Chapter 88

"Men Hao..." Laozu Kaoshan gritted his teeth, feeling deeply wronged and intensely regretful. If he had known this would happen, he would have comforted Men Hao no matter what.

But he never imagined that Men Hao would be so ruthless. Even if he were ruthless, it was one thing, but to actually have a Bag of Holding, and to be able to reach the tenth layer of Qi Condensation to compete for spiritual energy with him, was another matter entirely.

This series of events had almost brought Laozu Kaoshan to the brink of tears. At this moment, as he gritted his teeth, a rare sense of unease appeared in his heart. He always remembered the requirement of the ancient demon-sealing jade: only those at the thirteenth layer of Qi Condensation could move it. When those few old immortals said this, he had inwardly despised them, thinking that the Demon Sealing Sect was cutting off its own lineage. But now, seeing Men Hao about to reach the eleventh layer, he became extremely nervous and uneasy.

But now he had no other choice. Gritting his teeth, he could only continue to absorb spiritual energy. This was the only thing he could do. He had to absorb more and faster than Men Hao, hoping to quickly restore the compass in his hand and prevent Men Hao from further improving.

The spiritual energy penetrated the earth and entered the compass, turning red as if it were taking away some substance from the earth.

"Damn Men Hao, I just didn't cure your poison, and I only gave you a low-grade spirit stone. Is it really that bad? I'm still your Laozu, after all," Laozu Kaoshan felt deeply wronged.

At this moment, Men Hao's body was roaring with power. With the influx of twenty percent of the spiritual energy, his body trembled, but he felt a more intense change. This time, the change was in his Sea of Qi, which became even more vast, causing his meridians to thicken instantly. His mind roared, and he clearly felt as if he had broken through to a new realm.

The eleventh layer of Qi Condensation!

His Sea of Qi had expanded to nearly cover his entire body. This level of Sea of Qi was impossible at the Qi Condensation stage, and the vastness of the Sea of Qi would determine a cultivator's future development and sustained combat power.

In a sense, if Men Hao could build his foundation with such a Sea of Qi, although the difficulty of building the foundation would increase, once he succeeded, he would surpass others at the same realm by nearly a factor of two!

The eleventh layer of Qi Condensation was no longer about strengthening the body but expanding the Sea of Qi!

The expansion of the Sea of Qi caused Men Hao's body to roar, and a vast sea of spiritual energy surged, making his Sea of Qi turbulent and endless.

Until Men Hao opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and the sound of his breathing was like a thunderclap. He stood up, his eyes shining with determination, and took another step, then another, and another!

Until he stood beside the seven oil lamps, within reach, he could absorb thirty percent of the spiritual energy from the lamps!

Thirty percent might not seem like much, but in reality, Men Hao was competing with Laozu Kaoshan. If it weren't for the fact that the tenth layer of Qi Condensation was not recognized by heaven and earth, allowing this realm to steal the power of creation, he would not have been able to do this with his cultivation.

"Men Hao, are you ever going to stop...?" Laozu Kaoshan became even more nervous as he saw Men Hao stand up and take three more steps. Once Men Hao reached the twelfth layer, he would be one step closer to the qualification required by the ancient demon-sealing jade!

"Thank you, Laozu, for your help. It's almost over," Men Hao said calmly, closed his eyes, and continued to absorb. The spiritual energy entered his body, and his cultivation advanced from the eleventh layer to the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation.

No one had reached the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation since ancient times!

The moment Men Hao stepped into the twelfth layer, his mind was immediately pierced by an unprecedented pain. With the pain, his spiritual sense did not change, but his mind felt as if it had been torn, as if a small stream had opened up!

That was... the Sea of Consciousness!

Only cultivators who had built their foundation could have a Sea of Consciousness!

Since ancient times, cultivators who broke through from Qi Condensation to Foundation Building would open a Sea of Consciousness. This Sea of Consciousness would not be too large, and its size would vary based on the cultivator's foundation and cultivation method. The larger the Sea of Consciousness, the greater the potential and the more powerful the spiritual sense.

In ancient times, although cultivators could build their foundation at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation, most aspired to build their foundation at the twelfth layer, as this layer allowed the initial opening of the Sea of Consciousness. If they built their foundation at this level, the Sea of Consciousness they obtained after building the foundation would far surpass others!

In the current cultivation world, Men Hao was the first cultivator to reach the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation. If this news were to spread, it would surely shock the entire cultivation world.

At this moment, it had already shocked Laozu Kaoshan. He stared at Men Hao in a daze, clearly seeing the process of Men Hao advancing from the ninth layer to the twelfth layer. He was speechless.

"... In ancient times, the great completion of Qi Condensation was the thirteenth layer, but even then, it was rare for anyone to reach it. It is said that the thirteenth layer is related to creation and can change a cultivator's aptitude! Though the change is not significant, aptitude is bestowed by heaven and earth, and even a slight change is considered defying heaven!" Laozu Kaoshan muttered.

