From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

Inside the barrier, Xuan Yuanpo felt the terrifying energy within his body threatening to burst him.

But he had unspeakable bitterness in his heart.

He took the Breakthrough Pill and also swallowed the Ice Soul Snow Lotus seeds.

The surging spiritual energy of heaven and earth outside was drawn to him, frantically converging towards him, which he greedily absorbed and refined.

The sheer scale and the sheer scale of it made even him think he was about to break through a forbidden realm.

However...no!

In his perception, besides the surging, roaring, and immense spiritual power that almost tore his meridians apart,

In addition to the bewilderment of the Breakthrough Pill's medicinal power surging and struggling within the body, seemingly unable to find its target,...

The so-called "chakra of chaos" remained elusive and nowhere to be found; there was not even the slightest trace of it!

"I can't feel it... I still can't feel it!" Xuan Yuanpo roared inwardly, but his face was distorted as he tried his best to control the energy in his body.

The immense spiritual energy surged and crashed through his body, causing excruciating pain in his meridians, and his dantian felt as if a frigid volcano was about to erupt!

He's now completely caught in a bind! With such a massive amount of energy gathered in his body at the Opening Meridian Realm, if he doesn't channel it out and break through in time, the only result will be—his body exploding and him dying!

"Thank goodness... thank goodness there's still Zhao Zhongming!"

The thought flashed through Xuan Yuanpo's mind.

Although he was constantly being overwhelmed by Zhao Zhongming and had suffered multiple injuries, it was precisely this intense battle that forced him to focus on circulating his sword techniques.

By mobilizing a large amount of spiritual energy to deal with the attack, he greatly reduced the pressure on his internal energy, buying him a precious amount of time.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to control that power the moment he swallowed the lotus seed.

At this critical juncture between life and death, Xuan Yuanpo's transformed state of mind, honed by the previous night's discussion, once again played a crucial role in stabilizing the situation.

Anxiety, resentment, fear... these negative emotions had just arisen when they were extinguished by his sword heart, which was as clear and firm as ice crystals.

Senior Brother Yao is right; only by following one's true nature can one be free from obstacles.

Elder Qin Feng also said that once you break through to the Spirit Sea realm, the world opens up before you!

I, Xuan Yuanpo, pursue the ultimate swordsmanship and the pinnacle of strength!

The Chaos Chakra is a forbidden realm! It may not be my path, so why should I cling to it?

Today, with this immense power, why not open up the spiritual sea?!

A single thought brings clarity and enlightenment!

He no longer tried to sense that ethereal, chaotic chakra.

Instead, he began to actively guide the surging, extremely cold spiritual power within his body towards his dantian, launching a final assault!

He wants to open up the spiritual sea!

The moment the energy trajectory within Xuanyuan Po's body changed, Yao Mengkang, who had been closely watching him outside the barrier, suddenly frowned!

No! The direction and manner in which this energy is converging... is not the kind of fluctuation that should occur when impacting the Chaos Chakra!

This is clearly... the process of opening up the dantian and spiritual sea!

Yao Mengkang was the only person present who had truly experienced the thirteenth level of the Meridian Opening Realm and successfully broken through to the Spirit Sea Realm. He was the most sensitive to this change in aura!

Junior Brother Xuanyuan... so he still can't sense the Chaos Chakra!

A look of understanding flashed in Yao Mengkang's eyes, followed by a deep sigh.

He understood Xuan Yuanpo's choice and admired his decisiveness.

Entering the spiritual sea is like entering a vast and boundless ocean!

Almost the instant Yao Mengkang noticed the abnormality, Xuan Yuanpo's aura on the arena changed drastically!

The previously scattered and violent vortex of spiritual energy suddenly contracted and condensed inward, and a vague but terrifyingly powerful vortex-like shape began to form in his dantian!

The vast spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged into it like ten thousand rivers flowing into the sea!

"This is... opening up the spiritual sea?!"

Shangguan Hong and Xiao Yunhai were speechless almost simultaneously. The faces of the two vice deans were filled with astonishment and disbelief.

The chaotic chakra phenomenon they had expected did not appear; instead, the most standard scene of breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm appeared!

"stop!"

Xiao Yunhai reacted extremely quickly, letting out a loud shout and appearing at the edge of the barrier in an instant, his figure as fast as lightning.

With a flick of his sleeve, a gentle yet incredibly powerful spiritual force instantly pierced through the barrier.

Like the strongest dam, it forcibly severed the battle line between Xuanyuan Po and Zhao Zhongming.

"Vice Dean!" Zhao Zhongming was in the middle of a fierce battle and was about to completely defeat Xuan Yuanpo when he was suddenly interrupted. He was extremely unwilling and couldn't help but speak up.

"Shut up!" Xiao Yunhai turned his head and glared at him, his gaze sharp as a knife, containing the majesty and unquestionable authority of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator.

"Can't you see he's breaking through? Do you want his spiritual energy to go berserk and cause his death?!"

Zhao Zhongming was so enraged by that glare that he swallowed back the rest of his words. His face turned pale and then red, and he retreated to the side, not daring to say another word.

He also sensed the increasingly terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from Xuanyuan Po, and knew that if he made a move now, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Inside the barrier, Xuan Yuanpo, who was temporarily safe, completely focused his mind on his body.

