Heavenly Sword Saint
After returning to his courtyard...
Jian Chen immediately entered his room.
He closed the door and sat cross-legged on the floor.
The five Azureblood Fruits were placed before him.
Their azure surfaces shimmered faintly beneath the light coming through the window.
Jian Chen looked at them quietly.
His cultivation had already reached the peak of the third stage.
There was no bottleneck preventing him from advancing further.
As long as he possessed enough spiritual energy...
His cultivation could naturally continue increasing.
The problem was simple.
Resources.
And right now...
He had five precious Azureblood Fruits.
Jian Chen picked up the first fruit.
He took a bite.
The sweet flesh melted in his mouth.
The moment he swallowed...
Boom!
A powerful medicinal energy erupted inside his body.
Jian Chen immediately circulated the Heavenly Sword Scripture.
The medicinal energy spread through his blood and flesh.
Spiritual energy surged through his awakened meridians.
His muscles tightened.
His bones trembled faintly.
His cultivation began rising.
The peak of the third stage was quickly surpassed.
The spiritual energy within his body continued increasing.
Fourth stage!
Jian Chen's aura became stronger.
He didn't stop.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture continued circulating.
The medicinal energy of the Azureblood Fruit was refined and transformed into pure spiritual energy.
His cultivation continued climbing naturally.
The fourth stage gradually stabilized.
Jian Chen slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp light flashed within them.
But instead of continuing immediately...
He focused inward.
His expression became serious.
It was time to open another meridian.
Cultivation advancement was simple.
As long as he had enough energy, he could continue advancing.
Opening a meridian was different.
Every unopened meridian was sealed by a natural blockage.
That blockage had to be forcibly broken.
And the process...
Was extremely painful.
Jian Chen had already experienced it several times.
He knew exactly what awaited him.
But his current body was strong.
The first level of the Heavenly Sword Scripture had been strengthening his physique continuously.
The Azureblood Fruit was also nourishing his blood and flesh.
This was an excellent opportunity.
Jian Chen gathered his spiritual energy.
He directed it toward the next blocked meridian.
The instant the spiritual energy struck the blockage...
Boom!
Pain exploded throughout his body.
Jian Chen's face turned pale.
His fingers clenched tightly.
His muscles trembled.
It felt as though countless blades were carving through his body from the inside.
Sweat rolled down his forehead.
Yet Jian Chen didn't retreat.
He had endured this pain before.
He knew that the blockage wouldn't disappear from a single attack.
He needed patience.
And persistence.
Again!
Boom!
The spiritual energy struck the blockage.
The meridian trembled violently.
A tiny crack appeared.
Pain spread through Jian Chen's entire body.
His breathing became heavier.
But he continued.
Again!
Boom!
The crack widened.
The Azureblood Fruit's medicinal energy continuously nourished his body, repairing the damage caused by each attempt.
Jian Chen gritted his teeth.
"Break."
Boom!
The blockage shattered.
Spiritual energy rushed through the newly opened meridian.
The pain gradually faded.
Jian Chen remained motionless for several breaths.
His breathing was heavy.
Sweat covered his forehead.
But his eyes were calm.
Another meridian had been opened.
He carefully circulated spiritual energy through it.
The new meridian slowly connected with the others.
His spiritual energy circulation immediately became smoother.
Jian Chen didn't waste any time.
He continued cultivating.
The fourth stage gradually rose.
Mid-fourth stage.
Late fourth stage.
Peak fourth stage.
Then...
Fifth stage!
His aura became stronger.
There was still no resistance in his cultivation.
As long as the spiritual energy continued accumulating...
His cultivation continued advancing.
Jian Chen's expression remained calm.
The first Azureblood Fruit was nearly exhausted.
He refined the remaining medicinal energy before reaching for the second.
He swallowed it.
Boom!
Another powerful wave of medicinal energy entered his body.
Jian Chen immediately circulated the Heavenly Sword Scripture.
The energy spread through his blood.
His cultivation continued climbing.
Fifth stage.
Mid-fifth stage.
Late fifth stage.
The night gradually deepened.
Moonlight entered through the window.
But Jian Chen didn't stop.
He continued cultivating.
The second Azureblood Fruit was consumed.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
Each fruit became nourishment for his cultivation.
His spiritual energy became increasingly dense.
His body became increasingly powerful.
His foundation continued becoming stronger.
Time passed quietly.
