Innate

The night was deep, and the bright moon hung high.

Prince Qing's Estate lay shrouded in darkness, sunk in slumber.

Suddenly, a long howl soared into the sky, jolting everyone in the estate awake. They scrambled to throw on clothes, staring around in bewilderment.

The howl climbed higher, growing louder.

Some pushed open windows, others dashed into courtyards—in an instant, the place was bustling with noise.

"It's a breakthrough to the Innate Realm!"

"It must be the Young Master advancing to Innate!"

The estate guards snapped to realization, overjoyed.

The news spread like wildfire.

Listening to Waves Courtyard

On the bed, Chu Zhiyuan closed his mouth and stopped the long howl.

He had merely practiced the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique a little, with no thought of breaking through, yet it had happened naturally, as water finds its course.

The Three Barriers stood before the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique like nothing, crumbling at the slightest touch.

Once the Three Passes were breached, the energy within the Bridge of Heaven and Earth—the Ren and Du Meridians—which had flowed like a babbling brook, instantly transformed into a raging flood, surging and rolling.

The energy rushed to his throat, and his mouth opened of its own accord, unleashing a long howl he couldn't hold back no matter how hard he tried.

The howl filled the entire bedchamber, then spread throughout Prince Qing's Estate.

At last, he had stepped into the Innate Realm.

A broad smile spread across his face.

He savored the difference as the energy coursed through his meridians: smooth and round, obeying his will like an extension of his own arm.

It was no longer called Internal Energy, but True Qi—true essence.

It had undergone a fundamental transformation.

Where the mind went, the energy followed, moving with effortless grace.

From now on, True Qi would circulate unceasingly through the Ren and Du Meridians, constantly refining essence into True Qi.

From now on, True Qi would flow like a spring, inexhaustible.

More importantly, it could break free from the body's confines, either expelled through the pores or shot out through acupoints.

In the Postnatal Realm, Internal Energy could only circulate within the body, stimulating muscles to enhance strength and speed. In the Innate Realm, True Qi could be driven into an opponent's body, attacking their meridians and internal organs.

Internal Energy against True Qi was like snow meeting boiling water. Similarly, True Qi against a Grandmaster's Gang Qi offered no resistance at all.

This was the crushing weight of realm superiority.

His form flickered and vanished, reappearing the next moment beneath a plum tree in the courtyard. Then he flickered again, and in the blink of an eye, shadows filled the entire yard, as if he had manifested an External Incarnation.

A dozen afterimages abruptly disappeared, and he sat back down on the bed, his smile widening.

True Qi indeed lived up to its name. With True Qi driving his martial arts, their power doubled. The Within Reach, Yet Worlds Apart Step grew faster, covering greater distances.

He pressed his hand to the sword scabbard, drew the blade, and then his form vanished in a flash.

The next moment, he stood in the center of the courtyard, holding the sword level before his eyes. The blade gleamed like autumn water.

He studied it closely.

True Qi flowed into the sword, and Super Sensation followed, finally letting him see the sword's inner structure clearly.

Within the longsword were two strange patterns, at first glance resembling a pair of roses.

These patterns radiated outward, forming a web-like network that spread throughout the blade. It gave him the sudden illusion that he was looking at a person's meridians.

Two small characters were hidden near the sword guard, but he couldn't read them.

He looked up at the bright, clear moon, pondering silently. If he could figure out what those characters were, he might uncover the sword's true origins.

A dark cloud drifted over, soon passing the moon.

He closed his eyes and continued to sense carefully.

True Qi entered the longsword, passed through the patterns, and underwent a strange transformation, becoming a new kind of True Qi.

This True Qi's effect made the sword feel as light as nothing.

With the sword lighter, its speed naturally increased.

The core of the Great Avalanche Sword Art was speed. With True Qi, it would already be faster, and with the sword's peculiar property, it would become faster still.

Beyond the change from Internal Energy to True Qi, he also discovered that his Super Sensation range had expanded by ten zhang, from twenty to thirty.

But he didn't pay it much mind.

To him, twenty zhang and thirty zhang made little difference. Super Sensation was merely an aid, not the foundation of power.

The foundation remained cultivation and realm.

The Innate Twelve Heavenly Towers were far harder to train than the Postnatal Nine Layers.

At the throat, the Conception Vessel held a faint white mist that had condensed into the shadowy shape of a building, hollow at its center like a courtyard well, through which True Qi flowed freely.

Twelve layers in total.

These twelve layers were the gateways of True Qi; each one broken made the True Qi thicker and purer by one measure.

Drawing True Qi from the Dantian to flow backward through the Conception Vessel, constantly soaking and striking, until all twelve layers were shattered—that was Innate Perfection.

It required the patience of water dripping through stone.

This method was essentially similar to breaking the Three Passes, and the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique could truly shine here.

He decided to start practicing the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique right away, trying to see if he could break through the first layer—and to his surprise, it was easier than he had imagined.

A quarter of an hour later, the first layer had already shattered, and his True Qi instantly thickened by a third and condensed by a third.

