After Chu Qingyun secured his tenth consecutive victory, Gao Feng took back the gray token he had given him.
He then gave him two identical-looking black tokens.
These black tokens were the true Great Xia Martial Tokens, which could only be obtained by achieving a ten-win streak at the Great Xia Martial Palace.
One he could keep to signify his status as a Great Xia Samurai.
The other could be given to his family, allowing his immediate relatives to receive the protection of the Great Xia Kingdom.
Looking at the two tokens in his hand, Chu Qingyun felt a surge of excitement.
With this Great Xia Martial Token, his parents would be safe no matter what happened in a month.
After leaving the Great Xia Martial Palace, Chu Qingyun hurried straight to the Assassin Alliance without a moment's rest.
"I've been waiting for you for two days. I was starting to think you weren't coming."
Upon seeing Chu Qingyun, a hint of a smile flashed in You Yun's visible eyes.
"Heh, of course I'd come. You can keep the Primordial Stones. Just mark the mission as complete and give me a dose of the Water Cloud Potion."
Chu Qingyun said with a smile, handing over his skull-adorned assassin token.
You Yun recorded the mission details on the token, then took out a pre-prepared Water Cloud Potion and handed it to Chu Qingyun.
"This Water Cloud Potion is concocted from over a hundred precious Spiritual Medicines using a special Secret Technique. After you take it, it will stimulate the Primordial Power within your nine meridians and help you open your Qi Sea."
"Breaking through to the Martial Master realm is a major event. If you ask me, you should use one of our private chambers for your breakthrough. It's much safer than your inn."
The private chambers in the Assassin Alliance were specifically for cultivation and discussing confidential matters.
The chamber's furnishings were simple, containing only a table and a few chairs.
Chu Qingyun cleared a space, sat cross-legged, and took out several Middle Grade Primordial Stones. Holding them in his hands, he began to absorb the Primordial Power within.
After absorbing the power from dozens of Primordial Stones, Chu Qingyun's Primordial Power reached its absolute peak, and he had adjusted his condition to be optimal.
The Water Cloud Potion was a pale blue liquid stored in a small, palm-sized crystal vial.
The pale blue liquid swirled in the vial, giving rise to wisps of white mist that floated like clouds within the crystal.
After staring at the Water Cloud Potion for a moment, Chu Qingyun snapped back to his senses. He had nearly become entranced by the potion.
'So this is the potion that helps one break through to the Martial Master realm...'
Chu Qingyun marveled to himself, then uncorked the vial, tilted his head back, and downed the entire potion in one gulp.
The single gulp made Chu Qingyun's heart ache with the cost.
This potion was worth fifteen thousand Middle Grade Primordial Stones! With one tilt of his head and one swallow, fifteen thousand Middle Grade Primordial Stones were gone...
The Water Cloud Potion was cool as it went down. Chu Qingyun felt a cold line spread from his mouth to his stomach.
A moment later, under the potion's effects, Chu Qingyun felt the Primordial Power in his nine meridians turn violent, its flow through his body accelerating dramatically.
At his Dantian, where the nine meridians converged, a vortex seemed to form. It spun wildly, devouring the Primordial Power from his meridians.
Each time Primordial Power flowed past the vortex, a portion was siphoned off.
Chu Qingyun understood. This was the Sea's Eye, the precursor to the formation of the Qi Sea.
Once the Sea's Eye absorbed enough Primordial Power, it would erupt and expand, creating the Qi Sea.
The Primordial Power in his meridians dwindled, but the Sea's Eye grew ever larger.
In a flash, after devouring Primordial Power and expanding to its absolute limit, the Sea's Eye abruptly contracted into an infinitesimal point, then violently exploded!
BOOM!
Chu Qingyun felt a thunderous roar erupt in his ears, shaking him so violently he grew dizzy and almost passed out.
In his Dantian, the wildly spinning Sea's Eye had vanished. Turning his focus inward with introspection, he saw that in its place was a vast sea of Primordial Power.
The Sea's Eye had burst, and the Qi Sea was formed!
Chu Qingyun was now a true Martial Master!
But instead of relaxing, his expression grew more solemn than ever.
The next step was to introduce his Martial Soul into his Qi Sea.
This was a critical step, one that would determine a Martial Artist's entire future!
It was common knowledge that the tier of a Martial Soul determined a Martial Artist's innate talent, and could even predict their future to some extent.
That was why all Martial Artists on the continent placed immense importance on their Martial Souls.
Compared to Low Tier Martial Souls, High Tier Martial Souls not only possessed stronger Soul Techniques and more potent Martial Soul Power, but they also played a decisive role in the size of the Qi Sea a Martial Artist could open.
The nine meridians opened during the Martial Artist Realm were more or less the same for everyone.
The Qi Sea, however, was a Martial Artist's foundation. The size of one's Qi Sea determined the strength of one's foundation in the Martial Dao.
A High Tier Martial Soul could help a Martial Artist open a much vaster Qi Sea.
Chu Qingyun's Devouring Martial Soul was only Tier Two. Although it would certainly be beneficial to wait until it reached a higher tier before opening his Qi Sea...
...Chu Qingyun couldn't afford to wait. He had to become stronger first in order to help his Devouring Martial Soul evolve.
'A Tier Two Martial Soul should be able to open a Qi Sea with a radius of a hundred meters...'
Chu Qingyun thought with a sense of resignation.
A hundred-meter radius was hardly a vast Qi Sea.
The Devouring Martial Soul, still a nebulous, chaotic mass, slowly sank into the Qi Sea in his Dantian under his guidance.
As soon as the Martial Soul entered, the newly formed Qi Sea seemed to come under immense pressure, and its boundaries began to rapidly expand!
In a near instant, Chu Qingyun's Qi Sea expanded to a hundred-meter radius.
But it showed no signs of stopping, continuing to expand wildly.
A hundred-meter radius...
A five hundred-meter radius...
A thousand-meter radius...
By the time the Qi Sea had expanded to a thousand-meter radius, the Primordial Power within it had been diluted to the point of near depletion. Small cracks began to appear in many places.
A wave of excruciating pain made Chu Qingyun bite back a scream.
'Dammit, my Primordial Power... it's not enough!'
Chu Qingyun's heart trembled. The Primordial Power he had accumulated in his nine meridians was no longer enough to stabilize his Qi Sea.
Under the pressure from the Devouring Martial Soul, his Qi Sea continued to expand madly, forcing the cracks to grow ever wider.
If this continued, there was only one possible outcome: his Qi Sea would tear apart, and he would be utterly crippled!
'Heh, to think it would end like this. That I, Chu Qingyun, would fall at this hurdle... Made by the Devouring Martial Soul, and broken by it too.'
Facing the ever-widening cracks in his Qi Sea, Chu Qingyun could do nothing. Misery and despair filled his heart.
Just then, the Devouring Martial Soul within his Qi Sea seemed to sense that something was amiss.
The nebulous mass of the Martial Soul suddenly began to churn violently, and a terrifying suction force erupted from within it.