Chương 142: The Seventh Peak

Time slipped away like flowing water. Three years passed in the blink of an eye. On Purple Cloud Peak, the pine fish dwelling in the mountain lake had grown considerably larger. The flocks of Blazing Sun Chickens had multiplied as well, their numbers swelling with each passing season. The spiritual energy that suffused the peak had grown richer and denser, a palpable mist of power that clung to every blade of grass and stone.

The Seven Colored Spirit Peach Tree continued to accumulate its foundation, steadily building its reserves as it prepared to challenge the threshold of Tier 2 upper grade. Zhang Rende and the four other family members had all stepped into the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Among them, Zhang Rende was the most extraordinary, he had already begun assaulting the bottleneck of the Sixth Level of Qi Refining Realm, his progress far outpacing his peers.

Such was the difference between a Foundation Establishment clan and a Qi Refining clan. Now, even a Zhang family cultivator with the lowliest Five Spirit Root could cultivate according to the proper methods and be guaranteed to reach the late stage of Qi Refining before the age of forty. By fifty, they would step into the Perfection stage. The difference in resources alone was staggering, a Tier 2 clan could command more than ten times the resources available to a Qi Refining clan.

The gap between the two was like the chasm between heaven and earth. Before anyone realized it, the Zhang family already counted five Tier 2 cultivators among their ranks. As for Huaijin, he had spent these three years in secluded cultivation, pushing his own realm to the very peak of the Sixth Level. His foundation was solid as bedrock, his cultivation polished to a mirror's sheen.

"It's time to break through," he murmured to himself. In his cultivation chamber, Huaijin slowly exhaled a turbid breath. The air around him shimmered with residual spiritual energy. With a single thought, he activated the Realm-Breaking Pearl. The black and white energy within surged forth like a tidal wave, flooding through his limbs and meridians, coursing through every inch of his being. The opposing forces of yin and yang intertwined, spiraling together as they saturated his body with breakthrough power.

Crack! The sound was soft, almost imperceptible, like ice splitting on a frozen lake. But to Huaijin, it was thunder. The bottleneck of the late stage shattered into fragments before the power of the Realm-Breaking Pearl. The obstruction that would have taken ordinary cultivators years to overcome dissolved like morning mist before the rising sun. Huaijin's aura exploded outward, surging like a released flood. He had broken through. The Seventh Level of Foundation Establishment Realm.

The bottlenecks that plagued ordinary cultivators were nothing before his Realm-Breaking Pearl, they became smooth roads, unobstructed paths leading ever upward. An hour passed. Slowly, the raging storm of Huaijin's breakthrough aura began to recede, settling back into his body like a sheathed blade. His freshly broken realm had already stabilized. He cycled the Crimson Flame Spirit Ruins Scripture through his meridians again and again, polishing his cultivation with relentless precision.

Each rotation of the technique ground away the roughness of his newly gained power, consolidating his realm until it became solid and unshakeable. This year, Huaijin was fifty-three years old. He had become the Zhang family's first cultivator at the late stage. And with a late stage powerhouse, one whose Supreme Grade Dao Foundation made him a match even for early-stage Tier 3 cultivators, the Zhang family could finally expand their sphere of influence outward. Their sights could now be set on Qingtai city itself.

In the adjacent spirit beast enclosure, Haihu sensed the aura emanating from the cultivation chamber. The mighty spirit beast grew agitated with excitement, pacing restlessly. The stronger Huaijin became, the greater the benefits that would flow to him. Their symbiotic bond hummed with shared power. The mysterious pine fish in the mountain lake leaped from the water once more, its scales gleaming like scattered coins in the dim light. Surprise flickered in its ancient, knowing eyes.

'Has this kid truly never encountered a bottleneck?' The fish swam in circles, its thoughts churning. Three years ago, Huaijin was at the Sixth Level. It had taken him three years of intensive cultivation, using vast quantities of resources and his own extraordinary talent, just to reach the peak of that level. And then, in the space of a breath, he had simply broken through. The pine fish was genuinely speechless.

At this rate of advancement, it wouldn't be long before Huaijin's cultivation caught up to its own realm. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

'This kid has far too many secrets!' The pine fish cast one last glance toward the cultivation chamber, its eye gleaming with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. Then its form dissolved into the lake's depths, vanishing into the darkness below. Inside the chamber, Huaijin continued his relentless cycling of the Crimson Flame Spirit Ruins Scripture, each rotation refining his cultivation further.

The Realm-Breaking Pearl at his chest had been entirely drained of its black and white energy, the pearl's interior now empty. But even as the power was consumed, the environment responded. Spiritual energy from the surrounding world began to gather, drawn toward the pearl. Strands of black and white energy began condensing within it once more, replenishing slowly. Deep within Huaijin's bloodline, the Blood Dragon Sword stirred.

The weapon that dwelled in his very veins underwent a silent transformation, its power increasing in resonance with its master's breakthrough. It had ascended to Tier 2 upper grade, and among spirit artifacts of that rank, it was considered supreme-grade, a peerless weapon born of blood and destiny. —— After advancing to the Seventh Level, Huaijin did not emerge from seclusion. He called upon the Realm-Breaking Pearl to devour the flesh and blood of the spirit beasts he had slain in years past.

