The duo was eating their lunch in silence while thinking about their own matters. Sun was thinking about how to talk to Yun Qiang after what had happened with Brook, while Yun Qiang was thinking about his breakthrough. Yes, breakthrough, Yun Qiang could feel it, he was only one or two days away from opening his dantian.
However, his daydreaming was interrupted when his spoon hit a small box that was hidden beneath the white rice he was eating.
Yun Qiang looked at the small box. It was made of wood, and its size was about the same as a matchbox. Even though its smooth surface was dirtied by the rice, the box looked new—and extremely out of place in a prison.
He stopped eating and grabbed the box, not minding the rice that got stuck to his hand. When he felt the box smooth edges, his heart started beating faster. He had only seen a box like this once. It was in Wuji's hands when he showed him the Qi Gathering pill.
When he opened the box, he grinned and could barely stop himself from screaming in excitement. The box really contained a Qi Gathering pill.
With this, my breakthrough will be extremely smooth, and I can even use it to make progress towards the second stage for the Qi element.
Yun Qiang's breathing grew heavy with excitement. He really wanted to consume the pill right away and become a cultivator. But he knew better; using it now would be wasteful. He didn't need the pill to break through, so it would be better to use it to strengthen his foundation after he reached the Qi Gathering realm.
As he raised his head from the yellowish pill, his gaze met Sun's.
"A message?"
"No, a Qi Gathering Pill." Yun Qiang looked at the pill. "I guess Wuji is sorry about what happened."
The thought of Wuji apologizing with a pill made Yun Qiang hesitant. Was this enough? Brook had died—a pill wasn't enough to repay his death. Besides, he could become a cultivator without his help.
Sun's voice reached him again; a hint of skepticism could be heard in it.
"I doubt your friend cares so much about you to give you a pill." He looked Yun Qiang in the eyes. "If he cared so much, Brook would be alive..." He left the last sentence hanging, as he was restraining himself from saying less appropriate things about Wuji.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think it would end up this way." Yun Qiang's voice was filled with regret. "I trusted him."
Sun sighed. "I'm not blaming you. Sometimes the people that we trust the most are the ones that betray us." He put down his rice bowl. "Anyway, you should use it. I doubt you will survive at the border if you don't use it."
Yun Qiang hesitated a little. He didn't want to accept something from Wuji. Besides, could he even justify his revenge if he accepted Wuji's token of apology? Yun Qiang knew it was wrong, but part of him wanted to see Wuji dead. However, he couldn't deny the utility of the pill—his spiritual root was of low quality, so everything that sped up his Qi accumulation or directly gave him Qi was an invaluable treasure. For a moment, Yun Qiang felt stuck. Taking the pill and still enacting revenge was against his code of honor, but the pill was a huge opportunity for him.
After some time, his eyes became firm. He made his decision. He took the pill and threw it at Sun.
"You take it, I don't want to accept something from him." He started eating his rice again. "If I accept it, I won't be able to get my revenge in the future. My pride wouldn't allow it."
"I refus—"
Before Sun could refuse, he cut him off. He had already decided to refuse this token of apology.
"I will become a cultivator in a few days. Take it. If you don't want it, then you can throw it away. Just don't regret it when you die at the border."
Sun wanted to refuse again, but when he saw Yun Qiang's firm eyes, he understood that he wasn't doing this on a whim—he really meant it.
"Thank you..." Sun shook his head with a bitter smile. "Just don't regret it later."
After saying this, he ate the pill and started advancing.
Yun Qiang looked at his friend, who had a forced look on him and sighed.
Thank for not blaming me....
Then he started watching Sun's breakthrough, maybe he could learn something from it.
However, Yun Qiang couldn't learn anything. To tell the truth, if he hadn't known in advance what Sun was doing, he wouldn't have been able to guess. Sun looked no different from someone in ordinary meditation. The only noticeable difference came after ten minutes, when a faint golden light flashed through Sun's body.
Once the light passed, Sun opened his eyes and gave him a nod before returning to his meditative state. It was clear that Sun had succeeded and was now absorbing the remaining Qi from the Qi Gathering Pill.
Yun Qiang sighed in disappointment. He expected to see some kind of majestic spectacle with dragons flying and flashing lights of multiple colors—not just a single flash of golden light. He wondered whether all breakthroughs were this underwhelming—or if they became more spectacular as one advanced to higher realms.
Whatever. I should meditate now. I will probably break through tomorrow.
The next morning, Yun Qiang opened his eyes. A wide smile was stamped across his face. His anticipation hadn't let him sleep, so he had spent the entire night cultivating. But Yun Qiang didn't feel the lack of sleep—because he felt it. His dantian was about to open, marking his first step into cultivation.
With anticipation, he closed his eyes and resumed his meditation. His time had come.
As he sank deeper into meditation, he felt the Qi in the air growing increasingly restless. It was moving—circling—gathering around him. Slowly, it began to wrap around his body. Then, all at once, the Qi he had absorbed into his body over years of hard work surged outward, joining with the swirling energy of the surroundings.
