Peak of the Innate Realm

Ling Clan grounds, Ling Tian's residence.

As soon as he made his reward selection, Ling Tian assumed a meditative posture and adjusted himself. After a few breaths, he accepted the reward. A surge of energy engulfed him, drilling into his body as the inborn Spiritual Energy in the surroundings started gathering towards him, marking the start of his breakthrough to the peak of the Innate Realm.

His Dantian experienced immense changes as the waves of purified Spiritual Energy coursed through his meridians, solidifying his foundation. Gradually, the energy integrated and was stored within his Dantian.

Unbeknownst to Ling Tian, a small vortex appeared above the city attracting Spiritual Energy from its surroundings Though the vortex wasn't particularly conspicuous to ordinary people, it still attracted the attention of some strong men in the surroundings and some Innate Realm cultivators in the city.

With each passing moment, Ling Tian could feel his strength growing. The energy within him reached a crescendo, pushing him to the very peak of the Innate Realm. When the process finally concluded, Ling Tian opened his eyes, his aura now several times more potent than before. He got up from his meditative state and stretched his body, feeling his combat power had at least doubled, which brought a satisfied smile to his lips,

Following that, he spent two hours consolidating his recent breakthrough. Leaving his residence, he restrained his aura to the extreme and walked around the clan grounds. He found that the number of patrol teams seemed to have increased significantly, so he headed to his father's residence to inquire about it.

Upon arriving, a servant informed him that his father was currently at his mother's residence with his younger brother, so he made his way there.

When he arrived at his mother's residence, he found his younger brother training at the side while his father and mother were chatting with each other and watching him. Ling Tin looked at his mother. Mei Lin, his mother, possessed extraordinary beauty and aspects that would have made her a famous actress if she were on Earth. Above all, she was gentle and considerate and always encouraged him when his mood was down and lifted Ling Tian's spirits during difficult times. This was one of the reasons that led him to quickly accept and adapt to his current identity.

His father noticed his arrival and beckoned him closer. After greeting his parents, Ling Tian asked, "Father, I noticed an increase in patrol activity. What's going on?"

His father responded seriously," Earlier today, there was a Spiritual Energy fluctuation indicating someone's breakthrough, and a small vortex appeared in the sky above the city. This usually happens when someone is breaking through to the Spiritual Realm but at a larger scale. This move attracted the attention of many, including unknown Innate Realm cultivators who had entered the city. I've deployed more patrol teams as a precaution."

 "I see." A surprised expression appeared on Ling Tian's face but he quickly concealed it. It turned out that his breakthrough to the peak of the Innate Realm had caused a small commotion but thankfully, it seemed that no one was able to discover that he was the source of the small vortex that appeared previously since till now no one has shown up on his door.

"Elder Brother!". Ling Tian turned his head to see his younger brother running toward him. Upon reaching him, his brother grabbed his hand, eagerly nagging about instructing him in his training. Ling Tian observed his mother's puzzled and surprised face at the thought of him training his younger brother. Seeing her confusion, his father explained to her about his situation and cleared her confusion.

His mother, like his father previously, proceeded to say proudly, "As expected of my Ling'er, he inherited my talent." His father wanted to retort, but under the sharp gaze of his wife, he held his tongue. His mother had once been a prodigy, reaching the peak of the Blood Tempering Realm at 19—a remarkable feat in the city and surroundings. However, after giving birth to Ling Tian and later on his brother, she suffered a massive loss of vitality that severely damaged her talent and slowed down her cultivation speed considerably. Now, his mother at 36 years was only at the Peak of the Body Tempering Realm and has stayed at this realm for many years.

Although herbs to restore vitality loss existed, they were very rare and incredibly precious since they were always hoarded by high-level cultivators seeking to extend their lifespans and hoping to transcend higher realms in cultivation. Ling Tian clenched his hand as he silently vowed in his heart to find herbs to restore his mother's vitality and talent.

After a while, Ling Tian cleared his thoughts and instructed his brother slightly. Ling Feng was very close to reaching the Peak of the Muscle Tempering Realm and later on, just needed a little accumulation and he could easily break through to the Bone Tempering Realm.

After a few hours, Ling Tian bid farewell to his family and proceeded to head out of the Ling Clan. He walked along the streets and observed around. Currently, he was nearly penniless and only had some refining materials alongside some low-tier Spirit Stones as the last simulation had consumed almost all his wealth. He smiled bitterly, realizing that he would need to spend a significant amount of time to accumulate enough Spirit Stones for the next simulation, which required more than 2000 low-tier Spirit Stones.

After some time, he decided to head back to his residence. As he walked through the streets, he inadvertently caught sight of the mysterious masked opponent he previously encountered in the underground battle ring. It seemed that his gaze was too sharp as the masked man turned around searching for the source, but Ling Tian was able to quickly avert his gaze and continued on his way naturally without arousing any suspicion.

Back in his residence, Ling Tian's mind raced as he tried to think about the reason behind the appearance of the masked person in his city. After a while, he could only attribute his appearance to the phenomena he displayed when he broke through to the Peak of the Innate Realm. After a few breaths, Ling Tian decided that he would stay low and come out less in the next few days and focus on refining weapons and improving his cultivation.