Only I am Venerable-Chapter 32: Profound Level
I’ve caught a cold, feel weak all over, and have an upset stomach. It’s rough. I’ve put out two Chapters today. If you have any recommendation votes, please cast a few my way!
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The milky-white, bean-sized ball of energy that was originally in his Dantian had vanished. In its place was a deep purple speck, the size of a sesame seed. Its color was identical to the sliver of purple qi that appeared on the horizon just before sunrise each day!
When he thought about the Innate Purple Qi Technique he practiced, he realized even a slow-witted person would sense something strange about this. ’There’s no way this isn’t related to the Innate Purple Qi Technique,’ Qin Li thought, absolutely convinced.
What surprised Qin Li even more was that when he circulated the Innate Purple Qi Technique again, he could completely control its flow. He could retract his entire aura, preventing even the slightest trace from leaking out!
For High Level Martial Artists, it was possible to judge an opponent’s strength by their aura. For someone like Qin Li to be able to retract his aura completely, he had to be either a supreme expert or an ordinary person!
At the very least, no one would believe Qin Li was a supreme expert.
He tried circulating the Only I am Venerable cultivation technique, and this time, it flowed without any obstruction! Qin Li was overjoyed. ’I can’t guarantee that practicing Only I am Venerable, this Divine-level Combat Skill, is completely harmless,’ he thought, ’but one thing is certain—I’m definitely different from everyone else who has tried!’
For the moment, Qin Li simply set the Only I am Venerable cultivation technique aside and began to focus on circulating the Innate Purple Qi Technique. After completing one Great Cycle, the eastern sky began to lighten. Full of vigor, Qin Li walked out of his room. With a single leap, he landed on the roof, sat cross-legged, and faced the East.
In the instant before sunrise, a sliver of purple qi appeared like a fleeting vision—startlingly, intoxicatingly beautiful. Qin Li’s eyes opened slightly, the Innate Purple Qi Technique within him circulating at its absolute peak. Like a great whale swallowing the sun and moon, a nearly imperceptible, thin purple thread shot from the horizon straight into the space between his eyebrows!
BOOM!
In that instant, Qin Li felt as if every meridian in his body was boiling. Yet there was no pain at all; on the contrary, he felt an ecstatic, otherworldly sensation!
That thread of celestial purple qi traveled a full cycle through Qin Li’s meridians before finally settling in his Dantian. Wherever it passed, channels that were once rough became smooth and refined. And the tiny purple speck in his Dantian seemed to shine with a little more luster than before.
Unable to contain himself, Qin Li stood up on the roof and let out a long, powerful cry. It was like a great river reversing its flow, sweeping away all the gloom and frustration in his chest!
The very next moment, however, he shamefully ducked for cover. His cry had sent who-knows-how-many stray dogs in the northern part of the city into a barking frenzy, waking countless people from their dreams.
Luckily, there were hardly any experts in this part of the city. Otherwise, his cry would have certainly drawn unwanted attention.
Even so, both Qin Hanyue and Qin Xue were startled awake. When they pushed open their doors, they saw Qin Li in the courtyard, chopping firewood. Qin Xue looked at him, her face full of suspicion. "Young Master, why are you up so early? That shout just now... was that you?"
As a second-rank Profound Level Martial Artist, Qin Xue could certainly be considered an expert. She could tell that the powerful cry was brimming with energy and had to have come from a Profound Level master at the very least. ’And the sound came from our own roof. Besides the Young Master, who else could it have been?’
’But isn’t the Young Master only at the first rank of the Yellow Level?’
Qin Li didn’t want to hide anything from his family, so he nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, it was me."
Although she had suspected as much, hearing Qin Li admit it himself was another matter entirely. Qin Xue’s face lit up with joyous surprise. "Really? Oh, th-that’s wonderful! Truly wonderful!" she said, looking at him, becoming a little incoherent from her excitement.
"What’s so wonderful?"
Qin Hanyue emerged from behind Qin Xue with an outer robe draped over her shoulders, a hint of sleepy languor in her expression. Ever since they had moved here, the comforting peace had made her feel as if she were in a dream, transported back to her carefree youth. After enduring so much pain over the years, this hard-won happiness was all the more precious. If not for her worry over her son’s injuries, Qin Hanyue would have been even more content.
