Chapter Thirty-Two: Advancing to Sixth Tier

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In the early morning, the Tongchen Villa District was shrouded in a veil of mist.

Xiao Cheng had cultivated throughout the night, and at dawn, he went up to the rooftop to practice his swordsmanship.

He performed a set of Fivefold Sword Techniques, each move sharp and forceful, the whistling sound of his blade slicing through the air echoing ceaselessly. The Fivefold Sword Techniques were both extremely simple and infinitely profound—every maneuver direct and unadorned, each thrust or stab intended to kill, without the slightest pretense. Yet despite the apparent simplicity, mastering this art was far from easy.

Each technique, though straightforward, demanded an exceptional command of internal energy; every movement required the guiding flow of true qi, for only then could the Fivefold Sword Techniques reveal their true power.

Leaping into the air, Xiao Cheng executed the final form—Heaven-Shocking of the Fivefold. As his sword thrust forward, the blade sang, generating a ribbon of pure qi nearly a meter long.

He sheathed his sword and nodded in satisfaction. His proficiency with the Fivefold Sword Techniques had not diminished; if anything, it had advanced. This, he reasoned, was likely because he had come to terms with life and death, and his mind was now more serene, allowing his swordsmanship to progress. At the same time, he noticed that the qi within his dantian began to stir and boil faintly.

This was a clear sign of impending advancement to the sixth tier. The sixth tier of Foundation Establishment was a significant threshold; upon crossing it, one’s internal energy would ascend to an entirely new level. Xiao Cheng had not expected an opportunity to break through so soon, but the sensation was still vague—something was missing.

Returning to his bedroom, Xiao Cheng began to meditate. Since the signs of a breakthrough were present, he had to seize the chance.

After about half an hour, Xiao Cheng frowned and opened his eyes. He still felt that something was lacking—a missing element blocking his advancement. The sensation was thoroughly unpleasant, like a stubborn blockage.

“What could it be?” he muttered to himself, when suddenly a thought struck him. Did he need more spiritual energy?

With this realization, Xiao Cheng stepped outside and made his way to the golf course. In the early morning, the course was enveloped in mist and completely deserted. Of all the places in Tongchen Villa District, none was better suited for his cultivation. The Ninefold Immortal Sutra he practiced contained a miraculous method—it allowed him to absorb the essence of plants as spiritual energy.

He had never used this method before, not wishing to advance his Foundation Establishment too quickly. But now, on the verge of sixth-tier breakthrough, why not make use of it?

Sitting beneath a tree, Xiao Cheng calmed his mind and silently recited the incantation, guiding his qi as described in the Immortal Sutra.

Within a minute, he felt the difference. Previously, absorbing even a bit of spiritual energy had been a struggle. But now, upon activating the method, it was not he who absorbed the energy—rather, the energy surged into him of its own volition.

It was a blissful feeling. Before, he had been like a thirsty man waiting for a trickle from a dried-up well; now, he possessed an entire river—he could drink as much as he wished, never fearing to run dry.

As Xiao Cheng cultivated, all the plants within a kilometer radius began to emit faint green light, drifting toward him, enveloping him in a swirling sphere of verdant energy.

After about half an hour, Xiao Cheng seemed to hear a faint pop from within his dantian—as if a thin membrane had been pierced, or a green shoot had broken through the earth.

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With that subtle sound, the true qi in his body began to circulate rapidly, and the essence of the surrounding plants flooded in, transforming into boundless energy. Xiao Cheng knew that his advancement was all but complete, save for one final step—tempering the body.

Foundation Establishment was, at its core, the process of continually strengthening and transforming the body to better accommodate cultivation. With each advancement, body tempering was the most crucial component.

At the sixth tier, this process became especially vital, as it was a form of marrow cleansing. As the qi sped up, the dantian brimmed with energy, which then began to boil and expand, seeping out to every part of his body.

Everywhere the qi flowed, changes occurred; countless impurities were expelled, radiating outward from the dantian. As time passed, this cleansing moved from his organs to his limbs and bones.

