Chapter 189: Questioning the Breakthrough
Long Yi’s breakthrough attempt continued under the watchful gaze of Li Lang. So far, nothing had deviated from the time they observed Tang Yulian’s breakthrough back in the pocket realm. Long Yi had begun to glow as the ambient Qi formed a vortex around him.
The intensity at which the Qi rushed to Long Yi finally relaxed after some time. Instead, the spot on his navel that shone began to grow in size.
It was as if the light was slowly being stretched out like a balloon.
This went in line with what Li Lang knew about the process of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. One’s Qi had reached a saturation point and now had to converge in the cultivator’s dantian in the navel area.
This stage was also the most dangerous part of the ordeal. If the cultivator lost control, all the gathered Qi would be released all at once. It would result in a violent explosion within their body, certainly ending their lives.
It was why any sane cultivator would ingest a Foundation Pill before attempting a breakthrough.
The Foundation Pill created a barrier around a cultivator’s dantian and would prevent such a violent explosion. It was like a brace that would instead let the Qi leak out at a steady pace in the event of a failed attempt. It allowed the cultivator to safely fail, letting them try again later.
Even though Li Lang knew this meant his friend’s breakthrough was deemed safe because of the pill, he couldn’t help but worry. The Foundation Pill didn’t prevent all the pain one had to endure as the Qi tried to converge on one point of the body. It then expanded, further adding to the discomfort.
Li Lang knew severe and unrelenting pain was dangerous. It could induce stress responses in the body that release large amounts of adrenaline and other stress hormones. That could lead to cardiac arrest or even organ failure.
There were also various other conditions that could occur, like neurogenic shock and other mental health impacts. While he knew cultivators had a sturdier constitution, anything could still happen.
Hours passed as Long Yi continued to persist.
Sweat drenched his robes as Li Lang occasionally asked him a few questions.