86: On the brink of a breakthrough

Jade Belt River, this is the closest large river to the capital, but recently some strange structures have been built here.

Located in an area with abundant water, several massive waterwheels stand on the surface of the Jade Belt River, constantly rotating under the force of the current.

On the riverbank near the waterwheels are stone houses, where the hydraulic power of the waterwheels is transmitted via drive shafts, becoming the power source for electricity generation, and after speed changes through a gearbox, it can make the generator run at high speed.

The generated electricity is then sent via transmission lines to another house specifically used for discharging electricity, where the current's intensity and magnitude can be controlled, and electric arcs continuously leap and flash from numerous metal rods, making the place look like a pond of thunder.

After Gu Chang inspected the site, he immediately felt extremely satisfied; there was no doubt that this place could fully meet his Cultivation needs.

Therefore, Gu Chang immediately decided to settle down here, and then had people send a large amount of barbarian beef and other daily necessities.

The officials below handled Gu Chang's requests very quickly, completing all preparations within half a day.

At the same time, the entire Divine Martial Forbidden Army also arrived at the location, heavily protecting it to prevent outsiders from disturbing his Cultivation.

Soon, all preparations were complete, and after adjusting his state, Gu Chang directly entered the discharge room to Cultivate.

Terrifying currents continuously spread, flowed, and surged through his body, constantly refining the Zhengang Strength within him that had undergone repeated condensations!

This artificially created special environment was far more stable than natural ones, so Gu Chang was noticeably more immersed in his Cultivation.

Thus, days passed, and as the current intensity continuously increased, Gu Chang also drew closer to a Breakthrough.

About a month and a half later, Gu Chang sat cross-legged in the discharge room, with his Martial Dao Divine Paragon outside him, which had shrunk considerably.

"Crackling ~"

Inside the entire discharge room, electric light shot in all directions, silver snakes wriggled, and dazzling electric light illuminated the interior in a silvery white.

Under the continuous impact of these electric currents, Gu Chang's Martial Dao Divine Paragon gradually became somewhat illusory from its original solidity, and its color also changed from the initial crimson to increasingly dark, looking like a black metal Divine Statue.

"Crack, crack, crack, snap!"

However, suddenly, this Martial Dao Divine Paragon, which had become smaller and much more illusory, developed numerous cracks, like fragile glass, with one crack appearing and then more and more cracks rapidly spreading, eventually forming large and small spiderweb-like fissures!

"Bang!!!"

Immediately after, the entire Martial Dao Divine Paragon completely exploded, turning into some kind of black, cloud-like substance.

Throughout this process, Gu Chang felt a heart-wrenching pain, a pain that originated not only from his body but also from his spiritual level.

His spiritual will, which had been integrated into the Martial Dao Divine Paragon, also suffered heavy damage the moment it completely shattered.

"Come!!!"

But at this moment, no matter how painful it was, Gu Chang could only endure it, and he also needed to use immense willpower to re-ingest those black mists into his abdomen.

"Hoo ~ Haa ~"

As Gu Chang's chest rose and fell, his mouth and nose instantly absorbed all the black mist into his body like a whale swallowing, which turned his skin, blood vessels, Meridians, bones, and internal organs all black.

The Zhengang Strength that had undergone continuous tempering and forging by the electric current had now transformed into an even more subtle and refined special substance.

Every trace of this substance contained unimaginable terrifying power, and at this moment, after being ingested by Gu Chang into his body, it once again merged with his body, instantly elevating the strength of his physique to a new level.

"Giggle giggle"

However, this process was also accompanied by unimaginable pain; he could feel every bone, every inch of flesh, and even every cell undergoing some kind of qualitative change!

If he could endure it, then he would reach a brand new Realm, open up a new Martial Dao Realm in this world, and master truly world-crushing power!

"Ah!!!"

However, this process was simply too painful; pain was everywhere in his body, and the more fragile parts like internal organs, Meridians, nerves, and the brain hurt even more!

This unbearable pain, even with Gu Chang's willpower and tolerance for pain, he could not endure.

Immediately, his heart-wrenching roar caused the entire discharge room to tremble, and the craftsmen outside, who were in charge of controlling the current, were scared out of their wits upon hearing his screams, so they immediately cut off all the electricity!

"Your Majesty! Quick, quick, quickly rescue Your Majesty!"

