Chapter 127: Breakthroughs

Feeling the immense power within his body, Lu Qing was quite satisfied.

He had reached the pinnacle of the Muscle and Bone Tempering realm. His muscles and bones, strengthened through cultivation, had reached their limit.

From now on, even if he broke through to the Internal Organs realm, there wouldn't be a significant increase in his muscular and skeletal strength.

Unless he stumbled upon a great opportunity or obtained some miraculous elixir, it was unlikely that he could break this limit and further enhance his physique.

However, Lu Qing had already consumed the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, greatly enhancing his natural talent.

At present, his muscular and skeletal strength was probably several times stronger than that of an average cultivator at the pinnacle of the Muscle and Bone Tempering realm.

It was unlikely that he would be able to find an elixir rarer than the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid to help him break through his limits further.

The next step was to solidify his foundation and work towards breaking through to the Internal Organs realm.

While Lu Qing was pleased with his progress in the Muscle and Bone Tempering realm, he was even more delighted by another breakthrough.

Lu Qing picked up a green bamboo leaf and gazed at it quietly.

At this moment, what seemed like an ordinary leaf to others appeared extraordinary to him, especially the veins on its surface, which held a unique charm.

"I've finally made a breakthrough in this art of runes after practicing for so long."

Holding the bamboo leaf gently, Lu Qing smiled.

When he had reached the pinnacle of the Muscle and Bone Tempering realm, he had a moment of perfect clarity, and his understanding of runes, which had been stuck at a bottleneck for some time, quietly broke through, and he finally entered a new realm.

The three hundred mysterious runes in his mind now had a deeper meaning, and he could find corresponding patterns in the real world.

Ever since he obtained the legacy of the Divine Rune Sect, Lu Qing had been cultivating this art of runes for quite some time.

It could be said that this was the most challenging cultivation method among all the legacies he had acquired.

Even with the assistance of his abilities, it had taken him a long time to truly grasp the fundamentals.

During these days, he had observed all sorts of things around him—pots, pans, stones, leaves, flowers, weeds, gold, silver, and jewels.

Anything that he could see, he would try to observe with a calm and focused mind.

The more he observed, the deeper his understanding of the three hundred mysterious runes in the Rune Compendium in his mind became.

Gradually, a vague insight began to form in his heart, slowly accumulating.

However, this insight had reached a bottleneck not long ago, and he hadn't made any further progress.

Lu Qing could sense that he was just a step away from truly mastering the art of runes.

But that final step had eluded him.

The legacy left by the Divine Rune Sect only stated that this last step could only be taken through personal enlightenment.

The art of runes was ever-changing and contained the profound truths of the world.

Each cultivator of the art of runes had their unique insights and interpretations of the connection between runes and the world.

Being too fixated on the experiences of predecessors could hinder one's cultivation and impede future progress.

This was why Lu Qing had been stuck at this step for so long.

Now, as he broke through his martial arts realm and comprehended the changes in his qi, blood, muscles, and bones, he had a moment of enlightenment and truly opened the door to the art of runes.

"I've been too narrow-minded," Lu Qing thought. "The first instruction in the Divine Rune Sect's legacy was to regard all things in nature as teachers. I've only been observing external objects, forgetting that humans are also part of the natural world.

Life itself is the most miraculous and incomprehensible existence within all of creation.

Without understanding the mysteries of life, how can one create runes that possess a soul?"

Of course, creating runes with souls was an incredibly profound and divine ability that most rune cultivators could not hope to achieve.

Even in the legacy of the Divine Rune Sect, it was treated as an aspirational goal.

For Lu Qing, it was even more impossible to comprehend such profound mysteries.

He had merely gained a slight insight into the mysteries of his body's transformation during his breakthrough, which allowed him to enter the door to the art of runes.

He hadn't even mastered the most basic runes, let alone create soulful runes.

"However, now that I've entered the door to the art of runes, I can finally start cultivating that secret technique from the legacy."

Lu Qing's eyes glinted with excitement.

Among the legacies of the Divine Rune Sect, there was a special secret technique that allowed cultivators to cultivate their divine soul force even before reaching the pinnacle of the post-natal realm.

But this technique also had its cultivation requirements.

