Free Web NovelChapter 56: Chapter 56: Half a Year Later
Cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Stage generally encounter three barriers: when breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage, Late Stage, and Peak.
These hurdles, also called Cultivation Bottlenecks or Wall Barriers, can only be smoothly overcome when one’s Physique, Divine Soul, and Spiritual Power meet the conditions for advancement, and there is sufficient Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi available externally.
Otherwise, they have to find other methods.
For example, by using a Realm-breaking Elixir.
The effect of this elixir is to make one’s Spiritual Power purer or more active for a short period.
Furthermore, refining one’s Spiritual Power and strengthening one’s physical body and Divine Soul are also effective.
Some Cultivators choose to rely on epiphanies or life-and-death battles to break through. This is because, in such moments, the quality of their Divine Soul improves, or both their Spiritual Power and Divine Soul experience intense fluctuations.
The better one’s Spirit Root, the fewer bottlenecks they face. This is because a good Spirit Root means one’s Physique and Divine Soul have a higher affinity for Spiritual Power, and the Spiritual Power produced through Cultivation is also relatively purer.
Moreover, Cultivators with good Spirit Roots generally obtain better resources upon joining an Immortal Cultivation Influence.
For example, a better Cultivation Technique can affect one’s Spiritual Power and, to a certain extent, even their physical body and Divine Soul.
Therefore, the better the Cultivation Technique, the easier it is to break through.
Zhang Chi had an ordinary Spirit Root, but his Cultivation Technique and Divine Soul were perfectly fine. His Physique had also been strengthened by the Blood Flame and his Body Forging. Inside the Earth Fire Hall, he had no shortage of Spiritual Qi, making his breakthrough a natural success.
Moreover, he had long known this would happen, which was why he had sold the two Small Realm-Breaking Pills in advance.
Of course, when breaking through major Realms like Foundation Establishment or Core Formation, one’s Cultivation undergoes a special transformation, requiring many more conditions to be met. Merely having one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit at the required level is far from enough, which is why assistance from items like the Foundation Establishment Pill is necessary.
Furthermore, since encountering a Cultivation bottleneck simply means the conditions for advancement haven’t been met, it is not considered a negative status effect.
Otherwise, with the help of his Jade Pendant, Zhang Chi would have been able to directly ignore any Cultivation barrier.
—
At this moment, Zhang Chi absorbed the surging Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and quickly consolidated his Cultivation.
His physical body, Divine Soul, and Spiritual Power all received a huge boost during the breakthrough.
Reaching the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer also marked Zhang Chi’s official entry into the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.
The upper limit for his Divine Soul, from cultivating the White Bone Divine Forging Technique, could finally reach the Foundation Establishment Early Stage Realm.
Although he hadn’t cultivated the Divine Forging Technique for long enough for his Divine Soul to reach a hundred zhang, it was only a matter of time.
This breakthrough once again caused Zhang Chi’s sense of security to skyrocket.
With his current strength, he was definitely among the best of the Same Tier, and could even contend with an ordinary Qi Cultivation Peak cultivator.
If he truly couldn’t win a fight, he could still get away with the Blood Escape Technique.
’There’s always someone better out there. I’m still too weak. I can’t get arrogant. I have to keep working hard and reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible. Only then can I relax a little!’
After a brief period of rest and adaptation, Zhang Chi resumed his methodical Cultivation.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
Zhang Chi was still at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, but a breakthrough was just around the corner.
His Divine Thought, in particular, had reached a range of one hundred and three zhang, comparable to the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
Such a powerful Divine Thought was rare among those of the Same Tier and provided a massive boost to his Qi Cultivation, Body Refining, Swordsmanship, Magic, Alchemy...
Activating the Flood Dragon Snake Armor had also become much easier for him.
His Sword Control Technique and White Bone Divine Forging Technique were still at the Minor Success stage, but both had become more powerful.
The Four-legged Spirit Snakes had also grown to the peak of their power, comparable to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.
GULP!
At that moment, Zhang Chi swallowed a fingertip-sized, bright jade-like elixir, assumed a stance, and once again began practicing the Bright Jade Body Refining Technique.
Before long, his whole body was steaming, and his blood surged and roared like a great river.
CRACK CRACK CRACK...
After a long while, his body suddenly emitted a dazzling, jade-like radiance. A series of explosive cracks echoed from his bones and sinews as an invisible barrier seemed to shatter. His Body Forging Cultivation had finally reached Great Success.
’Good! I finally broke through before the assessment!’
