Chapter 195: Breakthrough

The President of Tianhai University agreed to Jiang Xincheng’s request the very next day. He gifted Jiang Xincheng his cherished Origin Force Weapon, the Bamboo Grove Sword. Jiang Xincheng, in turn, promised that after stepping into the Cloud Condensation Realm and consolidating his strength, he would teach Tsinghua University’s three ‘Pride of Heaven’ a lesson and reclaim Tianhai University’s lost glory.

The Bamboo Grove Sword was a far superior Yuan Power Weapon to the Mysterious Steel Sword. It was a powerful upper-middle grade Origin Force Weapon with impressive attack power. Most importantly, this Bamboo Grove Sword had excellent compatibility with an Earth Grade – Lower Tier Origin Force Combat Skill. Jiang Xincheng chose this particular weapon, rather than another Yuan Power Weapon, mainly for the purpose of practicing that skill.

The Bamboo Grove Sword was about four feet long. Its entire body was green, segmented like bamboo nodes. Bamboo leaf patterns adorned the hilt, making it quite comfortable to hold. Its attack power was exceptionally sharp. Once Primordial Force was infused into it, cutting through iron was as easy as slicing through mud.

However, that Origin Force Combat Skill could only be cultivated after Jiang Xincheng advanced to the Cloud Condensation Realm and became a Greater Yuan Warrior. Therefore, what Jiang Xincheng needed to do now was still to advance to the Cloud Condensation Realm and become a Greater Yuan Warrior.

The Cloud Condensation Realm was a major turning point in a Primordial Warrior’s cultivation journey. Upon breaking into the Cloud Condensation Realm, one could project Primordial Force externally, achieving truly formidable lethality, much like the great masters in martial arts novels who could kill from a distance.

Breaking through to the Cloud Condensation Realm signified the end of the three Foundation Building Stages and marked the cultivator’s official entry into the true gates of cultivation. Not only would their strength advance by leaps and bounds, but their lifespan would also undergo a significant leap.

Once they reached the Cloud Condensation Realm, a Practitioner could vaguely sense their current lifespan, thus learning their natural limit. This knowledge spurred them to cultivate even more diligently.

Commanding respect over an entire city, standing as a local powerhouse – that was a Yuan Warrior of the Cloud Condensation Realm, also honored by the world as a Greater Yuan Warrior.

Once one broke through to the Cloud Condensation Realm and became a Greater Yuan Warrior, their status and position would soar dramatically, truly placing them among the world’s upper echelon. In any organization, Greater Yuan Warriors of the Cloud Condensation Realm were highly sought-after experts; no force would ever pass up the chance to recruit one.

Greater Yuan Warriors of the Cloud Condensation Realm were not only incredibly strong but also exceedingly rare. Out of ten Primordial Warriors at the peak of the Bone Tempering Late Stage, not necessarily one could break through to the Cloud Condensation Realm, demonstrating just how scarce they were.

And tonight, Jiang Xincheng would break through the bottleneck of the Cloud Condensation Realm, becoming a Greater Yuan Warrior who could stand firm as a power in his own territory.

Jiang Xincheng didn’t choose to attempt his breakthrough in his room. Instead, he trod through the swirling snow and wind to a sweet potato cellar behind the courtyard.

Outside, the wind roared and the snow fell heavily, but inside the sweet potato cellar, it was warm and quiet. Most importantly, it was extremely unlikely anyone would think Jiang Xincheng would try to break through in such a place, especially as this particular cellar was very well hidden.

Interruptions were the ultimate taboo during a breakthrough attempt, especially when ascending to a major realm like the Cloud Condensation Realm. Absolute silence and calm were paramount.

Therefore, Jiang Xincheng proceeded to this secret and secure sweet potato cellar. He sat cross-legged, took out the prepared Quasi Grade-5 Yangshan Pill, and prepared to break into the Cloud Condensation Realm with the pill’s aid.

After months of diligent cultivation and hard training, Jiang Xincheng’s strength had steadily climbed to the peak of the Bone Tempering Late Stage. His foundation was exceptionally firm and solid, far surpassing that of ordinary people by several times. Hence, he now felt ready to attempt the breakthrough.

