Chapter 574: Chapter 356: Success

The Elixir entered his mouth, instantly transforming into boundless Energy that surged into every fiber of his being.

"Break!"

Xu Yang held his breath and focused his attention. He had long comprehended the true essence of the Li Fire Technique. Relying on the Energy from the Spiritual Essence Pill, he launched a fierce assault directly toward the Celestial Essence Second Layer.

CRACK!

A crisp sound echoed within his Heart Spirit. The bottleneck that would take even a genius like Lu Wei ten or twenty days to break through was shattered by him on the very first try.

An aura of the Realm expanded from his body, instantly enveloping the entire Quiet Chamber. All the Spiritual Qi was immediately drained dry by his body.

Auras of extreme yin and extreme yang alternated within him. His Gang Yuan began to transform, and he plunged entirely into a Void Spirit State.

The Blood Saber cultivated from the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture emitted a blinding red light, rapidly solidifying.

Xu Yang’s muscles and bones rumbled, his aura churning violently. His Heart Spirit involuntarily radiated outward. Fortunately, it was blocked by the runes on the walls of the Quiet Chamber, preventing it from spreading beyond.

His entire body glowed, illuminating his flesh and meridians. His Dantian resembled a sun, emitting thunderous rumbles as if splitting heaven and earth.

An unknown amount of time passed before the light on Xu Yang’s body gradually dimmed. His boiling Qi-Blood settled down. The medicinal power of the Spiritual Essence Pill had long been refined into his own Cultivation.

He awakened from the Void Spirit State. When he opened his eyes, the entire Quiet Chamber momentarily brightened.

[Li Fire Technique · Second Layer (5/10000)]

He had broken through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer!

Xu Yang felt his physical body become crystal clear. His Spirit seemed to have shattered some kind of boundary, and the world before his eyes appeared much clearer and more intimate.

Previously, he needed to release his Heart Spirit to enter the state of Unity of Heaven and Man to comprehend nature and refine his Heart Spirit.

Now, however, he remained constantly in the state of Unity of Heaven and Man. He felt as though he had truly integrated into this world.

Sinking his consciousness into his body to observe, he saw it brimming with vibrant vitality. His Qi-Blood was even more vigorous, and his Gang Yuan carried a natural aura—far more condensed and pure than before the breakthrough.

His Dantian had also expanded significantly, becoming as vast as a lake.

Within his Heart Spirit, the Blood Saber appeared increasingly textured and substantial.

Xu Yang raised a hand and grasped, capturing a cluster of the Power of Heaven and Earth in his palm. With a mere thought, the various impure Energies scattered, leaving behind only pure Spiritual Qi.

"My control over Spiritual Qi has become much more precise," he thought.

Getting up to stretch for a moment, Xu Yang continued to consolidate his Cultivation.

The next day.

[Cultivation breakthrough to Celestial Essence Second Layer, Points +200]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 1941]

Casually adding a point to his lifespan, Xu Yang continued to save his points. He planned to accumulate enough points in one go to upgrade and manifest a Spirit Bone before using them.

Over the next few days, Xu Yang rarely left his residence, focusing on consolidating his Cultivation.

"The effectiveness of the Breath Concealment Skill has weakened further," he thought.

With his breakthrough to the Celestial Essence Second Level Cultivation, his aura became increasingly vast and astonishing. Even though he had repeatedly improved this Breath Concealment Skill—bought cheaply on the black market—its effectiveness was now dropping sharply. It could no longer completely conceal the majestic Cultivation of the Celestial Essence Second Layer.

"Next, I will switch to cultivating the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture!"

Now that his Cultivation was fully consolidated, Xu Yang intended to abandon the Li Fire Technique and change his main Cultivation Technique to the Spirit Bone Technique, the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture.

He was still short by one or two thousand points to upgrade and manifest a Spirit Bone. He had no idea when he would be able to gather that many points, so it was impossible to truly wait until the Spirit Bone appeared to practice the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture.

