Breakthrough to Spirit Gathering Realm

The weather had finally cooled down. Taking this opportunity, I earnestly seek votes for the Three-Jiang ticket.

The Black Donkey sat upright with a solemn expression, but a donkey imitating a human's posture was inherently absurd. Zhou Heng couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You little brat, looking for a beating!" The Black Donkey kicked a hoof at him.

Having spent seven or eight days with it, Zhou Heng was hardly caught off guard by this despicable donkey. He dodged swiftly and raised a hand, saying, "I apologize. I really shouldn't have laughed at your—a donkey trying to act human!"

"This Seat will trample you to death!"

After the commotion died down, the Black Donkey cleared its throat and said, "Cultivating martial arts is a process of forging the flesh into godhood. What is a god? If you were the master of this continent, the true master, and with a single thought all things come to life—that is a god!"

"A martial artist must form a small world within themselves, become the god of that small world, and then connect with this great world to obtain supreme power!"

"The Body Refining Realm is still at the very bottom of martial arts. There's no talk of forming a small world yet!"

"Only by reaching the peak of the Body Refining Realm and opening the Dantian can one form a chaotic world, thereby absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This is the Spirit Gathering Realm!"

So that's how it is!

Zhou Heng nodded involuntarily. Though this despicable donkey was cunning, greedy, and unreliable, it truly had a deep understanding of martial arts. It explained things clearly and simply, far easier to grasp than Lin Fuxiang's teachings.

"How is a world created? By splitting heaven and earth—clear qi becomes the sky, turbid qi becomes the earth!"

"Thus, when the Dantian world is filled with spiritual energy, the next step is to divide the world. This is the Initial Division Realm!"

"Then, the earth is formed. This is the Earth-Opening Realm!"

"Next, the sky is formed. This is the Heaven-Opening Realm!"

"At this point, heaven and earth have just taken shape, barren and boundless. It cannot yet be called a true world! So, one must create mountains and rivers. This is the Mountain and River Realm!"

"With mountains and rivers, there must also be oceans. This is the Spirit Sea Realm!"

"Only then is the world initially complete. A martial artist can begin forging the flesh into godhood, forming an infant pearl at the world's core, giving birth to a deity. This is the Fetal Formation Realm!"

"Transforming the fetus into an infant is the Divine Infant Realm!"

"The divine infant grows, transforming the mortal into a god. This is the Spirit Transmutation Realm!"

Zhou Heng listened with surging excitement and quickly asked, "What comes after the Spirit Transmutation Realm?"

"Idiot! Spirit Transmutation means becoming a god. There's no 'after'!" The Black Donkey snorted, its face full of contempt.

Damn, being looked down on by a donkey!

Zhou Heng didn't take it to heart. He simply pondered the nine realms beyond Body Refining—a process of forming an inner world. It felt like a lamp had been lit in the darkness, guiding his path forward.

"Black Donkey, didn't you say you were once very powerful? What realm were you in?"

"This Seat—" The Black Donkey paused, thought for a moment, then said, "Of course, the Spirit Transmutation Realm!"

If it were truly at the Spirit Transmutation Realm, it would be the strongest existence under heaven and earth. How could a single formation drain all its cultivation? Clearly, this despicable donkey was bragging again.

Eating spirit fruits every day, Zhou Heng's cultivation advanced at an astonishing rate. Though the Black Broken Sword provided less and less energy, he still reached the peak of the Tenth Layer of Body Refining within a month!

"Today, I'll go down into the Cold Pool and take a look!"

Having made his decision, he didn't wait for nightfall. He immediately leaped into the Cold Pool. With a splash, the icy water enveloped him, making him shiver violently.

How fierce!

He was already at the peak of the Tenth Layer of Body Refining, with vigorous blood energy that should have made him impervious to cold. Yet he still felt a bone-chilling cold, showing just how incredibly low the water temperature was.

Holding his breath, he dove downward.

Three zhang, five zhang, ten zhang!

The cold pierced to the bone. The flow of his blood slowed more and more, as if it were about to freeze!

Zhou Heng quickly turned and surfaced. Climbing ashore, his entire body was covered in frost, even forming icicles!

"Hahaha—" The Black Donkey laughed so hard it nearly fell over, its eyes darting slyly as if considering whether to kick Zhou Heng back in.

"Unbelievable. I only dove ten zhang, and the water temperature was already too much for the Tenth Layer of Body Refining!" Zhou Heng clicked his tongue in amazement. "And the Cold Pool is nowhere near its bottom. Who knows how much colder it gets further down!"

"Good thing this Seat is smart and didn't act as recklessly as that kid!" The Black Donkey patted its chest in relief.

If the Tenth Layer of Body Refining wasn't enough, then wait until the Eleventh or Twelfth Layer!

Zhou Heng wasn't in a hurry to return to the Nine Spirits Sect. After all, he had long since returned the copy of the Bright Jade Art, and now he had spirit fruits to eat every day—far better than Spirit Gathering Pills. The top ten spots in the Outer Sect weren't worth bothering about.

He soon broke through to the Eleventh Layer of Body Refining. After another month of hard training, he reached the peak of the Eleventh Layer and descended into the Cold Pool again.

Twenty zhang!

Ten zhang deeper than last time, but still far from the bottom of the Cold Pool.

This only fueled Zhou Heng's determination. He became fixated on the Cold Pool. After breaking through to the Twelfth Layer of Body Refining, he continued to push his cultivation higher.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since he entered the valley.

"Kid, this Seat advises you to give up. This Cold Pool might go straight to the earth's core—it's not something human strength can overcome!" The Black Donkey was incredibly lazy and had never once gone down into the Cold Pool.

