My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

「Three days later.」

His Meridians grew tougher and more stable. His Mixed Element Gang Body had already reached Perfection, but with the overflow of his Divine Soul, its defensive strength had somehow risen to yet another level.

And the progress of his Broken Wave Technique was even more gratifying.

[Broken Wave Technique Fourth Layer: Great Success (142/50000)]

Without even realizing it, he had entered the Great Success Realm!

He looked at the Jade Bottle in his hand.

Two Ice Soul Concentrating Spirit Pills were left.

’One Pill helped me temper my Divine Soul and bring the Fourth Layer of the Broken Wave Technique to Great Success. The remaining two might help me charge to Perfection!’

Liang Cheng no longer hesitated and directly swallowed the second Elixir.

This time, the Medicinal Power was much milder.

An icy current still washed over his Sea of Consciousness, cleansing it like a clear spring and making his Divine Soul increasingly lucid and transparent. The Short Sword swam slowly within his Sea of Consciousness.

At the same time, the lingering Medicinal Power seeped into his entire body, mingling with the Spiritual Qi from the Cyan Jade Platform and surging madly into his Dantian.

The nine Gang Qi Seeds greedily pulsed, their volume expanding at a rate visible to the naked eye!

His Cultivation rose steadily!

With a thought, Liang Cheng popped the last Ice Soul Concentrating Spirit Pill into his mouth as well.

"Break!"

He let out a low cry, circulating the Gang Qi in his body to its absolute limit.

BOOM—!

Inside his Dantian, the nine Gang Qi Seeds trembled in unison. Azure Gang Qi surged like a tide, battering all the acupoints in his Meridians.

Once, twice, three times...

Under the dual infusion of the Ice Soul Pill’s Medicinal Power and the Cyan Jade Platform’s Spiritual Qi, the nine Gang Qi Seeds abruptly expanded. Their rotation speed skyrocketed, and the range from which they drew in Spiritual Qi increased by thirty percent!

The quality of his Gang Qi improved dramatically, becoming as condensed as mercury and as heavy as a mountain.

[Broken Wave Technique Fourth Layer: Perfection]

He didn’t have the subsequent Breaking Mortality Technique for the Broken Wave Technique, and as for the Ice Soul Scripture, he didn’t dare to cultivate it for the time being.

’The Penglai Sect is extremely strict about its legacies. My entry into the Sect is practically a sure thing now, so why should I look for trouble and make things difficult for myself?’

’I’ll make a decision after I’ve entered the Penglai Sect.’

When he opened his eyes, the Gang Qi around his body erupted, cracking the floor of the ice cave in a spiderweb pattern.

He clenched his fist, feeling the changes within him. His strength had nearly doubled, his Gang Qi reserves had doubled, and his Circulation of the Celestial Qi was even faster!

And in his Sea of Consciousness, that drop of Divine Soul Liquid flowed slowly through his Sea of Divine Soul, its golden light as solid as a silk thread.

The Short Sword hovered quietly, the icy blue luster of its blade restrained, as if it were one with his Divine Soul.

’As for my own strength, if I were to face Huang Tiancheng again, I still wouldn’t be his match, but escaping would no longer be an issue.’

They were both experts at Core Formation and Breaking Mortality, but now that he thought back, the likes of Huang Tiancheng were weaker than his master, Chen Xuanfeng, by more than just a small margin.

’Could it be that even among those who have achieved Breaking Mortality, there are vast differences in power?’

Liang Cheng shook his head at the thought, deciding not to dwell on it. Just then, the Cyan Jade Platform made a soft sound. It was now completely devoid of Spiritual Qi, and Runes appeared on its surface, causing Liang Cheng’s eyes to narrow.

’They’re from the same source as the Runes in the Lin Wu City Secret Realm. Unfortunately, I still don’t know what they mean. I can only memorize them completely and wait for a chance to decipher them in the future.’

All of his Elixirs were gone, so there was no point in cultivating further. He stood up and bowed once more in the direction of the Cold Pool Wanderer’s tomb.

"I have received your legacy, Senior, and I will not betray your trust. If I should meet any descendants of the Tan Family, I will surely look after them."

With that, he sealed the cave entrance, ensuring no one would disturb the senior’s eternal slumber. He then left the cavern, the Dark River churning before his eyes.

「Main Courtyard.」

Chen Xuanfeng stood high up in the Instructor Hall, his brow deeply furrowed.

A whole month had passed.

