Chapter 11: The Breaking of Limits

Jiang Chen sat cross-legged beside the Chaos Essence Pool, his breathing steady but filled with suppressed tension. The moment had come.

For the past twenty-one days inside the Chaos Seed Realm, he had pushed himself past every limit, testing the very fabric of his body and mind. His understanding of Force Intent had grown, his Chaos Energy had deepened, and his instincts had sharpened like a blade honed over decades.

But no matter how much he refined his technique, one truth remained: he was still in the Body Tempering Realm.

That needed to change.

The Crimson Blade Sect was a monster lying in wait, its jaws poised to devour him the moment he stepped back into the real world. The longer he lingered at his current level, the closer he was to death.

He needed power.

Jiang Chen exhaled, steadying his mind as he focused inward.

The Primal Chaos Seed at his core pulsed, responding to his will. He had long since realized that it was not merely a power source—it was something deeper, something ancient. And now, as he sought a breakthrough, it answered him.

From deep within the Chaos Essence Pool, a tendril of energy rose. Unlike normal spiritual Qi, this was raw, primordial, and unrefined—a force that could just as easily break him apart as it could empower him.

Jiang Chen didn't resist. He let the chaotic current invade his meridians, sending a violent storm of energy through his body.

Immediately, every muscle fiber in his body trembled.

His bones burned as if molten metal had been poured into their very marrow. His meridians stretched and twisted, widening to accommodate the surging force. His skin rippled, veins pulsing with chaotic energy.

His body was being reforged.

Jiang Chen gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his brow. The Body Tempering Realm was about refining the mortal shell, making it durable enough to withstand the strain of true cultivation. Breaking through to the Late Stage meant further strengthening his bones, reinforcing his muscles, and expanding his capacity to wield spiritual energy.

The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt.

This is nothing.

A thousand battles in the wilderness had shaped him into a warrior who thrived in pain.

His chaotic meridians flared, absorbing the raw energy faster, burning away every impurity in his body. The essence of Chaos sank into his very flesh, reinforcing it beyond the limits of ordinary Body Tempering cultivators.

Then—BOOM.

A muffled explosion sounded inside his body as his cultivation surged. His muscles tightened, his bones became heavier, and his flesh pulsed with latent power.

Late Stage Body Tempering Realm.

The moment the breakthrough completed, Jiang Chen opened his eyes.

His senses were sharper than before. He could hear the whisper of wind through the trees miles away, feel the vibrations of shifting energy in the air. His strength had more than doubled, and his physical endurance had reached a terrifying level.

But this wasn't enough.

He needed to reach the Peak.

Jiang Chen wasn't done.

He had gained a year's worth of training in mere days—he would not stop until he shattered every limit.

Closing his eyes again, he pulled more of the Chaos Essence into himself.

The moment it entered his meridians, a thunderous roar echoed within his mind.

Suddenly, a vision erupted before him.

A Vision of the Primordial Chaos

Jiang Chen found himself standing in a vast, endless void, surrounded by swirling nebulae of crimson and gold. He was floating in a realm before time itself, a place of infinite potential and infinite destruction.

Before him, a colossal figure loomed.

It was not human. It was not beast.

It was Chaos itself.

A titanic silhouette, wreathed in flowing storms of energy, its body shifting between solid and formless. Its eyes, vast like dying stars, locked onto him.

Jiang Chen felt it.

This being was the source of all things. The first energy before heaven and earth split apart. The origin of power.

And yet, it did not speak.

Instead, it reached out. A massive hand, formed of pure cosmic force, extended toward him.

Jiang Chen didn't hesitate.

He stepped forward and grasped it.

BOOOOOOM!

The Peak of Body Tempering Realm

Jiang Chen's real body shuddered violently as a new wave of energy flooded his system.

Unlike before, this was not simply strengthening his body. This was transforming it.

His bones emitted a resonant hum, vibrating with the energy of the chaos seed. They no longer felt like human bones—they felt like forged jade, tempered in starfire.

His muscles condensed, no longer simply expanding, but refining. They became denser, compacted with force, making his strikes several times stronger without any additional bulk.

His skin hardened, glowing faintly with chaotic runes that flickered in and out of existence.

And his organs…

Jiang Chen could feel them shifting, adapting. His heart no longer just pumped blood—it pumped energy, sending ripples of power through every fiber of his being. His lungs absorbed more than just oxygen—they inhaled ambient energy directly from the air.

His entire body had transcended the mortal level.

With a final explosion of force, Jiang Chen's aura surged.

Peak Stage Body Tempering Realm.

The moment the breakthrough completed, the surrounding area shook. The Chaos Essence Pool reacted, rippling as his energy merged with it.

Jiang Chen opened his eyes.

For the first time, his amber irises burned with streaks of silver and gold. The power of Chaos itself was now infused into him.

He clenched his fist—and the very air around him fractured.

Jiang Chen took a long breath, steadying himself. His body no longer felt merely human. It felt like a weapon, forged by the essence of chaos itself.

He tested his new strength.

He thrust his spear forward—and the shockwave split the land in front of him.He jumped lightly—and his body soared over forty meters into the air before landing effortlessly.He punched a nearby boulder—and the impact sent a crack through the floating island itself.

This…

This was no longer just a body.

This was a foundation fit for an emperor.

But Jiang Chen knew he was only at the beginning.

Even as his body had reached its peak in this realm, he could feel the next barrier waiting.

Beyond Body Tempering lay Qi Condensation—the realm where true cultivators began manipulating the energy of the world itself.

But Jiang Chen was not a normal cultivator.

He had Chaos itself.

And deep within this hidden realm, the Primal Chaos Seed pulsed once more.

A new secret was waiting to be uncovered.

And Jiang Chen would claim it.