Chapter 388 - 378: Breakthrough—Fifth Realm

Chapter 388: Chapter 378: Breakthrough—Fifth Realm

Every corner of his skeleton had been honed to a razor’s edge. The Refinement of his bones was in its final stage.

All that remained were the most subtle changes to his skull.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Golden Edge Power, his own Power, and Source Energy fused into a unique force. Together with the effects of the Tiger Bone Pill, it began refining him from the inside out.

WHOOSH...

Lin Qi’s face was flushed red as his body radiated an astonishing amount of heat. His skin was scorching, and a tingling numbness spread from the very depths of his bones.

DRIP! DRIP!

Sweat poured off him like rain. Under ten times gravity, each drop was instantly flattened and splattered as it hit the floor.

「An hour later.」

The intense focus of his Cultivation left Lin Qi feeling heavy and exhausted.

But the Refinement of his bones had reached its most critical moment. With Golden Edge Power taking the lead, guided by his Spiritual Power, the force entered his skull.

It began an even more meticulous Refinement, reaching every single corner.

BOOM!

An unknown amount of time passed.

Lin Qi’s body shuddered as the buzzing in his brain suddenly ceased.

He straightened his posture, and an even greater roar erupted from within his body.

The sound was like a tiger’s roar, as if his very skeleton had transformed into a Ninth-Level Calamity Beast—a Platinum Evil Tiger.

From head to toe, every inch of his skeleton had completed its Refinement. His entire skeletal structure transformed in that instant.

An intangible Evil Qi surged from within his bones, and he could feel them growing heavier.

He had successfully forged the Slaughter Tiger Bone, completing the construction of his Foundation.

In that moment, Lin Qi could clearly feel it whenever he clenched his fist—a solid, profound sensation transmitted from the very marrow of his bones.

Power channeled out through his bones.

With the successful forging of the Slaughter Tiger Bone, he had also successfully laid a profound Foundation.

According to the *Platinum Evil Tiger Evolution Method*, if one wished to break through to the Ninth Realm and become a Title Level Martial Artist, one must lay a profound Foundation in every single Realm.

In the Fourth Realm, one must succeed in Bone Casting.

Without successful Bone Casting, breaking through to a High Realm in the future would be exceptionally difficult.

Only by laying a deep Foundation in each Realm could one have a more expansive future.

BUZZ!

Under ten times gravity, Lin Qi didn’t stop throwing punches, cycling from Breaking Sky to Thousand Shadows, Earth Splitting, Body Protection, and finally, Unity.

Now, with his Bone Casting complete, his body was undergoing another change.

His bones began to vibrate violently, and a ceaseless tide of Power surged forth like a vast lake.

All the Source Energy latent within his body was jolted out, and his cells began to frantically absorb the Source Energy Particles.

He felt his entire body surge with Power as he continued to execute Vajra Fist.

His Power continued to fuse with the Golden Edge Power, with his Spiritual Power guiding them.

In that instant, he felt his mastery over Golden Edge Power rise to a new level.

Though his body was still exhausted, a continuous stream of Power supported him, allowing him to keep performing Vajra Fist.

A gentle warmth began to radiate from his Inner Organs.

This was because the Refinement of his bones was complete. Next was Refining Inner Organs.

He had successfully broken through from the Fourth Realm of Bone Cultivation to the Fifth Realm of Refining Inner Organs.

「Half an hour later.」

"ROAR!"

Lin Qi let out a fierce shout as Golden Light burst from his body. With a shudder, the immense gravity weighing him down slowly dissipated.

[You have consumed a Tiger Bone Pill. Under 10x extreme gravity, you completed the Refinement of your skeleton and successfully forged the Slaughter Tiger Bone.]

[You have successfully broken through from the Fourth Realm of Bone Cultivation to the Fifth Realm of Refining Inner Organs. Your Qi and Blood Value has increased significantly. Qi and Blood Value +20.1]

[Under 10x extreme gravity, by practicing Vajra Fist, your mastery of the Special Ability [Jin Feng] has advanced. Vajra Fist has reached the Minor Achievement stage.]

[Qi and Blood Value: 399.9 → 420]

...

"Phew..."

Lin Qi let out a long, deep breath, a smile spreading across his face as he looked at the breakthrough data on his status panel.

He had broken through to the Fourth Realm on March 1st. Now, on August 1st, he had reached the Fifth Realm.

Exactly five months. His breakthrough speed was even faster than he had imagined.