Outside...
The courtyard remained completely silent.
Inside...
Jian Chen was completely immersed in cultivation.
He had forgotten about the passage of time.
The fifth stage continued rising.
Eventually...
Peak fifth stage.
Jian Chen slowly opened his eyes.
A sharp light flashed within them.
He could feel that another meridian was ready to be opened.
He didn't hesitate.
He gathered his spiritual energy.
Then directed it toward the next blocked meridian.
The moment the spiritual energy struck...
Boom!
Pain erupted through his body.
Jian Chen's entire body trembled.
His expression became solemn.
The blockage was extremely stubborn.
The pain was even greater than before.
Jian Chen clenched his teeth.
He continued forcing spiritual energy against it.
Boom!
The blockage shook.
Again!
Boom!
A crack appeared.
Jian Chen's face became pale.
Sweat soaked his clothes.
His muscles trembled violently.
But he didn't stop.
The medicinal energy inside his body continued nourishing his flesh.
His body was barely able to withstand the strain.
Jian Chen took a deep breath.
Then pushed again.
"Open!"
Boom!
The blockage shattered.
Spiritual energy rushed through the newly opened meridian.
The pain slowly faded.
Jian Chen closed his eyes.
He carefully guided the spiritual energy through the new meridian.
After several cycles...
The new meridian stabilized.
His circulation became even smoother.
Two additional meridians had now been opened.
Jian Chen didn't allow himself to relax for long.
There was still energy remaining.
And he intended to use every trace.
He reached for the fifth Azureblood Fruit.
The final fruit.
He stared at it briefly.
Then swallowed it.
Boom!
A tremendous wave of medicinal energy erupted inside his body.
Jian Chen immediately circulated the Heavenly Sword Scripture.
The medicinal energy rapidly transformed into spiritual energy.
His cultivation began rising once again.
Peak fifth stage.
Then...
Sixth stage!
His aura surged.
Powerful spiritual energy flowed through his body.
His muscles tightened.
His bones released faint cracking sounds.
His blood surged through his veins.
Jian Chen continued circulating the Heavenly Sword Scripture.
He refined every remaining trace of medicinal energy.
The sixth stage gradually stabilized.
Then...
The energy began running out.
Jian Chen continued cultivating.
He searched for even the smallest trace of remaining medicinal power.
Nothing.
The five Azureblood Fruits had been completely exhausted.
Every trace of medicinal energy had been absorbed.
Jian Chen finally stopped.
Silence returned to the room.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Sixth stage.
Two newly opened meridians.
And not a single trace of the five Azureblood Fruits remained.
Jian Chen let out a quiet breath.
He looked at the empty space where the fruits had been.
A helpless smile appeared on his face.
"Five Azureblood Fruits..."
"All gone."
He shook his head.
"The Heavenly Sword Scripture really does consume resources."
He had expected it to be powerful.
But the amount of resources required was still beyond his expectations.
Yet Jian Chen wasn't disappointed.
On the contrary...
His eyes contained a faint satisfaction.
The results were obvious.
From the peak of the third stage...
To the sixth stage.
And during that process...
He had opened two new meridians.
His body was also considerably stronger than before.
Jian Chen slowly stood.
Crack!
Several joints released faint sounds.
He clenched his fist.
A powerful sensation spread through his arm.
His strength had increased considerably.
He walked toward the window and pushed it open.
Fresh morning air entered the room.
Jian Chen looked outside.
The darkness was slowly disappearing.
A faint golden glow appeared along the horizon.
He had cultivated throughout the entire night.
Not for several days.
Not for several weeks.
Just one night.
And the five Azureblood Fruits had been completely consumed.
Jian Chen stared at the rising sun.
His expression gradually became determined.
Resources.
That was the only thing he lacked.
As long as he could obtain enough resources...
His cultivation could continue advancing.
And if he wanted to open more meridians...
He needed even better resources to strengthen his body and endure the pain.
Jian Chen smiled faintly.
"The Heavenly Sword Scripture may be demanding..."
"But resources can be found."
His hand rested on the wooden sword at his waist.
The annual examination was approaching.
And the Jian Clan had no idea how much he had changed.
Jian Chen looked toward the distant training grounds.
His eyes became calm.
"Sixth stage..."
"This should be interesting."
He turned away from the window.
The night of cultivation was over.
But for Jian Chen...
His journey had only just begun.