At Last, Xiantian

With the Capital City in sight, Zhou Cheng leafed through the sword manual and finally cultivated the Taiyi Sword Technique to the pinnacle, gaining sword intent.

In the Great Feng Dynasty, no one had ever cultivated a martial art to the pinnacle. Yet now, he possessed three great martial intents: fist intent, saber intent, and sword intent.

After Zhou Cheng cultivated the Taiyi Sword Technique to the pinnacle and gained sword intent, he summoned that intent. At once, a terrifying pressure spread through the air.

The sword at Lin Ru's waist was affected by the sword intent surrounding Zhou Cheng. It flew from its scabbard, entirely beyond Lin Ru's control.

No matter how Lin Ru tried to summon it, he couldn't call the sword back.

That was the astonishing power of sword intent.

It could control another person's sword.

Zhou Cheng let his sword intent fade, and only then did Lin Ru's sword fly back into its scabbard.

"Congratulations, young master, on reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship!" Lin Ru clasped his fists and said with delight.

Qin Meng, Jiang Chen, and Yang Yu stepped forward to congratulate him as well, their faces bright with joy.

Zhou Cheng nodded with a smile.

Possessing three great martial intents was certainly cause for celebration.

After that, Zhou Cheng continued leafing through his movement manuals. Once his swordsmanship reached the pinnacle, the Spirit Monkey Hundred Transformations Movement Technique also broke through to the pinnacle.

"After your Spirit Monkey Hundred Transformations Movement Technique reached the pinnacle, it challenged the Wind-Facing Willow Steps."

"The Wind-Facing Willow Steps was defeated and willingly merged into the Spirit Monkey Hundred Transformations Movement Technique."

"The Spirit Monkey Hundred Transformations Movement Technique merged with the Wind-Facing Willow Steps, which had reached the pinnacle. It evolved and advanced to an Xiantian battle technique."

A series of notifications sounded.

Zhou Cheng was taken aback.

An Xiantian battle technique?

Those who broke through to Xiantian could cultivate Xiantian battle techniques. Their power was undoubtedly far greater than that of acquired battle techniques.

Zhou Cheng hadn't expected the Spirit Monkey Hundred Transformations Movement Technique to advance to an Xiantian battle technique after merging with the Wind-Facing Willow Steps.

Then Zhou Cheng swallowed a Nine-Orifice Golden Pill.

As the pill's power surged through him, the inner force in his body rushed madly toward his dantian.

Boom!

The barrier around his dantian shattered in one blow.

The inner force from all ten meridians poured into his dantian.

His dantian was like a balloon, expanding and growing larger as the inner force from the ten meridians poured into it.

At last, it became the size of a small lake.

His inner force began to condense and transform, changing from a gaseous state to a liquid one.

In the end, all of it had turned liquid.

An Xiantian Grandmaster's inner force was liquid, and many times more powerful than the inner force of someone in the acquired Qi Refining Realm. Moreover, those in the Qi Refining Realm couldn't project their inner force outward. After reaching Xiantian, they could, greatly increasing their attack power.

Xiantian experts also had stronger bodies and vastly greater vitality.

That was why Xiantian experts could generally live to be 120 or 130 years old.

"Congratulations, host, on breaking through to the Xiantian Realm and becoming an Xiantian First Level expert."

"You have received a Realm-Breakthrough Gift Pack."

"Open it now?"

Zhou Cheng noticed that before, he had received a Realm-Breakthrough Gift Pack, but this time, after breaking through to Xiantian, he'd received a Greater Realm-Breakthrough Gift Pack.

What would this gift pack contain?

Zhou Cheng opened it.

The gift pack shimmered with light.

"You have received an Xiantian martial art, the Ximen Sword Technique, one of the ten great Xiantian sword techniques of the Immortal Martial World."

"You have received twelve Marrow-Cleansing Pills."

There was nothing else.

Zhou Cheng was speechless.

The Ximen Sword Technique?

One of the ten great Xiantian sword techniques of the Immortal Martial World?

That was quite good.

Zhou Cheng swallowed all twelve Marrow-Cleansing Pills.

His century-old aptitude rose to 70.

