The North Peak has always been known for its lingering mists. It was a morning shrouded in heavy fog. The entire Changchun Residence was enveloped within this haze.

At this precise moment, a youth sat cross-legged on the courtyard floor of Changchun Residence, breathing deeply in meditation. The youth’s face held the faint, sluggish look of someone not quite fully awake. Indeed, this youth was Lu Yuan.

Under normal circumstances, Lu Yuan would never cultivate this early; sleeping in was far too comfortable. However, this time it was his Master’s direct order. Li Yuanbai rarely interfered with his disciples’ training, but upon noticing that Lu Yuan had reached the pinnacle of the Sixth Level of Qi Condensation and was on the verge of a breakthrough, he strictly commanded Lu Yuan to push harder in the coming days to achieve this minor realm advancement before indulging in laziness again.

He had no choice; facing his Master’s stern decree, he had to exert himself, just for a little while. Fortunately, the breakthrough was imminent. Getting past this minor realm quickly was the priority.

Yawning lazily, he truly lacked the spirit for an early rise; early morning sleep was the most pleasant thing. Waking up this early left him completely drained, but thankfully, he didn't need much spirit right now. The seven Cloud-attribute spirit entities within the Spirit Sealing Plaque were constantly inhaling and exhaling Cloud-attribute vital energy.

All he needed to do was guide this abundance of Cloud-attribute vital energy into the extraordinary meridians and the twelve primary meridians within his body, where the Yuan-attribute vital energy circulated ceaselessly. He had already achieved the Minor Heavenly Cycle during the Fifth Level of Qi Condensation. And the Sixth Level involved condensing Qi into an Aura, making his magical power increasingly solid.

The magical power flowed relentlessly within his body, growing denser and more substantial, filling every single meridian. Gradually, the meridians felt as if they were nearing capacity, and the Cloud-attribute magical power within him began to stir with an impulse to rush outward. Yes, this impulse was what he needed to seize.

The magical power continued to accumulate, and the pressure within his meridians intensified. But this wasn't enough. While a breakthrough was possible, it hadn't happened yet.

Now, achieving it required a vastly larger amount of vital energy. He retrieved forty Low-grade Spirit Stones from his Asura Pouch in one go. Forty Low-grade Spirit Stones should suffice to push through this level.

The rest he needed to reserve for the Cloud-attribute spirit entities; although these entities were extremely useful, they required feeding with Spirit Stones in return. He set up the Spirit Sealing Formation, placed the forty Low-grade Spirit Stones inside, and then shattered them. Instantly, the spiritual energy within the formation became incredibly dense.

This intense concentration caused the circulation speed of the Cloud-attribute magical power inside him to accelerate, becoming unbelievably fast. ... After an unknown duration, Lu Yuan moved his hand, and a faint wisp of cloud energy seeped out from his fingertip, extending over a foot in length.

This was... Qi Projection Beyond the Body. The Seventh Level of Qi Condensation: Qi Projection Beyond the Body.

Previously, his magical power could be utilized on his person, but it only circulated internally. Even when channeled to his fingertip, it could only flow that far, or perhaps onto his sword, but it would stop dead at the tip. Without a physical conduit beyond that, it couldn't travel further.

Now, the Cloud-attribute magical power inside him could extend over a foot past his fingertip. With another turn of his hand, he directed it toward the Nourishing Myriad Sword. The magical power flowed along the sword, surpassed its length, and then extended another foot beyond the blade before finally stopping.

At this moment, a profound joy resonated within Lu Yuan. Finally, he had reached the Seventh Level of Qi Condensation: Qi Projection Beyond the Body. The greatest manifestation of reaching the Seventh Level of Qi Condensation was the ability to project Qi beyond the body—for instance, pushing magical power out through the fingertips and then launching that projected energy outward.

When applied to the sword, this meant being able to manifest Sword Qi. While one could shoot Sword Qi, this method drained magical power too quickly, so it was generally avoided. Sword Qi.

A long sword had a limited range, usually around three feet. Exceeding three feet meant the attack couldn't reach. However, the advent of Sword Qi elegantly solved this limitation.

As long as one's magical power was strong enough, Sword Qi could be commanded, varying in length, controllable at will. Once activated, it was akin to instantly lengthening the sword itself. With Sword Qi present, the lethality of sword techniques increased tremendously.

Of course, Sword Qi of different elemental attributes possessed distinct colors. When his Cloud-attribute magical power was channeled into the sword, the resulting Sword Qi was white, pale as mist, condensing at the sword's tip and extending forward by about another foot—this was the current limit of his Sword Qi extension. If his magical power increased further, the reach of his Sword Qi would also extend.

Suddenly, a flash of understanding crossed Lu Yuan’s mind. Among the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud, some sword moves required the assistance of Sword Qi to achieve their full potency. Very well, this time he would re-practice the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud.

“Wind and Cloud Entangled in Chaos” “Cloud Binding Sword Wrap” “Wind Passes the Land Leaving No Trace” ... “Wind Flows and Cloud Scatters” “Wind Blows and Clouds Roll” The sword light was like flowing silk as he executed the sword techniques one by one. He did not rush; he didn't need to finish the set quickly.

He simply performed each move deliberately, integrating the newly mastered Sword Qi and subtly modifying his movements with each strike. Unconsciously, his comprehension of the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud deepened with every repetition. As he executed the moves, he focused intensely on his sword, the hand gripping it, and the sword forms themselves.

With each successive technique, the flow became smoother—an astonishing, seamless fluidity. The coordination between the newly acquired Sword Qi and the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud gradually approached perfection through this practice. “Wind Settles, Clouds Still” This was the final move of the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud.

This move was executed with extreme slowness. As he slowly completed this final posture, the Nourishing Myriad Sword halted precisely at his brow. He had completed another run-through of the entire set.

Lu Yuan gazed dazedly at the Nourishing Myriad Sword. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. As the final movement, Wind Settles, Clouds Still, concluded, all extraneous thoughts vanished.

He let out a long breath of white vapor, finally finished. Only upon completion did he feel a touch of weariness. Looking down, he saw he was drenched in sweat from the morning practice.

A bath and breakfast were in order. At this hour, the sleepiness was entirely gone. After such a vigorous early session, it was impossible to still feel tired.

How should he spend the rest of the day? Should he hunt some wild rabbits, or perhaps a few wild dogs? Ah, dog meat—among all meats, dog meat was the most succulent, especially black dog.

The thought of dog meat made Lu Yuan’s mouth water. The beasts in the forests of the North Peak must have grown fat while he was away. Right, he also needed to extort some fine food and wine from those two fellows, Ye Fang and Ye Yuan.

He had no interest in trekking down the mountain for wine now; he'd let those two cover the bill. That’s what they promised him in the Underground World, haha! (I wanted a surge of writing, but my flow got stuck.

Classical Xianxia prose is slow work. I can't maintain a surge right now, so I'll save it for when the promotion push happens. Meanwhile, please toss me some recommendation votes.)

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