Two and a half months, along with several additional days, passed in near-total silence. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Throughout that entire period, Li Yun rarely stepped beyond the gates of the private courtyard assigned to him on Hidden Dragon Island. To many disciples of the Martial Ascension Gate, he had almost disappeared completely.

Only occasional signs revealed that he was still inside.

At times, brilliant flashes of lightning would burst above the courtyard walls before vanishing as suddenly as they appeared. At other times, waves of blazing heat spread outward and distorted the air, only to fade moments later. Sometimes fierce winds howled from within the courtyard while the skies outside remained perfectly calm.

Those who noticed quickly understood the meaning behind such scenes.

Li Yun had entered deep seclusion.

No one dared disturb him.

By now, his name already carried weight among the younger generation of the sect, and even many elders had begun paying close attention to him. Everyone knew that when someone like Li Yun locked himself away for months, he was not wasting time.

He was preparing himself for the battlefield ahead.

Inside the cultivation chamber, those months passed through relentless effort.

Scrolls had been opened, studied, and closed so many times that their edges had become worn. The stone floor was covered in sword scars left behind by repeated practice. Walls bore palm imprints, cracks, and marks caused by violent qi collisions.

Training puppets provided by the sect had long since been shattered into fragments scattered across the room.

The chamber looked less like a place of meditation and more like the remains of a battlefield.

Then, on the morning the Hidden Dragon Tournament was about to begin, Li Yun slowly opened his eyes.

A faint light flashed through them.

The chamber, which had remained filled with unstable qi fluctuations for months, gradually calmed the moment his gaze steadied. Lightning sparks faded, lingering winds settled, and the violent aura filling the room quietly withdrew into his body.

He exhaled once and spoke softly to himself.

"Finally. I have cultivated all three ultimate martial arts to the perfection stage."

A rare smile appeared on his face.

The three peak ultimate arts entrusted to him by the sect had not disappointed him in the slightest. Each one possessed extraordinary power, profound principles, and unique combat applications.

With the support of his sixth-tier comprehension, techniques that would normally require years of study and tempering had been pushed all the way to perfection in less than three months.

If such news spread outside, countless elders would be shaken.

Yet even that was not his greatest gain.

Li Yun slowly lowered his gaze toward his own body.

The Ninth Tier Secret Art, World Bearing Devil Suppressing Physique, had also advanced.

He had successfully pushed it into the fourth stage.

The result was terrifying.

His current body weight had become ten thousand times heavier than normal.

Ten thousand times.

If an ordinary martial artist possessed such weight, the ground beneath them would collapse the moment they stood. If they attempted to walk, their own bones would shatter beneath the burden.

Even drawing breath would become difficult.

When Li Yun first completed the breakthrough, he had nearly become trapped in place.

His muscles could bear the pressure.

His bones could endure the burden.

But movement itself had become nearly impossible.

Yet during these months of seclusion, another breakthrough had occurred.

It was not in cultivation realm.

It was not in martial arts.

It was in control.

With the help of sixth-tier comprehension and endless experimentation, Li Yun’s manipulation of qi had reached an entirely new level.

He learned how to distribute force through microscopic layers of qi. He learned how to reduce pressure at specific points during movement. He learned how to use circulating qi like invisible supports beneath every joint, every step, and even every breath.

Because of that, he could now move freely once more while carrying ten thousand times his natural body weight.

Li Yun rose slowly from the cultivation bed and took several steps across the chamber.

Each motion was smooth and controlled.

Only faint pressure spread beneath his feet, leaving shallow marks in the stone floor.

Still, he could sense the remaining strain.

His meridians worked harder than before. His qi consumption increased subtly whenever he moved. His muscles remained under constant pressure.

But Li Yun felt no concern.

He could already sense the process of adaptation taking place.

"The more time passes, the easier it will become."

His body was adjusting with every passing day.

Once fully adapted, the fourth stage of the World Bearing Devil Suppressing Physique would become another terrifying foundation beneath all of his combat power.

He then examined his cultivation.

He had reached the seventh level of the Qi Sea Realm.

It was another solid breakthrough.

Yet Li Yun’s expression became thoughtful rather than delighted.

To reach this level, he had consumed nearly all the resources the sect had granted him before departure, along with much of what remained from his earlier gains.

Spirit stones had disappeared in large quantities. High-grade pills had been refined one after another. Essence herbs had been completely used. Elemental treasures had vanished during these months of cultivation.

After all of that, he had advanced only from the sixth level to the seventh level.

Li Yun lightly shook his head.

"The higher my cultivation rises, the more absurd the resource requirements become."

Other cultivators might have broken through two or three levels using what he had consumed.

For Li Yun, it had taken enormous wealth merely to rise one realm all thanks to his Supreme Foundation.

Yet he felt no regret.

Every level he advanced granted power far beyond ordinary cultivators of the same realm.

His qi was denser.

His body was stronger.

His techniques were vastly more destructive.

A normal seventh level Qi Sea Realm martial artist and Li Yun could no longer be placed in the same category.

He walked toward the chamber doors and slowly pushed them open.

Fresh morning air entered at once.

Outside, Hidden Dragon Island was already alive with movement.

Drums sounded in the distance with heavy and rhythmic force. Flying vessels crossed the sky one after another. Countless disciples from different sects were already moving toward the central arena.

The day had finally arrived.

Li Yun lifted his gaze toward the towering center of the island, where the Hidden Dragon Tournament would soon begin.

A calm smile rose on his face as anticipation stirred within his heart.

After months of waiting and preparation, the stage was finally ready.

"Good. After all this waiting, it is finally time."