Chapter 131: Training at Qi Condensation Level Nine

Yan Ling, a true disciple of Hanxue Peak within the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, was expected to form a Golden Core in his early hundreds. Wang Yu had a slower start, but catching up to him in the future wouldn't be difficult.

According to common knowledge in the cultivation world, one's aptitude significantly improves after breaking through a major realm.

This is a complete metamorphosis brought about by an elevation in life's foundational level.

Everyone can experience this.

It was said that after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, cultivators would at least possess an aptitude comparable to a Heavenly Spirit Root. Beyond that, there were even Innate Spiritual Bodies, though Wang Yu was unaware of the specific details.

With his improved aptitude, Wang Yu became completely engrossed in cultivation.

Not only did the "placement bar" bring significant progress, but his own cultivation efficiency was also quite high, though not as relentlessly productive as a single, ceaseless "placement slot."

However, compared to before, the sensation of external spiritual energy flowing through his body and being rapidly refined was incredibly satisfying.

It was like constantly floating on clouds, experiencing sheer bliss.

It was quite similar to, if not indistinguishable from, the pleasures of intimacy.

"This is what cultivation truly is, this is real practice!"

The days of hardship were finally over.

Days spent engrossed in cultivation always passed quickly. After a month, he grew tired of it and diligently began the final stage of physical tempering.

With the Nine Dragon Living Tendons technique, if one could successfully complete Body Tempering Foundation Establishment, the nine tendons would merge into one, forming a powerful spine comparable to that of a dragon-type demonic beast, known as the Dragon Spine.

Upon achieving this, his body would wield ferocious dragon power, with every punch and kick accompanied by a dragon's roar. When combined with close-combat techniques from the body tempering path, this power could be further unleashed.

However, successfully condensing it was no simple feat. After all, Vajra Liquid, while acting as a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill for body tempering, could only offer some assistance; it didn't guarantee success.

Success still depended on the individual, so Wang Yu paid particular attention to this final tempering stage. He never treated anything related to cultivation lightly.

One day.

As Wang Yu continuously circulated the *Flood Dragon Force*, he felt that something was still missing. His hands hitched, and he immediately realized it was time to find an opponent.

Following his previous experiences, he chose a stronger opponent this time.

It was a Hardback Boar, an earth and metal attribute beast that had just broken through to the early second rank!

Its strength, speed, and defense were all superior to the Earth Rock Ox, especially its defense. Not only was its body covered in mud armor, but it also had a layer of steel spikes, making it quite difficult to deal with.

He couldn't possibly defeat it using only his body tempering cultivation, which was precisely why it could provide him with immense pressure.

The Black Mountain Demonic Land truly was a blessed place.

Wang Yu, seeking to push his limits, tried to create as many opportunities as possible to clash head-on with the boar. Though his strength was inferior, he could withstand the Hardback Boar's onslaught like red-hot steel.

Every collision, while painful, simultaneously tempered his physical body. The dragon blood secret medicine, latent within his muscles, bones, and flesh, was finally completely extracted during this last stage of cultivation.

His aura grew stronger each day, and his close-combat experience became increasingly refined.

Demonic beasts were, after all, inferior to humans, a characteristic that became more pronounced at lower cultivation realms.

Their intelligence was an even greater disadvantage. Without a powerful bloodline, the disparity between Yu Tangtang and these wild demonic beasts was glaringly obvious.

Every ten days, he engaged in a battle for tempering.

After each battle, he would recover from his injuries while simultaneously processing the insights gained.

He maintained this rhythm.

Three months passed in a flash.

It was now April of Wang Yu's fourth year as an inner disciple!

His body had been tempered to its limit. With no Dragon Blood Secret Medicine left and the latent medicinal power within him completely depleted, he decided against continuing this type of grueling training.

Overdoing it would be counterproductive, and without medicinal power for recovery, he risked permanently damaging his body.

Having accumulated to this extent, it was actually sufficient.

However, before attempting Body Tempering Foundation Establishment, he first needed to break through to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation!

Breaking through the Qi Condensation realm posed no difficulty.

After all, it was merely a matter of accumulating spiritual energy, and his digitized calculations ensured there would be virtually no errors. Maintaining a calm mind, he resumed his meditation and cultivation as usual.

Precisely at the third quarter of noon (around 12:45 PM).

"Pop—"

A faint, almost imperceptible sound of a realm breakthrough echoed. Wang Yu's aura surged dramatically, his spiritual energy cultivation reaching seven hundred strands. Surging waves of spiritual energy radiated outward from his body.

The temperature within the cave quickly dropped below freezing.

"Hoo~"

Slowly exhaling a puff of white mist, he had never experienced such effortless cultivation advancement!

No... he corrected himself, he had indeed experienced the joy of rapid cultivation growth back when he was in the early stages of Qi Condensation.

After many years, he was once again experiencing the joy of possessing dual spirit roots!

"Satisfying."

The next steps were simple: continue cultivating until his spiritual energy accumulated to one thousand strands, which would signify Grand Completion of Qi Condensation, allowing him to then attempt Foundation Establishment.

He already possessed suitable spiritual items for Foundation Establishment, and his aptitude had improved, so this step presented no difficulty for him.

At the current efficiency of the "placement slot," he would reach this point in a maximum of three hundred days—less than a year! This was a speed he couldn't even have dreamed of before.

Furthermore, with the "Underworld Heart Pill" he had prepared earlier on Spider Mountain, just one would be enough to sustain his cultivation through the final stage of the Qi Condensation period.

He had prepared numerous sets of materials for refining Underworld Heart Pills back then. Although he no longer needed them, it wasn't an issue; the surplus could be sold to fellow disciples.

These items were quite valuable, especially top-grade elixirs. A significant portion of their worth stemmed from the "top-grade" designation itself, for which countless cultivators were willing to pay a premium.

After stabilizing his cultivation realm, another seven days passed.

Wang Yu carved a three-by-three-meter pool into the ground. As he had used his flying sword to cut it, the pool was remarkably regular. He then opened several storage bags and poured in the spiritual spring water he had collected.

Next, he ground ten top-grade healing pills into powder, imbuing the pool water with restorative properties.

Based on the knowledge he had gleaned from ancient texts.

Breaking through to Body Tempering Foundation Establishment was highly dangerous. Cultivators often suffered severe injuries, as it was a rigorous test of both will and physical endurance.

Though he had invested a fair amount into the body tempering path so far, it wasn't an overwhelming amount, and he truly had no absolute certainty of success.

This pool of healing water was intended to safeguard his life.

If everything proceeded smoothly, it could also provide crucial assistance during the breakthrough process.

He lit a Spirit-Calming Incense to adjust his mindset and state.

Half a day later, he first activated the Corpse Devil Secret Art. With his right hand, he gripped the shoulder of his left arm and violently tore.

"Splat!"

His perfectly functional Divine Power Corpse Arm was torn off. Black meridians still clung to the severed bone, twitching, as wisps of death qi drifted upwards.

Ultimately, this arm was not truly his, and during his physical breakthrough, it might cause adverse effects. Therefore, it had to be removed from his body first.

Only then could he proceed with the breakthrough with peace of mind.

This was also the primary reason for his lack of absolute confidence. The impact of losing an arm was too significant, even if he were to regenerate the limb using the Corpse Devil Secret Art in the future.

It would still require time to re-temper the regenerated left arm with *Flood Dragon Force* until its strength matched the rest of his body.

This process wouldn't take too long.

He had already planned to temporarily place the Corpse Devil Secret Art in the yet-to-be-unlocked Slot Number Five.