For a second, Yun Qiang felt true peace. It wasn't the peace of a calm day or the peace brought by fulfillment or meditation; it was something different—something ethereal. For a second, Yun Qiang felt one with the world. He felt his mood soar uncontrollably, as if the entire world was smiling at him, encouraging him to take the next step and go forward.
As Yun Qiang basked in that strange sense of peace, the surrounding Qi started forming a golden sphere and moved toward Yun Qiang's belly. The Qi only took a second to compose itself into a smooth and nebulous sphere. When it was done, it entered Yun Qiang's body, breaking him out of that magical state.
Yet Heaven is fair. In exchange for that dreamlike moment, it left behind a compensation—his dantian, finally opened.
Yun Qiang was now a cultivator.
He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. His hands were shaking.
That moment was... Beautiful...
Yun Qiang tried to recall that moment of peace and harmony. However, the more he tried, the more his mind resisted. Instead of the peace he wanted, he only found a blur and nebulous feeling, like something—a cloud—was traveling through his mind. But Yun Qiang clearly knew what had happened, he knew what he felt, but he couldn't summon his memories or clearly define what it felt like. He only knew that in that split second, he was in absolute bliss—something that was extremely difficult to feel even in a lifetime.
"You want to recall that moment, right?"
Sun's voice reached him from the side; a clear yearning could be heard in his voice.
"You felt it too? It's not unique?"
"Yes. Every cultivator feels it. Every time a cultivator makes a major breakthrough—like going from the Qi Gathering Realm to the Foundation Realm, or from the Foundation to the Golden Core Realm—they feel it." Sun moved toward his bed and lay down; burning desire could be seen in his half-closed eyes.
"Before you ask, nobody really knows what it is. Some say it's Heaven's will, some say it's natural enlightenment, but nobody really knows what that moment really is. We only know that it is something that naturally happens to every cultivator."
"Every cultivator..." Yun Qiang's mouth was wide open. He didn't think that something so magical could be shared by every cultivator in the world. In a state of shock, he blurted out another question:
"Animals that cultivate will feel it too? They are still considered cultivators."
There was a moment of silence before Sun responded.
"I don't know, go ask them..." He suddenly stood up and stretched his limbs. "By the way, what level are you now? Qi Gathering One or Two?"
Yun Qiang's eyes flickered. Considering how much Sun knew, he thought he could get every answer from him—but the reality was often disappointing.
"How can I see my level?"
Sun sighed and shook his head.
"You really don't know anything about cultivation, do you?" he muttered, then explained. "When you meditate and close your eyes, you should see some golden circles. The number you see matches your current stage."
Following Sun's instructions, Yun Qiang sat down to meditate. He wasn't sure where to look, but as he focused and his mind sank into the familiar meditative state, two golden circles slowly formed, letting Yun Qiang visualize them. It was a strange sensation. The circles didn't really exist in his mind—he couldn't visualize them at will or command them. They felt more like intrusive thoughts. You don't know where they come from, but you can clearly feel their meaning and existence.
"Second stage of Qi Gathering. What about you?"
"Third stage," Sun's voice was nonchalant, as if it barely mattered.
"Ah."
Yun Qiang was slightly surprised. Usually, when someone broke through to a new realm, they could skip some stages depending on their progress in the three major areas: Qi, soul, and body. However, it had been proven over time that three was the highest stage one could reach directly. That meant Sun had reached the peak in both body and soul before consuming the pill.
Still, Yun Qiang found it understandable. Sun had lived in the sect for a long time. He had plenty of time to prepare for this moment.
"Sun, how do you know which stage you skipped? I mean, I reached the second stage, but I don't know if it's because of my body or my soul."
"Cultivators at the Foundation Realm and above don't need to ask. They can tell by observing the circles while meditating. As for us Qi Gathering folks..." He made a strange smile. "We can only ask others for guidance."
"Oh. So I just have to stumble through it?"
"Yes, unless you find someone who's willing to measure your cultivation. But in your case, it should be pretty straightforward. Have you ever trained your soul?"
"No," said Yun Qiang flatly. The sect hadn't even given him a proper cultivation method. Hoping for a soul training manual was pure fantasy.
"Then you must have skipped one body stage. Unless you have a naturally strong soul, I doubt you could skip an entire stage without soul training."
After listening to Sun's explanation, Yun Qiang felt like an idiot. Indeed, Sun was right. Except for his daily meditation, he had only trained his body. If he had thought clearly about his situation, he could have guessed his stage without asking.
Sun started doing some pushups.
"Anyway, you should spend some time familiarizing yourself with your new powers before trying to advance again." He switched to one-handed pushups. "A new realm comes with a quantitative or qualitative change, so you should always check your abilities before going forward."
Yun Qiang listened to Sun's advice and started doing various physical exercises to test out his new strength. Sun was right. His body strength had definitely improved, but his coordination had become a little lackluster, making precise movements difficult.
Still, he could feel his mind slowly adjusting to this newfound strength. This, coupled with the satisfaction of reaching the Qi Gathering Realm and the novelty of his new powers, filled him with energy. He knew he was still far from invincible, and that life in the border guard would be difficult, but the sense of powerlessness that had haunted him since his first day was gone.
He had finally taken the first step on his journey.