Seven ticks was a result that defied logic, only the Sword Maniac managed to do it in the past.
Sword Tiger, Emotionless Sword, and Dominion Sword all could only achieve eight ticks.
But the speed of the attempt didn’t determine one’s strength and ability.
Some prefer a slow and steady style, some like to deploy tricks and strategies, while some like to use the element of surprise.
Each individual had their own battle style.
With the difference in battle style, comes the difference in results.
***
With multiple changes happening within the sect, yet another big news got out.
Yu Wen Tian broke through to the Origin Realm.
Yu Wen Tian had a matured look which made him look like an 18 or 19 year old. But in fact, he was 16 years of age just like Li Fuchen and Guan Xue.
But Yu Wen Tian entered the sect when he was 13 years old, and had more experience than the both of them.
A 16 year old Origin Realm martial artist is considered a rare case even throughout the history of the Cang Lan Sect. In the outside world, if one could breakthrough to the Origin Realm before the age of 25, they were already considered a genius.
Waves of big news came one after another…
One month later, Shang Guan Hong broke through to the Origin Realm.
Then it was Hong Feng and Zhao Mingyue.
Among the top 10 disciples, three had already broken through to the Origin Realm.
In fact, out of the 30,000 outer sect disciples, there would be thousands of disciples breaking through to the Origin Realm every year. But most of them weren’t notable and thus didn’t bring about any impact.
The Qi Realm and Origin Realm had a gap of a Realm between them.
No matter how outstanding a Qi Realm martial artist may be, in the face of an Origin Realm expert, they would still lose out.
When an outer sect disciple met an inner sect disciple, they had to greet them as shixiong or shijie. The worst case scenario in meeting an inner sect disciple in a bad mood, would end up with them being beaten up as a lesson for not greeting.
‘The latter stage of the ninth level of the Qi Realm.’
Today, Li Fuchen’s cultivation finally broke through from the mid stage of ninth level to the latter stage of the ninth level. He was just one step away from the peak of the ninth level.
‘With all 3 sword arts at either sub-perfection or the perfection stage, I do not need to stay within my courtyard to practice any further. It’s time for me to visit the Cang Lan Lake.’
Packing up his fishing gear, Li Fuchen hurried along to the Cang Lan Lake.
Li Fuchen had long done his preparations with every move he made, he must earn as many contribution points as possible.
Body refinement techniques wee extremely resource consuming. There were jokes that said, every inch of flesh and skin of a formidable martial artist with refined body was made by stacks of gold. Even a single strand of hair would be worth hundreds of gold.
But it was somewhat true.
During the course of body refinement, the vast usage of resources and the evolution of the body’s structure and qi, results in the body becoming a treasure itself.
A formidable body refined expert could actually use their own blood to save someone who is on the brink of death.
As such, the body of these body refined martial artists becomes a target for absolute experts to make into resources.
They would use the blood and flesh of those refined bodies to make into pills for cultivation and devour their essence.
In conclusion, there were pros and cons to cultivating body refinement techniques.
The pro is to strengthen oneself.
The cons is becoming a target to absolute predators who would make your body into resources.
So, before becoming an absolute expert yourself, do not even reveal that you are a body refinement practitioner.
***
Time flowed like water at the Cang Lan Lake.
One after another, outer sect disciples began to each breakthrough to the Origin Realm and were promoted to inner sect disciples.
A few months later…
Gao Changtian, Fang Liehai, Sun Jun, Wu Qingmei, and Cao Yun each progressed to the Origin Realm.
The obstacle at the peak stage of the ninth level of the Qi Realm wasn’t considered an obstacle to a 4 star bone frame. It would at best delay them for a few months.
As of now, among the top 10 outer sect disciples, only 4 were left.
‘Is this the power of 15,000 kg of physical strength?’
At one of the huts on the fishing platform, Li Fuchen sent a punch into mid air. The whole hut shook as though it was about to collapse at any moment.
In the past few months spent at Cang Lan Lake, Li Fuchen ate every other treasure fish that he reeled in.
But his requirement for resources was now much higher than before. Just having a first tier treasure fish isn’t enough, only after eating a second tier treasure fish would it suffice.
Thus, his cultivation speed had slowed down slightly, which required a few months time just to increase his physical strength from 12,000 to 15,000.
Other than obtaining the completion stage for Interception Form Dao, Li Fuchen’s Tri-part Sword Style and Dripping Sword Style were at the trance stage.
Only the Soaring Dragon Sword Style was lacking a bit and progressed only to the perfection stage.
Li Fuchen estimated, unless he either progressed the Scarlet Mystic Flame Technique to the ninth rank or broke through to the Origin Realm, he would not be able to attain the trance stage for the Soaring Dragon Sword Style.
At this juncture, Li Fuchen’s cultivation finally reached the peak of the Qi Realm.
‘Another half a year should suffice!’
Li Fuchen spoke to himself.
In just a blink of an eye, he arrived at the Cang Lan Sect one and a half year ago. Now he was already 16 years old.
The 16 year old Li Fuchen was around 180 cm tall. He didn’t seem particularly muscular but his body weight had already surpassed 90 kg.
Li Fuchen felt that in the future, his body weight would exceed 500 kg. But there was still a long way before he reached there.
***
One month later, Guan Xue advanced to the Origin Realm, Qing Shaoyu advanced to the Origin Realm too…
In just a single year, all of the top 10 outer sect disciples except for Li Fuchen had all progressed to the Origin Realm.
Even among the top 20, Li Fuchen was the only one who had yet to breakthrough.
Gradually, there were rumors that mentioned Li Fuchen would never progress to the Origin Realm within these three years.
Three years later, Li Fuchen would be 19. To breakthrough to Origin Realm at the age of 19 was considered below average in the Cang Lan Sect. He would have wasted so much time.
One must know that an inner sect disciple differed a lot from an outer sect disciple. An inner sect disciple could easily redeem a mystic class martial arts manual, and the speed of earning contribution points is faster too.
All in all, the sooner one was promoted to the inner sect, the better.
‘The Scarlet Mystic Flame Technique is finally at the ninth rank.’
In the wooden hut was Li Fuchen, seated cross legged on the floor. Half of his body was covered in a scarlet flame qi.
The dense pale red qi was just like a layer of thick flaming blaze, making Li Fuchen look like a flame god.
Li Fuchen reached his hand and could attract objects from a distance. The tea cup on the table a few meters away was sucked towards Li Fuchen, then got disintegrated by the fiery qi.
Attracting the water from the fish pond, the water boiled and got evaporated.
“To pull objects from a distance. This is something that only Origin Realm practitioners can do. So this is the power of the ninth rank of the Scarlet Mystic Flame Technique.”
With the Scarlet Mystic Flame Technique at the ninth rank, Li Fuchen could finally let out a breath of relief.
He could fully understand now that the obstacle of breaking through to the next realm, was directly related to one’s bone frame. The higher quality the bone frame, the easier it is to overcome the obstacle.
And for a normal bone frame, it didn’t matter how fearsome your perception may be, there would still be something lacking.
Of course, the higher the technique grade; this lacking factor can be easily compensated.
“It’s time for me to go.”
Li Fuchen packed up his fishing gear, along with the treasure fish that he reeled in for the past few months and started on his journey back to the Cang Lan Sect.
For the next few days, he would have to prepare for his breakthrough to the Origin Realm.