A moment later, the light faded from Zhang Chi’s body. He carefully inspected his condition and couldn’t help but be in an excellent mood.
Now, his Body Refining strength was comparable to the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.
Not only had his figure become more sturdy and powerful, approaching perfection, but his physical defense and strength had also greatly increased. The speed of his Qi Cultivation and Divine Forging would also receive a greater boost.
Executing the Blood Escape Technique would also become easier and more sustainable.
Of course, this was largely thanks to the Body Refining Secret Medicine.
The most important Body Refining Secret Medicine recorded in the Bright Jade Body Refining Technique was called the Bright Jade Pill. This Pill was Tier One Middle Grade, and Zhang Chi had successfully refined it as early as five months ago.
The Bright Jade Pill was what Zhang Chi had just used.
During this period, Zhang Chi had also mastered two other Tier One Middle Grade Pill Formulas that came with his alchemy inheritance: the Gathering Essence Pill and the Violent Qi Pill.
The former could enhance one’s Cultivation and was roughly twice as effective as the Spirit-Storage Pill.
However, its price was five times that of the Spirit-Storage Pill.
The latter was a burst-type elixir.
Once consumed, it could unleash one’s potential for a short time, causing their Spiritual Power to become violent and thus temporarily increasing their strength.
However, using it came with the risk of cultivation deviation.
After use, it would also cause weakness and some internal damage.
Zhang Chi, however, could ignore these side effects, so he specifically refined some to carry with him at all times.
Being able to refine Tier One Middle Grade Elixirs also meant that Zhang Chi had become a Tier One Middle Grade Alchemist. freēwebnovel.com
Such a rate of progress would be considered monstrous even in the entire Cangwu Sect.
Therefore, Zhang Chi had always kept a low profile.
—
THUMP THUMP THUMP...
Three days later, early in the morning, Zhang Chi was about to head out for a lecture when the Disciple Token at his waist suddenly made a sound.
’Is it finally starting?’
Zhang Chi knew at once that the Sect was summoning its disciples.
It had been about a year since he joined the Cangwu Sect, and the Sect’s assessment was about to start.
The disciple recruitment event had been a lengthy affair, meaning some disciples had been with the Sect for less than a year, while others had been here for slightly more.
But the Sect clearly didn’t care about such details.
"Senior Brother Zhang, are you ready?"
Just then, Qin Susu, He Shi, and He Yan happened to arrive on their swords, their faces a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
All three of them were now at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer.
This might not have seemed like a huge gap compared to Zhang Chi, but in reality, they were not on the same level at all.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yi from Qin Susu’s small group had a poor Spirit Root and was a servant disciple; he was said to be only at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer. Even with help from Qin Susu and the others, he was merely on the verge of a breakthrough.
Of course, Zhang Chi’s public Cultivation was also at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer.
This was considered upper-middle-tier among the Outer Disciples of his year, but it didn’t stand out.
Furthermore, he was an Alchemy Master, so even while stationed at the Earth Fire Hall, this speed was considered reasonable.
However, many people weren’t optimistic about his future.
They all believed that Zhang Chi must have consumed a lot of elixirs, accumulating too much Pill Poison in his body, and that sooner or later his Cultivation would stagnate.
In fact, this was the case for many Alchemy Masters.
Unable to resist consuming excessive amounts of elixirs, they would improve quickly in the early stages, only to find it increasingly difficult later on.
Zhang Chi, of course, did not have this problem, but he was happy to let them have their misunderstanding.
—
"Let’s go have a look first. If I’m not mistaken, the Sect will definitely announce the content of the assessment first, then give us some time to make final preparations," Zhang Chi said.
"Makes sense!"
Qin Susu and the others agreed wholeheartedly.
Over the past year, they had all become quite familiar with one another.
Although Zhang Chi always kept a low profile and maintained his distance from their small group—viewing it as just a partnership—they were still willing to listen to his opinion on many matters.
The reason for this was that Zhang Chi possessed memories from two lifetimes, making him relatively calm and steady. With the Jade Pendant by his side, his mindset was also superior, allowing him to appear composed and at ease. This naturally made others feel reassured and willing to trust him.
Of course, his status as an Alchemy Master and the one who ranked first in the test of heart was also very important.
Going to the Inheritance Hall wasn’t much of a detour, which was why Qin Susu and the others often came this way to meet up with Zhang Chi.
SWOOSH...
Then, the four of them immediately flew toward the Sect Hall on their swords.
