Extreme Realm

The gazes on the training grounds felt like fine needles, pricking Qin Yuan.

His expression was calm, as if the doubts, contempt, and scrutiny were merely winds brushing past a mountainside rock.

Level 10 Qi Condensation? It certainly wasn't high.

But the power surging within him told him that his true combat strength was far from measurable by his apparent realm.

"Since Senior Brother Chen has agreed, then let him participate." The tall and thin Senior Brother Wang snorted coldly and turned his face away. "I just hope certain people don't drag us down and make the Seventh Peak look like a joke for no reason."

Lin Qing'er wanted to argue, but Qin Yuan gently held her wrist.

"The competition is tomorrow," Qin Yuan said. His voice wasn't loud, but it silenced the crowd. "It's too early to make a judgment today."

Senior Brother Chen looked at him deeply, waved his hand, and said, "Everyone disperse, conserve your energy. Gather here tomorrow at Chen Shi."

The crowd dispersed. Lin Qing'er arranged a secluded guest room at the foot of Third Peak for Qin Yuan. After a few words of advice, she also left.

The room was much better than the one in the Outer Sect. It had blue brick flooring, a bright and clean window, and even a faint trace of Spiritual Energy seeping from the earth's veins. Qin Yuan closed the door and sat cross-legged on the bed.

The System panel appeared:

[Host: Qin Yuan]
[Cultivation: Level 10 Qi Condensation]
[Extractable Cultivation: 10 years (Not extracted today)]
[Next Refresh: In four hours]

There were still four hours until midnight. But the sparring match was tomorrow at Chen Shi. Once midnight passed, he could extract another ten years of cultivation, which would be enough for another breakthrough before the competition.

He closed his eyes and focused, first guiding the ten years of cultivation he could extract today into his body.

Boom--

The familiar torrent surged again. The barrier of Level 10 Qi Condensation was several times stronger than before, but under the impact of ten years of cultivation, it began to loosen.

Two hours later, the barrier shattered, and Spiritual Energy surged into a wider network of meridians.

Level 11 Qi Condensation.

Qin Yuan opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. He could feel that with each layer he advanced, the conversion efficiency of the System's infused cultivation increased—like a larger bucket could hold more water.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened.

He sat quietly, regulating his breathing, waiting for midnight.

At the same moment, in Liu Feng's secluded courtyard on Seventh Peak.

"Senior Brother, I've inquired." A disciple in green bowed and reported, "The replacement on Third Peak is Qin Yuan, the Outer Sect disciple who crippled Zhao Hu yesterday."

Liu Feng was wiping a long sword. The blade reflected the candlelight, its cold gleam flowing. He didn't stop his movements. "What's his cultivation?"

"Reportedly Level 10 Qi Condensation."

His wiping motion paused.

"Level 10?" Liu Feng raised an eyebrow. "He was only Level 7 yesterday."

"Yes, some people on Third Peak are also suspicious, saying he used an evil technique that burns lifespan to forcibly increase his cultivation," the disciple in green lowered his voice. "Many are discussing that this person resorts to any means for rapid advancement, his intentions are impure."

Liu Feng let out a scoff and continued to wipe his sword.

An evil technique that burns lifespan? That makes sense. A waste with a Five Elements Mixed Spiritual Root, wanting to quickly increase his strength for revenge, what else could he do but take the crooked path?

It's just a pity for that meager lifespan, he probably won't live past thirty.

"Just an ant struggling," he said indifferently. "Tomorrow, during the sparring match, have our peak's people 'take care' of him. Since he dared to cripple Zhao Hu, he must pay the price."

"Yes!" The disciple in green accepted the order, then hesitated. "However, Senior Brother, Chen Mo of Third Peak is at Great Perfection of the Twelfth Layer of Qi Condensation. If Qin Yuan faces him..."

"Someone else will deal with Chen Mo," Liu Feng sheathed his sword. The candlelight flickered in his eyes. "As for Qin Yuan—I want him to grovel like a dog in front of everyone."

Midnight.

Qin Yuan extracted the new ten years of cultivation precisely on time.

This time, the impact was exceptionally fierce. The barrier of Level 11 Qi Condensation only held for half an hour before shattering with a roar under the torrent. Spiritual Energy surged into the Twelfth Layer like a breaching river.

But the moment he stepped into the Twelfth Layer, Qin Yuan's heart suddenly felt a strange sense of "emptiness."

It wasn't a lack of Spiritual Energy—on the contrary, his Spiritual Energy was so abundant it felt like it would burst his meridians.

It was a sense of incompleteness.

Like a tall building with a flimsy foundation, grand on the outside but lacking crucial support within.

He stopped his breakthrough and examined himself internally.

Level 12 Qi Condensation was already the peak of Qi Condensation in conventional understanding.

One step further was Foundation Establishment—Spiritual Energy solidifying into liquid, opening up the Dantian and Qi Sea, extending lifespan by two hundred years.

But he always felt he could go a step further.

Not Foundation Establishment. But... between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment, there seemed to be a very thin, yet real, gap.

"Extreme Realm."

The word popped into my mind without any warning.