"I said it was too risky! It's truly too risky!"

"Open the door! Open the door quickly!"

"Bang!"

"Your Majesty!!!"

"..."

However, what they didn't know was that due to their sudden cutting off of the current, the balance that Gu Chang's body could maintain, both inside and outside, was instantly broken, and the violent power within his body immediately surged uncontrollably through his Meridians.

So when they rushed into the discharge room, all they saw was a black giant with bulging lumps, chaotic Qi flow, and an expanding body.

"You shouldn't have come in!"

At the last moment, Gu Chang saw them appear in the discharge room and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"Boom!"

As his words fell, the entire discharge room exploded terrifyingly, and everything within a hundred-zhang radius was destroyed in an instant.

【Martial Dao Major Achievement, Spirit Refining Perfection, advance bravely, open the way forward!】

【This Reincarnation evaluation: Grade D Top】

【This Reincarnation reward: 8 Reincarnation Points】

【You already have 287 Reincarnation Points, which can be used to exchange for: Xuanbing Blood Fiend Skill (0 points) Divine Statue Skill (0 points) Blood Talisman (4 points)】

Upon the return of his consciousness, Gu Chang felt a wave of helplessness regarding this failed Breakthrough attempt, but he was also very happy in his heart, because he was finally close to success!

"Next time I attempt a Breakthrough, I must not only warn them not to suddenly cut off the electricity, but also completely seal myself within the discharge room, not leaving until I Breakthrough, otherwise, any external influence at the last moment could lead to failure."

Gu Chang learned a lesson from this failure, after all, he couldn't predict what would happen.

"Hoo ~ Time is almost up, I'll clear my mind first and then continue tonight."

After a simple tidying up, Gu Chang got up directly, then started a fire to cook, and only after eating and drinking his fill did he continue to Cultivate and draw Talismans.

Gu Chang would not easily change these habits; although Martial Dao was his current reliance and foundation, Cultivating Immortality was the long-term future.

For Gu Chang, he needed to grasp both, ideally reaching a point where both systems advanced side by side.

Each system alone had its drawbacks for him, far inferior to the effects that could be produced when the two were combined.

"The effect of the Qi Gathering Medicinal Pill is indeed good; even in these Spiritual Qi-sparse desolate mountains, the Cultivation speed is not slower than in the market, and even a bit faster!"

"The only trouble is that there are too few Medicinal Pills, and eating too many will lead to pill toxins, otherwise, why bother Cultivating in a Spiritual Land?"

This was Gu Chang's first time Cultivating by consuming Medicinal Pills, and the speed at which his magic power increased made him feel quite satisfied.

Immediately after, Gu Chang began to draw Talismans; this time, he drew Golden Blade Talismans.

Thanks to the experience of making Blood Talismans, the success rate of the Golden Blade Talisman increased again this time, but compared to drawing first-grade Low Grade Talismans like Blazing Flame Talisman and Vajra Talisman, the progress was obviously much slower.

However, this was nothing to Gu Chang; anyway, he now had enough time, so he would just grind slowly.

Soon, an entire day quickly passed, and in the wilderness, apart from birds, beasts, insects, and fish, there were no other living creatures to disturb him.

"This time, I must Breakthrough to the next Martial Dao Realm!"

As night fell, Gu Chang lay on the bed again, then warned himself before immersing his self-consciousness into the door of the Human Dao.

"Crackling!"

"Hoo ~ Haa ~"

"Thump! Thump!"

In the discharge room, Gu Chang slowly opened his eyes, and as his chest rose and fell, his heart continuously beat, its resonant thumping even the sound of the current in the discharge room could not mask.

"Long-term high-intensity current stimulation and tempering have not only refined my Zhengang Strength, but more importantly, my body and spirit have undergone a qualitative change."

"Last time, I successfully used the current to Breakthrough the obstruction of the Martial Dao Divine Paragon, refining the Zhengang Strength into an even more special power."

"That kind of power is truly the essence, immensely beneficial to both my body and spirit."

"Therefore, simple terms like 'Strength' or 'Inner Qi' can no longer describe it; it should be called True Qi!"

"That's right, it's True Qi, true Martial Dao True Qi!"

What is 'True'? That which is not false is True, genuinely existing, not illusory; even after leaving the body, it can remain in the world—this is True Qi!