Another four years passed in the blink of an eye.
Chu He's cultivation had allowed him to complete the Second Turn of his Golden Nine Turns as early as three and a half years ago. He was on the brink of breaking through to the Third Turn.
He could have broken through long ago.
However, Chu He was not in a hurry and spent the time patiently building the foundation of his powers.
Although he had successfully broken through the First Turn and entered the Second Turn the last time, that one success could not account for every time.
Thus, he was cautious when caution was required.
After all, he had the time. There was no need to hurry.
He had always believed that caution would negate all danger.
Chu He also tried his best to collect information regarding how the Precelestial Grandmasters had entered the realm of Genuine King in the book depository in order to draw comparisons and get a better overview.
He compiled a piece of key information through the records in numerous books. Hundreds of years ago, a fault had appeared among the Xia clan's line of martial kings. To this day, a new martial king had not appeared, and the line had never recovered.
The royals of the Lin family who held power now were not genuine kings.
They were only demi-kings who were stand-ins.
By combining his cultivations, his comprehension of secret cultivation techniques, as well as his understanding of the Lin family elder's health, Chu He concluded that demi-kings were the product of people who had gone awry on their path to becoming a king.
As for why that happened, Chu He could not understand that properly as he had not yet begun that particular breakthrough.
He guessed that there might be great dangers he was not aware of when it came to breaking through.
That was why Chu He had always been cautious.
Until today.
Chu He was confident.
Late night.
Chu He sat cross-legged.
He was well-prepared for this time's breakthrough.
Not only had he thought ahead about what accidents might happen, but he had also prepared contingency plans for each one.
He even went so far as to ensure he would not be interrupted as he was breaking through.
Numerous traps had been set in the book depository.
This place was now even more dangerous than the forbidden locations of martial arts sanctuaries.
Without Chu He's consent, even a demi-king could end up taking his last breaths here if he tried forcing his way in.
The book depository was now like a tiny universe of its own that had transcended common understanding.
Countless formations shrouded it, and forbidden secret techniques were ready for action.
It was both to prevent him from being disturbed and also to stop him from accidentally destroying the book depository if his breakthrough created too much noise and destruction.
He had to continue checking-in here.
The breakthrough started.
Chu He first took several Golden Body Shaping Tablets and popped them into his mouth. The Golden Nine Turns began their transformation into the Third Turn from the Second.
In an instant, his body began bulging with popping sounds. The clothes on his body were ripped to shreds and revealed his jade-like skin, dots of gold emanating from it.
A cracking sound was heard.
At a certain moment, Chu He's skin had cracked like a porcelain tile that had been smashed with a hammer. A crack appeared on it, then it grew quickly.
This breakthrough was going less smoothly than his progression from the First Turn to the Second.
The first two turns were the basics.
Breaking through to the Third Turn was a process of shaping both the exterior and interior of the body to become golden.
The minute you started, you could not stop.
The minute you stopped, you failed.
The minute you failed, your physical body would collapse. The best-case scenario was that you would lose only all your previous cultivations, while the worst-case scenario was your entire body would crumble on the spot.
Fortunately, the Golden Body Shaping Tablets he had swallowed beforehand were taking effect now. His torn muscles quickly regenerated and shone brightly as they were covered with a layer of golden skin.
This was not solely a result of the Golden Body Shaping Tablets but an inevitable process for one progressing to the Third Turn from the Second. However, the Golden Body Shaping Tablets had sped up the process of shaping a golden body and greatly decreased the dangers that came with it.
If it were not for the Golden Body Shaping Tablets, the creation of a golden body would only take place when the physical body had been broken down completely. It would be an extremely dangerous time, and if one was not careful, their life could end in an instant.
It was an extreme test of one's determination and foundation.
Many did not have that determination. As they watched their body degenerate bit by bit, the extreme pressure might cause them to have a mental breakdown. Without a sufficiently strong physical foundation, they would be unable to successfully reshape their degenerated body.
The Golden Body Shaping Tablets were here to both speed up the process and protect him.
Chu He did not have any idea how much time had passed as the golden glow of his body grew even more radiant and an immense sense of power reverberated around him. A gravitational field with him as the core appeared and distorted the space around him.
Eventually, the golden glow reached its peak and bathed the entire book depository with golden light, leaving no cracks unattended.
The process of Golden Body Foundation Shaping had been completed.
Chu He opened his eyes and an unimaginable force solidified itself before shooting out of his eyes and crashing against the protective formation. The formation, which could hold its ground against formations cast by a demi-king, was instantly penetrated. Even the formation plate had shattered, and it only managed to resist the terrifying power when the second and third protective formations kicked into action at the same time.
It might seem that there was just a difference of one number in breaking through to the Third Turn from the Second.
However, the distance between them was astronomical.
The mere power that was released after his breakthrough was enough to easily destroy the formations he had used all his power to create before his breakthrough. The terror knew no bounds.
If his breakthrough had not been cut off by the formations, the book depository might have ceased to exist now. No… not only that, but perhaps even the entire Lin Mansion might have suffered a calamity as well.
It was just the slightest leakage of his power when he broke through. One could only imagine how terrifying it would be if he unleashed all his power now.
Chu He stood on the spot for a long time as he stared into the void.
This was the difference between the Second and Third Turns. Golden Body Foundation Shaping would take place in the Third Turn and send one's physical body traversing across the void.
As Chu He regained his mindfulness, the golden shine of his body receded and returned to its usual color. The golden glow in the book depository also dispersed gradually.
"What a difference there is between the Second and Third Turns!" Chu He exclaimed as he felt the power pumping in his body and threatening to overflow.
He felt ready to take on a master at that very instance and he finally had the means to protect himself in the great, desolate world.
However, he would not become conceited or be too eager to go out exploring either.
He understood that the world was a complex place.
The mightiest of the Xia clan might be considered insignificant flies by the tyrannical foreign clans.
Thus, he should not create a high-profile yet.
He had to continue growing and developing himself.