He furrowed his brow in thought.

Was the gap between layers really that large?

Searching through the martial arts notes in his mind, he quickly understood: the size of the gap between layers depended on one's innate talent.

The higher the talent, the larger the gap between layers.

While he was pondering and cultivating, Zou Fang stood outside the Listening to Waves Courtyard, blocking everyone who came to visit, including Bai Ningshuang and Chu Yi.

At dawn, he noticed something unusual as soon as he got up.

The four maidservants, including Mo Yi, were all beaming with smiles.

Even Zou Fang, who was usually as calm as still water, showed a hint of joy.

As he walked out of the estate's main gate, he turned to look at the bright, freshly painted gate and the brand-new lanterns, feeling that the entire atmosphere of Prince Qing's Estate had changed.

The Imperial Household Department might be crafty, but they did their work efficiently and beautifully—in just one day, they had transformed the entire estate.

It wasn't just the appearance; the estate's guards were also brimming with energy, no longer the lazy lot they had been before.

His victory in the minor tournament, combined with his stunning performance in the Winter Hunt, had completely reversed the estate's decline after he stepped into the Innate Realm.

The entire estate's spirit had suddenly shifted, morale soaring.

Although almost all heirs and princes could step into the Innate Realm, the timing made all the difference.

The earlier one entered the Innate Realm, the higher one's talent and the brighter one's future.

Among the heirs younger than Chu Zhiyuan, the Fifth Heir had died on Little Scarlet Cloud Mountain, the Sixth Heir was a prodigy already serving in the Military, the Seventh and Eighth Heirs were nobodies in the Bright Martial Hall, not even as good as the Ninth and Tenth Heirs, and the Eleventh through Sixteenth Heirs were still in the Bright Martial Hall, far from the Innate Realm.

Among the heirs older than Chu Zhiyuan, the Eldest Heir had died young alongside the First Prince, the Second Heir was crippled, and the Third Heir was also in the Military.

Counting them all, among the heirs of this generation who had reached the Innate Realm, Chu Zhiyuan was the third.

The Great Jing Dynasty valued martial cultivation above all else; the higher one's realm and the stronger one's power, the brighter one's prospects and the more favor one received from the Emperor.

In a dynasty where power was concentrated in the imperial throne, being favored by the Emperor meant wielding real power.

After reaching the Innate Realm, one could take on assignments, earn merits, and obtain cultivation resources to accelerate progress, rapidly strengthening the estate's power.

From now on, Prince Qing's Estate would only grow stronger, sweeping away the gloom of the past and filling with hope.

Bright Martial Hall, Training Ground.

In the morning light, three people were standing in the Violet Sun Stance.

Chu Mingxuan shot a smug glance at Chu Zhiting and Chu Zhichuan. "Ninth Son, Tenth Son, how are you two progressing? Last night, I struck while the iron was hot and broke through the first pass."

Last night, he had drunk until his blood was boiling, tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep, so he simply sat up and started cultivating—and to his surprise, he broke through the first pass, the Tailbone Pass, in one smooth go.

He felt it was both the wonder of the medicinal wine and the result of his own accumulated foundation, a natural progression. It was truly satisfying.

Among the Three Passes, the Tailbone was difficult, the Spine Pass even harder, and the hardest of all was the Jade Pillow Pass, which required extreme caution, as any misstep could lead to Qi Deviation.

The first two passes were manageable, but the third, the Jade Pillow, was the most prone to Qi Deviation.

Chu Qingfeng's most important role in the Bright Martial Hall was still as a protector.

When breaking through a pass, having a Grandmaster like him standing guard allowed one to charge ahead boldly without fear of Qi Deviation.

"Eighteenth Uncle, I broke through the first pass too. That medicinal wine really was something." Chu Zhiting turned to Chu Zhichuan with a beaming smile.

Chu Zhichuan said flatly, "I also broke through the first pass."

Chu Zhiting's smile froze. "You broke through too?"

"You can break through, and I can't?" Chu Zhichuan sneered.

Chu Zhiting clicked his tongue and looked at Chu Mingxuan. "Eighteenth Uncle, that medicinal wine was really good. One more jar would be even better."

Chu Mingxuan scratched his head, thought for a moment, and finally shook his head helplessly. "I'm afraid I can't get any more. I only managed to snag that batch when Fifth Brother was in a good mood."

Chu Zhiting lamented the loss.

Chu Zhichuan said, "I wonder if Fourth Brother has broken through."

"...He probably broke through one pass too." Chu Mingxuan thought it over and judged that Chu Zhiyuan's cultivation was no weaker than their own, and his talent was even better.

So it's very likely he'll break through another level as well.

"I reckon another month and I'll be at the Xiantian stage." Chu Mingxuan's grin stretched wide, unable to contain his excitement.

Just the thought of being enfeoffed as a prince sent thrills through him.

"Mhm, about a month sounds right." Chu Zhichuan nodded.

Chu Zhiting sighed with emotion: "That'll be a whole different story..."

He too was filled with longing, then suddenly waved his hand: "Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother!"