Chapter 71: Level 10 Achieved!

Lin Feng didn’t hesitate. He dropped cross legged into the dust right beside the newly sealed pedestal.

"Hold the line," he choked out, his meridians screaming as the tidal wave of pure energy tore into his system.

The qi surged, cracking the bottleneck into Level 8 in three breaths. The system interface across his vision went completely chaotic, flashing bright gold alerts so fast they blurred. Level 8 didn’t even have time to stabilize before the overwhelming pressure forced his pathways wide open, shattering the ceiling into Level 9.

Strands of pure sapphire and crimson qi began to visibly outflow from his skin, weaving a dense, humming cocoon of absolute physical power around his body. The surrounding Orchid Veil elders and others gasped, staggering back as a mere outer sect disciple began outputting a spiritual pressure that rivaled their own core disciples.

Then came the final, legendary barrier. The sheer volume of the swamp’s residual malice and ancient spiritual residue fused, forcing his meridians into the absolute peak of the realm. Level 9 cracked. The energy settled with a deep, resonant THUD that shook the stone pedestal.

[Cultivation Breakthrough: Qi Condensation — Level 10]

[Foundation Status: Flawless / Overfilled]

Lin Feng threw his head back, letting out a long, ragged exhale as the outflowing qi finally snapped back into his core, tightly packed and completely tamed. He opened his eyes, a wild, ecstatic grin breaking across his bloody face.

"Holy shit... Level 10."

Yu Mei let out a shaky breath, her hands trembling as she lowered her spear. "Three realms... You truly are a freak, kid."

Deep within his mind, the system interface completely restructured itself, dropping a cascade of triumphant, dry notifications.

[System Rank Updated: Experienced Provoker→ Agitator]

[System shop restrictions completely lifted for the mortal tier]

[New Interface Unlocked: Live Qi Capacity Tracker]

[Live Qi Tracking: 10,500 / 11,000 (Qi Condensation Level 10 Peak — 500 Qi points remaining to unlock Level 11)]

[Note: Each 1,000 Qi points corresponds to one full realm level.]

[New Mechanic Unlocked: Direct RP-to-Qi Conversion]

[Conversion Rate: 100,000 Rage Points = 100 Qi Points]

[Note: Closed-door meditation is officially obsolete. Unfortunately for the host, skipping cultivation still requires an astronomical volume of pure spite. Go forth and cause trouble.]

Lin Feng blinked at the conversion rate, his celebratory grin twitching slightly at the corner of his mouth. One hundred thousand Rage Points for a measly hundred Qi points. That meant his entire 204,400 RP fortune wouldn’t even cover half of the 500 Qi points he needed to break into the eleventh level, and that was before buying a single item or skill.

Still, having a direct, guaranteed way to convert pure hatred into raw cultivation levels without relying on hostility was a game changer. He just needed to find a much bigger enemys to piss off.

Beside him, Bai Xuan looked down from its towering height, its intelligent eyes scanning Lin Feng with a quizzical, thoroughly baffled look. The ancient white myth let out a telepathic murmur inside their minds.

"What manner of architecture did you just perform, kud? A mortal soul should have turned to ash under that expansion."

Before Lin Feng could answer, the heavy crunch of boots on stone broke the silence. The vanguard elite of the Orchid Veil Sect parted, and the current, elegant Orchid Veil Sect Master stepped forward Her streaming robes were spattered with heretical blood, but her gaze was locked entirely on Yu Mei.

Her elegant facade completely fractured. "Mother...?" she breathed, stepping forward with open, trembling arms. She crossed the distance and embraced the pragmatic hermit tightly, her voice cracking with centuries of quiet grief.

Yu Mei’s stern expression softened completely as she wrapped her arms around her daughter, resting her chin briefly against her shoulder. "I’m here, Yue’er," she murmured quietly. "You’ve grown well, Yue Lian."

Lin Feng, who was still dusting off his trousers, completely froze. His jaw dropped, his hand pausing mid-air as his brain violently rebooted.

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold it!" Lin Feng shouted, utterly stunned by everything .

"How?! Yu Mei, you told me you were just a hermit! You’re Sect Master Yue Lian’s mother?!"

Yu Mei pulled back from the embrace, shooting Lin Feng a dry, slightly embarrassed look.

Yue Lian wiped a stray tear from her cheek, her authoritative gaze turning toward Lin Feng with a mix of respect and profound solemnity.

"Years ago, my mother was the most brilliant, top tier student of her generation,the one explicitly designated to become the next Sect Master."

"So what actually happened?" Lin Feng asked, his brow furrowing.

"Shen Murong happened," an older Orchid Veil Elder stepped forward, her voice filled with resentment.

"Centuries ago, after she took over the swamp and dictated her terms, she forced the rule that no males were ever permitted to enter the sect, creating a rigid barrier under the guise of ’sect purity.’ But it was all a lie to maintain her own authority."

Yu Mei sighed, her voice dropping into a reminiscent tone.

"Back then, during a grand inter sect tournament, I met a bold, incredibly arrogant, and entirely shameless disciple from the Flowing Wind Sect. His complete lack of respect for authority captured me. We fell in love, and... I became pregnant with Yue Lian."

Lin Feng’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Don’t tell me..."

"Yes," Yu Mei flatly confirmed.

"Yue Qingfeng."

The old geezer. Even the surname matched, Yue Lian, named right after him. When his master said Lin Feng reminded him of his younger days, this was he meant?

"Shen Murong was furious," Yue Lian explained, her jaw tightening. "My mother had always been highly skeptical of the swamp spirit’s authority, frequently speaking out against her restrictions. That pregnancy gave Shen Murong the exact motive she needed to lock her away. She altered the sect’s internal history, rewrote herself as our divine guardian, and forced the past elders to drive my mother out under the guise of an ’exile scandal,’ while secretly trapping her in the middle channels under a deal. I stayed behind, eventually climbing to the seat of Sect Master to bide my time."

"There were many in the sect who despised her tyranny," the older Elder added.

"We didn’t know the full truth of who she or the beast truly were, but when Yue Qingfeng reached out to us from the Flowing Wind Sect, searching for a way to break the swamp’s cosmic locks without alerting the Upper Realm, we secretly helped him."

"So he didn’t abandon me?" Yu Mei gasped

"Never, mother." Yue Lian shaked her hesd

Lin Feng dragged a hand down his face, a mixture of profound awe and deep, irritated respect settling into his chest.

"That old geezer... he planned it all from the very beginning."

"He believed in you," Yue Lian nodded softly.

"The letter he sent contained a prophecy regarding a disciple who may break the tyrany if the dark spirit."

Silence settled over the open ruins, the heavy weight of centuries of deception finally cleared away. Yue Lian turned toward the magnificent, pristine white figure standing beside Lin Feng. With deep, profound reverence, she dropped to one knee, and the surrounding elders and elite disciples immediately followed suit, bowing deeply to the ancient celestial myth.

"We thank Senior Bai Xuan for his tolerance and for purging the heretical rot from our ancestral home."

Bai Xuan stood majestically, its blue forehead gem pulsing with an elegant, light. Lin Feng, however, was left standing completely alone in the center of the kneeling crowd. He looked at the elders, then looked up at the giant, talking white beast.

Feeling entirely out of place, Lin Feng awkwardly shuffled his feet, his hands twirling the heavy cleaver in a clumsy, nervous motion as he tried to figure out if he was supposed to bow.

Seeing him suddenly turn into an awkward, shuffling insect, Bai Xuan let out a deep, booming chuckle.

"You may remain standing, keeper. After all, a keeper rarely bows to the one he is bounded to."