Afterward

Qi Fei released his grip, letting the weapon slip from his hand.

Strangely, the previously unremarkable Two-handed Greatsword now floated in midair.

Several streams of pitch-black power coiled around the blade. They collided and devoured one another from time to time, as if competing for something.

"What's going on?"

Qi Fei stared blankly at the crack in the sky as it slowly healed.

Was this supposed to happen?

He had only wanted to temper himself by resisting the world and regain control of his mind.

This Boundary Breaker breakthrough was a bit much, wasn't it?

Spirit Cultivation relied on a burst of Idealism, but there still had to be a material foundation.

The environment wasn't ready to support a Boundary Breaker yet. What gave him the right to break through?

While Qi Fei questioned his entire existence, the others watched his aura gradually settle and quietly gathered around him again.

"Damn, Zihong, you're incredible!"

Chen Xi gazed excitedly at the still-open spatial rift.

That was even more powerful than Lu Bu. No wonder he was Chen Xi's fellow transmigrant.

When the time comes for duels between generals, we'll just send Zihong out and see what the other side can do.

"It's nothing. I've just made a little progress."

Qi Fei came back to his senses.

"By the way, were there any casualties nearby?"

"No. General Guan and the others formed ranks with the soldiers and used Cloud Qi to block the shock waves."

Chen Xi answered.

In truth, only the first blast had been particularly powerful.

The next two had a much smaller range and had caused almost no damage.

"That's good."

Qi Fei nodded.

"Zihong, have you touched a higher realm?"

Zhao Yun asked curiously.

"Yes, but I still can't figure out how I broke through."

As he spoke, Qi Fei sent word to the other Qi Feis in the Shared Space that he was safe.

He still needed to work out exactly how he had broken through.

He didn't want to accidentally drag the other Qi Feis into trouble when he entered the Shared Space.

"God?"

Guan Yu's eyes burned with excitement.

He had suspected as much when he made progress earlier, but he hadn't expected to confirm it so soon.

"Yes."

Qi Fei nodded.

At this point in time, only a burst of Spirit Cultivation could force a Boundary Breaker breakthrough.

"If Yunchang wants to break through this way, first nurture a Weapon Spirit, then find a way to unleash power far beyond your usual limits."

Nurture a spirit within a weapon using one's Divine Will, then coordinate with the Weapon Spirit to unleash one's full combat strength.

That was proper Spirit Cultivation—or at least, the proper way to break through according to Lu Bu.

What Qi Fei had just done was completely abnormal. He'd broken through without even having a Weapon Spirit.

"Thank you for showing me the way, Zihong."

Guan Yu cupped his hands in salute.

"It's nothing. It's just a bit of theory."

Qi Fei said dismissively.

Anyone could understand the theory, but the difficulty became obvious when it came to putting it into practice.

"In theory, there are also breakthrough paths through Qi and Essence."

Qi Fei said this to the others, whose eyes had lit up.

Other than Guan Yu, the rest weren't suited to a pure Spirit Cultivation path.

Zhao Yun had a hundred times Second Master's Internal Qi. It would be a waste not to pursue a Qi Boundary Breaker breakthrough.

In the original story, Hua Xiong had taken the path of commanding troops. He was the commander of one of only five Miracle Legions in the world, something even rarer than a Boundary Breaker.

As for Third Master, he cultivated Essence, Qi, and Spirit together. He hadn't reached Boundary Breaker, but his combat strength was no lower than one's.

"However, if you focus on Essence, you might not be able to fly."

In the original story, Dian Wei had reached Essence Boundary Breaker.

Because he lacked Internal Qi, he couldn't fly, and Lu Bu, who could, had bombarded him from the air.

He hadn't been injured, but he'd certainly been left looking battered and dusty.

"Thank you for the advice, Zihong."

Everyone spoke at once.

"Then does that mean the sword has a Weapon Spirit that Zihong nurtured?"

Chen Xi, who had no interest in the finer points of Martial Dao, was studying the floating greatsword.

If we could figure out how it works, couldn't we make Flying Swords like in immortal-hero stories?

"No, I... What is that thing?"

Qi Fei stared at his greatsword, dumbfounded.

The power coiled around the blade had now dissipated—or, rather, had transformed into a Nine-Headed Divine Bird perched on it.

The bird was pitch-black all over, with eyes that glinted viciously. It looked more like an Evil Beast ready to devour anyone in its path.

"Isn't that the Nine Phoenix? The Chu State's totem during the Warring States period."

Lu Su and Jian Yong, who had originally been sent off to work, had returned because of the eye-catching crack.

Apparently, everyone liked a good spectacle.

"The Nine Phoenix? Why does it seem wrong to me?"

Chen Xi sensed something amiss.

Rather than a totem representing something auspicious like the Nine Phoenix, it seemed more like the Ghost Cart, which was later vilified.

