Breakthrough

This light orb... did it really enhance my comprehension?

Su Yu felt a surge of joy, but he quickly calmed himself.

The existence of such a light orb was far too mysterious. If outsiders were to find out, it would likely invite unnecessary trouble.

He carefully recalled his exploration of the Soul World yesterday. Clearly, only that strange, ancient sword had been floating there all alone; he hadn't discovered this Soul Light Orb at all.

Could this Soul Light Orb be the glow that was inside my body yesterday?

Su Yu speculated.

The next moment, he looked toward the floating Ancient Sword and fell into deep thought.

Ever since yesterday, the Ancient Sword had indeed stopped actively absorbing his spiritual energy, as if it had fallen into a deep slumber.

A bold idea suddenly surfaced: if he were to actively channel his spiritual energy into the sword, would it trigger any changes?

But he immediately shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

If it absorbed his spiritual energy again and his cultivation dropped back to the third level of the Qi Refining Realm, he would truly be beyond tears.

It seems I need to increase my strength as soon as possible.

Su Yu calculated silently.

Only by becoming stronger could he completely control this sword, rather than being controlled by it.

Thinking of this, he turned his attention back to the pale yellow light orb.

Since the light orb could enhance his comprehension, he might as well make good use of this advantage.

It wouldn't be too late to investigate the secrets of the sword once his strength was sufficiently high.

The most important thing right now was to break through to the fifth level of the Qi Refining Realm as quickly as possible. Su Yu made up his mind.

He took one last look at the Ancient Sword before his consciousness slowly withdrew from the Soul World.

The morning light was faint as Su Yu stood in the center of the courtyard.

He held an ordinary iron sword, its tip pointing diagonally toward the ground, his eyes closed in concentration.

The pale yellow light orb in the Soul World rotated slowly, making his mind clearer than ever before.

Gale Sword Style, first form—Wind Sweeps Clouds.

The iron sword thrust out abruptly, the blade slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.

In the past, when practicing this move, Su Yu had always felt that his wrist rotation wasn't fluid enough and that the flow of his spiritual energy was always sluggish.

But at this moment, aided by the orb of light, he could clearly perceive the flow of every fraction of his spiritual energy.

Changing his sword stance, the second form, Sudden Storm, followed in quick succession.

The iron sword transformed into dozens of afterimages, pouring down like a torrential rain.

Wherever the blade passed, the fallen leaves on the ground were sliced neatly into fragments.

No, the spiritual energy should be reined in by another thirty percent... Su Yu suddenly stopped, frowning in thought.

Under the enhancement of the orb of light, he could keenly detect every flaw in his sword techniques.

This kind of insight was something he could never have possessed in the past.

Just like that, from sunrise to sunset, Su Yu remained completely immersed in the practice of his swordsmanship.

Whenever his spiritual energy was exhausted, he would sit cross-legged to regulate his breath, while simultaneously observing the subtle changes between the orb of light and the ancient sword within his Soul World.

Three days passed.

The iron sword left its sheath, a cold light flashing forth.

Su Yu's figure flickered like a ghost. As he executed the sword move Wind Sweeps Clouds, the blade actually stirred up a visible vortex of air.

Immediately following, he transitioned into Sudden Storm. The sword shadows fell like a waterfall, enveloping the Sword Testing Stone three zhang away.

Still not enough...

Su Yu suddenly changed his stance, executing the move he had always struggled to master: Swift as Wind, Fast as Lightning.

This time, his body and sword were in perfect harmony, and he himself transformed into a blur.

The moment the sword tip thrust forward, a sharp sonic boom rang out in the air!

The Sword Testing Stone shattered in response, stone fragments flying in every direction.

What was even more astonishing was that those fragments suddenly changed their trajectory in mid-air, drawn by an invisible force to rotate and form a whirlwind over a zhang in diameter.

The Gale Sword Style had reached Great Accomplishment! Su Yu stood with his sword sheathed, a brilliant light flickering in his eyes.

Under normal circumstances, it would take at least several years of hard training to progress from Lesser Accomplishment to Great Accomplishment, but with the assistance of the orb of light, he had achieved it in just three days.

What surprised him even more was that as his swordsmanship broke through, the spiritual energy within his body had also reached the peak of Qi Refining Level 4.

It was time to attempt a breakthrough.

Returning to his room, Su Yu took out the Qi Augmentation Pill his uncle had given him and placed it within reach.

