Chapter 161: Breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm

Chapter 161: Breakthrough to the Tongxuan Realm

After Xu Yan successfully split his true qi and comprehended its profound mysteries, he was not far from understanding the method to breakthrough to the Tongxuan realm.

At this moment, the cultivation method for the Tongxuan realm appeared in his mind, one by one—how to refine true yuan, how to harmonize with the heaven and earth's spiritual energy, and how to understand the profundity of heaven and earth.

Everything gradually became clear.

The complete and true cultivation method for the Tongxuan realm appeared in Xu Yan's mind, and the path to Tongxuan had been opened.

All he needed to do now was to break through to the pinnacle of the innate realm, and then he could breakthrough to the Tongxuan realm!

The third realm of martial arts, Tongxuan!

"So this is Tongxuan. I finally understand the method my master taught me for the Tongxuan realm."

Xu Yan was thrilled.

With this enlightenment, the door to the third realm of martial arts had been opened to him.

All he needed to do now was to take one step at a time, walk up to the door, and then step through it.

"I must break through to the pinnacle of the innate realm as soon as possible. Once I do that, I can breakthrough to the Tongxuan realm. With Tongxuan, even peak grandmasters will be easy to defeat!"

Xu Yan's heart stirred with excitement.

"It's time to go back."

Canglan Island had become his territory. After killing two grandmasters, no one dared to covet it anymore. Even a peak grandmaster would have to think twice before acting.

"I should also buy the rest of the spirit herbs on Shi Mei's list and bring them back to her. With these pills, my parents' cultivation will improve quickly.

"Especially for my grandfather. After all, he's getting on in years. With these pills to nourish him, he'll be able to steadily increase his strength."

Xu Yan was well aware that his parents and family couldn't stay in the borderlands forever. The inner realm was vast and abundant in resources, far surpassing the borderlands.

Only by improving their strength could they better protect themselves.

He couldn't stay by their side forever.

"As for Shi Mei's enemies, their influence is not small. I should also find a way to investigate them. They seem to attach great importance to Shi Mei and are determined to capture her."

Xu Yan pondered in his heart.

He had now formed a deep grudge with the black-robed man's faction.

Since they were now enemies, he naturally wanted to wipe them out completely! However, the black-robed man's faction was shrouded in mystery, and it wouldn't be easy to find out their whereabouts.

Of course, if Su Lingxiu came to the inner realm and revealed herself, they wouldn't need to go through the trouble of investigating. The black-robed man's faction would surely come to them.

In that case, they would need even greater strength to deal with them.

As for his master, Xu Yan never thought of relying on him to deal with the black-robed man. His master was an extraordinary person, and it would be beneath him to deal with such matters personally.

As his disciple, how could Xu Yan bring trouble to his master to resolve?

Xu Yan always dealt with his own problems. His master had come out of seclusion and entered the world because of him. He couldn't disturb his master's peace over such trivial matters!

"Wait until I enter the Tongxuan realm. No matter how many peak grandmasters come, I'll kill them all. Let's see how many peak grandmasters they have!"

Xu Yan coldly smiled in his heart.

Descending from the mountain peak, he said, "Xie Xiong, Hu Shan, let's go. We're leaving."

"Brother Xu's strength has improved again, hasn't it?" Xie Lingfeng said with emotion.

"It's not that easy," Xu Yan shook his head.

Hu Shan carried the box, and the three of them left Canglan Island.

After leaving the island, Xu Yan did not immediately return to the borderlands. Instead, he went to retrieve the spirit herbs he had stored in the Tianbao Pavilion and purchased all the spirit herbs on Su Lingxiu's list.

The amount of spirit herbs he bought was enormous, and it was likely that a small city's Tianbao Pavilion wouldn't be able to gather them all. So Xu Yan went to the Tianbao Pavilion in Lanping County to make his purchases.

The spirit herbs he had stored before were also in the Tianbao Pavilion of Lanping County.

There were two large bags of spirit herbs, one carried by Xu Yan and the other by Xie Lingfeng, making them look like they were carrying small hills on their backs.

"Spirit crystals are really hard to come by," Xu Yan sighed.

This trip had almost depleted all his spirit tickets, and he had only managed to buy two large bags of spirit herbs, completing Su Lingxiu's list.

He had bought several portions of each type of spirit herb.

Su Lingxiu's list mostly consisted of ninth and eighth-grade spirit herbs, with only a few seventh-grade ones, and none of the sixth-grade variety.

Perhaps when Su Lingxiu made this list, she had considered the rarity of sixth-grade spirit herbs and the difficulty in obtaining them, so she hadn't included any.

Even for the seventh-grade spirit herbs, she had only listed a few types.

It was also because the spirit herbs on the list were of lower grades that he had been able to buy so many. Otherwise, with his current wealth of spirit crystals, he wouldn't have been able to afford such a large quantity.

