Breaking Through the Bottleneck

The stench of blood churned through the alley, mixed with dust. Several squad captains could not keep up with Wei Wushuang's speed, but they had come in the end.

After speaking with Wei Wushuang, they briskly escorted the so-called cult Holy Son criminal away, their footsteps a chaotic clatter.

Mei Ye returned to the Demon Suppression Bureau with everyone else. Zheng Xiujie loudly praised Mei Ye's achievements, leaving everyone who knew him stunned.

After registering his merits, Mei Ye did not linger and returned to his rented home in North River.

When he pushed open the wooden door, the hinges gave a dry scrape. The smell of old wood mingled with dampness rushed at him.

Standing in the doorway, Mei Ye took in the rental room, which was less than twenty square meters.

The previous owner of this body had been desperately poor. While studying, he had survived on state loans, barely managing to graduate after working part-time throughout school.

To survive in North River, he could only rent an old house in the aging part of town.

After taking off his clothes, Mei Ye revealed his lean, muscular body. The previous owner's body had been torn open by the Dog Demon's claws, leaving several deep bloody wounds. Though they had scabbed over, black blood still stained his clothes.

After washing the blood and grime from his body in the bathroom, he wrapped himself in a bathrobe and sat cross-legged on the bed.

[Current Martial Arts:

Basic Qi-Nourishing Art: Body Tempering Realm, Ninth Layer

Wind-Treading Step: Beginner

Righteous Qi Saber Art: Perfected]

[Current Merit Points: 1467]

The panel displayed all of Mei Ye's current conditions.

He was only one step away from breaking through to the next major realm. Moreover, Wei Wushuang had just given him a cultivation art.

Evil-Suppressing Demon-Subduing Art

Mei Ye pulled a yellowed, softened booklet from his clothes and opened it. His gaze lingered over the writing as his fingertips brushed the paper, catching the faint scent of ink.

[Martial Art Evil-Suppressing Demon-Subduing Art successfully recorded!]

[This cultivation art can be cultivated after breaking through to the next realm!]

"So I still have to break through before I can cultivate this art."

Mei Ye thought for a moment as he looked at the merit points on the panel. Then he manipulated the panel and poured 300 merit points into his breathing technique.

The Basic Qi-Nourishing Art immediately began circulating on its own. Imperceptible currents in the air gathered around him, and a faint chill spread across his skin.

Mei Ye's body grew scorching hot, a light flush appearing on his skin as heat seeped from his pores.

The total amount of true qi in his body steadily increased. His eyes shone brighter, his bones cracked and popped, and the airflow around him began to swirl.

His organs churned as though dragons and tigers were battling within him!

"But it's still not enough!"

Mei Ye took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling heavily. True qi slammed into the barrier, creating only layer after layer of ripples.

Unfortunately, his true qi remained stuck before a bottleneck, still one step short of a true breakthrough.

"Again!"

Mei Ye added another 500 merit points to the breathing technique.

At that moment, an even more powerful force propelled his true qi forward. A warm current exploded and surged straight into his dantian, shattering the obstruction in an instant!

Boundless energy roiled through every limb and bone in Mei Ye's body.

His heart pounded like a war drum. Every beat carried a deep, muffled boom, making his chest tremble like thunder in the heavens.

The sounds of a tiger's roar and dragon's cry echoed through the room.

With a thunderous shout, Mei Ye leaped from the bed and drew the saber hanging on the wall. The blade flashed sharply, slicing through the air with a mournful howl of wind, its cold gleam illuminating half his face.

Mei Ye's saber art was the Righteous Qi Saber Art, passed down a hundred years ago by the Righteous Hero.

The Righteous Hero had devoted his life to his country and its people. He was the wielder of the Blade of Justice, forged by the master craftsman Armless Elder.

He and Evil Superman, wielder of the Sword of Evil that had shaken the world, had been mortal enemies.

The two had taken different paths over how to save the country.

The Righteous Hero believed that to save the country and revive humanity, they needed to stabilize the interior, unite, and develop together.

Evil Superman, however, believed that demons and monsters had seized the world and humanity stood at death's door. They had to produce more children, cultivate talent, and have the entire population practice demonic arts! Only then could they march beyond the borders and revive humanity!

Enraged by Evil Superman's extreme beliefs, the Righteous Hero obtained the Blade of Justice from Armless Elder and headed north to Void-Sweeping Mountain to subdue Evil Superman.

Evil Superman was an old demon who had cultivated for years, his demonic flames soaring to the heavens. He believed himself no inferior to the Righteous Hero.

The two fought for three days and three nights on Void-Sweeping Mountain, shaving away several mountains and bending several rivers.

They then ventured beyond the domain and slaughtered their way through the demons' territory. Demons howled and shrieked, demon blood dyed the earth red, corpses filled the valleys, and the stench of blood spread for a thousand miles.

The sky darkened, the earth shook, and the heavens seemed to collapse.

Evil Superman was astonished by the Righteous Hero's skill. "Brat, what kind of saber art are you practicing?"

"Are you worthy of hearing it? Die!"

Evil Superman swept his cloak, twisting the light as he retreated.

The Righteous Hero pursued him relentlessly, but Evil Superman still vanished.

Not long afterward, Evil Superman appeared in the Southwest. He broke into Armless Elder's home and threatened him to forge a divine weapon.

