The sound of Wujiang Cloud’s weeping was lost in the howling storm, her expression vacant, her eyes glazed over… She couldn't imagine if Ji Changkong would retain the courage to persevere after such a crushing blow. His continued silence made her feel utterly powerless; the trauma of the Wushan incident was second only to the sharp sting of the scratch across her cheek!

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light streaked through the darkness, making the lost Ji Wanyun freeze. She stared blankly at Ji Changkong, who sat cross-legged on the muddy ground beside her.

She rubbed her eyes in confusion, feeling a dreamlike sense of unreality as she stared motionlessly at him… The Ji Changkong reflected in her eyes seemed like an entirely different person! His gaze was as sharp as a blade.

Though his frame was still slender, his back was ramrod straight as he sat there. His entire bearing was dramatically different from before, like a drawn sword radiating an almost eerie, sharp brilliance!

Aooo-haowl! A heaven-shaking, earth-rending howl ripped from Ji Changkong’s throat.

He rose fluidly, throwing his head back in a long, piercing cry that shot straight toward the clouds! Rumble-boom!

He struck a large hitching post tree with a devastating punch. With a sharp crack, the tree, thick as a man’s waist, snapped in half and crashed down.

… “Aunt, I have Yuan Li!” Ji Changkong laughed loudly, clenching his fists in excitement. Ji Wanyun stared blankly, utterly unable to believe her eyes as she looked at the transformed Ji Changkong.

She scrubbed her eyes hard once more, confirming that the person standing before her was indeed Ji Changkong, before she finally burst out with a loud, wrenching sob— This time, however, it was a cry of overwhelming joy. “How is this possible?

How can this be?” Ji Wanyun grabbed Ji Changkong’s arm, tears still tracing paths down her face, repeatedly gasping the words aloud. Once she verified the existence of Heaven and Earth Yuan Li flowing within him, Ji Wanyun could no longer contain her excitement, embracing him and weeping uncontrollably.

“Aunt, we should laugh, we must laugh, Hahaha…” Ji Changkong laughed, the sound tinged with a strange ache and awkwardness; he was still unaccustomed to such unrestrained emotional release. “Yes, we should laugh, we should laugh, hehe… Changkong, my good boy, you have Yuan Li, you finally have Yuan Li…” Ji Wanyun cried and laughed, tugging him along as they jumped about—like a woman driven momentarily mad with elation.

… “Changkong, what exactly happened? Why do you suddenly possess Yuan Li?” After indulging their shared burst of frenzy for a while, Ji Wanyun finally asked, her face etched with bewilderment, “Moreover, the Heaven and Earth Yuan Li within you is immensely vast, far exceeding that of a newly condensed First Tier Heavenly Scholar.” Even then, Ji Wanyun found it difficult to accept what had occurred to Ji Changkong.

Upon careful examination, she confirmed the tremendous amount of Yuan Li, a phenomenon clearly beyond her comprehension and established knowledge of what a Heavenly Scholar should be, filling her with profound astonishment. “I don’t know either.

Just when I thought I was going to die, there was a sharp sound deep inside me, and then, suddenly, surging Heaven and Earth Yuan Li filled my body. While I was semi-conscious, that Yuan Li raged wildly inside, crashing against everything, until I lost control and struck that large tree with my fist—only then did the anomaly within my body suddenly stop.” Ji Changkong offered a wry smile; even now, he wasn't entirely sure what had caused the strange occurrence within his body.

It felt as if he had acquired Yuan Li in an instant, and not just that, but a concentration far denser than that of an average First Tier Heavenly Scholar! “Strange, truly strange.

I can’t figure out what happened…” Ji Wanyun held his hand, examining him meticulously once more, yet seeing no explanation. After a moment, she reluctantly let go and asked, “Can you control the Heaven and Earth Yuan Li inside you now?

Will you have that feeling of losing control again?” “No, not at all!” Ji Changkong smiled radiantly. With a mere thought, the vast Yuan Li within him flowed like a gentle stream through his skin, meridians, and internal organs.

Save for the bone marrow and the most difficult area to reach—the brain—the Yuan Li circulated unimpeded throughout his body. A First Tier Heavenly Scholar needed to temper their physical body so that Yuan Li could traverse the skin, flesh, meridians, five viscera, bone marrow, and brain—five critical checkpoints.

For an ordinary person, permeating these five stages could take anywhere from three to ten years. Ji Changxiao himself had only broken through these five barriers to reach the Second Tier Heavenly Realm three years prior.

