Breakthrough to the Meridian Opening Realm Middle Stage

Within the vast whiteness of the Martial Arts Simulation Space, the thunderous roar of battle echoed without end.

The virtual replica of Xiao Wuji wore a moon-white martial outfit, Profound Communion Realm profound qi swirling around him. The wind from his Mountain-Splitting Palm howled as true qi burst outward; his palm force could attack from several yards away.

Shen Yuan formed a fist with one hand and gripped a virtual longsword with the other. The True Subduing Tiger Fist erupted with fierce might, while sword shadows from the Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords danced through the air.

Bang!

The combined fist-and-sword assault struck the faint profound qi shield around Xiao Wuji's body, yet it only stirred ripples across its surface. It was difficult to truly injure his actual body.

Profound Communion Realm profound qi protection was a vast chasm. Attacks from the Meridian Opening Realm could hardly pierce through it directly.

In the first battle, after several dozen exchanges, Shen Yuan was sent flying by a single palm from the virtual Xiao Wuji. His simulated body suffered grave damage and scattered apart.

His soul bore part of the pain from the injury. Shen Yuan frowned tightly in his real-world meditation chamber.

He withdrew from that simulation round and began reviewing it.

[Simulated battle concluded: Meridian Opening Realm Initial Stage VS Profound Communion Realm. There are numerous flaws in the coordination and transitions between fist and sword. When fist force erupts, it disrupts the rhythm of the sword techniques; when the sword techniques weave and shift, fist force cannot be unleashed in tandem. It is difficult to break through the profound qi shield.]

Lines of analysis appeared within his sea of consciousness.

Shen Yuan looked over the feedback from the deduction, understanding dawning in his heart.

Peerless Fist-and-Sword was not as simple as throwing out a fist with one hand and a sword with the other at the same time. The momentum of fist and sword had to flow into one another, hardness and softness alternating. Timing, rhythm—every detail had to be polished to perfection.

"Continue the simulation."

Shen Yuan activated the simulated battle once more.

The second match, the third match, the tenth match...

One bloody battle after another.

In most outcomes, Shen Yuan was defeated. In a handful of rounds, he could rely on exquisite evasive maneuvers to keep circling for a long time, but he still found it difficult to break the profound qi shield and claim victory.

After every simulated battle, the Heavenly Stele gave optimization suggestions, adjusting the timing of fist-sword transitions and the ratio of true qi distribution.

Outside in the real world, several days passed quietly.

Over these past few days, Shen Yuan had spent nearly half his time in simulated battles within the Martial Arts Simulation Space. His physical body meditated and recuperated in reality, stabilizing his cultivation while absorbing the combat experience from the simulation space.

At the same time, he still persisted in studying all kinds of swordsmanship and fist technique manuals, accumulating scant Martial Dao Points bit by bit.

Martial Dao Points were constantly being spent and gained in a tug-of-war. He now had 5 points remaining.

That night, Shen Yuan finished another brutal simulated battle and withdrew from the Martial Arts Simulation Space.

Inside the real meditation chamber, he slowly opened his eyes.

The successive days of intense simulated combat had left his soul utterly exhausted. Yet his physical body, continuously nourished by breathing in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, had undergone subtle changes.

These days, he had not merely been honing his combat methods. He had continuously circulated the optimized Azure Cloud Inner Breath Art. The deficit in his foundation left behind by burning his qi and blood had been replenished by more than half after over ten days of daily nourishment. After his eight primary meridians had been opened, true qi settled and grew day after day.

The Meridian Opening true qi within his body was quietly accumulating, drawing ever closer to the barrier of the Meridian Opening Realm Middle Stage.

"My realm is about to loosen."

Shen Yuan sensed it in his heart.

He stopped the highly draining simulated battles, sat cross-legged, cast aside distracting thoughts, and devoted himself fully to breathing cultivation.

Threads of spiritual qi from heaven and earth surged into his body like a tide through his nose, mouth, and pores, flowing into the eight primary meridians. Silver-white true qi circulated through his meridians, washing against the realm barrier again and again.

The barrier was like a thin membrane. Under the unceasing wash of true qi, fine cracks began to spread across it.

Shen Yuan recalled the personal breakthrough route the Heavenly Stele had previously deduced for him. He did not pursue a violent, reckless charge, but advanced layer by layer, taking into account the faint old cracks that remained in his roots and bones.

Wave after wave of gentle yet dense true qi crashed against the barrier.

Crack...

A faint crisp sound came from within his body.

The realm barrier standing between the Early Meridian Opening Stage and the middle stage shattered with a resounding crash!

