Chapter 31: Breaking Through the Heavenly Cycle!

Ying Xuanji’s arms shimmered as he formed seals before his chest.

A powerful surge of spiritual sense slammed into the formation of the Moon Cold Pool. Yue Qingshuang took to the air, her own spiritual sense surging as she cast it down into the depths as well. Their combined, formidable spiritual senses plunged into the pool, seeking to discern the scene within.

A moment later.

"What is going on?"

Ying Xuanji frowned, his face etched with confusion. Yue Qingshuang, standing beside him, wore the same expression. Despite the agitation of their spiritual senses, they could not see the changes within. The formation of the Moon Cold Pool would naturally not withstand their combined pressure for long, yet the moment their senses touched the interior, an obscure aura emerged, instantly shielding the depths from their perception.

Yue Qingshuang’s eyes flickered with a hint of worry. Initially, she had not been concerned about Lu Changfeng’s safety, as she had placed a strand of her own soul upon him. Although she could not see the changes inside the Moon Cold Pool, she could sense that Lu Changfeng was in no mortal danger, and she believed she possessed the power to extract him at any moment.

"Do not be impatient," Ying Xuanji sighed softly, his presence intensifying. Dazzling rays of light flickered, and blurred images flashed within his eyes.

The next moment—Boom!

Ying Xuanji’s body shuddered, and his spiritual sense came to an abrupt halt.

*Puff!* A streak of crimson blood flashed across his face.

"Sect Master!" The other peak masters hurried forward, their eyes filled with shock. The Peak Master of the Divine Pill Peak frowned, producing a fragrant pill from her robes and placing it into Ying Xuanji’s mouth. As he swallowed the medicine, his complexion finally eased.

"Lu Changfeng... he should not be in danger!" He took a deep breath, slowly descending to the ground, and said, "I forcibly utilized our foundation; although I could not break through the mist ahead, I caught a glimpse of something. Changfeng is sitting peacefully, and his inner energy is stable. There is no danger. The anomalies here may be related to him, but they will not claim his life."

Yue Qingshuang nodded slightly, the relief in her eyes fleeting.

Time passed. Three days later.

***

Inside the Moon Cold Spirit Pool, Lu Changfeng sat calmly beside the stone stele. Suddenly, his body shuddered; the surrounding vortex of spiritual energy roared, surging outward in all directions.

*Rumble!*

The entire pool churned, as if iron balls had been thrown into boiling water. A moment later, Lu Changfeng’s eyes snapped open. White light emanated from the meridians within his body, and vast, pure spiritual energy surged through him.

"The Zhou Tian Realm! Achieved!"

Lu Changfeng extended his arms, gathering the spiritual energy from outside to within, running it through a Great Zhou Tian cycle before connecting it to his Dantian.

*Crack!*

A series of shattering sounds emanated from his Dantian. Yet, the massive spiritual energy did not dissipate; instead, it gathered within a translucent membrane. An obscure sound of breaking through a threshold echoed in his ears.

Boom!

In an instant, the space within Lu Changfeng’s Dantian expanded violently, and an boundless sea of spiritual power surged. The aura emanating from his physical body rose dramatically. In a mere three breaths, his overwhelming aura pushed the water away, creating a vacuum around him. The entire bottom of the pool shook, and the stone stele began to vibrate. Gradually, the intensity of the tremors grew.

Outside, the entire Moon Cold Peak felt the vibration. The bottom of the pool began to spew out ribbons of pure spiritual energy. The disciples who had not entered the pool saw this and immediately sat cross-legged to cultivate. For the past three days, the pool had frequently erupted with pure energy, and the disciples had grown accustomed to it. But this time, the tremors lasted far too long.

Yue Qingshuang’s inner anxiety grew more intense. After all, Lu Changfeng was her only disciple. She bit her lip, frowning as she stared at the water, her hands constantly forming and releasing seals. Had the Sect Master not told her that acting now would likely make matters worse, she would have long since forcibly broken the formation to see for herself.

The next moment, the tremors stopped.

Clouds billowed across the horizon, obscuring the sun. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to be kneaded by an invisible giant hand, forming a massive tornado that plunged directly into the Moon Cold Pool.

"What is that?" The experts of the Dao Yan Sect looked at the changes in the sky in bewilderment, their eyes filled with doubt.

"Is this... a phenomenon?!" The Sect Master frowned, deep in thought. Then, he suddenly reacted, his eyes widening as he stared at the spectacle in mid-air. Ordinary disciples usually had no such phenomena when breaking through. Only those with a profound foundation would trigger such a display upon reaching the Yuan Dan Realm. It was only natural that ordinary cultivators would not recognize it.

***

The Sect Master turned to Yue Qingshuang, his eyes full of questions. Yue Qingshuang looked at Ying Xuanji, understanding his meaning.

"None of the disciples at my peak are breaking through to the Yuan Dan Realm," she explained with a frown.

Xiao He, the Peak Master of the Body Tempering Peak, looked up at the sky. "Under such an aura, the power of the lightning tribulation will not be low! When I went to cultivate in the Thunder Forest, I never saw such pure thunder clouds. The one breaking through must be a top-tier expert of the Zhou Tian Realm at the very least."

As a body cultivator, he was most familiar with the ways of tempering the flesh. If anyone present knew the lightning tribulation best, it was him.

The Peak Master of the Ten Thousand Arrays Peak muttered, "Could it be that kid, Lu Changfeng?"

The cultivation levels of everyone present were among the finest in the Tianyuan Region. Even the softest whisper did not escape them. For a moment, everyone present widened their eyes, gasping in shock. Yue Qingshuang, in particular, felt a wave of confusion wash over her.

"That’s impossible! Although his cultivation has progressed rapidly, only a few days ago he was barely at the eighth level of the Channel Opening Realm! If it really were him, then what does that make us?! Unless this is his..."

Yue Qingshuang trailed off, her gaze fixed on the water. She certainly hoped it was true, but she knew it was impossible. How could someone go from the Channel Opening Realm directly to the Yuan Dan Realm in ten days? Even breaking through to the Zhou Tian Realm could not possibly trigger such a massive event!

Although they had heard Yue Qingshuang’s explanation and agreed with it, no one spoke. After all, the phenomenon was centered on the Moon Cold Pool, and Lu Changfeng was the only one inside. Once all impossibilities were eliminated, the impossible became possible.

The peak masters frowned, their expressions grave. Ying Xuanji suddenly reacted. He waved his hand, creating a spiritual barrier to conceal them.

"Today’s events concern the life and death of our Dao Yan Sect. No one is to leak this!"

"Understood?"

With these words, the peak masters’ sense of the situation’s importance rose significantly. Yue Qingshuang had not finished her sentence, but they were not fools. She meant that Lu Changfeng could not have reached the Yuan Dan Realm, but it was possible he was breaking through to the Zhou Tian Realm!