Chương 22: The Tenth Level

Reyn felt a jolt of genuine surprise. A treasure map inscribed in Tadpole Script was a find of monumental significance, suggesting a legacy far beyond the ordinary. After a moment of calculated silence, his eyes narrowing as he weighed the risks, he spoke in a measured tone.

"Indeed, I possess some knowledge of such ancient scripts. Are you suggesting an invitation to explore a Primordial Cultivator's hidden abode?"

"Precisely," Chu Dian replied, his face ashen from his injuries, yet his resolve remained unshaken.

"With my current cultivation, I could never hope to claim the treasures within such a place alone. I only ask that Senior Uncle grants me a small share of the spoils when the time comes, as a reward for providing the lead." Reyn remained silent for a long breath, his mind racing through the implications. Finally, he gave a slow nod.

"I require time to consider this. If you are truly committed, meet me here in five months. Whether I go or not, I will provide you with a definitive answer then."

"Understood. In five months, this disciple shall be here to await your esteemed presence," Chu Dian said, a flicker of relief and hidden joy dancing in his eyes as he bowed with deep, practiced respect. Reyn gave a curt nod of acknowledgment. Without another word, he kicked off the ground, his body soaring into the air as he vanished into the distant horizon. Watching Reyn's retreating figure, Chu Dian's expression shifted, turning dark and unreadable.

"That man can manifest Divine Sense attacks... he is almost certainly a Foundation Establishment cultivator. One suspected Foundation Establishment expert, paired with two 8th-level Qi Condensation cultivators, should be enough to... Demon Lord..." His voice trailed off, the final words dissolving into an unintelligible mumble. After a long pause, Chu Dian summoned his own light and departed the scene. Reyn, meanwhile, was far from careless.

He swept his Divine Sense backward repeatedly, ensuring no one was tailing him before descending into a dense thicket. He moved with practiced efficiency, shedding his black robes and stowing them in his storage bag before taking flight once more, heading straight for the medicinal garden. With a swift flick of his fingers, he executed a series of hand seals. The thick white mist guarding the valley parted, forming a narrow passage.

Once Reyn stepped inside, the fog swirled back into place, restoring the valley's seamless camouflage. He conducted a meticulous sweep of the area. Seeing the dry leaves he had strategically placed on the ground remained undisturbed, Reyn let out a breath of satisfaction. It seemed no one had intruded during his absence. He hesitated for a moment, considering whether to set up a formal defensive array, but ultimately dismissed the idea.

For a mere registered disciple to fortify his garden so aggressively would be akin to shouting that he had something to hide. Retreating into the mountain interior, Reyn pulled a Spirit-Nourishing Pill from his storage bag—a precious medicine designed to mend the soul—and swallowed it. He crossed his legs and entered a deep meditative trance. Every hour on the dot, his eyes would snap open just long enough to consume another pill before plunging back into his cultivation.

Five hours later, bolstered by the massive influx of medicinal energy, his depleted Divine Sense was fully restored. Such a recovery was a luxury only he could afford; any other cultivator would have required three to five days of grueling meditation to achieve the same result.

"An ancient cave recorded in Tadpole Script..." Reyn mused, his eyes cold.

"Heh, I doubt it's as simple as he claims. However, in five months, there is a strong chance I will have already reached Foundation Establishment. Whether I go then will be my choice. For now, the priority is mastering the Great Yama Palm. I need more than just tricks to stay alive." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Today's skirmish had been a wake-up call. Had he not used his sheer momentum to intimidate Chu Dian, he might have been dragged into a lethal struggle.

He withdrew the Great Yama Palm fragment from his bag. The material was neither silk nor paper, feeling strangely slick to the touch. When he tried to tear it with a surge of strength, the material didn't even budge. The techniques of the ancients were truly a marvel. Spreading the scroll, Reyn immersed his mind in the text. Two hours later, he looked up, a look of grim satisfaction on his face. Though it was only a fragment, the divine abilities within were profound.

If he could master them, he felt confident he could stand his ground against a cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment. Against the middle stage, he could at least escape. As for the late stage or the Great Circle... those were monsters he would simply have to avoid. After mentally refining the movements several times to ensure no errors, he began practicing the first technique.

Several days later, in a secluded forest three hundred miles from the Xuanxiao Sect.

"Earth-Shaking Finger!" Reyn's face was a mask of concentration. He barked the command, and the spiritual energy within him surged toward his arm, flowing through specific meridians with violent intensity. A dangerous, oppressive aura began to radiate from him. He pointed his left index finger toward the heavens, and a burst of obsidian light erupted from the tip, sharp and arrogant like a blade aimed at the gods.

"Go!" A beam of black light shot forth. The sheer destructive force caused the very air to ripple and distort along its path. With a sound like a localized thunderclap, a massive boulder ten yards away—the size of a small house—shattered into a cloud of jagged debris. The shockwave snapped several nearby ancient trees, a testament to the move's terrifying power. Reyn's face turned pale. He reached into his bag, tossing several Spirit-Gathering Pills into his mouth.

As the medicinal heat bloomed in his chest, his color slowly returned. The Earth-Shaking Finger was an absolute drain on his reserves, but its lethality was undeniable. He estimated it carried the full weight of an early Foundation Establishment strike.

"One Earth-Shaking Finger consumes nearly half my Qi. In a life-or-death crisis, I could potentially fire a double volley. The overlapping force might even rival a mid-stage Foundation Establishment attack. But doing so would leave me empty and defenseless. It is a trump card for the final moment." Half a day later, a streak of green light emerged from the forest, racing back toward the Xuanxiao Sect. The first stage of the Great Yama Palm, the Earth-Shaking Finger, was now functional.

To reach the second stage, Cloud-Weaving Rain-Falling, he would likely need to be at the Golden Core realm. As for the third stage, Heaven-Collapsing Earth-Shattering, the manual was too damaged to read. For now, the second stage was his ultimate ceiling. Upon returning to the sect, Reyn locked himself away, focusing entirely on pills and meditation. He had one goal: Foundation Establishment.

By the standards of the cultivation world, one could attempt the breakthrough at the 8th level of Qi Condensation if they possessed a medium-grade spirit root and a Foundation Establishment Pill. But Reyn knew his own limits. His progress to the 7th level was a result of being force-fed pills, not natural talent. To succeed, he needed a foundation far sturdier than his peers. He wouldn't settle for the 8th level. He wouldn't even settle for the 9th. He aimed for the legendary 10th level of Qi Condensation.

In the eyes of most, the 8th level was the standard. The 9th was rare. As for the 10th level? It hadn't been seen in the cultivation world for over a millennium. But that was Reyn's target. Consume pills. Meditate. Consume pills. Meditate. Reyn's life became a cycle of monotonous discipline. Aside from the brief moments he spent refining more medicine when his stock ran low, he never left his meditation mat. This frantic, obsessive pace yielded results that were nothing short of miraculous.

He reached the 8th level in fifteen days. He broke through to the 9th level a month later. Two months after that, he touched the 10th level. To climb from the 7th to the 10th level of Qi Condensation in just three and a half months... if word of this speed ever leaked out, it would drive every cultivator in the world into a state of envious madness.