Chapter: Secret Technique of the Divine Rune Sect

There were two prerequisites for cultivating this secret technique.

First, the practitioner must have a strong physical foundation, at least at the Muscle and Bone Tempering realm, to withstand the pressure of tempering the divine soul.

Second, the practitioner must have already entered the door of rune mastery and possess a certain level of mental fortitude.

Even with these two conditions met, one would also need a rare treasure like the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid to protect the body during cultivation.

Thus, although the secret technique of the Godly Rune Sect could allow practitioners to cultivate their divine soul force in advance, the requirements for cultivation were equally demanding.

It was no less challenging than reaching the pinnacle of the Internal Organs realm.

Fortunately, Lu Qing now met all the conditions.

Seeing that it was still early in the day, Lu Qing decided to head into the mountains with Xiao Li.

Before long, the pair arrived at the valley where the Jade Transformation Cavern was located.

Looking at the lush and vibrant valley, Lu Qing's mind wandered in awe.

This was his first time returning to the valley since he had left.

When he had departed, he was still a Qi and Blood realm warrior.

Now, he had reached the pinnacle of the Muscle and Bone Tempering realm, and his strength had increased exponentially.

A large part of this rapid progress was due to the opportunity he had gained in the cavern.

Lu Qing paid a simple tribute at Li Weitian's tomb before heading into the mountain cave behind the waterfall with Xiao Li.

Inside the Jade Transformation Cavern, everything remained unchanged from when he had last seen it.

However, as Lu Qing gazed upon the runes inside the cavern, he felt a newfound sense of understanding.

The last time he had been here, he had not yet cultivated the art of runes, and while the runes on the cave walls had seemed mysterious, he couldn't decipher their secrets.

Now that he had entered the door of rune mastery, insights flooded his mind as he beheld the runes once more.

He felt a sense of awe, as if standing before an insurmountable peak.

The mysterious existence that had created this cavern truly possessed an unfathomable mastery of the art of runes.

Lu Qing stood before the cave wall for a long while, his understanding of the art of runes deepening with each passing moment.

It felt as if his feet were firmly planted in the door of the art of runes.

"I'll have to come back here more often to gain further insights," Lu Qing thought to himself.

He pushed open the hidden door and entered the secret chamber where Li Weitian had once sat in seclusion.

Everything inside remained as it was.

"Xiao Li, guard me while I cultivate. Don't let anyone disturb me," Lu Qing instructed Xiao Li.

The secret technique he was about to cultivate was risky, and distractions were to be avoided at all costs.

Although this cavern was located in a secluded area, making it highly unlikely for anyone to come by, Lu Qing still took the precaution of asking Xiao Li to stand guard and ensure his safety.

Seeing Xiao Li nodding earnestly, Lu Qing felt relieved and closed the door to the secret chamber.

He then sat down cross-legged on the stone bed where Li Weitian had once sat, slowly adjusting his breathing to optimize his physical state.

Soon, a jade bottle appeared in his hand—the same one he had taken from this place, containing the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid.

Without hesitation, Lu Qing poured a drop of the spirit liquid into his mouth.

As the liquid entered his body, it transformed into a vast and vibrant surge of energy.

Lu Qing wasted no time and immediately began to channel the secret technique, manipulating his qi and blood, directing them in a peculiar trajectory toward his mind via the brow chakra point between his eyebrows.

As the qi and blood rushed upward, Lu Qing's face quickly turned crimson, especially at the brow chakra point, as if blood was about to drip from it.

However, his expression remained calm, his powerful control ability governing the surging qi and blood force.

This was an extremely dangerous endeavor, as the brow chakra was a vital point in the human body that could not be easily damaged.

Thankfully, his sword art had reached the post-birth Mastery level, allowing him to grasp the delicate balance between hardness and softness, the subtle intricacies.

His control over his physical body was exceptional, enabling him to manipulate the qi and blood and refine his chakra point according to the secret technique's instructions.

As he refined the chakra point, the strange, vibrant energy transformed from the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid continuously flowed into the brow chakra, nourishing and fortifying this mysterious location.

Throughout this process, Lu Qing maintained meticulous control over the qi and blood, not daring to relax for a moment.

Despite his caution, he still made a mistake after a while.

The controlled flow of qi and blood deviated slightly, causing damage to the brow chakra, which nearly collapsed.