Yet, in just half a night, amidst his confusion, Ji Changkong had managed to guide the Yuan Li through his skin, flesh, meridians, and five viscera, breaking through three major barriers! “It’s good that you can control it.

My ability is limited, and I can’t decipher the anomaly in your body. Once we return to the Ji Clan, ask your Third Grand-uncle and Second Grand-uncle,” Ji Wanyun said with a smile.

The heavy rain had stopped at some unknown point; in the blink of an eye, a night had passed. As the sun rose, the first ray of light pierced over the peaks of Wushan.

“Aunt, the shame we endured last night, I swear I will make Old Mother Wushan and that Lu Yun repay a hundredfold one day!” Ji Changkong looked up towards the summit of Wushan, drawing a deep breath, his voice low and firm. Although he desperately wished to storm Wushan right then and settle scores with Old Mother Wushan and Lu Yun, he restrained himself.

He knew he was far from being Lu Yun’s match now, and encountering Old Mother Wushan would surely mean certain death. For now, he had to swallow this humiliation, waiting until he was powerful enough in the future to confront them.

“Mmm, as long as you don’t act rashly, your Aunt will be at ease.” Seeing that Ji Changkong hadn’t let excitement cloud his judgment despite gaining Yuan Li, Ji Wanyun nodded silently. She then tidied her disheveled hair, retrieved a bag from beneath the saddle, and handed Ji Changkong a large chunk of cooked beef.

Ji Changkong was truly starving. He devoured the large piece of beef, but still felt unsatisfied, so he gulped down another substantial piece before finally feeling slightly full.

While Ji Wanyun ate slowly, chewing carefully, Ji Changkong had already settled into a cross-legged meditation. … Over the past three months, Ji Changkong had firmly memorized all fifteen Heavenly Scholar cultivation secret techniques housed in the Scripture Pavilion.

Now that he possessed Yuan Li, he immediately decided to choose one to follow. The fifteen techniques differed in their methods and characteristics.

Unlike secret combat techniques, a Heavenly Scholar generally chose only one cultivation technique for their entire life; only the most suitable one could maximize their potential. When it came time to select a technique, Ji Changkong hesitated… He reviewed the fifteen techniques in his mind, unable to settle on which one to pursue.

After some thought, he decided he should ask his Aunt Ji Wanyun for advice. After all, she had reached the Fourth Aspect Heavenly Realm, giving her a far deeper understanding of Heavenly Scholar cultivation than he possessed.

Just as Ji Changkong was about to open his eyes and stand up to question Ji Wanyun, he suddenly sensed something new residing in his mind. This sensation was profoundly odd, causing him to freeze immediately, frowning as he tried to understand the anomaly.

Gradually, Ji Changkong calmed his heart, letting his mind become still and relaxed… Suddenly, a strange light flashed in a corner of his mind. A thin, scroll-like sutra lay quietly there, as if it had existed for ages… The moment he thought of a Heavenly Scholar cultivation secret, the sutra immediately manifested in that corner of his mind; when he ceased thinking about it, it vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there.

Yes, it was truly a sutra! It wasn't like the techniques he had memorized from the Scripture Pavilion, which were pure memory; this was a genuine sutra!

It was merely shrunk millions of times, appearing only when he focused his thoughts on it. This was an indescribably wondrous feeling!

Ji Changkong’s entire attention was immediately captivated. He tried to concentrate… Slowly, the ancient characters on the sutra’s cover became clear in his mind—The Grand Void Record, Upper Volume.

With a mental command, a page of the Grand Void Record turned. When Heaven and Earth first separated, all things birthed Yuan; the Grand Void is vast, boundless, and without self… The obscure, ancient text appeared on the first page.

After a passage of veiled exposition, the sutra flipped another page. Heaven and Earth are formed by Yuan Qi; all things are formed by Heaven and Earth.

Heaven and Earth are the progeny of Yuan Qi, the progenitor of all creation… The next page contained a detailed account of Heaven and Earth Yuan Li! Flipping another page, lines of incantations appeared from the scripture.

The path of cultivation has no shortcut; only by merging with Heaven and Earth—becoming Heaven and Earth, with the heart as Heaven and Earth, and the spirit as Heaven and Earth—can one transcend the self and enter oblivion… … : Please bookmark this! Please smash those recommendation tickets!

The groundwork has been laid; there will be no more excessively depressing plots, trust me, it will only get more exciting from here! Bookmark and vote, thank you!