Chapter 69: Strength to Lift a Cauldron, a Thousand Jin.

The surging Devouring Origin Force gathered, forming raging waves that roared and howled, waiting for the moment to strike the bottleneck.

Within his Dantian, the bottleneck that belonged to the Late Tendon Training Stage seemed to sense something, quietly emerging like a deep night sky, silently asserting its own stability.

Each attempt to break through a bottleneck was no less than a terrifying battle for a Primordial Warrior, no different from a life-and-death fight.

The slightest mistake could result, at best, in a failed breakthrough, or at worst, in damage to the Dantian and Meridians, halting all further progress—or even causing the body to explode, vanishing from the world. Countless Practitioners had become crippled during their attempts to break through bottlenecks. Unable to accept their new reality, many had ended their own lives.

Many more Practitioners lost control of the Primordial Force within them during the process, causing their bodies to explode and die a miserable death on the spot. But even more simply failed to break through, suffering damage to their Dantian and Meridians, forever unable to advance further.

For Primordial Warriors on modern Earth, breaking through cultivation bottlenecks remained a very dangerous endeavor, especially when facing a major bottleneck, where the risks were extreme.

At this moment, Jiang Xincheng was only attempting to break through the bottleneck of the Late Tendon Training Stage, which was much less dangerous.

The medicinal power of the Pear Essence Pill slowly faded, transforming into pure Devouring Origin Force that gathered together. Only when Jiang Xincheng’s Meridians and Dantian were nearly at their limit did he direct it to fiercely assault the bottleneck of the Late Tendon Training Stage.

“Boom…”

Jiang Xincheng’s whole body trembled, but the bottleneck of the Late Tendon Training Stage shook even more violently.

A smile flickered across Jiang Xincheng’s face—he knew this attempt would definitely succeed.

He gathered his Primordial Force once more, and moments later, launched a second assault.

“Boom…”

The process of breaking through a bottleneck was often like towering waves crashing against a dam. Success meant the dam shattered and the waves surged through; failure meant the waves receded, gathering strength to return again. It was rare to break through a bottleneck in one swift, unstoppable move.

If one truly attempted that, even if the bottleneck dam shattered, the Practitioner’s own Meridians and Dantian might not withstand the terrifying impact and could shatter along with it. Even if the bottleneck was broken, what use was it if the very foundation was destroyed?

Testing carefully, cautiously, assessing the conditions within his own body, Jiang Xincheng ensured his assaults were neither too fierce nor too weak, gradually breaking down the bottleneck’s defenses. This was the true path.

With decades of cultivation experience from his previous life, Jiang Xincheng undoubtedly excelled at this.

He was patient, not reckless, advancing steadily and breaking through the dam’s defenses bit by bit.

Assault after assault, failure after failure, each time he rallied again. Blood trickled from the corner of Jiang Xincheng’s mouth—a minor injury caused by the violent impacts shaking his body.

Fortunately, the injury was not serious. It didn’t harm his Meridians or Dantian, nor did it affect his internal organs. It was merely some superficial pain.

This level of suffering was something Jiang Xincheng could endure.

At a certain moment, Jiang Xincheng smiled faintly and said loudly, “Break!”

As he spoke, the Devouring Origin Force within his body made one final assault on the bottleneck dam, now riddled with cracks. With this last impact, the bottleneck dam collapsed completely, and the surging Devouring Origin Force occupied more space, flowing into a broader expanse.

Jiang Xincheng had broken through the bottleneck of the Late Tendon Training Stage.

With the breakthrough in Primordial Force, the Devouring Origin Force in Jiang Xincheng’s Dantian became purer and more abundant, flowing throughout his body. At lightning speed, it refined his tendons, elevating his Meridians to a higher level.

Jiang Xincheng sat cross-legged, tempering his Meridians while stabilizing his current realm as time continued to pass.

Several hours later, Jiang Xincheng stood up, laughed heartily, and quickly headed back toward his rented courtyard.

After many days of arduous cultivation, his strength had finally officially reached the Late Tendon Training Stage. The Devouring Origin Force in his Dantian had surged significantly, both in volume and purity, far surpassing what it was before.

As for his tendons, both their toughness and resilience had greatly improved, making the strength Jiang Xincheng possessed even more fearsome. His physical durability had nearly doubled.

Strength to lift a cauldron, a thousand Jin!

This was the hallmark of the Late Tendon Training Stage, meaning the tendons had reached a certain level of strength, enabling one to wield a force of a thousand Jin with casual movements.

But for Jiang Xincheng, under the influence of his richer and purer Devouring Origin Force, the strength in his hands had doubled, reaching five thousand Jin—several times greater than that of other Primordial Warriors at the same stage.

With such terrifying strength and surging Primordial Force, Jiang Xincheng’s overall power was now sufficient to sweep through the entire Tendon Training Realm. He even felt that, with his powerful body, abundant Primordial Force, and the aid of his Origin Force Combat Skill, he could hold his own even against an ordinary Primordial Warrior at the Bone Forging Initial Stage.

Fighting across realms was not too difficult for Jiang Xincheng.

With Mountain-Shaking Fist at his disposal, the Mysterious Steel Sword, and Butterfly Sword Art, Jiang Xincheng’s overall combat prowess was infinitely close to that of a Primordial Warrior in the Bone Training Realm.

After eating a large meal and resting well, Jiang Xincheng threw himself back into diligent cultivation, waiting for the moment he would emerge transformed like a butterfly from a cocoon.

After consolidating his realm, Jiang Xincheng continued to take Pear Essence Pills for cultivation. His strength once again began to advance by leaps and bounds. While cultivating his Primordial Force, Jiang Xincheng did not neglect training in his Origin Force Combat Skill, Butterfly Sword Art, nor his cultivation of Devouring the Cosmos.

Having suffered from insufficient strength in his previous life, Jiang Xincheng was determined not to let tragedy repeat itself in this one.

During his cultivation, Jiang Xincheng received news that excited him greatly: in a few days, during Tianhai University’s academic and martial final examinations, the Flourishing Tang Empire would indeed be paying attention. They wouldn’t just observe the finals, but the entire process. They were even sending a VIP from the Flourishing Tang Empire to personally visit Tianhai University to seek out talented and capable prospective members for the empire.

However, it was said that the Flourishing Tang Empire’s focus would primarily be on third- and fourth-year students, with less attention given to first- and second-years. Unless a first- or second-year student performed exceptionally well, they would have little chance of joining the Flourishing Tang Empire.

But that was enough. Having lived a second life, Jiang Xincheng was absolutely confident he could attract the attention of the Flourishing Tang Empire’s envoy.

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, Tianhai University’s academic and martial final examinations began. This examination not only determined the employment companies for fourth-year students but also shaped the future prospects of third- and fourth-year students.

As for first- and second-year students, if they performed well, the university would increase its investment in them, making their future paths smoother. Therefore, for everyone at Tianhai University, each academic and martial final examination was something to face with their full effort.