After a night had passed, the next morning arrived.
The sisters Yao Yue and Yao Ye arrived outside Jia Xingtian's cultivation chamber early, both their faces showing anticipation and nervousness.
Yao Yue could not help pacing back and forth, glancing at the tightly shut chamber door from time to time. "Sister, do you think Great-Grandfather can actually break through after taking that pill?"
"My heart's been tossing up and down. I barely slept last night."
Standing beside her, Yao Ye was somewhat steadier than her younger sister, but her expression was equally tinged with worry.
"He should be able to. Lord Lu personally refined that Sect Breaking Pill, so surely nothing will go wrong. Besides, Great-Grandfather has been stuck at Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor for so many years, and his accumulation is deep enough. His breakthrough should come as naturally as water flowing into a channel."
Hearing this, Yao Yue nodded, but she still felt uneasy.
After all, no one in the Jia Ma Empire had broken through the Dou Zong bottleneck in hundreds of years. No one could say for certain whether their great-grandfather could become the first. But just as the sisters were talking, an extremely powerful fluctuation of presence suddenly came from inside the cultivation chamber.
That presence spread like an invisible shock wave, carrying a heart-pounding sense of pressure. Yao Yue and Yao Ye froze at the same time and exchanged a glance.
"Sister, did you feel that? This presence... it's so strong!"
Yao Ye's face was also filled with shock at this, and she could clearly sense that the strength of that presence far surpassed the level of a Nine-Star Dou Emperor.
"Could this be the presence of a Dou Zong expert? Great-Grandfather... did he really break through?"
While the sisters were still reeling in shock, the cultivation chamber door was suddenly pushed open from within.
The next moment, Jia Xingtian stepped out, his complexion rosy and his spirit radiant, with unconcealable pride and excitement on his face.
After stopping at the doorway, he did not walk as he usually did. Instead, he stepped straight out, his entire body actually standing in empty air.
At the sight, Yao Yue's and Yao Ye's eyes widened simultaneously.
Especially when they saw Jia Xingtian walking through the air step by step, with clearly nothing beneath his feet, yet as steady as though he were treading solid ground. This was the hallmark of a Dou Zong expert!
Walking directly through the air without needing Dou Qi Wings was something only those who had reached the Dou Zong level could do.
"Great-Grandfather! You really broke through! Dou Zong! Great-Grandfather is a Dou Zong expert now!"
Just then, after walking a few steps through the air, Jia Xingtian landed back on the ground, unable to hide the smile on his face.
"Hahaha! That's right, I've finally broken through! A bottleneck of decades, solved with a single pill. The Imperial Family will never forget this kindness from Lord Lu!"
Yao Ye also stepped forward, her heart filled with excitement as she looked at the high-spirited Jia Xingtian.
The Jia Ma Empire's first Dou Zong expert in hundreds of years was her great-grandfather. This meant that the Imperial Family's position throughout the empire would be completely secured, and no force would ever be able to shake it again.
Yao Yue was so excited that she jumped up, grabbing Yao Ye's arm as she bounced about.
"Sister, did you see that? Great-Grandfather really broke through! Lord Lu is incredible! That Sect Breaking Pill actually worked!"
Seeing his two great-granddaughters so happy, Jia Xingtian's smile grew even brighter.
But he soon reined in his smile, his expression turning serious as he looked at the sisters and solemnly instructed them.
"Yao Yue, Yao Ye, listen carefully. From now on, you must cultivate a good relationship with Lord Lu. You absolutely must not show him the slightest neglect."
"The fact that he can refine a pill like this means that both his strength and his alchemy far exceed our imagination. If you reach the Nine-Star Dou Emperor level in the future, you can likewise rely on this Sect Breaking Pill to break through."
"So Lord Lu is the most important person to the Imperial Family. Do you understand?"
Hearing this, Yao Yue and Yao Ye immediately exchanged a glance, and both nodded solemnly at the same time.
"Rest assured, Great-Grandfather. We understand. We sisters will always remember Lord Lu's kindness to the Imperial Family."
Yao Yue then nodded along, but she could not help letting her thoughts wander. After all, Lord Lu was so young, looking barely into his twenties, yet he had already reached such heights.
A seventh-tier alchemist who could refine Sect Breaking Pills and even tame a sixth-rank magical beast as a mount-perhaps there was no second person like him on the entire continent?
At this thought, Yao Yue could not help marveling inwardly. He really was incredible.
Such an outstanding man-she wondered what luck that woman Xiao Xun'er had stumbled into to be able to marry someone like him. Yao Yue even began to envy Xiao Xun'er a little.
Although she had grown up in the Jia Ma Imperial Family and had seen no small number of outstanding young men, not one could compare to Lu Changfeng. How wonderful it would be if she could marry a man like him too.
Of course, she only entertained such thoughts in her heart and did not dare actually voice them.
Although Yao Ye said nothing, her heart was likewise filled with admiration and curiosity toward Lu Changfeng.
A young man who had emerged from the Xiao Clan of Wutan City had actually reached such terrifying heights. The course of such a person's life was simply a legend.
Looking at his two great-granddaughters' expressions, Jia Xingtian said nothing more and merely shook his head with a smile.
He also knew that such things could not be rushed. As long as the Imperial Family maintained a good relationship with Lord Lu, benefits would naturally be plentiful in the future.
Before long, news of Jia Xingtian's breakthrough to Dou Zong quickly spread throughout the imperial capital, and in less than half a day, all the major forces had received it.
The Jia Ma Imperial Family had produced a Dou Zong expert. This news was like a heavy bomb falling into a tranquil lake, and it spread even faster than expected. In just two or three days, it had already reached the Misty Cloud Sect.
Inside the Misty Cloud Sect's main hall, Yun Yun sat in the seat of honor, listening to the news delivered by her subordinate, and fell into profound shock.
Jia Xingtian broke through to Dou Zong?
That old fellow who had been stuck at Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor for decades actually broke through?
After hearing this, Yun Yun gripped the armrests of her seat tightly, her expression constantly shifting. In truth, she knew that once Jia Xingtian broke through to Dou Zong, the Misty Cloud Sect's days in the Jia Ma Empire would no longer be as comfortable as before.
Previously, the Imperial Family and the Misty Cloud Sect could still keep each other in check, but now that the Imperial Family had a Dou Zong expert holding the fort, the Misty Cloud Sect could only lower its head.
And the person who helped Jia Xingtian break through should be that young man I met in the Magical Beast Mountain Range before.
At this thought, Yun Yun's feelings grew even more complicated.
Just what was the background of that young man named Lu Changfeng?