NOVPUBThe first match ended, and they had three days of rest.
These three days were to give the advancing competitors time to recover, as well as an opportunity for those who wished to enhance their strength.
Indeed, after the first Holy Refinement, many had gained a rough understanding of their power levels.
Therefore, many would choose this time to attempt a breakthrough, to grow stronger.
The Holy Refinement was designed to motivate geniuses to become more powerful, so the Sovereign of Great Qin naturally hoped for these talents to become as strong as possible.
In the courtyard where Xu Ping’an was staying, he was sitting cross-legged at this moment.
Although he had won first place in the first match, he still felt immense pressure.
There really were many geniuses in this session, and many had yet to reveal their true strength.
He needed to become even stronger still.
What he needed to do now was to continue strengthening his True Yuan and achieve a higher level of cultivation.
A breakthrough in cultivation would increase the total amount of his True Yuan.
Once he broke through the Fifth Rank, there would also be a qualitative change.
Thus, Xu Ping’an was almost incessantly devouring Sixth Rank Monster Cores.
The power within these Monster Cores surged into his Pill Sea continuously, absorbed by him and then transformed into sword-shaped True Yuan.
In his Pill Sea, the True Yuan formed two types.
One was of the Metal Attribute, the other of the Thunder Attribute.
At this moment, the Metal Attribute True Yuan was somewhat stronger, almost fully realizing the Second Transformation and starting toward the Third Transformation.
While the Thunder Attribute had already completed the First Transformation, and was capable of undertaking the Second Transformation.
However, reaching the Third Transformation, the speed of change became slower, and the consumption of power became greater.
Of course, the strength of True Yuan was extraordinarily formidable.
From the First Transformation to the Third Transformation, he could only perform the move, Immortal Slaying.
Upon reaching the Fourth Transformation, he would barely be able to execute the initial sword stroke.
Therefore, Xu Ping’an’s goal was the Fourth Transformation; once he completed it and executed the Heaven-Opening strike, he believed no one would be his match.
Not only that, once Immortal Slaying reached Great Accomplishment, its power would be extremely terrifying.
So, completing the True Yuan transformation was his primary method of increasing his strength at present.
Of course, Xu Ping’an didn’t neglect comprehending the Sword Intent; at this moment, his Sword Intent had reached the peak of Great Accomplishment, just one step away from breaking through to the Sword Gang Realm.
Once he reached the Sword Gang Realm, his combat power could climb to a new level.
After all, the opponents he would face next were monstrous beings capable of challenging those beyond their realm.
So, for the following three days, Xu Ping’an was immersed in his training.
Li Qingyi was the same; she didn’t step out either.
Even Situ Feng was striving with all his might.
"Boom!"
A powerful fluctuation of True Yuan emanated from Situ Feng’s room.
"He broke through?" Dugu Tianyu was somewhat surprised.
Situ Feng broke through the Fifth Rank?
Truly a genius as well, managing to break through the Fifth Rank at this time, he could likely advance even further in the second round of Holy Refinement.
"Hum!"
At the same time, a strong fluctuation came from Li Qingyi’s room as well.
Then, a Fire Phoenix phantom soared into the sky before disappearing into the Endless Void.
"An even stronger Fire Attribute aura—Li Qingyi seems to have significantly increased her strength. It appears she now commands even more of her bloodline power," Dugu Tianyu said in surprise.
Li Qingyi was very strong; Dugu Tianyu had seen as much during the first trial.
With a single sword strike, she had slain a Fifth Rank, Second Layer Realm individual, and even those of the Third Layer Realm weren’t her match in three moves.
And it was evident that this was far from Li Qingyi’s true strength.
In Dugu Tianyu’s view, Li Qingyi was probably quite formidable; at the very least, she could contend with someone of the Fifth Rank, Fourth Layer.
Thinking of this, he involuntarily looked towards Xu Ping’an’s room. Both of them had made a breakthrough, but what about Xu Ping’an?
He was the first place in the initial trial, after all.
Lei Hu and Tang Yu also saw this and were equally astonished at the moment.
