Two days later, Yang Kai's eyes snapped open, his pupils gleaming brilliantly as if lightning flowed within them.
But a hint of confusion surfaced on his face.
He was somewhat puzzled by his own condition.
After returning to Lingxiao Pavilion and walking through the familiar scenery, he had suddenly fallen into a wondrous state of mind. At first, he'd thought he was about to break through, so he'd let nature take its course. But when he woke, he found that he hadn't broken through to the Sacred realm at all.
His cultivation remained at Transcendent Stage Three — though the True Yuan surging within his body was vastly different from before.
Closing his eyes and probing with his Divine Sense, he found that the True Yuan flowing through his meridians and flesh had become far more refined and purer than before. If his previous True Yuan had been like the ceaseless flow of a river, then his current True Yuan consisted of tiny, exquisite crystals, clinging to his flesh and meridians.
When not in use, they no longer flowed. But once activated, they were far more responsive and carried far greater destructive power than before.
The Yang Liquid stored in his dantian also seemed to be undergoing a metamorphosis, transforming into brilliant golden gemstones that dazzled the eyes.
Yang Kai was bewildered, unable to make sense of what was happening.
He carefully assessed his physical condition and found nothing amiss — on the contrary, he felt remarkably refreshed, as if the changes in his body's power were beneficial. Not only were they harmless, they brought tremendous advantages.
At the very least, Yang Kai could feel that he had grown stronger.
He sent out his Divine Sense, and before long, Li Rong and Han Fei flew over together, flashing into the cave dwelling and bowing respectfully. "Master, do you have any orders?"
These past two days, Li Rong and Han Fei had also been guests at Lingxiao Pavilion, helping to deal with the current mess. Both had sensed that Yang Kai was cultivating here and naturally hadn't disturbed him — only now, when Yang Kai had actively summoned them, had they rushed over.
"I have some questions I'd like to ask you two." Yang Kai gestured for them to sit and talk at leisure.
The two exchanged a glance and smiled. Even Han Fei showed a trace of a smile, causing her aura of icy cold to melt considerably in that instant.
In their impression, Yang Kai seemed capable of anything. The fact that he actually said he had something to consult them about caught them completely off guard.
The two sat down. Li Rong asked, "Master, is there something about cultivation you don't understand?"
"Mm." Yang Kai nodded, relaxing his body and mind. "Use your Divine Sense to probe the power within my body and see if you can spot anything unusual."
"Unusual?" Han Fei asked in surprise.
"Then forgive us for being forward." Li Rong wasted no words and released her Divine Sense to probe inside Yang Kai's body.
A moment later, her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up. "True Yuan transforms into Sacred?"
Han Fei's face showed a similar expression of surprise and delight. Beaming at Yang Kai, she said with a light laugh, "Congratulations, Master. With your cultivation speed, I'd say you can't be far from the Sacred realm at all."
"Exactly. You've already reached the stage where True Yuan is transforming into Sacred. Master's growth rate is astonishing — I'd estimate two or three years at most before you enter the Sacred realm. If you have some opportunity or sudden insight, it could be even sooner."
"Stop!" Yang Kai raised his hand, frowning at them with a bewildered expression. "Explain first. What exactly is 'True Yuan transforms into Sacred'? And how can you be so sure I'm close to the Sacred realm?"
Li Rong and Han Fei exchanged glances, both seeing astonishment in the other's eyes. But soon they both burst into laughter. Their giggling rang through the cave dwelling like silver bells.
Yang Kai felt a bitter taste rise in his chest.
It would be one thing for Li Rong to laugh so heartily, but even the perpetually cold-faced Han Fei was doubled over with laughter, trembling like a shaken flower. They had clearly discovered something amusing — and it definitely had to do with him.
Yet he had absolutely no idea what.
"Are you two done laughing?" Yang Kai glared at them.
Sensing that Yang Kai was growing embarrassed and irritated, Li Rong and Han Fei quickly reined in their laughter, though they still struggled to suppress their amusement, covering their mouths with their hands as their shoulders shook.
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
After quite some time, Li Rong and Han Fei finally composed themselves. The former said, "Master, along your path of cultivation, have you never received systematic guidance?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because if someone had taught you systematically, you would know what 'True Yuan transforms into Sacred' means — and you would know that it's the very bottleneck of the Sacred realm."
"The bottleneck of the Sacred realm?" Yang Kai's interest was immediately piqued. "Tell me in detail."
Li Rong and Han Fei then took turns explaining.
"In this world, there are countless Transcendent realm martial artists, but among them, those who successfully break through to the Sacred realm are fewer than one in a hundred. Why can so many Transcendent realm practitioners never glimpse the mystery of the Sacred realm? The biggest reason is this 'True Yuan transforms into Sacred.'"
"A martial artist, from the very start of cultivation all the way to the Sacred realm, advances step by step, and every major breakthrough is extremely arduous. You could say that every breakthrough at a major realm is a baptism from the inside out. But throughout this entire journey of growth, there are two occasions when the power within a martial artist's body undergoes a tremendous transformation."
"The first is the breakthrough from the Separation-Union realm to the Zhenyuan realm, when the Yuan Qi within the body transforms into True Yuan. The disparity in power between the two — you yourself must have experienced it firsthand, Master."
Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Before the Separation-Union realm, what flowed within a martial artist's body was Yuan Qi. After breaking through to the Zhenyuan realm, what flowed within was True Yuan.