"Chen'er, I heard from Xue Tong that when you left the Treasure Tree Sect's gate, you had a conflict with one of the sect's elders?"
"Father, there's no need to worry about that. It's just a minor thing." Jiang Chen knew his father was concerned about his future, but in Jiang Chen's eyes, a mere Treasure Tree Sect elder really wasn't something worth worrying about.
Jiang Feng sighed, "Chen'er, everything that has happened to you—I still find it incredible when I think about it sometimes. Your path, my abilities as your father are limited, and I can no longer lay the groundwork for you. From now on, you'll have to walk step by step on your own."
"By the way, Father, you've been stuck at the peak of the True Qi Realm for so long. You could try making a push toward the Spirit Realm. I have a Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill here, which is an extraordinary pill for breaking through to the Spirit Realm. It can give you a ninety percent chance of success."
Jiang Feng was shocked. "What did you say? Ninety percent?"
In fact, Jiang Chen was being conservative. The pill he had taken out this time was a superior-grade Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill. A superior-grade pill offered a ninety-nine percent chance of success.
If his father weren't slightly older and past the optimal age for Spirit Transformation, he wouldn't have only said ninety percent.
Last time he refined Five Dragons Open Heaven Pills, five had passed quality. Two were low-grade, one was mid-grade, and two were high-grade.
The mid-grade pill had been given to Gouyu.
The supreme-grade one—he had taken one himself. The remaining one naturally went to his closest kin, his father.
"Father, you must keep this matter discreet. After you take this pill and enter seclusion, you should have no trouble breaking through to the Spirit Realm."
Jiang Chen tried to speak in a calm tone, but to Jiang Feng's ears, it sounded like a thunderclap, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Ever since he was stripped of his title as Marquis Jianghan, he had pushed his martial arts efforts to the absolute limit. He had always wanted to break through, to push forward, to reach the Spirit Realm.
But again and again, he found no inspiration, no breakthrough.
He knew that at his age, he had missed the optimal window for Spirit Transformation.
The best time for Spirit Transformation was before thirty.
Jiang Feng was almost forty. While that age wasn't terribly awkward, it was certainly past the golden period for transformation.
So, lately, he had been pondering whether there was still a way forward for him in the martial dao.
The conclusion was grim. But he wasn't resigned. Even though his son had grown into a towering tree capable of sheltering the family, deep in Jiang Feng's heart, there remained a knot—one that only he could untangle himself.
That knot could not be handled by his son, no matter what.
Therefore, his martial dao heart had never died. In the past year, he had even crazed to the point of practicing day and night without rest.
But the results left him disappointed and dejected.
Just as he was lost in endless confusion, his son Jiang Chen told him that the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill could give him a ninety percent chance of breaking through to the Spirit Realm.
He stood stunned for quite a while before suddenly coming to his senses. With excitement, he grabbed Jiang Chen's hand, tears of emotion welling in his eyes, his lips trembling slightly: "Chen'er, you're not joking with me, are you?"
"I wouldn't dare joke with my own father," Jiang Chen laughed. "Father, don't be so startled. This pill not only helps you break through to the Spirit Realm but also reshapes your physical body and your Spirit Sea, making your foundation in the Spirit Realm much stronger than average. After you transcend the mortal and enter the spirit, you'll have greater potential than ordinary Spirit Realm powerhouses. That is the true effect of the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill."
"Chen'er, why do I feel like this is all a dream?"
"Father, I guarantee you, this is only the beginning. The Spirit Realm is just the starting point of the martial dao path."
Jiang Feng stood up excitedly and snatched the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill into his hand. "Chen'er, I'm going into seclusion!"
Watching his father's excited state, Jiang Chen sighed inwardly: "Father's talent for martial arts is actually quite high. Unfortunately, burdened by his high position as Marquis Jianghan and entangled in worldly affairs, he missed the optimal cultivation years. Moreover, the Jiang family's ancestral techniques are too inferior, limiting his development. This Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill, by allowing him to transcend the mortal and enter the spirit, is like starting everything from scratch. I hope Father can walk further on the martial dao path."
This time during the Labyrinth Autumn Hunt, Jiang Chen's gains were actually quite substantial.
First, the four Silver Moon Demon Ape cubs he brought out from the Labyrinth world—half of them, or two, were his.
Additionally, although Jiang Chen hadn't hunted many fierce beasts or Spirit Beasts on the journey, he had gathered a considerable amount of various Spiritual Medicines, herbs, and spirit fruits. These materials helped fill the gaps he had in spiritual ingredients.
Of course, the biggest gain was the billions of Gold-Munching Mice.
He had now established a very friendly cooperative relationship with the Gold-Munching Mouse King. Essentially, the entire Gold-Munching Mouse clan was tied to him. This was a trump card for him—when necessary, mobilizing this force would be enough to make the entire kingdom tremble.
Comparable to the Gold-Munching Mouse clan was the refined Flame Heart Ice Marrow.
He had completely integrated the Flame Heart Ice Marrow into a seed within his Spirit Sea. Given time and proper use, it would become a terrifying Divine Ability!
Jiang Chen also knew that the Flame Heart Ice Marrow's grade was actually very high, but in the abyss beneath the underground cave, it hadn't absorbed much spiritual energy, hindering its evolution.
Now, Jiang Chen had refined it into his Spirit Sea, using the spiritual power of the sea to nourish the Flame Heart Ice Marrow for his own use. In time, it would be like developing the Ice Fire Demon Lotus Divine Ability within his Spirit Sea. The power would be both surprising and devastatingly formidable in battle.
The development of this Divine Ability would take time.
Although Jiang Chen had absorbed and refined the Flame Heart Ice Marrow, integrating it with his Spirit Sea to become a true trump card would require time to cultivate and master.