17: Chapter 17 Breaking Through to the Four Extremes

In the following days, Ye Chen almost never left his house.

Xiaoyu seemed to have sensed something as well; she stopped asking questions and simply prepared meals in silence every day.

She kept the small courtyard spotlessly clean and then would sit on the doorstep.

While doing some sewing work, she would listen vigilantly to any movement outside.

Ye Chen shut himself in his room, spending all his time to Cultivate except for necessary meals and rest.

With the help of the Medicinal Pill and his own powerful recovery ability, the injury on his left hand was mostly healed, leaving only a pale pink scar.

Ye Chen focused his main energy on two things.

First was comprehending the "Cold Water Arts" to refine his control over the cold energy within his body.

Second was putting all his effort into breaking through to the Fifth Level of Meridian Opening, the "Connecting the Four Extremities" stage.

"Connecting the Four Extremities," according to Lin Qingxue's advice and some vague records in the "Cold Water Arts."

It wasn't just a simple accumulation of True Qi, but required guiding the True Qi to strike some extremely hidden and usually inaccessible Acupoints at the ends of the hands and feet.

It involved attempting to open the "Spiritual Bridge" that connects to heaven and earth, to gain an initial understanding and draw upon a trace of the power of heaven and earth.

This was a process of qualitative change, far more difficult than the previous Breakthroughs in minor Realms.

When True Qi reached the extremities of the limbs, it was already at its weakest; trying to strike those sturdy Acupoints was even more difficult.

Ye Chen tried several times, but all ended in failure. The barriers of the Acupoints were exceptionally solid, and the intense pain from the impact caused cold sweat to pour down his forehead.

"It seems brute force alone won't work."

Ye Chen stopped to regulate his breathing, frowning in thought. He recalled Lin Qingxue's words about the need for "comprehension."

Comprehend what? And what exactly was the power of heaven and earth?

He walked to the window and pushed it open. It was already late autumn; most of the leaves on the old locust tree in the courtyard had fallen, and its bare branches stretched toward the gray sky.

A gust of cool wind blew by, swirling up a few withered leaves that spiraled down.

Ye Chen watched silently.

Wind... formless and intangible, yet it can snap great trees.

Water... the softest and weakest, yet it can pierce stone and carve mountains.

Ye Chen extended his right hand and tried to mobilize the wisp of chilly True Qi within his Dantian, not to strike forcefully, but to guide it slowly to his fingertips.

He no longer thought about "breaking through" anything, but rather about "feeling."

Feeling the breeze flowing in the air, feeling the ubiquitous, faint water vapor.

Gradually, Ye Chen entered a mysterious state.

Emptying his mind, his consciousness flowed with the True Qi at his fingertips. He seemed to "see" the tiny water molecules in the air.

He felt their trajectories as they flowed with the wind.

At that moment, a flash of insight struck him, and he carefully merged that trace of chill into his perception of the water vapor.

"Buzz..."

A very slight tremor came from his fingertips. The water vapor in the surrounding air seemed to be drawn by something and began to slowly gather toward his fingertips.

It condensed into a nearly imperceptible, cold dampness.

Now!

With a thought, Ye Chen guided the True Qi that had gathered the chill of the external water vapor. Instead of a hard strike, it was like mercury spreading over the ground.

It silently seeped toward a hidden acupoint at the tip of his right index finger called "Shangyang."

There was no violent collision as expected, only an extremely faint "crack," like the sound of ice breaking.

Success!

The Shangyang point was suddenly cleared!

A faint but incredibly clear cool current flowed from Ye Chen's fingertip, as if connected to some mysterious source, slowly flowing into his body.

This current was completely different from his own True Qi; it was purer and possessed a natural spirituality of heaven and earth!

This was Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi!

Though it was only a trace, it greatly refreshed his spirits!

Ye Chen did not dare to be careless and followed the same method, guiding this trace of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi mixed with his own cold energy.

He directed it toward the "Zhongchong" of the middle finger, the "Guanchong" of the ring finger, and the "Shaochong" of the little finger in sequence...

Crack... crack...

After several barely audible soft sounds, the Acupoints at the tips of his right hand's five fingers were opened one after another!

A more noticeable amount of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi poured in, blending perfectly with Ye Chen's own cold True Qi, and the circulation speed suddenly increased!

Next were the five fingers of his left hand.

With the experience from his right hand, clearing the five points of his left hand went much more smoothly.

The moment the Shaochong point on his left hand was cleared, Ye Chen felt as if his palms had turned into two small whirlpools.

He could more clearly perceive and draw upon the water (cold) attribute Spiritual Qi in the surrounding heaven and earth!

But it wasn't enough!

The "Four Extremities" referred to the four limbs.

After a short breath, he turned his target toward his feet.

The Acupoints in the feet were more hidden and even harder to strike.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, pushing the newly absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and his own True Qi to the limit.

Like a trickling stream, they tenaciously struck key points on the soles of his feet, such as "Yongquan" and "Zhiyin."

The process was slow and painful, and sweat soaked through his clothes.

