Cao Yun had just broken through and Chief Instructor Peng was happy he had thought about bringing him in a secluded chamber. From his body, impressive gushes of Qi were sent against the walls. It was almost as strong as the Qi of a 3rd-grade Mortal Warrior. During the breakthrough, the Qi unleashed could get very violent while the Wei Qi was slowly building up. But this was clearly in the upper range of what was possible. If Cao Yun had broken through in his room, everything would have been blown away.
But thanks to this chamber, no one was the wiser but one person. In the upper floors of the martial art pavilion, Chief Elder Baishen was bored with even more paperwork. And in her boredom, her dulled senses caught the scent of excitement. Someone was breaking through! Immediately she went to check who had gone into the secluded chambers and seeing the name 'Peng Mo', she understood.
Like Chief Instructor Peng had said, Cao Yun tried to detach himself from any specific sensation. Instead, he was letting his mind experience the entirety of his body at once without fixating on any particular feeling. He felt as though he was a single dot but without clear boundaries with the outside world. Slowly though, this sensation expanded. Not only could he feel the flow of Qi through his entire being as though his flesh was nonexistent, he was even able to feel the Qi in the room, in the walls, even in his teacher. For an instant, it was as though Cao Yun had lost his skin, his body had no more limit. He was one with the environment around him. His Qi and the Qi of the environment were the same but flowing in different ways and patterns.
Cao Yun tried to keep this sensation for as long as possible. He knew this was due to the harmonization of every single one of his cells. Within them his Qi was vibrating in the exact same way. He was truly one. And in this sensation was the secret to both Qi control and Qi Manifestation. Because he had almost reached Qi Manifestation through his blood, he felt some familiarity with it.
Little by little, he felt a new boundary form itself. But it wasn't his body as it was still vaporous in his mind. No, this was his Wei Qi. It was getting both denser and larger. Before long, it was three times larger than it had ever been before. Almost no physical attack from a Mortal could penetrate it considering its density and its volume. But more than that, Cao Yun knew that he was now able to shape it and even strengthen it momentarily. When using 'Dragon's Heart', he could imagine what kind of defense this would create for him.
These fantastical feelings didn't leave Cao Yun when he regained the sensation of his flesh. His Wei Qi had finally settled down. And now, Cao Yun was also able to sense the Qi everywhere in the room, not just what was close to him. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he could literally see it. It was still gaseous because he was not used to it. But here and there, he saw tiny strands of Qi dancing through the air.
If he was really a 1st-grade Mortal Warrior, he should also be able to control his Qi outside of his own body now. Immediately, a few surges of Qi left the two acupoints situated in the middle of his palms. With his mind, Cao Yun was able to manipulate them and make them dance around him as if they were still within his own body. He had no control over the Qi that wasn't his and he couldn't go too far, but he had definitely broken through. It had been much more simple than he had imagined, but it was because he had prepared for it during the entire 8th-grade and 9th-grade of the Mortal realm.
Chief Instructor Peng was also impressed, but not by the breakthrough itself. He was impressed about his control over his Qi. Usually, early Mortal Warriors needed several days or even weeks to get used to it. But then, Cao Yun was an alchemist so it wasn't that surprising that he could control his Qi so well already. What Chief Instructor Peng didn't know was that Cao Yun had used his Po to increase his hold over his own Qi. With his mind cultivation, it really was easy to control the Qi that he had accumulated in his own body himself.
After a period of exhilaration, Cao Yun finally went back to reality. He had been reborn by the experience. One moment he was just a mortal with an incredible body, but now it was as though he had walked into another world. Of course, he had always known that this world was around him but it was invisible until then. Even when he had absorbed Qi before, it was always a sensation that felt distant from his everyday life. Now he could literally see Qi floating around, entering and exiting his body. And if he focused hard enough, he could materialize it for mere mortals to also see with the naked eye.
Finally, Cao Yun bowed before his teacher.
"Thank you, Chief Instructor."
"What are you saying? You did all the heavy lifting! Congratulations! You're officially a 1st-grade Mortal Warrior! It's been a long time since someone broke through even before entering the Ancient Ruins, when the news spreads..."
"It won't!"
Suddenly, they heard the voice of Chief Elder Baishen. Then, the door opened and she entered. As soon as she was in, not only did she close the door, but she also spread her spiritual senses through the room to try and hide it a little bit more.
"Peng Mo, no one will hear of this. Otherwise, many husbands will also learn terrible things about their wives. Am I being clear?"
Chief Instructor Peng's face turned pale. And he also realized that despite his efforts, his appearance was still a bit rough, too rough to be in the presence of a chief elder. Thus, he kowtowed in front of her.
"This unworthy one fully understands the Chief Elder. Please forgive this shameful one."
"If I cared about your shenanigans, you would have known by now. But you're an excellent instructor." She looked at Cao Yun. "Point proven. Although, Chen Guo could have probably reached this stage alone, albeit with a lot more time. So do not worry, you will be rewarded. However, no one will learn that Chen Guo had broken through to the Mortal Warrior realm until after his third year."
In her eyes, Cao Yun had fully understood her intent. She was talking about demonic cultivators. It would indeed be for the best if they didn't know. The difference between a 9th-grade Mortal and a 1st-grade Mortal Warrior was big enough that it could make them even more anxious. Anxious enemies were not necessarily a good thing. Of course, it could push them to make mistakes, but it could also force them to take desperate measures. In the Wu Province, they had sent a 6th-grade Mortal Warrior, that was already extreme for just a late Mortal. But what if they had risked sending a Spirit Warrior? Clearly, this would have put their plans in jeopardy as well. But then Cao Yun would undoubtedly be dead. He would have died without knowing what had happened.
