Dimensional Invasion: I Can Fish for All Heavens

Chapter 445 The Path of Cultivation: Like Drinking Water, Only the Person Drinks Knows Whether It's Hot or Cold; Infinite Possibilities for the Future

"No, how could he break through? And why now of all times?"

"Couldn't he just wait three days? It's only three days!"

"Ugh, this feels so bad."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Ruoxi stared at her phone screen, still finding it unbelievable.

How did Lu Jing manage to break through?!

She had previously said that she was in excellent condition these past few days, with her spiritual energy flowing smoothly and her mental power highly concentrated. She had basically touched that barrier clearly and even had a premonition that she would definitely be able to take that crucial step within three days and become the first among them to break through to the fourth level.

She had rehearsed in her mind several times how to "inform" them and what tone of nonchalance yet barely concealing her smugness she would use.

The results of it?
The script had just been written when Lu Jing broke through first and dismantled the stage!

The feeling of having your goal snatched away at the last minute is incredibly frustrating.

She turned and stared at the ceiling, her eyes filled with frustration.

It wasn't so much sadness as a feeling of being caught off guard and unwilling to accept defeat.

There was nothing she could do; Lu Jing had broken through, and this time she simply lacked a bit of luck and timing.

She pursed her lips, forcibly suppressing the resentment in her heart.

We can only catch up next time. The path of cultivation is long, so there's no rush.
But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, Lin Ruoxi seemed to realize something, and a sense of crisis suddenly arose in her heart.

Lu Jing has broken through, so what about the others? Are they also close to breaking through?
She's already been beaten to it by Lu Jing, she can't let anyone else surpass her!
If Gu Che and Shen Mo also break through, wouldn't she end up bearing all the "greetings" and "good news"?
"No! Absolutely not!"

She practically sprang up from the sofa, her earlier frustration instantly vanishing, replaced by an intense sense of urgency.

If we can't be number one, we must at least secure number two!
This bottom line must never be crossed!
Cultivation! We must cultivate immediately, right now, and every second counts!

imperial capital.

Gu Che put down his phone, the screen still showing the end of the call. He paused for a moment, a look of surprise flashing across his face, which then turned into a helpless chuckle as he shook his head.

"As expected, he beat me to it."

The murmured sighs dissipated in the quiet room, carrying a hint of "I knew it" relief.

In fact, he had a premonition as early as when he learned that Lu Jing had successfully fused with the "Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame".

As a unique fire of heaven and earth, the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame inherently possesses the function of tempering the body. Even though Lu Jing is a user of the Flame-Flame Fruit, the process of fusing with the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame will definitely not be easy.

As the body is tempered, the soul inevitably grows through the pain.

At that time, he felt that Lu Jing would probably be the first among them to reach the fourth level; now that his premonition has come true, it is not too surprising.

Upon hearing the news, I couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions—a sense of relief at my friend's progress and a slight resentment at my own slower pace.

However, that emotion should have been generated by him, stemming from his own intrinsic competitive spirit, rather than pressure deliberately imposed by others.

The phone call just now was not from Lu Jing, but from a contact person within the forces supporting him in the capital.

The other party's tone was calm, yet it couldn't hide the urging tone:

"Comrade Gu Che, I have some news to inform you. It has been confirmed that Lu Jing has officially broken through to the fourth rank today, becoming the third person in Great Xia to truly advance to the fourth rank."

"We congratulate you on this, as it proves the potential of the younger generation of cultivators in our Great Xia. However, we also hope that you can feel the pressure you deserve."

“As a key person we are focusing on, your talent and the resources you receive are no less than others, and may even be more advantageous.”

"Now that we are ahead of others, we hope you can face the gap squarely, speed up your cultivation, and break through the fourth-order threshold as soon as possible to catch up."

"This isn't just about you personally, it's also about..."

Stripped of all the flowery language, the core message is crystal clear: others are already ahead, you should be anxious, you should try your best to catch up.

But Gu Che just listened indifferently.

The path of spiritual practice is like drinking water; only the person drinking knows whether it is hot or cold. Whether or not a breakthrough is achieved, and when it will happen, depends on the natural progression of the process and cannot be measured solely by "pressure" and "speed".

He has his own rhythm and won't be disrupted by anyone who moves faster, nor will he act hastily because of anyone's expectations.

If one loses composure simply because others make breakthroughs, that is truly a step down from the best path and does not benefit one's spiritual practice.

He knows what he's doing.

So, shortly after the other party finished speaking, he simply replied calmly, "I understand, please let me know," and ended the call.

He never needs external pressure; his motivation always stems from his pursuit of a higher level of self-realization.

It's good that Lu Jing went ahead, but he won't feel anxious about it.

The scenery along the way cannot be fully appreciated if you walk in a hurry.

He will proceed at his own pace, step by step.

Moreover, it's more interesting when familiar people go ahead.

His leading position and clearly visible figure are an inspiration in themselves, and can further motivate them to strive to catch up.

