Chapter 122 - 109: Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer

Chapter 122: Chapter 109: Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer

「Several days later.」

Zhao Zuo was in his secluded chamber, deep in Cultivation. As he forcefully blasted open one sealed and blocked meridian after another, he finally succeeded in connecting them all for the Golden Fire Refining World Scripture. A complex and profound Mana network fully materialized within his flesh and blood, constantly circulating his Mana.

BOOM.

As the first great cycle completed, Zhao Zuo immediately felt Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power flood into his body like a roaring tsunami. The speed was more than double what it had been when he practiced his basic Qi Cultivation Technique. A massive vortex of Spiritual Power formed inside him, constantly converting into Mana that he could command.

At the same time, the Mana originally stored in his Dantian began to circulate through the new network of meridians. It rapidly grew purer, its intensity subtly changing.

Zhao Zuo immediately sensed his Mana was running low. Although the surrounding Spiritual Power was rich, it probably wouldn’t be enough to complete the Mana conversion. After all, switching from a crude, basic technique to the Golden Fire Refining World Scripture was an immense leap. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

He hastily retrieved two Purifying Spirit Pills from his Storage Bag, chewing and swallowing them both at once. A dense, pure Spiritual Power instantly diffused through him, like a monstrous wave rising from a boundless ocean. The moment this tide reached his meridians, his nearly-empty Dantian was suddenly replenished, like parched earth soaking up a welcome rain.

In that brief instant, the Spiritual Power was absorbed and converted. Pure Mana was born from an endless ocean of Spiritual Power, and his Dantian felt as if it had been injected with a vigorous surge of Vitality. An exhilarating sensation spread from his abdomen, eventually suffusing his entire body.

This was a metamorphosis, an evolution of life itself. In his major meridians, Mana converged into rivers that flowed back to his Dantian, laying an exceptionally solid foundation. A powerful Spiritual Pressure began to radiate from Zhao Zuo.

All of this happened in a brief instant, yet it grew more and more intense over the next few moments. As Zhao Zuo felt his Dantian gradually fill with Mana, a surge of joy rose in his heart.

Then, he sensed the intangible barrier.

This was the bottleneck to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer. It was the perfect juncture Zhao Zuo had been waiting for these past few days, and the most crucial point for a Cultivator to advance their Cultivation.

Zhao Zuo had just been focusing all his attention on switching his Cultivation Technique, but he’d unexpectedly stumbled upon the opportunity for a Cultivation breakthrough.

Zhao Zuo decided to press his advantage and break through in one go.

Zhao Zuo closed his eyes, regulated his breathing, and united his mind and spirit. He circulated his Mana to its absolute limit. At this moment, his newly transformed Mana flowed through every single one of his meridians, which were now absorbing the rich Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power like a great whale gulping down the sea, all while digesting the residual potency of the pills in his stomach.

He was making his final preparations for the Cultivation breakthrough. After all, once he began to storm the barrier, there would be no turning back. Therefore, Zhao Zuo had to bring himself to his absolute peak state before making the attempt. If he failed, while it wouldn’t endanger his life, he would ultimately waste several months.

The Purifying Spirit Pills were still active within him. Their potency was continuously converted into Mana that poured into his Dantian, while also... bit by bit, expanding the Dantian’s maximum capacity.

’Break!’

Zhao Zuo’s will was like a blade, sharper and more resolute than ever before.

Fueled by unwavering conviction, he mobilized his meridians without hesitation. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power was converted as it passed through them, finally pouring into his Dantian. At the same time, his Dantian began to expand at a visible rate.

A vortex seemed to form within his Dantian, drawing in the Mana.

As time passed, a stabbing pain began to pulse faintly from his meridians and Dantian. With the accelerating circulation of his Mana, the bottleneck he could so clearly feel began to teeter on the verge of collapse.

As the volume of his Mana surged further, he finally shattered the bottleneck. In that instant, Zhao Zuo’s Dantian abruptly expanded by a third. Immediately after, Mana flowed out from it and began to nourish his meridians, his flesh, and every cell in his body.

This was a breakthrough in Cultivation, a comprehensive leap forward. Every cell in his body trembled as it underwent a dual quenching and baptism by both Mana and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power. His aura strengthened abruptly, and the Spiritual Pressure he exuded grew even more formidable.

Of course, a successful breakthrough didn’t mark the end of his transformation. Under the gentle nourishment of his Mana, his body gradually became lighter and stronger. His once-bulky muscles changed, growing leaner and more compact, possessed of far greater explosive power.

Zhao Zuo’s soul was also rapidly strengthening. He could even vaguely sense the Divine Thought coalescing deep within his mind—a power that only Foundation Establishment Cultivators were meant to master.

For the entire night, Zhao Zuo absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power to fuel his body’s transformation.

The next morning, Zhao Zuo opened his eyes, and the Spiritual Pressure around him erupted in an instant. It was as if he meant to repel the very air, creating a pocket of space that belonged to him alone.

Zhao Zuo took a slow, deep breath and gradually reined in his Spiritual Pressure. He then infused Mana into the Breath Concealment Ring on his finger, adjusting his outward aura back to that of the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.

’Right now, I have to upgrade the Breath-Concealing Ring as soon as possible. I need to strengthen its abilities, maybe even enough to block the effects of Foundation Establishment Divine Thought. Only then can I move freely within the Moyun Sect.’

Zhao Zuo first fed the Fire Spirit Snake some Fire Element Seed powder. He had already completed the bonding process, and with each feeding, the snake grew more attached to him. Unfortunately, it still had a long way to go before it would be of any real use.