Breakthrough Dou Zhe

The carriage rolled slowly along the main road, its wheels crunching over gravel with a steady creak.

Jiang Donghua sat cross-legged in one corner of the carriage, swaying gently with its motion.

Through the half-open curtain, he could see the outlines of rolling mountain ranges in the distance.

[Host: Jiang Donghua]

[Realm: Battle Qi Stage Seven (480/500)]

[Idle Gain: 1 point/hour]

[Estimated Breakthrough Time: 20 hours]

Jiang Donghua closed his eyes and looked inward, sensing the Battle Qi within him slowly growing.

It had been three days since they left Black Iron City, and the journey had remained peaceful throughout.

In less than a day, he would break through to Stage Eight.

At this rate, even the scions of great clans would likely be left in the dust.

On the other side of the carriage, Liu Mingyu and Liu Yuting were quietly discussing the principles of a certain combat technique.

The Son of the City Lord occasionally stole glances at Jiang Donghua, his eyes flickering with a complicated light.

"Brother, which class do you think we'll be assigned to when we get to the academy?"

Liu Yuting's crisp voice echoed through the carriage.

"Shh, keep it down."

Liu Mingyu made a silencing gesture.

"Instructor Yan is resting."

In the front seat, Yan Feng sat with his arms folded, feigning sleep. His signature heavy sword leaned against his side.

Since setting out, this tower-like instructor had rarely spoken, but everyone knew that with him around, no one dared act out of line.

Jiang Donghua opened his eyes slightly, his peripheral vision sweeping toward Zhou Yan in the other corner of the carriage.

The youth who had been so aggressive during the selection had been unusually quiet throughout the journey.

He always curled up alone in a corner. Whenever he occasionally raised his head, an unsettling gleam flashed in his sinister eyes.

The dog that doesn't bark is the fiercest...

Jiang Donghua thought to himself.

Zhou Yan's restrained hostility was even more worthy of caution than open provocation.

The carriage suddenly jolted, interrupting Jiang Donghua's thoughts.

"Brother Jiang, want something to eat?"

Liu Mingyu suddenly handed him a piece of dried meat wrapped in oil paper.

Jiang Donghua was somewhat surprised, but he politely accepted it.

"Thank you, Brother Liu."

"No need to be so polite."

Liu Mingyu smiled.

"Once we get to the academy, we'll be classmates. I heard all new students have to face an 'entrance trial.' We'll need to look out for each other then."

Though his words sounded casual, they clearly conveyed goodwill.

Jiang Donghua understood.

The Son of the City Lord was trying to build ties in advance.

It seemed the competition at Jia Nan Academy had already begun on the road.

"Brother! Why didn't you ask whether I wanted any?"

Liu Yuting pouted in protest.

"Didn't you just eat some pastries?"

Liu Mingyu shook his head helplessly.

The siblings' bickering lightened the atmosphere inside the carriage considerably. Even Yan Feng, who was feigning sleep in the front, gave the faintest twitch of his lips.

Jiang Donghua closed his eyes again and continued circulating the Battle Qi within his body.

Although the system cultivated automatically, he had discovered that actively guiding it could improve the efficiency slightly.

Less than twenty hours remained before his breakthrough. He had to make every minute count.

The carriage continued onward, the sound of its axles and the horses' hooves blending into a monotonous white noise.

As the last ray of sunset vanished beyond the horizon, the Battle Qi within Jiang Donghua suddenly stirred.

The number on the system panel ticked upward slightly.

[Realm: Battle Qi Stage Seven (481/500)]

A breakthrough was within reach.

The scene from three days ago remained vivid in his mind.

His father's inscrutable expression during that late-night visit, along with the conversation that had left him tossing and turning ever since.

"Yu'er, what do you think of that boy named Jiang Donghua?"

City Lord Liu stood before the window with his hands clasped behind his back, moonlight stretching his shadow long.

The powerful man who had ruled Black Iron City for years now spoke with rare gravity.

"He's just a country bumpkin who got lucky."

At the time, Liu Mingyu had not thought much of him.

"What kind of talent could come from some backwater like Qingshan Town?"

"Fool!"

His father's sudden bark made Liu Mingyu shudder from head to toe.

The City Lord turned around, his eyes gleaming sharply.

"Have you ever seen a country boy reach Battle Qi Stage Seven at seventeen without anyone guiding him?"

Liu Mingyu opened his mouth, but found himself speechless.

"Even more suspicious is the quality of his battle qi."

The City Lord took a testing crystal from his sleeve. Sealed inside was a wisp of pale green energy.

