Chapter 60: Another Breakthrough!

Snow fell thick and heavy, swirling down like goose feathers.

Behind the Zhang family estate, on the mountainside, Yang Yan sat cross-legged atop a massive boulder, as still as an ancient monk in meditation. The snowflakes drifted down, settling on his body until he was nearly buried, but he remained oblivious.

It seemed that ever since he had stepped into the Spirit Sense Realm, Yang Yan had developed an inexplicable fondness for the cold. By this time, ordinary people would have long since bundled themselves in thick cotton clothes. Even among cultivators, who could withstand cold better than most, it was rare to see someone like Yang Yan wearing nothing but a thin outer robe.

Breaking through to the third layer of the Spirit Sense Realm was unlike anything he had experienced before. The space within his Qi Sea had expanded sufficiently, and now what he needed to do was compress the spiritual energy inside it—turning quantity into quality, elevating the water-elemental spiritual energy within his body to a higher level. Only then could he naturally break through to the third layer.

It sounded simple, but the reality was far more difficult.

A person’s meridians and "Qi Sea" were inherently fragile. Using them as vessels, forcing spiritual energy to compress within, carried considerable risk.

But to think that such challenges would make Yang Yan give up was far too naïve.

Whoosh!

As Yang Yan sat with eyes closed and spirit focused, the energy of heaven and earth seemed to be pulled by some invisible force, converging upon him in an endless stream, like a thousand rivers pouring into the sea—a scene both grand and awe-inspiring.

Yang Yan’s state of mind mirrored the bleak and crystalline environment around him: clear, cold, and luminous. As the spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed ceaselessly into his body, it was transformed by his spiritual core into water-elemental power, surging into his Qi Sea.

Time trickled by. The spiritual energy within his Qi Sea accumulated ever more densely, churning like a sea of clouds. At the same time, a sensation of fullness began to rise within Yang Yan’s body—a sign that his spiritual power had reached its very limit. Now, he needed to break through that limit, to forge a new one.

As the spiritual energy within approached saturation, Yang Yan’s rate of absorption slowed, and his expression grew increasingly pained.

It was much like eating past the point of fullness, yet still being forced to eat more. Yang Yan’s lower abdomen, where the Qi Sea resided, throbbed with swelling pain, as if about to burst. The progress of compressing his spiritual energy seemed anything but promising.

Though the vigor of his spiritual power was unprecedented, he was still far from the threshold where quantity transformed into quality. If he continued to force his way through to the third layer like this, it would take a long time, and he would have to endure prolonged agony. Yang Yan was uncertain if he could withstand it.

Panting heavily on the stone platform, Yang Yan gasped for breath. The excess spiritual energy forcibly poured into his Qi Sea burst out through his mouth and nose, dispelling the sensation of swelling and leaving him feeling oddly comfortable.

At this moment, however, Yang Yan could feel no joy. At this rate, it seemed impossible to break through to the third layer before the Azure Profound Sect’s disciple selection. Though he was at the second layer, and reckoned he could hold his own even against those at the peak of the third, he couldn’t be certain of victory. His earlier triumph over Liu Zhengqing in the city’s clan tournament was largely due to luck.

Moreover, the Azure Profound Sect’s selection could not be compared to the city’s tournaments. It was not out of the question that among the candidates there would be true prodigies at the fourth layer of the Spirit Sense Realm.

Yang Yan had never been one to fight battles he wasn’t sure of winning. On the path to immortality, those who relied on luck and wishful thinking would never get far.

A vessel... If only he could find a place besides the Qi Sea to temporarily store spiritual energy. Once his Qi Sea was full, he could forcibly pour all that stored energy in at once—perhaps then success would be within reach.

A sudden inspiration flashed through Yang Yan’s mind. The saying went that one should seize the moment in a single burst of effort—prolonged, piecemeal attempts were doomed to fail. Yet the question remained: where could he temporarily store spiritual energy?

Because of his cultivation in the Nine Nether Lunar Art, his spiritual core could not be used for storage unless he had mastered the technique, so that was out of the question.

Of course—the meridians!

Yang Yan slapped his forehead in sudden realization, overjoyed.

If the Qi Sea was like a boundless ocean, then the meridians within his body were winding rivers. Though each river could contain far less than the ocean, together their combined volume was not to be underestimated.

With this thought, Yang Yan’s resolve solidified. He closed his eyes, focusing his spirit, and began to direct the spiritual energy from his Qi Sea into several major meridians throughout his body.

It was fortunate that Yang Yan had recently mastered control of his soul power, allowing him to split his focus and guide the spiritual energy into different meridians at once.

As the spiritual energy flowed out into his meridians, the cloud-sea within his Qi Sea became noticeably thinner.

Once again, the energy of heaven and earth was drawn to him, converging without end. Yang Yan walked a razor’s edge, dividing strands of soul power to maintain control over the spiritual energy in his meridians, while concentrating on absorbing and refining more spiritual energy to refill his Qi Sea.

After about half an hour, the Qi Sea was finally saturated. But Yang Yan dared not relax for even a moment, for the most crucial step was yet to come.

Now!

A sudden command echoed in his mind. The soul power scattered throughout his meridians immediately pulled the stored spiritual energy, sending it surging back toward the Qi Sea at breakneck speed.

Boom!

Several torrents of powerful energy crashed back into his Qi Sea like tidal waves smashing against the shore. Yang Yan felt his lower abdomen swell as if it would burst, the pain so intense his mind buzzed and nearly blacked out.

It was at this moment that the benefits of a strong soul became clear. Though Yang Yan felt as if he were on the verge of death, he could still cling to a thread of consciousness through the pain.

Moments later, the energy he had guided into his meridians had all returned to his Qi Sea. Having survived this ordeal, Yang Yan suddenly sensed that the spiritual energy within his Qi Sea was contracting. What had once filled the space completely now occupied only half, but its density was leagues beyond anything before.

The pain vanished in an instant. Yang Yan threw back his head and let out a long cry. The surrounding spiritual energy surged toward him like a hurricane, and the space in his Qi Sea that had just been emptied was immediately replenished.

It was that long-lost sensation of breakthrough—Yang Yan had finally experienced it once more!