"I appreciate your kind gesture, brother Duan, but there's really no need for any gifts," Lian Chen quickly declined, not even waiting to hear what the gifts were.
"How can that be? You saved my life. I must repay you!" Duan Wu Kun insisted, determined to show his gratitude.
"If you really want to repay me, a meal would be enough," Lian Chen replied, suggesting a simple and modest way for Duan Wu Kun to show his gratitude.
"Fine then. A meal would be it then. Oh ya, has the Sect Leader rewarded you for what you have done during the Inter-Sect Duel?" Duan Wu Kun asked with curiosity.
"Yeah. The Sect Leader gave me a choice to choose my weapon in the armory, and he also gave me a Beastbound Ring." Lian Chen replied, not hiding anything from Duan Wu Kun.
"You won't believe what the Sect Leader gave me. It's a two-handed sword of my own choosing from the armory," Duan Wu Kun exclaimed. Then he paused for a moment, as if there was something more he wanted to share.
"Then, after that, he asked me if I wanted to become his disciple, and without hesitation, I immediately accepted," Duan Wu Kun revealed, his voice filled with a mix of surprise and excitement.
"Oh.. That is definitely a reward for all of the effort that you have displayed from the Outer Court till now." Lian Chen replied, he knew that Gong Xuanyan would've given him a reward, but he did not expect that the another reward is to become Gong Xuanyan disciple.
"Ah, it's getting late. Alright, the meal I will treat you next time. I have to rest early as I am meeting my master tomorrow!" Duan Wu Kun clasped his fist and bid farewell to Lian Chen.
"See you then!" Lian Chen also clasped his fist and bid farewell, before entering his home.
"Alright. Time for me to break through to the Core Formation, Late Stage!" After entering his house and setting aside his stuff, Lian Chen immediately sat cross legged on his bed.
Lian Chen closed his eyes as he entered a deep state of meditation. The room was filled with a serene atmosphere, and the soft glow of the candlelights illuminated his focused expression.
As Lian Chen concentrated, his body became a vessel, channeling the spiritual energy of the world into his body.
The spiritual energy flowed through his meridians, circulating with increasing intensity. Lian Chen consciousness immediately went into his dantian, and he immediately rotated the 2 cores in his dantian, to move along with the spiritual energies in his meridians.
With every passing moment, Lian Chen could sense the breakthrough drawing nearer, the barriers of the Core Formation, Late Stage ready to get shattered.
With a loud voice: "Hah!!" Boundless pressure exploded out from his body, and if one were to be near Lian Chen residence, one could tell that Lian Chen had successfully broken through to the Core Formation, Late Stage.
"I've achieved it at last! Only one more stage to go, and I'll be able to unlock the next Lotus Blossom Petal within my dantian!" Lian Chen joyfully exclaimed, filled with anticipation to unlock the next level of power by obtaining the next Lotus Blossom Petal.
[Author Notes - From this chapter onwards, I will be changing "Qi" to "Spiritual Energy"]