Chapter 2431: Heart Tribulation

“In short, strive to reach the Breakthrough Level as soon as possible. Entering that realm is a sublimation of life’s essence,” Guan Yu said calmly, looking at everyone. “At least half of you here possess this qualification. Even if you cannot permanently maintain that level, just entering that realm and continuously delving into it is enough. This is very important!”

This is the feeling Guan Yu understands most clearly. After breaking through to the Breakthrough Level, besides his spirit achieving a monumental leap, his body and Inner Qi continue to strengthen. Lifes instinctively coordinates its development direction to match its greatest advantages.

After all, using one’s strongest power should not cause self-harm, otherwise it becomes a joke. Therefore, as life’s essence continually elevates, the living being also harmonizes and adjusts, aiming for perfect adaptation to the power life itself receives since this is a sublime transformation of life’s level, an evolution of the living being itself.

The instinct to maximize benefits and minimize harm, as a life form, naturally leads to mastering power once possessed, rather than self-damage.

Thus, every time Guan Yu employs the power of Divine Boundary Break and his body exhausts, when he recovers his body and Inner Qi, there’s a significant growth. This is life’s instinctive adjustment. Although slight, this improvement is extremely important for Guan Yu’s qualifications.

For Guan Yu, who has achieved Divine Boundary Break, every slight strengthening in foundational aspects means his power increases exponentially.

“There is a limit to this,” Dian Wei said, waving his large hand.

“This growth indeed exists, but there isn’t much enhancement for the body,” Dian Wei shook his head, while Guan Yu, squinting, said nothing. For someone at the Refined Realm Breaker level like you, perhaps it’s not much, but for someone at the Divine Boundary Break like me, my body’s strength has increased by at least half.”

However, Guan Yu would not say such things. The stronger he becomes, the more Guan Yu understands the importance of physical aptitude. Dian Wei reaching this height focuses more on talent than effort. At least Guan Yu doesn’t believe if he chose the path of Dian Wei originally, he could achieve this level now.

“Refined Realm Breaker essentially uses vitality to shape vitality, which is why external absorption of Heaven and Earth Essence for refining the body is ineffective,” Dian Wei rarely explained his cultivation method. Clearly, even Dian Wei was astonished by Lyu Bu’s previous move.

Although as long as he isn’t directly hit by Lyu Bu, Dian Wei can assure he remains unscathed, that move was indeed unsettling, necessitating greater strength, becoming even stronger.

As the world’s strongest man in physical training without relying on external aids to reach the refined realm, his understanding of his own strength is profound. Rudely speaking, at this distance, a single punch from him could severely injure everyone present, showcasing his might.

Yet Dian Wei’s shortcomings are too evident. Everyone knows Dian Wei cannot fly; the shortcoming of the refined realm in Inner Qi is known to all. But everyone also knows the refined realm’s formidable physique and extreme close combat attack power, a training method with equally prominent shortcomings and advantages.

“Indeed, refined realm isn’t simply using Inner Qi to refine the body,” Xuu Chu sighed, stuck between a breakthrough height due to this reason.

The body is nearly everything’s foundation. To shape this foundation, frankly, only vitality can do it.

This is also why Zhao Yun, despite such powerful Inner Qi, isn’t using it to refine his body.

In essence, Zhao Yun’s Inner Qi is nothing more than Heaven and Earth Essence infused with will, a recyclable energy, not originating from a life form’s vitality.

The essence of refined realm is the sublimation of the living being. Simply put, Dian Wei’s body is hollow not because he lacks Inner Qi, but because his essentially vitality-infused core Inner Qi has been refined.

As for using Heaven and Earth Essence, even Zhou Tai can do it. Dian Wei too can, but it’s much faster to resolve issues with his fists in refined realm.

“After entering the Breakthrough Level, many previous hidden dangers can gradually be resolved,” Huang Zhong explained slowly, having been puzzled by his son’s mess for twenty years, thinking it was hopeless, only realizing the path ahead after forcibly breaking through.

Simply put, if Ultimate Inner Qi Manifestation is the metamorphosis stage towards higher levels for life, the Breakthrough Level is a new life-level form.

Even if one falls after entering, essentially it clarifies future shapes.

For Inner Qi Manifestation, entering Breakthrough Level implies the seed becomes a towering tree, absorbing its nutrients before reverting to a seed, ensuring the next journey is even smoother, taller, and normal.

Because this process absorbs abundant nutrients, allowing the seed to develop a firmer foundation. With more cycles, more nutrition is acquired, ultimately stabilizing at a truly towering tree level, no longer subsiding.

