Chapter 52: Breakthrough

Xu Yuan, in his previous life, had seen many opulent mansions built right within wetland parks, but he had never witnessed a wetland park being constructed inside a mansion—thus truly validating the old joke from his past life: every time one needed to go to the toilet, one had to drive a car.

Walking through the garden, Xu Yuan saw numerous servants and maids bustling about.

As per his memories of the original self, several of the maidens in the Xu household, possessing decent beauty, did not flinch at his reputation as a notorious spendthrift and reckless noble son.

Along the way, several of them even subtly showed signs of wanting to draw closer to him.

For them, perhaps, no matter what their ultimate fate might be, the title of the third son of the Imperial Chancellor’s household would remain the sole path of ascent in their lives.

After passing through the garden, he entered the grand reception hall of the Xu estate.

The vast hall was unusually quiet, with the Ming-patterned lamps hanging on the walls casting a soft, steady glow.

In memory, this space had mostly been peaceful and relaxed.

Only during rare occasions—when important officials from Jingjiang came to pay visits and present gifts—would the household’s head steward personally receive them.

After all, the saying went: "Seven ranks below the Chancellor’s gate," and even the stewards, who held such status, were entrusted with the duties of receiving gifts and managing such affairs.

After stepping into the hall, Xu Yuan did not immediately rush into the inner chambers. Instead, he reached behind a painting on the wall of the reception room and retrieved a few silver notes.

Not many—only two, each worth a thousand taels.

In this vast Xu estate, treasures lay scattered everywhere, originally hidden by the previous owner.

His old father would never interfere with his reckless actions, but both his elder brothers, Xu Changge and Xu Chang'an, would.

And sometimes, even his younger sister would take notice.

The original body could not stand a chance against these three bandits.

As soon as they were discovered, all the silver he had painstakingly saved by selling off his property would be snatched away.

Over time, the original body learned a clever strategy—dividing the wealth into small, manageable pieces.

This time, Xu Yuan had taken a circuitous route through the garden outside the estate, collecting the money he had failed to retrieve the previous time.

After subtracting the five thousand taels he had previously given to Zhou Chen, nearly twenty thousand taels remained.

If memory served him correctly, within the imperial capital's mansion, the original body still concealed several tens of thousands of silver taels.

Of course, there had been instances in the past of servants cleaning dust who stole money—yet after being discovered by the head steward and publicly flogged to death, even those who knew of the funds rarely dared to touch them again.

Human lives, especially those of ordinary people, were truly worth nothing in this transcendent world.

With all the money now recovered, the only remaining task was cultivation.

The Xu family estate maintained a dedicated practice chamber, internally housing a spiritual spring, its natural qi sealed within by a locking spell to prevent leakage.

The practice chamber was divided into two sections:

The outer courtyard had a thinner concentration of qi, allowing guard servants to use it freely during their leisure time.

The inner courtyard, however, possessed dense qi and required payment in silver or the accumulation of contributions from within the Xu family estate to earn a limited period of access.

Xu Yuan, of course, did not need to abide by such rules.

Following the gatekeeper's respectful guidance, he entered directly into the room housing the deepest spring.

After the gatekeeper had departed, Xu Yuan took the source crystal Xu Changge had given him, crushed the medicine, closed his eyes, and began to channel the internal energy through his cultivation techniques.

Zhou Chen arrived the next day.

Having settled all the tasks Xu Yuan had requested be investigated, he immediately rushed to Xu Yuan's cultivation chamber.

He had promised himself that his cultivation technique could assist Xu Yuan in his practice.

And he hadn't forgotten that promise.

...........

Cultivation knows no time.

Xu Yuan discovered that Zhou Chen's technique truly surpassed all others in its ability to aid his cultivation.

After the intent spirit guided the energy into acupoints and meridians, even the top-tier technique, Blood Yuan Heart-Perishing Sect, still required dozens of rotations along the meridians to convert these natural energies into his own source energy.

And with Zhou Chen by his side, refining and perfecting the process, Xu Yuan’s cultivation technique required only one or two rotations to achieve complete assimilation—no need to divert his mind to control the gathering of spiritual essence.

His cultivation speed had surged nearly tenfold, and Xu Yuan’s mind still reeled from the shock, yet once he adapted, an overwhelming joy surged through him.

After all, the very reason the Heavenly Origin Body was called such was because, before reaching the level of Great Master, there were almost no barriers to overcome.

