Chapter 79: The Surprise After the Breakthrough

Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Joy of Breaking Through Under the Power of Purification

Lu Yao’s cultivation level, from the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, was compressed by Li Hao’s power all the way down to the Foundation Establishment stage itself, a full minor realm lower than Lin Xueyou had been compressed. When Lu Yao’s cultivation was forced back, she too was greatly startled. Only her unwavering trust in Li Hao kept her from disrupting the extraordinary changes she was experiencing. The benefits Lu Yao gained from this compression were no less than those Lin Xueyou reaped. The reason Lin Xueyou’s power was compressed one minor realm less than Lu Yao’s was that she was originally a whole major realm higher. Yet, Lu Yao’s cultivation aura did not dim completely.

Zhen Ba’s cultivation was forcibly compressed by Li Hao’s power in just ten minutes, all the way down to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage—a drop of one major realm and six minor realms. Zhen Ba was utterly dumbfounded by this unbelievable occurrence.

He thought to himself, “Impossible! Even though I just suffered a fierce battle, and my strength is depleted, how could my cultivation aura decline so drastically?”

Zhen Ba watched his own cultivation aura fall, from two major and thirteen minor halos down and down. He also realized something else: as his cultivation aura dropped with each realm, its brilliance only intensified. Finally, when it fell to one major and seven minor halos, it stopped. Now, his aura was so dazzling it was almost blinding.

The brighter and more vivid the halo, the purer one’s attunement to the laws of heaven and earth.

Still stunned by the dramatic fall and vividness of his aura, Zhen Ba soon noticed it beginning to swell and then to multiply. From the lowest point of one major and seven minor halos, it grew to two major and seven minor, then eight, nine, ten… and continued to increase.

For cultivators, each major realm adds a major halo; each minor realm, a minor halo. At the peak of a major realm, breaking through to the next instantly brings forth a new major halo. Once that stabilizes, the breakthrough is complete. Each minor halo added is ten times thicker than the previous, and each new major halo is ten times thicker than the last major realm’s. The most obvious difference between major and minor realms is that each major halo is circled by seven minor halos, while minor halos stand alone.

Regardless of major or minor, all halos share two traits: their color and its depth are identical.

Zhen Ba, Kui Hu, Li Zhan, Qin Zhen, Lu Yao—all of them focused entirely on their cultivation auras and the depth of their color, their hearts filled with shock, confusion, and helplessness.

Meanwhile, Li Hao, wholly intent on purifying the laws of heaven and earth for them, was unaware of the changes they were experiencing. All he could think was how he wished time would slow, so he could gather all his friends together.

Two days had already passed. He still hadn’t found his brothers Lu Zhengtian and Lin Huashu, nor had there been any word from Lu Xuemei.

Of everyone, Li Hao was most anxious for Lu Xuemei. Lin Xueyou wasn’t just his closest friend but also a girl. More importantly, Lu Xuemei was someone to Li Hao who was at once teacher, friend, and confidante.

Yet now, Li Hao no longer felt that blend of roles with Lu Xuemei; in his heart, she was simply family—a gentle, beautiful older sister. He felt a deep need for such a sister and was determined to protect her at all costs.

About a quarter of an hour later, Kui Hu, Zhen Ba, Li Zhan, Qin Zhen, Lin Xueyou, and Lu Yao all watched as their cultivation rebounded to its original state, steadily recovering to their peak. At this rate, in another quarter hour, everyone’s strength would be fully restored.

Ten more minutes passed, and Lu Yao, at one major and seven minor halos, reached an unprecedented peak. Her aura gathered the power of the laws from her waist to three feet above her crown.

After more than ten breaths, a new major halo formed above Lu Yao’s head, ten times thicker than the last. As it solidified, she successfully broke through to the Roaming Stage.

After Lu Yao’s breakthrough, it wasn’t over. Once her new major halo coalesced, a shaky minor halo, about a tenth its size, began to form—unstable, as if it might collapse at any moment. After a dozen breaths of struggle, the minor halo finally stabilized, and she had solidified her entry into the early Roaming Stage.

When Lin Xueyou’s power reached the peak of the Roaming Stage, her experience mirrored Lu Yao’s exactly. The two major and fourteen minor halos at her waist gathered the laws above her crown, heralding her breakthrough to the Tempered Soul Stage—a feat that pushed Li Hao’s control of the Yin Yang Decomposition Array to its utmost. Lin Xueyou’s higher realm demanded far more of the laws of heaven and earth, and forging her major halo for the Tempered Soul Stage was a true ordeal. After a quarter of an hour, she finally succeeded.