The process of switching techniques did not go smoothly. Even with his Comprehension and Root Bone Dual Perfection, after spending several days, he still had not brought the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture to the Entry Level. Although the Heart Method circulated within his body, it was completely useless, as if this was an ineffective Cultivation Technique.

"No wonder Jin Yu set a reward of one hundred academic credits. Mastering a Spirit Bone Technique is truly difficult," he thought.

Xu Yang wasn’t discouraged. He continued to comprehend his Martial Techniques while practicing the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture.

In the blink of an eye, several more days passed. Few students in Basic Class A had yet to break through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer.

The only ones remaining were him, Sun Tao, Lu Ren, and Jiang Fan. Coincidentally, they were all disciples of the Purple Sun Sect.

Of course, this wasn’t actually strange. Lu Ren’s Martial Arts Talent was mediocre; he had only managed to enter Basic Class A by relying on his Weapon Forging Talent.

Sun Tao had started late. It had been barely a year since he broke through to the Celestial Essence First Layer, and without any faction backing him, it was perfectly normal that he hadn’t yet reached the Celestial Essence Second Layer.

Although Jiang Fan was a Young Master Marquis, he too relied on an unawakened bloodline to enter Basic Class A.

According to Xu Yang’s public records, he had broken through to the Celestial Essence First Layer even later than Sun Tao, and his rank on the Lingyun List was lower. Since Sun Tao hadn’t broken through, Xu Yang couldn’t publicly announce his own breakthrough either.

On this day, he practiced the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture as usual. He expected it to be another failure, but when the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture circulated for the third time, a majestic pressure emerged from within his body.

In an instant, Xu Yang felt as if his entire body was being crushed by a heavy weight. Wherever his Gang Yuan passed, his meridians trembled and hummed, causing his Qi-Blood to surge along with it.

"The Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture is a success!"

Xu Yang’s heart leaped as his muscles and bones resonated together. The Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture mobilized all the Qi-Blood, Gang Yuan, and Heart Spirit throughout his body. Like an invisible, giant hand, it roughly mashed his external and Inner Strength together.

Even his powerful physical body, which already manifested Qi-Blood, felt somewhat overwhelmed at this moment.

"As expected of a Spirit Bone Technique. It truly is tyrannical and formidable, cultivating both the inside and out," he thought.

Inwardly astonished, Xu Yang continued to circulate the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture. By the time one Grand Circulation was completed, his Gang Yuan—which felt as if it were composed of millions of blades—became a fraction more condensed. Waves of latent potential surged from every fiber of his being, and his raw power skyrocketed significantly.

[Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture · First Layer (13/10000)]

Glancing at the interface, Xu Yang continued to circulate the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture.

He didn’t immediately cultivate the Second Layer. Although he now possessed the Celestial Essence Second Level Cultivation, starting the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture from the First Layer could be considered rebuilding his foundation from scratch.

Moreover, since this was equivalent to re-cultivating, it wouldn’t delay him much. According to his estimation, in half a month at most, he would be able to completely convert all the Gang Yuan cultivated from the Li Fire Technique into the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture.

[Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture · First Layer (636/10000)]

A night passed. A significant portion of the Li Fire Technique’s power had already been converted into the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture. The volume of Gang Yuan in his body sharply decreased, but it became far more condensed.

"My power has increased so much. Within the same Realm, if one doesn’t have a Spirit Bone Technique or a Cultivation Technique of this caliber, no one can match a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride," he thought.

Previously, he believed that within the same Realm, he should be able to contend with a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride. Only after truly mastering the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture did he realize how laughable his earlier thoughts had been.

A Spirit Bone Celestial Pride who practiced a Spirit Bone Technique possessed no weaknesses, inside or out. This massive gap simply couldn’t be bridged by ordinary Martial Techniques.

"The Breath Concealment Skill’s effect has weakened even further. I must practice the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill; otherwise, my Cultivation aura will be completely impossible to hide," he thought.

With a majestic power akin to dragons and elephants coursing through his body, a low-grade Cultivation Technique like the Breath Concealment Skill could barely restrain it. With even slightly larger movements, his tyrannical aura would erupt from his body.

