C5 Fortythree Meridians!

After returning to the palace, Chu Feng enjoyed a meal with Su Yun and Lingling before retreating to his room and secluding himself.

For most, unlocking five meridians would take at least a month with guidance from elders, yet Chu Feng managed to do so in less than a day.

"An average person might unlock just over twenty meridians in six months, and a prodigy around thirty. In my past life, I managed to unlock forty. I wonder how many I can unlock in this lifetime," Chu Feng mused as he gazed at the Meridian Surge Elixir before him. Without hesitation, he grabbed a bottle and drank it down.

In his previous life, Chu Feng's master had informed him that a warrior possesses forty-eight meridians, though most warriors can only access about thirty. This led many to believe that warriors only had thirty-six meridians, but Chu Feng had unlocked forty. Had his sect not been in seclusion, such news would have surely caused an uproar.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, a month had passed. Chu Feng had spent most of his time confined to his room, scarcely stepping out. Lingling and Su Yun consistently left meals at his door, but with Essence Pills at his disposal, he rarely ate.

Chu Feng's relentless training caused Su Yun, his mother, great concern. She understood that he was striving to protect her from disgrace. Su Yun would regularly check on him, and only when she confirmed that he was alright could she find peace of mind.

One day, as Chu Feng was pushing through his meridians, a thunderous noise echoed in his mind, and he collapsed, drained of all strength.

"Forty-two meridians... finally open," he panted, a warm flow of energy coursing through him, bringing a gentle smile to his face.

He popped a handful of Essence Pills into his mouth, chewing and swallowing them as casually as one would eat beans.

After several hours, Chu Feng felt a surge of energy coursing through his body. Chu Tian slowly got to his feet.

"I've gone through all ten doses of the Meridian Surge Elixir. I've also consumed nearly a thousand Essence Pills. It's becoming increasingly difficult to break through the meridians."

Chu Feng wiped the sweat from his brow and gazed blankly at the five bottles of Meridian Surge Elixir and five hundred Essence Pills before him.

Chu Feng had purchased these pills later, thinking he would have some left over. To his surprise, he had nearly exhausted his supply.

"Let's give it another shot!"

Once he had steadied himself, Chu Feng grabbed a bottle of Meridian Surge Elixir and downed it. Then, with his other hand, he took another bottle and emptied it into his mouth. He continued this process until he had consumed all five bottles of Meridian Surge Elixir.

Anyone witnessing Chu Feng's actions would be utterly shocked. Consuming five bottles of Meridian Surge Elixir at once was practically akin to suicide.

The Meridian Surge Elixir was potent, and just one bottle could cause severe discomfort throughout the body, much less five.

As expected, after ingesting the five bottles, Chu Feng felt as if his entire body was submerged in molten lava. To make matters worse, he noticed his body beginning to swell up alarmingly.

"This is bad, I'm going to explode!"

Chu Feng had hoped for a miraculous breakthrough with the strong medicine, but the effect was contrary to his expectations. The overwhelming power of the five bottles of Meridian Surge Elixir was pushing him towards self-destruction.

Feeling his body expand uncontrollably, Chu Feng was seized by panic. He knew the outcome of self-destruction would be complete obliteration. He had been lucky enough to be reborn in his previous life, but if he exploded now, he would truly die.

And if he died, what would become of Su Yun and Lingling?

"I cannot die!"

With a thunderous roar, Chu Feng activated the Sutra of Enlightenment, a skill from his past life. But this time, he wasn't using the skill in the usual way; he was reversing its flow.

As he channeled the Sutra of Enlightenment, Chu Feng could feel the vast power within his body beginning to dissipate outward.

However, the relief was short-lived. Chu Feng's body continued to swell, clearly indicating that the power within was still immense.

"No! I must urgently clear my meridians to avert this crisis. Only by clearing the meridians can this power find a place to go."

Despite feeling as though his body was falling apart, Chu Feng endured the excruciating pain and persistently directed the energy toward the 43rd meridian.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"BOOM!"

With each forceful attempt to clear his meridians, Chu Feng felt on the verge of passing out from the pain. Each time he neared unconsciousness, he bit down hard on his lip to stay awake.

As the pain intensified, Chu Feng eventually realized he could no longer feel his lips.

"I... I must hold on!"

Chu Feng's body had swelled to a frightening degree, looking as if it might explode at any moment. His eyes were bloodshot, veins on his face protruding as he let out a thunderous roar. With the Rune of Power in his mind, he mobilized the last of his Meridian Surge Elixir and fiercely propelled it into his meridians.

"RUMBLE!"

It could have been Chu Feng's determination, the perfect timing, or the power of the Rune of Power that made the difference.

Following a resounding boom in his head, Chu Feng felt a sudden lightness throughout his body before collapsing heavily to the ground.

It was unclear how long Chu Feng had been unconscious, but upon awakening, he found his body restored to its original state, except for his clothes, which were torn apart. His entire body felt as comfortable as if he were soaking in warm water. Most notably, Chu Feng's elixir field had expanded to a size that even he found astonishing.

Typically, a warrior who had opened thirty meridians would have an elixir field about the size of a head. In his past life, having opened forty meridians, Chu Feng's elixir field had been the size of two heads.

Chu Feng, having opened up 43 meridians, now possessed an elixir field as large as three heads!

Such an elixir field was truly formidable.

This indicated that Chu Feng's strength was triple that of a warrior at the same level of cultivation.

"No wonder my master mentioned that those capable of opening up 40 meridians are exceptional," Chu Feng mused as he popped Essence Pills into his mouth, chewing and swallowing them without hesitation.

Anyone witnessing this act would surely accuse him of being wasteful.

Yet, after purchasing Meridian Surge Elixir and Essence Pills, Chu Feng was left with only 20,000 gold coins—when an ordinary family might not earn even 10,000 in a lifetime.

Having tidied his room and assessed his physical condition, Chu Feng resolved not to attempt opening the 44th meridian.

He had the sense that it was an unattainable goal for him, and even his master, Chu Feng, had said that the 44th meridian was unlike the others. Besides, Chu Feng had no clue where to even find the 44th meridian.

With his belongings in order, Chu Feng climbed into bed and swiftly drifted off to sleep.

After over a month of non-stop cultivation without proper rest, his body was now at ease, and he fell into a deep sleep as soon as he hit the mattress.

The melodious chirping of birds at dawn was a delightful sound. Stirred by the chorus outside, Chu Feng slowly opened his eyes, feeling an inexhaustible energy coursing through him, and he couldn't help but smile.

He was at the first level of the Initial Transcendent state!

Although Chu Feng had unlocked numerous meridians, which determined the magnitude of his strength, his cultivation realm still depended on disciplined practice.

Nevertheless, armed with the Sutra of Enlightenment, Chu Feng was confident that his cultivation would swiftly advance.

"It's time for me to seek out some real-world experience," he thought, feeling the power within him and itching to put it to the test. This robust body was a far cry from the frail one he had when he first awoke, a state he preferred not to dwell on.

The best way to elevate his cultivation and strength was through real-world challenges.

But before embarking on that path, Chu Feng had an even more pressing matter: to share the joyous news of his emergence from seclusion with his mother, Su Yun.

The thought of Su Yun filled Chu Feng with a comforting warmth. Unable to contain his eagerness, he quickly made his way outside.