C24 Perfection of the Ninth Level of the Essence Realm

The Shrine, the Palace of Labor, Yongquan... A flurry of rapid taps seemed to take effect as the Yuan nucleus, which had been moving slowly, suddenly accelerated into Ye Xiao's dantian.

Xue Yaner's delicate palm struck towards the Divine Fault with force, her vital energy penetrating her body and hitting the Yuan nucleus. Although the Yuan nucleus was already leaking energy, the rate was so slow it was almost imperceptible.

But with her palm's impact, the Yuan nucleus began to whirl, its energy dispersing at a much faster pace and swiftly flooding into the meridians.

Xue Yaner didn't let up, delivering a series of palm strikes that made the Yuan nucleus spin even more rapidly, causing the energy within to scatter at a rate dozens of times faster than before.

The vital energy entered his body, but it had to be refined before it could truly become his own. Otherwise, an accumulation of unrefined vital energy could spell disaster. At best, it could result in a backlash of energy, causing a drop in cultivation level. If there was enough unrefined energy, it could even lead to a fatal explosion. This was common knowledge among cultivators.

Yet, Ye Xiao, having only been in this world for a few months, and the original Ye Xiao, a true native who regrettably couldn't cultivate, were both unaware of this principle.

Moreover, with 99% of the Qian Yuan Sword's memories and abilities sealed, they were in the dark as well.

What mattered most was Xue Yaner's presence, a living example. A suggestion from someone who, at just thirteen or fourteen, had reached at least the middle or even higher tier of Yuan Master, must have been tried and tested successfully in Ye Xiao's eyes.

Indeed, that was the case, but the critical issue was that Ye Xiao and Xue Yaner were not the same. The difference between them was vast, a fact that would cause Ye Xiao to shudder with a cold sweat when he eventually learned the truth.

But for now, Ye Xiao was blissfully unaware.

Two naive individuals and a befuddled sword embarked on this trial.

The raw, untamed Essence Qi erupted from the Yuan nucleus in his dantian at breakneck speed, surging through his body's meridians like towering waves.

Ye Xiao fervently channeled the Qianyuan Spell, straining to tame the wild Qi and refine it increment by increment.

The Qianyuan Spell was no ordinary technique; its refining speed was unmatched by common cultivation methods. Yet, the Yuan nucleus within the binary beast held a colossal reserve of vitality, and with its rapid dissipation rate, Ye Xiao, despite exerting himself to the limit, had only managed to refine roughly a third of the rampant vitality.

Most of the ferocious elemental energy surged through his meridians, battering the fragile channels.

Ye Xiao's complexion turned deathly pale, and the Qian Yuan sword was eerily silent. Continuing like this, he would not last half an hour before his body would burst and he would perish.

His only recourse was to attempt a breakthrough to the eighth level of the Origin Beast realm. Uncertain whether his body could assimilate such an immense amount of vitality post-breakthrough, he had no choice but to gamble with his life.

Meanwhile, the Qian Yuan sword summoned every ounce of energy available to sustain the engorged meridians, preventing them from rupturing under the pressure of the Essence.

With each advancement in the Origin Beast realm, practitioners must nurture their meridians with vitality to increase their capacity, lest the rapid ascent result in an unstable foundation. While the repercussions may not be immediate, this slight discrepancy could become a formidable barrier to further progression at higher cultivation levels.

But Ye Xiao, in his current predicament, could ill afford to consider these consequences. Without a breakthrough, an explosive death was inevitable.

Xue Yaner watched as Ye Xiao's once youthful and unblemished face grew increasingly gaunt and twisted with pain. She stamped her foot in a mix of anxiety and astonishment, exclaiming, "How could this be? Mother did the same for me. What... What... What do we do now!?"

Inside Ye Xiao, the Qian Yuan sword had become a fleeting shadow, racing to fortify the many vulnerable points in his meridians against the onslaught of the berserk energy.

At this pivotal moment, Ye Xiao could not afford to be distracted by the agony caused by his battered meridians. He focused on refining the vitality while simultaneously directing the energy within him towards the eighth-layer barrier.

Yes, Ye Xiao, who had astonishingly sensed the eighth Barrier after just one day, would normally have cause for celebration. But now, such fortune was far from his grasp. With only ten minutes left, even the Qian Yuan sword's utmost effort might not prevent Ye Xiao's meridians from succumbing to the overwhelming berserk Yuan Qi.

Could Ye Xiao achieve a breakthrough in those ten minutes?

He was on his fourth attempt, with each previous charge slightly loosening the formidable barrier. The potent Yuan Qi relentlessly battered against it, threatening to bring it down.

Veins throbbed on Ye Xiao's forehead as sweat streamed down; then, with a stifled grunt, he spat out a mouthful of blood. He ceased his refining, and the Qian Yuan sword came to an abrupt halt.

With barely two or three minutes remaining, the ferocious Yuan Qi from the Yuan nucleus was poised to shatter all of Ye Xiao's meridians. "To think I might not perish in the jaws of a beast, yet still can't evade this disaster! Is this truly my destiny?" Ye Xiao mused with a wry smile.

Beside him, Xue Yaner, her eyes wide with urgency, bit her enticing red lips and, with a swift motion, extended her palm.

Despair gripped Ye Xiao until a warm hand landed on his Divine Fault, sending a searing pain through him. Before he could even process it, the Qian Yuan sword inside him roared, "Damn, what is this? Kid, why is there fire in your body?"

There was no time to answer; the burning agony swiftly engulfed him, coursing through his meridians and intensifying by the second. Eventually, Ye Xiao could no longer bear it and blissfully lost consciousness.

After some time, roused by a soft moan, Ye Xiao awoke. "I'm still alive?" He shook his groggy head and rose to his feet. Sensing his internal state, he exclaimed in disbelief, "Ah?"

He urgently reached out to the Qian Yuan sword within, "Xiao Qian, what happened? Am I dreaming?" He felt again, only to find his internal Yuan Qi had surged nearly tenfold.

"You've got some serious luck, kid!" A voice tinged with astonishment rose from the depths of Ye Xiao's heart, "Indeed, you've reached the pinnacle of the ninth level of the Yuan nucleus. Just one more step and you'll ascend to a Yuan Master!"

"Ah? For real?" Ye Xiao, still in disbelief after hearing the Qian Yuan Sword's revelation, asked, "What in the world happened?" He was on death's doorstep, and not only did he survive, but his cultivation level skyrocketed—how was that even possible?

"Who the heck knows what went down. That girl, Xue Yaner, somehow managed to infuse a thread of Flame into you, a Flame so potent that even I, Master Sword, sensed a threat!" The Qian Yuan Sword still felt a shiver recalling that Flame.

After catching his breath, he went on, "But this Flame has been incredibly beneficial for you. It didn't just refine all your vital energy; it also propelled you through two barriers in succession. Most crucially, the Flame has tempered your meridians, increasing their strength and capacity nearly tenfold. It's downright miraculous. Your internal reserve of vital energy might now rival that of a Yuan Master. I can't fathom the kind of dumb luck you've stumbled upon."