Unrestricted Dao Lord

Several days had passed since Zhang Su became one of the Ten Great Outer Disciples.

But the Outer Sect was still abuzz with discussion.

After all, this was a major event for the Outer Sect.

However, Zhang Su had long since stopped paying it any mind.

He began using his status as one of the Ten Great Outer Disciples to request one-on-one instruction from an Inner Strength Elder.

This was a "perk" of being one of the Ten Great Outer Disciples.

This time, Zhang Su requested Elder Shen Tu.

This Elder Shen Tu was affable. While not a top Elder in the Guiyuan Sect, he was very popular among the many Outer Disciples. His Martial Arts instruction was always clear and easy to understand.

"Disciple Zhang Su greets Elder Shen Tu."

Zhang Su bowed respectfully.

Elder Shen Tu said calmly, "Speak. What did you come to ask me?"

"Elder Shen Tu, I’ve been cultivating my Qi and Blood recently, and I have some questions about its limits and how Inner Strength is generated. I hope you can enlighten me."

"Oh? How many threads of Qi and Blood do you have?"

Zhang Su thought for a moment. About ten days had passed since his battle with Luo Feng.

The number of Qi and Blood threads in his body had now reached 384.

When Zhang Su truthfully revealed that he had nearly four hundred threads of Qi and Blood, a flicker of surprise flashed in Elder Shen Tu’s eyes.

"Nearly four hundred threads of Qi and Blood... Impressive. That puts you among the very best of the Outer Disciples. In truth, there are two physical limits when it comes to Qi and Blood. The first is one hundred threads. Most Martial Artists are incapable of cultivating more than that."

"Breaking this physical limit of one hundred threads is called the First Limit Breaking."

"The second physical limit is one thousand threads of Qi and Blood. Those who can break this second limit are few and far between. This feat is known as the Second Limit Breaking."

"As for the difference... the Inner Strength generated after the First Limit Breaking is largely the same for everyone. Overall, it’s quite similar. The more Qi and Blood you have, the stronger the Inner Strength you generate."

"But the Second Limit Breaking is different. The moment you generate Inner Strength after a Second Limit Breaking, its quality surpasses all other Inner Strength. In other words, right from the start, those who achieve it have already taken a giant leap forward. For example, if two Inner Strength Martial Artists both cultivate the Spiral Force, the one who achieved the Second Limit Breaking will produce a Spiral Force several times more powerful than the one who only managed the First Limit Breaking."

"And the further you progress in your cultivation, the wider that gap becomes."

Zhang Su’s eyes lit up.

"Second Limit Breaking? May I ask, Elder, how can one achieve the Second Limit Breaking?"

Zhang Su asked.

Elder Shen Tu chuckled. "You geniuses are all the same. You all want to build a deeper foundation, aiming for the sky. Every single one of you wants to achieve the Second Limit Breaking."

"But in reality, the Second Limit Breaking is difficult! As difficult as scaling the heavens! In the entire history of our Guiyuan Sect, you can count the number of outstanding disciples who managed it on one hand."

"Furthermore, in the last century, not a single disciple in our Guiyuan Sect has managed to achieve the Second Limit Breaking. To do so, you must first cultivate your Qi and Blood to nine hundred and ninety-nine threads, to the point where you can progress no further. Then, you must cultivate an Unparalleled Cultivation Technique to the Perfection realm to break through that final barrier and cultivate the thousandth thread of Qi and Blood. That is how you achieve the Second Limit Breaking! This is the most reliable method."

"Alternatively, your body could undergo a supreme transformation, turning the impossible into the possible. This gives you a sliver of a chance to achieve the Second Limit Breaking. But that method relies entirely on luck."

Elder Shen Tu held nothing back.

He directly explained both methods for achieving the "Second Limit Breaking."

Hearing this, Zhang Su began to weigh the two methods in his mind.

’This "supreme transformation," turning the impossible into the possible...’

’That’s just a matter of sheer luck.’

’The first obstacle to the Second Limit Breaking is cultivating nine hundred and ninety-nine threads of Qi and Blood.’

’That alone would stop ninety-nine percent of all Martial Artists.’

’After all, to cultivate nine hundred and ninety-nine threads of Qi and Blood, you need an Unparalleled Divine Technique, and you must cultivate it to the Perfection realm.’

Zhang Su had once spent a year cultivating the Great River Divine Technique without even reaching the entry-level.

’Cultivating an Unparalleled Divine Technique to Perfection is just too difficult.’

’Even if I reached nine hundred and ninety-nine threads of Qi and Blood, unless I wanted to rely on that illusory "supreme transformation," I would still need to cultivate *another* Unparalleled Divine Technique to have a chance at producing that thousandth thread and achieving the Second Limit Breaking!’

’With all those requirements combined, it’s just too difficult.’

