Chapter 667: Peak of Qi Eating, Breakthrough

The next day, before dawn, a faint light already glowed within Qing No. 4 Courtyard.

Yang Jing rose from his bed, feeling invigorated and showing no trace of fatigue.

After returning last night, he hadn’t continued his usual arduous training. Instead, he had washed up and gone to sleep early, allowing both his body and mind to be fully rested.

Now awake, he felt his body brimming with qi and blood. His Inner Qi circulated steadily within his Dantian, and every one of his meridians felt open and clear. He was in peak condition.

He filled a copper basin with spring water from the well and washed his face. The cool touch sharpened his senses. He then changed into a fresh set of training clothes and sat by the stone table to wait.

Before long, a servant disciple from the kitchens delivered breakfast in a food box. It consisted of two large plates of braised exotic beast meat, two refreshing side dishes, and a meat pastry, all brimming with vital energy.

Yang Jing ate quickly, tidied the dishes, then rose and locked the bronze lock on his courtyard gate. With a spring in his step, he headed toward the Training Room area on the mountainside.

The excitement and anticipation in his heart were like a restless flame, burning hotter and hotter.

He was now just one step away from the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm. His condition was perfect today, making it an excellent opportunity to break through to the Qi Absorption Realm in one fell swoop.

The grass and trees along the path swayed gently in the morning breeze, dewdrops refracting the faint light of dawn.

Yang Jing, however, had no time to appreciate the scenery. His mind was completely focused on the impending breakthrough, and he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.

…

「Morning.」

The great hall atop the Xuanzhen Sect’s Main Peak was already filled with people.

The Seven Vein Peak Masters and Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan were seated on rosewood chairs on either side of the hall. The chamber was silent, save for a few hushed conversations.

With Sect Leader Cao Zhen yet to arrive, the attendees used the time to chat idly about recent sect matters. Celestial Derivation Peak Master Huang Zhen and Thunder Peak Master Lei Lie were congratulating Peak Master Zhenyue, Qin Gang.

“Senior Brother Qin, congratulations! For your nephew to finally break through to the Qi Absorption Realm after more than ten years of dormancy… that level of perseverance is truly extraordinary.”

Huang Zhen said with a smile, a touch of admiration in his eyes. “Reaching the Qi Absorption Realm at thirty-eight… his future prospects are limitless.”

Lei Lie nodded in agreement. “Yes, that boy Qin Chuan was exceptionally talented in his early years. He was just stuck at the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm for far too long. To think he would break through in one fell swoop… this is truly cause for celebration! Zhenyue Peak has gained another formidable warrior!”

Qin Gang’s face held a smile he couldn’t hide. He cupped his fists in return. “Thank you both for your generous praise. The boy’s ability to break through is thanks to the sect’s guidance and all of your care. It was merely a stroke of luck.”

While the others talked and laughed, only Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing, sat upright in her chair. Her eyes were lightly closed, her fingertips gently tracing the embroidered patterns on her cuffs. She appeared to be resting, but in reality, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

She was well aware that Yang Jing was now in the Late-stage Qi-eating Realm, just one step shy of the peak. He would soon face the most difficult hurdle on a Martial Artist’s path of cultivation: a realm bottleneck.

Daily, arduous cultivation was a gradual process. It could bring steady improvement, but it was difficult to achieve a qualitative transformation.

For a Martial Artist, the most difficult part was always the formless barrier encountered before a breakthrough.

Throughout history, countless prodigies of stunning talent had been stopped dead in their tracks by these bottlenecks.

Some would be stuck for years, even decades, exhausting their lifeforce and time, only to halt their progress in bitter regret, never advancing another inch for the rest of their lives.

Thus, generally speaking, when a Martial Artist reached a bottleneck, relying purely on their own arduous training and comprehension made breaking through significantly more difficult.

At times like this, one needed the assistance of resources like Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and high-grade elixirs. Only by using external forces to flush the meridians and nourish the Dantian could one increase the probability of a successful breakthrough.

And the more profound the realm, the more precious and rare the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures required for the breakthrough, making ordinary resources completely ineffective.

Bai Bing thought to herself, ‘With Yang Jing’s talent and the sect’s rules, once he truly reaches the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm, the sect will naturally bestow some decent resources upon him. They might even provide top-tier Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to help him break through to the Qi Absorption Realm.’

‘But the quantity of those resources will certainly not be large.’

‘The sect’s top resources are concentrated on supplying the prodigies at the top of the Profound Truth List, as well as the number one prospect, Chu Yunhai.’

‘Although Yang Jing shows potential now, he ultimately missed out on being designated the top prospect. Any top-tier resources allocated to him will likely be nothing more than a drop in the bucket.’

‘But since Yang Jing has accepted me as his master, I can’t just stand by and let my disciple be short-changed.’

‘In my opinion, the core of a Martial Artist’s cultivation is ultimately their own willpower and perseverance. External resources are merely supplementary—the icing on the cake.’

‘But if other disciples have it, my disciple can’t go without. As his master, it is my duty to consider these things for him.’

Bai Bing silently took stock of her personal reserves.

‘The Thousand-Year Spirit Marrow I obtained from my travels in the Jianghu, the top-grade elixirs the sect awarded me for my achievements, and a few rare Spirit Medicines… they might be able to help Yang Jing with his breakthrough.’

‘Beyond that, I’ll need to figure out how to procure some other scarce resources for him, whether from the sect or other channels.’

‘But there’s no rush.’

‘In my view, Yang Jing has already progressed through the Qi Eating Realm far too quickly, aided by the Exotic Beast Musk in the Training Room, numerous elixirs, and the Yunqiao Jade Marrow.’

‘His foundation is solid, but it still needs time to settle and be refined. His chances of success will be much higher if he only uses these resources to push for the Qi Absorption Realm after he has completely stabilized his cultivation at the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm.’

‘Regardless, I must start paying close attention to the matter of his Cultivation Resources.’