MTL NOVEL Chapter 50: Brutal Breakthrough
Without wasting another second, he rushed forward like the wind, his body a blur as he pushed himself toward the cave. Xiao Mo, who had been watching the whole ordeal with mild amusement, tilted her head in curiosity before bounding after him, her little feet kicking up dirt as she chased after her reckless master.
Wen Ran sat on the ground, crossing his legs as he focused on stabilizing his breathing. The cave was dark, void of any signs of life, the only sound being his steady, controlled exhales. His body trembled slightly from the immense pressure building within him.
Xiao Mo hopped in front of him, her round eyes fixed on her master, observing the strange changes in his aura.
"I have a feeling this breakthrough will not be a simple one. Guard the entrance for me, Xiao Mo," Wen Ran said, his tone unexpectedly soft.
The rabbit scratched her head in confusion. Did he hit his head somewhere? Or had he suddenly developed a heart? She wasn't sure what was more shocking—the warmth in his voice or the fact that he was actually asking instead of ordering her around. But she didn't dwell on it for long. If he wanted to be nice for once, she wouldn't complain. With a flick of her ears, she turned toward the cave entrance, scanning the surroundings before casually raising a tiny paw to give Wen Ran a silent thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, inside Wen Ran's dantian, the once calm crimson ocean had turned into a churning tempest. If one looked closely, they would see the surface of the water boiling, releasing waves of spiritual energy so dense they distorted the very air inside him.
But to Wen Ran, this chaos was nothing new. He had gone through similar breakthroughs in his past life—and yet, this one felt different.
Back then, he had never possessed such an immense reservoir of power. His previous dantian had held, at most, a small sea of energy—a vast amount by normal standards, but insignificant compared to the endless ocean surging inside him now. The difference between his past and present talent was overwhelming.
That realization brought both excitement and fear.
This power… it is far greater than anything I have ever wielded. His lips pressed into a thin line. But can my body even handle it?
This vessel—this mortal shell—was still weak. It had been neglected for years, never tempered with rare herbs or fortified with spiritual pills. Even now, he could feel the strain, his meridians screaming under the relentless tide of energy.
If he wasn't careful, this breakthrough wouldn't elevate him.
It would tear him apart.
But now, it was too late for regrets. He had to endure this, no matter the pain, no matter the risk—he refused to die while reaching for the higher realm.
The crimson ocean within his dantian had reached its boiling point, surging violently as a thick blood-colored mist began to rise. It didn't just remain within him—it leaked from his pores, wrapping his entire body in a haze of red, making him look as if he were burning alive in his own blood.
It's hot… Wen Ran gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body straining as if they were about to rupture. The pain was intense, the sensation of his flesh tearing from the sheer heat unbearable—but it was still within his threshold. He had endured worse before.
Without thinking further, Wen Ran popped the High-grade Spirit Ascension Pill into his mouth. The potent energy instantly surged through his body, washing over him with its overwhelming power. The limit to the next realm felt like a thin wall standing in front of him. With a single thought, he pushed past that wall, breaking it open and letting the powerful energy flood his body. After completing a quick circle within him, the energy rushed straight into his dantian.
And then, it happened.
The crimson ocean in his dantian cracked, sending an intense shiver through Wen Ran's body. The entire place began to shake uncontrollably, the force of the rupture reverberating through the air.
An immense force erupted from within, and Wen Ran felt a powerful surge of energy flood into his body like an unrelenting tidal wave. In that instant, the first path split from the ocean—a newly formed spiritual river that rushed through his meridians with terrifying force. His meridians, which had never known such overwhelming power, began to expand at an alarming rate, forcibly widened by the sheer intensity of the flow.
Too fast…! Wen Ran clenched his fists as a searing agony tore through him. His meridians weren't meant to handle such a violent expansion all at once. This process should have happened gradually over time, but now they were cracking under the pressure, straining to accommodate the flood of raw energy.
During the Spirit Gathering Stage, his meridians had only carried a minuscule amount of energy, barely enough to be useful. They weren't meant for continuous circulation back then—merely storage and slow refinement. But now, in the Spirit Flow Stage, that was no longer the case. This was the realm where a cultivator's meridians became conduits, where energy would constantly circulate within them, making it easier and faster to cast powerful techniques.
And Wen Ran's body was undergoing that transformation in the most brutal way possible, most likely the most brutal in history.
If any other cultivator were in his place right now, it was highly likely they would have already burst under the pressure, either dying from the powerful strain on their body or from the stress overwhelming them. But Wen Ran was different. He endured everything through gritted teeth, refusing to yield. No matter how much pain he had to endure, if it meant growing stronger, suffering a little was nothing. After all, the pain of betrayal and destruction hurt far more.
He could feel it coming—the surge of power rising rapidly within him. The birth of his Spirit Flow was right around the corner.