Chapter 177 - 174: Breakthrough to the Third Realm

"Then I will accept this favor from the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion," Mo Qianqian nodded, excitedly taking the Spiritual Spear.

With this spear in hand, the power of his Vast Spear Technique would undoubtedly increase.

The Black Dragon Army guards leading the way looked on with faces full of envy.

A Spiritual Soldier like this, if placed in the outside world, would easily trigger a fierce and bloody struggle.

"Of course, even inside Black Dragon City, you need to be careful," Lao Liu reminded him. "You’re carrying a priceless treasure. Even within the Black Dragon Army, there’s no guarantee someone won’t get greedy."

Mo Qianqian frowned.

Great treasures incited greed—this was something he absolutely had to guard against.

It was entirely possible that someone might break the rules for the sake of such a prize.

Hearing this, the guards felt a bit awkward.

By now, they had arrived in front of a courtyard residence. One of the guards pointed ahead and said, "Sir, we have arrived at the mansion."

"I won’t stay long. If you need anything, come find me at the Black Dragon Prefecture," Lao Liu said. "By the way, do not leave the Merit Mansion until you reach the Third Realm. That guy from the Feng Family could be waiting outside to ambush you at any moment."

"Take care, Miss Lao Liu."

Mo Qianqian nodded and saw her off.

Afterward, he entered the mansion.

The courtyard was quite spacious. With its artificial rockeries and decorative pools, it was extremely luxurious.

Stepping inside, Mo Qianqian went straight into a room.

He closed the door and immediately stored the Spiritual Spear into the Nine Dragon Coffin.

Then, he walked to the center of the room, sat cross-legged on the floor, and took out a jade bottle.

"Let’s test this Chaos Qi!"

Without hesitation, Mo Qianqian unstoppered the bottle, brought it to his lips, and began inhaling the Chaos Qi.

At the same time, he circulated the World-Destroying Heaven-Shattering Technique within his body to absorb and refine the energy.

HISS! SIZZLE!

Mo Qianqian felt a surge of tremendous energy flood into his body. It darted around wildly, crashing and colliding with violent intensity.

The sheer impact of this energy was so powerful that it instantly induced a manic aura within him. He felt an overwhelming urge to erupt, a sudden thirst for slaughter.

He was quite astonished by this. He hadn’t expected the Chaos Qi to have such a profound effect.

Even though he was at the Second Realm Ninth Layer, just absorbing it triggered such a massive reaction.

Of course, this was also because it was his first time absorbing and refining it.

However, with his Spirit as a Second-Grade Spirit Master, he naturally wouldn’t lose control under the impact of the Chaos Qi.

Meanwhile, as Mo Qianqian refined the Chaos Qi, rumors had already begun spreading like wildfire throughout Black Dragon City.

"What? He managed to injure the Feng Family Patriarch? And he killed an Eighth Level of Tongyou Realm expert? Could it be one of the four monstrous geniuses of the Realm of Chaos?"

"The four monstrous geniuses aren’t that young. That boy is only sixteen or seventeen years old. The youngest of the four is Ying Qingling, and she’s twenty-five. Besides, she isn’t a Spirit Master. I heard that kid is not only a Body Cultivator but also a Spirit Master. Rumor has it he might even be a Spirit Master possessing a Spiritual Source!"

"That monstrous? Doesn’t that mean he could surpass Mu Chen, the top genius of the four?"

"In terms of talent, maybe. But in terms of combat strength, absolutely not. You all know just how terrifying Mu Chen’s combat power is."

"Then where did this guy come from? Someone that incredible shouldn’t be a nobody."

"Hasn’t that person from Black Dragon City returned yet? If he comes back, he’ll definitely head straight to the Merit Mansion to challenge this kid, right?"

All sorts of gossip flew through the streets, gradually making their way outside Black Dragon City.

Two days later.

Mo Qianqian had completely refined all three bottles of Chaos Qi.

WHOOSH!

At the very last moment, a powerful aura erupted from his body.

Mo Qianqian felt an explosive surge of strength coursing violently through his veins.