He first circulated his Qi Nurturing Technique for three cycles to adjust his state to its peak, then sank his consciousness into his Soul World.

The pale yellow orb of light seemed to sense his intent, and its rotation speed suddenly accelerated.

Su Yu guided the spiritual energy within his body, circulating it with all his might along the path of the Qi Nurturing Technique.

With the assistance of the orb, the flow of spiritual energy was exceptionally smooth, suffering almost no loss.

A muffled, thunderous tremor suddenly echoed within his body; the shackles of Qi Refining Level 5 shattered with a roar!

In an instant, the long-accumulated spiritual energy surged like a dam bursting, roaring through his meridians.

The previously blocked meridians were forcibly cleared. Wherever the spiritual energy passed, his flesh, blood, and bones emitted a faint humming sound.

Su Yu's entire body trembled violently, the veins on his forehead bulging, yet he gritted his teeth and guided this violent force to complete a cycle within his body.

At the same time, the Qi Nurturing Technique naturally broke through to the second level.

Although this Human-grade Low-tier cultivation technique, which only had three levels, was not particularly profound, it was running with extraordinary smoothness at this moment.

The newly born spiritual energy was clearly more pure and condensed, shimmering with a faint jade luster as it flowed through his meridians.

Sss—

Viscous black impurities suddenly seeped out from the surface of his skin; these were the turbid wastes expelled after the spiritual energy tempered his body.

Su Yu snapped his eyes open, and with a jolt of his spiritual energy, those impurities instantly turned into black mist and dissipated into the air.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling his five senses sharpen. His entire body felt as light as a swallow, and even the Spiritual Qi he inhaled with every breath was several times denser than before.

It went so smoothly... Su Yu was somewhat surprised.

According to common logic, one would need at least a few days to stabilize their realm after a breakthrough, but with the aid of the orb, he had fully mastered his newfound power in just half a day.

Looking at the Qi Augmentation Pill beside him, Su Yu took a deep breath.

Since his condition was so good, he might as well strike while the iron was hot!

The medicinal pill melted the moment it touched his tongue, turning into a warm current that flooded his limbs and bones.

Su Yu immediately circulated the Qi Nurturing Technique to guide the medicinal power, while simultaneously using the orb's assistance to push every ounce of the pill's efficacy to its limit.

In his Soul World, the ancient sword seemed to sense something and trembled slightly.

However, the pale yellow orb immediately emitted a ray of light to suppress it.

An hour later, Su Yu suddenly opened his eyes. Two beams of sharp light shot from his pupils, leaving two shallow indentations on the wall.

Qi Refining Level 6!

Feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body, Su Yu could not hide his excitement.

In just a few short days, leaping from Qi Refining Level 4 straight to Level 6—such a cultivation speed would likely be met with disbelief if spoken aloud.

He tried throwing a punch, and the force of the wind instantly extinguished a candle flame three zhang away.

This level of power already far exceeded that of an ordinary Qi Refining Level 6 practitioner.

It seems the purifying effect of the Qi Nurturing Technique, combined with the assistance of the light orb, has made the quality of my spiritual energy far superior to others at the same stage, Su Yu analyzed to himself.

I wonder if I could defeat an opponent at Qi Refining Level 7 now.

After spending another half-day stabilizing his Qi Refining Level 6 cultivation, Su Yu decided to head to the market in Skywind City for a stroll.

Su Yu took stock of his savings; inside the heavy money pouch, dozens of gold notes were stacked neatly.

This was the monthly allowance he had accumulated over five full years.

Two hundred taels of gold per month for sixty months should have amounted to a massive fortune of twelve thousand taels.

However, the vast majority of it had been spent on those medicinal pills that were supposedly capable of strengthening one's foundation and breaking through bottlenecks.

Five thousand taels... Su Yu looked at the remaining gold and shook his head with a bitter smile.

Those pills were like stones tossed into a bottomless pit; they didn't even produce an echo.

For five years, the original owner of this body had lived like an ascetic.

While other disciples of the Su family used their allowances to buy new clothes and weapons, or even went to the Drunken Immortal Tower to indulge in pleasure, he had always been confined to his home, practicing.

But things were different now. Su Yu tied the money pouch to his waist, feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body.

His Qi Refining Level 6 cultivation flowed through his meridians, a sensation completely different from the sluggishness of the past.