53: Peak Martial Arts Master

The night was deep. Qin Feng stared at the three pieces of intelligence that had refreshed on the System's light screen, his brow tightly furrowed. The speed at which the external situation was deteriorating was even faster than he had anticipated.

[(White) Influenced by the news of the front line's defeat, major merchant guilds within Star South City have already begun secretly stockpiling supplies. It is expected that starting tomorrow, the prices of strategic Materials such as grain, medicinal herbs, salt, and iron will rise sharply.]

[(Yellow) The supreme commander of the border defense line, General Wu (Late Stage Martial Emperor), has refused the Barbarians' demand to surrender under threat of the emperor's life. The Barbarians have proposed temporarily sparing the emperor, but demand that General Wu open several border checkpoints to allow their troops to 'plunder.' Otherwise, they will immediately execute Li Hong Li Hong. Both sides are now deadlocked.]

[(White) The upper echelons of the Hundred Flowers Palace have issued an order, commanding all branch offices to begin retracting their overt businesses, recalling funds, and preparing for the possible turmoil ahead. Some core resources and personnel are being secretly transferred to the headquarters.]

"Sigh... Just as I thought." Qin Feng sighed. The first piece of intelligence confirmed his premonition; in chaotic times, survival supplies were the true hard currency. The second revealed the perilous situation at the border—the Barbarians' wolfish ambitions. Although General Wu was loyal and brave, he was hampered by the fear of harming the emperor, who had become the enemy's most vicious bargaining chip. The third piece of intelligence, regarding the Hundred Flowers Palace, indicated that even such a major Sect had caught the scent of danger and was beginning to prepare for a rainy day.

Early the next morning, Qin Feng immediately sought out Doctor Chu. He informed him of the impending price surge and suggested purchasing large quantities of grain and medicinal herbs in bulk. Although Doctor Chu did not concern himself much with outside affairs, he understood the importance of a clinic's reserves in turbulent times. Without asking further questions, he directly allocated a large sum of money for Qin Feng and Liu Da to go make the purchases together.

Simultaneously, Qin Feng unhesitatingly exchanged his last remaining personal savings, plus all the gold coins he had scavenged from Shadow Scorpion, for ten sets of Materials needed to refine qi condensing pills. He knew that in the coming storm, strength was the only true reliance; gold coins were merely cold numbers.

In the following days, Qin Feng entered a state of near-frantic, arduous cultivation.

Cultivation Technique: He operated the "Primordial Unity Qi Art" with unshakable discipline every single day. The Primordial internal breath of the Late Martial Master stage roared and surged through his Meridians, constantly battering against that solid barrier. The warm spirit jade on his chest continuously emitted a cool, refreshing energy, guarding his Divine Soul and allowing him to maintain absolute calm during long periods of high-intensity cultivation.

Alchemy: With the ten sets of qi condensing pill Materials, aided by the azure flame furnace and his Sword Heart talent, he successfully refined two batches, yielding a total of four finished pills. Although the success rate was still not high, each successfully refined pill signified an advancement in his strength. He carefully stored these Medicinal Pills away, as if collecting keys to a higher Realm.

Medicinal Baths: He never missed a single session of the Bone-Strengthening Bath medicine packets provided by Doctor Chu. Combined with his own cultivation, this constantly tempered his muscles and bones, making his physique increasingly robust and capable of withstanding more violent energy impacts.

Sword Heart: This mysterious talent was his greatest reliance. Not only did it allow him to precisely control the heat and medicinal properties during Alchemy, but when Cultivating his Cultivation Technique or comprehending Sword Techniques, it could pierce straight to the core, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

The combination of various resources and talents formed a powerful, synergistic force.

On this day, he felt his condition had reached its Peak. First, he underwent a Bone-Strengthening Bath to adjust his body to its optimal state. Afterwards, he sat cross-legged and first consumed one qi condensing pill. The refined medicinal power dissolved, acting like a catalyst to stir up the internal breath that had long been saturated within his body.

Immediately after, without the slightest hesitation, he placed the incredibly precious hundred flowers jade dew pill gifted by Hua Qianying into his mouth!

"Boom!"

The medicinal power of the hundred flowers jade dew pill was completely different from that of the qi condensing pill. It didn't simply increase Internal Energy; instead, it was like a master craftsman, beginning to temper and purify his Primordial internal breath from its very essence! Under the influence of this refined, gentle, yet vast and boundless medicinal power, his already mighty Internal Energy was further compressed and condensed, its quality undergoing a leap-like improvement!

Simultaneously, the warm spirit jade stabilized his spiritual platform, and the Sword Heart illuminated his Dantian.

The "Primordial Unity Qi Art" operated at an unprecedented, frenzied speed, perfectly fusing and refining the power of the two pills. Within his Dantian, the Chaos-colored vortex of Qi spun faster and faster. At its center, threads of even more condensed, almost liquified Chaos True Essence began to quietly emerge!

Quantitative change led to qualitative change!

The solid barrier between the Late Martial Master stage and the Peak stage, under the assault of this surging, torrential power from both inside and out, emitted the sound of cracking under unbearable strain!

"Crack..."

It was as if a frozen river had thawed, or a spring thunderclap had exploded!

Qin Feng's aura surged explosively around his entire body. His Meridians instantly widened. The Chaos vortex within his Dantian abruptly contracted. The liquid True Essence at its center multiplied several times over. The entire vortex became more condensed and profound, radiating a pressure far more powerful than before!

Martial Master Peak!

His eyes snapped open, shining with intense light like stars in the dark night. It took a good while for that light to slowly recede. He felt the mighty power within his body, surging like a great river yet responding to his will as easily as moving his own arm. An unprecedented sense of strength filled his heart.

Seventeen years old, and at the Martial Master Peak!

With this level of cultivation, looking across the entire younger generation of Star South City, aside from that City Lord's daughter, Xia Xue, who possessed top-tier resources, there was probably no one else who could match him!

He let out a long, slow exhalation of turbid air. The breath was condensed and did not disperse, resembling a white silk ribbon. The joy of his Breakthrough rippled in his heart, but he quickly calmed down.

Martial Master Peak—in the impending chaotic times, this perhaps granted him a sliver of self-preservation ability, but it was still far from enough. The Gold Medal Assassins of the Blood-Filled Tower, the covetous Barbarians, the enigmatic and unpredictable Hundred Flowers Palace... Powerful enemies still surrounded him ahead, and dangers lurked everywhere.

"I must break through to the Grand Martial Master Realm as soon as possible!" Qin Feng clenched his fist, his gaze resolute. Only by reaching the Grand Martial Master Realm, combined with his Earth Rank Cultivation Technique and Profound Rank Sword Technique, could he truly possess the power to influence the situation.

He glanced out the window; it was already late. After consolidating his newly broken-through Realm, he once again submerged his consciousness into the System.

The steps towards becoming stronger could not pause for even a moment.