I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The mirror image also unleashed a punch.

The fists collided.

"Snap—!!!"

The mirrored fist, along with the entire arm, shattered inch by inch!

For the first time, a look of surprise appeared in its empty eyes, but Qin Yuan did not give it time to react.

The second punch landed squarely on his chest.

The mirror image shattered, turning into countless points of light.

From beginning to end, three breaths.

Qin Yuan withdrew his fist and looked at the others—most of them were still struggling, only Kong Ming had just defeated the mirror image and was now panting as he looked at him, his eyes full of shock.

The third round eliminated ten more people.

Only ten people remained, standing in front of the entrance to the fourth level.

VII. The Barrier to Breaking Through

The fourth level is a spacious, empty hall.

In the center of the hall, a crystal floats in the air. Within the crystal, one can vaguely see a figure sitting cross-legged.

"The fourth trial, the breakthrough test," the aged voice announced for the last time. "Comprehend the crystal, break through in the face of battle, and you will pass. Time limit: three days."

Breakthrough in the heat of battle?

Everyone's expression changed.

Reaching the peak of the Golden Core stage requires a long period of accumulation and fortuitous opportunities for each breakthrough. Three days? How is that possible!

But the crystal had already begun to emit light, enveloping the ten people.

Qin Yuan sat down cross-legged and probed the crystal with his divine sense.

In an instant, he seemed to see a vast world—the cultivation insights of the figure within the crystal, from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, and even... higher.

But insights are just insights; to break through, you still need sufficient accumulation.

Fortunately, he had a system.

"Accumulate cultivation power to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Qin Yuan closed his eyes, and the system within his body began to operate.

[Cultivation Points Storage: 120/200 years]

He has three days left.

On the first day, Qin Yuan did not extract his cultivation power, but quietly comprehended the Nascent Soul insights within the crystal. His understanding of the Nascent Soul stage deepened, and the seed of "divine" deep within his Golden Core began to tremble slightly.

The next day, he extracted forty years of cultivation. A surge of powerful spiritual energy flowed into the golden core, causing the seed to tremble even more violently.

On the third day, he extracted the remaining eighty years of cultivation in one go!

boom--!!!

One hundred and twenty years of cultivation, combined with the insights gained from three days of comprehension of the Nascent Soul stage, erupted within Qin Yuan's body!

The golden core spun wildly, and the nine patterns on its surface began to merge. Deep within the golden core, the seed of "divine" finally broke through its shell, transforming into a phantom image like an infant!

The nascent soul form is complete!

But not enough.

Qin Yuan gritted his teeth and extracted all the cultivation he had stored up in the last three days—another forty years!

One hundred and sixty years of cultivation, like a raging torrent, fiercely impacted the nascent Nascent Soul!

The illusory figure quickly solidified, transforming into a three-inch-tall miniature with features identical to Qin Yuan's. The miniature sat cross-legged on the golden core, its body radiating a faint golden light.

Nascent Soul, complete!

The moment his nascent soul took shape, Qin Yuan's aura surged dramatically!

The shackles of the Golden Core Peak were completely broken, and a vast, ocean-like pressure spread out from his body, enveloping the entire hall!

The other nine people all opened their eyes in shock.

Kongming's face turned deathly pale, and his prayer beads fell to the ground with a "clatter".

Chu Wuyue's white pupils contracted sharply.

The mist surrounding Yun Qingyao instantly dissipated.

The dagger in Zi Ling's hand fell to the ground.

Everyone stared blankly at Qin Yuan, at the figure sitting cross-legged, and felt the terrifying pressure emanating from the Nascent Soul stage.

Three days... from the peak of the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage?

"Monster..." someone murmured.

Qin Yuan slowly opened his eyes, golden light swirling within them.

He looked at the crystal in the center of the hall. The crystal slowly opened, revealing the figure inside—a skeleton sitting cross-legged, holding a jade slip in its hands.

The aged voice rang out one last time, tinged with relief:

"Fourth level, passed."

"Those who inherit my legacy will receive my blessings."

Qin Yuan rose and walked toward the skeleton.

Behind him were nine faces, stunned into silence.

The jade slip in the skeleton's hand within the crystal transformed into a stream of light and entered Qin Yuan's brow the moment he touched it.

The other nine people in the hall watched this scene with extremely complex expressions.

Envy, jealousy, shock, disbelief... a mix of emotions.

