Chapter Sixty-Six: Forcing Through the Barrier

Faced with such circumstances, how could Wang Changsheng not feel helpless? Even though he’d seen through the Corpse Refining Sect’s schemes, what could he possibly do about it? Apart from Old Mou, everything was within the sect’s control; with his meager abilities, there was no way he could contend with them. Wasn’t this all arranged perfectly by the Corpse Refining Sect?

“To be honest, Old Wang, if I’d known things would turn out like this, I never should have kidnapped you in the first place!” Little Grey said, equally frustrated.

“You’re still talking! It’s all because of you!” Wang Changsheng was on the verge of tears. “I was just minding my own business, fighting monsters. Why did you have to abduct me?”

After venting, Wang Changsheng composed himself.

No matter what, the events had already unfolded and there was no returning to the past. Besides, without Little Grey’s intervention, Wang Changsheng likely wouldn’t have made it out of that jungle alive. He might have even been captured by the cultivators of Cloud Vessel—though he had no idea he’d been targeted.

The group descended the mountain, and Wang Changsheng turned to Little Grey. “By the way, Little Grey, I have a question for you.”

“Go ahead,” Little Grey replied instantly.

“Well... how exactly does one break through to the Transformation Realm?” Wang Changsheng asked nervously.

Even he was wary of the answer—if it wasn’t what he hoped, then he’d have another ordeal ahead.

“Hm?” Little Grey sensed Wang Changsheng’s cultivation. “Ah, you’ve finally reached the ninth stage of Vein Opening.”

Wang Changsheng caught the tone in Little Grey’s voice and said sternly, “What do you mean ‘finally’? That’s pretty fast, alright?!”

“Fast?”

Little Grey scoffed, “You must be crazy! Considering all the resources you’ve used, even a fool would have been pushed to the ninth stage by now. I don’t know how you’re training—why are you so slow?”

What could Wang Changsheng say?

Truth was, he’d only recently found the proper path to cultivation, with no one to guide him; he’d been fumbling his way alone. He had no idea how quickly other cultivators advanced—if he did, he might have already abandoned the Longevity Art.

“Actually, breaking through to the Transformation Realm is simple,” Little Grey said. “Let me think—I did it so long ago, I’ve almost forgotten...”

Wang Changsheng: “...”

“Oh, I remember now!” Seeing Wang Changsheng’s expression, Little Grey hurriedly continued, “Just keep cultivating. As you cultivate, you’ll break through.”

“What?” Wang Changsheng was momentarily stunned, his face darkening. “Are you messing with me, Little Grey?”

For two months, Wang Changsheng had trained as before. Aside from a limited increase in true energy, he hadn’t felt any hint of transformation. He had no idea what Little Grey meant.

“That’s really it... just keep cultivating and you’ll break through. That’s how it happened for me—it was so easy I barely remember it!” Little Grey said.

Wang Changsheng wanted nothing more than to pummel Little Grey, but unfortunately, he was no match—so he could only suppress the urge.

“Seriously, just absorb spiritual energy. When the accumulation reaches a certain point, quantity will trigger quality!” Little Grey said gravely. “Keep compressing it, and your true energy will convert to true essence. Once the first drop of true essence appears, cultivation becomes much easier!”

Wang Changsheng frowned.

“Is it really like that?” he asked, his doubts showing.

He’d thought so at first, too, but it just hadn’t worked.

---

“Could it be because of the Longevity Art?” Wang Changsheng wondered.

He suspected that the second diagram of the Longevity Art only allowed him to reach the ninth stage of Vein Opening, but upon closer study, he realized its mysteries went far beyond that.

Based on his own deductions, the Longevity Art should absolutely support his breakthrough to the Transformation Realm.

“So, I just haven’t accumulated enough true energy yet,” Wang Changsheng said quietly.

Having gotten his answer, he took leave of the Corpse Refining Sect and hurried back to his small courtyard.

If that was the case, perhaps his current accumulation hadn’t reached the threshold for transformation. Otherwise, he should have already broken through.

Moreover, Wang Changsheng could still feel his true energy increasing—albeit at a very slow rate. As long as it kept growing, there was room for improvement at the ninth stage.