All the noise from the outside world seemed to have faded away.

His consciousness seemed to float on a cold, wide river, drifting downstream.

He remembered many things.

I used to be proud and lonely, convinced that the path to becoming a strong person was destined to be a solitary one.

They don't need to depend on others, nor do they care whether others depend on them.

One man, one sword, shall cut down all enemies in his path and ascend to the summit.

However, Yao Mengkang's appearance was like an insurmountable mountain standing in his way.

That unfathomable fellow repeatedly walked ahead of him in incomprehensible ways.

He fell into self-doubt, and cracks appeared in his Daoist heart.

Until last night's discussion, until now, facing this choice.

He got it.

Cultivating the Tao is about cultivating one's own path.

External comparisons and the strength or weakness of others should not become dust that affects one's own moral compass.

Yao Mengkang is strong, Zhou Tiancan is simple-minded, Mu Qingqing is gentle, Wang Le is unconventional, Huo Ling'er is fiery... They are all independent individuals, walking their own paths.

However, this does not mean that the strong must be alone.

The strong are my friends, and these are my fellow Daoists. Xuan Yuanpo understood this clearly.

To walk alongside like-minded individuals, to encourage and validate each other, and to jointly explore the pinnacle of the Way—this is not dependence, but rather a broader mindset and a higher realm of understanding.

Just like Yao Mengkang, he never asked anyone to depend on him, but Zhou Tiancan, Mu Qingqing, Li Han, and... himself naturally gathered around him.

He recalled Yao Mengkang's face, which always carried a somewhat lazy smile.

The last shred of obsession and barriers in my heart vanished in that instant.

His path is the ultimate swordsmanship. But the heart that carries this ultimate skill has become even broader and more resilient!

"Boom—!"

Within his body, the accumulated foundation of the twelfth level of the Meridian Opening stage was at its limit.

It also absorbed the immense energy of the Breakthrough Pill and all the spiritual power of the Ice Soul Snow Lotus seeds.

Guided by Xuan Yuanpo's unwavering will, they finally broke through the final barrier!

Within the dantian, it felt as if the heavens and earth were being created!

Endless icy blue spiritual energy frantically converged, compressed, and condensed!

A massive vortex of spiritual energy was fully formed, and then an intense light shone from the center of the vortex, which then expanded rapidly!

Spiritual Sea, complete!

"Buzz—!"

Within the barrier, around Xuan Yuanpo, streaks of icy blue sword energy swirled endlessly around him!

Countless ice crystal sword shadows appeared and disappeared endlessly, radiating an incomparably sharp sword intent and a vast and boundless spiritual pressure!

The surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy) rapidly converged towards Xuanyuanpo as if being swallowed by a whale.

"This...this is the aura of breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm?"

One of the inner disciples gasped in shock, his face filled with horror.

Xiao Yunhai looked at the figure within the barrier, sensing the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from him that far surpassed those of ordinary disciples newly entering the Spirit Sea Realm.

His mouth was slightly open, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief.

He had taught in the inner court for many years and had seen countless talented disciples.

Have you ever seen a disciple who, having just broken through to the Spirit Sea Realm, could cause such a magnificent spectacle? Not a single one!

Vice Dean Shangguan Hong's lips twitched slightly, his eyes filled with a complex and unfathomable expression.

Such a prodigy is a rare talent; in the entire Qinglu Academy, not one has emerged in decades.

However, in just half a month, first, there was Yao Mengkang, who had already opened the Chaos Chakra at the Opening Meridian Realm.

Now, another one has arrived: Xuanyuan Po, who broke through with the ultimate foundation of the twelfth level of the Meridian Opening Realm and whose aura was astonishing even as his spiritual sea first opened...

The light gradually faded, and the strange phenomenon subsided.

Xuanyuan Po stood quietly in the center of the barrier, his aura undergoing a dramatic transformation.

The originally outward-flowing, sharp sword intent was completely contained, but his eyes became even deeper and colder, as if they contained an endless world of ice and snow.

He successfully entered the Spirit Sea Realm!

He immediately focused his mind on his dantian.

A vast "ocean" appeared in my perception.

The seawater was not the usual azure, but a deep, pure ice blue. The surface was calm and still, yet it exuded a chilling coldness and a powerful spiritual energy.

The sheer vastness of this nascent spiritual sea even surprised Xuan Yuanpo himself.

His divine sense spread out, carefully perceiving the surroundings.

"It actually reached...ten thousand zhang!"

When breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm at the twelfth level of the Meridian Opening stage, the theoretical maximum value of the Spirit Sea that can be reached is a ten-thousand-zhang Spirit Sea!

Although the legendary Chaos Chakra was not opened,

However, thanks to his exceptional foundation at the twelfth level of the Meridian Opening stage, and the massive energy provided by the Barrier Breaking Pill and the Ice Soul Snow Lotus Seed,

He has reached the theoretical pinnacle of perfection on this "conventional" path!

Xuan Yuanpo slowly opened his eyes, his icy blue gaze sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on Zhao Zhongming, whose face was ashen.

The Frostmark Sword in his hand emitted a clear and melodious sword cry.