Armless Elder refused, so Evil Superman cut off both his legs.

Armless Elder bled to death. Evil Superman searched the Miao village where Armless Elder lived from top to bottom and found the Sword of Evil, a weapon no less formidable than the Blade of Justice.

Overjoyed, he took the Sword of Evil and, using it as a foundation, devoted himself to research and created the Evil Sword Art.

After mastering his divine art, he accepted seventy-two disciples and three thousand followers, occupied Central-South, and spread demonic arts far and wide.

With revenge, northern expansion, and humanity's revival as his ambition, he operated throughout southern Asia-Pacific. He turned the lands south of Divine Land into a paradise of evil paths, filled with demons and beasts, ever ready to launch a northern campaign against China and set the world right.

The Righteous Hero was alarmed by the demon's talent and determination. He hurriedly joined forces with the great families and sects of Divine Land to oppose Evil Superman.

Carrying the Blade of Justice, he personally persuaded people across the world and established the martial government, [Justice Under Heaven]. It controlled Divine Land and stood in equal opposition to the [Evil Alliance] ruled by Evil Superman.

Justice Under Heaven and the Evil Alliance viewed each other as enemies, and the two sides agreed to battle at the border.

That battle darkened the skies, shattered mountains, and split the earth. Blood stained the rivers and lands.

Amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood, neither the Righteous Hero nor Evil Superman would yield. Their weapons were both peerless divine armaments of the age, and their techniques had both reached the pinnacle of the mortal world.

Their battle raged from the South China Sea to the Yellow River, from the Yellow River to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Pacific Ocean to Europe... Countless demon leaders were awakened and joined the battle.

Yet the leaders of justice and evil fought side by side. One wielded a saber and the other a sword, their backs pressed together as they slaughtered their way through heaven and earth, striking terror into the demons.

After breaking out of the encirclement, they tore apart the sky above the ninth heavens and continued clashing saber against sword day and night.

No one knew the final outcome of that battle.

After that battle, the Righteous Hero and Evil Superman both vanished.

Even their world-shaking divine weapons, the [Blade of Justice] and [Sword of Evil], disappeared without a trace.

Only their legacies and disciples remained on earth, continuing to slaughter one another for their respective ideals.

Mei Ye swung his saber. Silver light cascaded like a river of stars pouring down upon the world.

The Righteous Qi Saber Art was a martial art created by the Righteous Hero to teach the younger generation of martial artists. After a century of research by the court, it had reached its seventh edition and was a Body Tempering Realm saber art perfected to the utmost degree.

After Mei Ye struck out with a slash, the blade returned to its sheath with a crisp ring. The surging currents of air around him gradually subsided.

He grinned. "I've reached the Qi Gathering Realm!"

In the Body Tempering Realm, martial artists primarily tempered their bodies and greatly strengthened their blood and vitality.

At this realm, they could resist ordinary demon foot soldiers. It was also the minimum requirement for joining the Demon Suppression Bureau.

The previous owner of this body had cultivated the Basic Breathing Technique at school for nearly ten years, yet had barely reached the second layer of the Body Tempering Realm. At a normal pace, it might have taken several more years for him to reach the eighth layer and become an official Demon-Suppressing Guard.

But today, through Mei Ye's own efforts, he earned the title of genius and broke through to the Qi Gathering Realm!

In the Qi Gathering Realm, a martial artist's true qi was stored in the dantian. They possessed more true qi, their blood and vitality increased dramatically, and their strength could reach tons. A single punch could shatter stone and break metal!

At this realm, martial artists could cultivate higher-level martial arts and cultivation methods!

Mei Ye sheathed his saber and turned to look at the Demon-Suppressing Demon-Subduing Art on the panel.

[Demon-Suppressing Demon-Subduing Art: Not Initiated, Cultivatable]

[Current Merit Points: 647]

"Put it all into the Demon-Suppressing Demon-Subduing Art."

Mei Ye silently gave the command, and his merit points rapidly decreased.

The Demon-Suppressing Demon-Subduing Art was a cultivation method developed by the court. It was immensely powerful for Qi Gathering Realm Demon-Suppressing Guards.

In the booklet Wei Wushuang had given Mei Ye, he had written down some experience and insights regarding this cultivation method. It was no different from passing his legacy on to Mei Ye.

However, Wei Wushuang could never have imagined that Mei Ye would initiate this cultivation method in a single day.

[Demon-Suppressing Demon-Subduing Art: Early Qi Gathering Realm!]

His true qi turned pale gold under the Demon-Suppressing Demon-Subduing Art, carrying an inherent aura of pure masculinity.

Mei Ye's body heated up. A pale golden radiance floated over his skin, wisps of white vapor rose around him, and the room's temperature increased by several degrees.

Mei Ye casually waved a hand, releasing true qi and stirring up a fierce wind.

"So this is the power of the Qi Gathering Realm?"

Mei Ye's eyes flickered. In this world, reaching the pinnacle of martial arts, driving out evil, and restoring the land was every man's dream.

With talent like his, perhaps he could become a mainstay of the expeditionary army in the future!

Taking a deep breath, Mei Ye went to the desk and turned on the computer. After carefully reading the information about this world, he returned to bed and fell into a deep sleep.