They had turned Lost Soul Valley upside down, searched upstream and downstream of the Dark River no fewer than ten times, and even scoured the nearby mountain ranges, but Liang Cheng had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

The only good news was that Liang Cheng’s Life Token, kept at the Main Courtyard, had yet to shatter.

’He’s still alive, but where in the world is he?’

Just then, he heard footsteps behind him.

It was Yang Wei.

His injuries had fully healed, but he looked haggard, his eyes filled with self-reproach.

"Elder Chen, it’s all my fault. I was useless and dragged Cheng’Er into this..."

Chen Xuanfeng shook his head.

"The enemy’s plot was meticulous. It was a calculated attack against the unsuspecting; no one could have reacted in time."

"That old dog Qian Wanjing, though, he’s hidden himself quite deep."

Over the past month, Chen Xuanfeng had mobilized all of the Main Courtyard’s informants, but he still couldn’t find a trace of Qian Wanjing.

The man had vanished as if from thin air. Not even anyone inside the Treasure Pavilion knew of his whereabouts.

And the reaction from the Treasure Pavilion Headquarters only stoked the fire in Chen Xuanfeng’s heart.

Three days ago, a confidant sent by the master of the Treasure Pavilion’s Main Tower on Penglai Immortal Island arrived at the Main Courtyard. Nominally, he was there to mediate the conflict, but his words subtly implied that the Main Courtyard was pushing the Treasure Pavilion too hard.

With Liang Cheng missing, there was no concrete evidence regarding Qian Wanjing’s actions, so the matter couldn’t be settled.

Chen Xuanfeng had been furious on the spot. If Dean Zhong Lishuo hadn’t held him back, he would have almost come to blows right then and there.

Just then, the Communication Token at Chen Xuanfeng’s waist vibrated.

Chen Xuanfeng checked it; it was an urgent summons from Dean Zhong Lishuo.

He hurried to the main hall, where several other Elders were already present. The atmosphere was solemn.

Zhong Lishuo didn’t waste any words, getting straight to the point. "I just received a decree from the Penglai Sect. This year’s Immortal Ascension Conference will be held on Profound Ice Island."

"Profound Ice Island?"

An Elder asked in surprise.

"Hasn’t it always been held on Penglai Immortal Island in the past?"

Zhong Lishuo shook his head, admitting he didn’t know the reason for the change.

He turned to Chen Xuanfeng. "Elder Chen, you prepare to take this year’s participating disciples first. If Liang Cheng shows up later, I will personally escort him."

Chen Xuanfeng clenched his fists, but ultimately nodded. "Yes. However, I would like to wait another three days."

"Granted!"

Another three days passed.

Still, there was no word from Liang Cheng.

Chen Xuanfeng stood outside the main gate, with over twenty participating disciples from the Main Courtyard behind him. Ye Zhiqiu and Xiao Qingxue were among them.

Chen Xuanfeng took one last look in the direction of the Main Courtyard, then took a deep breath. "Let’s move out."

The group boarded the Cloud Ship and soared into the sky.

...

At the exit of the underground Dark River.

Liang Cheng burst out of the water, landing on a desolate riverbank.

He shook out his drenched long hair and looked around. He was at a remote bend in the river, thirty li downstream from Lost Soul Valley.

’It took me seven days, but I finally found the exit. An ordinary True Gang Realm cultivator probably wouldn’t have lasted.’

He looked up at the sky, estimating he had likely spent over a month in the underground Dark River.

With a flicker of movement, he started heading upstream along the bank.

Liang Cheng first returned to Lost Soul Valley.

The valley was a stretch of scorched earth. He searched it carefully but found no trace of Yang Wei.

Just then, a voice called out in pleasant surprise.

"Senior Brother Liang!"

"Senior Brother Liang is here! Come quickly!"

A short while later, a group of Steward Disciples from the Main Courtyard had gathered. From his conversation with them, Liang Cheng learned about the current situation.

He breathed a sigh of relief to hear that Yang Wei was safe.

When he heard that Chen Xuanfeng had left for Profound Ice Island with the disciples to attend the Immortal Ascension Conference, he was momentarily stunned.

’What a coincidence.’

He didn’t say much more, though. Once the Main Courtyard Steward Disciples had assembled, he headed straight for the Main Courtyard!

’There’s no time to consider anything else. First, I’ll return to the Main Courtyard, attend the Immortal Ascension Conference, and then join the Penglai Sect.’

’After that, Core Formation and Breaking Mortality.’

’Then I’ll settle all my accounts at once!’