Traveling Between Two Worlds: From Bread for Maids to Fantasy Overlord

Inside the council hall of Yiming Village, the air was filled with spiritual energy and warmth. Huang Yiming sat cross-legged beside the central constant-temperature cabin, surrounded by a rich, milky-white spiritual aura, its purity far exceeding that of ordinary Qi Refining Level 4 cultivators—the high-grade spiritual herbs he had just consumed, combined with the urban nutrient solution, were frantically nourishing his dantian along his meridians, and a surge of breakthrough emotion was churning within him.

Qin Yuling, Yang Xiu, and Su Qingyue stood around one side, their expressions varied yet all filled with anticipation. Qin Yuling held a long sword, her spiritual energy condensed and not released, her aura at the fourth level of Qi Refining already stable; Yang Xiu's fingertips were surrounded by a faint blue spiritual energy, her spiritual energy becoming increasingly restrained yet pure after the awakening of her hidden spiritual root; Su Qingyue, though not yet formally embarking on the path of immortality, had also been imbued with a trace of spiritual energy due to her years of contact with resources from both realms, her brows and eyes filled with concern for Huang Yiming.

"Brother Ming, keep your breath steady when you circulate your energy. The spiritual energy of high-grade spiritual herbs is too strong, so don't rush things." Qin Yuling reminded him softly, her tone filled with worry. She reached out to help him regulate his spiritual energy, but was afraid of disturbing his breakthrough process.

Huang Yiming nodded slightly, without opening his eyes. The speed of his spiritual energy circulation suddenly increased. The warm current released by the constant temperature chamber intertwined with the spiritual energy purified by the spiritual energy purifier, forming a perfect cycle within his body. After a moment, he trembled, a slight buzzing sound came from his dantian, and an even more powerful aura swept out—he had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining!

"He broke through! Brother Ming has broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining!" Yang Xiu cheered first, his eyes filled with admiration, and the spiritual energy at his fingertips pulsated. Su Qingyue also smiled and stepped forward to hand him a bottle of high-grade nutrient solution: "Drink some quickly to stabilize your cultivation and avoid leaving any hidden dangers."

Huang Yiming opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. Sensing the abundant spiritual energy within his body, a smile played on his lips. Just then, a system notification sounded: [Congratulations to the host for breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, unlocking a new function—Spiritual Vein Sharing. This allows you to share your spiritual energy with a designated target, increasing their cultivation speed. During the sharing period, your own spiritual energy consumption is halved.]

Huang Yiming was overjoyed and immediately tried to activate the spiritual vein sharing function, injecting a wisp of pure spiritual energy into each of the three women. Qin Yuling trembled, feeling a gentle yet powerful surge of spiritual energy into her dantian. Her previously stagnant mid-stage fourth level of Qi Refining showed signs of loosening. Yang Xiu felt her hidden spiritual root being thoroughly nourished, and the speed of her spiritual energy circulation suddenly accelerated, with the azure spiritual energy around her becoming increasingly dense. Su Qingyue felt warm all over, and the wisp of spiritual energy she had only touched condensed into a weak spiritual seed in her dantian—her cultivation aptitude had finally been officially awakened!

"This is spiritual vein sharing? It's amazing!" Qin Yuling's eyes were filled with shock as she circulated her cultivation technique to refine the shared spiritual energy. Her voice was filled with undisguised joy, "My cultivation is about to break through to the late stage of the fourth level of Qi Refining!"

"Me too! The flow of spiritual energy is much smoother than before, and my hidden spiritual root seems to have become stronger again!" Yang Xiu said excitedly. With a light tap of her fingertip, a wisp of spiritual energy transformed into a cyan light and shadow, landing on the stone table next to her and leaving a faint mark.

Su Qingyue stroked the spiritual seed in her dantian, her eyes filled with surprise. She looked up at Huang Yiming, her eyes full of admiration: "Yiming, thank you. I can cultivate immortality now too."

Huang Yiming stood up with a smile, took the hands of the three women in his hands, and said in a gentle but firm tone, "From now on, we will cultivate together. I will protect you, and you will stay with me. I will never let anyone bully you again." The three women blushed slightly and nodded gently. An ambiguous yet warm atmosphere filled the air, and the tacit understanding between the female protagonists grew deeper.

