Chapter 224: Breakthrough: Innate Perfection!

First, there were Qi cards: ten were obtained from the destruction of the "Red Serpent Society."

The least granted three months of Qi; the most, one year and two months.

Next were Nei Li cards: one hundred seventeen were obtained, each granting at least two months of Nei Li, up to one year and one month.

Then skill cards: twenty-six in total, mostly post-Heavenly martial arts, with only a few Heavenly ones of average quality.

Only one, called "Immortal Crane Soaring Dance Art," made Chen Mu's eyes light up—he immediately used the card.

Instantly, Chen Mu's body grew far lighter, as if a mere tap of his toes could lift him into the air, soaring and circling like an immortal crane, never touching the ground.

Correct—the core of "Immortal Crane Soaring Dance Art" is aerial retention!

This martial art specializes in flight: it requires only minimal Qi to sustain flight indefinitely, without needing to land or rest.

With such a skill, crossing straits becomes effortless.

Those who cultivate it reach the peak of mastery in "Immortal Crane Soaring Dance Art."

Chen Mu used the card and instantly gained the peak-mastered version of "Immortal Crane Soaring Dance Art."

Paired with "Cloud Stepping," he was a perfect airforce specialist, able to move in straight lines along the fastest paths.

Memory cards: five. Chen Mu used them one by one, rapidly scanning their contents.

One memory, from a mid-level member of the "Red Serpent Society," revealed information about "Crimson Water Dragon Killing Dao."

This supreme art was the "Red Serpent Society's" sect-preserving Wu Gong, created by its founder based on a fragmented supreme technique.

It has been passed down for over two hundred years; the deepest cultivators have reached the seventh layer.

Peng Qianjiao had only reached the third layer because he had only studied "Crimson Water Dragon Killing Dao" for less than five years.

Chen Mu had originally hesitated to acquire this supreme art—but now he had no reservations.

The "Red Serpent Society's" sect-preserving Wu Gong—the "Red Serpent Society" is gone. Who's left to fear?

Cultivation cards: fourteen. Their durations varied.

Unfortunately, "Crimson Water Dragon Killing Dao" cannot be improved by cultivation cards alone—it requires Insight cards.

Whether it's a technique, martial art, or even the Martial Dao Realm, the deeper the level, the more insight is required!

Below-supreme martial arts can still be rapidly advanced through cultivation cards via repeated practice.

Supreme martial arts cannot be separated from insight.

Power cards: twenty-one. Chen Mu used them one by one, gaining slight boosts to his physique.

The Hardened Body grows harder to improve the further one advances.

Fortunately, Chen Mu had picked up power cards with a decent drop rate.

Over time, reaching full completion of the Hardened Two Cauldron Body would come faster.

If only he had obtained a Body-Enhancing card, he might have broken through directly into the Hardened Three Cauldron Body.

Unfortunately, the drop rate for Body-Enhancing cards is far too low.

On the contrary, the Soul-Enhancing Card—picked up another one this time, Chen Mu is keeping it for now.

Equipment cards: thirty-one.

Chen Mu sensed them—there were pills, weapons, tools, all kinds of miscellaneous items.

The rest were either Energy cards or Stamina cards.

He cleared all the cards.

Chen Mu gathered all his Nei Li cards together and used them simultaneously.

Instantly, a vast amount of energy appeared within him, stimulating and propelling the "Duan Tianhe Scripture," converting it into his own Qi and elevating his cultivation.

Already at the Eighth Stage Innate's peak, his dantian Qi was compressed repeatedly under the stimulation; the vortex's self-rotation accelerated, faster and faster.

When the energy was spent, Chen Mu took out Qi cards and used three.

Three clusters of pure, varying-sized Qi pushed the scripture's operation, driving the dantian vortex to its absolute limit, forcing the Qi to undergo a qualitative transformation.

From gaseous to liquid!

The first drop of True Essence quickly condensed into existence.

Then the second, the third…

Qi transformed into liquid!

