The rowdy scene within the pocket realm soon became history. All the visitors were transported out and only Li Lang’s group remained. Things became quieter as they immersed themselves back into their training.

Li Lang was currently organizing everything he had learned from the event before he attempted to break through again. It wasn’t his first time. He had tried previously, albeit using the traditional method. It was only now that he was prepared to use his Ascension Technique for another try.

It was sparked by the successful case of Xiao Dong. While this one-off instance of success didn’t prove his Ascension Technique worked, it showed that a breakthrough was still possible when one practiced it.

At the same time, all his other students were also motivated by Xiao Dong. They strived to replicate his success, and so far, there hadn’t been any particular accidents or successes.

The old Li Lang would’ve been appalled to employ such methods that had barely been tested on himself. It went against everything he had been taught. However, he also knew that it was no longer possible to adhere to such strict standards and cautious approaches. The best he could do was carry out empirical studies. Even so, he didn’t have all the time in the world.

There was no greater scientific community to support his work. He was at it all alone. If he wanted to follow the same standards he had previously used, he would likely die of old age before he made significant progress. To Li Lang, the urgency of his current situation was akin to that of total war. Everything had to be accelerated in the name of survival. It was the reason why technology often progressed so fast during times of turmoil.

The high stakes made many researchers throw caution to the wind. While resource allocation to critical research topics would increase significantly during such events, at the end of the day, it was the people who carried out the studies. They were the ones who would redraw the line that marked what risks were acceptable.

“Master!” Ruby cheerfully called out. “The auto-analyzer has finished!”

Hearing this, Li Lang paused his typing to look over at the technological marvel that enabled him to analyze the material composition of anything. This time, he had put Long Yi’s flesh in for analysis.

This wasn’t the first time he had done so, as he often monitored his Qi toxin levels back when Long Yi was still in the Energy Gathering stage. However, the reason he did so this time was because he had sensed that Earth-grade cultivation techniques had changed Long Yi’s body.

As Long Yi was in a realm higher than his, the auto-analyzer couldn’t register any Qi signatures, but he had other avenues to examine that. By using his Vein Flow Calculation Method, he learned that Long Yi’s body was becoming more and more attuned to Qi belonging to the earth element. It made Li Lang wonder if there would be any material changes as well.

The answer he got was that his flesh now had higher traces of minerals, trace metals, and silicon! It wasn’t at an alarmingly high quantity yet, but it definitely surpassed the realm of what was considered healthy.

“Hmm, interesting,” Li Lang muttered. “I wonder if these effects are reversible or how it would change if he started practicing a different technique with an affinity with another element.”

These little findings weren’t immediately helpful, but often had a long-lasting influence on a cultivator’s future. Li Lang had to consider if he would be comfortable specializing in one particular element and if there were any adverse effects of doing so. He would hate to practice a fire element technique, only to realize he could no longer come into contact with large bodies of water.

After going through the results, he didn’t hesitate to put Xiao Dong’s flesh into the analyzer next. He then quickly set the matter aside because the auto-analyzer would take at least weeks when it worked on specimens that contained the power of a higher realm than him.

He finished logging the rest of his data and exited from Ruby’s artifact space.

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When he opened his eyes, he found himself inside a dark cave. It was the same one he had ventured to in order to observe the first-ever breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Realm. The only difference was that none of the Eternal Wave Sects people or Sima Xue was present. Only Wei Ping and Long Yi could be seen in the distance.

The two had agreed to stand watch over him for his next attempt, so they spent their time cultivating by the only entrance to his cave.

Okay, let’s get this started.

Preparation had already been done. The last piece was simply Li Lang himself.

Before he began, he reviewed everything he knew about the breakthrough process.

First, I must consume a Foundation Pill to prevent any accidents. It’ll stop my dantian from exploding if I can’t control all the energies I will be gathering there.

Then, I will use my custom version of the Ascension Technique to direct all the flow of Qi in my meridian toward my dantian. Once it reaches a high enough saturation, the Qi should undergo a qualitative change. That is when the real challenge begins.

I will have to endure the pain and fatigue of gathering more and more energy toward the navel area of my body. From the interviews I carried out, I will probably be in a delirious state, so I’ll have to keep myself together. Only when I endure this ordeal will there be a chance of success.

Having laid a clear roadmap in his mind, Li Lang no longer hesitated and plopped a Foundation Pill into his mouth. He found it amusing that the once precious pill that was almost impossible for him to find could now be obtained in large quantities.

It didn’t mean Foundation Pills were easy to get, but just that his accomplishments and connections he had made so far had led him a long way forward from where he previously was.

Before he could dwell on the topic any longer, he soon felt a powerful energy coursing through his body. It twirled around until it transformed into a perfect sphere shape, centered around his navel area.

Taking this as his cue, he began invoking his unique set of Ascension Techniques. It was one of a kind, meant to only be used by him and his physique. It had been carefully calibrated so that the multiple streams of Qi would collide at his dantian at the same time.

Now that he was experiencing the wonders of his technique himself, he didn’t forget to employ the Tracing Origin Art to monitor everything happening within his meridians.

Everything seemed to go smoothly as the energies moved as he predicted. Nothing was amiss, but that wasn’t surprising. The moment of truth was when the Qi collided.

As someone with only grade-one aptitude, Li Lang only had five spiritual roots. That meant that not only did he have fewer entryways for Qi, but also that he lacked the muscles that manipulated Qi. In turn, this meant the layout of his meridians was much simpler compared to someone like Long Yi, who had a total of forty-one spiritual roots!

Very soon, three streams of Qi collided in the area just below his belly button. If he had made any mistakes, he would be feeling it by now, but thankfully, things remained peaceful. His calculations were correct, and the force of the impact was canceled out. The three streams of energy merged together into a spherical globe of energy.

To Li Lang, it felt like he had somehow swallowed a small ping-pong ball. Something was lodged inside of him. It made him feel bloated and uncomfortable, but he didn’t mind. Throughout all his previous attempts, he had never gotten this far!

His previous weak control of Qi prevented his energies from taking on any shape. It simply made his flow of Qi stop, as if there was a traffic jam in his meridian channels.

Now, he could feel a constant flow of Qi being delivered to his precious dantian, and the energy was properly condensing. It sucked in more energy from the rest of his body to fuel its growth. It slowly grew from the size of a ping-pong ball to that of a tennis ball!

The discomfort increased, but Li Lang ignored it. He continued to practice the Ascension Technique to pump more fuel into his dantian. His once-filled body was emptied of its reserves, causing it to begin absorbing the ambient Qi!

A vortex of energy was formed with him at the epicenter. His spiritual roots were working overtime as they tried to absorb as much Qi as possible to replenish his used stock. This caused more and more energy to converge into his body.

If Li Lang hadn’t taken the Foundation Pill, he would be feeling quite nervous right now. The amount of energy within him was dangerous. It wasn’t something he was confident in controlling. He had to use every ounce of his focus to keep his expanding core from going berserk.

The process was gradual, but it didn’t make it any easier. What once felt like driving a well-maintained car began to feel like bull riding.

Keep it under control, Li Lang. Make sure to apply even pressure from all directions, but not too much. This isn’t a race, but a marathon!