Breakthrough

A side room in the Prime Minister's Residence.

Gu Chenfeng sat cross-legged, his palms, soles, and crown facing heaven. Outwardly, he looked perfectly calm.

But anyone who approached for a closer look would have noticed.

A faint radiance, pale as moonlight, shimmered over his entire body.

Every pore on his body had opened fully.

Within the room, source qi invisible to the naked eye flowed into him without end.

After returning to his room.

Gu Chenfeng had first taken a supreme-grade Spirit-Nourishing Pill he had refined himself.

He used it to restore the Spiritual Power spent on the day's errands and pill refining.

As a first-grade pill, the Spirit-Nourishing Pill was several times more potent than the Clearheart Pill.

Before long, Gu Chenfeng's Spiritual Power returned to its peak.

Then he entered the Phantom Martial Divine Ruins directly.

He would now make his breakthrough into the Source Qi Realm!

The Source Qi Realm, as its name suggested.

Involved merging the source qi of heaven and earth with the flesh.

It meant storing source qi in the sinews, bones, skin, and membranes, as well as the internal organs.

This allowed it to temper the body at all times.

It also let a cultivator mobilize the source qi within during battle, unleashing extraordinary combat power.

At that moment, with his comprehension enhanced by the Enlightenment Platform.

Gu Chenfeng circulated the Heaven-Opening Creation Art.

His dragonlike blood qi carried source qi along as it surged wildly through his meridians.

After several full circuits, when the art's circulation reached its utmost intensity.

That familiar sensation appeared again.

Gu Chenfeng felt his meridians swell and his pores expand.

The enormous dragon of blood qi within him began frantically absorbing the source qi of heaven and earth.

However, the source qi in the space was clearly insufficient to satisfy this enormous dragon.

An intense hunger swept over him.

Without more energy to sustain it, the blood qi dragon's circulation was about to slow.

Just then, Gu Chenfeng decisively took out a jade bottle.

He tipped out a pill as crimson as fire.

A first-grade Great Pill, the Spirit-Melting Pill.

Without the slightest hesitation, he swallowed it.

Once the pill entered his stomach, a fierce, scorching sensation suddenly rose from his dantian.

As astonishing heat spread throughout his body, a vast mass of pure source qi also burst outward.

"Roooar...!"

The blood qi dragon in his meridians roared with excitement and began devouring this surging "feast of source qi."

The Source-Melting Pill's potent medicinal power and abundant source qi sustained the blood qi dragon as it rapidly grew.

"Whoosh, whoosh...!"

At that moment, it felt as though a raging river surged inside Gu Chenfeng, rushing faster and faster.

When the river's gathered momentum reached its peak.

Like an enormous dragon soaring into the heavens.

Boom!

A thunderous rumble echoed through Gu Chenfeng's mind, as though an invisible barrier had been broken.

I've done it!

Gu Chenfeng knew he had successfully entered the Source Qi Realm.

He did not stop circulating his cultivation art.

The blood qi dragon within him, now several times larger, continued circulating with unprecedented speed and force.

It poured vast quantities of source qi into his limbs, bones, meridians, and acupoints.

After his breakthrough, a subtle connection formed between his flesh and source qi, and they began merging.

Gu Chenfeng's body finally underwent another transformation.

His meridians widened and strengthened, his bones grew denser, and his internal organs became more resilient...

This continued until dawn the next day.

The sky had yet to brighten.

Boom...!

A faint rumble came from the side room in Gu Chenfeng's courtyard.

A wave of energy spread outward with it.

Whoosh...!

Almost the very next instant, a dark figure clung to the roof of the side room like a phantom.

At the same time, a concealed yet powerful aura swept through Gu Chenfeng's room.

Nothing unexpected or dangerous appeared inside.

The figure vaguely sensed the third young master sleeping soundly on his bed, breathing evenly.

There were no energy fluctuations from him either, only the aura of an ordinary person.

Strange. I clearly sensed a fairly strong fluctuation of source qi coming from here.

Could some protective treasure the old marshal left the young master have caused it?

Though suspicious, the dark figure took no action.

His duty was to protect Gu Chenfeng from the shadows.

As long as he confirmed that Gu Chenfeng was safe, nothing else fell within his responsibilities.

Whoosh...!

The figure flickered and vanished in an instant.

A moment later, Gu Chenfeng, who had been sleeping soundly in the room, quietly opened his eyes and let out a soft breath.

"Phew... that was close."

After an entire night, Gu Chenfeng had finally completed his breakthrough.

The sudden surge of strength and the source qi that merged throughout his body had filled his physique to the brim.

For a moment, he had failed to control it, allowing his aura to spill outward and nearly exposing his secret.

He looked down at the foul-smelling black sludge that had seeped from his pores onto his skin.

Essence-cleansing marrow-purging!

The thought flashed through Gu Chenfeng's mind.

I've never heard of a breakthrough into the Source Qi Realm having this effect. Is this another benefit of the Heaven-Opening Creation Art?

A short while later.

Gu Chenfeng ordered servants to bring a bath barrel and hot water.

After rinsing himself off, he climbed into the steaming wooden barrel, submerged his whole body in the hot water, and leaned against its side.

"Phew...!"

He relaxed completely and closed his eyes.