Ninth Stage of Heaven!

This realm grants partial control over True Essence.

The quality, power, and subtlety of True Essence far surpass those of Qi.

When all the Qi in the dantian has fully liquefied, one reaches Innate Perfection.

Chen Mu decisively used all remaining Qi cards. The sudden energy within him propelled the "Duan Tianhe Scripture," converting into his own Qi and elevating his cultivation; the dantian vortex spun ceaselessly, liquefying more and more Qi.

Only when half of his Qi had liquefied did the external energy finally exhaust.

He thought for a moment.

Chen Mu took out all his Yang Yuan Pills and Xuan Yuan Pills, swallowing them one by one, activating the "Duan Tianhe Scripture" to digest and absorb them, transforming them into Duan Tianhe Qi to further elevate his cultivation and accelerate liquefaction.

Chen Mu had always kept these pills stored, unwilling to use them—his stockpile was large.

Now, to seize the moment, he took them all out and swallowed them.

Only Chen Mu's formidable physique—the Hardened Two Cauldron Body—could withstand such strain.

Anyone else, swallowing that many pills at once, would be crippled by the rapid buildup of residual toxins.

This pill-consuming cultivation lasted until dawn, then well past sunrise, before finally concluding.

At this moment, Chen Mu's dantian Qi had completed full liquefaction!

That is—Innate Perfection!

"Hu~~"

He stopped cultivating, slowly opened his eyes, and Chen Mu exhaled a cloud of turbid qi, which shot out like a qi arrow, traveling over ten meters before lingering for a long time.

"Perfected Primordial, next step—break through the Earth Altar!"

Chen Mu already had the Earth Yuan Pill.

The purity of Duan Tianhe's qi was no obstacle to breaking the mysterious pass; the problem was that opening the third eye's mental sea carried some risk.

Building the "bridge" between the dantian and the mental sea also required the right timing.

Strong spiritual power was only one factor.

The Earth Yuan Pill was not enough.

It would be best to have a treasure that protects the heart!

Also, a treasure that protects the spirit would be ideal too.

Chen Mu had not forgotten Peng Qianjiao's spiritual attacks.

Such heart-protecting and spirit-protecting treasures were generally not possessed by ordinary factions.

Fortunately, Chen Mu was now a member of the Zhenwu Bureau.

All his previous merits had been hoarded, not yet exchanged.

"Go to the Zhenwu Bureau headquarters in Jiangnan Dao and exchange for one or two items!"

Chen Mu decided silently.

Wudicheng lay at the border between Jiangnan Dao and Dongnan Dao, with a hundred-li radius under its direct jurisdiction.

Changlin Prefecture belonged to Jiangnan Dao.

The Zhenwu Bureau headquarters was located in Jiangnandao City, its distance unknown.

Chen Mu did not rush there immediately.

He had not yet fully purged the accumulated toxins from swallowing so many pills at once.

So.

He stayed another day on an unnamed hilltop, completely purging the residual poison.

Then he activated the "Two Yin Yang Sword Qi," condensing ten dark swords and storing them within his dantian space.

At Perfected Primordial, all qi had turned to liquid, and the dantian space could now hold up to ten dark swords.

……

Huh~ huh~!

Cold wind blew against his face.

Chen Mu straightened his spine, light as a swallow, gliding through the air, as if invisible wings supported him forward.

The ninth layer of the Duan Tianhe Scripture, combined with the Peak Mastery realm of the Immortal Crane Soaring Art, consumed almost negligible qi during flight.

Flying through the air, he spotted a city far below; he descended, entered the city, and bought a map of Jiangnan Dao.

Setting out again, he followed the map's markings, confirmed his direction, and continued his rapid journey.

Arriving at Jiangnandao City, he saw the vast city from afar and descended from the sky.

Blending into the crowd, he entered the city gate.

Shortly after entering, he heard that the latest New Issue/Phase of the Qianlong List had been released.

Should I go take a look?