Fortunately, the strange energy transformed from the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid firmly protected the chakra point, preventing its collapse and swiftly repairing the damage, restoring it to its original state.

Sensing these changes, Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

Chapter: Awakening the Divine Soul Force

This was the dangerous aspect of this secret technique.

The human brain was extremely fragile, and even martial artists were no exception.

Even Inner Organ realm warriors dared not easily force their qi and blood toward their brains.

If the brain were to sustain any damage, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Mild consequences could result in paralysis or becoming a vegetable, while severe cases could even result in death.

Lu Qing would never have dared to cultivate this secret technique if he didn't have the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid in his possession.

With this experience, Lu Qing became more cautious as he refined the brow chakra point.

In this extremely focused state, Lu Qing's mental energy was quickly depleted.

However, he remained calm and patient, persevering through the process.

Before long, he felt the strange vitality energy within his body beginning to weaken.

Without hesitation, he opened the jade bottle and poured another drop of the spirit liquid into his mouth.

With this additional drop, his spirits lifted, and he continued to cultivate.

Thus, Lu Qing diligently followed the secret technique's mental techniques, directing his qi and blood to refine the chakra point.

Each time the energy from the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid weakened, he would pour another drop into his mouth.

After an unknown period, as Lu Qing consumed the fifth drop of spirit liquid and more than half of its energy had been expended, he finally sensed a subtle soundless sound emanating from his mind.

It was as if an egg had cracked open, and the brow chakra point had finally been opened.

With this breakthrough, Lu Qing felt as though the entire world had changed.

However, before he could fully comprehend this transformation, the remaining vitality energy within his body, along with all his qi and blood, surged into the brow chakra point.

A sense of weakness arose within Lu Qing, and he wasted no time in pouring three more drops of the spirit liquid into his mouth.

These three drops of Earth Vein Spirit Liquid quickly transformed into vital energy, replenishing Lu Qing's depleted body.

The rest of the energy continued to flow relentlessly into the brow chakra point.

It was unclear how such a tiny chakra point could accommodate so much energy.

With the continuous supply of vital energy, a peculiar force slowly took shape within Lu Qing's brow chakra point.

As this peculiar force emerged, Lu Qing's body trembled.

He intuitively merged his entire consciousness into the chakra point, fusing it with the peculiar force.

Then, with a boom, he fell into a strange state.

In a daze, an unknown amount of time passed before Lu Qing slowly opened his eyes, revealing an enlightened expression.

"So this is the divine soul force. It's truly miraculous," he murmured.

At that moment, a lively and peculiar divine soul force swirled gently at Lu Qing's brow chakra point.

Compared to the spacious brow chakra point, this thread of divine soul force seemed insignificant.

Yet, this single thread of divine soul force was cultivated with great difficulty and consumed a considerable amount of Earth Vein Spirit Liquid. It was indeed precious.

And this thread of divine soul force did not disappoint Lu Qing.

At that moment, the world he saw had transformed.

"Is this the heaven and earth primal energy that Master spoke of?" Lu Qing wondered.

Sensing the subtle flow of energy in the surrounding space, Lu Qing surmised that this was probably the heaven and earth primal energy his Master had mentioned.

However, his divine soul force was still weak, and he couldn't clearly sense these primal energies.

Moreover, as his physical body had not yet reached the post-natal perfection, his meridians were still blocked, preventing him from drawing in the primal energies and directly breaking through to the pre-natal stage.

Nevertheless, after cultivating the divine soul force, Lu Qing felt that the connection between his mind and body had strengthened significantly.

His control over his body had surpassed even that of an Inner Organ realm warrior.

With this improvement, he might advance to the Inner Organ realm sooner than expected.

Of course, these changes were secondary.

The truly important change that Lu Qing valued the most after cultivating the divine soul force was that he could finally begin his cultivation of the art of runes.

The first step in cultivating the art of runes was to calm the mind and sense the patterns in all things in the world, seeking the commonalities between the world's textures and the runes in the Rune Compendium, and finding the opportunity to gain entry.

Once entry was achieved, the second step was the actual cultivation of the runes.

And for this step, the divine soul force was indispensable.

Now, Lu Qing had finally met this requirement.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end