Feeling the immense power within his body, far surpassing before, Lin Xuan revealed a faint smile.
These past few days, he had been in seclusion, cultivating. His cultivation talent had long been elevated to the Mystic Grade, placing him among the top tier of the entire Red Sun Domain, so there were naturally no bottlenecks to speak of. Coupled with ample cultivation resources, he smoothly advanced from the eighth layer of the Condensation Whirl Realm straight to the first layer of the Spirit Opening Realm.
The original two hundred spirit stones on hand, plus the five hundred low-grade spirit stones rewarded from the Ranking Competition, along with the two hundred spirit stones given as monthly benefits to core disciples—totaling nine hundred spirit stones—were all consumed at once. Of course, even with his exceptional talent far surpassing his peers, breaking through from the eighth layer of the Condensation Whirl Realm to the first layer of the Spirit Opening Realm wouldn't normally require so many resources. Half that amount would have sufficed. But now, all were used up, and the reason lay in the *Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art*.
However, Lin Xuan no longer cared about these few hundred spirit stones. Compared to the greatest gain from this seclusion, they were nothing. That gain was that he had achieved the initial mastery of the *Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art*! Not just a conceptual understanding, but a true cultivation into his physical body.
"With the initial mastery of the *Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art*, my entire body possesses three million jin of force—that is, the power of three oxen!" Lin Xuan murmured softly, gently pushing his palm forward.
*Whoosh!*
Instantly, a fierce gale raged, shaking the entire courtyard. A light screen appeared within the cultivation room. This screen was the courtyard's protective formation, automatically triggered when sensing a powerful attack. The screen trembled three times in succession, its light dimming slightly before dissipating. The surroundings then calmed down.
This luxurious courtyard was assigned to core disciples for residence. Ordinary core disciples couldn't damage it in the slightest, let alone trigger the protective formation. Yet Lin Xuan's casual palm strike had done just that, showcasing its terrifying power.
"Now, relying solely on my physical strength, I can crush almost all Spirit Opening Realm cultivators, and even contend with weaker Spirit Yuan Realm ones, right?" Lin Xuan mused inwardly, a satisfied look in his eyes.
After all, Wang Xufeng had spent decades cultivating and only reached the initial stage, which said enough. But for now, this initial mastery of the *Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art* was his strongest trump card, not to be easily revealed. After some deliberation, Lin Xuan made a decision: he would use his sword techniques as a cover.
His sword techniques were already formidable on their own, and with the boost from his physical strength, though not matching the full power of the *Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art*, they could still overwhelm most Spirit Opening Realm cultivators. That was enough for now. Lin Xuan nodded slightly. His current strength could already be said to dominate the entire core disciple area of Flowing Cloud Sect. This seclusion had been highly fruitful.
Then, he scanned his attribute panel from top to bottom. "Hmm? Three million energy points already? Not bad, not bad." Lin Xuan smiled. This was an unexpected pleasant surprise. Though it couldn't compare to mastering the *Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art*, it was still quite good. He nodded lightly, then dismissed the panel, tidied up, and headed out of the cultivation room.
As soon as he stepped out, the steward approached, bowed, and said, "Young master, the Fifth Elder is here, waiting for you in the main hall."
Lin Xuan's expression tightened. "The Fifth Elder? What business does he have?"
"I'm not sure, young master."
"Alright, you may go. I'll go see him." Dismissing the steward, Lin Xuan walked straight to the main hall.
Inside the hall, seated in the honored guest seat on the left was a spirited, black-robed, tall, thin old man—the Fifth Elder who had visited before.
"Disciple Lin Xuan greets the Fifth Elder!" Lin Xuan entered, cupping his hands.
"Lin Xuan, have a seat. You've come at the right time..." The Fifth Elder smiled upon seeing him, but before finishing, he sensed the change in Lin Xuan's aura. His expression froze, and he was stunned. After a breath, he asked, trembling slightly, "Lin Xuan, you... you've broken through to the Spirit Opening Realm?" His eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked at Lin Xuan.
"Yes, I broke through recently," Lin Xuan replied calmly, sitting down in the left chair. He wouldn't say it had just happened, since his exceptional talent and high-grade cultivation technique—ranked at the eighth tier—had stabilized his realm immediately upon breakthrough. These were secrets he couldn't reveal, so he gave a vague timeframe.
Hearing this, the Fifth Elder was stunned again, staring at Lin Xuan in disbelief. Had he heard correctly? Lin Xuan had broken through to the Spirit Opening Realm? He clearly remembered that just a few days ago, during the Ranking Competition, though Lin Xuan's combat prowess was heaven-defying, defeating the Spirit Opening Realm Chen Yu, he was genuinely at the Condensation Whirl Realm—specifically the eighth layer, not even at its peak. But now, only a few days later, he had jumped from the eighth layer of the Condensation Whirl Realm straight to the Spirit Opening Realm? This was too fast! Ridiculously fast!
Typically, breaking through from the peak of the Condensation Whirl Realm to the Spirit Opening Realm—a major realm breakthrough—took a long time. Take the fastest of this generation, Liu Qianyu; he took three months, which was already swift. The former Ranking Competition champion, Chen Yu, took over half a year, still among the top in Flowing Cloud Sect. But Lin Xuan? He did it in just a few days?! And from the eighth layer of the Condensation Whirl Realm straight to the Spirit Opening Realm?! The gap was immense, like a chasm between heaven and earth, unimaginably vast. Even as a Spirit Yuan Realm elder and a high-ranking member of the sect who had seen many geniuses across the entire Cangyuan Kingdom and even the Red Sun Domain, he had never witnessed such terrifying speed. It shattered everything he knew about martial cultivation over half a lifetime! This wasn't human—it was monstrous!
The Fifth Elder muttered inwardly, his eyes wide with shock. After several breaths, he finally snapped out of it. Though still reluctant to believe, with Lin Xuan's own admission and his own clear perception as a Spirit Yuan Realm cultivator that Lin Xuan's aura was no longer at the Condensation Whirl Realm but truly at the Spirit Opening Realm, he had to accept it. It was a fact.
"Lin Xuan, your talent is no longer just the best in Flowing Cloud Sect. It's the best I've ever seen in my life!" the Fifth Elder exclaimed, his profound shock undiminished. Only now did he realize that the earlier rumors calling Lin Xuan the top genius of Flowing Cloud Sect, or even the entire Cangyuan Kingdom, had still underestimated him.