With this clarity, Wang Changsheng felt as if a burden had been lifted.

He returned to his room and began cultivating with spiritual stones.

He absorbed the energy as quickly as he could, but realized that very little spiritual energy converted to true energy—most of it dissipated, wasted because he couldn’t absorb it.

“It seems I’ve reached a point where I can only proceed slowly.”

He slowed down, carefully converting spiritual energy to true energy, and continued his cultivation.

The events at the Corpse Refining Sect that day had made him acutely aware of danger—not just from the sect, but from the wider cultivation world.

From now on, Wang Changsheng would have to venture through the cultivation world. Since the sect had announced his existence and his responsibilities, there was no way he could keep his position without fulfilling his duties.

Out in the world, no one would hold back for Old Mou’s sake—some might kill him with a single slap.

As for the sect’s so-called protection, Wang Changsheng didn’t believe it for a second.

For a sect, what mattered most? Interests.

Besides, the Corpse Refining Sect couldn’t even protect its own elders—one was killed by Old Mou, yet the sect didn’t turn against him. Wang Changsheng was merely a steward, and not even a friendly one to them.

They’d probably be glad to see him dead.

This pressure only motivated Wang Changsheng to intensify his training.

Sadly, after cultivating for a while, he found that he’d only gained a little more true energy; there was still no sign of transformation.

“What’s going on?” he wondered.

When his true energy was full, he compressed it, then filled it again, then compressed—but still, no transformation. The only result was slightly tougher meridians.

“It’s still not working,” Wang Changsheng said gravely. “If that’s the case, I’ll have to try the most dangerous method...”

Forced breakthrough.

He’d done it before, but that experience was so agonizing he vowed never to do it again. Forced breakthroughs carried the greatest risk—he could easily die from bodily rupture.

But having made up his mind, Wang Changsheng was not one to hesitate.

---

With a sweep of his hand, two jade coffins appeared before him. He grabbed several medicinal herbs from inside, not caring what they were, and stuffed them into his mouth.

He swallowed mouthful after mouthful; the herbs released intense spiritual energy, surging through his meridians and organs.

Even as the spiritual energy began to run rampant inside him, Wang Changsheng didn’t stop.

“Isn’t it not enough? Let’s see how much it takes!”

After consuming dozens of herbs, Wang Changsheng collapsed on the floor, his body visibly swelling.

He was utterly saturated with spiritual energy.

At this point, even a slight misstep could mean instant death.

Forcing himself upright, he activated the Longevity Art. The rampaging energy in his body surged even more violently.

Boom, boom, boom...

Explosions echoed within Wang Changsheng’s body as torrents of spiritual energy battered him. Aside from a few major meridians, the rest had been shredded by the energy. The agony was so intense he couldn’t even cry out.

“Hold on, I must endure!” he told himself, carefully guiding the chaotic energy, knowing that a single mistake meant death.

“I refuse to believe I can’t break through today!” Wang Changsheng vowed fiercely.

Bang!

Spiritual energy mixed with true essence crashed into his dantian, triggering a loud explosion. Wang Changsheng felt his dantian shatter.

But this wasn’t destruction by an outside force—it was an expansion. A broader dantian was emerging.

Stunned, Wang Changsheng felt his new, wider dantian accommodate all his true energy.

“What... what’s happening?” he was utterly bewildered.

He had relied on his dantian’s power to compress true energy into true essence; once the first drop appeared, breakthrough would naturally follow. But to his shock, his dantian couldn’t withstand the pressure and collapsed.

Yet, as with previous breakthroughs, a larger dantian had formed—at least five times the size of the old one!

Wang Changsheng was certain he had broken through.

But if so, why was there no true essence?

“Where’s the true essence? Why is there none?” he was dumbstruck.

After the ninth stage of Vein Opening, wasn’t the next step the Transformation Realm?

Where was the true essence? Why hadn’t it appeared?

He was bewildered, unable to comprehend what had happened.

Wasn’t it supposed to be quantity triggering quality? He’d achieved quantity, but instead of a qualitative change, he got even greater quantity. Where was the promised transformation?