The moment Li Zhe’s words faded, Xie An’s figure suddenly flickered. Then, with a sharp smack, he delivered a heavy slap across Li Zhe’s face.

The latter froze instantly, clutching his face, his mind reeling in a momentary fog. When his senses returned, he found Xie An standing before him, looking down with disdain: “This slap is to discipline you on behalf of Martial Uncle-Ancestor Li!

If my junior brother were to engage in fewer vile deeds in the Vastness of the Firmament Realm, the reputation of our Xuanyang Sect would naturally be multiplied many times over.” Li Zhe’s face first contorted in fury, then, as if remembering something, he forcibly suppressed his rage, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails nearly bit into his flesh. “You know the situation within the Sect, Li Zhe.

Our Path of the Vast Firmament is outwardly peaceful but inwardly perilous; one misstep leads to eternal damnation. At this time, if our Three Sects and Six Halls do not unite with all sincerity and cooperate, I fear immediate annihilation awaits.

And yet, Li Zhe, you dare set your sights on your own sect members! Were it not for the fact that you are Martial Uncle-Ancestor Li’s only blood descendant, I, Xie An, would be the first to execute you!

As for Tan Qiu, though young, his talent is considerable. For the Sect to possess such an asset to support us is a great fortune.

Do not provoke him again in the future—” Li Zhe’s expression shifted through several stages before he finally broke into a strange, humorless laugh: “I was a fool to provoke him. What happened a few days ago was my fault, Li Zhe’s fault.

Those who plot against others will be plotted against themselves; if someone takes what I intended to take, I won’t complain. However, this person committed the unforgivable sin of insulting our Xuanyang Sect!” Xie An’s expression stiffened, then he pursed his lips slightly: “Is this true?

What exactly did he say?” “Of course it’s true! I can swear on my inner demon.” Saying this, Li Zhe’s gaze was distant, showing no hint of deceit: “This person claimed that the abilities of our Xuanyang Sect disciples are merely so-so—” Xie An immediately frowned, wavering between belief and doubt.

After a long pause, he waved his large sleeve dismissively: “You may leave. I will verify this matter!” The words had barely left his mouth when Xie An paused again, suddenly reaching out to summon something from the void.

A communication talisman dropped into his hand. As the paper talisman burned completely away, doubt filled Xie An’s eyes.

“—Helian Tieshan, Yan Chengguan, Yuan Jiuchen, Tan Qiu. Why is he the one leading this time?

A mere sixth-tier disciple?” “Why him?” Within the Vastness of the Firmament Realm, a handsome youth also held a rapidly burning communication talisman, his eyes faintly betraying a hint of confusion and resentment. “Why not Xuan Ye, why not Xie An, and certainly not me, Luo Shi?

But this Tan Qiu?” ※ ※ ※ ※ Ten days later, still within the quiet room of the First Courtyard of the Jia block, Zong Shou’s sanctuary. A series of sharp crack-crunching sounds echoed, signaling breaking bones.

Zong Shou stood in the center of the thirty-zhang circular room, his skin splitting across his entire body, drenched in blood. His limbs twisted into near-grotesque contortions, constantly shifting positions.

Faintly visible beneath his skin, twelve shadows resembling flood dragons snaked along the routes of his internal meridians, moving ceaselessly. Two of these shadows collided violently, seemingly on the verge of bursting forth from Zong Shou’s body at any moment.

Each time, a powerful force within Zong Shou would violently subdue them just at the critical juncture. But whenever this happened, a thin line of blood would invariably burst from Zong Shou’s skin, and his bones were constantly teetering on the very edge of shattering completely.

Zong Yuan and Ruoshui watched tensely from the side, knowing this was the most crucial moment. Success meant achieving the Martial Ancestor realm of the Six Meridians; failure meant Zong Shou’s body would suffer immediate, severe trauma.

Not only would his Wheel Meridians be unable to heal in a short time, but future advancements and the fusion of Spirit Meridians would become immeasurably harder. Yet, Zong Shou maintained a calm expression, meticulously executing these bizarre movements.

Strangely, although the qi and blood within him boiled and surged everywhere, and his nine Wheel Meridians were near the breaking point, completing each strange posture brought a moment of internal stillness. This stillness allowed him to conserve more power to subdue the two newly integrated Spirit Meridians.

As time progressed, the kacha-chaka sound of his bones gradually diminished. The two rampant dragon shadows on his skin seemed to be guided onto the correct path; his skin stopped tearing, and no blood leaked out.

Instead, vast quantities of spiritual energy spontaneously gathered from all directions, surging into Zong Shou’s body. A powerful aura suddenly erupted outward.

It didn't just press against Chuxue, nearly suffocating her; even Zong Yuan and Ruoshui felt a palpable pressure. This pressure did not originate from Zong Shou’s formidable and inscrutable Martial Dao intent, but simply from the sheer intensity of his True Qi, which had grown so potent it nearly matched their own.

Furthermore, its sustained endurance might even surpass theirs! They exchanged glances, yet upon deeper consideration, they were not surprised.

