The Science of Cultivation

Chapter 189: Questioning the Breakthrough

Long Yi’s breakthrough attempt continued under the watchful gaze of Li Lang. So far, nothing had deviated from the time they observed Tang Yulian’s breakthrough back in the pocket realm. Long Yi had begun to glow as the ambient Qi formed a vortex around him.

The intensity at which the Qi rushed to Long Yi finally relaxed after some time. Instead, the spot on his navel that shone began to grow in size.

It was as if the light was slowly being stretched out like a balloon.

This went in line with what Li Lang knew about the process of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. One’s Qi had reached a saturation point and now had to converge in the cultivator’s dantian in the navel area.

This stage was also the most dangerous part of the ordeal. If the cultivator lost control, all the gathered Qi would be released all at once. It would result in a violent explosion within their body, certainly ending their lives.

It was why any sane cultivator would ingest a Foundation Pill before attempting a breakthrough.

The Foundation Pill created a barrier around a cultivator’s dantian and would prevent such a violent explosion. It was like a brace that would instead let the Qi leak out at a steady pace in the event of a failed attempt. It allowed the cultivator to safely fail, letting them try again later.

Even though Li Lang knew this meant his friend’s breakthrough was deemed safe because of the pill, he couldn’t help but worry. The Foundation Pill didn’t prevent all the pain one had to endure as the Qi tried to converge on one point of the body. It then expanded, further adding to the discomfort.

Li Lang knew severe and unrelenting pain was dangerous. It could induce stress responses in the body that release large amounts of adrenaline and other stress hormones. That could lead to cardiac arrest or even organ failure.

There were also various other conditions that could occur, like neurogenic shock and other mental health impacts. While he knew cultivators had a sturdier constitution, anything could still happen.

Hours passed as Long Yi continued to persist.

Sweat drenched his robes as Li Lang occasionally asked him a few questions.

“Are meridian channels still the same?”

No answer came, so kept quiet for some time before trying again.

“Can you feel any difference in your Qi yet?”

This time, he received a slight nod, but no words followed it.

Hours passed, and early morning soon became late afternoon.

Nine hours after the ordeal started, Long Yi suddenly grunted. He released an intense wave of Qi, accompanied by the sound of something crackling.

Li Lang couldn’t even react to the noise before a flash of lightning suddenly struck down at his friend. It caused Long Yi to tense up and couldn’t even open his mouth as he endured the pain. The lightning was only an instant, but the aftereffects remained for several long minutes before Long Yi’s breathing steadied again.

The ambient Qi quickly returned to normal, leaving Long Yi silently sitting there, taking deep breaths.

Nothing happened after that for some time until his aura abruptly changed in an instant. Li Lang could now feel the formidable presence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator gushing out from his friend.

Long Yi had succeeded!

Others would be surprised at his successful first attempt, but no one present was. Long Yi had been steadily cultivating while in the last stage of Energy Gathering for years. His accumulation was more than enough.

Long Yi slowly opened his eyes and grinned upon seeing his friend.

“Looks like it all worked out,” he casually blurted out.

He inspected his body for a moment before standing up to stretch.

“You sure you’re in shape to move around right away?” Li Lang asked.

“Yeah, I feel better than ever! Not counting how sweaty I am and the drenched clothes, of course.”

“Did your meridian channels end up changing? You didn’t exactly give me a precise answer earlier.”

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“Well, yeah. It took everything I had to make out your words. My meridians seem to be the same, just—thicker now. More Qi can pass through each of my spiritual roots.”

Having answered one question, Long Yi was soon barraged with a dozen others. The questioning lasted for another hour until he was finally set free. He quickly went to wipe himself and change clothes while Li Lang went to gather his students once more.

He didn’t beat around the bush and announced the news to them as soon as they gathered.

“Everyone, the ordeal is over. Teacher Long has successfully broken through to Foundation Establishment!”

Gasps of admiration could be heard, as many of them began to dream about having similar accomplishments themselves. Li Lang swiftly continued before they got ahead of themselves.

“With that said, you can ask him about his experiences at a later date. He needs to rest and stabilize his cultivation right now. As for us, we have an errand to run today. We’ll be going to Bloodwave Conclave’s—”

“Woah, woah. Don’t count me out so fast.”

Everyone turned to find Long Yi approaching. Some wanted to run towards him to question his experiences, but the children all quickly reined in their excitement. Despite their age, they had become mindful of etiquette. It was due to their desire to respect their teachers, who had allowed them to progress their cultivation so quickly, at a pace they never dreamt of before.

“Congratulations, Teacher Long!” they shouted in unison.

“Long Yi—What are you doing here?”

“You were about to say you’re bringing everyone to the bazaar, right? I want to tag along.”

“Learn to rest already!”

“That’s rich coming from someone who interrogated me for an hour immediately after my breakthrough. Plus, I need to grab a new cultivation technique, right? How else am I supposed to answer your questions?”

His words made Li Lang speechless, and he could only nod. He then proceeded to explain the goal of their trip to the Bloodwave Conclave bazaar to his students as if nothing happened.

“You’re all to register as members of The Orchid Covenant soon. As demonic cultivators, you’ll need to be seen procuring Qi beasts for your cultivation to dispel any suspicions.”

“Umm, Teacher Li,” Xiao Dong interrupted. “Do we really all have to go? We don’t need to be there for the purchase, right?”

“Good question. You’re right in that you don’t have to go, but I thought this would be a good chance to bring you guys to shop for martial and Qi arts. You haven’t learned anything yet, right?”

This caused a stir within the group of students. For the past month, they had done nothing but cultivate. Once they used up their quota of Cleansing Drugs for the day, they would then be ordered to clean around the manor or help with the kitchen staff.

The young cultivators had long grown restless, wanting to practice something more cultivator-like. They had grown up hearing stories about what powerful cultivators could do and wanted an outlet for their newfound power.

“Don’t get too excited. You’ll be able to find more techniques once you officially become members of The Orchid Covenant, so you don’t have to make a decision right away. Remember, it’s better to practice and master a few techniques rather than a dozen. Those of you interested in crafts should also wait until then.”

Despite being an official alchemist and brushweaver, Li Lang had declined to teach over the past month. He only had so much time, and he had to use it sparingly for the sake of his re