"The Young Master... his fortunes have finally turned! He must have reached the Profound Level!" Qin Xue said, forcing herself to calm down. She knew exactly what it meant for a thirteen-year-old to reach the Profound Level.
’It’s unbelievable,’ she thought, ’but the proof is right there. A Yellow Level Martial Artist could never produce a shout with that much power!’
"What, really? How is that possible?" Qin Hanyue was, after all, more composed than Qin Xue. ’My son was brutally beaten just yesterday, and he’s already broken through? Besides, there’s a gap of ten full ranks between the Profound Level and the Yellow Level!’
"I find it incredible too," Qin Xue said, looking at Qin Li. "Young Master, have you been practicing some new cultivation technique?"
"Heh. Yesterday at the Hunter Guild, someone gave me a free Divine-level Combat Skill, so I brought it home to practice..." Qin Li hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth; he didn’t want to lie to his mother.
"Ah!"
The two women cried out in alarm at the same time. Qin Hanyue’s face went pale. "You don’t mean the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable cultivation technique?"
Qin Xue covered her mouth, her eyes filled with terror and her lips trembling slightly. ’It’s over,’ she thought. ’No wonder the Young Master had such a breakthrough overnight. Didn’t anyone tell him you can’t practice that technique?’
Qin Li nodded slightly. "Mother, Sister Qin Xue, please don’t worry," he said. "There are some things that are inconvenient for me to explain right now, but I can promise you this: I am different from others who have practiced this combat skill. I won’t suffer from its harmful effects!"
A memory suddenly flashed through Qin Hanyue’s mind. She was nestled in her lover’s arms, sitting at the highest point of Eagle’s Beak Stream, gazing out at the vast mountain range and listening to him speak his mind. It had been the happiest time of her life. She hadn’t paid close attention to his words back then, feeling only that being by his side, in his arms, was the ultimate happiness. But now, learning that Qin Li was practicing this technique, a powerful wave of maternal instinct made her suddenly recall what he had said.
"I thought it was something special, but after reading it, I see it also came from Profound Island. It’s just been around for ages. The cultivation technique is good, but it has a fatal flaw. Hmm, not very interesting! I thought I’d gain nothing from coming out here for experience, but then I met you. Han Yue, you are my greatest treasure in this mortal world. I wish I could take you with me..."
Whenever Qin Hanyue recalled this memory, her heart would fill with sweetness. She remembered naively asking back then, "If the cultivation technique has a flaw, why do so many people still fight over it?"
"Greed, naturally, along with a healthy dose of wishful thinking. But speaking of which, you must keep that copy of the Basic Techniques I gave you safe. In the future, have our child practice it. With that foundation, any cultivation technique in the world can be mastered! It’s just a shame... I won’t have the chance to see him before he’s grown." The man sighed deeply as he finished.
Qin Hanyue remembered that when he said this, she had been too lost in her own sadness to think. At the time, she hadn’t known she was pregnant, so she could have left with him. But after hearing about his home, she had hesitated. To leave and never return... For any young woman, the thought of never seeing her parents again was a cruel one.
She couldn’t bear to leave her family and parents behind. And he, once he departed, would not have another opportunity to return for at least twenty years. So, in that moment, Qin Hanyue made a decision she would regret for thirteen long years. By the time she discovered she was pregnant and tried to find him, it was already too late.
All she could do was wait for twenty agonizing years... After two decades, her youth would be a distant memory. Even if her beauty remained, her heart would have grown old. She feared that when they finally met again, they would only be able to face each other in choked silence.
At this thought, Qin Hanyue snapped out of her reverie. ’It must be because my son has been practicing those Basic Techniques since he was little. That must have played a crucial role.’ The worry in her heart instantly subsided. The two most important men in her life were the one standing before her now and the man from her memories. She would choose to believe both of them unconditionally.
Qin Hanyue’s eyes were a little red, but her tone was gentle. "It’s simple enough to find out if you’ve reached the Profound Level," she said. "Attack with your full strength. A radiance will flow across your body. We’ll know just by seeing its color in that instant, right?"
