Chapter 1381: Lo Xuanqing Breaks Through

“It’s not poison; Luo Xuanqing’s complexion is recovering!”

Before Zhang Xuan could explain, Bi Hongyin, who was standing nearby, spoke up. Being a woman, she was more observant and immediately noticed something was off. Although Luo Xuanqing still appeared very weak and unable to exert any strength, his complexion had become much rosier, unlike its previous pallor.

Yuan Xiao scratched his head, looking embarrassed. Previously, this guy had survived the Red-tailed Bee King’s poison and even claimed he could poison Zhang Chun to death. This had prejudiced Yuan Xiao, so when Luo Xuanqing mentioned something was amiss, he immediately thought of poisoning.

Gulp! Gulp!

Luo Xuanqing quickly finished an entire jar of fine wine. Without True Qi suppression, he appeared somewhat tipsy, but his expression and overall condition were much better than before. If before he looked like a patient on the verge of death, now he had escaped death’s door and, with proper rest, could live for a hundred years.

“Is there more wine?” Luo Xuanqing asked, his eyes hazy.

“Here!” Another jar was produced and handed to him.

“Many thanks…” Taking it casually, Luo Xuanqing continued to gulp it down. After activating his bloodline, his vitality had been greatly depleted; it would normally take at least a month to recover enough to use his strength. Yet, after drinking just one jar of wine, the deep-seated weakness he felt began to dissipate!

He found it almost unbelievable! How to overcome the weakness after bloodline activation had been a problem researched by the Saintly Clans for tens of thousands of years, with no solution found… Could it really be solved with just one jar of wine?

But as more wine entered his body, his physical strength continued to recover. By the time he finished the second jar, the feeling of weakness had completely vanished!

“Teacher Zhang…” Full of shock, he couldn’t help but look up at the young man before him, wanting to know how he had done it.

“Close your eyes, don’t resist…” Waving his hand to interrupt him, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger, and countless silver needles flew out, piercing Luo Xuanqing.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The moment the silver needles entered his body, Luo Xuanqing immediately felt a special energy flow throughout, and the meridians that had been blocked due to bloodline activation gradually became clear. After bloodline activation, a person is like a high-speed mechanism cooling down; the energy that had entered the narrow meridians would gradually solidify, blocking them again and making it difficult for power to circulate. Therefore, what blocked the meridians was not impurities, but True Qi that simply couldn’t be dispersed!

At this moment, the energy from the silver needles cleared them. The solidified True Qi, like ice dropped into boiling water, melted and recovered. In an instant, Luo Xuanqing felt his internal power surge again, and a powerful aura erupted, radiating outwards.

“This…” Yuan Xiao and the others exchanged glances, dumbfounded. Drinking two jars of wine to recover physical strength could be attributed to adding special herbs or rare spiritual items to the wine… but simply sticking a few needles to completely restore True Qi? That seemed a bit exaggerated!

With his True Qi restored, Luo Xuanqing was no longer in his previous state of decline. He flipped his wrist, took out a pill, and swallowed it directly.

Crack! Crack!

The pill melted immediately upon entering his stomach, and his internal power grew stronger and stronger, reaching its peak in less than half an hour, returning him to his prime.

“You truly solved the problem of bloodline activation…” Standing up and feeling the abundant True Qi within him, Luo Xuanqing looked at the young man before him, filled with disbelief. Since childhood, his clan members had always warned him not to easily activate his bloodline, or his vitality would be severely damaged! He never dreamed that this person, whom he knew as a formation master, could solve it so easily!

“This is a special secret technique of mine, and it takes a great toll on me. I hope you all won’t divulge it…” Zhang Xuan’s face was pale as he waved his hand. Luo Xuanqing’s cultivation was truly too high, and his True Qi too abundant; Zhang Xuan had almost exhausted all his own internal power to successfully resolve the issue. It seemed it would be better not to take on too many such tasks in the future, lest he die on the spot after saving only a few people.

“Understood!” Seeing his appearance, everyone knew the toll must have been immense, and they nodded in unison.

“Brother Luo, since your strength has fully recovered, let’s proceed directly to breaking through to Saint 8-dan!” After a short adjustment, Zhang Xuan recovered a little and said.

“Alright!” Luo Xuanqing had doubts: “Then… what should I do?” Although his strength had recovered, he still had no way to break through to the Hollow Dimension Realm. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to come here in search of the gourd.

“Refine this item…” With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan produced a section of vine and handed it over. Although this vine did not possess the same power as the Hollow Dimension Gourd, it still contained Hollow Dimension energy. Its layers of space were like a beehive, and refining it should be greatly beneficial for a breakthrough. It was precisely because of this reliance that he dared to agree to help Luo Xuanqing break through.

“Alright!” Nodding, Luo Xuanqing poured his True Qi into it, beginning to refine it. This was just a small section of the entire vine, so refining it wasn’t too troublesome. It integrated into his body in less than three hours.

“Direct it to your Dantian!” Seeing his slow progress, Zhang Xuan continued. By this time, Zhang Xuan’s own depleted power had also fully recovered. He pointed a finger decisively.

Whoosh!

The vine immediately shot into Luo Xuanqing’s Dantian.

