Houtian Mid Stage

The days slipped quietly by in a fulfilling—and busy—routine of "multi-threaded" cultivation.

Xu Qian felt like a precision instrument undergoing a quiet upgrade. By day, he played the part of a diligent prison guard: delivering meals, cleaning, standing watch, occasionally using tiny strands of Sword Qi to tidy up, or scrubbing away with Cleanliness Talismans to win goodwill. At night came his true time to "evolve"—absorbing Killing Intent, deducing sword moves, studying talismans, digesting knowledge of Medical Skill, and continually circulating the Longevity Blood Circulation Method, which had already become second nature.

The Longevity Dao Fruit was like an inexhaustible core engine, steadily providing a foundation of cultivation that grew automatically every year.

The dense Yin Sha Qi in the Heavenly Prison became "low-grade fuel" he could draw on whenever he wished. Though the conversion efficiency was low, there was plenty to go around, continually feeding extra power into the engine.

The slight optimization of the Dao Fruit from observing the Mad Old Man's sword-intent patterns was like fitting the engine with a more efficient "turbocharger." Each improvement was negligible, but the cumulative effect over time was not to be underestimated.

The newly acquired Longevity Blood Circulation Method, meanwhile, was like optimizing the "intake system and fuel injection," bringing a small but steady boost to the efficiency of his entire cultivation process.

All these factors combined to make Xu Qian's rate of cultivation far faster than anyone could imagine. The Longevity True Qi in his dantian grew increasingly abundant and condensed, like a trickle gathering into a stream, then a stream surging into a river.

He could clearly feel that the barrier to Houtian Early Stage had long since been battered to the brink of collapse. He was only one final step away.

This night was no different from the others.

Xu Qian finished another failed attempt at making a new Cleanliness Talisman—his success rate remained as touching as ever—and rubbed his throbbing temples. He was about to begin his usual meditation, absorb Killing Intent, and circulate his energy through the full cycle.

He sat cross-legged, and the Turtle Breath Art began to circulate naturally, concealing his aura to the utmost. His awareness sank inward as he guided the Longevity True Qi along its familiar route.

The True Qi surged, several times more powerful than it had been a few months ago. With the support of the Qi and Blood Circulation Method, it also flowed faster. Threads of Yin Sha Qi were drawn in, purified by the Dao Fruit's clear radiance, and turned into pure energy that merged into the river of True Qi.

Everything proceeded in good order, as naturally as water finding its way downhill.

The instant the True Qi completed a crucial cycle and flowed into his dantian—

There was no earth-shaking boom, no dazzling spectacle, not even the faintest trace of energy leaking out.

It was like a river flowing past a dam, or snow melting in the warm sun. Everything happened so naturally.

Xu Qian merely felt an invisible shackle inside him give a soft click, then quietly shatter.

His dantian, already full to the brim, seemed to expand by the tiniest bit. The surging True Qi poured into the newly opened space and flowed more freely and smoothly. In that instant, both the quality and quantity of his True Qi improved noticeably!

A feeling of power far greater than that of Houtian Early Stage, and of being able to wield it with far more control, welled up within him.

Houtian Mid Stage!

He'd made it!

Xu Qian slowly opened his eyes. A glint of light flashed in his gaze before settling back within. Feeling the Longevity True Qi in his body, now nearly twice as powerful, and the finer control he had over his own strength, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly of their own accord.

I just... broke through?

So calm. Too calm.

There had been no struggle against a bottleneck, no pain from forcing his way through, and not even the slightest ripple in the energy around him. It had all happened silently, as naturally as breathing.

This was undoubtedly thanks to the Turtle Breath Art's ability to conceal his aura, as well as the excessively solid foundation he had built. His Longevity True Qi was balanced and pure, and with his day-in, day-out, steady effort, the breakthrough had met no resistance. It had come as softly as rain nourishing the earth.

Perfect! This is exactly what I wanted! Xu Qian was very satisfied.

He didn't want to make a commotion and attract unnecessary attention. Advancing without a sound, quietly getting rich—that was the essence of the "way of keeping a low profile."

He stretched his limbs, and a faint crackling, like beans popping in a pan, came from his body. It was a sign that his physical constitution had strengthened along with his cultivation. His five senses seemed sharper, too. He could hear the rustling of mice farther away and smell finer traces of dust in the air.

He tried to rouse the Sword Intent Seed.

"Buzz..."

A pale-blue phantom sword trembled lightly in his dantian, answering his call. Xu Qian could feel that the "Sword Qi" he could now summon—still only a pseudo-release—had improved considerably in both quantity and precision of control. If he tried cutting a blue brick again, he could probably do it with greater ease and leave a smoother cut.

Not bad, not bad. My strength is steadily improving, and I still haven't caused any trouble. This feels solid!

He didn't let success go to his head, and soon calmed down again. Houtian Mid Stage still didn't amount to much in the Heavenly Prison. Zhou Kang was probably at least this strong, not to mention the prisoners in Block C—and whatever more powerful figures might be lurking out there.