“In short, think of ways to reach the Breakthrough Level as soon as possible; this realm is highly valuable,” Guan Yu said with half-closed eyes, scanning the crowd.

This is also the reason Guan Yu is currently not very active; he is accumulating, sublimating, and transforming his essence.

From the battle of Yuan Liu and the slaying of Yann Liang, when Guan Yu stepped onto the breakthrough, only recently did he barely complete the sublimation of his life’s essence due to his qualifications.

After achieving life’s essence sublimation, Guan Yu clearly felt the source of his strength. He, like Lyu Bu, draws his power from will.

Based on this, Guan Yu’s breakthrough attributes include a hidden attribute: Legion Talent, with the ultimate power lying in his strength of will.

Firmly believe in your power, not getting lost in it, and when wielding it, even knowing failure, unwaveringly display your ultimate prowess, reflecting a will that can be enacted with life’s force and carry the weight of life with will!

This is why Lyu Bu respects Guan Yu; Guan Yu has reached the same height for him. The only difference being quantity; essentially, there’s no disparity between them. Guan Yu’s will radiates a terrifying brilliance.

As for Heart Tribulation, Lyu Bu isn’t sure about it. He can only speculate; frankly, even with Divine Break, Guan Yu’s strength is overly high. Guan Yu’s qualifications aren’t considered excellent, and more so, he lacks a Divine Stone to supplement the foundation.

But in reality, Guan Yu’s seemingly shallow Inner Qi beats the normal limit, thus prompting Lyu Bu to wonder if Guan Yu has thoroughly pierced Heart Tribulation.

After all, with Divine Will, Lyu Bu possesses this caliber only after strengthening with a Divine Stone, while Guan Yu achieved it purely by himself. Regarding qualifications, Guan Yu’s aptitude, in Lyu Bu’s view, shouldn’t reach this level. Though bodily demands for Divine Will aren’t as high as other aspects, it should align with Guan Yu’s Divine Will.

If there’s a power in this world that can completely exceed established limits, aside from Divine Stones, it’s probably Heart Tribulation, another reason for Lyu Bu’s respect for Guan Yu. Unfortunately, even Lyu Bu cannot confirm if Guan Yu has thoroughly pierced Heart Tribulation.

In reality, Guan Yu’s situation is somewhat awkward now; he indeed touched Heart Tribulation and realized it, but the current problem is that he cannot pass through Heart Tribulation even if he delves deeply into it.

Back then, Lyu Bu broke Heart Tribulation by looking past, letting go, pride, self-respect, promises, and his life, viewing all as less important compared to what he loved dearly.

Thus, Lyu Bu returned to Bingzhou. Based on this, upon stepping onto Bingzhou, he crossed Heart Tribulation, likewise enabling him to single-handedly challenge over forty immortals during the curse affecting his entire family.

Similarly, Xiang Yu was utterly crushed by Heart Tribulation due to Zhang Liang’s Spiritual Talent, losing everything he valued, even his beloved doubted his strength. Despite possessing invincible power, he lost the ones he cherished most — “What use is this power when they’re gone? Why don’t I just die?”

At that time, Xiang Yu touched Heart Tribulation, evolving into two opposing aspects: one questioned why he was so strong yet lost everything he valued – “Am I really strong?” The other asked why everyone dies while he lives!

Thus, Xiang Yu could only pierce Heart Tribulation in two ways: either use his proud strength to reverse the past, reclaim everything lost, and prove strength invincible with power, termed as Proving the Way with Strength.

Honestly speaking, even going back isn’t the same group he once worked with, so achieving it means reversing time to become someone completely identical but also completely different, essentially erasing Xiang Yu.

As for the latter, piercing Heart Tribulation means genuinely dying, leading to Xiang Yu’s true end; this method is Self-Enlightenment.

This is why achieving Breakthrough is easier, but piercing Heart Tribulation is challenging, why after Ultimate Heavenly Passage, only Lyu Bu pierced Heart Tribulation. Truth be told, with no repeated occurrence or strange coincidences, Lyu Bu would’ve been unable to achieve it.

Regarding Guan Yu, he solidly touched Heart Tribulation and penetrated it, but as previously mentioned, Guan Yu cannot pass through Heart Tribulation.

Two Similar methods existed: proving his invincible will, using his Green Dragon Crescent Blade to prove invincibility, simply put, defeating Lyu Bu would suffice; alternatively, holding Wen Wu first, martial prowess doesn’t rank second, cannot prove first — “I want this martial art for nothing!”