“This…” Luo Xuanqing’s pupils constricted in disbelief. In his eyes, this vine had merely been an ordinary item; even after refining it, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual. Only when it merged into his Dantian did he realize it contained countless, densely packed spaces! One could say that the effect of this item, once integrated into his Dantian, was no less potent than the Hollow Dimension Gourd itself!

“Break through!” Knowing what he was thinking, Zhang Xuan offered no explanation. When observing the vine, he had used his Eye of Insight, which allowed him to clearly see its inner workings. Others, lacking this ability, naturally couldn’t perceive it.

“Alright!” Knowing that his power was at its peak and with the vine now integrated, it was the optimal opportunity. Luo Xuanqing said no more, immediately sat cross-legged, adjusted his breathing, and instantly entered a meditative state.

Time passed, though for how long, no one knew. With a violent roar, a powerful aura surged from him. His strength rapidly ascended, breaking through the confines of Saint 7-dan, the Void Insight Realm, in the blink of an eye. However, just as he reached the Half-step Hollow Dimension Realm, he slowly came to a halt.

“What’s wrong? Can’t you break through to Saint 8-dan?” Seeing the halted increase in power, Zhang Xuan was slightly puzzled. He had helped the other party recover his strength, adjusted his condition, and even given him a section of the vine. Under normal circumstances, he should have been able to successfully break through to the Hollow Dimension Realm. Why had he stopped at the half-step level?

“If I wish, I can push through, but… Saint 8-dan, the Hollow Dimension Realm, involves forming one’s own domain, a ‘cave-heaven.’ This is essentially contending with external space. Breaking through this realm in a folded space, without contending against that external force, would result in significantly reduced combat power, even if successful!” Luo Xuanqing explained.

“Oh!” Zhang Xuan suddenly understood. He had relied on his comprehension of space to help the other party break through, but in truth, he didn’t understand the Hollow Dimension Realm at all. Only when the other party explained it did he grasp the concept. For the Hollow Dimension Realm, which involves creating a ‘cave-heaven,’ folding space naturally wouldn’t allow the power of this ‘cave-heaven’ to become strong. Outside, space is more stable. Completing the transformation there would result in better power and potential. It’s like childbirth: if a child is born via C-section without experiencing the squeezing of a natural birth, though the mother suffers less, the child’s cardiorespiratory capacity will be significantly weaker.

“Furthermore, and most crucially, breaking through to Saint 8-dan involves a lightning tribulation. Undergoing the tribulation at the Saint Son Hall would weaken the attacks of inner demons, making success easier!” Luo Xuanqing continued.

Zhang Xuan said no more. The Saint Son Hall, imbued with the righteous aura left by Master Kong and successive generations of master teachers, truly keeps inner demons at bay during tribulations, making breakthroughs there much easier than outside. After all, not everyone could casually make inner demons kowtow and acknowledge them as their master, like he could.

“He really succeeded…”“How did he do it?”

Seeing Luo Xuanqing, who had just activated his bloodline and couldn’t even stand, successfully break through to Half-step Hollow Dimension with the help of Teacher Zhang, Yuan Xiao, Bi Hongyin, and the others were flushed with excitement. Although they hadn’t reached the peak of the Void Insight Realm and were still some distance from a breakthrough, they were certain they could achieve it within a few years if they diligently cultivated! If Teacher Zhang, being so formidable, were to help them, once successful… their strength would skyrocket, and they would be able to wield significant power within their clans upon returning!

“Brother Luo, how much has your strength increased after breaking through to Half-step Hollow Dimension?” Yun Lianhai couldn’t help but look over. Breaking through so quickly, they were also concerned whether his cultivation was not thoroughly consolidated.

“How much has it increased?” Knowing their concerns, Luo Xuanqing chuckled and reached his hand forward.

Crack!

The space before them immediately cracked, and a section was torn away. Everyone was startled. Although this was a folded space, and his comprehension of space surpassed that of ordinary people, the power of that strike was simply too immense. Even some early or even mid-stage Hollow Dimension Realm experts would find it extremely difficult to achieve!

“Don’t worry, Teacher Zhang’s breakthrough method has no problems whatsoever. Now, if I meet Zhang Chun again, I can beat him so badly his own father wouldn’t recognize him!” Luo Xuanqing’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He had fought Zhang Chun for many years; every time he broke through a level, Zhang Chun would follow suit, neither able to truly surpass the other. It was precisely for this reason that he desperately sought the Hollow Dimension Gourd, hoping to completely outpace his rival. Unexpectedly, although the Hollow Dimension Gourd didn’t acknowledge him, he still managed to achieve a breakthrough. With this level of strength, if he returned to the Saint Son Hall and didn’t beat that guy so badly no one could recognize him, he wouldn’t be named Luo!

“That’s good then…” Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief, looking at Zhang Xuan again with fervent eyes.

“Uh…” Seeing everyone’s expressions, Zhang Xuan didn’t want to say too much. He scratched his head: “Now that the Hollow Dimension Gourd matter is resolved, should we return to the Saint Son Hall?”

“Not yet,” Luo Xuanqing said with a slight smile. “Since this place is a ruin, it shouldn’t just contain the Hollow Dimension Gourd… My purpose in inviting Yun Lianhai here was to utilize his abilities to search around, hoping to find even more valuable treasures!”