The time Gu Yuan had set aside for himself had arrived, and there was no help for it. Gu Yuan still wanted to open another meridian, to unleash a Rasengan or something similar, but time waits for no one.
Gu Yuan had now reached the Great Perfection of Meridian Opening. This time was purely due to luck. He hadn't expected that a batch of marrow cleansing and blood refining would directly grant him a Meridian-Connecting Physique. All that was needed was to fill it with true qi.
The true qi Gu Yuan cultivated was "qi" (炁) from the "Primordial Beginning Ancestral Qi Chapter," not "qi" (气). The two were vastly different. The tier of qi was immeasurably higher than that of qi. Therefore, as qi, it could easily mimic any true qi. Gu Yuan planned to collect a ninth-tier inheritance and find a suitable technique to disguise his qi.
Gu Yuan had tried before. The true qi transformed from his qi was identical, with no discernible difference. His caution was not without reason. If he encountered some old monster who noticed his peculiarity and subjected him to severe interrogation, he truly didn't know if he could withstand it. Facing a seventh or eighth-tier expert, no matter how many tricks Gu Yuan had, they would be useless.
Cultivation could grant immense strength, but it also continuously released the desires hidden deep within people's hearts.
Returning home, he took a comfortable bath, washing away a strange odor from his body. Mid-bath, he experimented with the difficulty of breaking through to the True Qi realm, finding it incredibly easy.
This was because true qi needed to enter the dantian, fill it completely, and form a sea of qi. This would achieve the Sea of Qi realm. Upon reaching the Sea of Qi realm, true qi would flow endlessly, and the dantian's true qi could recover autonomously. It also unlocked an important ability: flight. In fact, flight was possible even in the Meridian Opening realm. The principle of flight was simple: expel true qi from the body to envelop oneself, then form qi vortices in any direction around the body to propel oneself.
However, flight required deep true qi, so it was generally only possible to fly upon reaching the True Qi realm.
Since breaking through was so simple, Gu Yuan decided not to waste an opportunity to use a cultivation secret realm and chose to break through on his own. Where would be a safe place to break through? His thoughts raced.
Gu Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up. He thought of a place to break through, not only safe but also an opportunity to "reap benefits."
He opened his phone's contact list, found the contact named "Teacher Di," and lightly tapped to make the call.
Ring, ring, ring!
After a series of busy tones, a mature, middle-aged male voice answered.
"Hello, student Gu Yuan, what can I do for you?"
"Teacher Di, hello. Please forgive me for this unsolicited call."
"Student Gu Yuan, what are you saying? Can your matters be considered an intrusion?"
"Alright, Teacher Di, I wish to break through to the True Qi realm at the First Martial Arts University. Is that permissible?" Gu Yuan asked calmly.
"Of course... Wait, what did you say!!" Di Liu's voice, initially cheerful, suddenly rose in pitch upon hearing Gu Yuan's words.
Gu Yuan pulled his phone closer. Di Liu's shout had been quite loud.
"I said, Teacher Di, can I break through to the True Qi realm within the First Martial Arts University?"
"Yes, of course, you can. Just, how many qi meridians has student Gu Yuan opened? Have they all been filled with true qi?" Di Liu sounded extremely excited. This was a genius! He, Old Di, was about to soar!
"I don't know. Does the First Martial Arts University have any rewards for opening a certain number of qi meridians?" Gu Yuan's lips curved into a slight, wicked smile. The "reaping benefits" had begun.
"So, student Gu is very confident in himself. I won't hide anything; there are indeed rewards. Four tiers: sixty or more, less than seventy; seventy or more, less than eighty; eighty or more, less than ninety; and finally, ninety or more."
"I wonder which tier student Gu Yuan falls into?" Di Liu's voice carried a hint of anticipation.
"Teacher Di, why don't you tell me the rewards first?" Gu Yuan was not one to act without incentive. If the price was right, even risking exposure was worth it. If the price wasn't right, then it was another matter.
"Alright. The first tier offers a reward of ten million. The second tier offers ten million plus a chance to select a sixth-tier martial skill. The third tier is a chance to comprehend a high-level inheritance and select a seventh-tier martial skill. The fourth tier allows you to select one item from the academy's treasury," Di Liu's voice had a touch of pride.
Hearing Di Liu's words, Gu Yuan fell silent. He didn't know what was in the First Martial Arts University's treasury, so he asked, "Teacher Di, are there any restrictions on selecting items from this treasury?"
"Heh heh, since student Gu Yuan is to select, there won't be any restrictions," Di Liu replied with a chuckle.
Gu Yuan understood his meaning: the items he would be allowed to select would certainly not be the academy's most prized possessions. They would be valuable to him but of lesser value to the academy.
He pondered for a moment, deciding to take a gamble. It was better to reveal his talent early and gain recognition. The path of martial arts was about "contention," and resources were especially crucial.
"Teacher Di, I have opened one hundred and eight qi meridians." Gu Yuan told the truth directly.
"Good, alright, what! You opened one hundred and eight qi meridians! Holy cow, why didn't you say so earlier?" Di Liu was utterly shocked. My goodness, he already had great talent, and now he's opened one hundred and eight qi meridians! This was destined to soar to the heavens.
"Wait for me, I'll call you back shortly. Make sure to answer," Di Liu said, then abruptly hung up.
Gu Yuan stared blankly at the phone that had already been hung up. What was going on?
Di Liu hurriedly put on his clothes and rushed out.
A passing teacher greeted him, "Where are you going, Teacher Di?"
But all he received was the whistling sound of wind as Di Liu sped past.
This left the teacher bewildered and puzzled.
He shook his head and returned to his own tasks.
Di Liu, like a gust of wind, rushed directly towards a solemn building within the First Martial Arts University and barged into the principal's office.
This left the principal, who was working, equally bewildered. "Excuse me, I'm the principal here! Are you seriously disrespecting me?"
Just as he was about to erupt and assert his authority, Di Liu's words caused the profanity nearly escaping the principal's lips to halt.
"Principal, Gu Yuan has opened one hundred and eight qi meridians and wants to break through to the True Qi realm at our academy!" Di Liu spoke a string of words without pausing.
"Your mo... other is well?" The principal, a seventh-tier expert, almost fainted. He quickly changed his wording.
"Ah? My mother is very well, thank you for your concern, Principal!" Di Liu, though bewildered, still thanked the principal.
"That's good. What did you just say!?" The principal let out a long sigh, having been uncertain. He asked again.
"Oh, I said Gu Yuan has opened one hundred and eight qi meridians and wants to break through to the True Qi realm at our academy."
"Hiss, this child's talent is terrifyingly profound! He is... he is an excellent student of our academy!" The principal was somewhat shocked. He hadn't expected such a precious student like Gu Yuan to appear this year. Heaven bless our Heavenly Summer! This martial arts league first place is ours, the First Martial Arts University's.
"Good! Good! Good!" The principal said "good" three times, expressing his current excitement.
"Then hurry up and go bring Gu Yuan over!" The principal immediately issued the order. Such a genius had to be protected well, allowing him to develop peacefully for a while before shining brightly.
"Yes!" Di Liu gave a crisp military salute, then transformed into a gust of wind again, disappearing from the spot in an instant, and casually closed the principal's office door.
The principal smiled and shook his head, gazing at the starry sky outside the window, a cold glint flashing in his eyes!