"Many years ago, that old immortal of the Demon Sealing Sect praised my good fortune... but compared to this kid, he is the one with good fortune. This kid's fortune is too good, damn it, how did I provoke such a thing!"

As Laozu Kaoshan muttered, Men Hao's eyes opened again, revealing a profound light. His mind was in pain, but in this pain, Men Hao felt an unprecedented clarity.

It was as if the world looked different, but Men Hao couldn't describe exactly what was different. He felt that the entire world had suddenly taken on a color he had never seen before.

At the same time, the massive suction in his body was gradually fading, as if Men Hao's body had reached its limit and was stopping the absorption on its own.

This caused the spiritual energy from the seven oil lamps to slowly decrease from thirty percent to twenty percent, and then to ten percent.

This scene made Men Hao frown. He clearly felt that his cultivation had not yet reached the peak of Qi Condensation, and there seemed to be a layer of membrane. Breaking through this membrane would lead to the great completion of Qi Condensation.

This feeling was very strong, but with the suction in his body fading, it seemed that this membrane would always exist and could not be broken.

"Haha, I said it, the thirteenth layer of Qi Condensation is rare even in ancient times, and there are even rumors that the Qi Condensation realm doesn't have this layer, the twelfth layer being the limit.

"Men Hao, don't try anymore, quickly step back, don't delay Laozu's grand plan. When I get out, I'll see how I deal with you, you little brat, you just need a beating!" Laozu Kaoshan immediately perked up, laughing and speaking, thinking that although Men Hao had absorbed some, it was not much and could still support his plan. As long as he didn't reach the thirteenth layer, he wouldn't qualify to possess the ancient demon-sealing jade.

"It seems this kid's fortune is only slightly better." Laozu Kaoshan felt even more smug, but at this moment, Men Hao's eyes flashed. He was determined, and now that he had reached the twelfth layer and seen the membrane, he would do everything to break through.

"Reduced suction... how to increase it again..." Men Hao's mind raced, and his eyes suddenly flashed. He raised his right hand and slapped his storage bag, and two wooden swords immediately flew out.

Staring at the wooden swords, Men Hao gritted his teeth. In an instant, one of the wooden swords rushed toward Men Hao. Laozu Kaoshan was taken aback and immediately saw the wooden sword cut more than a dozen wounds on Men Hao's body, and it continued without stopping.

Men Hao gritted his teeth, enduring the blood marks left by the wooden sword, his eyes shining with determination. As the wounds appeared and the blood flowed, Men Hao immediately noticed that the spiritual energy in his body was continuously dissipating through the wounds.

This was exactly what he wanted!

As the spiritual energy dissipated, the suction in Men Hao's body, which was about to fade, suddenly paused and gradually strengthened. This scene made Men Hao's heart steady, and he controlled the other wooden sword, making both swords circle around him, continuously cutting more wounds. In a moment, he had over a hundred sword wounds on his body.

These wounds caused a large amount of spiritual energy to dissipate from Men Hao's body, but at the same time, the suction in his body became stronger and stronger.

Laozu Kaoshan was dumbfounded. He never expected Men Hao to have this method. Even he, seeing the dense wounds and blood on Men Hao's body and the determination in Men Hao's eyes, strongly felt the hidden ruthlessness in Men Hao's character. Being ruthless to oneself allows one to be ruthless to others!

As the wounds increased, the suction in Men Hao's body roared and burst, causing the spiritual energy from the seven oil lamps to increase from ten percent to thirty percent, and even to forty percent. Although spiritual energy continued to flow into Men Hao's body, he could not break through the membrane.

A moment later, Men Hao suddenly smiled, a cold smile. He raised his right hand, and a wooden sword flew toward him. As Men Hao pressed it to his chest, the wooden sword flashed, piercing through his chest, causing a large amount of blood to gush out. Blood also flowed from the corner of Men Hao's mouth, and the spiritual energy in his body dissipated several times faster, making the suction several times stronger.

This caused the spiritual energy from the seven oil lamps to tilt fifty percent toward Men Hao.

With a roar, Men Hao used this vast spiritual energy to impact the membrane. The membrane trembled, and Men Hao spat out blood. The wooden sword swept through him again, piercing through his body, and the spiritual energy from the seven oil lamps surged again, reaching seventy percent this time!

Men Hao launched his second assault on the thirteenth layer of Qi Condensation!

Time slowly passed, and as the wounds increased and Men Hao's ruthlessness toward himself grew, his body trembled, and his vision blurred. But the spiritual energy from the seven oil lamps now had ninety percent flowing toward him, immersing Men Hao in a sea of spiritual energy.

"This is risking his life..." Laozu Kaoshan's breathing quickened, and he was stunned, deeply impressed by Men Hao's determination.

"I want to be strong, no reason, just to be strong!" Men Hao's consciousness was blurred, but the determination in his mind made him not stop, even in his current state. As he muttered, he wanted to be strong!

The thirteenth layer of Qi Condensation, Men Hao must break through!

"This is his path..." Laozu Kaoshan took a deep breath, suddenly understanding.