Volume Two, The Weapon Registry, Chapter 126, Reaching a Higher Plane

This was Liu Xiaoyi's first true breakthrough in cultivation. Without the benefit of experience, his internal energy collided aimlessly within his dantian. Instead of expanding his capacity, the turbulence caused his blood and qi to surge violently upward.

Unable to hold it back, he spat out a mouthful of vital blood. Shangguan Baozi was so frightened that she rushed forward, intending to channel her own energy to assist him, but Qi Ye pulled her aside.

"He is breaking through on his own. Outsiders must not interfere, or he risks a chaotic surge of energy that will leave him possessed by inner demons—no one could save him then!" Qi Ye spoke from deep personal experience. His own cultivation, the Indestructible Golden Body, required him to shatter barriers far tougher than those of ordinary men every time he advanced. Seeing the agonizing expression on Liu Xiaoyi’s face caused a ripple of anxiety in his heart.

Shangguan Baozi asked anxiously, "He is only at the sixth stage; how could it be this difficult? Has something gone wrong?"

Before the eighth stage, breakthroughs rarely encountered such resistance, but Liu Xiaoyi’s current state did not look like a safe or smooth transition.

Qi Ye shook his head and said, "The technique I practice is quite unique, and I have never encountered such a situation myself. For now, he must endure this alone."

The erratic fluctuations of internal energy triggered a resonance with his spiritual root within the dantian. The root, which had always been as still as water, suddenly began to tremble, radiating layers of magical ripples.

Liu Xiaoyi’s complexion was ghastly. The magical power and internal energy began to entwine, colliding within his meridians and becoming increasingly difficult to control.

"Damn it, behave! Get moving!" Liu Xiaoyi cursed inwardly. Suddenly, a force that seemed to follow his guidance emerged in his mind, circulating through his channels to repair his meridians. It formed a counter-force to the riot in his dantian, allowing Liu Xiaoyi to breathe a sigh of relief.

The agonizing sensation of being torn apart gradually subsided as the three forces ebbed and flowed, replaced by pure internal energy and magical power merging back into the dantian. By now, however, the dantian had not only expanded several times over, but the two forces were also inextricably intertwined.

Liu Xiaoyi himself could not fathom what had happened, but fortunately, when he swung his sword, the internal energy flowed naturally into the meridians of his arm. Sensing the change, the Green Brilliance Sword emitted a resonant, metallic chime.

Seeing Liu Xiaoyi recover, Shangguan Baozi rushed over, patting him up and down to check for injuries. "What happened just now? You scared me to death! If something had happened to you, who would take me to eat delicious food?"

Before she could finish, a violent explosion interrupted her. The Suanni beast, transformed from Yang Xiu, had been forcibly stripped of the Nine Suns Energy-Sucking Nails by the three experts. This collision came at a heavy price: one was dead and another severely wounded, leaving only Wang Zhen, who had narrowly avoided a fatal blow by using the force of his palm strike to propel himself away.

However, their internal energy was nearly depleted, and they were struggling to continue the fight. Li Jue and Cai Wu had already moved to assist; if they did not take Yang Xiu down, everyone present would be doomed.

When Liu Xiaoyi regained his senses, he noticed a stranger nearby. The man resembled Qi Bang and appeared to be that "good-for-nothing" young master, though he looked much sturdier than before.

Qi Ye spoke first, "Young Hero Liu, nice to meet you. I am Qi Ye from the Earth Mound City Magistrate’s Mansion. My old man calls me a good-for-nothing; other than being able to take a beating, I don't have much talent."

"Then can you withstand his attack? If we don't finish him off, we are all finished." Liu Xiaoyi’s eyes gleamed as he noticed a faint golden light shimmering beneath the man's skin; he must have cultivated a remarkable technique.

Whatever one practices leaves its mark, and Qi Ye’s muscles and bones had been tempered for years, setting him apart from ordinary martial artists. After his breakthrough, Liu Xiaoyi had gained an intuitive eye for such things.

Qi Ye looked stunned. "Even I can only take two or three hits from him. The Suanni formed by Yang Xiu’s blood and qi is already at the level of the Heavenly Sun Realm. We cannot face him head-on."

Liu Xiaoyi leveled his sword and said with a smile, "Please, Young Master Qi, just cooperate with me. I have a plan."

Given the circumstances, Qi Ye could only nod in agreement. He channeled strength into his fists, and a luster flowed across his entire body, turning his skin into the color of glazed glass, with a thin layer of golden light flickering over it.

A high-level body-refining technique! Liu Xiaoyi recognized the signs and, clutching the Green Brilliance Sword, followed closely behind him as they charged toward Yang Xiu.

Qi Ye shouted loudly, "Hey, you wild dog over there! Do you dare come and bite your grandfather? Over here!"

The blood-drenched Suanni, its consciousness blurred down to the mere instinct to kill, could not resist the sight of the small, glowing figure. It opened its maw and lunged at Qi Ye.

Qi Ye did not dodge; he simply spread his arms and wedged himself straight into the beast's jaws, unyielding no matter how hard it clamped down.

"Well done! Your bones are truly hard!" Liu Xiaoyi leaped high into the air, swinging his sword toward the deepest wound on the Suanni’s back. "Dark Moon!"

A blade of light like a full moon descended from the sky, landing precisely in the wound. The Suanni roared in agony. The Green Brilliance Sword remained lodged in the flesh, and as the beast twisted its torso violently, it sent Liu Xiaoyi spinning in a dizzying whirl.

"Dark Moon!" Liu Xiaoyi drew his scabbard with his left hand and unleashed the sword technique again, striking the exact same spot.