Preparing for the Breakthrough

Time flew by.

A week had passed since the members of the Blood Hand Gang had come to provoke Matthew.

During this week, the outer city remained calm on the surface, as if the conflict of that day was merely a small pebble thrown into a deep pool, leaving no trace after a few ripples spread and faded.

Matthew's daily routine consisted of traveling back and forth between the training ground, the inn, and the valley outside the city. His pace of life was steady to the point of monotony.

The courtyard he was keeping an eye on also remained completely quiet, without any disturbance.

The mother and daughter in the courtyard lived a simple and orderly life day after day. They swept the yard at dawn and closed their doors to rest at dusk, as if all the turmoil of the outside world had absolutely nothing to do with them.

What felt particularly strange was their reaction to the fact that Nathan had been missing for an entire month without any news or returning once. Their behavior was calm to the point of indifference.

There was none of the anxiety and searching typical of a family whose loved one had been gone for a long time, nor was there any of the panic and insecurity of being left with no one to rely on. They simply continued their almost rigid daily routine, as if his existence or disappearance had never truly disturbed the order of this little courtyard.

“Quite a heartless mother and daughter... But Nathan used to return once every two or three weeks, so perhaps...”

With his thoughts reaching this point, Matthew turned his mind elsewhere.

According to Aidan's reports, the Blood Hand Gang's recent movements seemed to be quietly changing—

The scope of their recruitment was no longer limited to ordinary young men from the streets. Instead, they had begun to absorb more people who had already crossed the threshold of becoming Class holders, or who possessed some foundation of combat strength.

This was highly intriguing. After all, very few Class holders were willing to join gangs, yet the Blood Hand Gang was somehow able to find them.

Matthew could think of no other reason besides that "Blood-Burning Potion."

As for Jasper, the black-haired youth Matthew had fought before, Aidan's observations over the past few days reported that he had indeed "restrained" himself significantly compared to before.

He was no longer flamboyantly canvassing and recruiting newcomers everywhere like before, and his words and actions had become much more cautious.

At the same time, Aidan's reports indicated no signs of physical decay in Jasper.

But Matthew still held his previous view—

The Blood-Burning Potion traded one's life force for power; there was absolutely no way the user could remain unharmed!

The time to pay the price simply hadn't come yet!

Furthermore, after a week, Matthew became increasingly certain in his heart that the Blood Hand Gang's further expansion was definitely being orchestrated by the great nobility behind the scenes.

Otherwise, the Blood Hand Gang would never dare to recruit Class holders in this manner!

And that Blood-Burning Potion was not something an ordinary person could produce, let alone in such vast quantities.

His thoughts paused here.

Matthew snapped out of his reverie and looked around.

The four walls of the room were constructed from thick, airtight grey rock. Only a wall lamp embedded with a glowing stone in the corner emitted a soft, dim light, casting a quiet shadow over the room.

The air was filled with a mixture of old stone and faint incense, a stuffiness that could almost isolate all external sounds—the perfect enclosed environment needed for a breakthrough.

This was precisely a quiet room deep within the inner city's Adventurer Guild, specifically prepared for high-level Class holders.

The rental price was even calculated by the day!

Matthew was currently sitting cross-legged alone on a futon in the center of the quiet room, with his meticulously prepared items arranged around him.

On the low table beside him lay a plate of dried magical beast meat jerky and several pieces of rye bread, ready to be eaten at any time during the breakthrough to replenish his strength.

A pitcher of fresh water and a clean linen towel were placed close at hand, ready to wipe away any sweat that might pour out during the breakthrough.

A change of clothes was neatly folded in the corner, but the most eye-catching item was the goat demon crystal core he carried close to his body—

At this moment, it lay quietly in his palm, swirling with a deep dark-purple luster in the dim light. Inside, liquid energy seemed to rotate slowly. It felt warm to the touch, yet it faintly transmitted a pulsating rhythm of energy.

Matthew took a deep breath and calmly swept his gaze over everything prepared around him, his mind as tranquil as a still well.

The peacefulness of the past week had instead made him more vigilant of the Blood Hand Gang's covert movements. Jasper's abnormal "health" and the gang's shift in recruiting Class holders hung in the distance like a faint dark cloud.

But at this moment, all those trivial thoughts were completely suppressed, leaving only a focused anticipation for the breakthrough.

“Ready,” he whispered, his voice echoing softly in the enclosed stone room. “This crystal core, combined with the foundation accumulated from the medicinal baths... I hope the power after the breakthrough won't disappoint me.”

Having spoken, he closed his eyes, and the White Snake Breathing Technique within his body quietly began to operate.

His breathing gradually became long and deep. Life energy flowed slowly through his meridians in a specific rhythm, initially like a trickling brook, then gradually surging like a tide.

Guided by the breathing technique, his muscles and organs gradually awakened, with every inch of flesh and blood seemingly yearning for a higher level of transformation.

Once his breathing rhythm and the flow of energy reached a peak state of perfect harmony, Matthew suddenly opened his eyes and, without hesitation, popped the crystal core in his palm into his mouth.

The moment the crystal core went down his throat, there was no sensation of hardness. Instead, it seemed to dissolve into a warm current, and a pure, majestic surge of energy rushed toward his limbs and bones like a bursting dam!

He immediately circulated his breathing technique with all his might, guiding this violent energy into the cycle of his own life energy.

The process of the breakthrough suddenly accelerated.

It was as if countless tiny electrical arcs were darting between his meridians. The energy repeatedly clashed amidst compression and expansion, with every vibration bringing tearing pain and a tingling sensation of rebirth.

Sweat quickly soaked through his clothes, and the veins on his temples bulged slightly. However, Matthew's mind remained as solid as a rock. Relying on the foundation consolidated by the medicinal baths and the exquisite control of his breathing technique, he tamed and refined the crystal core's energy thread by thread, pushing his life level to launch a continuous assault against that invisible barrier.

Time passed silently, leaving only his suppressed breathing and the faint hum of surging energy in the stone room.

After an unknown amount of time, a crisp sound of shattering—one that only he could perceive—suddenly echoed from within his body—

The barrier to the Silver Rank was finally blown wide open at this very moment!

The instant the breakthrough succeeded, the stone room seemed to freeze for a split second.

Immediately afterward, an unprecedented, unstoppable surge of life energy gushed out from the deepest depths of his body, like a mountain spring after spring snow had melted.

It was no longer the violent torrent from when he was forcibly breaking through the barrier. Instead, it turned into a gentle yet endless warm current, naturally filling every corner of his limbs and bones, replenishing all the meridians and acupoints that had been left somewhat "empty" by the breakthrough.

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