Chapter 487: The Strangeness of the Secret Place
Once Aldrian successfully built his domain, another surge of power flowed through him. His cultivation rose again, and he finally broke through to the High Duke stage—but it didn’t stop there. Since he had already been close to breaking through before he arrived, the creation of the empire’s domain gave him a high starting point.
After reaching the High Duke stage, his cultivation continued to rise. The energy within him kept growing, nearing the threshold of the Peak Duke stage. A few seconds later, he finally reached it, and it kept rising still, before finally slowed down at the midpoint of the Peak Duke stage.
Emperor Herman, watching everything unfold, felt like he was seeing something out of a fantasy. Someone breaking through stages as easily as breathing made him start to question Aldrian’s existence.
By now, he was convinced that Aldrian was not human in the way others were. He might appear human, but Herman believed he was something entirely different—some other kind of being with a cultivation constitution far beyond his knowledge.
There was no way a true human could do something like this without harming their body. A sudden rise in energy would tear the meridians or even destroy the dantian if it was not stabilized properly after a breakthrough.
The cultivation foundation of someone who focuses on speed tends to be fragile. It can collapse if they force their cultivation to endure too much strain.
For example, unleashing a complex technique that demands a large amount of energy and a high cultivation stage can backfire. If their foundation cannot withstand the burden of the technique, their cultivation may collapse, causing them to drop in level or even become crippled entirely.
Another example is when someone attempts to break through to a higher stage, such as the Duke stage. They often struggle due to the weakness of their foundation. Even if they succeed, they might only be able to exert power equivalent to the peak of the Marquess stage.
The strength behind each attack from a cultivator with a weak foundation is far less than the same attack performed by someone with a stable foundation at the same level.
This does not even take into account the cultivator’s comprehension, which is important in supporting the cultivation process, or other factors that must be considered before attempting a breakthrough.
In short, breaking through, especially at levels like the Duke stage and above, is not a simple or easy matter.