Chen Yu took a deep breath, his chest still heaving from the intense battle with the Spirit Boar. He could feel his muscles pulsing with the residual energy from the fight, and his mind was buzzing with the realization of his newfound strength. The Heavenly Body Technique truly was something remarkable, far exceeding his expectations.
As the adrenaline began to fade, he looked down at the defeated Spirit Boar, its massive form lying still on the forest floor. He felt a mix of gratitude and respect for the creature. It had pushed him to his limits and forced him to tap into the full potential of his abilities.
[System Notification: Defeat of Spirit Boar confirmed. Foundation Establishment Ranked spirit core detected. Would you like to extract the core for future use?]
Chen Yu’s eyes widened. A Spirit Core? He hadn’t considered that the beast might have one. Spirit Cores were valuable treasures, often used to enhance cultivation, forge spiritual weapons, or even brew powerful elixirs.
“Yes, extract the core,” he replied, his voice steady.
He watched as the system's interface guided him through the process. With a careful hand, he placed his palm over the boar's chest and channeled his Qi into the body. The core slowly began to glow beneath the skin, a small orb of condensed spiritual energy that gradually rose to the surface.
Chen Yu carefully extracted the core, holding it up to the light. It was about the size of a marble, radiating a faint blue glow that seemed to pulse with life. He could feel the raw power contained within it, a testament to the boar’s strength and cultivation level.
[System Notification: Spirit Boar Core obtained. Current inventory: 1 Spirit Boar Core]
Chen Yu pocketed the core, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the addition to his inventory. Every bit of strength, every resource, could make a difference in his journey. The path ahead was still fraught with uncertainty, but with these cores, he had valuable tools at his disposal.
Chen Yu wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes drawn back to the glowing Spirit Fungus clustered at the base of the scorched tree. It was pulsing gently, almost like it was alive, radiating waves of Qi into the air. The boar had been guarding it for a reason—this fungus was no ordinary find. He had heard stories of cultivators who gained immense power by consuming spiritual treasures like this.
He crouched down, carefully picking a few more mushrooms and placing them into his pack. “Should I use it now, or save it for later?” he muttered to himself, glancing at the pulsing glow. The prudent move would be to save it, use it when he really needed the boost. But the thought of just how much power was contained in that little fungus made him hesitate.
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His hand hovered over the remaining mushrooms, curiosity gnawing at him. “Maybe just a taste...”
But the moment his fingers touched the Spirit Fungus, a sudden surge of Qi shot through his body like a wildfire. His breath caught in his throat as the raw, potent energy of the fungus forced its way into his meridians, overwhelming his senses.
“Wait—what the hell?” Chen Yu gasped, unable to pull his hand away. The fungus dissolved into pure energy, flooding his system, filling him with more power than he’d ever felt before. He could feel his dantian expanding, stretching to accommodate the immense influx of Qi.
[Warning: Involuntary breakthrough initiated. Brace for realm ascension.]
Chen Yu barely had time to process the system’s words before the pain hit—an excruciating pressure as his meridians strained under the surge of spiritual energy. His body trembled, sweat pouring down his face as his Qi pathways expanded, widening to accommodate the rapid flow of energy. The power of the Spirit Fungus was reshaping him, forcibly pushing him through the bottleneck he had been stuck at.
His mind raced as the world around him blurred, his consciousness teetering on the edge. The rush of Qi was too much, too fast—but there was no turning back now. With gritted teeth, Chen Yu centered his focus, using every ounce of concentration he had to guide the wild Qi through his body.
He could feel the breakthrough coming, the tension in his core tightening, building, until finally, with a sharp release, the dam broke.
[Congratulations: User has ascended to the Foundation Establishment realm.]
Chen Yu gasped as the pressure in his body lifted. His senses exploded outward. The Qi in the air was sharper, more vibrant, and he could see it swirling in intricate patterns through his Universal Eyes, more clearly than ever before. His control had increased, his connection to the world’s elements deepened. He raised his hand and felt a flicker of fire, but this time, the flames responded with precision—no wild, uncontrollable burst, just pure, focused energy.
“Is this… the next level of control?” he muttered in disbelief, feeling the elements hum at his command. “The Heavenly Body Technique is evolving…”
But his attention snapped back to the Spirit Boar’s corpse lying nearby. His newly heightened senses picked up something deep within it—a core, pulsing faintly with the same kind of Qi he had just absorbed.
“Why stop here?” he thought, approaching the boar. His hand hovered over the creature’s chest, and with a swift motion, he extracted the Spirit Boar’s core. The orb throbbed with the essence of the beast, a condensed mass of energy that could further push his cultivation.
“I guess you owe me this,” Chen Yu muttered with a smirk, before pressing the core to his chest. The Qi surged into him, less intense than the Spirit Fungus, but potent nonetheless. His body, now more capable after the breakthrough, absorbed it easily, and he felt another wave of power wash through him, solidifying his hold on the Foundation Establishment realm.
He let out a deep breath, feeling the transformation settle in his bones. His muscles felt denser, his reflexes sharper, and his Qi more fluid. Even his elemental control had taken a leap—he could feel the subtle shifts in air currents, sense the moisture in the ground, all ready to bend to his will with a thought.
Chen Yu flexed his fingers, watching as a tiny spark of lightning flickered between them, controlled and refined. “Sweet.”