After such extensive preparation and with the experience of his past life, Jiang Xincheng had over ninety percent certainty of success this time. Calmly and peacefully, he swallowed the Yangshan Pill and began absorbing its medicinal energy.

The energy from the Yangshan Pill was gentle. It didn’t erupt violently but flowed like a constant stream, slowly and steadily seeping forward. It permeated throughout Jiang Xincheng’s Meridians. Only after undergoing refinement by his Primordial Force Cultivation Method did it finally enter his Dantian, becoming part of the foundation of his power.

This time, Jiang Xincheng wasn’t using Devouring the Cosmos to absorb the Yangshan Pill’s energy. Instead, he employed Spiral Rotation. As wisps and strands of the pill’s energy flowed into his Meridians, Jiang Xincheng immediately activated Spiral Rotation. He gathered these energies, thread by thread, into spirals, forming tiny whirlpools that rushed towards his Dantian.

These whirlpools spun furiously, absorbing more and more Primordial Force as they traveled, growing increasingly larger. While Spiral Rotation was technically an Origin Force Cultivation Method, it could also be considered a profound Primordial Force circulation technique. It could harmonize with most Cultivation Methods without interfering with their operation or the nature of the Primordial Force they produced.

That’s why Spiral Rotation could be compatible with over ninety-nine percent of Primordial Force Cultivation Methods, and its use could be stopped at any time. It was an incredibly useful, high-level technique.

By the time these whirlpools reached the Dantian, each had grown to about the size of a bean. Under Jiang Xincheng’s control, these small beans began merging one by one, becoming progressively larger and larger.

To break into the Cloud Condensation Realm, the most difficult hurdle was naturally breaching the bottleneck. The ‘dam’ blocking the breakthrough to the Cloud Condensation Realm was notoriously sturdy, so solid it could drive ordinary cultivators to despair.

Based on collective understanding among Earth’s Practitioners, breaking through the Cloud Condensation bottleneck required two key things. First, an immense amount of Primordial Force. Second, the Primordial Force had to be incredibly pure – so pure it approximated the Primordial Force within an Early Stage Cloud Condensation Realm Greater Yuan Warrior. Only then was breakthrough truly possible.

But how could a Bone Tempering Late Stage Yuan Warrior possibly refine Primordial Force within his body to that level—almost that of an Early Stage Cloud Condensation Greater Yuan Warrior? This requirement alone was incredibly difficult, harder than ascending to heaven. Moreover, it demanded an enormous volume of Primordial Force to support the attempt.

This was why reaching the Cloud Condensation Realm was so arduous and why its Greater Yuan Warriors were qualified to command respect within a city and be called true experts.

Jiang Xincheng’s solution was Spiral Rotation. Spiral, spiral, spiral – by definition, it formed spirals. It drew Primordial Force inside, then used the spiral motion to gradually refine and condense that energy. The force became purer and more powerful, continuing until a single, colossal spiral formed, hoovering up all the Primordial Force within his body. This massive spiral became the battering ram intended to smash against that formidable, steel-reinforced dam.

An impact breaching the barrier would transport Jiang Xincheng into an entirely new, unprecedented realm – that of a Cloud Condensation Realm Greater Yuan Warrior. Failure, however, would inflict severe damage to his vitality, preventing any further attempts to breach the bottleneck for a long time.

The spirals grew from small to large. The number of spirals shifted from many to one. The single spiral within his Dantian swelled bigger and bigger. Simultaneously, the pressure inside the spiral intensified dramatically, compressing the Devouring Origin Force within it, making it even more pure and potent.

Once the Primordial Force within the spiral reached sufficient purity and the spiral itself reached a critical size, Jiang Xincheng could command it to start devouring the vast Primordial Force stored within his Dantian.

It was like moving from the countryside to the city, transforming a small stream into a mighty river or sea. Like a growing, insatiable snake, once the spiral was large enough and strong enough, it could absorb the immense reserve of Devouring Origin Force in the Dantian.

Finally, when the spiral had swallowed all the Primordial Force within the Dantian, the moment Jiang Xincheng assaulted the great bottleneck of the Cloud Condensation Realm would have arrived.