"Third Realm First Layer! I’ve broken through to the Third Realm!" Mo Qianqian exclaimed, thrilled beyond measure.

In just two days, after refining three bottles of Chaos Qi, his cultivation had unexpectedly broken through to the Third Realm!

He quietly evaluated his current strength, wondering if he could now kill an expert at the Ninth Level of Tongyou Realm without any issues.

When he was at the Second Realm Ninth Layer, a head-on clash with a Ninth Level of Tongyou Realm expert had only forced him to retreat.

Even without using the explosive power of the World-Destroying Heaven-Shattering Technique for a sneak attack, he had merely been knocked back.

His combat strength hadn’t been far off from the Ninth Level of Tongyou Realm.

But now that he had stepped into the Third Realm, his strength had taken a massive leap forward.

At this moment, Mo Qianqian felt confident that he could easily slay a Ninth Level of Tongyou Realm expert.

He might even be able to hold his ground against someone at the Void Spirit Realm First Layer.

However, his true combat strength could only be verified in actual battle.

He thought to himself, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. He realized that to destroy the Ling Family and Tai Xuan Academy, he wouldn’t even need a year.

Of his recent breakthroughs, the most difficult hurdle had been advancing from the Second Realm Ninth Layer to the Third Realm First Layer.

Now that he was at the Third Realm First Layer, breaking through to the second and third layers would clearly be much easier than crossing the major realm boundary.

This was the inherent difference between minor bottlenecks and major realm barriers.

To say the least, once he broke through another layer, fighting against a Void Spirit Realm First Layer expert would absolutely be no problem.

"This Chaos Qi is truly effective. Let me go ask how to get more of it."

Mo Qianqian stood up and walked out, unable to hide his eagerness.

He believed that as long as he had enough Chaos Qi, he could continue breaking through!

Others might find it difficult to obtain, but as long as it could be bought with medicinal pills, he could manage it.

Because he was a Spirit Master!

Soon, Mo Qianqian arrived at the entrance of the Merit Mansion.

Outside the gates, guards from the Black Dragon Army were standing watch.

"Sir, Captain Six warned that leaving the Merit Mansion could be dangerous at any moment," an older guard reminded him.

Mo Qianqian looked surprised.

Captain Six—that was undoubtedly Lao Liu.

It turned out Lao Liu was a captain in the Black Dragon Army.

With Lao Liu reminding him so many times, it seemed highly likely that Feng Family men were lurking outside the Merit Mansion.

That Void Spirit Realm expert from the Feng Family could be keeping an eye on him right now.

"Thank you," Mo Qianqian said, looking at the older guard. "Brother, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Speak," the guard replied.

"How can I obtain Chaos Qi?" Mo Qianqian asked.

The older guard paused in surprise, and the other guard next to him also looked bewildered.

What kind of question was that?

Nevertheless, the older guard answered, "Take on missions in Black Dragon City. Corresponding missions will offer corresponding rewards. Black Dragon City posts bounties."

"Missions?" Mo Qianqian blinked. "Are there any available recently?"

"Yes." The older guard replied, "The most popular mission lately is investigating information regarding the Source of Chaos.

"A single useful clue starts at a reward of five bottles of Chaos Qi. Depending on the value of the information, rewards of dozens or even hundreds of bottles are entirely possible."

Hearing this, Mo Qianqian was surprised once more.

Investigating information regarding the Source of Chaos?

Gathering intelligence was certainly not his strong suit.

Wait, that wasn’t exactly true. The mysterious woman on the second layer of his Ninefold Coffin was capable of detecting treasures.

If he could find the general location, he might actually be able to discover the Source of Chaos.

However, he first needed to figure out the approximate area where the Source of Chaos might appear so he could get close enough.

Hearing the guard’s words brought Lao Liu’s previous comments to mind.

Lao Liu had mentioned that the Source of Chaos was likely to emerge in one of three places: Black Dragon City, the Imperial Alliance, or Cyan Cloud Mountain.

Could he perhaps ask that mysterious woman?

"Are there any other missions?" Mo Qianqian asked, suppressing his urgent thoughts for the moment.