Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

Pingyang County, the rear courtyard of the Zhenfu Division.

Amidst turbulent times outside, the Azure Dragon Society swiftly annihilated the Iron Blood Hall and the Blood Nether Sect, and Guan Qi killed a Grandmaster level 8 ancient artifact with three punches, shaking the thirteen prefectures of the west.

Fear and apprehension from various factions led them to reassess the Green Dragon Society's strength, and they dispatched countless spies to investigate everything about the Green Dragon Society day and night.

This small backyard, however, seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, as peaceful as another world.

These days, Dongfang Wei has been in seclusion, cultivating and trying to break through to the Grandmaster realm.

During the day, he practiced the Overlord Fist and the Cloud Chasing and Moon Chasing Step in the courtyard.

His punches whistled through the air, his footwork was lightning fast, sending bamboo leaves flying everywhere in the courtyard. Each of his punches carried a unique rhythm—not brute force, but an ultimate control over power.

The fist techniques are sometimes as fierce as thunder, and sometimes as supple as silk, switching freely between the two without any hesitation.

At night, he sat cross-legged in a secret chamber, refining his inner energy. His innate divine meridians circulated slowly within his body, each cycle transforming his innate inner energy into a more solidified Grandmaster-level inner energy. This process was tedious and lengthy, but Dongfang Weiwo never slacked off.

Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng took turns protecting him.

Two swordsmen at the peak of the fifth level of the Grandmaster realm, one as cold as ice and the other as elegant as clouds, stood guard at the north and south ends of the courtyard respectively. Any scouts who tried to approach the courtyard were forced back by the sword energy from a hundred paces away—no one saw how the sword was drawn, only saw a flash of cold light, and then found that the weapon in their hands had been broken in two.

After a few times, no one dared to bother them anymore.

On this day, in the secret room.

Dongfang Weiwo sat cross-legged on the futon, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and deep.

Within his body, true energy surged like a tide, wave after wave, crashing against that invisible barrier. After days of arduous cultivation, the bottleneck of the peak of the Innate Realm finally began to loosen—not just tiny cracks, but dense, numerous fissures, like a mirror about to shatter.

He could sense that the barrier was about to collapse.

"It's time."

Dongfang Weiwo opened his eyes. The dim candlelight in the secret room reflected on his face, and his eyes were brighter than ever before, as if two flames were burning within them.

He took out a pill from his pocket—a Breakthrough Pill.

The pill was pale gold, with a warm, lustrous sheen on its surface, and emitted a faint medicinal fragrance. This treasure, obtained from the ruins, could help a peak-stage Innate Realm martial artist break through to the Grandmaster Realm with a success rate as high as 70%. In the outside world, such a pill would be enough to make countless Innate Realm martial artists fight tooth and nail for it, even at the cost of wiping out entire families.

Dongfang Weiwo, however, did not hesitate at all.

He put the pill in his mouth and swallowed it gently.

next moment--

The powerful medicinal effects exploded within my body!

Like a furious dragon imprisoned for a thousand years suddenly breaking free of its shackles, the medicinal power transformed into a raging torrent of true energy, crashing against the already cracked bottleneck with overwhelming force.

Dongfang Weiwo gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat instantly soaking his clothes. The feeling was as if someone had ignited a volcano in his meridians, and scorching power surged from his dantian, spreading wildly along his limbs and bones.

excruciating pain.

Unparalleled excruciating pain.

But he didn't make a sound.

He circulated his internal energy, guiding the raging power along its predetermined meridian pathways. Once, twice, three times… with each circulation, he tamed the chaotic power, transforming it into his own.

"Click—"

It was as if something had shattered.

The sound came from deep within him, crisp and clear, like the first crack in the surface of ice.

The bottleneck has been broken!

The internal energy surged like a burst dam, roaring into the new meridians. The dantian expanded several times in an instant, and the energy surged endlessly within the meridians, tempering and reshaping every inch of muscle and every bone with this newfound power.

A qualitative leap.

The difference between the Innate Realm and the Grandmaster Realm is like heaven and earth. Innate Realm martial artists are still "borrowing" the power of heaven and earth, while Grandmaster Realm martial artists have begun to "control" the power of heaven and earth. Taking this step opens up a whole new world.

Dongfang Weiwo felt his senses expanding outwards at an astonishing speed. Every blade of grass and every tree in the entire Zhenfu Division was clearly imprinted in his mind—a few drops of dew on the bamboo leaves in the courtyard, an ant crawling in a crack in the wall, the breathing rhythm of Ximen Chuixue a hundred paces away…

Everything was within his perception, down to the smallest detail.

A powerful aura erupted from him, like a whirlwind, causing cracks to appear on the walls of the secret chamber and dust to fall from above.

The Realm of Grandmasters

Achieved!

Dongfang Weiwo slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes were brighter than ever before. A glint of light flashed within them, as if thunder were brewing. His aura was deep and solid, completely different from before his seclusion.

He clenched his fist.

The mere act of clenching his fist caused the air in his palm to hiss under unbearable pressure, as if being gripped by an invisible giant hand. He could feel that the power flowing within him was more than three times stronger than when he was at the peak of the Innate Realm—that sense of fullness and control made him feel as if he could punch through a mountain.

"Early stage Grandmaster," he said softly, a slight smile playing on his lips. "His strength is more than three times that of a peak Innate Realm master. If I were to encounter a peak Grandmaster again now, I would have a fighting chance."

It's not arrogance, but absolute self-confidence.

At the peak of the Innate Realm, he could contend with a late-stage Grandmaster. Now, having broken through to the Grandmaster level, the potential of his Innate Divine Meridian has been further unleashed, and his true combat strength far surpasses that of a Grandmaster at the peak of the same level—he might not be unable to put up a fight.

He got up and pushed open the door to the secret room.

Seven days. He sat in the secret room for seven days, while the outside world underwent tremendous changes.

Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng looked at it at the same time.

The two white-robed swordsmen's gazes fell on Dongfang Weiwo, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes simultaneously. Not because of his breakthrough—breaking through to Grandmaster was expected—but because of the aura emanating from him.

That aura was as steady as a mountain, yet it concealed a surging power. Although he was only at the early stage of the Grandmaster realm, he gave people a sense of pressure as if they were facing a peak Grandmaster.

Ximen Chuixue's expression remained stern, but the chill in his eyes had lessened slightly. He nodded slightly without speaking—for him, this was already extremely high praise.

Ye Gucheng bowed respectfully, his face showing sincere praise: "Congratulations on breaking through to the Grandmaster level, young master."

"Hmm." Dongfang Weiwo nodded, taking a deep breath of the fresh outdoor air. "How long have you been in seclusion?"

"Seven days," Ximen Chuixue said, his voice as clear and cold as spring water.

"Seven days..."

Dongfang Weiwo stepped out of the secret chamber, stood with his hands behind his back in the courtyard, and looked up at the azure sky. Bamboo shadows fell on his shoulders, and the autumn wind brushed against his clothes. He seemed to become one with the world around him.