Chapter 10: The Institute's Self-Destruction

When Chu Qiuci woke up again, she felt as if her mind had acquired a wealth of new knowledge, and even her body had undergone significant changes. She felt much lighter, almost as if she could take flight whenever she wished. It seemed as though something new had formed in the area of her dantian.

Before she could fully absorb these changes, a sharp alarm began to sound—beeping repeatedly—and the pristine white space around her suddenly flooded with red light. A monotone electronic voice echoed throughout the research facility.

“Alert, alert. The research base self-destruction protocol has been activated. All personnel must evacuate immediately! All personnel must evacuate immediately!”

“What’s going on?” Chu Qiuci was startled. How could the self-destruction be triggered so suddenly?

“Master, the base’s energy reserves have been depleted. According to the Blue Star Safety Convention, the self-destruction sequence will commence shortly. The facility will be destroyed in five minutes. I will now transfer you to a safe location,” the voice of the mainframe spoke calmly.

Beneath the pool where Chu Qiuci stood, a white light flared, swiftly filling the entire pool. It looked like a teleportation array, and even the system’s small light orb was drawn toward her by the glowing curtain.

“Does the base really have to self-destruct just because the energy is gone? So sudden? I still have so many questions,” she muttered.

“Yes. This is stipulated by the Blue Star Convention. A base without energy is no longer necessary; self-destruction is a programmed fail-safe,” the mainframe replied.

“What about you?”

“I am but a program. Everything is for Blue Star.”

“Wait—” Chu Qiuci tried to say more, but the formation was fully activated. The white lights obscured her entire vision, and the mainframe’s voice grew faint and intermittent.

“Master... glad to have seen you... If... allied experimenters... please rescue... may my master prosper...”

In the blink of an eye, Chu Qiuci found herself in a different place—the courtyard where the temporary disciples resided. The mainframe had teleported her right to the entrance.

“Master! Master!” The dog-like system finally awoke and excitedly circled her. “I’ve successfully updated! I can finally assist you properly!”

“Oh.” Chu Qiuci was less enthusiastic. Her thoughts lingered on the mainframe’s last words; it felt like a hidden message, but the energy depletion had cut off her understanding.

She couldn’t help but glance back toward the forbidden area. Suddenly, the ground trembled violently in an earthquake-like shake. A thunderous roar echoed through the mountain gate as the towering forbidden peak behind Qianren Summit collapsed with a resounding crash. Dust billowed like a sandstorm, sweeping across the surroundings.

It was just before dawn, and the commotion roused everyone in the sect, including the preparatory disciples who hurried outside to investigate. Feng Ting and Zhen Yi also stepped out.

“That was a huge noise. What happened?” Feng Ting approached her, assuming she had come out to see the commotion as well.

“Uh...” Chu Qiuci was at a loss for words.

“Wow! That mountain over there collapsed?!” Zhen Yi immediately spotted the dust rising from the distant peak, his face full of shock.

“Don’t know! I just saw it too,” she replied, unwilling to admit she had caused it.

“So even immortal peaks can collapse,” Zhen Yi mused, his expression deepening in surprise.

The preparatory disciples inside the courtyard pointed curiously at the fallen mountain, discussing the event.

Such a major incident naturally required the sect to respond. Within moments, several streaks of white light shot off toward the forbidden area. Judging by their speed, the cultivators were at least at the Golden Core stage.

Although far away, Chu Qiuci focused her mind and clearly observed the scene. Six men and one woman stood there, their expressions grave as they stared at the collapsed mountain. They hadn’t immediately evacuated the nearby disciples but instead pointed and discussed the debris, their gazes repeatedly scanning the ruins as if searching for something.

She had a strange feeling that if she wished, she could overhear their conversation. But after considering the risk of being discovered as the cause of the collapse, she refrained.

“With such a big incident, looks like the elders won’t be giving lectures in the outer sect today,” Zhen Yi sighed. As a preparatory disciple, that was about the only thing he cared about. “Sigh, I trained all day yesterday, finally felt some qi sensation, but haven’t yet succeeded in breaking through the first meridian. Not sure when I’ll be able to guide qi into my body.”

“Huh?” Feng Ting blinked in surprise. “Aren’t the first three meridians supposed to open quickly? Why do you have to ‘break through’ them?”

“What?! You’ve broken through the first three meridians already?” Zhen Yi exclaimed. Noticing others were looking over, he quickly pulled the two girls away. “Let’s talk inside.”

Once inside and the door closed, he anxiously asked, “Feng Ting, did you really break through three meridians in one day?”

“No,” Feng Ting shook her head.

“Told you so...” Zhen Yi began.

“No, it’s five!” Feng Ting interrupted.

“...” That doesn’t seem reasonable.

“What’s wrong? Is that slow?” Feng Ting shyly rubbed her hands, instinctively moving closer to Chu Qiuci.

“No, it’s way too fast!” Zhen Yi’s eyes widened. “What kind of terrifying talent are you? At this rate, you could reach Qi Refinement Stage One in less than a month. Even the elite disciples in the sect don’t progress this fast. Feng Ting, you’re a genius!”

Feng Ting’s eyes brightened as she looked at Chu Qiuci with a hopeful expression, silently asking for praise.

“Impressive!” Chu Qiuci gave a thumbs-up, pouring out positive energy.

She smiled brightly. “Sister Qiuci, you must be even stronger than me.”

Zhen Yi looked over curiously. “You haven’t broken through five meridians too, have you? Among the three of us, you’re not the weakest, right?”

Seeing their curious eyes, Chu Qiuci pondered briefly before answering calmly, “Meridians... what are those? Why do they need breaking through?”

Feng Ting: “...”
Zhen Yi: “...”
Clearly, she hadn’t listened to yesterday’s lecture at all!

Zhen Yi explained, “Meridians are the nodal points along the body’s meridian network where spiritual energy circulates. Only by opening these points can the qi flow properly and converge in the dantian.”

“The circulation is divided into minor and major cycles. The minor cycle requires opening fourteen meridians, which is the simplest path. Successfully circulating a minor cycle and guiding qi into the dantian counts as the initial ‘Qi Entry’,” he continued, pointing to the spots on his body.

“After that, you can use spiritual power to break through another ten meridians. Only when all twenty-four meridians are open and the major cycle circulates properly can one truly be considered an entry-level cultivator,” Zhen Yi said. “That’s Qi Refinement Stage One.”

“Ah, so they’re acupuncture points? Twenty-four total?” Chu Qiuci instinctively felt the energy within her body. Shouldn’t there be seventy-two? And she didn’t feel any blockages needing to be forced open.

She remained quietly contemplative.