Chapter 117: Chapter 97: Innate Protective Golden Bell
Outside the commander’s grand tent, Yan Ming, Li Huai Sheng, and others stood solemnly, their eyes fixed on the violently shaking tent. Yan Ming’s face was etched with shock and worry.
The tent flaps billowed like a ship’s sail in a gale, sounding as if they might be torn to shreds at any moment.
A heart-pounding pressure filled the air, and a repressed, low growl, like that of a trapped beast struggling, could be faintly heard from within the tent. If Chen Sheng hadn’t given strict orders for no one to approach, Yan Ming would have likely rushed in without a second thought.
Only Li Huai Sheng, after his initial shock, had a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He stared intently at the constantly bulging ox-hide tent, sensing the familiar yet strange fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. A stunning thought exploded in his mind:
’The Master... is actually breaking through to the Innate Realm!’
He was no ordinary, ignorant Martial Artist.
Hailing from the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, a Major Sect in Nanzhao Prefecture, he had once been fortunate enough to witness a master from his sect break through to the Innate Realm. The majestic sight of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi being drawn in to temper a mortal body was strikingly similar to the scene before him now.
However, understanding was followed by an even deeper shock.
He had followed Chen Sheng for some time and had personally witnessed his ascent from the Bone Forging Realm to the Marrow Transformation Realm, a process to which he had even provided some minor assistance.
But from the time he had first reached the Marrow Transformation Realm until now, it had been, at most, only two months.
’Two months... from Marrow Transformation to the Innate Realm?’
This was simply unheard of.
’In my experience, reaching the peak of the Marrow Transformation Realm in such a short time is nearly impossible, let alone reaching that peak *and* then attempting to break through to the Innate Realm.’
This completely defied common sense, overturning his understanding of cultivation.
But the facts before his eyes left him no choice but to believe.
And beyond the shock, an indescribable sense of relief and ecstasy gradually welled up in Li Huai Sheng’s heart.
He felt fortunate that he had made the wisest choice at a moment of life and death, fortunate that the master he followed was a genius of such terrifying talent.
’With the Master’s astonishing progress, given time, avenging my deep-seated hatred will be no problem. And as for me, Li Huai Sheng, as long as I follow in his footsteps, I’m bound to reap endless rewards and witness a higher realm of the Martial Dao.’
Li Huai Sheng thought to himself, his eyes burning with an intense heat.
At this moment, more than anyone else, he hoped Chen Sheng would successfully break through.
"Commander... what is the Commander doing? Why is there such a huge commotion?"
Yan Ming, standing beside him, couldn’t suppress his fear and couldn’t help but ask Li Huai Sheng in a low voice.
Li Huai Sheng didn’t turn his head. His gaze remained locked on the large tent as he said in a deep voice:
"The Master is breaking through."
"Breaking through? What kind of breakthrough causes such a commotion?"
Yan Ming was even more confused by the answer.
Li Huai Sheng finally turned his head, glanced at him, and said clearly, word by word:
"The Master is breaking through to the Innate Realm."
Hearing this, Yan Ming looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His eyes flew wide open, and he froze on the spot, his shock intensifying:
"In... Innate?!"
...
Meanwhile, outside the Military Preparation Camp, in an inconspicuous shadow.
County Captain Wu Kuang stood quietly alone, his aura merging with the night.
His gaze was fixed on the direction of the large tent, and as he sensed the increasingly intense fluctuations of Primordial Qi, an irrepressible excitement and longing flashed in his eyes.
’The Innate Realm... so this is the Innate Realm!’
The Innate Realm brought more than just a leap in strength; it also extended one’s lifespan. According to legend, an Innate Realm expert’s lifespan could reach a maximum of two sixty-year cycles.
A full one hundred and twenty years!
One had to understand that in this world, it was already difficult for ordinary people to live past a single sixty-year cycle.
Even for Martial Masters in the Foundation Establishment Realm like them, who appeared physically robust, the many hidden injuries accumulated from years of cultivation and fighting meant that once their qi and blood passed their peak, they would decline rapidly. Their lifespans rarely exceeded eighty years.
Only by breaking through to the Innate Realm, undergoing a complete baptism by the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, and being completely transformed, could one break the shackles of a mortal body and extend one’s life.
Beyond that, abilities like moving with qi and True Qi Emission... all these marvels marked a difference as vast as that between the clouds and the mud when compared to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
He had even heard Captain Nie mention it back when he was still in the army.
Only by stepping into the Innate Realm could one be considered to have truly embarked on the path of cultivation.
However, alongside his excitement and longing, a deep worry also emerged.
The Innate Realm was wonderful, but the barrier to entry was difficult to break.
Wu Kuang was well aware of the dangers involved.
If the attempt failed, in the best-case scenario, one’s Meridians would be damaged, their Dao Foundation would be shaken, and further progress would become impossible. In the worst-case, they would die on the spot, their body and soul extinguished.
It was for this very reason that, even though he considered himself to have reached the perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm and had made ample preparations, he always hesitated, not daring to take that final step.
Because he was afraid that at his age, nearly forty, if he failed once, he would likely never get a second chance.
’But then again, given Chen Sheng’s consistently prudent nature, since he said he was somewhat confident... he should be fine.’
...
Inside the tent, Chen Sheng’s breakthrough had reached its most critical moment.
The rampaging Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi acted like countless invisible files, repeatedly scouring and tempering his limbs, bones, Meridians, and acupoints.
Intense pain washed over him in waves. If not for the Vein Protection Pill and the Profound Organ Spiritual Liquid firmly protecting his organs and Meridians, coupled with his own iron-like willpower, his consciousness would have long since scattered.
Under this inhuman torment, a fine, viscous black filth began to seep from the pores of his skin, emitting a faint, foul odor.
These were the impurities accumulated from the elixirs he had consumed and the tempering of his physical body in the past. Normally hidden deep within his flesh, blood, and organs, they were now being forced out, bit by bit, under the extreme pressure and refinement of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.