"Peng Mo, go fetch Chen Guo's spear."
"Of course."
Without protesting, he ran as fast as he could to get the spear Cao Yun had left in his own chambers.
In the meantime, Chief Elder Baishen examined the young man and was extremely pleased with his breakthrough. It had not been rushed at all. A breakthrough could always be better but his had almost reached perfection. In all her time as a teacher, she could only remember two breakthroughs that had been better. But the cultivators she was thinking about had been several years older and had had more time to get ready.
"Chen Guo, I heard from Guest Elder Xiao that you had developed your Spear Aura. I want to see it for myself. But in the meantime, let me explain the Forge Realm, or the Mortal Warrior realm if you prefer.
"In the Foundation Realm, you essentially prepared your meridians and your vessels, as well as your flesh, to gather and circulate more and more Qi. In this new realm, you will prepare your body for the Lesser Tribulation that will form your Soul Embryo.
"Just like the Mortal realm, it is divided into nine grades, but in reality only the six first grades are really part of this realm while the last three are the Lesser Tribulation itself. I am pretty sure that you already know all that, but it's important that you keep the end goal in mind. Now let me delve a bit deeper in the first grades.
"I don't want to give you too much too fast, so I'll focus on the first three grades. They are extremely similar, as all three of them have to do with the Five Prodigious Gates. Considering your knowledge of the acupoints, you should already be familiar with those. Two are on the soles of your feet, the two Earthly Springs, or Yong Quan. Then you have two in the palms of your hands, the two Labor Palaces or Lao Gong. Finally, the fifth one is the most difficult to activate, at the top of the skull, the Gate of the Hundred Convergences, the Bai Hui point.
"Those five acupoints are the main doors between your body and the outside Qi. In the first stage, you will focus on the four in your soles and palms as they are easier to manipulate. By training them, you will make them stronger and sturdier. The stronger they are, the more and the denser Qi will you be able to absorb. This also means that your Qi Manifestation will get more and more corporeal. Only when you feel the Qi almost solidify those four gates can you begin the second grade.
"Just like during the previous one, you will train the Gate of the Hundred Convergences. As it is at the top of the skull, it is more difficult to train and to get clear sensations. But the process is basically the same. And finally, the third stage has also no great mystery. You will simply strengthen the Five Prodigious Gates and especially train on making them work together as one. Once you have achieved the goal of the 3rd-grade, your Qi Manifestation will be fully corporeal.
"The other three grades mainly consist in accumulating Fire Qi and forging your meridians and vessels in preparation for the Lesser Tribulation. If they aren't sturdy enough, they might literally explode during the tribulation either injuring or even killing you. But I won't drown you under a flow of information. The first three grades are relatively easy after you've already gotten used to your acupoints. But you should still take your time so as to not injure yourself or your Five Prodigious Gates. Do you have any question on those three grades?"
"No, thank you, Master. I'll keep your advice in mind."
"Good. Then let's talk about your Spear Aura. Get in position. I'll send you a palm without any Qi, any strength nor any speed. Your goal is to simply dodge. Are you ready?"
Cao Yun did not really understand the purpose of that. If there was neither speed nor strength behind an attack, he could easily dodge it. But he knew that his master wouldn't do that for nothing. Thus he took it seriously and went into position. And soon after, he understood.
In front of him, Chief Elder Baishen's palm was indeed slow. She was very slowly extending her arm toward him and he could feel no strength or Qi at all. However, the palm in front of his eyes was now twice his own size, and his body simply couldn't move. He was quite literally stuck, as if he was deep in an ocean of ice. This was almost what he had felt with the Palm Aura of Can Mouye, but way stronger, and without any intent to kill this time.
Before he could move, Chief Elder Baishen's palm touched his chest. Thankfully, she had put no strength behind it at all. Otherwise, Cao Yun would be paste right now.
"I think you understand. My palm never actually changed size. It was your perception of it that made it look like that. In other words, your primal fear of my technique is what caused this. And as you saw, I needed neither Qi nor strength. In theory even a mere mortal could master a Martial Aura. This is a mental state depending on your comprehension of a martial art or a specific weapon. But even then, this is just the first step. After your Spear Aura, you'll learn to master the Spear Intent and then the Spear Heart. With my Palm Heart I could kill you without actually executing any technique.
"But reaching the Spear Intent is already a very difficult challenge. So for now, don't mind the Spear Heart. In fact, don't even think about the Spear Intent. The best way to never achieve it is to actively seek it out. This is not a goal, this is the culmination of your own understanding of your art. Instead of trying to achieve a specific result, try to lose yourself in your weapon. Your spear should be as natural for you as though it were another one of your limbs.
"You have less than two weeks before the Ancient Ruins open. In the meantime, I'll work with you on both your Spear Aura and your Qi Manifestation."
"Thank you, Master."
Finally, Chief Instructor Peng came back with 'Nine Chi Black Dragon Spear'. It was visible that the spear was damaged but it seemed to still be fine.
"Good. Chen Guo, we'll take another room that is better isolated. Peng Mo, I still have a lot of paperwork to do for the end of the year. Do you think you could maybe take care of it for me? I can't order you to do so, but that would be very nice..."
Chief Instructor Peng was not an idiot and he knew when he was being threatened. Chief Elder Baishen had found a new toy to play with. There was no way she could go back to doing administrative work for the time being. Officially, this was her work and her responsibility but as long as everything was in order, she knew that the new chief elder of the disciplinary pavilion, Chief Elder Luoming wouldn't mind. Unlike former Chief Elder Bian, he was not a stickler to the rules. He was more about efficiency.
"Of course, Chief Elder. I'll let you train with Chen Guo."