Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

"Afraid? It's precisely because the Martial Arts Bureau values ​​you that he's even more determined to get rid of you!" Su Mu's gaze was piercing, hitting the nail on the head. "What is he afraid of? He's afraid that you'll rise to power and achieve great things! Once you're truly in the Martial Arts Bureau, have a powerful backer, and your wings are fully grown, will Yang Mao have any chance of avenging today's humiliation? Therefore, he will definitely strike first before your wings are fully grown and your foundation is stable, eliminating any future trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Ping'an's face paled instantly, but was quickly replaced by a fierce determination. He clenched his fists tightly: "He dares! When I become powerful in the future, I will definitely make him pay tenfold, a hundredfold, for what he did to me!"

"It's good that you have this ambition, but right now, you have to live to see that day first," Su Mu solemnly instructed. "From today onwards, don't leave the library courtyard unless absolutely necessary. Be careful with your food and drink, and stay alert. In his eyes, you've gone from prey to a potential threat that must be nipped in the bud."

"Yes, Godfather! Ping An understands!" Cheng Ping An nodded heavily, the fear in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by the sharpness and vigilance of a martial artist.

---

That night, all was quiet, and the cold moonlight streamed through the window.

Su Mu sat cross-legged on the bed, clearing his mind of all distractions. The mental cultivation method of the "Imperial Supreme Body Technique" circulated rapidly in his mind. The surging acquired true energy within his body, like thousands of troops hearing the battle horn, rushed and roared along the specific and profound path of the technique, finally converging into an unstoppable torrent that crashed fiercely into the invisible barrier deep within his dantian!

His dantian was already open, but the Grandmaster-level barrier between his acquired and innate abilities remained as solid as iron. Each time his true energy surged, the recoil sent a tearing pain through his bones and muscles—clear evidence that his physical strength was not yet sufficient to fully withstand such a violent energy surge!

Although the three solid pills had greatly transformed his physique, he had only recently broken through to the Acquired Realm, and the foundation of his body still needed more brutal tempering and refinement.

Ordinary martial artists, upon reaching this juncture, are all filled with trepidation. They must patiently and persistently cultivate and cleanse their meridians and bodies with their inner energy, a process that can take months or even years, until their physical bodies are sufficiently strong before daring to attempt to break through that barrier. Any slight recklessness could result in minor damage to the meridians and a regression in cultivation; in severe cases, it could lead to a ruptured dantian and the complete destruction of one's martial arts path!

"But others need to wait time, I, Su Mu—don't need to!"

A terrifying glint suddenly flashed in Su Mu's eyes, a madness that was a mixture of desperate gamble and absolute confidence!

Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his hand and simultaneously put a Solid Pill, a Spirit Essence Pill, and a Sweet Rain Pill into his mouth!

The solid pill's medicinal power dissipated, instantly forming a warm yet tough invisible protective membrane that enveloped his main meridians and internal organs; the Spirit Essence Pill transformed into a vast and pure spiritual energy, continuously injecting into the torrent of true energy that was impacting the barrier, further increasing its power; and the Sweet Rain Pill's medicinal effects were like the most sensitive engineers, ready to repair any damage that might occur during the impact!

Such cultivation is nothing short of extravagant and insane! Solidifying pills protect the body, and sweet rain pills heal injuries. These precious pills are being used as consumables. If martial artists outside knew about this, they would probably be heartbroken and condemn it as a waste of resources!

But Su Mu didn't care! He couldn't wait! Yang Mao's threat was like a sword hanging over his head, and the summons from Consort De was shrouded in mystery. This deep palace was fraught with danger, and he had to obtain enough power to protect himself and even fight back as quickly as possible! He had the system as his strongest backing, and the massive amount of pills was his greatest asset for breaking conventions and defying the heavens!

"Break!"

Su Mu let out a low roar in his heart, banishing all distracting thoughts and immersing his mind completely in the earth-shattering "war" within his body. With the blessing of the Spirit Essence Pill, the torrent of true energy became even more violent and ferocious, crashing against the barrier that symbolized the insurmountable chasm time and time again with unwavering determination!

"boom--!"

"boom--!!"

"boom--!!!"

Each impact sent Su Mu's body trembling violently, his face turning deathly pale, and sweat pouring out like molten lava, soaking his clothes. His meridians throbbed with excruciating pain, and his internal organs endured immense pressure. But he gritted his teeth, relying on the protection of the Solidifying Pill and the repair of the Sweet Rain Pill, he stubbornly withstood this inhuman pain, driving his true energy to launch a relentless assault!

Time slipped away silently amidst extreme pain and focus. The time it takes for an incense stick to burn felt like an eternity.

suddenly!

"Click—"

A crisp, shattering sound, which only Su Mu could perceive and which originated from the depths of his soul, suddenly rang out!

The next moment, his body trembled violently, and all the outward-released energy instantly surged back into his body. That indestructible innate barrier was actually pierced and shattered by such a relentless and ferocious impact!

"Whoosh—!!"

It was as if a river had burst its banks, or as if the universe had just begun. Within his dantian, a completely new, vast, and mysterious space suddenly opened up before him! All the acquired true energy that had been surging through his meridians, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, rushed wildly into this newly born "sea of ​​qi"!

The Qi Sea, one of the body's secret treasures, inherently contains a primordial spiritual energy and the vital energy of heaven and earth. In childhood, the Qi Sea is abundant, but this energy gradually dissipates with age, becoming nearly depleted by adulthood. One of the essences of martial arts cultivation is to lock in this spiritual energy, reverse its dissipation, and refine the external spiritual energy for one's own use, thus refilling and expanding this inner "universe"!

At this moment, Su Mu's Qi Sea is undergoing earth-shattering changes! He has finally taken the step of returning from the acquired to the innate realm!

Su Mu's physical body is already over twenty years old, and most of the innate primordial energy in his Qi Sea has naturally dissipated, but this is completely irrelevant to him! As long as he breaks through the barrier of his Qi Sea and opens up this inner universe, he can use the "Imperial Supreme Body Technique" as a foundation to absorb all kinds of energy and store true energy far exceeding that of his peers, and his strength will undergo a tremendous qualitative change!

"The Innate Realm is complete!" An indescribable sense of joy and relief welled up in Su Mu's heart, and he grinned silently.

He swallowed pills to quickly replenish his energy while immersing his mind in his newly formed "Qi Sea World." At this moment, his Qi Sea was just beginning to take shape, about the size of a bucket, brimming with true qi. But this was only the beginning! The reason why the Innate Realm is also called the "Qi Sea Realm" by martial artists is precisely because the core cultivation at this stage is to use one's own true qi as a hammer to continuously bombard and expand the boundaries of the Qi Sea, causing it to evolve into a true miniature world!

In the latter half of the night, Su Mu's Qi Sea had begun to take shape, with his true Qi surging and overflowing.

With a change of heart, he began to try to activate another profound secret of the "Imperial Supreme Body Technique" - absorbing the Imperial Dragon Qi!

The aura of an emperor, like the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, is intangible, yet it is far more supreme, domineering, and majestic. It lingers above palaces and permeates power, and ordinary cultivation methods cannot capture it, let alone refine it. But the "Imperial Supreme Body Technique" seems to have been created for this very purpose!