Chapter 107: Not By Luck, Unstable Factors and Something Much Bigger

Yu Liang did not immediately leave the cave. Although his cultivation had already settled firmly at the Peak of Qi Condensation Realm, he sat down and continued circulating his cultivation technique, slowly refining the Semi Liquid Qi within his dantian.

Normally, after breaking through several stages in such a short period, a cultivator would need considerable time to stabilize their realm and eliminate the instability caused by rapid advancement.

But Yu Liang’s foundation was already incredibly solid. His body had been tempered to an extraordinary degree and his meridians had long since been strengthened by the Body Refinement techniques. There was no unstable aura or loose foundation to worry about. Still, his body had been under constant strain lately.

From the body cultivation and technique session on the ship to the recent cultivation breakthroughs, he had barely given himself any time to properly recover. So rather than rushing out things the moment his cultivation reached peak, Yu Liang decided to spend some time adjusting his body and allowing every bit of the newly acquired power to settle naturally.

As the hours passed, the faint fluctuations around him gradually disappeared. The Semi Liquid Qi within his dantian became increasingly calm, flowing smoothly through his meridians without the slightest obstruction.

Achieving Semi Liquid state, this was something that countless Qi Condensation cultivators could only dream of achieving. Gaseous Qi was easy to accumulate, but transforming it into a denser semi liquid form required an enormous amount of spiritual energy, an extremely strong foundation and meridians capable of enduring the immense pressure created during the compression.

Even among Peak Qi Condensation cultivators, only those with exceptional talent and access to high quality resources could accomplish it. Most cultivators would spend years slowly refining and compressing their Qi, carefully building it up bit by bit before attempting the transformation.

A single drop of semi liquid Qi contained a density of energy far beyond ordinary gaseous Qi, allowing a cultivator to store vastly more power within the same dantian. Yu Liang, however, had once again achieved something that might appear to be pure luck from the outside. After all, he had not deliberately set out to form semi liquid Qi, it had happened naturally while he was compressing his Qi to break through.

But luck alone could not explain it. The real reason was the terrifying quality of the resources he had been using from the beginning. Whenever Yu Liang cultivated, he had never settled for mediocre resources if something better was available to him. The Qi Gathering Pills, the Peak Grade Qi Condensation Pills, the Spirit Condensation Pill and the Tier 4 Spirit Gathering Array had all provided him with energy far purer and denser than what an ordinary cultivator could obtain.

More importantly, his Body Refinement foundation had given his meridians and dantian the strength necessary to withstand that overwhelming energy. Without that foundation, even the highest grade resources would have been useless or could have destroyed him instead. In the end, what looked like another stroke of incredible luck was actually the result of Yu Liang’s absurd combination of Top Tier resources and an equally extraordinary physical foundation.

One has to understand that the true liquification of Qi normally only begins after a cultivator stepps into the Foundation Establishment Realm. Only then would the vast amount of gaseous Qi within the dantian gradually transform into liquid Qi. Yet Yu Liang had already condensed his Qi into a semi liquid state while he was still at the Peak of Qi Condensation Realm. Just this alone was enough to show how extraordinary his foundation had become. Even before entering Foundation Establishment, the density of his Qi had already begun approaching a level that ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators could not even imagine.

Yu Liang slowly opened his eyes and stretched his body, feeling the immense strength coursing through him. The exhaustion that had accumulated over the past few days had also faded considerably. He had more than enough strength to protect himself now, and there was no longer any immediate need to force another breakthrough. However, this did not mean he had abandoned the idea of reaching Foundation Establishment.

On the contrary, the moment he felt the power of the Peak of Qi Condensation, he had already begun thinking about the next step. He has already thought of taking some time to properly prepare before attempting the Foundation Establishment Realm as it was far more sensible option.

Just like this, time passed slowly and Yu Liang continued using various mastered techniques as usual while giving his body enough rest time for the next few days. He would occasionally leave his cave to take a walk around the sect and clear his mind. It was during one such walk that he passed by a group of outer disciples gathered near a pavilion.

"Have you heard? Another group of Passion Sect disciples was found near our territory."

"Yeah. But apparently, they managed to escape again."

"Escape? How? Didn’t the elders send people after them?"

"They did, but killing them isn’t as easy as it sounds. The Passion Sect disciples have become extremely cautious. They rarely travel alone now and whenever something happens, they immediately retreat toward their own territory."

A disciple clicked his tongue. "Damn it! A few weeks ago, everyone was talking about wiping them out. Now we’re having trouble even catching them."

"I heard the sects are negotiating."

"Negotiating?" Another disciple immediately frowned. "Why are we negotiating with them? They are one who did it in the first place."

"Lower your voice," someone hurriedly warned. "The elders must have their reasons. If this turns into a full scale war between the two sects, neither side will come out unscathed."

"But we’re already fighting!"

"Skirmishes aren’t the same as an all out war. Right now, they’re trying to prevent things from getting worse."

Another disciple who had been quietly listening finally spoke. "I heard the negotiations aren’t only about the Passion Sect either. Several other demonic factions have started moving."

"What do you mean?"

"Small groups have been appearing around the borders. Sometimes they’re pretending to be merchants or rogue cultivators. Other times, they’re openly provoking our disciples and disappearing before the elders can catch them."

"That’s probably just opportunistic factions trying to take advantage of the situation."

"Maybe. But I’ve also heard some of them are secretly supplying for the Passion Sect."

The group fell silent for a moment.

"Are you saying the other demonic sects are getting involved too?"

"Not officially. That’s the problem. Some are doing it openly, while others are working through.... Various routes you can say. A few factions have even started stirring up conflicts between smaller sects."

"Then why aren’t the elders doing anything?"

"They are. But how do you punish someone when you can’t prove they were involved?"

A bitter laugh came from the side.

"So while we’re negotiating with the Passion Sect, everyone else is quietly making things worse?"

"That’s what it looks like."

"Then this negotiation better not drag on for too long."

Yu Liang slowed his steps slightly as he listened.

Another disciple lowered his voice. "I heard Elders has been warning people to be careful. Apparently, the situation outside the sect is becoming much more complicated than it looks."

"Elders are doing that? Then things must be really serious."

After litening to those fellow disciples he knew the situation was clearly changing as it have various unstable factors.

What had originally seemed like a conflict between two sects was gradually becoming something much larger, as for what is it, only time will tell.