Qi Boundary Breaker

"Master Tong, that outfit of yours is impressive."

Qi Fei looked Tong Yuan up and down.

At that moment, Tong Yuan wore a vermilion feathered crown, dark armor, and a green cloak. He also carried a poleaxe over two meters long.

He looked as if he were about to mount a horse and charge into battle at any moment.

If everyone in the room hadn't been on the same side, Tong Yuan's getup would surely have drawn complaints.

"Haha, there are a few things I want to test. I'm really sorry. If it exceeds the limit, I can give up on a few of them."

Tong Yuan spoke a little sheepishly.

He'd been so excited that his idea could finally be put into practice that he'd forgotten he was taking advantage of someone else this time.

"That won't be necessary. I'm only Sharing the realm itself. Everything else depends on your own foundation."

Qi Fei didn't mind.

If someone's foundation wasn't strong enough, they could only stare at their spear like Ma Chao had.

"Thank you for making this possible, Zihong."

Tong Yuan said gratefully.

"It's nothing. Are you ready?"

Qi Fei's expression turned serious.

Whatever it was that had made Tong Yuan, a master of Secret Art development, so eager, it had piqued Qi Fei's interest too.

Let's see it.

"Let's begin."

Tong Yuan slowly exhaled, bringing his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their current limits.

Seeing that he was ready, Qi Fei activated his ability.

Tong Yuan's aura fluctuated for an instant, then immediately returned to normal, as if the Sharing had failed.

This left Chen Xi and the other civil officials puzzled.

But unlike them, the generals who had experienced it once knew what had happened.

"Impressive."

Divine Light involuntarily gleamed in Guan Yu's eyes.

"As expected of Master. He's managed to control that power completely."

Zhao Yun said admiringly.

I still have a long way to go.

"Brother Xiongfu's understanding of the Martial Dao far exceeds my imagination."

Cai Yang, another member of the older generation, couldn't help but marvel.

"It's too early to be amazed."

Qi Fei stopped them from heaping on the praise.

After using his Mental Talent, he could now get a rough glimpse of the person receiving the Shared realm.

That allowed him to see some of the ways Tong Yuan's power was flowing.

Five distinct kinds of Internal Qi were growing stronger inside Tong Yuan, while also linking up with his weapon and armor.

It was clear something big was brewing.

The others, interrupted, widened their eyes and watched Tong Yuan closely.

But aside from Second Master, who had noticed a little something, no one else could tell what was going on.

"Could Zihong explain it to us?"

Liu Bei asked curiously.

"If I tell you, there'll be no surprise. Why don't you wait a moment, Lord Xuande?"

From Qi Fei's perspective, the five distinct forces were growing ever more intense. They were nearly at the limit of what Tong Yuan could control.

The result was clearly imminent. There was no need for him to explain.

Tong Yuan closed his eyes and focused on regulating the Internal Qi within him.

"Oh? This is certainly exciting."

Before Liu Bei had even finished speaking, a change came over Tong Yuan.

A different-colored halo appeared around each of five places: his poleaxe, feathered crown, breastplate, boots, and cloak.

Beneath those halos, it seemed as though some kind of creature was trapped inside, struggling with all its might.

As a result, the light around those spots flickered ceaselessly, wavering like candle flames buffeted by a cold wind.

The onlookers couldn't help feeling tense.

Qi Fei, of course, didn't feel that way.

He could roughly sense Tong Yuan's condition and tell that it was still within Tong Yuan's control.

Besides, Tong Yuan now reminded Qi Fei of one of those disco balls from an old nightclub.

A rainbow of colors, sparkling and shining.

Qi Fei simply couldn't feel nervous.

After an unknown amount of time, a deep Tiger Roar rang out from Tong Yuan's poleaxe. A White Tiger broke free and emerged from it, glaring fiercely at its surroundings.

At the same time, the Spirits in the other places also broke through their halos and appeared from their respective positions.

A scarlet Vermilion Bird crowned his head. A Black Tortoise, accompanied by roaring waves, covered his chest and abdomen. A Qilin lightly touched the ground beneath his feet, while an Azure Dragon coiled behind him.

Each of them was much weaker than Guan Yu's Azure Dragon, but the combined might of all five seemed to surpass it.

They looked spectacular beyond compare.

At that moment, Tong Yuan opened his eyes and gave a quiet shout.

The five Spirits, which had been wary of one another, each turned into a beam of light and returned to his body.

In the next instant, Tong Yuan's aura, which had been thrown into disarray by the five Spirits, became perfectly harmonious, as if he had become one with the heavens.

"Is he harmonizing the Five Elements?"

Qi Fei had roughly figured out what Tong Yuan was doing.

This method wasn't very suitable for him, but he might be able to learn something from it.

"So, what just happened?"

Chen Xi looked at Qi Fei in confusion.

