Upper Apex

For the past few days, the Mandate Army's advance had been unstoppable.

It had taken several nearby cities in succession.

Any garrison commander who was a First-Rate Expert had long heard how Lu Zhen had taken a head with a single sword stroke. None dared face his edge. They withdrew at the mere whisper of his approach, all retreating to Tianshui City.

As the cities changed hands, the Mandate Army absorbed large numbers of Second-Rate Experts.

More than twenty thousand pieces of Ancient Jade were steadily delivered to the vaults of Feng City.

The war raged on, but Lu Zhen did not appear.

He remained in seclusion deep within the governor's residence.

In his quiet chamber, Lu Zhen looked inward.

All 128 of his acupoints had become Star Vortexes!

It was time to break through to the Middle Converging Stream Realm.

At a thought, all 128 Star Vortexes within him shook violently and devoured his blood energy and star power. Each vortex visibly swelled to more than twice its former size!

As the Star Vortexes surged, the whole system felt the strain.

The "streams" connecting them—those fragile meridian passages—were instantly subjected to a terrifying force.

This was the stage ordinary martial artists feared most during a breakthrough.

The Star Vortexes grew, and their reserves soared. But if the "streams" were not broad and resilient enough, that raging power would burst them apart in an instant. Their meridians would snap, and the breakthrough would fail.

But Lu Zhen's body had been forged by a thousand hammers and a hundred refinements. His foundation was too strong.

Under the raging power's assault, those "streams" widened with the flow, growing broader and tougher.

Middle Converging Stream Realm! It came as naturally as water flowing into a channel!

Under the Ancient Star's rules, an ordinary