Gu Chenfeng seemed to be dozing.

Yet in his mind, the entire room appeared with the clarity of a dimensional rendering.

The bed, tables, chairs, teacups, bedding...

Even the dust on the floor and the water stains that had not yet dried appeared clearly.

Gu Chenfeng felt as though he had gained a pair of heavenly eyes.

Wherever his thoughts reached, he could perceive everything.

He tried extending the range of his perception, and the image in his mind actually passed beyond the door.

Gu Chenfeng clearly saw the two maids standing guard outside.

One of them, a voluptuous maid, secretly adjusted her constricting chest wrap, then scratched her rounded backside.

This was already the limit of Gu Chenfeng's perception.

About three zhang, or roughly ten meters.

"Damn it, did that bastard forget to feed me again?

"Master, hurry up and kill him!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded in Gu Chenfeng's mind.

The gu insect confined beneath his bed was hungry and had begun making a fuss again.

In this heightened state of perception, its voice was particularly grating.

What a noisy pest!

Gu Chenfeng snapped inwardly.

"Huh...?"

The gu insect in the cage fell silent in bewilderment.

"Who... who's talking to me?"

Huh...?

This time, Gu Chenfeng was the one surprised.

I can actually communicate with beasts through my thoughts now.

He recalled how he had gained the ability to understand beast speech after first cultivating the Heaven-Opening Creation Art.

Now that he had broken through to the Source Qi Realm, he had not only gained this unusual perception but could communicate with beasts as well.

It seemed that the higher his cultivation rose, the more extraordinary abilities the Heaven-Opening Creation Art would grant him.

Just what grade is this cultivation art?

Mystic grade? Earth grade? Could it even be a heaven-grade art?

Putting aside his distracting thoughts, Gu Chenfeng entered the Phantom Martial Divine Ruins directly.

In the "threshold" state.

On the Enlightenment Platform, Gu Chenfeng began circulating the Heaven-Opening Creation Art.

The texts say that after breaking through to the Source Qi Realm, warriors can enhance themselves with source qi, making their strength soar.

But different warriors awaken different source qi attributes.

I wonder what attribute mine has.

With a hint of anticipation, Gu Chenfeng circulated his art, activated the source qi within him, and gathered it in his palm.

As a current of heat gathered.

A hazy gray light suddenly flickered in Gu Chenfeng's palm.

Powerful energy fluctuations sent the surrounding air swirling chaotically.

What source qi attribute is this?

Most ordinary warriors possessed source qi with one of the five elemental attributes: metal, wood, water, fire, or earth.

Some exceptionally gifted individuals possessed special source qi attributes such as ice, lightning, wind, light, or darkness...

There were also chosen prodigies who possessed dual-attribute source qi.

Yet the energy attribute of Gu Chenfeng's source qi was indistinct, with nothing he could compare it to.

Moreover, its murky gray color did not look high-grade at all.

This clearly doesn't fit the caliber of the Heaven-Opening Creation Art. Could there be some hidden mystery to it?

Gu Chenfeng did not dwell on it. Whether it was a mule or a horse, he would take it out for a run and see.

Whoosh...!

He leaped down from the Enlightenment Platform.

Moving directly through the space of the Phantom Martial Divine Ruins, he twisted and darted about, executing some ordinary punches and kicks.

These seemingly ordinary moves were enhanced by Gu Chenfeng's now-powerful blood qi.

Every punch and kick carried a thousand jin of force.

And as he activated the source qi within him, a hazy gray light appeared over both fists.

Gu Chenfeng directed his thoughts.

Expending Spiritual Power within the Divine Ruins space.

He conjured an area strewn with jagged rocks.

He darted among them, his punches flashing like lightning.

Boom, boom, boom...!

Enhanced by source qi, Gu Chenfeng's punches struck like collapsing mountains, their force penetrating deep into the rocks.

The rocks shattered outright, turning into white mist and dissipating.

What incredible power!

Gu Chenfeng could distinctly feel it.

With the enhancement of source qi, the power of his blood qi had increased severalfold.

Furthermore, this force was like the true qi of internal martial arts, possessing tremendous penetrating and destructive power.

If his current self faced the Third Boss of the Four Directions Gate again.

A single punch would be enough to blast him apart.

It seems my source qi may not look impressive, but its power is still formidable.

Greatly reassured, Gu Chenfeng circulated his blood qi again, activating the Iron Elephant Art.

"With my cultivation improved, the power of my external cultivation and martial techniques should rise like boats on a swelling tide."

Sure enough, once he unleashed the Iron Elephant Art-

The muscles all over Gu Chenfeng's body bulged, his sinews rose like dragons, and his skin took on a deep silver-gray hue.

His body swelled considerably, his presence intimidating.

He strode forward like a savage beast released from its cage.

His fists swept through broad, powerful arcs, pounding a jagged boulder with thunderous booms like blows against a bell, until the rock burst apart.

Gu Chenfeng then charged bodily like a raging bull, smashing another boulder to pieces through sheer force.

"What a rush!"

After that frenzied display of physical might-

Gu Chenfeng reached out and grasped, condensing a ten-foot spear out of thin air, then began performing the Tiger-Subduing Spear Technique.

His spearwork was fierce and domineering, as though it could subdue tigers and bring dragons to heel...