Aftermath

Qi Fei let go, allowing the weapon to slip from his grasp.

Strangely, this previously unremarkable Two-handed Greatsword was now hovering directly in mid-air.

The blade was enveloped by multiple strands of pitch-black power. These forces collided and devoured one another from time to time, as if competing for something.

"What's going on here?"

Qi Fei stared blankly at the crack in the sky that was gradually healing.

Isn't this a bit wrong?

He had originally only intended to use the resistance of heaven and earth to hone himself and regain his grasp on his mind.

Breaking through the boundary on the spot like this—isn't that a bit excessive?

Spirit Cultivation emphasizes an outburst of the mind, but it still requires a certain material foundation.

The current environment isn't even at the point where it can support a boundary-breaking event, so how on earth did he manage to break the boundary?

Just as Qi Fei was doubting his own existence, the others saw his aura gradually return to a state of calm and silently approached him.

"Damn, Zihong, you really are fierce."

Chen Xi looked at the space crack that hadn't fully healed yet with an excited expression.

This intensity was even fiercer than Lu Bu; he truly lived up to being his fellow transmigrator.

When it comes time for duels between generals in the future, once we put Zihong out there, let's see what the others can do.

"It's alright, just a bit of improvement."

Qi Fei returned from his daze.

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

"None. General Guan and the others led the soldiers to form a formation and mobilized the Cloud Qi to block the aftermath," Chen Xi replied.

In reality, only the first impact had caused a significant commotion.

The impact of the subsequent two strikes was not large, causing almost no damage at all.

"That's good."

Qi Fei nodded.

"Zihong, have you touched upon a higher level of cultivation?"

Zhao Yun asked curiously.

"Yes, though I haven't figured out exactly how I broke through."

As Qi Fei spoke, he sent a message of safety to the other Qi Feis in the Shared Space.

He still needed to sort out exactly how he had achieved the breakthrough.

He had to prevent himself from accidentally sabotaging the other Qi Feis when he entered the Shared Space.

"Spirit?"

Guan Yu's eyes burned with intensity.

He had suspected as much when he made progress previously, but he hadn't expected to see it verified so quickly.

"Correct."

Qi Fei nodded.

At this point in time, only an outburst of Spirit Cultivation could forcibly break the boundary.

"If Yunchang wants to break through using this method, you must first nurture a Weapon Spirit, and then find a way to unleash power far exceeding your normal state."

Nurturing the spirit of a weapon with one's own Divine Will, and then coordinating with that Weapon Spirit to unleash peak combat power.

That is the proper way of Spirit Cultivation, at least according to the way Lu Bu views a proper Spirit Cultivation breakthrough.

What he had just done—breaking the boundary without even having a Weapon Spirit—was completely abnormal.

"Many thanks for the guidance, Zihong."

Guan Yu cupped his hands in a salute.

"It's nothing, just a bit of theory," Qi Fei said dismissively.

Anyone can talk about theory, but once you get to the actual practice, you realize the difficulty.

"Besides this method, there are theoretically ways to break through via the paths of Qi and Essence as well," Qi Fei said to the others, whose eyes were shining.

Except for Guan Yu, the others were not suited for the path of pure Spirit Cultivation.

With Zhao Yun's Internal Qi being a hundred times the scale of Second Master's, it would be a pity not to walk the path of the Qi Boundary Breaker.

In the original work, Hua Xiong followed the path of commanding troops, becoming one of only five Miracle Legion commanders in the world—a status even rarer than a Boundary Breaker.

As for Third Master, he followed the path of cultivating Essence, Internal Qi, and Spirit simultaneously. Although he had not yet broken the boundary, his combat power was no lower than those who had.

"However, if one focuses on Essence, they might be unable to fly."

In the original work, Dian Wei was an Essence Boundary Breaker.

Because his internal Internal Qi was insufficient, he could not fly and was unilaterally bombarded by the flying Lu Bu.

Although he wasn't injured, he was indeed left in a sorry, disheveled state.

"Many thanks for the guidance, Zihong."

Everyone said in unison.

"In that case, is the Weapon Spirit nurtured by Zihong on this sword?"

Chen Xi, who had no interest in minor martial arts trivia, was busy studying the floating greatsword.

If he could figure out the principle behind this, wouldn't he be able to manufacture the flying swords seen in xianxia worlds?

"No, I... what on earth is this?"

Qi Fei stared at his greatsword, dumbfounded.

Right now, the power that had been swirling around the greatsword had dissipated, or rather, it had transformed into a Nine-Headed Divine Bird coiled around the blade.

The thing was, this divine bird was pitch black all over, its eyes gleaming with a fierce light, looking more like a vicious beast ready to devour anyone in its path.

"This should be the Nine Phoenix, right? The totem of the Chu State during the Warring States period."

Lu Su and Jian Yong, who had originally been sent off to work, had returned due to that eye-catching rift.

Perhaps watching the spectacle was simply human nature.