With twelve more Marrow-Cleansing Pills, his aptitude would evolve into that of a peerless prodigy.

Even without reaching that level, his aptitude already made him the greatest genius in the Great Feng Dynasty.

However, Zhou Cheng discovered that after he broke through to Xiantian, Marrow-Cleansing Pills had almost no effect on his Xiantian inner force. Their efficacy had dropped sharply; twelve pills had only raised his aptitude by 3.

One Nine-Orifice Pill had the same effect as four Marrow-Cleansing Pills. If so, would swallowing a Nine-Orifice Golden Pill only raise it by 1?

Just then, the quest panel flashed.

Zhou Cheng opened it.

"Quest: Collect Nightshade, Purple Gold Vine, Datura, Five-Colored Spirit Flower... and ninety-five other medicinal materials."

"Reward: Two Purple Extreme Golden Pills and one Purple Extreme Golden Pill formula."

Purple Extreme Golden Pills?

It seemed they were pills that increased Xiantian true qi.

Zhou Cheng searched the medicine cabinets in the Demonic Cult Treasury.

In the end, he found more than fifty of the ingredients.

But he was still missing over forty.

Zhou Cheng decided to ask at the Four Seasons Apothecary once he returned to the Capital City.

Then Zhou Cheng and the others continued on their way.

Along the road, Zhou Cheng studied the Ximen Sword Technique.

The Ximen Sword Technique had sixty-four moves, each exquisitely crafted and full of unpredictable variations. It was far more profound than the Taiyi Sword Technique.

However, Zhou Cheng had an exceptional memory. He leafed through the manual page by page, and by the time he finished, he had memorized all sixty-four moves, along with some of the manual's explanations and insights.

A new Ximen Sword Technique appeared in his system character panel, and he began cultivating it automatically.

Host: Zhou Cheng

Northern Dark Divine Technique: Xiantian First Level (Progress: 3)

Primordial Boundless Scripture: Spirit Wandering Realm (Progress: 99)

Spirit Monkey Hundred Transformations Movement Technique: Mastery (Progress: 1)

Ximen Sword Technique: Beginner (Progress: 1)

As for his other acquired martial arts, the Demon-Subduing Saber Technique and Roaming Dragon White Tiger Fist had both reached the pinnacle, the highest possible level.

However, after the Spirit Monkey Hundred Transformations Movement Technique evolved into an Xiantian battle technique, its level had fallen from the pinnacle to mastery.

Could it be that after evolving into an Xiantian battle technique, it had discovered its own shortcomings and needed to start over from mastery, absorbing the essence of other movement techniques as it continued to cultivate?

Also, the Primordial Boundless Scripture had already reached 99 in the Spirit Wandering Realm. It seemed he would break through to the Object Manipulation Realm today.

Half an hour later.

Zhou Cheng and the others rode their warhorses up to the Capital City gates.

The main road before the gates was packed with carriages and people.

However, a large number of Imperial Feather Guards stood watch in front of the gates, inspecting everyone who entered.

As Zhou Cheng and the others rode up to the gates and were about to dismount for inspection, an Imperial Feather Guard officer approached and clasped his fists, smiling ingratiatingly at Zhou Cheng. "Isn't this Young Master Zhou? Have you returned from the Ten Thousand Stars Sect?"

Seeing that the man recognized him, Zhou Cheng nodded, then asked, "What's going on?"

The officer explained with a smile, "Some time ago, spies from the Mongol Kingdom and the Southern Border Kingdom caused trouble in the Capital City, so His Majesty ordered us to carefully check the identities of everyone entering the city."

Zhou Cheng asked a couple more questions, then rode into the city with Qin Meng and the others.

"My lord, was that just now Young Master Zhou Cheng, the second son of Lord Zhou Wei and the closed-door disciple of Senior Xing Yao?" one of the guards asked cautiously, stepping closer.

The Imperial Feather Guard officer nodded and sighed. "That was Young Master Zhou Cheng. He made the greatest contribution in wiping out the Demonic Cult this time. Lord Zhou Wei has earned even greater favor in His Majesty's eyes."

Zhou Cheng and the others entered the Capital City and headed back to Zhou Mansion.