The ache from the previous breakthrough still lingered in my bones, but I could feel it—I had reached it.
Core Body Completion.
Every inch of my flesh, every beat of my heart, every breath now thrummed with power. My body felt like a fortress, tempered to its limit.
But this was not the end.
The Elder once said:
The body is the vessel, but Qi is the flame that ignites it.
I sat cross-legged in the quiet room, steadying my breathing. I had to consolidate my realm, stabilize the surging power within me. If I rushed, my foundation would crumble.
I focused, guiding the remaining medicinal energy from the last pill throughout my meridians, letting it settle into my bones, veins, and nerves. Slowly, the chaotic waves within me smoothed, becoming calm like a still lake.
Only after hours passed did I finally feel ready.
It was time.
The next step—a step no one in my village had ever taken.
I began to circulate the basic breathing technique the sect provided for Qi Condensation, guiding the energy of heaven and earth toward me.
At first, nothing happened.
But then…
A faint strand of Qi brushed against my skin, almost like the caress of a breeze. I reached out, mentally grasping at it, and drew it into my body.
It was like setting fire to dry grass.
The Qi rushed in violently, swirling into my meridians. My body trembled as the foreign energy collided against my refined flesh.
Pain surged through me—but I had endured worse.
Biting down, I guided the strand of Qi slowly, carefully, around my meridian loop until it finally settled.
I had done it.
I had drawn in my first strand of Qi.
Just as I caught my breath, a familiar voice echoed in my mind.
> "Chen Yu… you have stepped onto the path of Qi. The second layer of the Heaven Conquering Law is now unsealed."
My heartbeat quickened.
The first time I unlocked a part of the Heaven Conquering Law, I gained the Martial Body Manual. Now… I was about to obtain its Qi cultivation counterpart.
> "The Heaven Conquering Law: Qi Path – 'Void Qi Sutra.'"
> "This path shall guide your Qi through the emptiness, shaping it beyond ordinary limits. Your Qi shall not simply flow—it shall break through, consume, and conquer."
The information poured into my mind like a flood.
This was no ordinary cultivation method. The Void Qi Sutra wasn't about slow, cautious growth—it was about ruthlessly expanding Qi capacity, about refining Qi into a state that could swallow all things like the void itself.
But it came with a price.
Just like before, to cultivate it properly, I had to balance it with my body and soul. I couldn't just rush ahead in Qi alone—or I would suffer backlash.
Smiling, I clenched my fist tightly.
Finally, my true cultivation had begun.