The spiritual energy revival has only been going on for a year, and the cultivation system is only just beginning to take shape.

This path is far longer than the world imagines. The fourth rank is not the end point that their potential can reach; rather, their potential is stronger than they imagined, enabling them to get infinitely close to the fourth rank in such a short time, and even step into the fourth rank.

Their future holds even greater possibilities.

Fifth-order, sixth-order, and even higher are not unattainable dreams for them.

The process may be more difficult, but it is precisely because it is difficult that it is all the more worthwhile to pursue it with all our might.

For this group of people, the fourth tier is not even a real threshold.

Regardless of who breaks through first, it won't take long for the others to catch up. What they really need to focus on and devote their efforts to are the more solid bottlenecks at the fifth and sixth levels.

Those who are anxiously urging Lu Jing to break through to the fourth level are ultimately looking too closely and too hastily.

He shook his head slightly, no longer letting these thoughts occupy his mind, and casually silenced his phone, placing it face down on the table.

Then he closed his eyes and cleared his mind of all distractions.

The spiritual energy around him flowed like a gentle yet powerful stream, gradually accelerating as it was guided. His heart calmed completely, reflecting everything without a ripple.

It's a fact that we've been surpassed, but the road ahead is long, and it remains to be seen who will be the first to reach an even higher peak next time.

Moreover, he is currently only one step away from reaching the threshold of the fourth rank.

The spiritual energy accumulated was already sufficient, and the understanding of the realm was gradually becoming perfect. What was lacking was only a natural opportunity to bring things to fruition.

He will be able to break through naturally before long; however, since he is about to break through, Lin Ruoxi estimates that he will soon too.

With her Thunder-attribute God's Eye and Thunder-Thunder Fruit, Lin Ruoxi's affinity for the Thunder element is far greater than they imagined. Although spiritual energy does not have "attributes," it is easier to convert it into spiritual power when it is more affinityate to the element.

In terms of cultivation speed alone, Lin Ruoxi was even superior to him.

Lu Jing was temporarily ahead, but he wasn't too bothered. Instead, he felt that having someone paving the way wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

But what if Lin Ruoxi catches up and breaks through first?
Even with his calm demeanor, Gu Che couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly when he thought of that scene.

That would really be a real ordeal.

He calmed his mind, stopped thinking, and focused all his consciousness on the circulation of spiritual energy.

The gentle yet powerful stream around him seemed to sense his thoughts, and its flow subtly quickened.

A breakthrough is on the horizon.

Yunchuan City, outside the defense line.

The mutated ape's thick arm tore through the air, creating a shrill whistling sound, and slammed down. Its fist gleamed with a metallic sheen as it hurtled toward Lin Xiu.

Lin Xiu's eyes were sharp. Instead of retreating, he advanced, lowered his body, and his long sword transformed into a silver moon, slashing diagonally at the ape's wrist.

"Qiang!"

A sharp, metallic clang erupted! The blade rubbed against the tough hide and bones, sending up dazzling sparks.

When the first attack failed, the mutated ape's other giant hand came slamming down, its five fingers spread out like an indestructible flesh shield, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Lin Xiu lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure drifting backward like a ghost, narrowly avoiding a blow that could shatter rocks.

The strong wind stung my face.

He had barely steadied himself when the mutated ape pounced on him furiously, its fists like two heavy hammers, relentlessly pounding down on him with a wild, torrential downpour.

Lin Xiu held his breath and focused his mind, his sword flashing as it transformed into a dense and meticulous defensive network.

“Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!”

The sounds of collisions were as dense as a sudden downpour on banana leaves.

With each exchange, Lin Xiu's wrist gripping the knife would sink almost imperceptibly, as he felt the terrifying power transmitted through the blade.

Countless fine white slashes were also cut into the fists and arms of the mutated ape.

In the stalemate, the mutated ape suddenly stopped, its massive body displaying an agility that belied its size, and launched a powerful side kick toward Lin Xiu's waist and abdomen.

Lin Xiu's pupils contracted slightly, and he plunged the long sword down fiercely!

"boom!"

The blade blocked the kick, and the immense force sent him sliding several meters backward, carving two shallow furrows beneath his feet.

Before he could adjust, the mutated ape had already taken advantage of the situation to leap into the air, clenching its fists together with the force of Mount Tai crashing down! The shadow instantly enveloped Lin Xiu.

Lin Xiu took a deep breath, his spiritual energy surging within him. Instead of retreating or dodging, he charged forward to meet the attack head-on.

With the blade pointing upwards, the person moved with the blade, as if becoming one with the long sword, transforming into a reverse-flowing silver meteor, piercing straight into the falling center of destruction!

"boom!!!"

The shockwave exploded, sending dust flying.

The two figures separated as soon as they touched, landing on the ground slightly out of breath, staring intently at each other.

On the mutated ape's clenched fist, a clear knife mark was slowly oozing blood, while Lin Xiu's tiger's mouth, where he held the knife, was also cracked, and blood was slowly dripping down the hilt.

(End of this chapter)