’No wonder no one in the Guiyuan Sect has achieved the Second Limit Breaking in the last century.’

But Zhang Su was intent on giving it a try.

’If I can successfully cultivate nine hundred and ninety-nine threads of Qi and Blood, then cultivating a second Unparalleled Divine Technique will be no problem at all.’

’After all, I still have ten Compatibility Value points left.’

’That’s enough to raise my Compatibility with an Unparalleled Divine Technique to 100%. Cultivating it to Perfection would only be a matter of time.’

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Shen Tu. I understand now."

Elder Shen Tu nodded. Thinking Zhang Su was backing down in the face of such difficulty, he smiled and said, "Good. The path of the Martial Dao is long; you don’t need to pursue perfection at every single step. A person’s energy is, after all, finite."

"Remember, on the Martial Dao, choosing the path that suits you best is what truly matters!"

Zhang Su cupped his fist, solemnly thanking Elder Shen Tu.

He understood the Elder’s meaning.

But he said nothing.

’Because I’ve already found the path that suits me best!’

’And that path is to continue accumulating Qi and Blood.’

’I’ll see if I have a chance at the Second Limit Breaking.’

’If the opportunity arises, I must seize it!’

’Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the woodcutting.’

’Right now, I’m only at the Qi Blood Realm. This is the perfect time to build my foundation.’

’Once I’ve generated Inner Strength, or my cultivation is even higher, it will be too late to go back and fix my foundation.’

...

The second mountain peak in the Outer Sect was named Maple Mountain.

The peak was covered in maple trees year-round.

In autumn, the entire mountain would turn a fiery red, a beautiful sight to behold.

Maple Mountain was home to Bai Junze, ranked second among the Ten Great Outer Disciples.

He was known as the "Madman"!

Bai Junze was a complete and utter martial arts fanatic.

He was also obsessed with the saber.

Since entering the Outer Sect, he had challenged nearly everyone there was to challenge.

His only defeat had been at the hands of the "freak" who was currently ranked first in the Outer Sect.

Ever since that failed challenge, Bai Junze had become a recluse.

Very few people had seen him since.

He seemed to be biding his time.

Just waiting for the day he could make a stunning comeback!

But on this day, an uninvited guest arrived on Maple Mountain.

It was Lu Quan, an Inner Sect Disciple.

Lu Quan entered the room.

He saw Bai Junze, disheveled and filthy, and a foul stench permeated the air.

Lu Quan’s brow furrowed, and he tossed down a Jade Pendant.

It was Wei Yunzhou’s Jade Pendant, serving as a token.

Lu Quan spoke directly. "Bai Junze, Senior Brother Wei says that no matter what method you use, if you take care of Zhang Su, the favor you owe him will be wiped clean!"

"He also said to do it as soon as possible!"

After saying his piece, Lu Quan wrinkled his nose in disgust and quickly departed from Maple Mountain.

Bai Junze’s eyes snapped open.

He saw the Jade Pendant on the floor. It was, indeed, Wei Yunzhou’s token.

"Zhang Su..."

Bai Junze muttered to himself.

’So be it... I’m close, but there’s still a gap between me and that "freak"... At the Qi Blood Realm, I can’t beat him. I might as well go to the Inner Sect. The path of the Martial Dao is long, and the Outer Sect is just the beginning...’

’But before I go to the Inner Sect, I’ll take care of this Zhang Su. Then, my debt to Wei Yunzhou will be paid, and we’ll have nothing more to do with each other!’

"Someone!"

Soon, an Outer Disciple named Lu Xiang entered respectfully.

"Go. Take my written challenge to Zhang Su. Tell him we fight in three days."

"A written challenge?"

Lu Xiang hesitated. "But what if Zhang Su refuses...?"

After all, Bai Junze had a fearsome reputation. He was ranked second among the Ten Great Outer Disciples and was known as the "Madman." No one was willing to go up against him.

It would be perfectly normal for Zhang Su to refuse.

"If Zhang Su doesn’t accept, then I’ll beat his friends on sight. I’ll even step in myself and make sure he’s beaten so badly that even continuing his normal cultivation becomes a distant dream."

"You don’t need me to tell you how to handle that, do you?"

"Yes, Senior Brother Bai! I’ll make sure the challenge is delivered, and I’ll make sure Zhang Su... accepts!"

Lu Xiang took a deep breath and respectfully withdrew.

This was giving him a headache.

With Bai Junze’s higher rank and fearsome reputation, few people would dare to accept his written challenge.

Zhang Su might be on a roll, but if he had any sense, he wouldn’t accept this challenge.

’What a headache...’

Lu Xiang sighed and shook his head.

But regardless, Bai Junze had given him a direct order, and he had to see it through.

And so, gritting his teeth, Lu Xiang strode away from Maple Mountain.