Chapter 268: The Path of Internal Qi Cannot Be Integrated (Requesting Monthly Tickets

"Child, are you truly going to burn this place down?"

Half a day later, at the Stone Clan's Second Ancestral Ground.

A tall, thin old man with black hair stared at the manor ahead, where he had lived for decades, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Regret, nostalgia, and a faint, indescribable resentment and anger.

"What else should I do? Leave it behind, so someone else can move in later?"

Wu Xian spoke with a hint of mockery, and the old man, hearing this, was instantly embarrassed, at a loss for words.

"Hao'er… all these years, we have wronged you."

The black-haired elder spoke, his gaze flickering slightly, even daring not to look Wu Xian in the eye.

Clearly, this old man was one of the Stone Clan elders exiled to the Second Ancestral Ground, and it was he who had once helped Shi Ziling and his wife select Wu Xian as Shi Hao's substitute to shield them from hidden surveillance.

Because of this, the elder had always felt deeply indebted to Wu Xian, treating him as if he were his own grandson.

Yet because he had possessed memories from his past life since birth, Wu Xian had known from the start that he was being used as a sacrificial pawn—even if the one he replaced was the Heaven-Defying Emperor Shi Hao, it was still unbearable.

Thus, over the years, his gratitude toward the old men in the manor, their care and concern, had been nothing but surface-level pretense, meant only to secure protection; inwardly, he had never regarded them as true family.

Now that he had grown strong, possessing sufficient power to protect himself, there was no need to continue playing the good grandson.

Besides, Wu Xian had not entirely ignored the elder.

For instance, this morning, he had used the Double Full Hands technique to cure the elder's illness and countless hidden injuries accumulated over the years, restoring him to vitality, turning his hair black again, as if he had aged backward by more than a decade.

In Wu Xian's view, the old man had used him as a scapegoat, yet had genuinely cared for him for several years; thus, saving his life now settled the debt between them.

No! If one truly counted, the elder owed him more—so even if Wu Xian glared coldly at him, it was justified.

Thinking of this, Wu Xian let out a cold snort, then gathered a ball of fire in his palm using Nine Yang Divine Art's Qi, saying: "I've lived in this place since I could remember, but all it left me with was endless loneliness and humiliation."

"To me, this is not an ancestral ground—it's merely a prison that held me. Now that I've escaped, I must erase its traces, and also sever ties with that branch of the Stone Clan."

With that, he flicked his wrist, and the fireball flew into the manor.

The next instant, accompanied by an explosion, flames surged wildly, swallowing the entire manor inside and out in an instant.

"Sigh… it's true—this branch has truly decayed, not worth clinging to. Severing ties with them is for the best."

Watching the flames roar, the elder smiled bitterly and shook his head, then, as if remembering something, said seriously: "Little Stone, no matter what you feel inside, you must leave this place now."

"After all, this is the Second Ancestral Ground. No matter how dilapidated, it still concerns the Stone Clan's honor. If anyone learns it was burned down, the entire Stone Clan—even the current Emperor of the Stone Kingdom—will not let this go. They may send out royal-level warriors to investigate."

Royal-level warriors, those of the Formation Realm, were the pinnacle beneath the Venerables, possessing unimaginable power—terrible indeed.

Wu Xian nodded, but inside, he was not the least worried.

Though he had not yet begun cultivation, his physical constitution, spiritual strength, and combat skills far surpassed countless cultivators of the lower realm.

According to the analysis by those lazy souls in the mysterious space, if Wu Xian fully unlocked his potential, his base combat power would rival that of a Divine Flame Realm cultivator; if he further stacked his Mindlight attributes, he could briefly unleash power exceeding the Heavenly God Realm, capable of annihilating the Wilderness or even the entire lower realm with a single strike.

Of course, that final description might be difficult—though not impossible—because the lower realm harbored many forbidden, immensely powerful beings. If such a cataclysm truly occurred, they might intervene and hunt down him, the culprit, triggering unnecessary conflict.

Even if those forbidden beings didn't care, the Heaven-Defying Emperor above the Sacrificial Path would not stand idly by—he might simply reset the timeline and erase Wu Xian, this being who should never have existed… the image was too beautiful to contemplate.

Also, this body was far too young. Though its base attributes were maxed out, it lacked superhuman bloodlines or gene locks to amplify it; even with immense power, it was like a castle in the air—flashy but hollow. Rashly wielding such terrifying force might trigger severe backlash.

Only after formally entering cultivation could he fully master these powers and achieve their ideal effect.

As for Nine Yang Divine Art and Nine Yin True Scripture—these martial arts directly pointing toward the Path of Internal Qi—

How to put it? These techniques were products of the infinite multiverse. Though versatile, they only functioned in worlds grounded in martial cultivation or devoid of transcendental elements.

The Perfect World's level was far too high; its Dao principles had already formed a rigid system. The Path of Internal Qi was utterly incompatible with it, unable to truly integrate. Even if used, its power would be drastically weakened.

Wu Xian had tested this many times—he could confirm it.

In contrast, the Eight Marvelous Techniques, being categorized as "Techniques" rather than "Dao," faced no major obstacles in use; in fact, their effectiveness was even enhanced—making them utterly absurd.

Thinking of this, he turned to the Stone Clan elder beside him, paused for a moment, then spoke: "Uncle Wujiu, I wish to cultivate, to break through the Blood-Transcending Realm. Please guide me."

"Huh?!"

The elder named Wujiu froze, then stared in disbelief: "Cultivate? Break through the Blood-Transcending Realm? Hao'er, you mean you haven't cultivated at all? But… but how is that possible!"

He had heard from the old servants about this morning's events—how Wu Xian single-handedly slaughtered the insolent servants in the outer courtyard, then later caused chaos in Chongyun Town.

Though he didn't know the outcome, seeing Wu Xian return unharmed and bring back a mountain of treasures, those who had been spying on them were almost certainly doomed.

With such power, in the elder's experience, Wu Xian must have at least the combat strength of a Spirit-Transforming Realm cultivator—possibly stronger.

Yet now Wu Xian told him he had never cultivated, and asked for help to break through the first step of cultivation—the Blood-Transcending Realm… Was this a joke?

Seeing the elder's reaction, Wu Xian shook his head and delivered the prepared explanation.

In short: last night, in a dream, he had met a great master who enlightened him and imparted countless divine techniques and secret arts; when he awoke, he possessed unparalleled power, which led to everything that followed.

After hearing this, the elder's expression grew strange, but he said nothing further, merely suggesting they leave immediately to find the Stone Clan's true ancestral ground, promising to guide Wu Xian on the path of cultivation along the way.

(End of Chapter)