Everyone Breaks Through

He had barely sat down when a knock came at the door. A servant of the Silver Wing Family pushed a wooden crate inside and said respectfully, his head lowered, "Young master, the patriarch sent these Scarlet Blood Crystals for everyone to use in cultivation."

Shen Fei glanced up at the crate. Neatly arranged inside was a substantial quantity of crimson crystals, radiating warm fluctuations of Spiritual Power. He nodded and said indifferently, "Leave it there."

The servant set down the crate and withdrew, closing the door behind him.

Shen Fei was alone in the room. He walked over to the crate, picked up a Scarlet Blood Crystal, and weighed it in his hand.

The crystal felt warm. Its Spiritual Power was not of the highest purity, but there was plenty of it-more than enough to support their cultivation.

Sikong Yi certainly was willing to invest. He had probably regarded them all as future "sources of prescriptions," hoping to feed them a few benefits first so he could keep them under his thumb later.

Shen Fei gave a cold chuckle and put the crystal back in the crate.

Rather than begin cultivating immediately, he walked to the window and opened it a crack to look outside. The stronghold was underground, so the supposed view was merely a rock wall studded with a few glowing ores for illumination.

The lights in the distant main hall were still burning, and he could faintly make out moving figures. Presumably, Sikong Yi and his daughter were still discussing how to scheme against them.

Shen Fei withdrew his gaze, turned around, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

He had gained quite a lot today. He had mapped out the stronghold's defenses, overheard Sikong Yi and his daughter's plot, and witnessed Nie Li's entire method of winning someone over.

Those things were worth more than ten crates of Scarlet Blood Crystals.

With his eyes closed, he reviewed the logic behind Nie Li's actions: first, appear weak before the enemy, making them think he was merely an alchemist with a little talent so they would lower their guard; then, win Duan Jian over under the pretext of "testing medicine," driving a nail into the enemy's ranks; finally, use the resources they provided to strengthen his own people.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began circulating the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art.

Darkness-attributed spiritual energy flowed slowly through his meridians. The free energy in the surrounding air was drawn in bit by bit and gathered in his dantian. The warm aura drifting from the Scarlet Blood Crystals in the crate was also drawn in by the cultivation art, merging into his Spiritual Power in delicate threads.

Shen Fei immersed himself in cultivation, his awareness of the outside world gradually narrowing. He could feel his Spiritual Power growing steadily more substantial. The barrier at silver peak had long since loosened, and he was only one final step away from gold rank 3-star.

Elsewhere, beyond his sight, Duan Jian was still enduring the agony of his bloodline awakening in the secret chamber. His muscles were taut, his veins bulged, and muffled roars rolled from his throat.

In the room at the end of the corridor, Xiao Ning'er had already seated herself cross-legged. The phantom of the Wind-Thunder Sky Sparrow flickered behind her, and the fluctuations of her Spiritual Power grew increasingly steady.

Lu Piao and Du Ze were also circulating their respective cultivation arts. The entire residential area was quiet, save for the faint sounds of Spiritual Power flowing.

No daylight reached the underground space, and no one knew how much time had passed. When the first trace of a breakthrough aura drifted from Xiao Ning'er's room, Shen Fei opened his eyes.

He sensed those fluctuations of gold rank Spiritual Power, bearing the attributes of wind and thunder, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Sure enough, as soon as the third day arrived, Xiao Ning'er was the first to break through.

This was only the beginning. Over the next few days, more of them would enter gold rank, one after another. And it was time for him to prepare to break through that barrier, too.

He was in no hurry to break through. He had been waiting for the most suitable moment.

On the sixth night, the stronghold was at its quietest. Most of the guards had changed shifts and gone to rest, and even the patrolling footsteps had grown much softer. Shen Fei slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of spectral green light flashing in their depths.

Now.

Without the slightest hesitation, he sank his awareness into his dantian and circulated his cultivation art at full power. The Spiritual Power he had accumulated over many days surged through his meridians like floodwaters released from a sluice gate, slamming fiercely into the invisible barrier.

Once, twice, three times.

Each impact struck harder than the last. A swelling ache spread through his meridians, but it remained well within what he could endure. The resilience forged through his hard struggles on the city walls in his previous life revealed itself to the fullest now.

He did not panic in the slightest. Controlling the rhythm of his Spiritual Power, he steadily wore down the barrier.

After an unknown stretch of time, an exceedingly faint crack sounded in his sea of consciousness, and the obstruction shattered with a thunderous crash.

Dense Spiritual Power instantly filled his expanded dantian and circulated through his meridians, nourishing every inch of muscle and every bone. A sense of strength welled up without end.

Shen Fei clenched his fists until his knuckles turned slightly white, forcibly suppressing the urge to throw back his head and roar.

Gold rank 3-star.

He had done it.

He did not stop immediately. Instead, he continued circulating his cultivation art to stabilize his realm. Only when his internal clock told him dawn was approaching-with no daylight underground, he could judge the hour only through his body's senses-did he slowly exhale a breath of stale air, end his cultivation, and rise.

The moment he stood, Shen Fei could clearly feel the changes in his body. Strength, speed, Soul Force-he had improved in every respect.

If he encountered that gold rank 2-star Dark Guild deacon from the Black Market again now, he could defeat him head-on without even summoning the Shadow Mantis.

He walked over to the bronze mirror and examined his reflection.

His appearance had barely changed, but his gaze had grown deeper. He had concealed his aura completely and still looked like the unremarkable young master of the Sacred Family. No one would suspect he was already a gold rank 3-star cultivator.

Shen Fei nodded in satisfaction. Hiding his abilities was always the safest way to survive. Especially in a den of tigers and wolves like the Silver Wing Family, revealing his strength would only invite more schemes.

He straightened his robes, opened the door, and walked out.

The corridor was quiet, with the footsteps of guards changing shifts sounding in the distance. Shen Fei strolled leisurely toward Duan Jian's secret chamber, as casually as though he were taking a morning walk.

When he reached the vicinity of the chamber, he happened to find Nie Li there as well. Nie Li stood outside the door, listening to the sounds within and lightly tapping the stone wall with his fingertips. There was no telling what he was thinking.

Hearing footsteps, Nie Li turned around. When he saw Shen Fei, he raised an eyebrow.

"You're up early." Nie Li spoke casually, as though greeting an old friend.

"Couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk." Shen Fei stopped, his gaze settling on the chamber's stone door. "How are things going in there?"