Chapter 294 Breakthrough Beginning

“I’d expect nothing less.” Shen Yuan swirled the gourd lazily before taking another sip.

The taste lingered on his tongue, and for a moment, he let himself relax completely.

[You really worked yourself hard this time, didn’t you?]

Yue Lan’s tone softened, a hint of concern slipping through.

[Alchemy, blacksmithing, breakthroughs… it’s a lot, even for someone like you.]

“It’s necessary,” Shen Yuan said, his voice calm but firm.

“There’s no room for complacency on the path that I’ve decided to walk on. It demands at least this level of effort. And it’s not just about me. There are people I care about, people I need to protect.”

Yue Lan was silent for a moment, her words filled with warmth as she said,

[I know. That’s what makes you different, Yuan’er. You don’t just strive for yourself. But don’t forget, even the strongest need moments of rest.]

Shen Yuan nodded, his gaze lazily resting on his quiet courtyard. “That’s what this moment is for.” He leaned back further, letting the petals drift down around him.

“Sometimes, even I need to just breathe and let the world slow down.”

[Good. But from the looks of it, you won’t be sitting still for long. What have you planned next?]

Shen Yuan smirked faintly. “I won’t deny that. I’ll use the pills to break through, right here. I have a lingering suspicion something will happen.”

[Then why are you still here? Shouldn’t you look for a place more secluded?]

A faint smirk played on his lips as he swirled the wine in the gourd. “Why should I hide? There is no reason for me to do so. I need a little pressure to push myself hard as well.”

[Hmm… this is a good chance for you to push yourself further. Let’s see how big of a commotion you can make.]

Shen Yuan swirled the wine in his gourd one last time before setting it aside lightly.

He said before looking at the sky, settling beneath the meditation mat placed below the cherry tree.

Closing his eyes, he began to meditate.

…

“It’s about time.” He opened his eyes while saying.

Looking inside his storage ring, he took out a vial of Nine Veins Pristine Origin Pills.

His face took on a contemplative look as he stared at the vial. ‘Looks like I will have to do that.’

Shen Yuan lightly thought before taking out three pills from inside the vial.

[Huh? What are you doing?]

Yue Lan’s surprised voice rang inside his mind.

Shen Yuan placed the vial back inside the storage ring before answering Yue Lan, “Sometimes… you need to do things crazy to the extreme that even the heavens will turn angry at you.”

[Huh? Wha—]

Before her words could even finish, Shen Yuan raised his hand and devoured all three pills.

[WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?]

Yue Lan’s shocked voice reverberated in his mind.

But he was in no condition to reply.

The moment Shen Yuan swallowed the three Nine Veins Pristine Origin Pills, an overwhelming surge of energy exploded within his body.

It was as if a torrent of rivers, previously dammed, had suddenly been unleashed all at once.

His meridians expanded wildly, struggling to accommodate the sheer intensity of the Qi now coursing through them.

[Shen Yuan! Are you insane? That amount of energy could kill you! Even your body can’t handle this!]

Yue Lan’s voice was filled with exasperation, but Shen Yuan didn’t stop for even a second.

His eyes were tightly shut, and his hands formed intricate seals as he guided the rampaging energy through his meridians and Dantians.

His entire body glowed faintly, pulsing with the power of the pills as he struggled to maintain control.

“Just… a bit more,” he muttered through gritted teeth, sweat dripping down his face.

The first Dantian filled rapidly, its capacity pushed to the brink, before spilling over into the second and third. The energy surged like a tidal wave, filling all his Dantians to their limits in mere moments.

The sheer purity of the energy forced his cultivation base upward with astonishing speed.

BOOM!

An explosive shockwave rippled through the courtyard as Shen Yuan’s cultivation advanced in an instant, shattering through the bottleneck of the Ninth Level of the Core Formation Realm.

[You broke through?! In a single moment?!]

Yue Lan’s tone was incredulous, but Shen Yuan wasn’t done.

Instead of pushing further to the next major realm, he redirected the immense energy toward his core, beginning an unprecedented tenth refinement.

“Now comes the hard part,” he murmured, his voice barely audible.

The Qi within his Dantian compressed violently as he attempted to force it into a state of perfection.

The strain on his body was immediate and immense. His meridians felt as though they were being stretched to their breaking point, and his core vibrated dangerously under the immense pressure.

[Stop! This is impossible! No one has ever achieved a tenth refinement! You’re defying the heavens themselves!]

Shen Yuan smirked faintly, even as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. “Then let the heavens try and stop me.”

As if answering his challenge, the skies above the sect darkened abruptly.

Thick, ominous clouds rolled in, spiraling overhead with unnatural speed. The scent of ozone filled the air, and arcs of lightning flickered ominously within the roiling storm.

The oppressive aura of a Heavenly Tribulation descended like a mountain, suffocating everyone within its radius.

The disciples and elders across the sect froze in place, their gazes snapping toward the source of the phenomenon.

“A Heavenly Tribulation? Here? Who could have triggered this?!” a disciple exclaimed, her voice trembling.

“Is one of the seniors breaking through to the Mortal Tribulation Realm?” another thought with excitement.

“It’s coming from Shen Yuan’s courtyard!” another shouted, panic creeping into their tone. “Isn’t he that male disciple? What is he doing to cause something like this?!”

Elders quickly assembled at the Inner Sect’s observation platform, their expressions grave as they looked toward the dark clouds forming above the Outer Courtyard.

“Is he already breaking through to the Mortal Tribulation Realm?” one elder asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

“Madness!” another elder spat. “It is far too early for him to rush like this. He might have eaten some forbidden pills to boost his cultivation base! He’ll be annihilated!”

…

A shadow flickered. Before anyone could react, a sharp SWIISH tore through the air as two figures moved, cutting through the wind like a blade.

“Yuan’er!!”

“Yuan’er!!”

Huo Rong and Bing Rong’s worried voices echoed from outside his courtyard as they saw the dark clouds forming above the skies.

“What is he doing over there?!” Huo Rong worriedly said, looking at the darkened sky.

Bing Rong’s eyes filled with worry as she silently stared at the mansion gate.

Huo Rong paced around outside the mansion for a bit before moving toward the gate. “That’s it. I’m going inside. I need to know what is happening in there.”

Bing Rong’s eyes widened as she hurriedly caught her hand. “Wait! You will be interrupting his breakthrough if you head inside right now, and even the tribulation cloud might consider you as an accomplice of him and increase the difficulty according to your cultivation base.”