"I secretly intercepted this during today's test. Look at how pure this battle qi is!"

The energy within the crystal flowed like a living thing, so pure that it contained not the slightest impurity.

Liu Mingyu sucked in a sharp breath.

How could this be battle qi cultivated through some unorthodox path? Even the disciples carefully nurtured by the Liu family might not possess such a solid foundation.

"Father, are you saying... someone stands behind him?"

"I can't be sure."

The City Lord narrowed his eyes.

"But he is worth observing. When you go to Jia Nan Academy this time, make sure to build a good relationship with him. If he can truly break through to Stage Eight in a short time..."

He did not finish, but the meaning was obvious.

Some investments paid greater returns the earlier one placed their bet.

At this point in his recollection, Liu Mingyu could not help looking toward Jiang Donghua, who sat across the carriage with his eyes closed in cultivation.

"From Stage Seven to Stage Eight in just over a month? How could that be possible..."

Liu Mingyu shook his head inwardly.

Even the gifted students of Jia Nan Academy needed, on average, three or four months to advance a stage.

His father had probably misjudged him this time.

But his father's orders could not be defied.

He cleared his throat, then took out another packet of candied fruit and offered it over.

"Brother Jiang, would you like to try some? They're Black Iron City's specialty—candied plums."

Jiang Donghua opened his eyes and accepted them with slight puzzlement.

"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Liu."

"No need to be so polite."

Liu Mingyu smiled sincerely.

Yet by this time tomorrow, no matter how hard Liu Mingyu racked his brains, he would not be able to figure out how Brother Jiang's cultivation bottleneck had been broken through so quickly.

At noon the next day, the airflow inside the carriage suddenly froze.

Liu Yuting was the first to notice something strange. The hand fiddling with a jade pendant abruptly stopped, and her almond-shaped eyes widened as she stared toward the corner of the carriage.

"Th-this is..."

Everyone followed her gaze.

Jiang Donghua's cross-legged figure was enveloped in a faint green glow, his robes fluttering despite the absence of wind.

His breathing was deep and steady, while tiny wisps of battle qi continuously seeped from the pores across his body, forming a thin film of light over his skin.

"Br-breaking through?!"

The candied fruit in Liu Mingyu's hand dropped onto the carriage floor with a smack. His mouth hung wide enough to fit an egg.

Yan Feng abruptly opened his seemingly resting eyes, a sharp gleam exploding within his tiger-like gaze.

As a Da Dou Shi, he understood the significance of the sight before them better than these youths did.

This was the sign that battle qi was about to advance!

"How could this be..."

Zhou Yan's face instantly turned deathly pale, his fingers unconsciously reaching for the hidden pouch in his sleeve.

A packet of Soul-Shocking Powder was hidden there. As long as he flicked out a wisp of it, he could interrupt this breakthrough...

"Hmph!"

Yan Feng let out a cold snort, like thunder exploding within the carriage.

Zhou Yan's hand froze in midair. Meeting his instructor's eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

"I advise certain people,"

Yan Feng's voice was unhurried, yet carried unquestionable authority.

"Don't do something foolish that you'll regret for the rest of your life."

His broad palm rested seemingly casually against the carriage wall, and an invisible Battle Qi barrier instantly enveloped Jiang Donghua.

"You lot,"

Yan Feng's sharp gaze swept over the group of youths.

"Watch carefully. See how a country bumpkin with no resources and no guidance from famous teachers breaks through his realm with nothing but the purest foundation!"

Those words were like a slap across the face, making the young heirs of great families flush red with embarrassment.

Liu Yuting lowered her head in shame, while Liu Mingyu stared fixedly at the Battle Qi circulating around Jiang Donghua. His eyes held both shock and an indescribable fervor.

Puff—

With a soft sound, it was as though some barrier within Jiang Donghua's body had shattered.

The azure glow abruptly contracted and sank entirely into his body. When he opened his eyes again, stars seemed to swirl within them before vanishing in an instant.

[ Ding! ]

[ Realm Breakthrough! ]

[ Battle Qi Stage Eight (1/600) ]

Jiang Donghua slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, only then noticing the strange atmosphere inside the carriage.

Yan Feng was looking at him meaningfully, while the other youths...

"C-congratulations on your breakthrough, Brother Jiang."

Liu Mingyu was the first to react, his voice dry as though he had swallowed a handful of sand.

"Big Brother Jiang is amazing!"

Admiration gleamed in Liu Yuting's eyes. From the very beginning, she had always felt that Jiang Donghua carried an air of mystery about him.

