The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Within the Nirvana Flame Bath, the potent medicinal energy surged through Lin Qian, relentlessly pounding against the solidified soul power in his dantian. His soul power, which had undergone nine cycles of Nirvana, had become incredibly condensed and stable. It was impossible to scatter it further to stimulate his soul weapon unless he destroyed his cultivation.

At this moment, Lin Qian relied on the medicinal energy of the Nirvana Flame Bath and the spiritual energy from Tianhen, controlled by Zhuge Ming, to break through the solidified soul power and achieve the desired dispersal effect.

In Lin Qian's dantian, his soul power flowed continuously, like a resplendent nebula, ancient and immovable. At the center of this nebula, the Tianye Sword and Yunzhong Sword floated—one crackling with lightning, the other exuding a bone-chilling coldness.

The scorching medicinal energy and the soul power from Tianhen quickly filled Lin Qian's dantian, nearly causing it to burst. However, Lin Qian remained calm, controlling these two external forces. The spiritual energy from Tianhen was quickly refined into soul power, which hammered the medicinal energy deeper into the soul power nebula.

With each impact, Lin Qian's dantian expanded rapidly. Fortunately, his physical body was incredibly strong, with robust meridians, dantian, muscles, and bones, allowing him to withstand the strain. If he were an ordinary soul warrior, he would have exploded by now.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Clear sounds of impact echoed from within Lin Qian's body as his refined soul power acted like a hammer, driving the medicinal energy deeper into the nebula. Each strike sent waves of pain through his body, causing him to tremble uncontrollably. The intense pain nearly made him lose consciousness.

This task was unprecedented, a feat that had never been accomplished before. With each blow of soul power, the pain became unbearable, making his entire body shudder.

Time passed, and after two full hours, Lin Qian's dantian was filled with the scorching medicinal energy of the Nirvana Flame Bath. At this moment, Lin Qian steeled himself, summoning his soul power to smash into the nebula.

"Break for me!"

With a furious roar in his heart, the medicinal energy within the nebula exploded under the impact. Lin Qian's body was overwhelmed by a deafening boom, feeling as though it was being torn apart. His eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.

Fortunately, the medicinal bath had receded to his chest, preventing him from drowning.

As the morning sunlight filtered through the window, Lin Qian awoke from his unconscious state and changed into fresh clothes. He looked down at his open hands, sensing that his cultivation had stabilized at the first tier of the Xingyuan Realm.

Soul power surged from within him, wrapping around his body. Lin Qian gazed at the glowing aura on his arms and smiled.

"One, two, three... Ten!"

Counting the layers of soul power aura surrounding him, Lin Qian clenched his fists.

"Success!"

It was easy to determine how many cycles of Nirvana a soul warrior had completed by counting the layers of aura that radiated from their soul power. When Lin Qian saw the ten layers of aura, he knew he had succeeded in breaking through the limits.

"According to Zhuge Ming's calculations, I can complete up to twelve cycles of Nirvana," Lin Qian thought with anticipation. "I wonder what kind of effects my two ancestral soul weapons will have after twelve cycles."

The stronger Lin Qian became, the more pleased he was. He knew that only by becoming powerful enough could he rescue his parents. In this lifetime, he was determined not to remain an orphan.

After storing the wooden tub back in Tianhen and sending it to the Hua Xia Empire, Lin Qian stepped out of his room. He found his master, Wei Wushuang, already waiting in the courtyard.

When Wei Wushuang saw his disciple, he rushed over and grabbed Lin Qian's wrist to check his condition. Lin Qian, having anticipated this, didn't resist, knowing that his master's actions were out of concern.

Moreover, Lin Qian wasn't worried that Wei Wushuang would discover anything unusual in his dantian. With the Hua Xia Empire fully restored, the concealment formations within his body ensured that no one could see the true state of his dantian.

Wei Wushuang could only sense the Tianye Sword, one of Lin Qian's ancestral soul weapons, and a seemingly normal dantian. The Yunzhong Sword and Tianhen remained hidden from his master.

"You're fine," Wei Wushuang sighed in relief after checking Lin Qian. "You really have a lot of guts. Completing ten cycles of Nirvana without the help of a Wuhun-level expert is incredibly dangerous!"

Lin Qian was surprised by his master's words. "Master, have you seen someone complete ten cycles of Nirvana before?"

Wei Wushuang nodded solemnly. "In the wider world beyond the remote Linhai Prefecture, where resources are scarce, there have indeed been peerless geniuses who completed ten cycles of Nirvana. But they are exceedingly rare."

Hearing this, Lin Qian nodded silently. It seemed he wasn't the only one to break through to the tenth cycle of Nirvana.

"There's always someone better out there," Lin Qian mused, reining in his pride.

What Lin Qian didn't know was that Wei Wushuang was already completely astonished by his disciple's achievement. To complete ten cycles of Nirvana without the assistance of a Wuhun-level expert was nothing short of miraculous.

"How much of a monster is this kid?" Wei Wushuang thought, realizing he was becoming less capable of teaching Lin Qian.

After a moment of silence, Lin Qian asked, "Master, have you ever heard of anyone completing eleven or twelve cycles of Nirvana?"

"That's impossible," Wei Wushuang replied with a chuckle. "Ten cycles of Nirvana already mark a peerless genius. Anything beyond that is sheer fantasy. Don't even think about it."

Outwardly, Lin Qian nodded in agreement, but inwardly, he thought, "Zhuge Ming's calculations are very reliable. I'll see for myself whether eleven and twelve cycles of Nirvana are truly impossible."

At that moment, Lei Qian suddenly burst into the courtyard. "Boss, Liu Ming wants to challenge you for the ancient relic spot!"

"Let him try. Do you think I'd be afraid?" Lin Qian waved dismissively, motioning for Lei Qian to prepare for their usual sparring session.

However, Lei Qian's eyes widened in disbelief as he exclaimed, "Boss... your cultivation dropped to the first tier?!"