Xiao Cheng endured intense pain—his entire body flushed red, sweat pouring from his brows, and beads of black, oily grime slowly exuded from his pores. Cleansing the marrow was excruciating, as it forced every impurity from the flesh—a daunting ordeal.

After about half an hour, the process finally ended. Xiao Cheng exhaled deeply, marveling that this cleansing had lasted twice as long as before.

He focused his spiritual sense inward. His meridians were now lustrous and translucent, like crystalline threads, and a thin membrane had formed around his dantian.

Testing his body, he found himself far more agile than before. His five senses were sharper, and his spiritual awareness now extended to a radius of one hundred and five meters.

Xiao Cheng was quietly amazed—he hadn’t expected the combined effects of the Immortal Sutra and the spirit-absorbing method to be so profound. His physical condition was now nearly at the peak of Foundation Establishment, though his qi remained at the sixth tier. If things continued this way, by the time he reached the Condensation Realm, his body would be formidable beyond imagination.

Opening his eyes, Xiao Cheng found the world strikingly clear—he could even see dust motes floating in the air. But all around him was devastation; every plant within sight had withered, and the turf within a kilometer radius was dead.

If the residents saw this, they might well weep. Who knew how much money had been spent cultivating that grass? Now, the entire golf course was ruined; the central area alone was a kilometer-wide zone of death, and even the surrounding turf was limp and lifeless.

Rising to his feet, Xiao Cheng swiftly departed using his Void-Stepping technique. If anyone discovered this, they might mistake his cultivation for some evil art.

Back at his villa, he took a long shower to cleanse off the remaining grime.

Staring at his muscular, well-proportioned body in the mirror, Xiao Cheng was momentarily dazed. His physique was like a work of art. The Immortal Sutra truly lived up to its name—not only did it cultivate qi, but it also enhanced the body and mind. Before the fifth tier, changes were subtle; after the sixth-tier cleansing, however, the transformation was striking. Xiao Cheng could hardly believe the reflection before him was really himself.

He was not only stronger, but his skin had become incredibly smooth, almost poreless. He even felt, perhaps fancifully, that he was more handsome than before—but not in the ordinary sense; rather, he radiated an intense masculine vitality.

Xiao Cheng chuckled. Perhaps this was a side effect of cultivating the Immortal Sutra—but he was very pleased with the change.

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Returning to his bedroom, Xiao Cheng sat down and released his spiritual sense, calmly examining his own body.

The true qi in his dantian was more than twice as abundant as before. His meridians shone like jade, noticeably thicker. Circulating his qi, he found it flowed utterly unhindered; the now-vast meridians were barely filled by the thinned qi, like a stream running through the dry bed of a mighty river, barely a ripple appearing.

His meridians had expanded to a shocking extent. If before they were like ordinary wires, now they were fiber-optic cables—the capacity for carrying qi had increased by orders of magnitude.

Xiao Cheng pushed his qi to the limit, circulating it through his body, still feeling no resistance. Compared to his robust meridians, the qi seemed insubstantial. Clearly, the Immortal Sutra’s creation of the spirit-absorbing method was no accident; without it, the thin spiritual energy of the world could never satisfy these vast meridians.

Sensing his current strength, Xiao Cheng smiled. Now, he was fully capable of challenging Xiao Guowei. Even if he couldn't win, he would at least be unassailable.

He had assumed he would need to reach the Condensation Realm for this, but the expansion of his meridians had accelerated his progress.

The thicker one’s meridians, the more powerful one’s techniques.

However, such expanded meridians came with a downside—they consumed qi at a prodigious rate.

It seemed the time was nearly ripe to confront Xiao Guowei and eliminate his treacherous fourth uncle. With his present strength, especially if he employed earth escape techniques, he might well catch Xiao Guowei off guard and kill him.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Xiao Cheng frowned. Who could be visiting at this hour?

He dressed and opened the door, only to be taken aback by the sight of the two men standing outside—his grandfather and Wang Qiyi.

“What’s this? Am I not welcome?” Xiao Fusheng raised his eyebrows, glaring at Xiao Cheng.

Uncertain of the old man’s intentions, Xiao Cheng frowned and gestured for the two of them to come in.