"Master Tong used God Boundary Breaker to nurture the Spirits of the Five Elements. Then he used the five Spirits to harmonize the Five Elements of Internal Qi and successfully became a Qi Boundary Breaker."

Qi Fei gave a brief explanation.

"How did he do that?"

Ma Chao said, unable to understand.

He wasn't the only one. Aside from Guan Yu and Xu Chu, everyone else looked as if they were listening to a story.

Don't make nurturing five Spirits of different attributes all at once, then forcing your way into Qi Boundary Breaker, sound so simple.

"The old man has spent his whole life building up his foundation. Isn't it only natural that he'd get results like this when he finally lets loose?"

Qi Fei shrugged.

Tong Yuan had poured Internal Qi at the Internal Qi Separation level into each of his three direct disciples, yet still managed to remain at the limit of Internal Qi Separation.

If he hadn't been unaccustomed to the environment, he would have broken through long ago.

"No. Without Zihong's help, I was already prepared to abandon this plan."

Tong Yuan now seemed like an ordinary old man.

He no longer had the imposing presence of a Martial Dao expert.

"Different Spirits interfere with one another. Once you've nurtured one, it's almost impossible to produce a second. So, if you want to nurture several Spirits, you have to bring them into being at the same time."

"Before this, I could only control four Secret Art Spirits at once, and that was my limit."

Tong Yuan spoke with deep feeling.

He hadn't even been able to manage five Secret Art Spirits, let alone five true Spirits.

Coming here had been the right decision.

Qi Fei, meanwhile, pondered.

If he remembered correctly, the first time Tong Yuan revealed his Boundary Breaker form in the original story, it was with four Spirits gathered together. Compared to now, it had been missing the Qilin, which represented earth.

Presumably, Tong Yuan himself had served as earth, bearing the other four Spirits and using them to break through to Boundary Breaker.

That was why, to Second Master and the others, Tong Yuan's form had seemed more like an evil god than a human. Even his personality had changed to some extent.

But that change in personality was closer to the arrogance that came with his newfound strength. It wasn't permanent.

So when the test's supercharged, extra-large naval cannon shell grazed past and wiped out Tong Yuan's White Tiger Spirit, his personality had naturally returned to normal.

Thinking of that cannon test, Qi Fei couldn't help remembering Gan Ning and Lu Xun's father, Lu Jun.

During that test, Gan Ning had been forced to take the blame, becoming the first general to get mobbed by Lu Bu and his men.

The Aristocratic Families of the Han Dynasty had a habit of sabotaging their own allies. They did it even when they didn't mean to.

When they were building that naval cannon, someone was always saying, "This part of the design isn't good enough. Let me improve it."

Everyone thought the same way, so each of them added a little something to the section they were responsible for.

In the end, the changes piled up until they caused a qualitative shift. The cannon's power skyrocketed, and the cannon itself went flying too (meaning the steel fragments after it exploded).

Gan Ning thought the cannon belonged to the navy, so he'd eagerly helped pass them parts during the assembly.

Then, after he was blamed for passing the wrong part and causing the explosion, he got a sound beating on the spot.

Lu Jun, on the other hand, was the main reason the cannon test had happened.

He'd drawn up plans for an all-steel battleship—known as a Seventh Generation Warship—and tricked the various families into investing by using the blueprints as collateral. He'd even managed to lay the keel.

Then the whole thing came out, and he was thrown in prison.

In truth, sending Lu Jun to prison at the time had been a way of protecting him.

To raise the money to build a Seventh Generation Warship, he'd basically swindled everyone in the Central Plains he could, and even some he couldn't.

If he hadn't been in prison, the creditors would have strung Lu Jun up and beaten him to a pulp.

In the end, to prove to the Han Dynasty's biggest financier, Chen Xi, that the plan wasn't nonsense, they'd held that naval cannon test.

The cannon had exploded, but it had still demonstrated its power—at the cost of Tong Yuan's White Tiger Spirit—and proved Lu Jun's plan was viable.

That was what had convinced Chen Xi to start pouring money into a massive construction campaign.

Poor Lu Xun.

After studying the art of war under Chen Xi and Zhuge Liang for so long, he'd finally been ready to prove himself on the naval battlefield.

Then his father unveiled the Seventh Generation Warship and told his own son, "Sorry, son. Times have changed."

While Qi Fei's thoughts wandered, Chen Xi raised a hand and asked a question:

"May I ask what a Secret Art Spirit is?"

"It's similar to a Weapon Spirit used in Spirit Cultivation, but not as powerful. Its advantage is that it can be created through a Secret Art, and if it's destroyed, it can be reconstructed."

Tong Yuan gave Chen Xi a simple explanation.

"Its origins probably lie with swordsmiths sacrificing blood to their blades. The current version has been improved, so there's no need for a blood sacrifice."

"In that case, does that mean they can be mass-produced?"

Chen Xi's eyes were shining.