Kongming clasped his hands together, softly chanting a Buddhist prayer, but the slight trembling of his fingertips betrayed the turmoil in his heart. Liaochen Temple had a long and distinguished history, and he considered himself exceptionally talented, yet in these four trials of the secret realm, he had been outmatched at every step by this gray-robed youth from the Xuan Yuan Sect. He had barely managed to defeat the mirror image in the third trial, and in the fourth, he hadn't even reached the threshold—a breakthrough in the heat of battle? Nascent Soul formation in three days? This was beyond the explanation of mere talent.

Chu Wuyue's white pupils were fixed on Qin Yuan, his fighting spirit blazing, yet tinged with a hint of defeat he himself was unwilling to admit. He was a battle maniac, believing in the supremacy of strength. The stronger Qin Yuan was, the more he wanted to challenge him. But when his opponent truly broke through the insurmountable barrier and successfully condensed his Nascent Soul before his very eyes, the overwhelming gap made him, for the first time, have the thought that "perhaps I really can't catch up."

Yun Qingyao was surrounded by swirling clouds. From a young age, she was hailed by her sect as a once-in-a-century genius. She reached the Golden Core stage at twenty and peaked at thirty, and thought she was already the best among her peers. But this young man from a bottom-ranking sect had covered the path that took her twenty years in a month, and then completed a breakthrough in three days that might have required ten more years of hard work for her.

Zi Ling bit her lip, her nails digging into her palms. She recalled her mockery of the Xuan Yuan Sect when they first met, Qin Yuan's nonchalant attitude when he casually saved her, and the overwhelming strength he had displayed along the way... Her cheeks flushed slightly, a mixture of shame and helplessness.

Han Bing and Ye Guying were even more pale-faced. They had once been among the best of the Xuan Yuan Sect's true disciples, believing themselves to be at the pinnacle of the younger generation. But now, the boy who was just an outer disciple a month ago had left them far behind, not even able to see his back.

"The fourth trial is over." The aged voice echoed in the hall. "Those who have passed will receive my inheritance. Those who have not passed, leave."

As soon as he finished speaking, white light simultaneously shone around the nine people.

"Junior Brother Qin!" Chu Wuyue called out one last time, "See you at the Hundred Sects War!"

Qin Yuan turned around and nodded at him.

The next moment, the nine figures disappeared from the main hall.

Only Qin Yuan remained.

The main hall began to change.

The surrounding walls rippled like water, shedding their stone texture and transforming into a void of starry sky. The skeleton in the center slowly rose—no, the skeleton itself stood up, and two eerie blue flames lit up in its empty eye sockets.

"Three thousand years..." The skeleton opened its jaw and uttered a hoarse voice, "Finally, we have found a qualified successor."

It "walked" to Qin Yuan, its ghostly blue flames staring at him: "Young man, you are very good. You formed your Nascent Soul in three days, your divine sense is powerful, and your foundation is solid. You are qualified to inherit my lineage."

Qin Yuan looked at it calmly: "Who are you, senior?"

"My name is 'Master Xuan Gu,' a cultivator in the Dao Integration stage." The withered bone spoke with arrogance in its tone, "I perished here three thousand years ago, leaving behind a wisp of my soul awaiting a successor. Today, you are my disciple."

It raised its hand and pointed, and three items appeared in the void.

A ring that is entirely black, with fine runes engraved on its surface.

An ancient jade scroll exudes a mysterious aura.

A three-foot-long bone sword, its blade as white as jade, yet exuding a chilling aura.

"These three items are my lifelong treasures," said Master Xuangu. "'Xuangu Ring' is a storage treasure, containing a small world that can hold mountains and rivers. 'Xuangu True Scripture' records all my lifelong learning, leading directly to the Dao. 'Xuangu Sword' was forged from my natal bone and can sever the soul."

It paused, then its tone softened: "After the blood oath, they are yours."

Qin Yuan looked at the three items, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

He stretched out his right hand, squeezed out a drop of blood from his fingertip, and dripped it onto three different items.

The moment the blood touched the object, a strange change occurred!

The three items simultaneously emitted a dazzling, eerie blue light, transforming into three streams of light that shot directly towards Qin Yuan's brow!

The hoarse voice of the Mysterious Bone Immortal suddenly turned sharp and wildly joyful: "Hahahaha! Three thousand years! Finally, I've waited for a perfect physical body! Such powerful divine sense and foundation at the Golden Core stage, and even more solid at the Nascent Soul stage! This body is mine!"