The sky gradually darkened as the sun set toward the west.
Xiangfu, Wangchen Xuan.
Returning to his own room, Gu Wangchen dismissed everyone else and spoke to An Li, who emerged from the shadows: “An Li, stand guard outside my room. Don’t let anyone in.”
“Yes, Master.” An Li didn’t ask for a reason. She simply nodded slightly and turned to leave for the hallway.
“Oh, and,” he added, “if my father returns, remember to inform me.”
“Yes.”
Creak…
The door closed. After double-checking that no one could possibly be hiding in the room, Gu Wangchen pulled the screen into place and sat cross-legged on his bed.
He closed his eyes, and using the method he had practiced to perfection, began circulating the Haomiao Taixuan Jing.
Drip—
It felt like sweet dew falling into a mirror-like lake, the resulting ripples spreading outward with him as the center.
Gu Wangchen could feel it—now that his cultivation efficiency had returned to normal, the true qi he’d never sensed before was now like water in a cup. All he needed was to pick it up, and he could drink it for real.
“True qi isn’t some mysterious, illusory thing. It’s a tangible substance that anyone can perceive.”
“But perceiving it is one thing. Whether you can absorb it and fully integrate it into yourself is a whole different matter.”
“Logically speaking, even a villager with no talent for cultivation would never have an efficiency of zero—at worst, it would be one percent, just so low it can be ignored.”
“As for me…” Gu Wangchen felt a pang of regret, and couldn’t help but recall how he had poured over ancient texts for years in search of a solution.
“Even if I only had one percent efficiency, relying on my family’s resources, I should at least have reached the fourth or even the fifth realm by now.”
“Forget it. No point dwelling on that. Now, with 131% efficiency, it may not compare to those true prodigies, but at least I can be considered somewhat talented.”
With that thought, he calmed his mind and focused on running the Haomiao Taixuan Jing.
As the technique circulated, Gu Wangchen could feel the true qi nourishing every meridian, every muscle, and even every cell in his body.
It was like drought-stricken earth drinking in the first rain in years—a refreshing surge.
He could clearly sense his strength increasing at a tremendous rate.
This was not only because he had spent so many idle years simulating the circulation of the Haomiao Taixuan Jing until it was second nature, but also because of all the “medicine” he’d taken over the years.
The medicinal power—enough to forge several experts of the seventh or even eighth level in the third realm—had built up inside him, unable to be absorbed without the guidance of true qi, waiting for the day the “valve” would finally open.
Today was that day.
Boom—!
With the guidance of heaven and earth’s true qi, the vast reservoir of medicinal power surged out from deep within Gu Wangchen’s bones and marrow like a great flood, forging and tempering his body with astonishing force.
Until now, he had always been stuck at the threshold of the first realm of martial cultivation—the Yuanqi Realm. In this stage, cultivators focus on nurturing their vitality, strengthening their bones and muscles, and filling their bodies with blood and energy to attain superhuman strength.
Cultivators at this stage—martial artists, really—could break stone and shatter monuments. Most of the fighters and elite soldiers in the martial world were at this realm.
But now, as the pent-up medicinal power burst free, Gu Wangchen broke through that stage in the blink of an eye and entered the second realm—Tongmai Realm.
“That’s normal. Given my current talent, with all that built-up strength, it makes sense to break through the Yuanqi Realm instantly.”
Gu Wangchen was not surprised. He murmured, “At this rate, I might even break through two realms in one day.”
With that thought, he focused his mind and continued circulating his technique.
Tongmai Realm. In this stage, the cultivator’s blood and qi flow freely through all the extraordinary meridians. Inner breath and true qi circulate continuously throughout the body.
Warriors at this level move lightly, able to scale walls and leap rooftops. Most second-rate martial artists of the jianghu belong to this realm.
Feeling the true qi surging within him, Gu Wangchen paused his cultivation and carefully examined his current state.
[Name: Gu Wangchen]
[Status: Direct heir of the Gu Family, founder of Cangying Tower]
[Level: Second Realm (Tongmai Realm) [Peak]]
[Techniques: Haomiao Taixuan Jing Tianjie High Grade, Tiandi Jiaogan Jing Tianjie Middle Grade]
[Special: Taiyi Hundun Daoti]
[Destiny Value: 31 (Current cultivation efficiency: 131%)]
Oh? The level of Haomiao Taixuan Jing also improved?