Qi Fei thought the same.

During the Warring States period, other states had already looked down on Chu State. Before the Han Dynasty was founded, its greatest enemy had been the Overlord of Western Chu.

It was only natural that Chu State's totem would be disparaged...

Qi Fei suddenly realized something and solemnly examined his mind and soul.

He compared them with the state of the soul that Coiling Dragon Qi Fei had observed in his memories.

His soul still looked like a shattered mirror. Aside from turning slightly darker due to the power of Destruction, there were no unusual changes.

His mental strength was fine too.

Everything was normal. He hadn't acquired some sort of parasite.

Then Qi Fei summoned the sword and carefully examined the spirit of the Nine Phoenix within it.

After testing it repeatedly, he finally confirmed that the spirit of the Nine Phoenix was entirely under his control.

He could destroy it with a single thought.

Only then did Qi Fei feel a little relieved.

"Zihong, is something wrong?"

Liu Bei asked with concern.

Qi Fei's reaction just then had clearly shown that he'd noticed something amiss.

"I've just figured out how I broke through."

Qi Fei replied.

So that's how I broke through to Boundary Breaker. It seems those remnants from Chu State were involved too.

In the world of Mythical Three Kingdoms, Chu State was a real pitfall.

During the Warring States period, Wu Zixu had sought revenge on Chu State by giving it a Talent called the Guest Corpse Feast Rite.

It was a fantastic Elite Talent.

It was easy to learn, quick to improve, and powerful once mastered.

It could replace almost every other Talent.

The only problem was that it caused something inhuman to be born from the soldiers.

More precisely, the Talent's core function was to use the soldiers' Essence, Qi, and Spirit to nourish an evil entity.

Even after the soldiers died, the entity would remain, continuing to feed on people and grow.

But Chu State couldn't afford to stop using this Talent at the time.

If they didn't use it, they'd be beaten to death by those who did. It was like everyone having a copy of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.

So Chu State had created countless inhuman things with the Guest Corpse Feast Rite.

Sun Wu and Bai Qi, both among the Four Sages of the Military School, had each led an army there.

Later, the Han Dynasty carried out a prolonged purge, finally wiping out most of the Talent's creations.

Qi Fei guessed that his breakthrough had probably depended on the remnants Bai Qi had left behind.

The lofty power of the Supreme God of Destruction had drawn in all sorts of strange things.

Among them were the evil entities left in the Chu Region.

It was also because these forces had merged with his that his mind had come so close to losing control.

When he later struggled against the world, he'd poured them all into the greatsword.

With all those forces gathered together, the might of the world had forcibly tempered them into a Weapon Spirit, which in turn made him a God Boundary Breaker.

Fortunately, the power of the Supreme God of Destruction was high enough for him to manipulate and destroy those forces with ease.

Otherwise, Qi Fei might have ended up mentally unstable.

But then again, if his power hadn't been so high, it wouldn't have attracted those things in the first place...

It was a blessing and a curse.

Still, the thought that his breakthrough had involved those evil entities gave Qi Fei a headache.

"Zichuan, when you set up the intelligence network, please keep an eye on reports from Yunmeng Marsh."

He made the request.

"Understood."

From Qi Fei's expression, Chen Xi could tell that something was wrong there.

So he answered seriously.

"Don't worry too much. Just keep an eye on it. There's an important figure watching over the place, so nothing serious will happen."

Qi Fei reassured him.

For the sake of his descendants, Sun Wu had sacrificed himself and become part of the seal.

If those evil entities could still turn the tables, what would that say about the Four Sages of the Military School?

Qi Fei was worried that Sun Wu might not have awakened yet, while the remnants Bai Qi had left behind had become active again because of him.

Then some general who specialized in leading troops might come across them and decide to study them...

In that case, we'll have to find a way to awaken the Marquis of Huaiyin, who's sleeping inside the Heirloom Seal of the Realm.

"Now that you've put it that way, I'm relieved."

Chen Xi liked situations where an important figure had things under control. It meant he didn't have to spend much effort.

"Zihong, if the problem is serious, you can tell us. We'll figure it out together."

Liu Bei spoke up.

"Sorry, Lord Xuande. It's not that I don't trust you, but the fewer people who know about this, the better."

Qi Fei shook his head.

The Guest Corpse Feast Rite was like the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual. It was best not to let too many people know about it.

"I see."

Liu Bei sighed inwardly at his own helplessness.

But he still did his best to keep his expression calm, so as not to worry Qi Fei.

"Speaking of intelligence networks, how are we going to keep this news under wraps?"

Seeing this, Chen Xi tried to change the subject.

"We can't hide it, can we?"

Lu Su recalled the crack that had stretched all the way into the sky.

It wasn't just Mount Tai Commandery. Plenty of people beyond Mount Tai had probably seen it too.