He was now a Fifth Realm Martial Artist of Refining Inner Organs. Though Lin Qi felt mentally and physically drained, an intense confidence surged from his very bones.

It felt as if no hardship could defeat him, as if no one could break his spine.

GLUG, GLUG...

He chugged five energy drinks in a row, feeling an intense hunger. The toll of training in the high-gravity environment had been immense.

...

「Half an hour later, inside Villa 01 of the Azure Sky Sixth Institute.」

Lin Qi opened the white meal box in front of him and took out a Level 5 Nutritional Meal.

He opened the container, revealing the meal inside. The vegetables were grown in the Otherworld, where they absorbed ample Source Energy.

The rice was also specially cultivated.

As for the chunks of meat, they came from a Fifth-Level Calamity Beast.

Lin Qi dug in with gusto. With Top Level ingredients, even an average chef couldn’t make it taste bad.

Besides, the institute’s chefs were anything but average.

After finishing the Level 5 Nutritional Meal and resting for a moment, he entered the Martial Arts Room again to begin his Source Energy Cultivation.

Sitting cross-legged, he assumed the Five Hearts Facing Heaven Technique pose and quickly entered a state of Meditation. In his mind, he began the visualization of the Ninth-Level Calamity Beast, the Platinum Evil Tiger.

"ROAR!"

As the majestic, enormous Platinum Evil Tiger let out a roar, the Source Energy Particles within the Martial Arts Room awakened and swarmed toward him.

WHOOSH...

His entire body felt warm, but soon a deep chill spread over every inch of his skin as Source Energy poured ceaselessly into his body through his pores.

His starving cells began to frantically devour the Source Energy. They divided, and his muscles, Great Tendons, skin, bones, Inner Organs, and every other part of him began an invisible metamorphosis.

Even though his muscles and Great Tendons had already been refined, every promotion to a new Realm would drive them to become even stronger.

Just as the Refinement of his skeleton was now complete, this was only the end of the first phase. In the future, he could continue to absorb Source Energy to optimize his genes.

His bones would become even harder, and because he had forged the Slaughter Tiger Bone, his strength would become even greater.

Between two people with the same physical Talent, if one succeeded at Bone Casting and the other failed...

... a huge gap in their future physical constitution would form.

By laying a solid Foundation in each Realm, the advantage would snowball, growing ever larger.

With Bone Casting complete, the next step was to train the Inner Organs, also known as the five zang and Six Viscera.

He guided vast amounts of Source Energy into his Inner Organs, feeling his organs constantly transforming and their functions steadily strengthening.

This feeling of growing stronger was incredibly satisfying.

’Is every part of my body undergoing a frantic transformation?’

「Two hours later.」

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A fierce wind blasted outward with him at the center. Lin Qi’s eyes snapped open, releasing a palpable Evil Qi and an intense Sharpness.

[You have completed your Source Energy Cultivation. Your body has undergone a metamorphosis. Qi and Blood Value +8]

[Qi and Blood Value: 420 → 428]

...

Lin Qi slowly rose to his feet. He could feel the Qi Blood within him, dense and steady, flowing rapidly to every corner of his body as Power welled up ceaselessly.

’I’m in the Fifth Realm now, too. The gap between me and Chu Yu has narrowed even further.’

Lin Qi clenched his fists. ’At this rate of Cultivation, it won’t be more than a few months before I catch up to him.’

...

「The next day.」

At the Azure Sky Sixth Institute’s Cangjing Building, Wang Zixuan, a tall woman with a powerful build and striking features, rode the elevator to the top-floor Martial Arts Room.

Her steps were light, like a graceful deer.

She clenched her fists, feeling the Power welling within her, and her mood was bright.

Because just yesterday, she had successfully broken through from the Fourth Realm to the Fifth Realm.

For a non-S-class genius to break through right at the start of her senior year, her speed was already considered incredibly fast.

Although she couldn’t compare to the S-class genius, her Eldest Martial Brother Liang Tai, she was already satisfied.

And the one who had spurred her on was her Junior Martial Brother, Lin Qi.

As his Senior Martial Sister, she felt incredibly proud, but also under immense pressure.

Her Combat Power was already no match for his. If he surpassed her in Realm as well, it would be more than a little embarrassing.

Soon, she entered the Martial Arts Room and changed into her Martial Arts Uniform. By then, Liang Tai, Li Qing, and her Junior Martial Brother Lin Qi had also arrived.

Their teacher, Mu Hong, still dressed in black, took a Long Spear from its case and asked:

"Class is starting!"

