Strength Soaring

Inside the quiet chamber, the oil lamp's flame flickered violently, nearly blown out by invisible waves of air.

Shen Yuan sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes tightly closed.

The warm medicinal power lingering from the herbs formed a thin protective film around his meridians, which were covered in tiny cracks. The abundant vitality and blood he had accumulated during the Body Tempering Realm began its first mild wave of tremors, following the path refined through countless simulations in the Martial Arts Simulation Space.

Buzz—

The first primary meridian.

Wave after wave of vitality and blood washed against the meridian barrier, each layer building upon the last. It was not a reckless, violent charge. After each wave struck, there was a brief pause to let his body adapt before the next tremor began.

Excruciating pain surged from within his meridians.

It felt as though countless tiny needles were piercing and churning inside them.

Shen Yuan clenched his teeth as large beads of cold sweat continuously seeped from his forehead. His clothes were soon soaked through. He kept his consciousness focused inward at all times; the instant he sensed a tearing warning pain from his meridians, he immediately lowered the intensity of his vitality and blood output.

First tremor. The barrier shook.

Second tremor. Fine cracks appeared in the barrier.

The seventh tremor crashed down!

Crack!

A faint, nearly inaudible crisp sound rang out inside his body.

The first primary meridian had been successfully opened!

A weak new current flowed through his body along the newly opened meridian.

Shen Yuan was delighted, but he did not dare relax in the slightest. There were eight primary meridians, and this was only the first. The danger was far from over.

He paused briefly and guided the newly born weak current back through his body, nourishing the cracks in his meridians once more. Only after confirming that his old injuries had not been disturbed or worsened did he continue his assault on the second primary meridian.

Time passed second by second.

The second, third, and fourth primary meridians were opened one after another by the layered tremors of vitality and blood.

With each meridian he opened, the pain his body endured increased by another degree. The pressure on his meridians also continued to accumulate.

When he reached the fifth primary meridian, the unexpected finally happened.

Rumble!

The fifth tremor aimed at the barrier of the fifth meridian came crashing down.

A tearing, stabbing pain suddenly erupted from his meridians!

Shen Yuan's body jolted violently, and a mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his lips.

One of the old cracks in his meridians showed signs of widening under the repeated impacts!

Danger!

His physical body had encountered the same crisis that had appeared in the Martial Arts Simulation Space.

"Steady!"

Shen Yuan's mind tightened, but he did not panic. He had seen this scene many times in the Martial Arts Simulation Space and had long prepared a response.

He immediately forced down the explosive strength of his vitality and blood, no longer continuing to assault the fifth meridian. He redirected the currents flowing through the four meridians he had already opened and sent them all back, continuously pouring them into the crack in his meridians to repair the widening wound first.

Inside the quiet chamber, Shen Yuan was drenched in sweat, his face turning pale in waves.

Outside the door, Wang Dong sensed the sudden disorder in the vitality and blood fluctuations within the room. His heart instantly leaped into his throat, and he clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could rush inside. But he remembered Shen Yuan's warning that he absolutely could not barge in and interrupt the breakthrough. Any forced disturbance would only cause Shen Yuan's meridians to flow in reverse, gravely injuring him on the spot.

Inside the quiet chamber.

A full two hours passed.

As the newborn current continued to seep through it, the widened crack in his meridians was finally mended bit by bit.

The crisis was temporarily resolved.

Shen Yuan let out a long breath of stale air tinged with blood.

For that brief instant, he had nearly failed his breakthrough and ended up damaging his meridians again.

"Continue."

He suppressed the pain in his body and readjusted his condition. Having learned from what had just happened, he reduced the force of every tremor by another tenth when attacking the remaining meridians.

The speed would slow, but the safety would improve further.

Time flowed slowly.

Outside, the sky shifted from night to dawn, then from dawn to dusk.

For two days and two nights straight, Shen Yuan remained in seclusion, attempting his breakthrough.

The seventh primary meridian opened.

The eighth, and final, primary meridian lay before him.

Of the eight primary meridians, only the last hurdle remained.

By then, Shen Yuan's body had reached the limits of exhaustion, and his mental energy had been severely drained. After the relentless impacts, his meridians were already on the verge of collapse.

Success or failure would be decided now.

Shen Yuan mobilized all the vitality and blood remaining in his body, along with every trace of medicinal power left from the herbs.

Seven progressive tremors followed, each heavier than the last, yet every one retained a margin of restraint.

First tremor! Second tremor! ... Seventh tremor!

Rumble—!!

A thunderous boom echoed within his body!

The barrier of the eighth primary meridian shattered completely!

All eight primary meridians had been opened!

In an instant, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth surged wildly into Shen Yuan's body like a tide. No longer did he rely solely on his physical body to refine vitality and blood. With all eight meridians open, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was directly transformed within his dantian into the source true qi belonging to a cultivator!

Strands of gentle, silver-white true qi emerged on their own, flowing through the eight opened primary meridians and circulating through his limbs and bones.

He had reached the Meridian Opening Realm!

Meridian Opening Realm Initial Stage!

Surging true qi coursed through his body, flowing endlessly back along the opened meridians and washing over his scarred meridians. True qi was gentler and warmer than the flesh-and-blood vitality of the Body Tempering Realm, frantically nourishing the tiny cracks created by the impacts. Those precarious fractures were gradually filled and repaired under the repeated infusion of true qi.

His meridians were not yet flawless, but they were no longer in such a damaged state that they would shatter at the slightest touch.

An immense sense of power flooded his entire body.

The Body Tempering Realm relied on brute physical strength; in the Meridian Opening Realm, true qi was born naturally, uniting inner and outer strength. The difference between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

Shen Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

Two faint glimmers flashed through them before vanishing.

Within his sea of consciousness, the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele flickered with a faint golden light.

[Host has successfully broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm Initial Stage. Hidden benefits accumulated through simulation deductions have taken effect: newborn true qi quality increased by 18%, true qi circulation loss slightly reduced.]

It was precisely the hidden bonus the Heavenly Stele had mentioned before.

Shen Yuan slowly raised his hand, and a strand of silver-white true qi rose and danced gently in his palm.

Feeling the true qi flowing in his hand, Shen Yuan's heart was filled with emotion.

From a menial disciple whose meridians had been completely shattered after crossing into this world, to obtaining the Heavenly Stele after falling from a cliff, fighting bloody battles all the way through countless dangers—today, he had finally entered the Meridian Opening Realm.

The old injuries on his body rapidly healed under the nourishment of true qi.

He rose to his feet and walked toward the door of the quiet chamber.

The heavy wooden door was slowly pulled open.

Outside, Wang Dong's eyes were bloodshot from staying awake day and night to guard the courtyard. When he saw Shen Yuan emerge and sensed the completely renewed aura around him, the fat man froze for a moment before bursting into wild joy.

"You succeeded in breaking through?! The Meridian Opening Realm?!"

"Mm." Shen Yuan nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Great!" Wang Dong was so excited that he nearly jumped up. "Now we'll have so much more confidence when we enter the Azure Cloud Sword Formation! Even if Xiao Wuji tries something behind our backs, we'll have a better chance of staying alive."