That’s reasonable. After all, he had simulated it countless times in his mind. Once he could truly circulate it through his body, the level-up was only natural.
“My current cultivation… is already at the peak of Tongmai Realm, yet the medicinal power inside me still hasn’t been completely unleashed.”
“Keep going, the goal is Huangu Realm!”
“No, wait!”
Gu Wangchen suddenly remembered the entry in the “Special” column: Taiyi Hundun Daoti.
“What is this? Judging by the name, it should be some kind of physique… and it sounds pretty impressive.”
He frowned and pondered for a moment, confirming that he had no memory of such a physique in his past life, nor had he ever heard of it in this one.
“Forget it, I’ll deal with it when the time comes.”
With that, he closed his eyes again, focused his technique, absorbed true qi, and guided the medicinal power to continue tempering his body—aiming to break through three realms in one go.
Thump, thump, thump.
His heart pounded like a drum, and his meridians seized up and twisted. Gu Wangchen’s eyes flew open, and his body curled up in agony, cold sweat pouring down his face.
“Damn it, I pushed too hard!”
Though there was still a lot of medicinal power left inside him, the high-intensity forging had pushed his body to its limits.
He sucked in a sharp breath, forcibly halted his cultivation, and collapsed onto the bed, quietly enduring the burning heat surging through his body.
“Good thing I stopped in time. My body didn’t collapse completely. If I had been any slower, I might have been ruined for good…”
After resting for a bit and regaining the ability to move, Gu Wangchen instructed An Li to prepare hot water. With her assistance, he stripped and soaked his entire body in the bath.
As for adding medicine?
He himself was practically a walking medicinal concentrate. He didn’t need to add anything; all he needed was hot water to help circulate the true qi in his body faster.
Half an hour later.
Splash…
After confirming that he had fully recovered, feeling energized and with true qi flowing smoothly, Gu Wangchen got dressed and walked out of his room.
“Young Master, are you…” An Li asked softly.
“Little Li, watch as I show you a set of rooftop running and wall leaping!”
With that, he gathered his true qi into his waist, thighs, and feet, focused his eyes on the rock garden in the courtyard, and shouted, “Up!”
Swish…
His robes fluttered, and his steps were as light as the wind.
He leaped and landed steadily atop the rock garden.
With the hem of his white robe trailing down, Gu Wangchen stood poised like a white crane.
At that moment, he produced a folding fan he had prepared earlier and snapped it open with a crisp sound.
“With a body trained like a crane’s, beneath a thousand pines I hold two scrolls of scripture.”
He casually recited a verse, turned to gaze at the evergreen pine above him, and smiled at An Li: “Well? How do I look, am I handsome or what?”
“Y-Young Master, you actually…” An Li’s eyes went wide in shock as she looked at Gu Wangchen atop the rock garden.
“Young Master, you can cultivate again?”
“Naturally. Not only can I cultivate, but I’ve also made a great leap—breaking through to the peak of Tongmai Realm in one go. I’ve practically got one foot in the Huangu Realm already.”
If his body could handle it, he’d have reached Huangu Realm today.
“Young Master, you’re amazing~!” An Li lifted her delicate face, her bright eyes shining with excitement.
“Mm,” Gu Wangchen jumped down to stand in front of her, his expression turning serious as he instructed, “An Li, this matter is known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me. Understand?”
“Yes, Master.”
At the sound of her full name, An Li instantly shifted into her professional demeanor and answered solemnly.
Gu Wangchen nodded, then looked up at the crescent moon rising over the city wall, smiling. “I’m hungry. Little Li, go tell the kitchen to prepare a meal.”
“Yes, Young Master! I’ll go right away!”
An Li, once again in her maid persona, hurriedly made her way out of Wangchen Xuan toward the kitchen.
Watching her leave, Gu Wangchen folded his hands behind his back and stood in place, quietly recalling the events of the plot.
Now that he could cultivate again, he still had to keep up the act of being “unable to cultivate” in front of others.
Therefore, he needed a treasure that could conceal his true cultivation.
“I remember… there’s exactly what I need in the Neiku of Xiangfu.”
“Let’s go find it.”
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