True Qi Power is the foundation for advancing to the Secret Realm. Only when this power reaches 9,999 Elephant Power is one’s accumulation considered complete, granting them the qualification to attempt a breakthrough to the Secret Realm.

Nie Yun’s current cultivation was at the Mid-Stage Ultimate Venerable level, and his True Qi Power was only 2,000 Elephant Power. The main reason he could defeat opponents like Huangg Yan and the Fifth Prince, whose power exceeded 5,000 Elephant Power, was due to his Great Strength Dantian.

His Great Strength Dantian, paired with the Fourth Layer Great Success of his Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique, allowed him to unleash 5,000 Elephant Giant Power. This, on top of his own True Qi Power, made him a super-powerhouse on par with the top three experts of the Celestial List!

Of course, this strength was derived from his special talents. To truly advance to the Secret Realm, he had to continuously increase his True Qi Power.

True Qi Power relied on non-stop Cultivation, day and night; it couldn’t be achieved overnight. It had only been three months, all told, since Nie Yun had advanced to the Ultimate Venerable Realm. To accumulate 9,999 Elephant Power, it would be impossible to achieve without at least eight to ten years of work!

This was the main reason why for the powerhouses of the Divine Holy Empire, becoming an Ultimate Venerable was easy, but getting on the Secret Realm Potential List was difficult.

But now, Nie Yun never would have dreamed that while observing the stone wall, he had unintentionally entered a special Mental Realm, causing his True Qi Power to increase nonstop and his Cultivation to soar!

RUMBLE!

After an unknown amount of time, the stone wall before him abruptly crumbled into dust and vanished completely from the world. Nie Yun, in turn, awoke from that special Mental Realm.

’As expected of a Supreme Cultivation Technique. My understanding from my previous life was actually incorrect. Thankfully, my Cultivation wasn’t too deep, so I can still get back on the right path...’

Seeing the stone wall turn to dust, Nie Yun knew that three days had passed. He closed his eyes to recall the epiphanies he’d had over the past three days, feeling deeply moved.

In his previous life, his Cultivation and insight had been too low. Even with the Supreme Secret Manuals right in front of him, he hadn’t even grasped ten or twenty percent of their true meaning. Even so, he had managed to train to the Peak of the Dantian Acupoint Realm, which was a testament to how powerful these two Cultivation Techniques were!

’Thankfully, I haven’t advanced too far in my Cultivation. I can completely switch to the correct path and continue cultivating to increase my strength even faster!’

’Huh? My True Qi Power... how did it increase so much?’

While he was celebrating inwardly, Nie Yun’s Spiritual Power suddenly focused on his Qi Sea, and his eyes couldn’t help but widen.

’I can’t believe it! In just three days, my True Qi Power has more than doubled, reaching 5,000 Elephant Giant Power!’

’Going from 2,000 Elephant Power to 5,000 Elephant Giant Power... even with my fast advancement speed, it would have been difficult to accomplish in less than three years of normal Cultivation. To reach it in just three days is simply unbelievable!’

’Not only has my True Qi Power increased, but my Soul Power... it’s also increased this much? It’s even reached the Peak of Qi Sea Level, and is about to reach Great Perfection?’

After checking his True Qi Power, Nie Yun assessed his Spiritual Power and was so excited he nearly jumped for joy.

Spiritual Power was also known as Soul Power. The Qi Sea Nine Heavens realm focused on cultivating the Qi Sea Dantian, but to enter the Secret Realm, one must cultivate the soul. The ancestor of the Seventh Prince’s family, for instance, had relied on the Soul Law to find his path and successfully advance to the Secret Realm. Although Nie Yun’s current Spiritual Power wasn’t weak, it was still a far cry from that of a Secret Realm Powerhouse. To break through the Ultimate Venerable Realm, advancing one’s soul was a must!

But advancing one’s soul was incredibly difficult without special Cultivation Techniques or nourishing Elixirs.

In his previous life, it had taken Nie Yun a full twenty-seven years to advance from the Ultimate Venerable Peak to the Secret Realm!

