Chapter 50: Breaking Through

Chapter 50: Breaking Through

On a warm spring afternoon, the sun shone brightly, and birds occasionally flew by.

The food and drinks at the training ground were mediocre, and Nie Yanian noticed that everyone, except for the castrator, seemed uncomfortable with his presence. He decided not to stay longer.

"Let's take a break today. Tomorrow, practice hard, and if you have any questions, ask Scholar Meng!" Nie Yanian stood up and left.

Meng Yuan immediately followed him out and caught up, saying, "Is Scholar Nie leaving already?"

"Alas, what can I do?" Nie Yanian sighed, "I'm so poor I can't even afford food. The warriors are threatening to disband, and I have to deal with it."

You haven't even borrowed money yet, and you're already complaining about poverty? Who just said money is worthless?

Meng Yuan followed the conversation, saying, "Since Scholar Nie has many external matters to attend to, I'll put more effort into the training ground. But I know too little; I only have the Gale Blade Technique. If Scholar Nie doesn't teach me more, how can I teach Iron Ox and the others? People will say that Scholar Nie only cares about business and neglects the training ground's affairs."

"Don't worry about it for now," Nie Yanian patted Meng Yuan's shoulder, "Wait until you reach the Eighth Rank, and after meeting the Empress Dowager, we'll talk."

After finishing their conversation, Nie Yanian quickly left, as if afraid that Meng Yuan would ask to borrow money.

"It's like I'm only truly hers after meeting the Empress Dowager, and she'll stamp my buttocks?"

Meng Yuan muttered to himself, then remembered Scholar Nie's words about the Empress Dowager being a divine figure, and he couldn't help but yearn for her, "Independent and solitary, captivating the city and the nation."

"Brother, are you thinking of Auntie again?" Iron Ox noticed Meng Yuan standing like the prince, with one hand behind his back and the other in front, as if about to recite a poem. He grabbed Meng Yuan's arm and shook it vigorously, "Everyone is waiting to toast you!"

"A toast?" Meng Yuan frowned and spoke in Scholar Nie's tone, "You haven't mastered the good things, but you've learned a bunch of rubbish!"

When they returned to the dining hall, everyone was indeed not touching their chopsticks, all eyes on Meng Yuan.

The look in their eyes had already changed.

Previously, Meng Yuan had taken the lead in entering the ranks, managing the training ground affairs. Everyone respected him because he was the most diligent in practice, contributed the most, fought the hardest, and acted fairly.

However, people fear comparisons. After Ren Debiao entered the Eighth Rank, he caused a stir, and many received his guidance, feeling that their perspectives had expanded.

Meng Yuan had never told them how many acupoints he had opened, and he often returned with a hint of alcohol, leading many to believe that his entry into the ranks was merely luck. They whispered behind his back.

But today, they learned that Meng Yuan had not only captured a demon outside but also killed one.

Moreover, he defeated Ren Debiao, an Eighth Rank warrior, with his Ninth Rank skills, and it was not a narrow victory or a victory of wit, but a demonstration of true skill.

And that's not all; after injuring someone, Scholar Nie personally sent him back, treating him with care.

"Brother Meng!" Wu Changsheng raised his wine bowl, and Hu Qian also raised her wine bowl.

The rest of the group immediately followed suit.

Meng Yuan picked up the wine bowl and took a sip, saying, "I hope everyone will diligently practice, cultivate their willpower, and protect the Empress Dowager."

Hu Qian silently watched as Meng Yuan took a sip. She saw him about to shout a slogan of loyalty but hesitated and touched Jiang Tang's money pouch, seemingly worried about compensating for the wine bowl. In the end, he managed to restrain himself.

"Even loyal people can be trapped by material possessions!" Hu Qian sighed in her heart, and she remembered her theory of castration, where she truly understands the connection between money and power.

"Office Slut."

Meng Yuan drank consecutively and was then surrounded by Wu Changsheng and others, who asked him to share his experience fighting the White and Black Sheep Demons. Finally, they dispersed.

Upon returning home, no one was there.

Jiang Tang had left a note in the kitchen.

"You're getting too free.

Meng Yuan spoke these words, but he still devoured the remaining food and dishes.

