True Qi Realm

It's been nearly two months since the last time I saw what happened in the plaza.

Lu Ming finally understood the difficulty of breaking through to the True Qi Realm. Half a month ago, he had already cultivated his inner energy to the peak of the ninth layer.

After adjusting his state, he went all out to push for the True Qi Realm.

As a result, half a month passed, and there were still no signs of a breakthrough.

"Could it be that I'll be stuck for half a year like Dugu Mingri?"

After failing to break through again, Lu Ming frowned deeply, even starting to doubt if his talent was truly as good as he thought.

However, just as he was doubting himself, a surge suddenly came from his mind, instantly bringing him back to his senses.

"That was close, I almost went berserk. It seems I was too eager for quick success."

It turned out that the surge was the nascent Saber Intent in his body reacting and pulling him back just in time.

Saber Intent is the manifestation of one's will. If the will is not firm, the Saber Intent will be unstable.

He had almost had an accident just now, but it seemed there was an unexpected surprise.

That was, he had always been unsure how to transform the nascent Saber Intent into true Saber Intent.

After this experience, it suddenly dawned on him that Saber Intent is his will. As long as he continuously strengthens his will, his Saber Intent will eventually undergo a transformation.

Often, haste makes waste. Whether it's Saber Intent or cultivation realm, being too eager will only be counterproductive.

So, after thinking for a while, Lu Ming stopped cultivating and took out the books gifted to him by Old Man Zhao to read.

He wanted to achieve enlightenment through reading.

With this balance of action and stillness, urgency and calmness, Lu Ming quickly reached a state of mind as still as water.

Then, after another three days, he suddenly felt a breakthrough opportunity. This feeling was mysterious and indescribable, yet very clear.

He immediately went into seclusion again.

This time, as he circulated his cultivation technique, Lu Ming clearly felt the flow of inner energy speeding up. After flowing through his meridians to his dantian, it also formed a vortex.

"This is breaking through to the seventh layer of the Heavenly Saber Art."

The Heavenly Saber Art has a total of twelve layers. The first six layers are part of the Inner Qi Realm.

Breaking through to the seventh layer marks the entry into the True Qi Realm.

Now that he had reached this level, breaking through to the True Qi Realm would be a natural progression.

As expected, as Lu Ming's cultivation progressed, the vortex in his dantian began to spin faster and faster. The inner energy flowing through the dantian, after this rotation, began to be refined into true qi.

Then it flowed out until all the inner energy was refined and circulated through the great heavenly cycle.

This process could not be completed overnight, so it took several more days before Lu Ming's entire body trembled, and amidst waves of qi, he opened his eyes.

"True Qi Realm, I've finally made it."

Lu Ming concluded his cultivation and slowly exhaled a breath of white mist. Even with his mature and steady personality, he couldn't hide his joy at this moment.

"Is this true qi? It's indeed much purer than inner energy."

After finishing his cultivation, a wisp of red light suddenly appeared on Lu Ming's palm. It was true qi refined from the Heavenly Saber's inner energy.

"Go!"

After observing for a while, Lu Ming suddenly pointed his finger, and the red light shot out from his fingertip, instantly piercing the wall of his house. It still had residual power and continued to fly for more than ten meters before finally dissipating.

This was a Saber Qi. The Heavenly Saber Art could generate a Saber Qi in the dantian from the seventh layer onwards. It could be instantly unleashed during use, with a power equivalent to the full force of the fourth stance of the Heavenly Saber Saber Art, the Soul Chasing Style.

It was equivalent to an instant cast.

By the eighth layer, he could store two Saber Qi.

And so on.

The fifth stance of the Heavenly Saber Saber Art is the Soul Slaying Style, and the sixth stance is Flying Stars All Over the Sky.

There were three more stances after that, but they required the Gangqi Realm to be performed. Therefore, Lu Ming planned to focus on learning these three stances in the middle for now.

But not now. He intended to first pass the Inner Sect assessment. After becoming an Inner Sect disciple, he would go to the Martial Arts Pavilion to claim two Human-grade High Stage martial arts.

This was a benefit for every Inner Sect disciple. Like Outer Sect disciples, they only had one free opportunity.