There was a limit to how much any material could be strengthened through Nurturing. Once it reached that point, its strength would no longer increase.

But weapons with Spirits were different.

Not only could their potential be raised further, they also didn't have to worry about losing strength if they went a long time without Nurturing.

This Secret Art seemed absurdly powerful.

"Um, that would be a little difficult."

Tong Yuan broke Chen Xi's unrealistic hopes for his Secret Art himself.

"No matter what, a Secret Art Spirit is still a Spirit. Its creator needs a certain level of Spirit Cultivation."

"Wouldn't that be perfect?"

Chen Xi's gaze moved back and forth between Qi Fei, Guan Yu, and Tong Yuan.

"Were you even listening? A Spirit created first suppresses any Spirits created afterward."

Qi Fei gave the pained look of a parent whose child wasn't paying attention in class.

"Exactly. We can make them, but our efficiency would be so low it might as well be zero. Besides, it would be very troublesome for other people to use them."

Tong Yuan patiently explained.

"Then what if Zihong Shared the realm of God Boundary Breaker with others?"

Chen Xi pressed on.

"If you want our army to deliver packages to the enemy, sure."

Qi Fei shrugged.

They might as well Share the realm with the army and improve its foundation. That would be far more effective than making a Spirit Cultivation slave and having him churn out Secret Art Spirits one by one.

"Oh."

Chen Xi said regretfully.

His plan to mass-produce divine weapons was dead. How sad.

"How are you feeling, old man? Do you need more time to get the hang of it?"

Qi Fei turned to look at Tong Yuan.

"You can take it back. I've more or less stabilized it."

Tong Yuan said confidently.

Qi Fei withdrew the Shared realm. Tong Yuan's aura barely changed at all, remaining as ordinary as before.

One couldn't help marveling at how masterfully he controlled his power after harmonizing the Five Elements.

"That leaves Zhongkang."

Qi Fei looked at Xu Chu.

Because Xu Chu had said earlier that he wanted to use this opportunity to try his hand at Essence Cultivation, he had volunteered to go after everyone else.

"I'll pass for today."

Xu Chu shook his head and declined.

"After watching Master Tong's breakthrough just now, I gained some insight. I want to build up my understanding before giving it a try."

Xu Chu answered honestly.

"Are you planning to become a God Boundary Breaker first, then work toward Qi Boundary Breaker?"

Qi Fei guessed.

"Yes. I never dared to hope for that before, but after watching Master Tong's breakthrough, I feel I shouldn't waste this opportunity."

Xu Chu replied honestly.

"Good thinking. Come by often, and you can experience the power of God Boundary Breaker."

Qi Fei voiced his support for Xu Chu.

Being a dual Boundary Breaker was better than being a single one. Even if Xu Chu couldn't match Lu Bu, he would still be stronger than most experts.

"If any of you have the same idea, you can come find me in your spare time."

Qi Fei turned to look at the others.

Since it was possible, they shouldn't let the opportunity go to waste.

"Zihong, I hope you don't mind having us around."

Yunmei spoke up first.

After witnessing his master's breakthrough, he couldn't help feeling stirred with excitement.

A dual God and Qi Boundary Breaker—what an enviable sight.

"Of course I don't mind."

Qi Fei answered without hesitation.

"Since..."

Chen Xi began.

He wanted to experience this power, said to be the greatest in the world.

But before he could finish, someone interrupted him.

"Since Zhongkang isn't going to try, I might as well test what I just learned."

Before the words had even left his mouth, flames and frost appeared in Qi Fei's hands at the same time.

Then Qi Fei struck his own heart with one hand and the area near his kidneys with the other.

The flames that entered his heart erupted instantly, shattering it.

But the will of God Boundary Breaker locked the fragments in place, forcing them to keep functioning normally.

At the same time, the restorative power of Internal Qi Separation took effect, and the pieces of his heart quickly healed.

Then, during the process, the flames shattered it again.

"Zihong, what are you doing?"

The others hurried over, concern plain on their faces.

Qi Fei's actions looked just like an attempt to kill himself, and it had frightened them.

"It's fine. I'm just trying to break through."

As he spoke, the flames in Qi Fei's heart traveled along his meridians toward his other organs.

Following the cycle of fire generating earth, earth generating metal, and metal generating water, they reached his kidneys.

At the same time, the chill that had entered his kidneys set off as well.

Water generated wood, and wood generated fire. After undergoing this transformation, the chill flowed into his heart.

When both forces reached their respective destinations, the power within Qi Fei was on the verge of going berserk and rebelling.

But under the suppression of his Divine Will, those forces had no choice but to continue circulating steadily through his meridians.

The cycle continued as Qi Fei constantly refined the Heaven and Earth Essence around him.

In the end, by relying on the timeless principle that overwhelming force could make up for anything, Qi Fei successfully forced his way into the ranks of the Qi Boundary Breakers.