Chapter 156 - 154: Beyond the Limit

Chapter 156: Chapter 154: Beyond the Limit

This trace of Primordial Qi was extremely minuscule, so small it was almost negligible.

In terms of sheer growth in Inner Strength, he could feel almost no improvement.

But Chen Yue’s Heart Spirit perception was incredibly sharp. He clearly captured that subtle, almost imperceptible change.

His Inner Strength had become more active.

This new activity made his Inner Strength flow more smoothly and harmoniously when circulating, greatly reducing the friction against his meridians.

The change in his Power of Heart and Spirit, however, was more obvious.

That trace of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi had a unique nourishing effect on his Heart Spirit.

The fact that Chen Yue felt refreshed and clear-headed after performing two sets of the Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell’s fist forms was clear proof.

It was an enhancement that originated from the depths of his spirit. He could feel his Power of Heart and Spirit growing more condensed, and the acuity of his perception had faintly increased.

’To cross the threshold of the Innate Realm, the transformation of the Heart Spirit seems to be the first step!’ Chen Yue’s eyes flickered.

’Even setting aside such a distant goal, just being able to elevate my control over my Power of Heart and Spirit will allow me to be bolder when using the Heart-Burning Record.’

Previously, whenever he used the Heart-Burning Record, he only dared to burn a tiny amount of his Power of Heart and Spirit to ensure his safety.

If his Power of Heart and Spirit could be further strengthened and condensed, then he could raise this safety margin.

The direct result of this would be another boost to Chen Yue’s daily cultivation progress, which would, in turn, further shorten the time needed to break through to the Refining Organ Realm.

A smile couldn’t help but touch Chen Yue’s lips at the thought.

Chen Yue stood up, walked back to the center of the Quiet Chamber, and once again assumed the opening stance of the Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell.

Nourished by this Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, he felt he could even reduce his sleeping time without it affecting his Essence, Qi, and Spirit during the day.

’In that case, I’ll make full use of the night as well.’

Inside the Quiet Chamber, Chen Yue’s figure began to move slowly once more.

Fist intent condensed and Qi Blood surged as the intangible Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in the air silently gathered and merged into his body.

At dawn the next day, the first light of morning pierced through a veil of mountain mist that shrouded the scattered halls and medicinal fields of Dan Peak.

Chen Yue trod on the morning dew, following the familiar bluestone path toward the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

His steps were steady and his aura was restrained, showing no trace of the great battle he had just experienced yesterday.

But as he stepped through the open, vermilion-lacquered gates of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, the originally noisy hall instantly fell silent.

One by one, gazes involuntarily focused on him.

Those looks contained awe, curiosity, and a complex, unconcealable astonishment.

The disciples of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion usually dealt with Pill Furnaces and medicinal ingredients. While not unfamiliar with the struggles of the Martial Dao, they weren’t particularly passionate about them either.

But the commotion from yesterday’s battle in Panshi Lane had been too great. News of it had already spread throughout the entire Inner Sect, and Dan Peak was naturally no exception.

To face Cheng Fengjun—who had just broken through to the Refining Organ Realm—head-on while still in the Marrow Refining Realm, and beat him to within an inch of his life... such a feat was enough to leave anyone dumbfounded.

What’s more, the protagonist who had achieved this feat was one of their own from Dan Peak.

Chen Yue seemed oblivious to the focused gazes, calmly walking up to Zhao Weiyuan and cupping his fist in salute before proceeding to the counter for exchanging medicinal ingredients.

Seeing him, the On-Duty Disciple quickly put down his work, his attitude several degrees more respectful than before. "Senior Brother Chen, good morning! Are you here to refine Nourishing Spirit Yang Pills again today?"

Chen Yue nodded. "Yes, I’ll trouble you for two sets of ingredients for the Nourishing Spirit Yang Pill."

"Right away!"

The disciple swiftly prepared the ingredients and presented them with both hands. Chen Yue took them, gave them a quick inspection, and without another word, turned and walked toward his usual Pill Furnace.

"You know, Senior Brother Chen doesn’t look that special. How did he beat Cheng Fengjun so badly?"

"Nonsense! Do you think a true expert would look ’special’? That’s called returning to a state of simplicity! Didn’t you see the way he walks? Steady as a mountain. You can tell at a glance that his foundation is incredibly solid!"

"I heard Cheng Fengjun was seriously injured. His right arm was nearly crippled, seven or eight of his ribs were broken, and his internal organs were concussed. He won’t be back to normal for at least a year or a year and a half."

"Tsk, tsk!"

Amidst the quiet discussions, Chen Yue had already arrived at his Pill Furnace.

He skillfully lit the fire, warmed the furnace, and processed the ingredients. His movements were as smooth as flowing water. To him, the discussions and gazes of the outside world were nothing but a passing breeze, unable to cause the slightest ripple.

About an hour later, Chen Yue extinguished the fire and opened the furnace.

Two batches of Nourishing Spirit Yang Pills, each yielding two pills for a total of four.

The pill’s fragrance was rich, its color was warm and lustrous, and its quality was top-grade.

Chen Yue placed the four Elixirs into a Jade Bottle, but instead of exchanging them for Contribution Points as usual, he also redeemed five Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pills.

Chen Yue didn’t linger. Ignoring the gazes that were still fixed on him, he turned and left the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

The reason he had only refined two batches of Nourishing Spirit Yang Pills today wasn’t that Chen Yue was slacking off, but simply that he felt he was running out of time.

If he had refined four or even five batches like usual, Chen Yue would have been delayed at the Hundred Herbs Pavilion for nearly two more hours.

