After the spar with Chen Feng, Li Ming became the hottest topic in the whole Azure Sky Sect.
"Li Ming is too scary!"
"He slapped Chen Feng into a barbecue!"
"No one in Qi Gathering can match him now!"
Li Ming, however, was not thinking about fame. He was sitting cross-legged in his room, staring at a pile of spirit stones.
"Alright... it’s time to finally level up!" he told himself.
He had been stuck at the 3rd level of Qi Gathering for too long. If he wanted to stop being the "Chicken Slayer of the Sect," he needed to push forward.
Li Ming grabbed a spirit stone and held it tightly. He closed his eyes and sucked in qi.
He immediately choked.
"Argh! Why does this feel like breathing smoke?!" he coughed, waving his hand.
Outside his window, two disciples peeked in.
"Look, he’s training!"
"Even his coughs are powerful! Did you feel the pressure in the air?"
Li Ming rubbed his throat. "I felt pressure too... in my lungs..."
Still, he didn’t give up. He sat down again, clenched his teeth, and focused.
This time, the qi flowed smoother. His body tingled. His dantian felt like it was bubbling, like a boiling pot of soup.
"Almost... almost there!" he muttered.
Then his stomach growled loudly.
The bubbling qi nearly scattered. Li Ming panicked. He shoved another spirit stone into his hand and focused harder.
The air in his room grew heavy. The wooden floor creaked. Outside, disciples gathered, pointing at the glowing light from his window.
"Look! He’s breaking through!"
"So fast! Yesterday he learned Thunder Palm, and today he’s advancing!"
"This is a genius among geniuses!"
Inside, Li Ming’s face was bright red.
"Ughhh! Why does cultivation always feel like constipation?!"
He grit his teeth, pushed his qi down, and finally—
A wave of spiritual energy blasted out of his body. His hair flew back, the walls shook, and the spirit stones in his hand cracked.
Li Ming gasped for air, then froze. His body felt lighter. His strength... sharper.
He blinked. "Wait... did I just—?"
He checked his dantian. The swirling qi had stabilized. The bottleneck was gone.
"I did it! I actually leveled up! Qi Gathering... 4th level!"
Outside, the disciples were speechless.
"The explosion just now... was that his breakthrough?"
"It sounded like thunder itself!"
"Terrifying! Who dares mess with him now?"
Elder Qin appeared, stroking his beard with a proud smile. "As expected of Li Ming. His rise cannot be stopped."
Meanwhile, Li Ming was still inside, wiping sweat off his forehead.
"Ugh... so much effort... why do novels make breakthroughs sound cool? It feels like running to the bathroom after eating bad buns!"
To test his new strength, Li Ming punched the air.
The wind from his fist blew out the candle in the corner.
He blinked. "Oh... that’s new."
He punched again. The wooden chair next to him cracked.
He scratched his head. "Hehe... maybe this level up isn’t so bad."
That night, the sect was buzzing.
"Li Ming advanced again! He’s unstoppable!"
"At this rate, he’ll catch up to Foundation Building in no time!"
"He’s a monster in human skin!"
Wu Jian, hearing the rumors, nearly spat blood.
"Breakthrough? Again?! This guy doesn’t stop! At this rate, even chickens will worship him as their emperor!"
Bonus Bit Google seaʀᴄh novel[f]ire.net
Li Ming was snoring in his room when a disciple knocked.
"Senior Brother Li Ming, please teach us how to break through!"
Li Ming opened the door with messy hair. His eyes were half-closed.
"Easy. Just eat spirit stones and don’t die."
The disciple’s jaw dropped. "Eat... spirit stones?"
The next morning, ten disciples were in the medical hall after actually trying it.
Elder Qin rubbed his temples. "Li Ming... please stop teaching..."