There's an ancient legend in the cultivation world: some exceptionally talented individuals, after reaching the Twelfth Layer of Qi Condensation, could use their immense willpower to forge an additional layer, known as the "Extreme."

This realm is ethereal and elusive, achieved by only one in ten thousand. Ancient texts only contain scattered records of it, and most people dismiss it as a baseless rumor.

But the spiritual energy within Qin Yuan was boiling, calling out. The twenty years of cultivation accumulated by the System surged through his meridians, colliding and refusing to stop there.

"Then I'll give it a try."

Qin Yuan closed his eyes, no longer attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment. Instead, he forcefully suppressed the surging spiritual energy back into his meridians, washing, refining, and compressing it again and again.

Time trickled by.

Outside the window, the sky shifted from deep black to ink blue, then to the pale white of dawn.

Qin Yuan was drenched in sweat, spiritual energy coursing like dragons beneath his skin, veins bulging.

He was undergoing a form of self-torturing refinement—forcing the vast spiritual energy meant for breaking through to Foundation Establishment back into the Qi Condensation stage, attempting to reach the legendary, "non-existent realm."

At a certain moment.

A barrier within him seemed to shatter silently.

It wasn't the thunderous roar of a breakthrough, but a subtle, crisp sound like shattering glass.

Immediately after, all the surging spiritual energy abruptly stopped, then began to collapse inward, condensing.

His meridians, bones, and flesh trembled, undergoing a fundamental transformation in every inch.

Qin Yuan opened his eyes.

His gaze was devoid of light, yet as deep as the starry sky. He slowly raised his hand, clenching his five fingers into a fist. The air in his palm made a "crackling" sound as if unable to bear the pressure—a sign of space being compressed by pure power.

Thirteenth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

No, it was the "Extreme Realm."

He felt the new power within him—not an increase in quantity, but a leap in quality.

If the spiritual energy of the Twelfth Layer of Qi Condensation was a rushing river, then the power within him now was a silent, deep ocean, calm on the surface but containing terrifying power capable of shattering mountains and breaking the earth.

Stronger than all previous layers combined.

The morning light broke through the window.

Qin Yuan rose, washed himself briefly, and changed into a clean grey robe. The moment he pushed open the door, the rising sun fell upon him, seeming to be slightly distorted by an invisible force.

At Chenshi, the training grounds.

The ten disciples from Third Peak had already arrived. Chen Mo stood at the front, his aura as steady as a mountain, Great Perfection of the Twelfth Layer of Qi Condensation.

The other eight also wore solemn expressions, but their gazes were complex when they looked at Qin Yuan.

A sound of breaking air came from a distance.

Ten streams of light landed, transforming into the ten disciples of Seventh Peak. Leading them was a young man in a blue robe, his face stern, his aura on par with Chen Mo—clearly also Great Perfection of the Twelfth Layer of Qi Condensation.

His gaze swept over the disciples of Third Peak, pausing on Qin Yuan, and the corner of his mouth curled into an undisguised sneer. "Third Peak truly has a wealth of talent, even bringing an Outer Sect disciple to fill the numbers."

The faces of the Third Peak disciples darkened.

A disciple with a sharp face beside the young man in the blue robe immediately chimed in, "Senior Brother Li, you may not know, but this one is a 'genius.' He went from the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation to the Tenth in three days—oh, and I heard he broke through to the Eleventh yesterday? Such speed, perhaps he used some forbidden technique that burns one's life?"

Laughter erupted from the Seventh Peak group.

On the Third Peak side, Senior Brother Wang and the others' faces turned ashen. They were already displeased with Qin Yuan, and being publicly mocked like this only made them feel more humiliated.

Chen Mo frowned, about to speak, but Qin Yuan stepped forward first.

"Forbidden technique or not," he looked at the sharp-faced disciple, his voice calm, "we'll know after we fight."

The sharp-faced disciple scoffed, "Just you? Eleventh Layer of Qi Cultivation—oh wait, perhaps you've 'broken through' to the Twelfth today? Too bad, though. A realm exchanged for lifespan is as flimsy as paper, bursting with a single poke."

The Seventh Peak disciples' laughter grew louder.

Chen Mo took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said gravely, "Let's draw lots."

The lottery results came out quickly. Qin Yuan drew the seventh match, his opponent being that sharp-faced disciple—Eleventh Layer of Qi Cultivation, but considered the weakest among the Seventh Peak team.

"Lucky you, trash." The sharp-faced disciple waved his lot, grinning, "Perfect. I'll be the one to personally expose you, paper tiger."

Qin Yuan ignored him and walked towards the resting area.

From behind, Senior Brother Wang's hushed voice could be heard, "Senior Brother Chen, how about... letting Qin Yuan go last? So his loss doesn't affect morale."

Chen Mo was silent for a moment, then looked at Qin Yuan, "What do you say?"

Qin Yuan's steps didn't falter, "Arrange it as you see fit."

He walked to a corner, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest. It was as if all the noise, contempt, and hostility in the arena had nothing to do with him.

The morning light grew stronger, and the formation lights on the training grounds flickered to life.

The sparring match had begun.