Cultivation in the Secret Chamber

Mining of the magic crystal ore vein had been underway for several months. Its scale far exceeded the kingdom's initial estimates, and the deeper the miners went, the higher the quality of the magic crystals became. Those in the outermost layer were only comparable to the magic crystal cores of Level Three or Four Magical Beasts. In the middle layers, they reached Level Five or Six, while the core region reportedly held exceptional crystals comparable to the cores of Level Seven, Level Eight, and even Level Nine Magical Beasts.

Such immense wealth was enough to make any faction covet it. That was why the Radiant Church and the Dark Church had gone so far as to join forces to seize it.

But once word spread that An had single-handedly defeated thirteen Saint-level experts from the two churches, no one dared set their sights on the ore vein again. The kingdom's mining operations proceeded smoothly.

One day, Linley returned from the depths of the ore vein and went straight to An.

"An, come to the ore vein with me." Linley looked somewhat grave, but a trace of barely contained excitement shone in his eyes. "I found something. You have to see it for yourself."

An asked no further questions and flew toward the ore vein with Linley.

The entrance was already tightly guarded by the kingdom's troops. The two passed through checkpoint after checkpoint and entered the depths of the mine. Countless magic crystals studded the walls on either side of the tunnel, casting multicolored light that turned the dark passage into a dreamlike world. The air was thick with natural elements, and their density increased the deeper they went.

"Just ahead," Linley said, quickening his pace.

At the end of the tunnel stood a door.

An swept his soul power over it, but could not sense its existence at all, as though it did not belong to this plane.

As someone who had transmigrated, he knew that Beyrut had built this miniature space. It was where Beyrut had cultivated back then.

"An, be careful. Barker was the first to discover this secret chamber. Powerful blasts of energy attack you when you step through the door. If your defenses aren't strong enough, you'll be killed."

Barker was an Undying Warrior and excelled at defense. Anything he called dangerous was not something an ordinary person could withstand.

Linley transformed into a Dragonblood Warrior and stepped through the door.

The spatial ripples across the door shuddered violently. Countless razor-sharp blasts of energy sliced across Linley's dragon scales like knives, sending up dazzling sparks amid a piercing clang of metal. But Linley's defenses were formidable, and he forced his way inside.

An followed behind him, merely gathering his wind element battle qi over his body to form a thin wind shield. The instant he crossed the threshold, the cutting blasts struck him. The wind shield neutralized most of them, and his body easily withstood the rest.

On the other side of the door lay a miniature space.

It was a spherical space only about ten meters in diameter, surrounded by a semitransparent membrane. Beyond that membrane stretched endless spatial turbulence. Multicolored torrents of energy churned outside, with spatial rifts appearing from time to time and radiating a terrifying aura of destruction.

The spherical space was simply furnished, with only a stone bed, a stone table, and a stone chair.

An stood inside the miniature space, sensing everything around him.

The concentration of natural elements was nearly a hundred times higher than in the mine tunnel. Earth, fire, water, wind, lightning, light, and darkness-all seven elements were so dense that they seemed on the verge of condensing into liquid.

"An, can you feel it?" A trace of excitement crept into Linley's voice. "The elements here are nearly a hundred times denser than on the Yulan Continent. Cultivating here will make comprehending the laws much faster, too. This place is a treasure for cultivation."

An nodded. Of course he could feel it.

Linley continued, "I spent a few days here, and my comprehension of the Earth Pulse Profound Mystery advanced by leaps and bounds. I'd been stuck at 256 layers of vibration waves for a long time, but now I finally understand the next step: returning from 256 layers to a single layer, condensing all their profundity into one vibration. If I can do that, I'll reach the Saint-level Limit."

An looked at Linley, inwardly marveling. Linley's talent truly was astonishing; he had found his direction in just a few days. Still, An was no slouch himself. He focused primarily on the Wind Dimension Profound Mystery and was only a step away from the God-level, but he had been trapped at that final bottleneck for years.

"Big brother, I want to spend some time cultivating in seclusion here," An said.

Linley smiled. "That's exactly why I brought you here."

An walked over to the stone bed and sat down cross-legged.

The wind elements in this miniature space were exceptionally active. They were nearly a hundred times denser than outside, and closer to the source of the laws. An's consciousness merged with the wind, like a fish swimming into the sea.

