Chapter 11:
By dawn, Luo Feng had already absorbed the last bit of those nighttime earnings into his body, finishing another round of absorption. His cultivation level had stabilised at Qi Refinement, ninth level, mid-stage. However, it was not so much a question of what level he had achieved but how close he was to reaching the pinnacle, as each round of qi circulation made him feel like a thin veil separated him from the next level.
Yesterday evening, he had been less in control of his behaviour. Instead of allocating the normal thirty karma points for growth feedback acceleration, he had contributed a total of fifty to hasten the process. Overnight, he noticed the difference because the growth feedback entering his being was thick, heavy, pushing his body to adjust in a fashion it hadn't before.
Nevertheless, he did nothing rash afterwards. The whole day was spent on consolidation. He sat for many hours, stabilising his qi flow, smoothing the fluctuations, and making sure that every bit of spiritual energy was well in control. He was watching the meridians all the while, slowing down the flow speed whenever the pressure started to build up in an unbalanced way.
By evening, his foundation felt solid. There was no need to continue. The nature of cultivating didn't lend itself to racing against time. He knew very well that he could encourage instability if he forced a breakthrough too soon. However, even with this in mind, a restless urge settled inside him with increased agitation as time passed. He had spent far too long in this courtyard.
His existence since the transmigration had been one of establishing the Foundation; his situation would change when he moved from walls, quiet rooms, and hasty, cautious discussions with servants who had struggled to hide their disdain for him. Although he had recuperated his strength, he had not emerged from the background, afraid to be detected. While this behaviour had protected him, it had not allowed him to progress. However, once he embarked on the path of Foundation Establishment, his situation would be modified.
In the Luo family's young generation, most of the direct descendants were approximately at the Foundation Establishment level. Some had reached that level before and some after, but very few had surpassed it. Reaching that level would put Luo Feng among the best of them. More importantly, he would be treated differently.
The powerful direct descendants would often walk about protected by guards who were Foundation Establishment or higher. However, protection like that was not easily dispensed. This was given to heirs who showed brilliance or were important to the family. Luo Feng wasn't one or the other. In a way, this was good for him. Even if other heirs had someone eliminate him because he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he would still face off against someone from the qi refinement stage and claim that he could protect himself to a certain degree.
This notion dwelled in his mind as night finally fell. As the darkness settled, Luo Feng knew he had done everything he could. His body was stable. His internal energy was honed. His foundation was strong enough, even though it was nothing special, to withstand even more pressure.
He opened his eyes. There was no reason to delay any longer. And just as he was about to act, a reminder that sounded familiar came before him: [Claim cultivation feedback from Huang Lei?]
Luo Feng did not hesitate. He invested 150 karma points without a test run this time around. The reaction occurred instantly.
A violent surge burst out inside him, much stronger than he had ever experienced. Spiritual energy poured through his meridians, washing over him in overwhelming tides. His face hardened. He settled into lotus position, his back straight, and willed his breathing to fall into rhythm. He clenched his teeth, working as hard as he could to begin circulating the energy.
This was no longer gentle refinement. This was pressure.
With a few breaths, his cultivation progress made significant strides. The difference between mid-cycle and late-cycle vanished in the blink of an eye; his qi expanded and condensed at a frightening speed: Qi Refinement, level nine, late-cycle.
The pressure only seemed to intensify. The oncoming spiritual energy flooded in wave after wave, encouraging his meridians to extend in protest as they tried to accommodate the flood. His dantian pulsed in agony, pressed from all sides by the rush of qi condensation.
The sweat dripped through his clothing. But he did not cease. He gritted his teeth and focused his mind instead of panicking. He changed his circulation route over and over, diverting his extraneous energy whenever a meridian was on the point of bursting. His cultivation level continued to rise higher and higher: Qi Refinement, level nine, peak.
Usually, achieving this level would be the end of Qi Refinement. Cultivators typically took months to stabilise at this point, in preparation for the Great Breakthrough. But Luo Feng did not. His spiritual energies remained unbalanced. They still compressed, condensing and purifying with each cycle. A faint pulsation echoed from the dantian. It seemed to respond to the increasing pressure.
Pain coursed throughout his body. His bones became heavy. His muscles shook vigorously. Even his mind was strained, as if his mind was being stretched to its limit. But underlying all the pain, he felt something else; now the barrier was not far off. It was right there in front of him.
Instead, Luo Feng turned his attention inward. He consolidated the compressed qi, compelling it to merge at the very centre of his dantian. The qi twisted and condensed, creating a vortex that pushed back against further compression. His sight grew cloudy. A momentary uncertainty lingered. He pushed again.
The accumulated spiritual energy moved forward in a single, decisive action. A deep, throbbing boom rang out from within his body. The barrier was broken. Suddenly, there was no pressure. The condensed mass of spiritual energy changed, radiating out like a refined wave through his meridians. In place of resistance, there was openness. His dantian had grown and steadied itself into a new form, one that could contain much stronger power.
Luo Feng gasped, his body arching slightly as he completed the change. The flow of spiritual energy was no longer random and wild; it was smooth and refined, flowing now along newly fortified channels. Alongside that, there came a subtle expansion in his mind. He became aware not of the space immediately around him, but of the energy existing outside his own form, a faint and cloudy awareness, but one that was most definitely there. It was divine sense.
He sat still, his breathing slowly becoming regular as the vestiges of turbulence dissipated. Foundation Establishment.
The implications gradually penetrated his mind.
He wasn't laughing.
He wasn't shouting.
He merely sat.
A land which his predecessor had left behind in its entirety now firmly belonged under his domain.
Pain drained away, and a sense of solidity took hold.
He felt stronger despite being heavier.
His qi no longer felt weak and disjointed; now it felt rooted and able to support his production without wavering.
A long while passed, and then Luo Feng opened his eyes. The room seemed no different. The walls were still the same. The courtyard outside was still quiet. No alarms had been triggered. No one had picked up on anything strange, just as he had planned.
Luo Feng took a deep breath. After this, everything was going to change.