"Congratulations, Brother Situ, on your breakthrough to the Fifth Rank. With this, Brother Situ might even have a chance to enter the top one hundred," Lei Hu said with a smile.
Situ Feng shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "It’s too difficult. Entering the top one hundred isn’t that easy."
"Brother Situ is too modest. After all, you still have a chance, but we’ve already been eliminated," Tang Yu said.
Situ Feng smiled helplessly and did not say much, but turned his gaze towards Xu Ping’an and Li Qingyi’s rooms.
"Have they not emerged from seclusion yet?" Situ Feng asked.
"No, but Li Qingyi should be close to finishing. She seemed to have another breakthrough just now. This time, she might even have a chance to enter the top twenty," Tang Yu said solemnly.
Situ Feng nodded. The speed of Li Qingyi’s strength improvement was too fast, he had also felt it.
This improvement must be related to her constitution.
"As for Xu Ping’an, who knows, there’s been no sign of him, but his strength is truly unpredictable," Tang Yu spoke again.
Situ Feng involuntarily turned his gaze in Xu Ping’an’s direction.
Indeed, what was Xu Ping’an’s current strength?
They had no idea but knew that it was formidable.
Although Xu Ping’an’s cultivation realm was not as high as his, his true strength could easily be described as terrifying.
A Fourth Layer Seventh Rank killing a Fifth Rank Fourth Layer?
And not just an average Fifth Rank Fourth Layer, such strength was unimaginable.
And to think this guy hadn’t even used his sword yet.
They all knew Xu Ping’an excelled in swordsmanship.
Does this mean that these guys didn’t even qualify for him to draw his sword?
Arrogant, haughty, yet he truly had the capital for it.
By now, Xu Ping’an was a household name, known to everyone.
"His strength might truly have a chance to vie for the top five," Situ Feng said.
Three months ago, his strength was not much different from Xu Ping’an’s, but now the gap had reached an unimaginable level.
This was somewhat hard for him to accept, considering he was also regarded as a genius in the eyes of others.
One could only say that Xu Ping’an was a monstrous talent.
"Indeed, it’s possible, but it will also be very difficult. I heard that some of the competitors in this Holy Refinement are incredibly terrifying, like that Song Kaitian, for example. I feel even a Fifth Rank Ninth Layer would not be his match," Lei Hu said.
Situ Feng and the others nodded their heads in agreement. They were geniuses in Tianlong County, but here they were just average.
Xu Ping’an, unaware of Situ Feng and the others’ discussion, was at the critical point of his breakthrough.
It was not a breakthrough in True Yuan, but in the Sword Dao.
In his hands, strands of Sword Gang gradually formed. Although it was exhausting, he still managed to do it.
"Success!" Xu Ping’an rejoiced in his heart at the moment the Sword Gang took shape.
His comprehension of the Sword Dao had broken through, reaching the Sword Gang Realm.
The Sword Gang Realm signified that he could unleash even greater power from his swordsmanship.
Combined with his Sword-Type True Yuan, his combat power might have reached an unimaginable level.
"Sword Gang Realm, Sword Qi as Gang, killing as if slicing vegetables," Xu Ping’an said joyfully.
In this competition, there might be only a few people who could break through to the Sword Gang Realm.
If one were to count, then Song Kaitian would be one.
When he defeated his opponent with a single slash earlier, he had used Blade Gang.
"Not bad, in three days, my Thunder Attribute True Elemental has completed its Second Transformation, and the Metal Attribute’s Third Transformation is halfway there. My cultivation has also broken through to the Eighth Layer," Xu Ping’an said with a smile.
These three days he had frantically devoured Monster Cores, swallowing two-thirds of the 30 Sixth Rank Monster Cores, that is, 20 of them.
Out of the 360 Fifth Rank Monster Cores, more than half had been consumed, leaving fewer than 120.
The Explosive Elemental Pills were almost exhausted as well.
Simply put, Xu Ping’an was a gold-swallowing beast.
These resources, if given to someone else, would be enough to sustain a Sect.