Currently, besides his saber techniques, Lu Ming's Qinggong and palm techniques were only Human-grade Mid-tier, which no longer matched his strength.

So, after claiming the two martial arts, he planned to cultivate them along with his saber techniques.

With a plan in place, Lu Ming stabilized his cultivation and headed towards the Inner Sect Assessment Hall.

Although the Wuji Sect had many Outer Sect disciples, less than half a percent could break through to the True Qi Realm before the age of eighteen.

And when divided by day, these numbers became even rarer.

So, when Lu Ming arrived at the assessment hall, it was extremely quiet.

"Another one. It seems today will break the annual record. Four Outer Sect disciples have come to participate in the assessment in one day."

An Inner Sect Deacon disciple said.

Compared to Outer Sect Deacon disciples, Inner Sect Deacon disciples generally had cultivation bases in the mid to late True Qi Realm. They were former Inner Sect disciples of the Wuji Sect, but they had not made any breakthroughs after reaching a certain age and did not wish to leave the sect, so they stayed in this capacity.

As soon as Lu Ming entered, several Inner Sect deacon disciples immediately saw that he had only recently broken through to the True Qi Realm.

So they called out, "Those here for the assessment, come register your information here."

Lu Ming nodded and quickly walked over, taking out his identity token. After receiving it, he matched it with the registration and handed it back, saying:

"Alright, the elder hasn't arrived yet, you can wait over there for a moment."

Lu Ming looked in the direction he pointed and saw three Outer Sect disciples already waiting there. He walked over and waited quietly.

The three were sizing up Lu Ming, finding him somewhat unfamiliar. One of them whispered:

"Senior Brother Qi, we all know each other among those in the Outer Sect who have reached the peak of the ninth level of Inner Qi. How come I don't seem to have seen him?"

"I haven't seen him either."

The young man named Senior Brother Qi also shook his head, "He probably joined midway, just like Zhu Ningyun."

"That must be it. I just wonder what his strength is like."

"Stop talking, the elder is here."

Another person suddenly said.

Lu Ming could naturally hear their whispered conversation and was wondering whether to pretend he hadn't heard or to greet them proactively.

Then he heard that the elder had arrived, so he didn't need to dwell on it anymore.

The elder who arrived was a gaunt old man with sharp eyes, like a hawk.

Because of this, the hall instantly fell completely silent when he glanced at them.

"Are there four people taking the assessment today?"

He swept his gaze over Lu Ming and the other three, his voice dry.

An Inner Sect deacon disciple quickly stepped forward, "Reporting to Elder Ming, there are indeed four people. Here is the roster."

"Hmm."

Elder Ming showed no particular expression, nodded, took the roster, and scanned the information on it. When he saw Lu Ming's name at the end, he paused.

"Lu Ming?"

The deacon disciple beside him didn't understand and thought there was a mistake in his work, so he quickly replied, "Reporting to Elder, it is indeed Lu Ming, he is over there."

Elder Ming looked towards Lu Ming, who was being pointed at, and then instantly appeared before him, asking, "Are you Lu Ming?"

Lu Ming was startled by his speed but quickly composed himself and bowed, saying:

"Reporting to Elder, this disciple is indeed Lu Ming."

"The one who just joined?" Elder Ming asked again.

Lu Ming nodded.

He then said, "Show me your True Qi."

Lu Ming began to understand and unhesitatingly circulated his True Qi outwards.

"Good, very good. It is indeed genuine True Qi."

Elder Ming laughed heartily, then turned and pointed to a deacon disciple, saying, "You, go to Elder Gongsun He's place and ask him to come over."

"Yes."

The disciple didn't dare to delay and quickly left.

Then Elder Ming pulled Lu Ming aside for a private inquiry.

This scene completely bewildered everyone in the hall.

They didn't know who this Lu Ming was, to make the usually stern Elder Ming show such a reaction.

A moment later, Gongsun He arrived in a hurry and, without preamble, came to Lu Ming's side. After confirming it was that Lu Ming, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

However, he quickly composed himself and said softly to Elder Ming, "This is not a place to talk."

Elder Ming nodded, "Follow me."

He then took Lu Ming away.

This further deepened the confusion of the people in the hall.

Especially the three Outer Sect disciples waiting for the assessment, they didn't know if they would still be able to take their assessment today.