Hu Shan, who was carrying a large box, actually had the least amount of items among the three of them.

Both Xu Yan and Xie Lingfeng were carrying large packages that were taller than they were.

As they walked through the streets of Lanping County, they attracted quite a bit of attention, especially after leaving the Tianbao Pavilion. Anyone could tell that they had bought quite a few things.

"I have a feeling we're being watched," Hu Shan sighed.

Even the manager of the Tianbao Pavilion had asked Xu Yan if he wanted to leave through a side door to avoid attracting attention.

However, Xu Yan had declined and chosen to leave through the main entrance.

It would have been strange if they hadn't drawn attention.

"I hope the people watching us aren't poor," Xu Yan sighed.

Although they were carrying a large bag of spirit herbs, they didn't have to worry about it being damaged in combat as long as they weren't attacked by grandmaster-level enemies.

Ordinary Master warriors were as good as dead against them.

Hu Shan twitched his lips. He suspected that Xu Yan had just spent almost all his spirit tickets and was now so broke that he wanted to attract robbers so he could earn some spirit crystals back.

Not long after the three of them left Lanping County, Hu Shan released his Master-level aura, instantly intimidating many of those who had been secretly watching them. They quickly retreated and abandoned their plans.

This effectively filtered out anyone below the Master level.

Anyone who dared to rob them now would have to be a Master warrior.

"If anyone tries to rob us, just hand over the money pouches. There's no need to kill them since we're the ones who attracted them in the first place. I'm not a bloodthirsty person," Xu Yan said to Xie Lingfeng and Hu Shan.

Xie Lingfeng nodded to show that he understood.

Hu Shan rolled his eyes. "You really have principles."

Since ancient times, wealth has moved people's hearts. Not long after leaving the county town, a warrior blocked their path.

Moreover, there were six Master warriors.

They all wore masks, seemingly afraid of being recognized. They were probably well-known Master warriors in Lanping County.

"Master warriors are also so poor that they have to resort to robbery?" Xu Yan sighed.

"Brother Xu, we have too many spirit herbs on us. If they take them, they won't have to worry about their supply for the next decade or so. Not all Master warriors are rich," Xie Lingfeng said helplessly.

Perhaps it was because he had said that inner realm Master warriors were at the pinnacle and high above everyone else that Xu Yan had gotten the impression that all Master warriors were wealthy?

"Six against three. The odds are in our favor. You three should know what to do. Put down your things, and we won't make things difficult for you," said the blocking Master warrior in a deep voice.

And to think that the one carrying the large package was just a young man...

"Spare me, Sword God!"

They immediately knelt down.

They had actually tried to rob Xu Yan?

After getting the six money pouches, Xu Yan took a look and nodded, "Let's go. Remember, don't reveal my identity."

Xu Yan warned them.

"Yes, yes!"

The six Grandmasters left in a fluster.

As for whether they would leak Xu Yan's identity, that was definitely not going to happen. They wouldn't want to be a laughingstock by spreading the news of their failed robbery attempt on Sword God Xu Yan. It would be much better if others were also dragged into their misfortune, so the embarrassment wouldn't be solely theirs.

The six Grandmasters kept their mouths shut, never once mentioning their attempt to rob Xu Yan.

"How could I, a dignified Grandmaster, stoop so low as to rob someone on the road?"

Xu Yan and his companions encountered several more groups attempting to rob them, but after they left Lanping County, there were no more Grandmasters daring enough to try. After all, Grandmasters were a limited bunch.

And not all Grandmasters would resort to robbery, of course.

"Brother Xu, why did you buy so many spirit herbs?" Xie Lingfeng asked curiously.

Xu Yan seemed to have a particular fondness for spirit herbs, and his motivation for earning spirit crystals was largely driven by his desire to purchase these herbs.

"They're for my junior disciple sister to refine pills," Xu Yan replied without hiding the truth.

"Disciple sister?" Xie Lingfeng widened his eyes, surprised at the idea that their senior had taken on another disciple.

How envious!

"What's pill refining?" Xie Lingfeng asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Pills! It's something Master taught my junior disciple sister. You'll understand when you get there. Those pills are far superior to the ones in the Inner Realm," Xu Yan explained with a smile.

The three of them quickened their pace, and soon began to conceal their tracks to avoid being tracked. Passing through the mountains would bring them to the border wastelands.

...

Su Lingxiu devised a flow chart for pill refining, sketching it out on a piece of paper with each step clearly marked. The most crucial and challenging step in the entire process was the final one—condensing the pill.

"Master, what do you think?" Su Lingxiu asked as she unfolded the flow chart she had created and presented it to her master.

Li Xuan took a look and secretly admired his disciple's talent for pill refining; it was indeed extraordinarily brilliant. With just a little guidance, she had figured it out.