Only Zhou Yan remained curled up in the corner, his expression shifting unpredictably.

The fist hidden in his sleeve was clenched so tightly it had turned white. His nails dug deeply into his palm, yet he felt nothing.

Yan Feng withdrew the Battle Qi barrier, a nearly imperceptible curve rising at the corner of his lips.

"Not bad. Your foundation is even more solid than I imagined."

Jiang Donghua's heart tightened.

This instructor's insight had likely already detected something unusual.

"Thank you, Instructor Yan, for standing guard."

He bowed respectfully, then turned to the other youths.

"And thank you as well, fellow students, for allowing it."

His words were flawless, giving Yan Feng face while also offering the others a way out.

Liu Mingyu's expression immediately became much more natural. Even Zhou Yan had no choice but to force out a smile uglier than a grimace.

The carriage continued onward, but the atmosphere inside had completely changed.

Feeling the surging Battle Qi within him, Jiang Donghua secretly rejoiced.

[ Host: Jiang Donghua ]

[ Realm: Battle Qi Stage Eight (1/600) ]

[ Idle Gain: 1 point/hour ]

[ Estimated Breakthrough Time: 25 days ]

At this rate, before reaching Jia Nan Academy, he would be able to touch the threshold of Dou Zhe.

Yan Feng's change in attitude was an unexpected delight as well.

"Looks like this selection journey is proving even more rewarding than I expected..."

The carriage jolted along the rugged mountain road. More than two months had passed since they left Black Iron City.

Jiang Donghua sat cross-legged in the corner of the carriage, a faint azure glow circulating around him.

[ Host: Jiang Donghua ]

[Realm: Battle Qi Stage Nine (999/1000)]

[Idle Gain: 1 point/hour]

[Estimated Breakthrough Time: 0.1 hours]

"Almost..."

Jiang Donghua closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, sensing the surging Battle Qi within his body.

Over the past two months, he had deliberately slowed his breakthrough pace, unwilling to appear too shocking under everyone's watchful eyes.

Suddenly, the carriage lurched violently.

Jiang Donghua's eyes snapped open. The Battle Qi within him had actually produced a subtle resonance from that unexpected jolt!

"This is bad..."

Fine sweat beaded on his forehead. A naturally triggered breakthrough like this was impossible to suppress.

"Huh?"

Liu Yuting, seated across from him, suddenly widened her eyes.

"Big Brother Jiang, you..."

Before she could finish, a powerful wave of Battle Qi erupted from Jiang Donghua's body.

A gale instantly swept through the carriage, sending several medicine bottles rolling off the luggage rack and shattering with crisp cracks.

"Don't move!"

Yan Feng bellowed and slammed his broad palm heavily against the carriage floor. An invisible barrier instantly enveloped Jiang Donghua.

Liu Mingyu clung tightly to the edge of the window, his eyes filled with shock.

"He's... breaking through to Dou Zhe?!"

Zhou Yan shrank into the corner, his face pale as paper.

Over the past two months, he had watched this "country bumpkin" rise from Stage Eight to Stage Nine. And now he was actually...

Pop—

With the soft sound of a bubble bursting, the blue light around Jiang Donghua suddenly contracted.

A solid red vortex slowly formed above his head, whipping the clutter in the carriage into the air.

"One-star Dou Zhe!"

Yan Feng's tiger-like eyes flew wide open, his voice carrying rare excitement.

"Good kid!"

Liu Yuting covered her little mouth, her bright eyes filled with admiration.

Liu Mingyu's expression was complicated. His father had been right—this Jiang Donghua truly was no ordinary person.

[ Ding! ]

[Realm Breakthrough!]

[One-star Dou Zhe (1/1000)]

[Clones Unlocked: 2]

[Idle Gain Increased: 0.1 point/hour]

Jiang Donghua slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, the sharp gleam in his eyes fading inward.

"Thank you for guarding me, Mentor Yan."

He bowed respectfully.

Yan Feng gave his shoulder a heavy pat, making the entire carriage shake.

"From Stage Eight to Dou Zhe in three months—he'd be considered top-tier even in the Inner Academy!"

At the rear of the carriage, Zhou Yan had already curled into a ball, wishing he could hide himself in the shadows.

Meanwhile, a calculating gleam flickered in Liu Mingyu's eyes. His father's investment had indeed been the right one.

The carriage continued onward. In the distance, the great plains of the Black Corner Region stretched endlessly, without a single rising mountain or building in sight.

Jiang Donghua gazed out the window, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

With double the idle speed, his cultivation from here on out would proceed even more smoothly...