Chapter 307: Chapter 203: Sprinting to the Innate Realm

"Haha, the City Lord’s ranking is neither too high nor too low. It’s right in the middle, at number one hundred and one!" Ma Feng laughed heartily.

Anyone who makes it onto the Dragon and Phoenix List is an incredible expert. Even the person ranked last on the list has a much higher status than an ordinary Innate Realm master. What’s more, Ye Xing was ranked one hundred and one, already in the middle tier.

As he scanned the list, Ye Xing soon saw his own name in the middle section—number one hundred and one, just one spot shy of the top one hundred.

The Martial Arts Dragon and Phoenix List ranked a total of two hundred geniuses, both men and women. Many were elite disciples from Major Sects or apprentices of certain Loose Cultivator Innate Dominators. Among these two hundred people, one hundred and thirty-nine had broken through to the Innate Realm, while only sixty-one remained in the Postnatal Realm. The disciples from the Six Great Holy Lands were particularly dazzling. A few, despite only having Postnatal Realm Cultivation, had managed to force their way into the top fifty, surpassing many in the Innate Realm. They could only be described as astonishingly talented—prodigies among prodigies.

Continuing to read up the list, Ye Xing’s gaze suddenly froze. His brows furrowed slightly as he looked at the top few spots on the Dragon and Phoenix List—the most dazzling positions on the entire ranking.

There, in seventh place, was a conspicuous line of text: Huangfu Jianchen of Celestial Snow Mountain’s Cold Moon Palace!

Huangfu Jianchen, the head disciple of the Cold Moon Palace and Mengxue’s senior brother. He was the man whose pressure had left Ye Xing struggling to breathe. Back then, with a casual wave of his hand, Huangfu Jianchen had unleashed a torrent of Sword Qi, effortlessly blasting the sturdy stone pavilion to smithereens and severely injuring both Ye Xing and Qiao’Er. That arrogant back, that disdainful gaze... ’How could I ever forget?’

Huangfu Jianchen’s strength was immense. In terms of Inner Power Cultivation alone, he was likely on par with Tang Ancestor Li Qishan. However, if the two were to fight to the death, Ye Xing was certain that the Tang Imperial Ancestor would be the one to die!

Seeing Huangfu Jianchen’s name on the Dragon and Phoenix List now, Ye Xing’s mood instantly grew heavy. An immense pressure washed over him.

Ye Xing knew that while his current achievements were astonishing, he still had no grounds for pride.

"Guardian Ma, have the three Elders come out of seclusion yet?" Ye Xing closed the Dragon and Phoenix List, took a deep breath, and asked.

"Ah?" Ma Feng was taken aback for a moment, not understanding why Ye Xing had suddenly asked this question. He quickly replied, "To answer the City Lord, the three Elders are still in seclusion."

"Mm, then you will continue to manage White Cloud City’s affairs," Ye Xing said coolly.

Ma Feng asked, confused, "I’m to continue managing them? City Lord, aren’t you going to—"

"I need to enter Secluded Cultivation!" Ye Xing said in a heavy tone. "Do not disturb me unless it is a matter of life and death."

’The City Lord is already at the Ninth Realm and he’s going into seclusion again... Can he be trying to break through to the Innate Realm?’ Ma Feng’s eyes lit up. He quickly bowed and said, "This subordinate obeys!"

He immediately took his leave.

’Huangfu Jianchen, you probably have no idea that the ant you once dismissed—that piece of trash at the Martial Arts Third Realm—has now cultivated to the Peak of the Ninth Realm. Soon. I will definitely break through to the Innate Realm during this seclusion!’ Ye Xing’s gaze was resolute, shining with confidence as he stepped into the Training Room.

Ye Xing’s Cultivation was already stuck at the Peak of the Ninth Realm. After a series of great battles in the Golden Scale Imperial City—first killing Dong Yuan, then battling the National Master, and finally dueling the Tang Imperial Ancestor—he had gained much insight from clashing with Innate Powerhouses. The Innate Bottleneck that had long troubled him had finally loosened. Whether it took two to three days or as long as half a month, Ye Xing was eighty percent confident he could break through to the Innate Realm.

