Breaking the Barrier

The third day.

In the graveyard, Ke Fei stood beneath a dead tree, his back straight. He was no longer disheveled. The layers of dust that had once been nearly impossible to wash off had all been swept away by some miraculous method.

He looked full of energy, his complexion rosy. He seemed just like a kind, benevolent old man.

Mu Qing had once asked him why he had suddenly started caring about his appearance.

He had laughed and answered, "We're about to get out. I can't look like that if I run into some old friends!"

At that moment, his expression was grave. Though he was a powerful Bloodline Ninth Rank expert, a hint of nervousness showed in his eyes.

Before him, Mu Qing's expression was as still as an ancient well. He knew today was the most crucial day. He had to remain in peak condition and make sure nothing went wrong.

Mu Qing activated the Giant Elephant Transport Technique. The blood in his body seemed to roar like an elephant as it surged furiously through him, and he drew out waves of dense, pure Origin Force.

The Origin Force began gathering in his palm, slowly condensing until it formed two drops of water, each containing a mysterious symbol.

The whole process took less than ten seconds, but Mu Qing was already gasping for breath. The Origin Force in his dantian had been completely drained.

He didn't rest. He strode to a Nameless Tombstone and held out his index finger. A drop of water slid from its tip.

No energy burst forth. When the drop touched the Nameless Tombstone, all it unleashed was an utterly terrifying power of corrosion. The symbol within it flickered rapidly, and waves of thick smoke billowed up.

With a crack, the Nameless Tombstone shattered. The seals on it all failed, and it crumbled into a small pile of rubble.

He went to the second tombstone.

Mu Qing held out his ring finger, and the second drop of water fell. A crisp sound rang out, clear as day in the desolate graveyard.

Sizzle, sizzle.

The Nameless Tombstone corroded at astonishing speed. Some terrible force ate holes through its seals. By the time the symbol inside the drop had vanished completely, the tombstone had lost its power as well.

With a clatter, the Nameless Tombstone crumbled into stones.

"Old Man Ke!" Mu Qing turned around and grinned. "Only fifty left!"

A look of wild joy spread across Ke Fei's face. He nodded emphatically.

He pulled Mu Qing behind him, grinned broadly, and said, "Kid Mu, now it's my turn to put on a show!"

As if still worried, Ke Fei waved his hand and condensed an energy shield, silver all over, around Mu Qing.

Mu Qing knew Ke Fei was going to tear the entire barrier apart by force. He was doing this to protect Mu Qing from the aftershock. After all, Mu Qing was only a student who hadn't even reached the level of a low-grade Martial Practitioner.

"Hahaha!" Visible gusts of wind gathered around Ke Fei. He laughed, a tear glimmering in the corner of his eye.

He had been trapped here for over a decade, and had thought he would spend the rest of his life imprisoned. He had never imagined that a student in the Blood Qi realm would be the one to rescue him.

The dizzying swings of fortune made it all feel like a farce.

Ke Fei's laughter grew louder and louder, rumbling like thunder. The space around him turned into a tornado, and he stood at its eye as countless torrents of violent energy gathered.

He was building up power, determined to tear the entire barrier apart in a single blow!

Mu Qing's heart raced, and his breathing quickened. This was the most critical moment. The first phase of the College Entrance Exam was today, too. If they hurried, he might still make it in time.

"Kid Mu! Today, I'll show you just how terrifying a Barrier Martial Technique is when it reaches the Minor Mastery stage!" Ke Fei roared from within the tornado.

Mu Qing's body trembled. His eyes fixed on Ke Fei.

The Myriad Water Barrier was a Barrier Martial Technique, and Ke Fei had described it as something incredible. But Mu Qing was far too weak. He could only condense two drops of water, nowhere near enough to unleash the technique's true power.

According to Ke Fei, a Barrier Martial Technique only truly took shape once it reached Minor Mastery.

"The simplest way to deal with a Barrier Martial Technique is with another Barrier Martial Technique!"

Ke Fei threw back his head and roared. He stamped down hard, and his whole body shot into the sky.

The tornado transformed into a wind dragon, coiling around Ke Fei. At that moment, he seemed like a god descending to earth, as terrifying, dazzling energy exploded around him.

Blinding beams of light burst forth. The entire graveyard shook, the winds and clouds changed color, and storm after storm formed and howled.

Mu Qing stared in shock, stunned by the sight. All around him, the storm was tearing everything apart.

Every inch of this graveyard was covered in seals, yet the storms battered it like the apocalypse. Dead trees were shredded into splinters, crows bled from the sky, and weeds exploded apart.

The fifty Nameless Tombstones shook violently, cracks appearing in the dense seals covering them.

The energy of the Graveyard Barrier erupted. Ke Fei, who had once possessed two personalities, was practically a monster. This Graveyard Barrier was actually formed by fusing two Barrier Martial Techniques together. Ice and Fire intertwined, forming gray-black energy.