To advance to the Secret Realm, one’s Soul Power had to reach Qi Sea Level Great Perfection.

Soul Power was divided into two levels: Qi Sea Level and Spirit Level.

Qi Sea Cultivators didn’t rely much on Soul Power. Secret Realm Powerhouses were different. Their True Qi transformed into Mana, a process driven entirely by Soul Power. If their Soul Power was weak, their strength would be weak. They wouldn’t be able to comprehend various Realms, making advancement difficult!

The Qi Sea Level and Spirit Level were each subdivided into Initial, Mid, High, Peak, and Great Perfection stages!

To advance to the Secret Realm, one’s Soul Power had to reach Qi Sea Level Great Perfection. Only by reaching that Realm could one comprehend various Secret Techniques and find their own path.

As for the Spirit Realm, it was so powerful that even many Heaven-Seizing Creation Secret Realm Powerhouses had not reached it.

When Nie Yun conquered his Heart Demon and formed his Blood Pupil Elixir Field, his Spiritual Power had taken a leap forward, but it had only reached Qi Sea High Level. He was still a long way from the Peak. He never expected that a three-day epiphany would not only increase his strength but also allow his Spiritual Power to jump all the way to the Peak of Qi Sea Level, just a hair’s breadth away from Great Perfection!

’With this level of Soul Power, combined with the special talents of a Blood Pupil Master, I could probably kill even a Celestial List Powerhouse with a single shout!’

’Terrifying!’

It could be said that the advancement in his Spiritual Power was even greater than the advancement in his True Qi!

’With this increase in Spiritual Power, I can use many of the techniques from my previous life. Excellent. This trip was truly worth it!’

With a shake of his body, the dust on his clothes vanished. Nie Yun stood up inside the cave.

In his past life, he had become an overlord of his generation on the Floating Heaven Continent after his strength surged. Many of his techniques and Secret Techniques required Spiritual Power to activate, and his strength had previously been too low to use them. Now that his Soul Power had reached the Peak of Qi Sea Level, his overall power had more than doubled!

"Xuyu the Elder, I, Nie Yun, am deeply indebted to your great kindness. If we ever have the chance to meet, I would lay down my life for you without a second thought!"

Taking a deep breath, Nie Yun knelt before the stone wall that had turned to dust.

’My achievements, in both this life and the last, are actually all thanks to this Xuyu the Elder. I must thank him properly.’

He kowtowed solemnly several times before finally standing up and striding outside. With the stone wall turned to dust, the concealing Array outside had also vanished. Even if he were to come back, this place would just be a ruin, holding no further significance.

’Alright, time to head back to Divine Wind City!’

He walked out of the cave, and with a flicker of his body, he shot up into the sky, flying in a straight line.

When he came, his speed had been much faster than that of a typical Ultimate Venerable Peak, but it was nothing compared to his speed now. The journey here had taken him a full three days. On the return trip, before even a single day had passed, the Divine Wind Imperial City appeared before him.

"Nie Yun, you’re back..."

Just as he entered the Imperial City, he saw Baihua Xiu, Mu Qing, and Mu Xia coming to greet him. It was Baihua Xiu who spoke, but she stopped halfway through her sentence, a look of utter astonishment on her face, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.

Before, when she saw the young man, she had only felt that his aura was sharp and his strength unfathomable, but his Spiritual Power seemed ordinary. Now, a single glance made her feel as if his eyes were a deep abyss, filled with a powerful Devouring Power. If she looked for even a moment longer, the world would spin, and she felt she could faint at any second!

’My Spiritual Power has reached Qi Sea High Level, yet I feel like I’m going to faint just from looking at him. What level has he reached?’

"You... Your Soul Power..."

Baihua Xiu was completely shaken.

"Heh, I just had a small insight, that’s all."

Nie Yun didn’t elaborate. With a faint smile, he retracted his Spiritual Power, and his eyes once again became Ordinary, no different from a normal person’s. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)