"No major issues. We can make adjustments as we go along if any problems arise during the actual operation," Li Xuan approved with a nod.

"Then I'll start preparing right away. I'll select talented individuals to learn the steps of pill refining," Su Lingxiu said excitedly.

It was imperative to get ready for their entry into the Inner Realm.

Pills were the foundation of the Evergreen Pavilion's success.

Su Lingxiu immediately notified Kou Ruozhi, instructing him to choose a group of people and prepare the necessary medicinal ingredients. Once she was free, she would teach the pill refining steps to the members of the Evergreen Pavilion.

With an abundance of spirit herbs, there would be no shortage of pills, and with the aid of these pills, their cultivation speed would naturally soar.

However, Su Lingxiu was a little troubled as she had not yet comprehended anything from the Eight Trigrams.

"I'll ask Big Brother when he returns," she thought to herself.

Su Lingxiu refined a batch of Golden Body Pills and made her way to the small peak outside the manor.

"Second Senior Brother, here's the Golden Body Pill," she said to Meng Chong.

Meng Chong took the pill and replied, "Junior Sister, we have enough pills for now. You don't need to refine any more Golden Body Pills. Focus more on your cultivation."

"But Second Senior Brother, pill refining is also a part of my cultivation," Su Lingxiu smiled and explained.

Meng Chong nodded in agreement. After all, Su Lingxiu was cultivating the Dao of Alchemy, and pill refining was indeed a part of her cultivation journey.

"Second Senior Brother, how long will it be before you break through?" Su Lingxiu asked curiously.

"It shouldn't be too far away," Meng Chong smiled faintly. He was currently using the Golden Body Pills to nourish his acupoints, striving to bring out their profound mysteries. Each acupoint should possess a unique trait, and he hadn't fully developed them yet.

One of his acupoints was being nourished with blade intent, building up a secret weapon that could unleash an attack surpassing his own limits in critical moments.

As usual, Li Xuan used his bamboo staff to stimulate the acupoints on Chi Cat's body, repeating the Great Demon's technique.

After listening to the explanation, Chi Cat would leave, appearing to ponder something as it lay at the entrance of the manor.

The waste pills refined from spirit herbs had an astonishing effect on Chi Cat, causing its body to grow larger once again. Shi Er had no choice but to replace the golden chain yet again.

Suddenly, a golden light appeared.

"Your disciple Xu Yan has slain another Grandmaster with his sword. Your experience in Sword Dao has increased, and your Silent Sword Intent has improved."

Li Xuan was taken aback. Had Xu Yan killed another Grandmaster?

"Your disciple Xu Yan has crushed a Grandmaster with a palm strike. Your experience with Dragon Subduing Palm has increased, and your Dragon's Might Intent has improved."

The golden light appeared again, delivering another message.

Li Xuan drew in a sharp breath. Had Xu Yan been ambushed?

"Could it be the faction of the black-robed man?" he wondered.

At this point, those ambushing Xu Yan could only be from either the black-robed man's faction or Fire Demon Lord's faction.

After a long while, there was still no feedback from the golden finger.

"Could it be that only two Grandmasters ambushed him?" Li Xuan shook his head, finding it hard to believe that two Grandmasters would dare to gang up on Xu Yan. They must have lost their minds.

"Xu Yan should be coming back soon, right?" Meng Chong had returned about a month ago.

The next day, as Li Xuan was about to guide Su Lingxiu in comprehending the Eight Trigrams, a golden light suddenly appeared.

"Your disciple Xu Yan has enlightened the Tongxuan Realm cultivation method you created. You've broken through to the Tongxuan Realm!"

Xu Yan had enlightened the Tongxuan Realm technique!

Boom! Li Xuan felt his body undergoing earth-shattering changes as his vast true qi transformed into true yuan.

His strength skyrocketed in that instant.

Moreover, he felt that with a single thought, his true yuan merged with the heaven and earth's spiritual energy, allowing him to manipulate it and unleash the might of the heavens!

He had broken through to the Tongxuan Realm!

His dantian and qi sea, once vast and boundless, had now transformed into an ocean. The immense true qi within had become true yuan, surging like waves in his dantian.

As he circulated his energy, it flowed like a river throughout his body.

"So this is the Tongxuan Realm. It's truly formidable!" Li Xuan marveled inwardly.

The martial art he had created was indeed powerful. Even at the third realm, it seemed capable of harnessing the mighty power of the heavens.

With a single thought, the heaven and earth's spiritual energy above the manor condensed into a sword, floating in the air. This sword contained a terrifying might, as if it embodied the power of the heavens.

"To comprehend the profound mysteries of heaven and earth, and to harness its mighty power—this is the Tongxuan Realm!"

Li Xuan revealed a delighted smile.

As he willed it, the spiritual energy he had manipulated dissipated, and the sky above the manor returned to its former tranquility, as if nothing had happened at all.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end