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Chapter 80 - Chapter 80: Tuna's Breakthrough

A/N: Term for Edge of Taixuan is swapped to Blade Eminence.

*****

The creation of [Blade Mantra]'s next level, [True Form], is completely unexpected.

[Eminence] allowed for the usage of [Blade Eminence]. It is a powerful intangible attack that destroys both physical and intangible things. Fu Hua used it to strike a blow at Sirin's mental form, only to get intercepted by the Will of Honkai.

The last slash I did at the clouds is pure [Blade Eminence]. 

What if I use [Sword Nurturing Pagoda]'s sword intent with it? 

What if I add [Daluo Sword Art] on top of that?

I have a feeling it will reach the pinnacle of Purple Mansion Realm. It is my strongest ace in the hole.

Now that my [Blade Mantra] has leveled up, its power can only be stronger.

The changes did not end there.

I viewed the changes inside my body. My [Sword Nurturing Pagoda] exceeded its previous aura. An unparalleled sharpness is sheathed inside of me. The clear ringing of bells and vague rumbling indicated it stands at the top of second grade.

With an opportunity, it can break into the next realm, the sword realm of [Thunder-Like Sword].

Since the [Sword Nurturing Pagoda] grew, it affected my qi realm.

My dantian frantically absorbed the surrounding spiritual qi. The hazy blue mist gathered on me.

It did not take long for the vibrance of my five-colored spiritual qi to reach its peak. It began to turn into a transparent five-colored spiritual qi.

Swoosh-!

A shockwave originated from my body. It is enough to disrupt Kiana, who is meditating not far from me.

Fortunately, she did not sustain any injuries from abruptly stopping a cultivation session.

While my spiritual qi caused chaos, my mental processes began to grow clearer. The range of my spiritual consciousness began to expand.

Thirteen miles.

Fifteen miles.

Seventeen miles.

It gradually stabilized at twenty miles.

Just like this, my qi and mental cultivation reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. The improvements did not stop.

Kiana…

I have to explain to her later.

For now, I focused my attention on this unexpected breakthrough.

*****

Kiana's mouth remained open.

She watched as Shi Tian continued to suck in the surrounding spiritual qi. The middle second grade spirit vein they have could not withstand it. 

Shi Tian had to take out the middle grade spirit stones and the late second grade spiritual milk from his storage ring. Only then did the needs of his breakthrough be met.

For an hour, Kiana stared at his changes.

'His Master… Is this why he was chosen as a disciple?'

She could not help but recall their seven months of journey. She watched him grow up from a clueless and homeless boy into someone she can rely on. Whether it was Siegfried's matter or Kiana's daily needs, she can rely on him.

Kiana also felt complex about it. Seven months is all that's needed to overpower her. Her bad habits such as laziness and procrastination got removed with sheer motivation. She wanted to help him, too.

Unfortunately, Kiana became serious too late. She only has the [Taixu True Spirit Sutra], [Taixu World Rendering Art], [Taixu True Spirit Raising Art], [Cloud Seeking Steps], and the cultivation variant of their [Kaslana Gun Arts].

She is not like Shi Tian who has full memory of countless techniques. She could not cross-reference things as easily as him. She could not even get the [Spear Heart], the counterpart of [Sword Heart].

For the first time, she felt useless.

Her burning motivation could not catch up to Shi Tian's progress. Kiana does not know where she got it wrong.

Until Shi Tian's breakthrough ended, Kiana remained silent.

He opened his eyes to the obviously downcast Kiana. His mental realm that reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment noticed it at a glance. 

He waited until the spiritual qi inside him stabilized in the pinnacle of middle stage.

Soon, the subconscious pressure he emitted was retracted.

"I have a gift."

"Hum?"

"You can break through tomorrow."

"Ah?!"

He explained the Gift of Tao he accumulated. The progress of leaping from the early to middle stage of Foundation Establishment is huge. Add to that his early to late stage of mental realm, the "experience potions" gathered inside Shi Tian's mysterious space is huge.

"That should be enough to push you to the next realm."

"Tomorrow…"

"I also tested honkai energy and spiritual qi…"

Shi Tian explained for some time. The more Kiana listened, the more she saw the work he did…

All for her.

"Hey? Are you fine?"

"Yes..."

Kiana refused to say anything else and sat on the corner of the room facing the wall. She could not process the complex feeling inside her. Even, she had a feeling she would let out some tears if she continued looking at him.

Shi Tian could easily spy on her expressions but chose not to do so.

'She's still the unreadable Tuna…'

*****

August 28, 2012.

The day of Kiana's breakthrough came.

"Remember what I told you. If you can't proceed, use the [Critical Lock Method]. If you can't withstand the tribulation, use the artifact…"

I can't help but remind her. Kiana could only nod with every instruction.

I pointed to the red paper umbrella on her grasp. It is a late second grade spiritual artifact from the draws a week ago. It is the strongest product I received as of the moment.

"...and use the [Taixu World Rendering Art] to tear up the clouds."

"Um."

I stopped at this point. I sounded like a worried parent or something.

"You can do it."

"...Yeah. I will."

We parted. I flew upwards, just half a kilometer away from her. I will be the one casting the [Two Phase Art]. I can cancel it anytime to make her tribulations disappear.

Just like before, we chose an uninhabited place. Using the fifth level of [Blade Mantra], I easily gathered honkai energy, cut off my control, and turned it into spiritual qi. It sits at a peak second grade spirit vein.

I also made sure to slip past the class rep before settling here. I can teach her the Sword Heart, but not the rest. At least not when she's still allied with Otto.

I went back and forth inside the mysterious space. There are three huge golden clouds, each denoting the Gift of Tao I can give to Kiana, Bronya, and Seele. They all have equal sizes.

I sent them all to the trio.

I...

After resolving the doubts, I calmed down. Though, a sense of unease still existed. It was then I knew my current situation isn't simple. I am not afraid of the Will of Honkai. I am afraid of something else.

That something will come back once a drastic change happens. The Will of Honkai triggers that change. It is very frustrating. I don't know what I am afraid of. Only, there is a looming feeling it will happen soon... and it is inevitable. The best choice is to prepare for its eventual descent.

I don't know if it is my cultivator senses. A Foundation Establishment cultivator doesn't have that strong of a danger sense. It's as if... I know what exactly I am afraid of. It's like the forceful sneeze interruption all over again.

My senses came back to reality.

Hum-!

Rumble-!

The ground shook slightly. The spiritual qi floating around started to become chaotic. They became attracted to Kiana.

The clothes she is wearing started to get stained with blood. Her body is under the pressure of the skill check. It is testing whether she can bear the spiritual qi of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Fortunately, she passed it. The spiritual qi continued to gather in her direction. Her body is growing stronger.

Next is her Qi dantian.

I kept a close watch on her. Whenever I see Kiana struggling, I am readying myself to interfere. I can also use the [Critical Lock Method] on her, though it will cause injuries. It is different with Kiana using it herself.

Soon, the second skill check ended. She successfully went through the shattering of her Qi dantian.

Hum-!

Rumble-!

The physical disturbances grew. The ground's shaking became stronger. The gusts of wind blew some weaker trees away. A dark cloud is starting to form in the skies.

Under my spiritual consciousness, I can vaguely perceive Kiana's mental state. I can feel her anxiety, restlessness, and regrets.

I bit my lower lip.

Kiana's mental state started to get worse.

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