That was precisely why Ke Fei had been trapped for so many years.

But no matter how powerful the Graveyard Barrier was, it had been here for years. No one had supplied it with energy, and after Mu Qing destroyed more than half the Nameless Tombstones, its power had fallen drastically. It could no longer unleash many of its transformations.

In this weakened state, Ke Fei could tear it apart by force.

He roared, unleashing all the resentment he had accumulated over the years. Storm after storm gathered around him, each one dozens of meters across, terrifying to behold.

Over a hundred storms took shape and spun wildly, like blood-soaked meat grinders, tearing through everything.

This was the Minor Mastery stage Ke Fei had spoken of: the might unleashed by a Barrier Martial Technique, capable of aligning with heaven and earth and changing the world around it.

The reason it could surpass ordinary martial techniques was that it could draw upon a trace of the world's power, allowing its wielder to command the force of natural disasters.

Rumble!

Ke Fei hung in midair, at the heart of a hundred storms. He controlled them as the entire graveyard was transformed beyond recognition, everything shattered to pieces.

At last, the fifty Nameless Tombstones on the ground crumbled too. Their densely packed seals burst apart, turning into a rain of energy that filled the sky.

Mu Qing had broken the Nameless Tombstones because the Origin Force transformed by the little Black Fish in his dantian was special. Ke Fei, on the other hand, was breaking them by force with his own power.

A barrier with only half its energy left couldn't withstand Ke Fei's assault. Under the barrage of storms, every inch of ground in the graveyard was destroyed.

Only the small patch where Mu Qing stood remained untouched. The energy shield Ke Fei had formed around him held back the terrifying storms.

The storms continued their rampage. When the fifty Nameless Tombstones had been completely shattered, the energy sustaining the barrier vanished entirely.

A sharp glint flashed in Ke Fei's eyes. He stretched out both of his gaunt hands, and all the storms gathered together, forming two enormous hands.

The giant hands seized the barrier and wrenched it apart. Howling winds swept through as the gray-black barrier tore open, and bright sunlight from outside poured in for the first time.

Ke Fei and Mu Qing were both overcome with joy.

At last, the storms subsided. Ke Fei landed on the wrecked ground and waved away the energy shield around Mu Qing.

Before their eyes, the gray-black barrier gradually dissolved. Beyond it lay a forest. Deep in the woods, several beasts at Blood Qi Fourth or Fifth Rank were watching them.

The moment they saw Ke Fei, they whimpered and fled with their tails between their legs.

It wasn't just those few beasts. In fact, every beast on Lake Heart Island was trembling now. The stronger the beast, the more terrified it was; they all lay prostrate on the ground.

Ke Fei was bursting with excitement and joy, staring blankly at everything before him.

Although he was a newly born personality, he possessed all the memories of the two personalities before him. He gazed at Lake Heart Island, so familiar and yet so strange.

Then he remembered: though they had broken the barrier, there was still something important to take care of—Mu Qing's College Entrance Exam!

The College Entrance Exam had three phases, and outstanding performances in each phase came with generous rewards. Missing even one phase would count as withdrawing from the exam.

It was already noon. The first phase of the College Entrance Exam had begun!

"There's no time. You have to get to school and take the first phase. If you miss it, you'll have a hard time catching up!" Ke Fei said, his expression serious.

After spending a month with Mu Qing, he had grown quite close to him. They were both teacher and friend to each other.

"Wait a moment." Ke Fei seemed to remember something. He flashed out of sight.

Mu Qing looked around, but couldn't see Ke Fei. The man was so fast, it was like he had teleported.

With no other choice, Mu Qing waited where he was.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Ke Fei returned. This time, Mu Qing noticed a golden communication device on his wrist, its fine patterns and design strangely familiar.

Mu Qing suddenly realized that the golden communication device on Ke Fei's wrist was exactly like the one his mysterious father had sent him.

He hadn't expected Ke Fei's communication device to look just like his mysterious father's.

Could Dad's true status be the same as Old Man Ke's? Mu Qing wondered. He had always felt that his father was mysterious, and his father had never mentioned any other relatives or family members.

Mu Qing had never seen his mother since he was born. His father never spoke of her, either, and revealed nothing about her.

Seeing the golden communication device in Ke Fei's hand, Mu Qing guessed that perhaps his mysterious father was also a powerful expert.

"Haha, what do you think? Pretty cool, right?" Ke Fei raised his hand and showed it off.

He said, "Unfortunately, this communication device took the Gentle Personality a lot of effort to get back in the day. Only people of exceptionally high status know what it really means."

He paid no attention to the thoughtful look on Mu Qing's face. Tapping the communication device, he made golden light flash—and a Flying Warship appeared!

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