Just then, Qin Hu rushed in, his face filled with urgency yet also excitement: "Brother Ming, it's bad news! No, it's good news! The three small sects around here heard that you've broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining and can now share spiritual veins, so they've all sent people to curry favor, wanting to attach themselves to our Yiming Village. They even brought a lot of spiritual herbs and cultivation resources!"

Huang Yiming raised an eyebrow, a cold smile playing on his lips. These small sects, who had avoided him like the plague when the Qingyun Sect had tested them, were now eager to curry favor with him, seeing his growing power. They certainly had a clever plan. "Tell them to wait outside the stronghold. I'll go and meet them myself."

Outside the village gate, envoys from three minor sects were already waiting, their expressions respectful, each holding their own offerings. Upon seeing Huang Yiming approach, the three hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Chief Huang! We have come to Yiming Village on the orders of our sects, willing to serve you, Chief. We only ask that you share the spiritual veins to help our sect's cultivators improve their cultivation."

Huang Yiming's gaze swept over the three men, his tone indifferent: "You may join us, but Yiming Village has rules: obey orders in all matters. If you dare to disobey, don't blame me for being impolite. As for sharing spiritual veins, only core members of the village can enjoy them. Disciples of your sects must earn them through merit."

The three were overjoyed and quickly replied, "Yes, sir! We will obey the chief's orders and would never dare to have any disloyalty!"

Just as Huang Yiming was about to have someone lead them into the village, Qin Yuling suddenly stepped forward and whispered, "Yiming, something's not right. Among these people, one person's spiritual energy fluctuations are very strange. They don't seem like ordinary sect disciples, but rather like... someone from the Qingyun Sect."

Huang Yiming's eyes turned cold. Without making a sound, he circulated his spiritual energy and looked in the direction Qin Yuling indicated. He saw one of the envoys with his head lowered, his spiritual energy deliberately concealed, yet a trace of the unique spiritual energy of the Qingyun Sect still leaked out. He sneered inwardly. It seemed that the Qingyun Sect's actions were faster than he had imagined.

"Since you're willing to surrender, then come with me into the stronghold." Huang Yiming's tone remained unchanged, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He didn't expose them on the spot, but instead planned to play along and see what tricks the Qingyun Sect was up to.

As the group entered Yiming Village, the envoys from the three minor sects were filled with awe upon seeing the well-organized guards, advanced cultivation equipment, and abundant spiritual energy. Qin Hu proudly boasted from the side, "See that? This is our Yiming Village! From now on, follow Brother Ming, and I guarantee you'll live the high life, and your cultivation speed will double!"

Huang Yiming arranged for Qin Yuling to receive the three envoys and settle them in, while he took Yang Xiu and Su Qingyue back to the council hall. "Qingyue, use the surveillance equipment to keep an eye on that suspicious envoy and record his every move; Yang Xiu, use your hidden spiritual root to sense his aura and see if he is secretly contacting the outside world; I'm going to reinforce the defenses inside the stronghold to prevent the Qingyun Sect from taking the opportunity to launch a sneak attack."

"Yes!" the three women replied in unison and immediately set to work.

Huang Yiming stood by the window of the council hall, gazing out of the village, a cold glint in his eyes. The Qingyun Sect Master hadn't shown himself yet, instead sending an undercover agent among the envoys of smaller sects, clearly to secretly investigate Yiming Village's strength. He wanted to see what tricks these people were up to.

The suspicious messenger entered the arranged quarters, immediately closed the door, took out a black token, and whispered, "Elder, I have successfully infiltrated Yiming Village. Huang Yiming has indeed broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining and unlocked the Spirit Vein sharing function. Yiming Village's defenses are extremely tight. I will find out the exact location of the Twin Realms secret and the Spirit Vein as soon as possible and send it to you." The token emitted a faint light, and after a moment, a hoarse reply came: "Be careful and do not reveal your identity. The Sect Master is already on his way. Once you send back the message, act immediately and seize the Spirit Vein and the Twin Realms secret in one fell swoop!"

All of this was clearly recorded by Su Qingyue's monitoring equipment. Huang Yiming, standing at the location of the spiritual vein, smirked coldly—Qingyun Sect, your spy has already fallen into my trap. Little did he know, the spy's identity was far more special than he imagined; a much larger reversal was quietly brewing.