"Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing the emperor-level star beast! You are rewarded with a twenty-fold increase in cultivation, a heaven-defying enlightenment, and twenty years of cultivation!"
"Hiss..."
Hearing the system's voice, Qin Yang couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
Twenty years of cultivation was already an incredible reward, though he had previously received sixty years in one go, so that alone didn't shake him too much.
But heaven-defying enlightenment?
Just how heaven-defying was it?
Qin Yang's heart thumped with anticipation. He couldn't wait to test it out.
In the next moment, his expression shifted. A familiar sensation surged within him like a tide—an overwhelming wave of pure, surging energy rapidly flooded his body.
He immediately steadied his breathing and calmed his thoughts, focusing all his attention on refining the energy pouring in.
Under its powerful stimulation, the bottleneck that had been restraining his half-step Xiantian cultivation began to loosen. The invisible barrier that had kept him from the true Innate Realm trembled.
"Am I really about to break through…?"
Qin Yang's eyes snapped open. He frowned deeply.
Not here. Not in the library.
A breakthrough to the Innate Realm would definitely cause a disturbance. The second and third floors of the library were guarded by powerful cultivators, and rumor had it that the mysterious library owner was himself an Innate Realm master, quietly residing on the third floor.
If Qin Yang broke through here, there was no way he could stay hidden.
A teenage innate expert?
That would make him a once-in-a-century prodigy.
No—more than that. A monster among geniuses.
But there was one problem: his reputation.
Everyone in the library believed he was a hopeless waste. If he suddenly erupted with Innate Realm cultivation…
Well, maybe it wouldn't be the end of the world if he got exposed.
After all, there were only three Innate Realm experts in all of Jianghai City. If Qin Yang joined their ranks, he would instantly become one of the city's peak figures.
Who could touch him then?
Still, Qin Yang didn't want to be exposed.
Being a genius came with prestige, but it also invited endless trouble. People would watch him, scheme against him, drag him into conflicts he wanted no part of.
All Qin Yang wanted was to lie low in the library and live a peaceful life.
This was a fantasy world. The Innate Realm was only the beginning. Above it was the Grandmaster Realm, and beyond that were forces far beyond his current imagination.
Until he reached true invincibility, Qin Yang had no desire to reveal his hand.
He glanced toward the next room.
"Xia He, help me watch the place. I'm heading out to buy something."
Suppressing the true energy roiling within him, Qin Yang called out casually, then quickly slipped out of the library.
"Huh? What? Where are you going?"
Xia He was half-asleep, and his response left her blinking in confusion.
...
"No one should be around here."
A short while later, Qin Yang stood in a grove in the middle of a quiet park.
It was just past noon. The sun was high, and the park was nearly empty.
But Qin Yang's face was twisted, as if he were enduring something unbearable.
"I can't hold it in anymore...!"
His voice was low, almost like a growl. It was as if a dam had cracked inside him, and the energy he'd been suppressing erupted all at once.
With a deep exhale, his expression relaxed, a wave of relief washing over him.
The true energy in his dantian rapidly grew denser, thick as liquid mercury. Under the pressure, Qin Yang's body trembled as he pushed against the final bottleneck.
Bang!
A muffled explosion sounded from within. Qin Yang's body shook slightly.
Then joy bloomed across his face.
Xiantian Realm!
He had done it.
"Hahaha! I'm an Innate Realm master now!"
Though Qin Yang usually kept a low profile, preferring to drift through life like a leaf on the wind, this moment filled him with exhilaration.
He could feel the power raging within him, and with just a thought, he directed a stream of true energy into his fingertip.
Bang!
The energy shot outward, piercing through a nearby tree trunk and leaving behind a thumb-sized hole.
True energy leaving the body.
It was a skill unique to Innate Realm warriors—post-natal cultivators could never hope to replicate it. The ability to strike from a distance was a clear division between the two realms.
But that was only the beginning.
Qin Yang closed his eyes. In an instant, the entire grove within a hundred meters lit up in his mind, as if a veil had been lifted.
Perception.
The moment one stepped into the Xiantian Realm, their awareness expanded tremendously. Any movement within a hundred meters could be detected with perfect clarity.
Beyond this, Xiantian cultivators had another advantage—lifespan.
With vigorous qi and blood, Innate Realm warriors could easily live up to 150 years.
Qin Yang slowly opened his eyes, a calm confidence radiating from him.
"At least now... I can protect myself."
Although countless powerful forces were hidden in the shadows of this world, reaching the Innate Realm meant he was no longer weak.
Then, a thought flashed through his mind.
"Right, the reward!"
He had almost forgotten. The system had mentioned something about heaven-defying enlightenment.
Qin Yang took a deep breath and focused. His consciousness dove into his mind.
In the next instant, he saw it.
A gray space, vast and formless, opened up before his inner vision. The moment his mind entered, a strange clarity overtook him.
It felt like his soul had been polished.
As the Qingfeng Sword Technique played out in his thoughts, insights began flooding in. Every movement, every swing, every technique became crystal clear.
Originally just a basic beginner technique, Qingfeng Swordsmanship rapidly evolved as his comprehension deepened.
Within moments, it had reached Minor Success.
But it didn't stop there.
Qin Yang immersed himself deeper into the gray space, his mind resonating with the ocean of sword intent swirling within.
Then, a breeze stirred the leaves, and a faint hum echoed around him.
It was as if swords were whispering.
Sword energy radiated from his body and gently merged with the breeze, floating outward like invisible ripples.
Qin Yang's eyes snapped open again.
A sharp light flickered within them.
Qingfeng Sword Technique, Great Perfection.
"This isn't just an innate enlightenment... It's more like an enlightenment domain."
Thinking back on the sensation, Qin Yang could hardly believe it.
Inside that gray space, his mind had entered a state of perfect clarity—like sudden epiphany. Whatever he focused on, insights would burst forth without resistance.
In less than half an hour, he had taken a rudimentary sword skill and refined it to the peak.
Unbelievable.
With this kind of space, any martial technique he practiced could be mastered in record time.
He grinned.
"The library has so many martial arts... Now I've got something to do."
Before, Qin Yang never dared to touch too many techniques. With poor comprehension, learning more would only slow him down.
But now, with the enlightenment space, there was no longer any need to hold back.
The more he learned, the better.
After all, as the saying goes, a man of many talents is never useless.
Ah, the elegance of Chinese wisdom!
...
"Qin Yang, where have you been?"
Back in Area 1 of the library, Xia He glared at him the moment he returned.
Qin Yang replied casually, "Didn't I tell you? I went out to buy something."
Xia He stared at his empty hands. "Then where's the stuff you bought?"
"Oh... I forgot."
Xia He: "..."