Breakthrough

Xu Yan was overjoyed at the sight. Although he had used up three Qi Gathering Pills, the Magic Power in his Dantian had finally reached the Perfection Realm.

At that moment, Xu Yan's Dantian could no longer remain calm. As the vortex within it spun, Magic Power surged ceaselessly, the roiling energy straining to break free of his Dantian's confines and enter a wider world.

Bzz! Bzz!

Xu Yan could feel his Dantian trembling. Pressure from the Magic Power built within him, filling him with an urge to release it.

"Now!"

Xu Yan had already entered a state of Void Clarity. The roiling Magic Power in his Dantian slowly gathered together, compressed by the spinning vortex. At the same time, a surging aura emanated from it.

As the vortex in his dantian spun faster and faster, the Magic Power churned without pause. A faint, intermittent sound escaped his body, and a weak glow enveloped him from head to toe.

Boom!

When it finally reached a critical point, a soft sound rang out from Xu Yan's Dantian, and he immediately felt much more at ease. Looking inward, he discovered that the space within his Dantian had expanded severalfold. Under the influence of its vortex, the previously roiling Magic Power had also settled down.

Xu Yan's face lit up with delight, but he did not dare let his guard down. Having just broken through, he needed to stabilize his cultivation.

With that in mind, Xu Yan immediately steadied his mind and began circulating his cultivation art.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Over those three days, Xu Yan drew in stream after stream of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, slowly converting it into Magic Power that flowed into his Dantian. At last, his cultivation had fully stabilized.

When Xu Yan circulated the Spirit Guiding Art, far stronger fluctuations of Magic Power arose within his body, and he drew in several times more Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi than before. It nourished every limb and bone, strengthening his body and sharpening his spiritual senses.

"I've broken through to the Second Layer of Qi Refining..." Xu Yan was naturally overjoyed. This breakthrough had made him feel as though he had shed his old bones and been reborn, and his Magic Power was far stronger than before.

The feeling of growing stronger left him utterly enthralled.

His only regret now was that he had not practiced a single spell, leaving him unable to compare his strength before and after the breakthrough.

That prompted Xu Yan to make up his mind. Once he left Separation Valley Market, he would find a secluded place and master the Redfire Burning Art.

A faint sense of anticipation rose in Xu Yan's heart. This would be the first spell he practiced since entering the Cultivation World. Although its grade was not high, it was already something precious and hard to come by.

Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly. After counting off the time on his fingers, a pained look appeared on his face.

"It's already past the hour of the dragon. I'm afraid the innkeeper will charge me for staying overtime."

At that thought, Xu Yan immediately packed his belongings and left his room.

When Xu Yan reached the first-floor lobby, he found the Du father and son already sitting in a corner, waiting for him.

Xu Yan gave the two an apologetic look, then took his Jade Slip to the innkeeper to check out.

The innkeeper was a kindly man in his sixties. Seeing that Xu Yan had overstayed by less than two hours, he did not ask him for any extra Spirit Stones. He simply took back the Jade Slip and let him leave.

After checking out, the three headed deeper into Separation Valley, where an extremely important ceremony would be held that day.

Azure Peak Terrace lay in the deepest part of Separation Valley and was renowned throughout it. It was a platform several thousand zhang on each side. According to legend, Azure Peak Terrace had originally been a verdant peak that towered into the clouds, until some mighty cultivator had severed it at its base with a single sword stroke, creating the terrace that stood there today.

That was only one reason for Azure Peak Terrace's fame. Another was that the rogue cultivator Qi Yun had accepted nominal disciples there several times over the past sixty years, making its name known to countless cultivators.

Qi Yun was hailed as a rogue cultivator whose like appeared in Fufeng Commandery only once in a century. Sixty years earlier, he had reached Foundation Establishment perfection, and from then on, he had accepted nominal disciples far and wide at Azure Peak Terrace.

Along the way, the three saw countless cultivators heading deeper into Separation Valley.

Xu Yan quietly followed behind these cultivators, occasionally overhearing gossip and secret rumors.

"Do you think Senior Qi Yun feels he has no hope of breaking through, and that's why he's taking in so many disciples—to pass down everything he's learned?" Ahead of Xu Yan, a rogue cultivator dressed in a coarse hemp robe spoke to several companions beside him.

"I don't think so. Someone at Foundation Establishment perfection has a lifespan of at least two or three hundred years. Senior Qi Yun is only around a hundred and thirty now, still in his prime. Besides, he's been stuck at Foundation Establishment perfection for sixty years. I think his breakthrough is just around the corner. When that happens, our Fufeng Commandery will have another Golden Core expert."

A stout cultivator among the group spoke, his face full of envy when he finished.

The Golden Core realm!

Xu Yan sighed inwardly. That realm was still incredibly distant for him. According to the books, Golden Core cultivators generally lived for five hundred to eight hundred years, making them beings beyond a mortal's imagination.

While Xu Yan was silently marveling at this, the rogue cultivator in the hemp robe spoke again.

"Rumor has it that Senior Qi Yun intends to establish a sect. Who knows why the Six Great Immortal Sects haven't reacted? They've simply let him expand his influence among Fufeng Commandery's rogue cultivators. Even some cultivation lineages with close ties to the sects are on good terms with Qi Yun. If this continues, I'm afraid he'll threaten the Six Great Immortal Sects' interests in Fufeng Commandery."

Once the hemp-robed rogue cultivator finished, someone else chimed in.

"Heh heh... I happen to have heard a little rumor."

Xu Yan looked toward the voice and saw a tall, thin rogue cultivator dressed like a scholar.

Seeing that he had caught his companions' attention, the tall, thin scholar gently waved the paper fan in his hand and said, "You think the Six Great Immortal Sects have never made a move?"

As he spoke, he watched his companions while sweeping his gaze over their surroundings. Only after confirming that no disciples of the Six Great Immortal Sects were nearby did he wag his head and continue, "Thirty years ago, a Golden Core patriarch of the Spirit Sword Sect made a move against him. And guess what happened?"

The middle-aged scholar abruptly stopped and looked at his companions. Only after thoroughly whetting their appetites did he lower his voice and say, "Who would have thought that the Spirit Sword Sect's Golden Core patriarch could do nothing about Senior Qi Yun, who was only at Foundation Establishment perfection? Although Senior Qi Yun couldn't defeat the Spirit Sword Sect's Golden Core patriarch, if he set his mind on escaping, that patriarch had absolutely no way to stop him."

"After that, the Six Great Immortal Sects kept one eye open and the other shut toward Senior Qi Yun's actions. As long as he doesn't cross their bottom line, they won't make a move lightly. After all, the Six Great Immortal Sects aren't exactly on friendly terms with one another."

When the middle-aged scholar finished, a smug, self-satisfied expression appeared on his face.

Xu Yan was close enough to hear every word. He merely chuckled, treating it as gossip and taking none of it to heart.

Just then, Du Fei spoke excitedly beside him.

"We're almost at Azure Peak Terrace."