"Nine Phoenix? Why do I feel like something isn't quite right?"

Chen Xi keenly sensed that something was amiss.

Compared to the Nine Phoenix, a totem representing beauty, it looked more like the Ghost Cart, which had been stigmatized in later generations.

Qi Fei thought to himself.

During the Warring States period, other nations were quite dissatisfied with the Chu State; before the Han Dynasty was established, their greatest enemy had been the Overlord of Western Chu.

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

Qi Fei suddenly realized this and began to check his own spirit and soul with a grave expression.

He compared his current state to the soul state observed by Coiling Dragon Qi Fei in his memories.

His soul still appeared like shards of a broken mirror; other than turning slightly darker due to the power of Destruction, there were no special changes.

His mental power was the same.

Everything was normal; there was no parasitic entity or anything of the sort.

Afterward, Qi Fei summoned the sword again and carefully inspected the Nine Phoenix spirit within it.

After testing it repeatedly, Qi Fei finally confirmed that this Nine Phoenix spirit was entirely under his control.

He could destroy it with a single thought.

Only then did Qi Fei breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"Zihong, is there a problem?"

Liu Bei asked with concern.

Qi Fei's reaction just now clearly indicated that he had discovered something wrong.

"I just figured out how exactly I broke through."

Qi Fei replied.

He had been wondering how he managed to break the boundary; it turned out that the remnants of the Chu State had been mixed up in it.

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

During the Warring States period, in order to take revenge on the Chu State, Wu Zixu had created an Elite Talent for them called the Guest Corpse Feast Rite.

This Elite Talent was something else.

It was easy to learn, leveled up quickly, and was powerful once mastered.

It could basically render the vast majority of other talents obsolete.

The only problem was that this talent would give birth to an inhuman entity from the soldiers themselves.

To be precise, the core of this talent was to use the soldiers' Essence, Internal Qi, and Spirit to nurture an evil entity.

Moreover, this evil entity would continue to exist after the soldiers died, continuing to consume people to grow.

But the Chu State at the time could not afford not to use this talent.

If they didn't use it, they would be killed by those who did; it was just like the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual that everyone possessed.

Therefore, the Chu State back then was filled with inhuman things created by the Guest Corpse Feast Rite.

Sun Wu and Bai Qi, two figures at the level of the Four Sages of the Military School, had both led armies there one after another.

Later, the Han Dynasty carried out a long-term suppression, which finally managed to wipe out most of this talent and its byproducts.

Qi Fei estimated that his breakthrough was likely achieved by relying on the remnants left behind after Bai Qi's slaughter.

The high-level power of the Supreme God of Destruction had attracted some chaotic and messy things.

Among them were the evil entities that had remained in the Chu Region.

It was precisely because of the integration of these powers that his mind had reached the brink of losing control so quickly.

Later, when he contested with the heavens and earth, he poured all of these things into his great sword.

Various elements converged, and by relying on the might of heaven and earth, he forcibly tempered a weapon spirit, which in turn allowed him to become a God Boundary Breaker.

It was fortunate that the power level of the Supreme God of Destruction was high enough to easily control and destroy these forces.

Otherwise, Qi Fei might have had to face the problem of a mental breakdown.

But then again, if the power level hadn't been so high, it wouldn't have attracted these things...

It could be considered a blessing and a curse that was hard to predict.

However, the moment he thought about how his breakthrough was actually related to these evil entities, Qi Fei felt a bit of a headache.

"Zichuan, please keep an eye on intelligence regarding Yunmeng Marsh when you establish your information network."

He spoke up to make the request.

"Understood."

Chen Xi saw the look on Qi Fei's face and knew there was a problem over there.

Therefore, he said with a serious expression.

"Don't worry too much, just pay a little attention to it. There is a big shot watching over that place, so there won't be any major issues."

Qi Fei said to comfort him.

The great Sun Wu had sacrificed himself for the sake of his descendants.

If those evil entities could still turn the tables, would the Four Sages of the Military School have any face left?

What Qi Fei was worried about was that if Sun Wu had not yet awakened, and those remnants left behind by Bai Qi became active again because of him.

And then, if some commanding general happened to encounter them and decided to study them...

Well, in that case, he would have to find a way to wake up the Marquis of Huaiyin who was sleeping inside the Heirloom Seal of the Realm.

"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."

Chen Xi liked situations where there were big shots leading the way; it meant he didn't have to expend much effort.

"Zihong, if the problem is serious, you can tell us, and we can all think of a way together."

Liu Bei spoke up.

"My apologies, Lord Xuande. It is not that I do not trust you all, but this matter is best known by as few people as possible."

Qi Fei shook his head.

Something like the Guest Corpse Feast Rite, which was akin to an evil sword manual, was better off not being known by too many people.

"I see."

Liu Bei sighed in his heart at his own powerlessness.

But he still tried his best to maintain his composure on his face, so as not to affect Qi Fei.

"Speaking of intelligence organizations, how should we hide the news of this event?"