Zhou Heng had actually given up on conquering the Cold Pool. The Spirit Gathering Realm was only the beginning of martial arts. Perhaps only at the Heaven-Opening Realm, or even the Divine Infant Realm, would one truly have the qualifications to challenge it.

He used the Cold Pool as a way to challenge himself. Every extra zhang, even every extra foot, was progress!

"Kid, your Donkey Lord is going to find a good place to break through to the Spirit Gathering Realm. After that, I'll be roaring across the world! Three months together counts as fate. If you ever run into trouble, feel free to mention this Seat's name!" The Black Donkey said grandly.

Zhou Heng burst into laughter and said, "If I gave your name, I'd die even faster—I'd definitely become a rat crossing the street, hated by everyone!"

"Stupid brat, you really don't know what's good for you. Fine, This Seat will go check out the East Spirit Immortal Pool instead and see what this generation's saintess looks like!" The Black Donkey turned and left, without a care in the world.

"This despicable donkey!" Zhou Heng muttered to himself, but a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.

As despicable as this Black Donkey was, they had lived together for three months—there had to be some feelings. Zhou Heng was a sentimental person at heart, and he suddenly missed Zhu Zhihe and the other three, wondering if they had caught up with the Purple-Clad Woman.

"Starting today, I'll open my Dantian and charge into the Spirit Gathering Realm!"

Zhou Heng clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with determination and anticipation.

Only by reaching the Spirit Gathering Realm could he be qualified to avenge his father!

But how exactly did one open the Dantian?

This wasn't like Skin Refining, Flesh Refining, Bone Refining, or Blood Refining, where breaking through a barrier with True Essence Power would do the trick. The Dantian was a world of its own, ethereal and intangible—how was this supposed to be done?

Zhou Heng's greatest advantage was that he could already see inside his own body without having reached the Spirit Gathering Realm. He could clearly observe his Dantian world!

How could he use this?

He sank into deep thought.

For the first ten days, he sat cross-legged, his body's energy consumption reduced to a minimum. He only needed to eat a slice of meat and drink a sip of water each day to stave off hunger and thirst. Starting from the eleventh day, he lay down on the ground, his body even more relaxed. His consciousness drifted, as if floating out of his body, looking down at himself from above.

In the haze, he seemed to grasp some insight, yet he couldn't quite touch or reach it, which suddenly stirred a wave of restlessness within him.

Calm. Stay calm. Let the heart connect with nature, and comprehend nature itself!

These were the words the Black Donkey had left for Zhou Heng—a small parting gift.

One day, two days, three days—Zhou Heng didn't move at all, neither eating nor drinking, like a dead man. His physiological functions nearly ceased entirely, leaving only his consciousness flowing through his body.

On the twentieth day, the Black Sword in his Dantian suddenly trembled. It wasn't the Black Broken Sword moving on its own, but Zhou Heng's consciousness striking his Dantian, causing the Black Sword to vibrate.

Zhou Heng's body remained motionless, but the air around him churned like boiling water, roiling endlessly—a spectacular sight.

If any Spirit Gathering Realm expert had been present, they would have clearly sensed the disturbance in the world's spiritual energy. It was as if Zhou Heng had become the center of heaven and earth, with countless streams of spiritual energy rushing toward him like thirsty horses drinking from a spring, swirling around his body.

But Zhou Heng wasn't in the Spirit Gathering Realm. He had made some breakthrough, but he hadn't yet stepped through that threshold. He couldn't absorb this spiritual energy, which only continued to accumulate around him, growing denser and denser.

Spiritual energy was formless, but when it reached a critical mass, it created immense pressure, crushing Zhou Heng's body from all sides like ten thousand pounds of stone pressing down on him, and it was everywhere.

If he didn't break through soon, and the spiritual energy didn't disperse, then Zhou Heng's fate would be to be squeezed to death alive!

"Open for me!"

Zhou Heng's index finger twitched slightly. His consciousness returned to his Dantian, took human form, and lunged at the Black Broken Sword. Grabbing it, he swung it fiercely.

He would cut through the shackles and hack out a new world by force!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunderous roars erupted from within his body, even affecting the nearby Cold Pool. The water churned and spun endlessly, forming a massive whirlpool.

First Form of Heaven-Soaring!

Zhou Heng's battle intent blazed to its peak. He actually began executing the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles within his Dantian. This was his consciousness driving the sword technique, consuming no True Essence Power.

Heaven-Soaring Second Style! Third Form of Heaven-Soaring!

He cycled through these three forms of the Heaven-Soaring Sword Technique without pause, slashing through the void.

His Dantian trembled violently, expanding outward by several inches!

Zhou Heng forgot everything else, simply swinging his sword without end!

With the help of the Strange Fruit he had consumed earlier, his Dantian space had already expanded to four feet. Now, it swelled further, breaking its original size.

Opening the Dantian!

Zhou Heng fought with wild abandon. All the True Essence Power in his body converged at his Dantian, crashing against it repeatedly, as if trying to tear open a gap.

Five feet! Six feet!

Boom!

His True Essence Power was exhausted. Zhou Heng's whole body trembled, and his eyes snapped open. Two beams of cold light shot forth, as if they could pierce heaven and earth, dazzling and brilliant.

A gap had been torn open in his Dantian!

Instantly, the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged wildly into his body.

So this was the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!

Zhou Heng swept his gaze around and saw that the world was filled with starlike particles. Compared to the True Essence Power he had refined before, this was far purer and contained far greater energy. The brightness of each starlike particle was at least a hundred times that of the True Essence Power within him!

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured madly into his body, gathering in his Dantian and transforming into his own spiritual power!

This was the Spirit Gathering Realm!