And this was only after a partial power conversion. If he completed the conversion entirely, he wouldn’t be able to hide his Cultivation at all.

[Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture First Layer Entry Level, Points +300]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 2289]

Mastering the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture granted him an additional reward of three hundred points, which was even more than the reward for breaking through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer.

Casually closing the interface, Xu Yang stopped cultivating. He grabbed his Waist Token and academic credits, heading straight for the Hidden Skills Hall. If he didn’t solve the issue of hiding his Cultivation first, he wouldn’t be able to practice at all, and everything he had concealed for so long would be thoroughly exposed.

"This disciple wishes to exchange for the Entry Level Cultivation Technique of the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill." Xu Yang handed over his Waist Token and academic credits.

In an instant, the majority of his academic credits were spent.

The teacher behind the desk glanced at him and quickly handed over a token.

"Thank you, teacher!"

Xu Yang cupped his hands, turned around, and went up to the second floor.

On a futon, the gaunt-faced elder was sitting in meditation with his eyes closed, just like last time. His entire body was shrouded in a misty light, exuding a terrifying aura as vast as the ocean.

Soon, the elder’s aura retracted, and his eyes opened. Xu Yang hurriedly stepped forward and cupped his hands. "This student greets the senior."

A sharp gleam flashed in the elder’s eyes, and Xu Yang once again felt as if he was being completely seen through.

"Good lad, not bad at all. In such a short time, not only did you break through your Cultivation to the Celestial Essence Second Layer, but you also reached the Entry Level with the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture." A look of approval flashed across the elder’s face.

It had been less than two months since Xu Yang acquired the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, yet he had already reached the Entry Level. With such talent, he might well be able to contend with a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride in the future.

Xu Yang cupped his hands. "Senior’s eyes are as bright as torches. This junior is full of admiration."

He had no intention of hiding anything from this Old Deng, whose Cultivation was unfathomably deep. The other party’s Realm was truly terrifying; he had likely surpassed the Celestial Essence Realm long ago.

"Speak. What Cultivation Technique are you looking for this time?" The elder revealed a smug expression. This kind of flattery was very pleasing to his ears.

Xu Yang handed the token over and said, "It’s the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill. I humbly ask the senior to give this student the Entry Level Cultivation Technique for the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill."

The academic credits he had left totaled less than eighty, so he could only exchange them for the Entry Level portion first.

Hearing this, the elder frowned slightly. "Young people should display their edge and harbor soaring ambitions. Why are you still fixated on this turtle-like Cultivation Technique?"

Xu Yang smiled bitterly. "To be honest with you, Senior, this junior has offended some people I cannot afford to provoke. If I don’t hide and keep a low profile, I’m afraid I won’t even know how I died."

Although people like Huo Xiaochen, the Xiao Family, and the Kong Family hadn’t made a move yet, he didn’t think the matter was over just like that. If he wasn’t careful, he could wind up dead any day without even knowing why.

These Thousand-Year-Old Noble Families had complex and intricate ties with the Celestial Strategy Academy. Just staying within the Celestial Strategy Academy did not guarantee his safety.

"I see."

The elder stepped down from the futon and said, "Come with me."

With that, he led Xu Yang up to the third floor and pushed open a secret room. Inside was not just the Entry Level portion, but the complete Formless Thousand Illusion Skill.

Xu Yang hurriedly said, "This student doesn’t have enough academic credits. I only exchanged for the Entry Level portion, not the whole thing."

The elder smiled. "I know. Go ahead. I am in charge of this Hidden Skills Hall. If I want to let you learn more, no one can tell me otherwise.

"Besides, the Celestial Strategy Academy set up the academic credits merely to incentivize you all, not to make things difficult."

Xu Yang’s respect deepened profoundly. He solemnly cupped his hands. "This student thanks the senior."

He hadn’t expected that speaking from the bottom of his heart would earn him the complete Formless Thousand Illusion Skill from this elder, saving him one hundred and twenty academic credits. This senior was truly a good person.

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