He silently pondered, and the Vital Energy was still as small as a soybean, only slightly larger.

"At this growth rate, even if I consume two to three pounds of meat daily, it will likely take half a year or even longer!"

"The Vital Energy has already tempered the body twice, and its effectiveness increases with each session. Now, my muscles and flesh are far superior to those of the same rank, and even stronger than those of the Eighth Rank."

"However, nurturing the Vital Energy is becoming increasingly challenging."

"It seems that eating meat is ultimately a minor path. To rapidly nurture the Vital Energy, I must find Green Fruit."

"I need to have a chat with Nie Shi and inquire about the matter of spiritual herbs and treasure medicines. But before that, breaking through the mirror and entering the Eighth Rank is the most crucial step."

After sitting quietly for a while and slightly sobering up from the wine, Meng Yuan practiced the Staking Post Cultivation Technique several times.

The thirty-three acupoints throughout his body stirred, and True Energy filled his Dantian.

Meng Yuan drew his sword and began practicing the Gale Blade Technique.

Following Nie Shi's instructions, as he performed the Gale Blade Technique, he circulated True Energy through the Lower Thirty-Three Heavens. At that moment, he could sense the response from the Middle Thirty-Three Heavens.

Of course, other methods could also be used, such as fist and sword techniques. The key was to combine them with the corresponding True Energy circulation techniques, allowing the external display of variations in moves and the internal circulation of True Energy. Through this, he could discover the location of the Middle Thirty-Three Heavens.

This was not something that could be achieved overnight; it required diligent and arduous practice, and his mental state had to remain calm.

However, Meng Yuan had already tempered his body twice, and the Vital Energy had deeply probed the Lower Thirty-Three Heavens, already stirring the Middle Thirty-Three Heavens.

This time, among the thirty-three acupoints, there were signs of loosening.

Meng Yuan calmly practiced the Gale Blade Technique, and he felt responses throughout his entire body.

After practicing it twice more, Meng Yuan returned to his room, sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind, setting aside all distractions. He breathed slowly.

The True Energy that filled his Dantian slowly circulated, and he did not search for the places where it had imprinted and carved. Instead, like flowing water, it passed through a wide river channel and reached the Crown Chakra, which was the first gate of the Lower Thirty-Three Heavens that Meng Yuan had opened.

Through this acupoint, the True Energy slowly surged upward by an inch, but he felt an obstruction.

This was the Mud Pill, known as the Nine Palaces Cinnabar Palace in Daoist terminology, located nearby but not at the same spot.

The first step to entering the Eighth Rank was to break through the Mud Pill.

Meng Yuan always kept Nie Shi's words in mind. The Middle Thirty-Three Heavens resided within the body, and when opening the acupoints, it was easiest to damage oneself. Therefore, he dared not forcefully break through but slowly approached with True Energy.

After lingering outside for a while, he slowly retracted the True Energy without forcing his way in.

After a brief rest, Meng Yuan circulated his True Energy to gently erode the blocked area.

He didn't know how long had passed when the blockage gradually loosened. Suddenly, Meng Yuan felt a thunderous roar in his mind, like the sound of a deep-toned bell.

Subsequently, his skin, flesh, muscles, and internal organs trembled incessantly, as if a giant object within was about to break free from his body.

With the Mud Pill now open, Meng Yuan stepped into the Eighth Rank.

This sensation was incredibly wondrous, and Meng Yuan even felt as if his body could contain all the myriad things in the world, yet he lacked the corresponding method to manifest it externally.

"Nie Shi said that to open the inner treasure, one must obtain the Celestial Map Technique. Is this the inner treasure? How do I unlock it? Can I glimpse the Celestial Map Technique upon entering the Eighth Rank?"

As Meng Yuan pondered these thoughts, he suddenly sensed a faint breath nearby and opened his eyes.

Jiang Tang was sitting by the bed, holding a handkerchief and staring at him with wide eyes, only a foot away.

The faint candlelight in the room and the moonlight outside the window indicated that it was already late at night.

"Are you hungry? Dinner has been kept warm." Jiang Tang used the handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Meng Yuan's face.

On this spring night, her voice was soft and gentle, like a soothing melody.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end