing didn’t respond. Keeping his eye on the disappearing Captain, he followed Zhang San.
Once I form a life flame, then with the blessing of the life lamp, I’ll actually have the power of two life flames!
Eventually Zhang San reached his warehouse. As Xu Qing followed him inside, he caught sight of a watercraft that was both familiar and unfamiliar. It was a huge dharmaskiff, 150 meters long, with a hull covered with a Foundation Establishment sealizard skin. It also had a different overall shape. Before it had looked like a crocodile, but now it looked like a sealizard!
And fluctuations of godliness rolled off of it. Instead of the feathered wings that had been on his dharmaboat, this sealizard had two leathery wings on either side of it. The entire thing seemed completely fierce and violent.
“Okay, Xu Qing. The Captain gave both me and you a very small portion of Joine’s flesh. I added it in as the power source. With that upgrade, your dharmaboat became a true dharmaskiff! Of course, if you want to uninstall Joine’s flesh, that’s fine. But I think having a dharmaskiff is better for you. With it, you’ll have a much better chance of surviving out on the Forbidden Sea!”