With such a pace, his power would grow at an astonishing rate.

Cultivate, cultivate, cultivate.

Under the combined effects of top-tier elixirs, primal crystals, sealing spirit arrays, and Zhou Chen’s refining assistance—each a powerful boost—the cultivation of the Heavenly Origin Body could only be described as advancing a thousand miles in a single day.

Time had dissolved into nothingness.

In the sealed chamber, lit only by the glow of the Mingwen lamp, silence reigned.

The gentleman in crimson robe, seated in stillness at the center, breathed calmly, eyes closed. Beside him, the bearded man’s forehead had already begun to bead with sweat.

Zhou Chen stared at Xu Yuan, meditating with eyes closed, his face filled with sheer exasperation. He tried several times to speak, but in the end, swallowed his words.

For a full ten days, the Third Young Master had not stirred from his nest.

When hunger gnawed, he withdrew a cup from his Sumeru ring to sip from a spiritual spring, and the moment the efficacy of his pills waned, he would instantly fish out several small jade vials, popping a few pellets into his mouth to swallow.

As a Grandmaster of the realm,

Zhou Chen could naturally discern precisely what manner of elixirs those jade vials contained.

Curse it all.

The raw ingredients squandered on these pills were more than enough to brew the spiritual powders capable of advancing his own cultivation, yet here these top-tier herbs were, wastefully distilled into mere supplements for low-realm novices.

Worse still, Zhou Chen found himself beginning to falter under the strain.

The Third Young Master’s rate of respiration was simply too frantic.

Refining primordial qi outside the physical form versus tempering it within the body's meridians and acupoints were entirely different realms of existence.

The discrepancy between the two paths was a hundredfold leap in sheer difficulty, if not more.

But how could one say that Zhou Chen wasn't a Grand Master?

The Third Prince, with merely a ninth-rank body cultivation, should not be able to breathe and absorb energy at such a rapid pace—even with elixirs and source crystals enhancing his abilities.

Perhaps...

This Third Prince not only possesses a naturally gifted, innate Dao body,

but also practices a cultivation technique that ranks among the most extraordinary in the world!

In a flash of thought, Zhou Chen calmed his mind and focused entirely on guiding the cultivation technique to assist Xu Yuan's progress.

Maybe,

now, the Third Prince truly warrants his full commitment.

In the silent cultivation chamber, the source energy flowed and circulated silently, imperceptibly.

With each cycle of the technique, Xu Yuan, like a sponge insatiable with thirst, greedily absorbed the pure, unceasing flow of source energy around him.

Time seemed to lose its measure within this cramped meditation chamber.

Until—

a soft crack echoed inside him.

Just as before, Xu Yuan felt as though something within his body had been abruptly shattered without warning.

Had he—once again—broken through?

Feeling the pulsing waves of the source qi, Xu Yuan slowly ceased his internal cultivation routine and lifted his gaze toward Zhou Chen across from him.

Before he could speak, Zhou Chen smiled gently:

"Congratulations, sir, on breaking through to the eighth rank of pulse refinement."

His voice was soft, yet clear and distinct in the stillness of the meditation room.

Only then did Xu Yuan confirm—he had indeed advanced to the eighth rank.

Since no difficulties had arisen, there was naturally little to celebrate.

Yet, having surpassed one's own strength—though it might seem trivial—was still a positive development.

Pausing briefly, Xu Yuan gave a slight nod:

"Mr. Zhou, you've worked hard."

"It's nothing, just a bit tired."

Zhou Chen shook his head and smiled, but his complexion seemed subtly pale.

Of course, that was all pretense.

Being assigned as a ninth-rank assistant wouldn't damage the inner qi of a great master—only that he had been exhausted.

But if he thought about it, the Third Prince would inevitably require his assistance in future cultivation sessions.

Such a taxing task deserved some reward.

Xu Yuan saw the situation and instantly understood, yet he did not take it seriously.

If his subordinates truly had no desires, that would be something to worry about.

Moreover, helping others refine Yuan Qi inevitably came with many restrictions—Zhou Chen's method of overcoming those limitations was already rare.

Yet besides money, he could not at present offer Zhou Chen what he truly desired.

After a moment's pause, Xu Yuan gave a slight bow and spoke with calm authority:

"The Long Sky Sect will report this matter truthfully to our father. Thank you, Mr. Zhou, for your assistance."