"Does anyone have any questions?"

At that, Wang Zixuan stepped forward and announced loudly,

"I’ve broken through to the Fifth Realm of Refining Inner Organs. I need your guidance, Teacher."

Her Eldest Martial Brother, the powerfully built Liang Tai, said with a smile,

"Zi Xuan, congratulations on the breakthrough. At this speed, you’re not far off an S-class genius."

The handsome Li Qing smiled. "Congratulations on the breakthrough, Senior Sister."

Mu Hong also nodded in approval.

Wang Zixuan was overjoyed.

"Congratulations, Second Senior Sister. It seems to be a day for double celebration. I’ve also broken through to the Fifth Realm."

Just then, Lin Qi spoke up from the side with a smile.

Wang Zixuan’s smile froze on her face. Li Qing’s eyes went wide as he stared at Lin Qi.

"Junior Brother, you broke through too?"

"It’s only been five months, hasn’t it?"

Liang Tai was stunned, and Mu Hong was inwardly shocked.

The air fell silent. Wang Zixuan’s heart sank. ’So I’ve been surpassed in Realm, too.’

Their teacher, Mu Hong, spoke up.

"This is a good thing. The faster you break through, the greater your future potential."

Li Qing and Liang Tai looked at Lin Qi, at a loss for words.

This Junior Martial Brother of theirs was simply too astonishing; he made them feel like useless failures in comparison.

Mu Hong let out a breath, his own surprise was immense.

Even for an SS-level genius, a breakthrough at the start of their sophomore year was exceedingly rare—practically unheard of.

This was the Cultivation speed of an SSS-level genius.

’This disciple of mine,’ he thought, ’is truly worthy of his reputation as a genius praised by the headmaster himself, the man known as the Celestial Blade.’

He collected his thoughts and looked at the four of them.

"Since both of you, Zi Xuan and Lin Qi, have broken through..."

"...I will explain the next stage of your Cultivation today."

Lin Qi’s ears perked up. Fourth Realm Bone Cultivation, Fifth Realm Refining Inner Organs... the key points for each Realm were different.

It wasn’t something one could master just by reading the Evolution Technique.

Mu Hong began to speak slowly.

"The Martial Arts Nine Realms represent nine great shackles."

"Each Realm is a world unto itself, and each is different!"

"The First Realm is Muscle Training, the Second Realm is Muscle Training, the Third Realm is Skin Refining, and the Fourth Realm is Bone Cultivation."

"According to Martial Arts research, after Bone Cultivation is complete, the most suitable next step is Refining Inner Organs."

"The Fifth Realm of Refining Inner Organs trains our Inner Organs—what we call the five zang and Six Viscera. The five zang are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys."

"The Six Viscera are the small intestine, gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, bladder, and Triple Burner."

"Each of these organs has a different function, and all are indispensable to the human body."

"If certain organs are highly functional, it provides benefits in the path of Martial Arts."

Mu Hong explained, projecting a diagram of the human body to illustrate his points.

"For example, the stomach. If your digestive ability is good, you can better absorb nutrients from food and Potions."

"Or take the kidneys; strong kidneys make a person energetic. Someone with a strong heart and lungs will have great endurance and an astonishing grip..."

Lin Qi nodded. His first Talent was Stomach Enhancement, which gave him superior digestive abilities.

As for his Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness, he guessed it meant his kidneys, heart, lungs, and other organs were far superior to those of other people.

Mu Hong puffed out his cheeks, took a deep breath, and then exhaled sharply.

A powerful gust of wind blew from his mouth.

WHOOSH!!

The fierce gale blasted in front of the students.

The students were shocked. Although their own cardiopulmonary functions had been continuously strengthened to the point where they could blow a light breeze, they were nowhere near capable of producing a gale like Mu Hong.

Mu Hong waved his hand, and the gale dissipated. He continued,

"In the Fifth Realm of Refining Inner Organs, the powerful Inner Organs form a cycle that drives the entire body. Your breathing becomes continuous and deep, and your stamina becomes immense."

"Your physical constitution improves dramatically, and your endurance skyrockets, allowing you to sustain high-intensity combat for long periods."

"On the battlefield, in particular, the difference in stamina between a Fourth Realm Martial Artist and a Fifth Realm Martial Artist is enormous."

Their teacher, Mu Hong, then raised his brawny right arm.

"Furthermore, your ability to control Power will also increase dramatically."

With that, he instantly exerted his Power!

...