There was no way to control the spread of information under these circumstances.

"Then we won't hide it. Let the whole world know what Zihong can do."

Liu Bei said proudly.

Back then, when Chen Xi and Qi Fei chose to follow him, nearly every aristocratic family had secretly mocked the two of them for being fools.

Now it was time to show them that Zichuan and Zihong were Yingchuan's true treasures.

They had been blind, unable to recognize young heroes.

"Why not take this opportunity to issue an Edict of Recruiting the Virtuous?"

Qi Fei asked.

"That's a good idea."

Chen Xi slapped his fan into his hand and smiled.

The realm beyond Internal Qi Separation—how many military officers could resist that temptation?

And perhaps it could even draw out other transmigrators.

They didn't need to be as strong as Zihong. Even half as strong would make things easier from then on.

The military officers hadn't caught on yet, but Jian Yong and Lu Su understood what the two men were talking about.

They both knew that issuing this Edict of Recruiting the Virtuous would slap the four-hundred-year-old Great Han civil service system right in the face.

What had allowed the Aristocratic Families to endure for so long?

Wasn't it their monopoly on official posts?

If they did this now, wouldn't they be putting themselves in direct opposition to all the Aristocratic Families in the World?

Shouldn't they wait until they were stronger before doing something like this?

Just as the two men were about to step forward and stop Chen Xi, Qi Fei blocked them. All they could do was watch as Chen Xi asked Liu Bei for permission.

"Lord Xuande, I humbly ask you to issue an Edict of Recruiting the Virtuous and summon worthy men from across the land, without regard to their birth—only their merit."

Liu Bei naturally understood what would happen after he issued the edict.

But Liu Bei had been able to establish himself at Mount Tai and truly see hope for the revival of the Han Dynasty only because two talented men had given him their utmost support.

So what was wrong with going a little crazy with them?

In early September of 191, Liu Bei, the General Who Pacifies the East, issued an Edict of Recruiting the Virtuous at Mount Tai.

News that his subordinate Qi Zihong had broken through beyond Internal Qi Separation spread throughout the Thirteen Provinces of the Great Han alongside the edict.

For a time, the whole realm erupted.

"So don't tell me you showed up this late because you were off showing off."

In the Shared Space, two Qi Feis floated in midair, looking down at Shen San Qi Fei.

"Not quite. I went to check whether there were any traces of the Guest Corpse Feast Rite on me."

Shen San Qi Fei answered frankly.

"Wasn't that thing first seen when Huangfu Song fought Odin of Norse mythology? Where did you see it?"

Coiling Dragon Qi Fei asked, puzzled.

"I didn't want to run into it either. Unfortunately, it showed up uninvited when I broke through, so I had no choice but to break through to Boundary Breaker."

Shen San Qi Fei sighed.

As if he were truly helpless.

"Oh? You mean the realm beyond Internal Qi Separation?"

Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei asked.

"Exactly. God Boundary Breaker, with a Weapon Spirit—the strongest person in the world right now."

Shen San Qi Fei replied.

"I had no idea you were so talented, sir. Please, take the seat of honor."

Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei immediately landed and bowed obsequiously.

"Hmph. First arrogant, then obsequious. You're a laughingstock."

Coiling Dragon Qi Fei said haughtily.

"Could you straighten your back before you say that?"

Shen San Qi Fei teased.

Yes, although only Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei had been speaking just then, both of them had made the same gesture.

With that gesture, saying those words was truly hard to take seriously.

The three Qi Feis looked at one another, then burst out laughing.

After they had finished laughing, the three of them finally got down to business.

"You said you broke through to Boundary Breaker. What exactly happened?"

Coiling Dragon Qi Fei and Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei asked.

But their faces showed concern for Shen San Qi Fei, not a yearning for his strength.

Shen San Qi Fei was just about to suggest they shake hands, but then he remembered Coiling Dragon Qi Fei's current situation.

Now that he had undergone two transformations—first through Internal Qi Separation, then through Boundary Breaker—Sharing with Coiling Dragon Qi Fei would definitely make him a Saint Realm expert.

How would they explain that to Beirut?

Besides, hadn't Beirut taken Qi Fei as his disciple precisely to bring the two of them closer?

If Qi Fei became a Saint Realm expert on the very day Beirut took him as a disciple, it would greatly diminish the teacher's role.

(Before reaching the Saint Realm, cultivation depended mainly on the teacher's ability; after reaching the Saint Realm, it depended mainly on one's own comprehension.)

How would they grow closer after that?

Shen San Qi Fei conveyed his concerns to Coiling Dragon Qi Fei.

Coiling Dragon Qi Fei agreed.

After all, he was now Beirut's disciple, and he didn't need strength for anything in particular.

Then Shen San Qi Fei began recounting his recent experience from the beginning.