Seeing this, Chen Xi tried to change the subject.

"There is no way to hide it, is there?"

Lu Su recalled the crack that had reached straight into the sky.

Let alone Mount Tai Commandery, he estimated that many people outside of Mount Tai would have seen it.

In this situation, it was completely impossible to control the leakage of information.

"Then we won't hide it. Let the whole world know of Zihong's ability."

Liu Bei said with a proud look on his face.

Back then, when Chen Xi and Qi Fei followed him, almost all the aristocratic families were secretly mocking the two for being unable to count.

Now, it was time to let them know that Zichuan and Zihong were the true essence of Yingchuan.

It was they who were blind and failed to recognize the young heroes.

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

Qi Fei asked.

"That is a viable plan."

Chen Xi tapped his fan against his hand and said with a smile.

The realm above Internal Qi Separation—how many martial generals could resist such a temptation?

Moreover, it might just lure out other transmigrators.

I don't expect them to have the strength of Zihong, but even half of that would make things much simpler down the road.

The few martial generals hadn't reacted yet, but Jian Yong and Lu Su understood exactly what these two were talking about.

Both men knew clearly that once this Edict of Recruiting the Virtuous was issued, it would slap the face of the Han Dynasty's four-hundred-year-old official selection system with a resounding crack.

What do the noble families rely on to maintain their longevity?

Isn't it their monopoly on official positions?

If they did this now, wouldn't they be standing directly in opposition to all the noble families under heaven?

Shouldn't this kind of thing wait until they were stronger?

Just as the two were about to step forward to stop Chen Xi, they were blocked by Qi Fei, leaving them no choice but to watch Chen Xi petition Liu Bei.

"I implore Lord Xuande to issue the Edict of Recruiting the Virtuous, to widely recruit the talented of the world, regardless of their background, asking only for their virtue and ability."

Liu Bei naturally understood the consequences of issuing such an order.

But the fact that he, Liu Bei, could now establish a foothold in Mount Tai and truly see the hope of restoring the Han Dynasty was entirely due to the exhaustive efforts of these two brilliant talents.

So, what harm was there in going crazy with them just this once?

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

The intelligence regarding his subordinate Qi Zihong breaking through to the realm above Internal Qi Separation spread throughout the Thirteen Provinces of the Great Han alongside the edict.

In an instant, the world was in an uproar.

"So, don't tell me you were late because you went off to show off."

Inside the Shared Space, two versions of Qi Fei floated in mid-air, looking down at Shen San Qi Fei.

"That's not it; I went to check if there were any traces of the Guest Corpse Feast Rite on me."

Shen San Qi Fei answered calmly.

"Didn't that thing only start appearing when Huangfu Song fought Odin of the Norse? Where did you see it?"

Coiling Dragon Qi Fei asked with some curiosity.

"I didn't want to encounter it either, but the thing showed up uninvited when I was breaking through, so I had no choice but to break through to the God Boundary Breaker."

Shen San Qi Fei sighed heavily.

It was as if he were truly helpless.

"Oh? Is that the realm after Internal Qi Separation?"

Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei asked.

"Exactly. God Boundary Breaker, possessing a Weapon Spirit, the current number one person in the world."

Shen San Qi Fei replied.

"I did not know of your great talent, sir. Please, take the seat of honor."

Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei immediately landed and bowed, fawning over him.

"Hmph, arrogant at first and then submissive later—it's laughable."

Coiling Dragon Qi Fei said proudly.

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

Shen San Qi Fei retorted.

Yes, although only Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei had been speaking, both of them had performed the action together.

Saying such things while performing that action was truly hard to keep a straight face.

The three versions of Qi Fei looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

After the laughter died down, the three began to discuss serious matters.

"You said earlier that you broke through to the God Boundary Breaker. What exactly happened?"

Coiling Dragon and Heavenly Jewel Change Qi Fei asked.

But their faces showed no desire for power, only concern for Shen San Qi Fei.

Shen San Qi Fei was about to speak, but then he remembered the current situation of Coiling Dragon Qi Fei.

Now that he had experienced two transformations—Internal Qi Separation and the God Boundary Breaker—Coiling Dragon Qi Fei would definitely reach the Saint Realm after the sharing.

How would he explain that to Beirut then?

Moreover, didn't Beirut take Qi Fei as a disciple just to bring the two of them closer?

If Qi Fei became a Saint Realm expert on the very day he was taken as a disciple, it would drastically reduce the value of his teacher.

(Cultivation before the Saint Realm mainly depends on the teacher's level, while after the Saint Realm, it mainly depends on one's own enlightenment.)

Then how were they supposed to build a closer relationship later on?

Shen San Qi Fei conveyed this question to Coiling Dragon Qi Fei.

Coiling Dragon Qi Fei also agreed with this viewpoint.

In any case, he had now become a disciple of Beirut, so there was no need for him to exert any strength.

Subsequently, Shen San Qi Fei began to recount his experiences from the very beginning.