But Ye Chen could feel that with every acupoint cleared, his connection with heaven and earth grew tighter, and the True Qi in his Dantian became more solid and agile.

Who knows how much time had passed when the eighth acupoint of his feet, the "Qiaoyin" point of his right foot, was finally forced open by that resilient cold current—

Boom!

Ye Chen's whole body shook violently, and he seemed to hear a roar from heaven and earth in his ears!

All twenty hidden Acupoints of his four limbs were fully cleared!

Twenty subtle but real channels for Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi were opened, as if building a bridge within his body to the outside world!

Majestic Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, especially the water and cold Spiritual Qi that matched his attribute...

...began to actively gather toward him, pouring into his body through the Acupoints in his limbs!

The Dantian Qi Sea spun frantically, constantly compressing and purifying the incoming Spiritual Qi, transforming it into pure liquid True Essence.

At this time, Ye Chen's aura climbed steadily, and the barrier that had remained at the Meridian Opening Fourth Level Peak...

...shattered under the impact of this torrent of internal and external harmony!

Fifth Level of Meridian Opening, Connecting the Four Extremities! Success!

Ye Chen snapped his eyes open, a flash of pale blue light flitting through his pupils.

Feeling the surging True Essence within him, which was several times thicker and purer than before, a sense of unprecedented power filled his body.

With a thought, a solid whirlpool of cold air the size of an egg condensed in each of his palms, slowly rotating and emitting an astonishingly low temperature.

At this moment, he could clearly perceive the flow of water vapor within a range of several yards around him!

Ye Chen lightly waved his palm, and a pale blue palm wind shot out, hitting an abandoned clay pot in the corner.

With a soft "poof," the pot didn't shatter; instead, its surface was instantly covered in a thick layer of white frost.

Then it cracked and shattered, turning into a pile of ice shards!

Projecting True Qi, condensing Qi into frost!

This was the hallmark of the Fifth Level of Meridian Opening, and something that could only be achieved once attribute True Qi had reached a certain level of proficiency!

Ye Chen exhaled a long breath of turbid Qi, which condensed into a white arrow of air that shot out about a foot before slowly dissipating.

He had succeeded!

Not only had he broken through to the Fifth Level of Meridian Opening, but with his unique affinity for cold energy, he had stepped into the hall of "Connecting the Four Extremities" in one go.

He truly possessed the ability to draw upon a trace of the power of heaven and earth!

Compared to when he was at the Meridian Opening Fourth Level, his strength was more than several times greater!

Now, if he were to face the siege of those six black-clothed assassins from last night again...

...he had at least a seventy percent chance of defeating them, or even keeping them all there!

After the excitement came deep exhaustion.

This Breakthrough had cost Ye Chen a great deal of mental and physical energy.

He stood up, stretched his somewhat stiff limbs, and pushed open the door.

It was already broad daylight; without realizing it, he had been Cultivating for an entire night.

Xiaoyu was sitting on a small stool in the courtyard washing clothes.

Hearing the movement, she looked up, and seeing Ye Chen, she was momentarily stunned before a look of joy appeared on her small face.

"Brother! You... you seem different!"

Ye Chen's complexion was excellent, and his eyes were brighter and deeper.

Standing there, he seemed to have merged with his surroundings, possessing an indescribable temperament.

"Yes, I've made some progress in my practice."

Ye Chen smiled, walked to the water vat, and scooped up a ladle of cold water to pour over his head, washing away the night's exhaustion.

The bone-chilling well water poured over him, yet he felt incredibly refreshed.

The True Essence within his body circulated automatically, instantly evaporating the moisture and leaving him feeling warm all over.

"Brother, you must be hungry, right? I'll go heat up some food!"

Xiaoyu put down the clothes in her hands and ran cheerfully toward the kitchen.

Watching his sister's retreating back, Ye Chen's gaze was firm.

The Fifth Level of Meridian Opening made him someone of note among the younger generation in Qingyun City. But it wasn't enough, far from enough.

Grand Elder Ye Rushan, the Black Fiend Gang, and the City Lord's Mansion with its ambiguous attitude... the crisis had not been resolved.

He needed even greater power.

And the fastest way was still...

Ye Chen touched the warm jade pendant on his chest. There were still a few days left before the next time he would alleviate the cold energy for Lin Qingxue.

He needed to use this time to completely stabilize his Fifth Level of Meridian Opening Realm and become proficient in controlling his newly acquired power.

Just then, a familiar, unhurried knock came from the courtyard gate.

It was the Scar-faced Guard.

Ye Chen's heart stirred. He straightened his clothes and walked over to open the door.

Scarface stood outside, still with that expressionless look.

But Ye Chen keenly sensed a trace of ill-concealed astonishment in the way the man looked at him.

Clearly, Ye Chen's newly broken-through aura had not been fully restrained and was detected by this guard of the Wheel Sea Realm.

"Young Master Ye."

Scarface cupped his hands, his tone a bit more polite than before.

"The Young Miss would like you to come over."

"Now?" Ye Chen asked.

"Yes. The Young Miss said there are important matters to discuss."