The gap between realms is like that between heaven and earth—so vast that most cultivators cannot cross it. Yet some manage this feat under the right conditions, typically when they are at their most powerful and their enemy at their weakest.

Liu Xing stands at his peak now. His mind is sharp, his qi is full, and he has a real chance to kill this third army. The only problem is taking that first step.

Walking slowly between rubble and charred bodies, Liu Xing observes the army's march. He only needs to kill one of them, and he has the means—a single bullet saved after killing the last general.

Liu Xing arrives at a deep trench carved into the earth—a mark left by the giant wind blades the general had unleashed. The memory of breaking that blade, tall as the city walls, feels surreal. He knows he managed it, yet the scale of that fight makes it seem like a dream.

He crosses the trench, landing as soft as a feather on the other side. Walking between charred corpses, he carefully avoids stepping in blood that would surely leave footprints. His invisibility would mean nothing if he exposed his position before the attack even began.

As he carefully moves between the remains of abominations strewn across the ground, Liu Xing focuses his mind to sense the qi around him. Being a Core Splitting cultivator has granted him several upgrades, but one of the most important is his ability to expel qi while maintaining control over it—a defining quality of the Core Splitting realm. He suspects this ability could vastly improve his fighting prowess.

Jumping toward a surprisingly intact building, Liu Xing releases qi through his breath and every pore of his skin. He lands on the roof and realizes that while the building stands, it slopes to one side. Still, it's high enough to scout the surrounding area and close enough to the third army that he can hear their footsteps. Above, the humming of the worms has subsided, most of the winged ones having already reached the giant castle.

Liu Xing inhales deeply.

The plan is simple. Five groups move separately. He forms the first group, tasked with distracting the third army. The prince wants him to lure out the abominations, allowing the second, third, fourth, and fifth groups to enter. The fifth group consists of Yang clan members with movement techniques, charged with scouting the entrance to the Emperor's Tomb in the lowest level, while the others check the castle's treasure rooms.

Liu Xing inhales again. He needs to create a significant commotion, but timing is crucial. In his inner robe lies a communication orb no larger than a giant pearl. When it vibrates, the operation begins.

His heart pounds steadily in his chest. Anxiety churns his stomach, a pessimistic voice insisting he cannot survive this fight. His logical side dismisses these doubts. He's now a Core Splitting cultivator with a bullet from a peak Core Splitting abomination. If he uses this bullet to kill one of the snake-limbed abominations, victory is possible.

This anxiety stems from his experience in the forest of white bones, where he nearly died fighting an abomination that killed and absorbed Elder Xia Juetian's bloodlines. As the memory surfaces, his eyes dart left and right, searching for abominations with black skin, golden snake limbs and coconut ears. He sees many with green ears and golden limbs, but that specific one isn't nearby.

"Calm yourself," Liu Xing whispers, taking several deep breaths.

He decides to explore his new abilities while waiting. Standing at a safe distance from the third army, trusting his invisibility, he expels his qi and guides it to swirl around him like an eel made purely of energy. His qi bears no special properties—neither cold nor prickly—just distinct from the surrounding qi..

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

He guides the qi in measured circles around himself, testing his control. While his qi proves obedient, it feels slightly more sluggish than the potent qi. Still, this ability to control qi outside his body holds promise. Many Lock Opening realm cultivators can manipulate external qi to some degree, like Yan Yu, who could materialize ice arrows and control their trajectory during their fight. But comparing Lock Opening and Core Splitting qi control is like comparing a pebble to a boulder. If Yan Yu broke through to the Core Splitting realm, she could probably control her arrows from kilometers away.

Liu Xing lacks techniques specifically designed to exploit this Core Splitting ability, but he sees potential applications. As a Lock Opening cultivator, he could only summon his shield nearby, but the Core Splitting realm should extend that range significantly. Though he's unsure how a distant shield might prove useful, he trusts it will serve some purpose.

For now, his focus turns to his gun. Liu Xing extends his left hand, aiming skyward. He wraps the qi around his hand and the gun, encasing his palm in his own energy. Though both gun and qi are invisible, if the energy could be seen, it would appear as a soft blue ball glowing with moonlight around his left hand.

Liu Xing slowly released his fingers from the gun one by one, until his left hand finally let go completely. The gun remained suspended in the air, held aloft by his qi alone.

A wide grin spread across his face as childish excitement filled his heart. He had a flying gun! How could it get any cooler than that? Stifling a giggle, Liu Xing began experimenting with control. He made the weapon float before him, drift behind his back, soar several meters into the sky, then return to hover half a meter above his head.

This wasn't just impressive—it was practical. With his left hand now free, he could deal more damage in combat. Though Liu Xing didn't dare test whether he could pull the trigger with qi alone—he hadn't received the signal to attack yet—he suspected it was possible.

But there was more. The qi currently holding his gun was just his normal qi. If he used the potent qi, he suspected its movements would become so fluid and swift that the weapon would seem to possess its own mind.

Unwilling to rely on mere speculation, Liu Xing channeled qi from his body toward the gun. When he commanded the weapon to absorb his qi, it did so greedily, nearly destabilizing the energy sphere keeping it afloat. Once it finished consuming qi, Liu Xing attempted to draw the energy back into his body.

The gun resisted at first, refusing to release the bullets. For a moment, he feared his experiment would end prematurely, but then he identified the problem. The potent qi needed a connection to him for proper reabsorption. He extended a thread of qi from the top of his head to the gun, linking it to the sphere of qi encasing the weapon.

As soon as the thread connected, the potent qi practically leaped from the gun into his body. The energy cycled through him several times before he commanded it to flow outward again.

Unlike his normal qi, the potent qi's exit sent a chill through him—like a ghost passing through his body. But the discomfort lasted only a moment, forgotten as he watched the potent qi swirl around him like a miniature tornado. It moved with the enthusiasm of an excited child, yet responded to his commands with the eagerness of a well-trained hound.

He replaced the normal qi encasing the gun with the potent energy. When he tested the weapon's movement again, it felt effortless—as though the gun could teleport wherever he wished. He settled on positioning it above his head, maintaining the qi thread connecting him to the weapon for easier qi transfer.

"It's amazing," Liu Xing muttered. It felt like having three hands instead of two.

His mind wandered to other possible experiments. Could he control the bullets after firing them? Make them curve through the air like Yan Yu's arrows? It seemed possible, though he suspected full bullet control would require new techniques—perhaps something like lightning arrows. Surely techniques like that existed somewhere in the Purple Moon Sect's library. He could only imagine what kinds of bullets such techniques might produce.

Liu Xing caught himself grinning foolishly. The possibilities seemed endless!

For now, though, he focused on exploring this newfound power, searching for creative ways to enhance his fighting style. Perhaps he could develop a new application of the Lightning Palm Technique that didn't require physical contact?

As he contemplated this, the small orb in his inner robe began to vibrate. Liu Xing's eyes snapped into focus, his lips pressing into a thin line. His mind centered, his heart hammered, pumping adrenaline through his body as his qi churned like a stormy ocean.

It was time.