He sensed the rhythm of the wind.

What was wind? The movement of air? The transmission of energy? The manifestation of laws? On the Yulan Continent, he could only vaguely sense the answers to these questions. Here, however, the answers unfolded clearly before him, like words carved into a stone tablet.

At its ultimate level, the Wind Dimension Profound Mystery could cut through space. When the rhythm of the wind matched the rhythm of space, wind was space, and space was wind. Cutting through wind meant cutting through space.

An's consciousness drifted through the wind, sensing its every breath.

He had once believed that the final tenth of the Wind Dimension Profound Mystery lay in pursuing the utmost cohesion of a wind blade: compressing it to its limit until it was as thin as a cicada's wing and could cut through anything. Here, however, he discovered that he had been wrong. The wind blade was merely the outward form. The true core was the resonance between wind and space. When their rhythms matched perfectly, there was no need for a wind blade. A single thought would make space split open on its own.

That was the true Wind Dimension.

An immersed himself in this comprehension, forgetting the passage of time.

Linley did not disturb him. He found a spot in a corner of the miniature space, sat down cross-legged, and began contemplating his own Earth Pulse Profound Mystery. The brothers cultivated separately, neither disturbing the other.

Workers came and went through the ore vein as batch after batch of magic crystals was mined and transported to cities throughout the kingdom. Wharton visited the ore vein every few days to inspect it.

The Barker Five Brothers took turns standing guard in the ore vein, protecting this secret. Apart from the core members of the Baruch Clan, no one knew that such a miniature space lay hidden in the depths of the mine.

Day after day passed.

An's consciousness had drifted through the wind for an unknown length of time.

The final barrier in the Wind Dimension Profound Mystery began to loosen.

An opened his eyes.

A cyan gleam flashed through his pupils and vanished. He extended his hand, and a wisp of breeze flowed past his fingertips. Linley abruptly opened his eyes, sensing danger. That seemingly harmless breeze contained enough power to tear through space.

"An, you..." Linley's voice trembled slightly.

An shook his head. "I haven't broken through yet. I'm still a little short."

"How much?"

An fell silent for a moment. "I can't say exactly. But I can feel that the barrier has loosened. Give me a little more time, and I'll definitely cross it."

Linley nodded and asked no further questions.

An rose and walked to the edge of the spherical space. Through the semitransparent membrane, he watched the spatial turbulence outside. Multicolored energy surged beyond the membrane, occasionally forming spatial rifts that exposed endless darkness. Those rifts contained terrifying power capable of destroying everything. Even God-level experts did not dare enter spatial turbulence.

"Big brother, do you know who built this miniature space?" An suddenly asked.

Linley shook his head. "No. But I suspect its creator was at least at the God-level. Opening up a stable space within spatial turbulence isn't something a Saint-level expert could do."

"Whoever built it," Linley continued, "we owe him a great debt. Without this miniature space, it might have taken me decades to reach the threshold of the Saint-level Limit."

An nodded. "Indeed. This miniature space is worth more than the entire magic crystal ore vein. Make sure you tell Wharton to keep it secret. Apart from us brothers, Barker, and his brothers, don't let anyone know."

"I know," Linley said.

The brothers stayed in the miniature space for another stretch of time.

After cultivating in the miniature space for three months, An decided to end his seclusion.

"Big brother, keep cultivating here. I'll head back first," An said.

Linley nodded. He had found his rhythm in the miniature space and did not want to interrupt it.

An left the mine tunnel and returned to the kingdom's royal palace.

Wharton was handling affairs of state in his study. When he saw An enter, he set down his quill. "Second brother, you're out of seclusion? How did it go? Did you break through?"

An shook his head. "I'm still a little short. But it won't be long."

Wharton looked a little disappointed, but soon smiled. "There's no rush. You're only in your forties, second brother, and you've already reached the Saint-level Limit."

"Wharton, how are things in the kingdom? Have the Radiant Church and the Dark Church made any moves?" An asked.

Wharton's expression grew serious. "Heidens was badly injured and is recovering on Holy Island. According to our intelligence, his injuries are severe. He won't be able to act again anytime soon. Affleck of the Dark Church is in much the same state."

"Keep watching them," An said. "Once I become a God, I'll settle things with them."

Wharton nodded firmly. "Don't worry, second brother."