His breakthrough with the Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell last night gave Chen Yue the intuition that he could assimilate even more Nourishing Spirit Yang Pills today.

Just assimilating those Elixirs would take several hours.

Adding on the practice of his various Cultivation Techniques, all twenty-four hours of the day were packed, making him wish he could split one hour into two.

Besides, Chen Yue couldn’t actually go without sleep for an entire night; he wasn’t capable of that yet.

Chen Yue’s figure vanished into the morning light outside the Hundred Herbs Pavilion’s gates.

Zhao Weiyuan sat upright in his chair, his gaze complex as he watched the retreating figure.

He was silent for a long time.

When news from Panshi Lane arrived yesterday, he had been sorting a new batch of medicinal ingredients.

When he first heard it, he could barely believe his ears.

Cheng Fengjun, a newly advanced Refining Organ Realm cultivator who practiced the Azure Dragon Scale Transformation Technique and whose combat prowess ranked among the best in the Mutual Aid Association... a man like that was beaten to the brink of death in a head-on clash by a young man who had just entered the Marrow Refining Realm?

He had to confirm it several times before he was forced to accept this fact.

At this moment, a hundred different emotions churned within Zhao Weiyuan’s heart.

He too was a veteran Refining Organ Realm Martial Artist. Although he was more skilled in Alchemy and his combat power was not outstanding among his peers, his realm was what it was, and he still had a discerning eye.

’If I were in Cheng Fengjun’s shoes, facing that young man named Chen Yue, what would my chances of winning be?’

The answer was that he had no confidence at all.

He even had a faint premonition that if they really came to blows, his fate would likely be no better than Cheng Fengjun’s.

After all, his failure to break into the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm in his youth had left him with a deep-seated injury that was difficult to heal. Although he had done his best to suppress it over the years, it had ultimately affected his foundation.

He was more than capable of handling ordinary Marrow Refining Realm cultivators, but against a monster like Chen Yue, who could cross an entire major realm to crush his opponent...

Zhao Weiyuan let out a slow sigh, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

...

Chen Yue returned to his courtyard and sat cross-legged in the Quiet Chamber.

He didn’t rush to begin his cultivation. Instead, he first closed his eyes to regulate his breathing for a moment, adjusting his mental state to its calmest.

Then, Chen Yue took out the Jade Bottle, poured out a Nourishing Spirit Yang Pill, and put it in his mouth.

As the Elixir entered his stomach, the familiar, cool, and gentle sensation spread through him.

He immediately circulated the Heart-Burning Record as usual, separating a wisp of Heart Fire while simultaneously activating the Vast Heart Rock Skill to begin assimilating and absorbing the Medicinal Power.

In less than half an hour.

Chen Yue slowly opened his eyes, a trace of surprise and satisfaction flashing within them.

He could clearly feel that his speed of assimilating the Nourishing Spirit Yang Pill today was significantly faster than yesterday.

More importantly, he discovered that during the process of assimilating the Elixir, the pressure on his Dantian and meridians was much less than it had been yesterday.

Originally, when he circulated the Heart-Burning Record to catalyze the Medicinal Power, the Qi Force in his Dantian would become exceptionally violent, causing a considerable impact on his meridians and Dantian walls.

Even with the protection of the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield before, Chen Yue still had to carefully control the output of his Heart Fire each time to ensure he didn’t exceed his body’s limits.

But today, he found that when the violent Qi Force surged through his meridians, the threatening sensation that was once there had completely vanished.

The post-Limit Break Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell not only allowed him to absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, but it had also elevated his body’s overall quality to a whole new level.

That invisible Inner Armor was the most direct defensive bonus brought by this Limit-Breaking Technique.

’Since I don’t have to worry about my meridians and Dantian being unable to bear it... could I push the circulation speed of the Vast Heart Rock Skill to its absolute limit?’

Under normal circumstances, a Martial Artist would never circulate their Cultivation Technique at maximum speed while cultivating.

This was because it meant their meridians and Qi sea would have to endure far more pressure than normal. While it might allow for a short burst of power, sustaining it for a long time would inevitably lead to meridian damage and even leave behind deep-seated injuries that were difficult to heal.

Only during short battles, in order to erupt with full power, would one push their technique like this.

But now, Chen Yue felt he might be able to give it a try.

With the protection of the limit-broken Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell, that invisible Inner Armor was enough to withstand the impact of circulating at maximum speed.

The half-hour of cultivation just now had already proven this. His Dantian and meridians were as steady as Mount Tai, without any discomfort.

Chen Yue took a deep breath, swallowed another Nourishing Spirit Yang Pill, and with a single thought, activated the Heart-Burning Record and pushed the circulation speed of the Vast Heart Rock Skill to its absolute limit!

HUM!

Inside his Dantian, the Qi Force, already stimulated by the Heart Fire, was swept up by the Vast Heart Rock Skill and instantly began to boil.

A majestic Qi Force surged madly through his meridians at a speed far exceeding any normal time, and a powerful aura rose from within Chen Yue, causing his clothes and hair to flutter.

However, Chen Yue’s face showed not the slightest hint of pain or strain.

Perfectly stable!

His Dantian and meridians were as steady as Mount Tai.

The invisible defense provided by the Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell perfectly withstood and neutralized all the pressure from the extreme circulation.

Chen Yue could clearly feel that in this extreme state, the speed at which the Nourishing Spirit Yang Pill’s Medicinal Power was assimilated and absorbed was nearly thirty percent faster than before!

’I can cultivate like this!’ Chen Yue’s heart finally settled.

He no longer hesitated. Focusing his Heart Spirit, he sank into this unprecedentedly efficient state of cultivation.