Zong Shou’s body now housed twelve Spirit Meridians—three more than the average person—giving him a foundational strength that even they, at the peak of the Black Tortoise realm, could not match. It was a pity that while the dual meridians were his strength, they were also his downfall.

Theoretically, Zong Shou possessed the longest qi conduits in the world, but the internal conflict between the dual meridians consumed the majority of that potential, leaving his explosive power astonishingly formidable. It remained to be seen when he could fully resolve this internal strife.

Zong Shou remained oblivious, his internal energies still chaotic. The sixth integration of dual Spirit Meridians caused his True Qi to surge madly.

The flood of incoming spiritual energy violently clogged all his existing Wheel Meridians. Executing the guided movements of the cultivation techniques could only temporarily suppress the chaos; it could not harmonize and regulate the internal flow of energy.

Frowning, Zong Shou decisively switched postures, commencing the sixth set of guidance techniques. Although he had practiced these guidance techniques countless times in his previous life, these six sets were a first in this current existence.

He had to take a risk; if the energy chaos continued unchecked, it was the least of his worries if his Wheel Meridians were riddled with holes—the several Spirit Meridians already integrated risked slipping away. Fortunately, with the experience from his past life, he was intimately familiar with these movements.

While slightly awkward at first, upon completing one cycle, he became proficient. He even integrated modifications specific to his dual-meridian constitution, tailored in this current life.

A full hour later, the last vestiges of chaotic energy were forcibly suppressed by Zong Shou. His nine Wheel Meridians were finally regulated and smoothed out.

“Success!” A slight joy bloomed in his heart, and Zong Shou’s movements abruptly changed. Gone were the slow, strange postures; they became fierce and magnificent.

He threw out a punch, and a resounding boom echoed in the air. Everything within ten zhang—all dust—was scattered by the resulting gale, revealing numerous holes burned into the surrounding walls.

The stone slabs on the ground within twenty zhang were instantly pulverized into fine powder. “Six Meridians, Peak Martial Ancestor!” Zong Shou’s expression remained unchanged as he threw another punch.

This time, he used his powerful Martial Dao intent to condense the surging internal breath and True Qi around him to an almost unbelievable degree in an instant! The final barrier within his body was shattered with effortless ease.

This punch propelled him into the realm of the Black Tortoise Ancestor! “Boom!” As the force of the punch erupted, the entire space around Zong Shou seemed to expand.

Then, under the impact of successive waves of ferocious external force and air currents, the solid stone chamber spanning thirty zhang completely disintegrated! The repercussions spread outward; within two hundred zhang, sand flew, stones scattered, and vegetation was shredded!

Zong Yuan and Ruoshui casually brushed aside the debris without concern. Chuxue, standing behind them, didn't even blink.

Since the stone chamber contained nothing of value and was located in a corner of the back courtyard, the structure Zong Shou created with spiritual arts could be destroyed without regret. Ever since Zong Shou had leveled the entire First Courtyard of the Jia block that other day, Chuxue dared not place anything in his cultivation chambers.

Now, joy filled her eyes, mingled with worry. Zong Shou’s advancement to the Black Tortoise Ancestor realm had left her completely behind once more.

Thoughts of the two newly acquired spirit beasts she recently took in weighed heavily on her mind. Zong Shou let out a light chuckle and stretched his stiffened limbs.

Upon completing his breakthrough, his injuries had already recovered by more than half. However, his spiritual perception was acute, and he vaguely sensed countless minute internal bruises, almost undetectable unless one searched diligently.

His True Qi also felt somewhat disordered. —Just as expected!

Integrating the sixth pair of meridians in such a short time was too hasty! He frowned, yet felt no regret.

To kill Yuan Jiuchen, he needed seven-tier combat strength. Although he possessed two powerful guards accompanying him, his own body was his vulnerability.

His swordsmanship had already reached the Sword Soul realm, so he wasn't afraid of those seven-tier powerhouses. But to fully deploy the profound mysteries of his swordsmanship, his body needed to withstand more than twenty strikes from a seventh-tier expert without collapsing.

Only after breaking through to the Black Tortoise Ancestor realm would he have a twenty percent chance this time! It was sheer luck that he managed to integrate this sixth pair of Spirit Meridians on the final day.

Speaking of which, those ‘Prodigies’ selected by the Sect should be growing impatient by now— He let out a soft ‘heh,’ and Zong Shou abruptly retrieved a ball of ice-fire colored mist from his storage pouch. He inhaled sharply through his mouth and nose, drawing it deep into his body.

The moment it contacted his True Qi, it integrated instantly, finally forming layers of incredibly sturdy armor across the surface of his physique. This was the Inner Armor, capable of merging with the body to allow it to withstand greater external impacts.

What the Sect bestowed upon him was not only high-grade—up to the ninth tier—but also a rare, exquisite quality. Immediately following this, he assembled countless components, constructing another suit of external armor.

When Zong Shou was fully equipped, the armor manifested as a membrane-like layer covering his skin. Once his outer robes were on, it was virtually invisible.

This suit of external armor was no longer the ‘Thunder Step’ model; it was the ‘Steel Pillar.’ It served no other function; its greatest utility, besides providing nearly two million jin of brute strength, was to alleviate the pressure on his bones and flesh.