C61 Advancement!
A milky-white mist hovered above the deep pit like a delicate veil of white gauze.
Yu Yuan made his way down the stone steps at a measured pace.
Upon hearing of his descent, Van Ning paused at the Moon Fragment at the pit's base, tilting his head skyward in anticipation of Yu Yuan's arrival.
A smile of pure delight played at the corners of Van Ning's mouth.
Around the Moon Fragment, a group of over ten Van family disciples gathered, most at the Spirit Accumulating and Yellow Court Stages, a mix of young men and women.
Some Van family members watched the skies with less than benevolent intent.
Others were engrossed in the sword-shaped patterns on the Moon Fragment, attempting to decipher the Spiritual Spell for sword mastery.
"Hu!"
The rich Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth abruptly stirred into turmoil, the milky mist coalescing and dispersing in turn.
Yu Yuan, pausing on a step, furrowed his brow slightly.
"Glorious Heavenly Wheel."
With a mere thought, he engaged the Spiritual Spell, taking deep, rhythmic breaths.
His Yuan Body's pores worked in harmony with the Glorious Heavenly Wheel, drawing in the Spiritual Qi from below.
The dense Spiritual Qi at the pit's heart subtly shifted again under Yu Yuan's manipulation, wisps breaking free from the mist and drifting up towards him.
Those with keen perception could detect the Spiritual Qi vanishing into Yu Yuan's body.
Yu Yuan's eyes, previously narrowed, suddenly sparked with light.
At the summit of the Pulse Opening Stage, all twelve of his meridians buzzed with a tingling, swollen sensation—a result of the Spiritual Qi flooding them, seeking release.
His temples pulsed gently; the meridians in his arms vibrated faintly; his heart throbbed at an unusual rhythm.
The Spiritual Qi pouring into him carried an immense, ancient essence, as if originating from a distant past rather than the present.
"Buzz! Buzz!"
Yu Yuan's head spun with sudden dizziness as he heard an odd noise.
In that instant, he acutely felt the nine luminous points around his dantian flare into brilliance!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The spiritual energy, brimming within the twelve meridians, suddenly found an outlet for release!
Wisps and strands of spiritual Qi dissipated, surging into his organs, coursing through his blood and flesh, and permeating his bones.
"Spirit Accumulating Stage!"
Yu Yuan's frame trembled, and his eyes sparkled with an extraordinary brilliance.
"Heh, hehe."
A grin spread across his face as he chuckled to himself.
Long trapped at the peak of the Pulse Opening Stage, he had finally broken through, spurred by the stimulating spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth and the stirring of an ancient, boundless aura.
The Pulse Opening Stage was merely the starting point for cultivators, the initial realm.
At this level, a cultivator was only marginally stronger than a mortal.
The Pulse Opening Stage simply meant having twelve unblocked meridians.
The Spirit Accumulating Stage allowed one to use these open channels to purify the blood and flesh, strengthen the bones, and temper the internal organs.
A cultivator at the Spirit Accumulating Stage possessed a physique vastly superior to that of an untrained mortal, boasting the strength and speed of wild beasts or bulls, and their robust bodies healed much more rapidly from injuries.
Indeed, reaching the Spirit Accumulating Stage marked the true beginning of one's cultivation journey.
It was a level that created a clear divide between cultivators and ordinary mortals.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
The rich and turbulent spiritual Qi that blanketed the sky began to swirl uncontrollably towards Yu Yuan, visible to the naked eye.
Van Ning, who had been below, had his view obscured by the thick, milky mists of spiritual Qi and couldn't make out Yu Yuan's form.
Now, as the mists shifted, the densest areas thinned dramatically, allowing Van Ning to glimpse Yu Yuan through the clearing haze.
He furrowed his brow in quiet contemplation.
"Huh?"
Han Hui, perched on the stone platform above the pit, looked on in astonishment. "The spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth is acting oddly. Why is it drifting upwards?"
Since Yu Yuan's descent, Zhao Yafu had been reassuring Yu Feifei, urging her not to fret.
She also had to calm Yuan Tine, advising him not to act rashly and to simply wait there for Yu Yuan's return.
At that moment, upon hearing Han Hui's astonished voice, she took the opportunity to glance down into the deep pit.
With just one look, she was amazed. "The Spiritual Qi isn't drifting upwards; it's moving towards Yu," she observed.
By then, Han Hui had also seen it clearly.
She realized Zhao Yafu was correct—the dense Spiritual Qi that earlier had floated like a white veil in the middle of the pit, enveloping the Moon Fragment, was indeed streaming towards Yu Yuan.
"How is Yu Yuan doing this?" she wondered, feeling genuine surprise for the first time.
"Ha!"
Zhao Yafu burst into delighted laughter, clapping her hands uncontrollably. "What a delightful surprise! Just a few dozen steps down into the pit, and he's already shattered his limits, advancing from the Pulse Opening Stage to the Spirit Accumulating Stage!"
"What? He advanced to the next stage halfway through?" Han Hui finally caught on.
Zhao Yafu couldn't stop laughing.
Yuan Tine and Yu Feifei, too, were sincerely overjoyed for Yu Yuan once they overcame their initial shock.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
The milky-white Spiritual Qi swirled, dispersing and reconvening.
A significant portion of the Spiritual Qi was flowing towards Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan, having broken through his bottleneck, felt the Spiritual Qi coursing through his twelve meridians, and his gaze suddenly took on an eerie quality.
He discovered something extraordinary hidden within the ancient and boundless Spiritual Qi—a tiny, barely discernible, sword-shaped glint.
—Sword light!
Strands of sword light were concealed within the Spiritual Qi, silently seeping into his twelve meridians.
Then, through the meridians, they settled into the bones of his forearms!
Flecks of sword light adorned his arm bones, exuding an aura that was as ancient and vast as the Qi itself, as if chronicling the insights of a sword-cultivating prodigy from bygone eras.
At the entrance to the forbidden area.
The old general's cloudy eyes briefly sparkled as he commanded, "Stop."
The ever-shifting Mirage Water Curtain abruptly paused on a single image.
It was the very pit where Yu Yuan was located.
Lee Yuchan furrowed her brow, scrutinizing the scene before her with a puzzled expression. "What's so unusual about this?" she inquired.
The Van family cleared the area, allowing Han Hui and the rest to ascend. Upon hearing of Yu Yuan's presence, Fan Li extended an invitation for him to join them below. She witnessed everything with keen eyes.
She was particularly vigilant about the sacred ground's rules. Should Fan Li dare to defy them and attempt to take Yu Yuan's life, she was prepared to intervene.
However, that moment had not yet come.
"Darkmoon City's Yu Yuan, of the Yu family, betrothed to Lim Zhuyun," the old general stroked his chin, his words laden with significance. "The matriarch of the Lim family certainly wasn't short-sighted in her day."
