Chapter Sixteen: Breakthrough!

Is it really over, just like that? He had inexplicably arrived on this continent brimming with battle energy, and by a twist of fate, become a prodigy in cultivating it—setting foot on the path toward power. In his previous life, he’d been an ordinary man, but now, with strength in his grasp, all those suppressed sides of himself gradually began to awaken.

Su Yi hadn’t known why, nor had he any particular purpose—he simply yearned to grow stronger. The feeling of possessing power was intoxicating, and in truth, he’d always been confident in the speed of his cultivation. At that time, he was already a level ten Battle Practitioner; if nothing unexpected happened, he’d break through to level eleven in no time. Once he reached level eleven, the threshold of the Yellow Rank, he’d no longer be called a Battle Practitioner, but a Battle Adept!

But then, the unexpected happened—something catastrophic. His Battle Qi Core was crippled; he could no longer cultivate battle energy. This was every cultivator’s worst nightmare.

Was he to die like this, before he could even take his revenge?

At that thought, the image of a girl he’d met a year ago involuntarily arose in Su Yi’s mind—Long Zhimeng.

Suddenly, Su Yi felt a bit more lucid. In that fleeting clarity, he sensed the mysterious cold current hidden within him had begun to flow slowly through his body. Even now, he knew little about this enigmatic force; besides its healing properties, its other abilities remained a mystery. Now, having seemingly been poisoned by some bizarre and potent toxin, the cold current stirred once more. Could it also neutralize poison?

A flicker of curiosity arose in Su Yi’s heart—he wanted to see just how powerful this cold current truly was. But what happened next made his eyes widen in astonishment.

In his estimation, such a strange poison must be extraordinary, yet before the cold current it seemed utterly defenseless! Wherever the cold stream passed, the excruciating pain that had penetrated his very bones melted away, dissolving like snow in springtime.

Soon, most of the pain vanished, replaced by an invigorating coolness. Only the pain that had tried to invade his head still lingered in resistance. But as that resistance waned, Su Yi realized the poison was no match for the cold current. The mysterious toxin seemed deeply afraid of the energy within him—its arrogance vanished, and now it scurried about like a mangy cur, desperately avoiding the devouring cold.

Although Su Yi was no longer a Battle Adept and thus unable to examine himself inwardly, he could feel the poison moving—wherever it went, it left behind stabbing agony, making him almost curse out loud: “Why bother running? Just stay put and be swallowed up!”

Unfortunately, the toxin paid him no heed, and he himself could not control the cold current. All he could do was endure the torment as the two forces waged war within him.

In the end, the cold stream that coursed through his body prevailed. Su Yi felt awash in a chill; the last traces of pain, huddled in his lower abdomen, were like castaways in a surging sea, struggling futilely against the relentless tide of cold until, at last, they disappeared entirely.

As the cold energy swept through him, Su Yi felt sensation return. With the pain gone, a wave of relief washed over him, and he regained command of his body. Stretching lazily, he sat upright, flexing his arms and legs. A sense of wonder filled him—what a marvelous feeling! What once seemed unremarkable now, after this brush with immobility, felt like an unexpected blessing. To move freely was happiness itself.

With his mind on the verge of fading earlier, Su Yi had recalled many things—his crippled Battle Qi Core, his yet-unavenged grudge, and the fact that, in two lifetimes, he’d never known the company of a woman. To die now would be far too bitter a fate.

The memory of the mysterious poison still sent chills through him. He’d never before encountered anything so sinister, nor had he ever been forced to experience its effects first-hand. If not for the enigmatic power lurking within him, who knows what would have become of him?

Could this truly be the work of that mysterious figure in black? And if so, what was his purpose?

As Su Yi pondered, a surge of overwhelming power welled up from the cold current now flowing through him! The force was so fierce that, in an instant, it filled his entire body, coursing wildly as if seeking release, making his very meridians and muscles ache with a tearing intensity.

He was left speechless in shock. This feeling again? He didn’t know much about the cold current, but after last night’s events, he’d gained some understanding. Was he about to undergo another strengthening?

And yet, this time, the energy felt…different, as though something new had been added.

Suddenly, inspiration struck him—a thought flashed through his mind: perhaps today he could break through the seventh level of Qi!

Once this idea surfaced, it refused to leave. He didn’t know its source, nor what it was based on, but in his heart, he believed it wholly.

Without further deliberation, Su Yi crossed his legs and began to adjust his breathing and clear his mind. Soon, he slipped into a state of meditation, his consciousness highly focused, sensing the energy that surrounded him.

Entering meditation according to his cultivation method, the ambient energy began to thread its way into his body. Upon encountering the cold current, it was absorbed in a flash, like water into a sponge, vanishing without a trace.

And as the cold current devoured more energy, it became even more turbulent, its pull even more irresistible.

Under this powerful draw, the energy around him frenziedly whirled, forming a vortex that enveloped Su Yi entirely. At the vortex’s center, he felt almost unable to breathe from the pressure.

The intensity made his body spasm with pain, but inwardly, Su Yi was exhilarated. He was absorbing more energy now than he ever had before—even more, perhaps, than when he first began to cultivate battle energy anew! He noticed that the more energy he absorbed, the greater the pull became.

Feeling the surging strength within, Su Yi guided the energy to circulate faster and faster. The vast power roared through his body, some of it even threatening to burst out, but compared to what he was absorbing, these leaks were utterly insignificant.

Time slipped by—how long, he couldn’t say, nor how many cycles the energy made within him—until, at last, the swirling power calmed. As the energy within him subsided, the pull faded away, and the mysterious cold current disappeared. But Su Yi had no time for these details. Clenching his fist, feeling the strength within, he let out a silent sigh: he had finally reached the seventh level of Qi!

Although his cultivation speed had always been astonishing, he’d been stuck at this threshold for some time, expending much effort with little progress. But today, inexplicably, he’d broken through—could disaster truly turn to fortune?

He scanned himself again, confirming that his strength had grown just as he’d expected. Though he hadn’t yet tested himself in battle, Su Yi, well-versed in the gradations of Battle Practitioners, was certain he could now face a third-level practitioner without defeat.

To have his physical strength leap so dramatically in such a short span was something he would have never believed possible in the past—utterly bizarre.

Unable to unravel the mystery, he let the thought go and rose from bed, stretching his body with excitement. On the path of cultivation, the seventh level of Qi was a true watershed. Surpassing it marked entry into the advanced stage, and beyond that lay the realm of true battle energy—the domain of the Battle Practitioner.

After the seventh level, the eighth and ninth levels came more easily, at least not as daunting as the seventh. Of course, under normal circumstances, most people needed one or two years, sometimes more, to progress from the seventh to the ninth level. Even the most gifted dared not claim a pace of one level per year.

But this logic did not apply to a ‘monster’ like Su Yi. Judging by his previous experience, it wouldn’t take more than a month for him to reach the ninth level again!

Such terrifying speed was unprecedented. The circumstances might have been unusual, but the fact remained; if the so-called geniuses of cultivation ever learned of it, they would surely die of shame.

Perhaps this was why Meiya had such confidence in him, Su Yi mused.

As he thought, he walked to the cabinet in his room, opened it, and found clean clothes and a golden credit card. At the sight of the card, a cold sweat broke out all over his body, and he couldn’t help but swear aloud.

“Damn it! Which bastard left this here?!”

Martial Peak, Chapter Sixteen—Breakthrough! End of update.