Chapter 32: Mysterious Rank

The milky white qi cluster the size of a bean in his Dantian had disappeared, replaced by a dark purple speck the size of a sesame seed. Its color was exactly the same as the purple glow at the edge of the sky before sunrise!

Thinking about the Innate Purple Qi Art he cultivated, even someone with a slow mind would feel something strange at this point. If someone said this had nothing to do with the Innate Purple Qi Art, Qin Li would never believe it.

What surprised Qin Li even more was that when he ran the Innate Purple Qi Art again, he could completely control its operation, gathering all the energy throughout his body without any leakage!

He knew that high-level martial artists could judge others’ strength from their aura. For someone like Qin Li to hide his aura, he was either a super expert or an ordinary person!

At least, no one would believe Qin Li was a super expert.

He tried running the Only I Dominate Technique, and this time it became smooth without any obstruction! Qin Li was overjoyed. Although he couldn’t guarantee that cultivating this God-Level Combat Skill, Only I Dominate, was completely harmless, at least one thing was certain: he was absolutely different from others who cultivated this combat technique!

Qin Li simply put the Only I Dominate Technique aside and focused on running the Innate Purple Qi Art. After completing one great cycle, the sky was turning white at the horizon. Qin Li walked out of his room, full of energy, leaped onto the roof, sat cross-legged, and faced the Eastern Lands.

Just before the sun rose, a flash of purple qi appeared briefly, stunningly beautiful, intoxicatingly lovely. Qin Li slightly opened his eyes, running the Innate Purple Qi Art to its limit inside him. Like a giant whale swallowing the sun and moon, a barely noticeable thin purple line shot straight from the sky into Qin Li’s forehead!

Boom!

Qin Li felt as if all the meridians in his body boiled in that instant, but he didn’t feel any discomfort. Instead, he felt euphoric!

That strand of celestial purple qi traveled through Qin Li’s meridians for one cycle and finally returned to his Dantian. Wherever it passed, originally uneven areas became smooth and refined. The small purple sesame seed in his Dantian seemed to have gained more luster than before.

Qin Li couldn’t help but stand on the roof and let out a long shout. Like a river flowing backward, the depression in his chest was swept away completely!

But the next moment, he shamefully hid. That shout caused countless stray dogs in the North District to bark wildly, waking up many people from their dreams.

Fortunately, there were hardly any experts in the North District, otherwise Qin Li’s shout would have definitely drawn attention.

Even so, both Qin Hanyue and Qin Xue were awakened. They pushed the door open and saw Qin Li chopping wood in the yard. Qin Xue looked at Qin Li suspiciously and asked, “Young Master, why are you up so early? Was that sound just now… made by you?”

As a Mysterious Rank Second Tier martial artist, Qin Xue deserved to be called an expert. She naturally recognized that the long shout just now was full of energy, meaning the person should at least be at Mysterious Rank. And the sound came from their own roof – besides the Young Master, who else could it be?

But wasn’t the Young Master only at Yellow Rank First Tier?

Qin Li didn’t want to hide anything from his family. He nodded and said with a smile, “Yes, it was me.”

Although she had already guessed, hearing Qin Li admit it was another matter. Qin Xue looked at Qin Li with surprise and joy, saying, “Really! That, that’s great! That’s truly wonderful!” She became somewhat incoherent from excitement.

“What’s so great?”

Qin Hanyue walked out behind Qin Xue, wearing an outer coat, with a trace of laziness between her brows. Since living here, the comfortable feeling made Qin Hanyue feel as if she was in a dream, as if she had returned to her carefree years. After experiencing various pains and sorrows, this hard-won happiness felt even more precious. If not for worrying about her son being injured, Qin Hanyue would be even happier.

“Young Master, he has finally turned his fortune around! He should have reached Mysterious Rank strength!” Qin Xue forced herself to calm down. She clearly understood what it meant for a thirteen-year-old to reach Mysterious Rank.

Although it seemed unbelievable, the facts were there – a Yellow Rank martial artist could never produce such a shout!

“Ah, really? How is that possible?” Qin Hanyue was ultimately more mature than Qin Xue. Her son was badly beaten just yesterday, and today he leveled up? Moreover, Mysterious Rank and Yellow Rank differed by a full ten tiers!

“I also find it hard to believe. Young Master, did you cultivate some cultivation method?” Qin Xue asked Qin Li.

“Well, yesterday at the Hunter’s Guild, someone gave me a God-Level Combat Skill for free. I brought it back and cultivated it…” Qin Li hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth. He didn’t want to deceive his mother.

“Ah!”

Both women gasped almost simultaneously. Qin Hanyue’s face turned pale as she said, “Is it the Supreme Overlord of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?”

Qin Xue covered her mouth, her eyes full of horror, her lips trembling slightly. She thought: This is terrible, no wonder Young Master made such a breakthrough overnight. Didn’t anyone tell him that cultivation method shouldn’t be learned?

Qin Li nodded slightly and said, “Mother, Sister Qin Xue, don’t worry. There are some things I can’t explain, but I can definitely tell you that I’m different from others who cultivate this combat technique. I won’t suffer those damages!”

Suddenly, a scene from years ago flashed through Qin Hanyue’s mind. She was nestled in her lover’s arms, sitting at the highest point of Eagle’s Beak Gorge, looking at the vast mountains and listening to him speak his mind. That was the happiest period of her life. At that time, she didn’t pay close attention to what he said, only feeling that being by his side, in his embrace, was the greatest happiness. But after learning that Qin Li actually cultivated this method, her strong maternal instincts made her recall what he had said back then.

“I originally thought it was something good, but after looking at it, I realized it also came from the Mysterious Island, though it’s quite old. The cultivation method is good, but unfortunately it has fatal flaws. Well, nothing interesting! I thought this training journey would yield nothing, but unexpectedly I met you, Hanyue. You are my greatest harvest in this mundane world. I really want to take you with me…”

Whenever Qin Hanyue thought of this part, her heart would fill with sweetness. She remembered asking quite naively at the time: “Since that cultivation method has flaws, why are so many people fighting over it?”

“Naturally driven by benefits, plus wishful thinking. But speaking of which, you should keep that Foundation Essentials I gave you. Let our child cultivate that in the future. With it, they can learn all the cultivation methods under heaven! It’s just a pity that I won’t have the chance to see them before they become an adult.” The man sighed deeply at this point.

Qin Hanyue remembered that when she heard him say this back then, she was only focused on feeling sad. At that time, she didn’t yet know she was pregnant, so she originally had the chance to leave with him. But after hearing about his situation, Qin Hanyue hesitated – leaving without returning… For any young girl, never seeing her parents again was a cruel thing.

She couldn’t abandon her family and parents, and he, once he left, wouldn’t have the chance to come out again for at least twenty years. So in that situation, Qin Hanyue made a decision that she regretted for thirteen years. By the time she discovered she was pregnant and wanted to find her lover, it was already too late.

She could only wait bitterly for twenty years… Twenty years later, youth would be long gone. Even if her appearance hadn’t faded, her mindset would have aged. When they met again, they might only be speechless with tears.

Thinking of this, Qin Hanyue came out of her reverie. It must be that cultivating the Foundation Essentials since childhood played a crucial role for her son. The worry in her heart instantly diminished a lot. The two most important men in the world to her – one stood before her, the other was that man. She would choose to unconditionally believe the words of both these men.

Qin Hanyue’s eyes were slightly red as she said gently, “If you want to know whether you’ve leveled up to Mysterious Rank, it’s simple. Attack with all your strength, and light will naturally flow around your body. Just look at the color in that moment, and you’ll know.”