The cycle of one month training came to a close, and Hanyuan's aura had transformed once more. He sat in the center of his hut, his breathing so slow and deep that it barely ruffled the dust on the floor. He had reached the absolute Peak of the Qi Refining Realm.
The sunlight was warm and inviting as Hanyuan stepped outside, the brightness no longer stinging his eyes but fueling his vitality. He made his way to the cafeteria, his stomach demanding a heavy meal before the final, most dangerous trial began.
He approached the counter and ordered a hearty plate of Grounded Spirit Beast Meat with Smashed Mountain Potatoes. The meat was savory, seasoned with a spicy pepper that grew on the cliffs, and the potatoes were rich and buttery, providing the heavy nutrients his body required.
Hanyuan sat at a secluded table and was about to take his first bite when a shadow fell over his tray.
"I felt sorry for you sitting here all alone like a hermit, so I decided to join you," a voice said.
Hanyuan looked up to see Feng Yue. Her blue hair was tied back in an elegant braid, and her cerulean eyes were calm. She sat down across from him, placing her own meal on the wooden table.
Hanyuan smiled slightly. "I'm used to the silence, but company is welcome."
As they ate, the conversation flowed more naturally than their previous Fight. Hanyuan found himself genuinely interested in her background. He discovered that Feng Yue was the only daughter of the City Lord of Broken Sword City,a metropolis legendary for its Sword smithing and Techniques. Her father was rumored to be at the terrifying Soul Transformation Realm.
"He values me greatly," Feng Yue explained, her gaze softening as she stared at her tea. "But Broken Sword City is plagued by internal strife. Factions are fighting for control of the Ore mines, and the environment became too dangerous for a successor. He sent me here to the Mystic Sky Sect because he knew the name of the Sect would protect me while I grew strong enough to return."
Hanyuan told her about Spirit Springs City and the Bai Clan. He expected a girl from a City Lord's lineage to mock the small, remote nature of his hometown, but she surprised him.
"Spirit Springs..."she mused."I actually wish to visit it one day. It sounds much more peaceful than the forge fires and politics of my home."
The chat was the most pleasant social interaction Hanyuan had experienced on the isle. As the meal concluded, Hanyuan stood up and offered a polite nod.
"I won't be seeing you for a while," Hanyuan stated, his voice dropping into a tone of absolute determination. "I plan to break through to the Mortal Core Realm next month. I hope that by the time I emerge, you have also found your way to the Inner Sect."
Feng Yue snorted, a playful but sharp light returning to her eyes. "Hmph! If a madman like you can do it, I can certainly do it too! Don't think I'll let you stay a rank ahead of me for long."
Hanyuan chuckled and turned away, walking back toward the residential district. As he reached his stone hut, a smug, satisfied thought crossed his mind.
Technically, Outer Disciples are required to complete at least two missions every month, Hanyuan mused, his hand on the door latch. But if I lock myself in and only emerge as a Mortal Core expert, my status will instantly change. The rules of an Outer Disciple won't apply to an Inner Disciple, and nobody will dare to find fault with me. Truly, this is very smart of me.
He nodded to himself proudly, feeling quite clever for his loophole. He stepped inside and shut the door with a firm click.
He sat on his cushion and took out the Nine-Revolution Qi-Gathering Fruit and the Heart-Calming Incense. The playful mood from the cafeteria evaporated, replaced by a cold, iron clad focus.
"Mortal Core," Hanyuan whispered.
For one full month, Hanyuan did not touch the fruit. He spent every waking hour practicing the Nine Thunderbolt Spear and the Silver Frost Art without a single drop of Qi, refining his physical movements until his muscles could perform them even in his sleep. Only when his mind was as sharp as a razor and his body as steady as a mountain did he decide the time was right.
He sat cross legged on his meditation cushion, the scent of the Heart Calming Incense curling around him like a protective spirit. He reached for the golden Nine-Revolution Qi-Gathering Fruit. With one decisive movement, he bit into it.
It melted instantly, a liquid sweetness that felt like cool honey,but the moment it hit his stomach, the "coolness" turned into a tidal wave.
Suddenly, the world's Qi was screaming. The spiritual energy of the entire Cloud-Jade Isle began to rush toward Hanyuan's stone hut. It entered his body through every pore, every hair follicle. It felt as if ten thousand white hot needles were being driven into his flesh simultaneously.
I need to concentrate, Hanyuan snarled internally, his teeth gritting together so hard they threatened to shatter. One wrong move and my Dantian becomes a bomb. High risks, high rewards! If I overcome this, I skip eight months of bitter waiting!
The pressure was becoming unbearable. Blood began to seep from his pores, staining his fresh robes a gruesome crimson. His skin turned a fiery, angry red, and he could hear the faint, sickening crackle of his meridians reaching their breaking point under the sheer volume of energy.
In his Dantian, the Qi Vortex was spinning so fast it had become a blur.
"CONDENSE!" Hanyuan roared in the silent theater of his mind.
Using the mental clarity provided by the incense, he forced the raging cyclone to compress. At first, the resistance was like trying to squeeze a sun into a bottle. But slowly, a speck appeared at the center of the storm. It was a tiny solid grain, no larger than a piece of rice, shimmering with a dual colored light.
As more Qi was forced into it, the grain didn't just accept the power,it hungered for it. The rice sized core expanded, growing five times its size in a matter of seconds, turning into a polished, crystalline sphere that vibrated with the power of a thundercloud.
"BOOM!"
The stabilization of the core released an explosion of residual energy. A magnificent pillar of blue and violet Qi erupted from Hanyuan's chest, punching straight through the roof of the stone hut and soaring hundreds of feet into the sky. A terrifying, heavy pressure rippled outward, shaking the trees and causing the surrounding air to hum.
"Look at the sky!"
"Someone is breaking through to the Mortal Core Stage! Right here on the Isle!"
"Is it Feng Yue? She was nearing the threshold!"
The disciples in the plaza shielded their eyes from the brilliance.
"No, look at the color! Feng Yue uses Water Qi. That pillar is made of jagged lightning and heavy frost!"
"Wait... that's the hut of the third ranked disciple! Isn't that Bai Hanyuan?"
"He's only been here a little over a year... and he's so young! He's actually done it!"
Sou! Sou! Sou!
Three streaks of light descended from the high peaks, landing in the center of the residential plaza. Elder Su stood alongside the middle aged woman in violet and Elder Qi. They stared up at the pillar of light, their expressions a mix of awe and calculation.
"He finally broke through," Elder Su whispered, a small, genuine smile tugging at his lips.
Elder Qi stroked his goatee, his silver blue eyes misty with pride. He looked at the wreckage of the stone hut. "Thirteen years old and already at the Mortal Core stage. To my memory, the youngest genius our Sect ever recorded reaching the Mortal Core Stage was eleven. Our Hanyuan is standing among the Top few."
Inside the ruins of the hut, Hanyuan slowly opened his eyes.