Inside the Training Room, Ye Xing activated a mechanism on a bookshelf, revealing a pitch-black passageway before him.

The passage was winding. Following it forward, he soon arrived at the cave.

’Huh, it’s already the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month? Doesn’t that mean the New Year is in five or six days?’ Ye Xing was surprised as he checked the calendar on his phone. ’Forget it. Cultivation is more important. I have to use this burst of inspiration to break through to the Innate Realm in one go!’

With a determined look, Ye Xing immediately opened his Qiankun Bag and took out the Purple Light Group.

As the Purple Light Group Teleportation Gate appeared, the cave was instantly wreathed in purple mist and brilliant, rosy light. It radiated a faint violet glow as the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi frantically gathered toward it.

At the same time, Ye Xing activated the Thunder Heart Spring Wood. A finger-sized piece of dark green wood flew out from his body, emitting a dense life aura.

With the appearance of the Thunder Heart Spring Wood, the already incredibly dense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi became even richer.

The Purple Light Group was on his left, the Thunder Heart Spring Wood on his right.

Ye Xing sat cross-legged between the Purple Light Group and the Thunder Heart Spring Wood. Bolstered by the immense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, he began to circulate his Innate Skill and cultivate.

INHALE—

EXHALE—

He inhaled slowly, then exhaled just as slowly. Inhaling the clear qi, expelling the turbid. As he circulated the Innate Skill, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi began to pour frantically into his body, transforming into surging True Qi.

Contracting and expanding, contracting and expanding!

After circulating for several cycles, the vast True Qi consolidated into an incomparably refined stream. Like soldiers being arrayed for battle, the surging True Qi was condensed and refined into elite troops. The True Qi was the army, his Intention the general. Under Ye Xing’s command, it charged toward the Qi Sea Acupoint in his lower abdomen, launching a ferocious assault!

Whether one succeeded in breaking through from the Postnatal Ninth Realm to the Innate Realm all depended on transforming the Qi Sea into a Dantian!

The Qi Sea Acupoint is located in the lower abdomen and is a major acupoint in the human body. A Postnatal Realm Martial Artist must gather a vast and pure amount of True Qi to assault the Qi Sea Acupoint. Only by breaking it open and thereby creating a Dantian can they step into the Innate Realm.

The Dantian can be used to store True Essence and will also ceaselessly generate True Essence Power.

The reason for the huge power gap between Postnatal Realm Martial Artists and Innate Realm powerhouses is fundamentally due to the different tiers of energy they use.

Postnatal Realm Martial Artists only use True Qi, whereas Innate Realm powerhouses use a higher-tier form of energy—True Essence Power, also known as Innate True Essence.

Innate True Essence can leave the body and be projected outward. It can form a Protective Gang Qi or be transformed into Innate Sword Qi!

Comparing Postnatal True Qi to Innate True Essence is like comparing a wooden sword to a sharp sword. It’s immediately obvious which is superior: a sword made of wood or a sharp sword forged from refined iron. If someone with a wooden sword fights someone with a sharp sword, victory would be incredibly difficult unless their technique and External Skills far surpass their opponent’s. This is why, among the thousand-plus Ninth Realm Martial Artists in the entire Southern Tang Country, only one hundred and eight experts are skilled enough to enter the Wind and Cloud List. And among those one hundred and eight masters, only the ten who have cultivated their External Skills to a profound level can contend with an Innate Realm powerhouse—and even then, it’s typically only against the very weakest of them.

(Author’s Note: It’s a bit tricky juggling two worlds. Switching between the martial arts and modern city settings feels a bit clunky. The high point for the city plot is brewing and should be coming soon. I’ll stick to one Chapter today and work on refining the outline. Volume 1 is in its late stage, so I have to get this turning point right! Only then can I fully unfold the grand picture of the Martial Arts Continent!)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.