The concentrated power within those remains flowed into his body, merging with his flesh, his bones, his marrow. The power wrought a transformation, continuously tempering his physique. His body cultivation progressed steadily, each cycle pushing him closer to new heights. As he refined the blood essence of the spirit beasts, more bloodline abilities awakened within him, ancient powers slumbering in his lineage, now roused by the influx of potent spirit beast vitality.

Within his dantian, two distinct lightning seeds floated in perfect equilibrium. They were separate, yet intertwined, a study in opposition and harmony. The powers of Bing Yang Thunder and Darkwater Yin Thunder coiled together like serpents of fire and ice, their energies weaving through his meridians in an endless dance. Like the Yin-Yang Taiji itself, they tempered his body from every angle, leaving no part of him untouched by their refining power.

His physical body had already reached the Second Level of the Purple Mansion Realm. And with the relentless refinement continuing, it would not be long before he charged to the peak of the early stage of Tier 3. At the same time, Huaijin's soul grew in lockstep, advancing alongside his body. The black and white divine millstone manifested by the Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram rotated without pause, grinding and refining his soul with each revolution.

The ethereal wheel of yin and yang energy turned endlessly, polishing his mind and spirit to ever-greater purity. Every second, every moment, Huaijin's foundation and strength continued to grow. There was no stagnation, no plateau, only ceaseless advancement. While polishing his cultivation, Huaijin turned his attention to honing his arts. First, he tackled artifact forging. Ten days later, Huaijin successfully forged his first Tier 2 upper grade spirit artifact.

The blade hummed with spiritual power, its edge sharp enough to part the very air. Encouraged by his success, he continued to refine his skills, converting his collected materials into a steady stream of spirit artifacts. He incorporated the Hollow Bamboo Stone that Fang Tao had gifted him into the Blue Bamboo Serenity Sword. The material merged seamlessly with the existing blade, elevating the sword to Tier 2 upper grade. The weapon now sang with a purer tone, its edge gleaming with newfound sharpness.

After artifact forging came Talisman Drawing. Huaijin's soul was powerful, his talent extraordinary. Half a month later, he successfully drew his first Tier 2 upper grade Spirit Talisman. The talisman thrummed with contained power, its intricate patterns glowing with spiritual light. For the following six months, he continued to practice without cease. Tier 2 upper grade spirit artifacts and Tier 2 upper grade Spirit Talismans flowed from his hands like a river, each one more refined than the last.

His skill grew sharper with every attempt. Six months later, Huaijin turned his attention to alchemy. He began with the easier recipes, honing his technique step by step. The nuances of the craft revealed themselves to him in sequence, the heat of the cauldron, the timing of ingredient additions, the subtle shifts in pill color and scent that signaled success or failure. His talent was prodigious, his dedication absolute. Less than half a month later, he had successfully refined a Tier 2 upper grade pill.

He had officially become a Tier 2 upper grade Alchemist. Following the pill recipes he possessed, he continued refining higher-level pills in an endless cycle. The five Tier 2 upper grade recipes from Yun Chaoge became his guides, blueprints for mastery that he studied and executed with meticulous care. Huaijin was cautious, methodical, obsessive in his pursuit of perfection. He would hone his alchemical skills to the absolute limit before attempting anything more ambitious.

He had not forgotten the three golden yang flowers waiting in the cave dwelling of the Purple Dusk Mountain Range. Those Tier 3 low grade spiritual herbs were the main ingredient for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, the very pill that could elevate Qi Refining cultivators to the Foundation Establishment realm. Using the Foundation Establishment Pill recipe as his guide, Huaijin continued refining his skills. He would not attempt to forge the precious pills until he felt truly ready.

Because the Foundation Establishment Pill, despite being classified as Tier 2 upper grade, was a monster among pills. Even a Tier 3 Alchemist could not guarantee success in its creation. The margin for error was razor-thin; one misstep in ingredient ratio, one moment of inattentive flame control, and the entire batch would be ruined. Even alchemists operated with limited success rates.

Producing even a single Tier 3 low grade pill was enough to earn the title of Tier 3 low grade Alchemist, regardless of how many failures came before it. The success rate itself was almost secondary, what mattered was the ability to succeed at all. But becoming a true master alchemist required immense resources for practice. Mountains of materials, rivers of spiritual herbs, endless hours of refinement. Not everyone could afford such profligate consumption of precious ingredients.

And certainly, not everyone was blessed with Huaijin's terrifyingly consistent success rate. —— Meanwhile, the Zhang family had quietly begun to acquire the auxiliary spiritual herbs needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill. The main ingredient, the golden yang flowers, was already secured, but the secondary herbs, while less rare, still required careful acquisition. Each one had to be sourced without attracting unwanted attention.

Given the Zhang family's current power, this was a scheme they could reasonably pursue. Whether considering top-tier combat strength or overall clan power, the Zhang family had already surpassed the Gao family. They had become the undisputed strongest force in Langya County. A clan established for barely a hundred years had risen to become the dominant power of an entire county.

Such explosive growth, such meteoric ascent, was the rarest of phenomena, a tale that would be whispered across the entire land of Bing Province for generations to come.