Now, Lin Xueyou stood one major realm above Li Hao. The Yin Yang Decomposition Array had reached its limit and could only help her stabilize her realm. With this new power, wielding the Vermilion Phoenix Brush, her minimum speed was a hundred times faster than before. Facing the blade-wielding youth, she could now defeat him in three moves through sheer force of law.

Zhen Ba had also broken through to the peak of the Roaming Stage and began stabilizing his cultivation. Kui Hu and Li Zhan both advanced to the mid-Roaming Stage, and Qin Zhen reached the early peak, just a step away from the middle.

Everyone’s breakthroughs came at nearly the same time, and they all focused on stabilizing their cultivation. Their initial loss of aura had two causes: the exhaustion from their recent battles, and the overwhelming compressive and purifying power of Li Hao’s Primal Chaos Yin Yang Array, which had left their auras depleted.

Now, among Li Hao’s group, the lowest in cultivation were Lu Yao, Qin Zhen, and Li Hao himself. The highest, aside from the missing Lu Zhengtian, Lin Huashu, and Lu Xuemei, was Lin Xueyou. Yet in terms of peak combat strength, Li Hao and Zhen Ba were the strongest. Li Hao’s full-force “Dragon Soars the Plains” was equally matched by Zhen Ba’s “Yin Yang Crescent Slash.” Judged by realm and battle power, Li Hao was truly invincible among his peers.

While Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, Zhen Ba, Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen all stabilized their realms, half an hour passed before everyone gradually awoke.

At this moment, in everyone’s eyes, Li Hao was nothing less than a peerless treasure. Green with envy, each person looked at him as if wanting to claim him for themselves. The attention made Li Hao uneasy and unsure where to look.

Suddenly, Lu Yao, overcome with excitement, rushed up and hugged Li Hao tightly. In this moment, she wished time would freeze forever. Li Hao, caught off guard by the sudden embrace, felt his heart pounding uncontrollably. Looking down, he saw Lu Yao’s beautiful, sparkling eyes gazing up at him, and in his eyes, she was unspeakably lovely, so much so that he almost couldn’t help but kiss her. After a silent struggle, he managed to restrain the impulse, preserving the first kiss he’d guarded for twelve years.

Ahem!

Lin Xueyou, unable to stand the atmosphere between the two, coughed loudly, breaking the silent exchange of glances.

Only then did Li Hao and Lu Yao remember the presence of their friends, their faces blooming with a blush that matched their racing hearts.

Glancing shyly at the others, they found the glow in everyone’s eyes even more intense, and neither dared meet anyone’s gaze.

Lu Yao, who had wanted to thank Li Hao, found all her words chased away by Lin Xueyou’s interruption. Now, her earlier excitement was replaced by nervousness. She stared at her toes as if afraid they’d run away, clutching her clothes so tightly her delicate fingers nearly tore the fabric.

At this moment, Li Hao was the picture of a bashful boy, his former coldness and decisiveness swept away as if by the wind. Not knowing what to do with his hands, he drew laughter from the others.

Lin Xueyou approached and said, “Li Hao, you’ve given your sister such a wonderful surprise—how should I thank you?”

Li Hao, still flustered, replied, “It was nothing, Sister Xueyou. There’s no need to thank me, really.”

Lin Xueyou smiled. “You’ve given me such a gift—I can’t accept it for nothing. Think, is there anything you need your sister to do for you?”

Li Hao quickly answered, “Really, Sister Xueyou, you don’t have to. It’s what I ought to do.”

“Well then, since you insist, your sister won’t be fussy.”

With that, she leaned in and pressed her enchanting lips to Li Hao’s cheek. For a moment, time seemed to stop; everyone’s eyes widened at the unbelievable sight. Li Hao stood frozen, stunned by Lin Xueyou’s kiss.

After a moment...

“Wonderful!”

Cheers erupted.

No one was more excited than Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen, as if it had been they, not Li Hao, who had been kissed. Lu Yao, neither happy nor sad, stared blankly at the scene before her. Seeing her elder brother Li Hao kissed by Sister Xueyou, she felt a faint pang of jealousy. Noticing Qin Zhen cheering the loudest beside her, she couldn’t help but get annoyed and stomped hard on his foot. Qin Zhen yelped in pain, gasping, and quickly moved away to a safe distance. Once there, he uttered something that stunned the whole group.

“Lu Yao likes Young Master Li Hao!”