Just as the last wisp of true qi was about to run dry—
"No, I can't stop. I absolutely can't stop."
"For myself, for my mother, to return to the Martial Domain and take revenge on that treacherous pair—I, Qin Chen, cannot fall here!"
"Break!"
"Break for me!"
"Break, break, break…"
Qin Chen roared silently within, his indomitable will surging like a tempest.
Hope was right before him—he had to succeed in forging his meridians!
With every ounce of strength, he rallied his mental focus, channeling that final thread of true qi toward the last barrier of his twelfth meridian in a ferocious charge.
*Boom!*
It was as if a thunderclap had struck a clear sky. A deafening roar exploded in Qin Chen's mind, the sound so overwhelming it nearly knocked him out, leaving his head buzzing incessantly.
Without the Heavenly Meridian Divine Needles guarding his Tianmen and heart acupoints, that shockwave would have shattered his mind, reducing him to an idiot.
After the violent rumble, a cool sensation spread through his body. The searing pain gradually faded, replaced by a tingling numbness.
*Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop…*
The eighteen needles embedded in his body, having exhausted their last traces of power, crumbled into dust and drifted away.
"Haha, I did it! I've finally opened all twelve meridians!"
The moment of triumph arrived, and the elation in Qin Chen's heart was beyond anyone's comprehension.
In his past life, he'd fallen in the Martial Domain. In this life, he'd returned to rise again.
He'd endured too much!
If he couldn't open all twelve meridians, he'd never surpass his past self or reclaim his peak.
But now, he'd succeeded.
He'd even reached a height he'd never achieved in his previous life.
Back then, before breaking through to Human-level, he'd only opened eleven meridians.
In this life, the Nine Star God Emperor Art had given him the hope of opening all twelve.
And now, that hope had become reality.
Caught between overwhelming sorrow and joy, Qin Chen felt as if he were floating, tempted to collapse into sleep right there.
But he knew he couldn't.
He had to strike while the iron was hot and condense his true qi.
Even his gravely injured body would have to wait for recovery later.
"The Nine Star God Emperor Art, the most mysterious technique I obtained from the Forbidden Divine Land—let's see what wonders it holds."
Forcing back the drowsiness, Qin Chen began circulating the art's mental formula.
As it activated, a refreshing coolness swept through his entire body, jolting him awake.
The lingering haze in his mind vanished miraculously in an instant.
In the cultivation chamber, vast amounts of heaven-and-earth vitality seemed drawn by an invisible force, seeping into every pore of his body.
His meridians, once drained of true qi, drank in the surrounding vitality like parched earth after a drought.
In mere moments, faint streams of true qi began flowing through his meridians again.
"Such an astonishing speed of true qi condensation—more than twice as fast as the Heaven-level technique I cultivated in my past life. And with all twelve meridians absorbing at once, this speed is simply heaven-defying!"
Qin Chen was stunned.
Worthy of being the Nine Star God Emperor Art from the Forbidden Divine Land—its true qi condensation speed alone outstripped every technique he'd encountered in his past life.
In no time, a flood of heaven-and-earth vitality poured into his body.
Time slipped by.
The true qi within him steadily coalesced.
The pain faded slowly. After an unknown stretch, Qin Chen felt himself slip into a profoundly mystical state, his mind clear and serene.
Then, he saw it—an ancient, unadorned iron sword hovering in his mind.
"Isn't this the sword I got from the Forbidden Divine Land? How…?"
Back in the Forbidden Divine Land, besides the Nine Star God Emperor Art, Qin Chen had also acquired a palm-sized, rustic iron sword.
After returning, he'd racked his brain but couldn't uncover its origins or purpose, so he'd stored it in his storage bracelet.
He never imagined it had followed him three hundred years into the future—and into his mind, no less.
"My rebirth three hundred years later—could it be tied to this ancient sword?"
Curious, Qin Chen urged his true qi toward the small sword, testing if he could activate it.
Suddenly, a *boom* erupted in his mind, his eardrums trembling. A terrifying, boundless force poured from the sword, raging like a flood through his sturdy meridians. The true qi he'd painstakingly gathered was scattered in an instant.
To his horror, Qin Chen realized this power was beyond his control. He hastily withdrew his consciousness, and the force vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
"What's going on?"
Qin Chen opened his eyes, snapping out of that ethereal state.
The crusted blood on his body flaked off in layers. To his shock, the severe injuries he'd sustained had healed completely.
His entire being felt reborn—his skin crystalline and jade-like, as pure as a newborn's.
Even his aching meridians were now smooth and robust, restored to their peak.
"What is this sword? Just a flicker of its power healed my gravely wounded body in an instant. Even a holy healing medicine might not achieve this!"
The sword hung silently in his mind, motionless yet exuding an unfathomable mystery.
And Qin Chen couldn't shake a suspicion—that strange power felt oddly akin to a deep, primal bloodline force.
"The sword's origins—I'll figure them out later."
Pushing aside his thoughts, Qin Chen sank back into cultivation.
The Nine Star God Emperor Art's absorption rate was indeed astonishing, constantly drawing in vast amounts of vitality.
Gradually, the true qi in his first meridian filled.
Then the second.
The third.
The fourth…
Three full days passed. At last, the true qi in all twelve meridians brimmed once more, roaring through the wide, sturdy channels like furious dragons, brimming with power.
This volume of true qi, several times greater than an ordinary martial artist's, surged like a mighty river. Most would be overwhelmed, unsure how to handle it.
But Qin Chen, an eighth-rank Martial Sovereign in his past life, controlled it with practiced ease.
"With my true qi full, it's time to condense a qi pool again and break through to Human-level."
Only by re-entering Human-level would this cultivation session be complete.
Break and rebuild!
The breaking was done—now the rebuilding had to follow.
Under Qin Chen's masterful control, the true qi in his twelve meridians began to flow.
At first, the movement was gentle and smooth, like a winding river. But as Qin Chen pressed on, the true qi grew restless, boiling and surging until it became a raging torrent, roaring and crashing with waves, converging toward his dantian.