Boom!

The total amount of true qi instantly surged by a great margin. Its density and circulation speed both rose.

Meridian Opening Realm Middle Stage!

Streams of even more vigorous silver-white true qi flowed through his limbs and bones. The lingering faint scars in his roots and bones were further repaired beneath the soaking nourishment of the more majestic true qi. His physical strength and true qi reserves had both risen by an entire level compared to the Early Meridian Opening Stage.

The breakthrough had succeeded.

Shen Yuan slowly exhaled a long breath of stale air. He opened his eyes, and two flashes of brilliance flickered through them before vanishing.

Meridian Opening Realm Middle Stage.

His increased true qi reserves meant that both the True Subduing Tiger Fist and the Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords could unleash greater power. Even against the profound qi shield of the Profound Communion Realm, his attacks now carried several degrees more threat.

"My realm has improved, and my combat strength has risen another step. But there is still a vast chasm between me and the Profound Communion Realm." Shen Yuan remained clear-headed, not allowing the joy of his breakthrough to cloud his mind.

The Meridian Opening Realm Middle Stage still did not mean he could confront the Profound Communion Realm head-on. If he wanted to contend with Xiao Wuji, the fist-and-sword coordination method still needed further polishing.

Within his sea of consciousness, 5 Martial Dao Points remained.

"Consume 4 Martial Dao Points. Based on my current Meridian Opening Realm Middle Stage true qi condition, further deduce coordinated tactics for alternating fist and sword. There is no need to fully develop an Earth-tier Martial Art. Prioritize forging practical combination killing moves for actual combat."

[Confirmed: 4 Martial Dao Points consumed. 1 point remaining. Beginning deduction of practical fist-and-sword alternating killing moves.]

The martial arts void opened once more.

This time, Shen Yuan's virtual avatar possessed the complete parameters of the Meridian Opening Realm Middle Stage.

Countless sets of combination techniques that alternated between fist and sword were repeatedly refined and tested. Fist hard, sword soft; fist withdrawing as sword emerged; sword turning as fist struck. He no longer sought to send fist and sword out simultaneously, but instead let them switch between one another in the flow of his moves, each laying the groundwork for the other's assault.

Countless failed phantoms shattered and were discarded.

Another half of a real night passed in deduction and calculation.

[Deduction complete: Obtained practical fist-and-sword alternating combination killing move. Fist and sword attacks can amplify one another, stacking their power for a brief burst. There is a chance of piercing the profound qi shield of a Profound Communion Realm opponent in a low-load state. Warning: This killing move consumes an enormous amount of true qi and cannot be used frequently.]

He had finally obtained a killing move that could be used in actual combat!

Joy rose in Shen Yuan's heart.

This combination killing move was his greatest reliance in facing Xiao Wuji. The price was terrifying true qi consumption, so it could only serve as a decisive trump card and could not be repeatedly used as an ordinary technique.

When he stepped out of the meditation chamber, the sky was already turning the pale white of a fish's belly. The faint light of dawn spilled into the training ground in the courtyard.

Shen Yuan picked up an ordinary iron sword resting nearby. It was a common iron longsword he had temporarily exchanged from the Weapon Pavilion.

With his hand around the hilt, he flicked his wrist. The sword left its sheath, cold light glinting.

Shen Yuan stepped forward and opened with his sword technique, unleashing the third form of the Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords. Sword shadows flowed, and just as the old force of the sword move was about to run dry, his wrist abruptly shifted. The longsword swept back, while both fists erupted with the fierce force of the True Subduing Tiger Fist!

Fist force layered atop the lingering Sword Qi of the sword technique!

Boom!

The dual power of fist and sword crashed into the bluestone testing rock on the training ground.

The surface of the massive stone was instantly covered in dense, spiderweb-like cracks!

Shen Yuan withdrew his move and stood still, his breathing slightly hurried. A single combination killing move had consumed no small portion of his true qi.

The power was sufficient, but the cost was just as immense.

Just then, footsteps sounded beyond the courtyard gate.

Wang Dong rushed in, holding a newly posted Minor Tournament schedule notice in his hand.

"Shen Yuan! The full registration list for the Minor Tournament is out! Your name has already been recorded! And I got the schedule. I took a look—during the early rounds, you won't run into Xiao Wuji. If both of you keep winning all the way through, you'll only meet in the finals!"

Shen Yuan accepted the notice, his gaze falling upon the list of names.

There were only thirteen days left until the Inner Sect Tournament began.

He would cut his way through every obstacle, and in the final, he and Xiao Wuji would face their fated showdown.