Chapter 33: Fight Until Death

A massive amount of spiritual energy surged into Lin Xiaoyu’s body like a bursting torrent.

The rudimentary forms of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Meridians had already taken shape.

Now, they were being filled, widened, and solidified bit by bit by the vast ocean of energy.

But what followed was excruciating pain.

Tearing.

Every single inch of her meridians was being torn apart.

It was not the sharp pain of blades cutting flesh, but a deep, agonizing torment welling up from the depths of her body, as if her very soul were being ripped to shreds.

Lin Xiaoyu clenched her teeth. Veins bulged on her forehead, and cold sweat poured down like rain.

She did not make a sound.

Not even a single whimper.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Art circulated furiously within her, taming, refining, and absorbing the violent spiritual energy bit by bit.

At the same time, the thirty-six major acupoints lit up simultaneously!

These were the acupoints corresponding to the thirty-six Heavenly Dippers, which had previously been nothing but faintly visible shadows.

Now, under the impact of the massive spiritual energy, they were transitioning from illusion to reality.

Each acupoint was like a bottomless pit, voraciously devouring the surrounding spiritual energy.

The first acupoint lit up!

The second acupoint lit up!

The third acupoint lit up!

…

Beams of golden light radiated from Lin Xiaoyu’s body, piercing through flesh and clothing to form a hazy golden halo around her.

The halo grew brighter and more intense, eventually swallowing her figure almost entirely.

*

Outside the formation, Chen Ping stood with his hands behind his back.

Activating his Grand Dao Divine Eyes to their limit, his eyes veiled in a layer of purple-gold light as he stared intently at Lin Xiaoyu inside the formation.

He could see everything.

The Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Meridians were toughening at a visible rate.

The Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Acupoints were voraciously devouring the massive spiritual energy.

The long-dormant source of the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique was being awakened bit by bit.

But it was still not enough.

Chen Ping frowned slightly.

He could feel the spiritual energy inside Lin Xiaoyu rising at a terrifying speed.

It was too fast.

So fast that she had no time to fully refine it, and fast enough that tiny cracks were already appearing in her newly formed meridians.

System, is this normal? Chen Ping asked urgently in his mind.

【The path of Heavenly Dao Qi Refining is inherently about breaking through limits. Spiritual energy overload is an inevitable stage.】

Will she get hurt?

【Yes. However, the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique will grow stronger through the cycle of injury and repair.】

Chen Ping fell silent for a moment, and then…

He moved.

Stepping into the formation, he arrived behind Lin Xiaoyu.

He raised his hand and pressed a finger against the center of her back.

A wisp of purple-gold Grand Dao Source Power silently flowed into her body.

The moment that power entered Lin Xiaoyu’s body, it transformed into countless tiny threads that traveled along her meridians.

Wherever they passed, the tiny cracks caused by the spiritual energy overload were repaired one by one.

At the same time, the power guided the massive spiritual energy, directing it more precisely toward the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Acupoints.

Lin Xiaoyu’s body trembled slightly.

She felt it.

That familiar, gentle power.

It was Master.

Master was helping her.

“Focus,” Chen Ping’s voice sounded in her ear, calm and powerful.

“Ignore everything else. Circulate the Heavenly Dao Divine Art with all your might.”

Lin Xiaoyu did not reply.

She simply circulated her cultivation method even more furiously.

*

Time ticked away.

An hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

…

Chen Ping remained standing behind her, his finger pressed against her back, continuously channeling the Grand Dao Source Power into her.

The power not only had to repair her damaged meridians but also guide the spiritual energy to strike each acupoint with precision.

Every impact felt like carving out a new riverbed.

Every impact was accompanied by excruciating pain.

But Lin Xiaoyu endured.

She clenched her teeth tightly, not uttering a single sound.

The cold sweat on her forehead had already soaked her clothes, and her face was as pale as paper, but her eyes shone with startling brightness.

*

The fifth hour.

The thirty-sixth Heavenly Dipper Acupoint finally lit up!

At that instant, a dazzling golden light erupted from within Lin Xiaoyu.

Thirty-six beams of golden light radiated from her body, weaving into a profound pattern in the air.

The pattern existed for only a fleeting moment before vanishing without a trace.

But Chen Ping’s Grand Dao Divine Eyes saw it clearly:

It was the source mark of the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique.

“It’s done…” Chen Ping murmured.

The first step: using a massive amount of resources to stimulate the source of the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique and open the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Acupoints inside her body.

Completed.

*

Chen Ping withdrew his hand and stepped back.

Lin Xiaoyu remained sitting cross-legged on the bluestone, her eyes tightly shut.

The spiritual energy fluctuations inside her body were slowly settling down.

The Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Acupoints were now operating on their own, absorbing the surrounding spiritual Qi and breathing Heavenly Dao Power in and out.

Chen Ping looked at her, the corners of his mouth curving upward slightly.

This girl was even more resilient than he had imagined.

For an ordinary cultivator, that kind of pain would have caused them to pass out countless times.

Yet she had endured it all without making a single sound.

“Not bad,”

he said softly.

*

Another half hour passed.

Lin Xiaoyu finally opened her eyes.

Deep within her eyes, a flash of golden light flickered and vanished, returning to normal.

She looked down at her hands, feeling a bit dazed.

“Master, I…”

“The first step is complete,” Chen Ping interrupted, his tone calm.

“All Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Acupoints have been opened.”

Lin Xiaoyu froze for a moment, then looked inward to examine herself.

Indeed.

Within her body, thirty-six acupoints were slowly spinning, breathing spiritual energy in and out.

It felt as if she had thirty-six miniature spiritual energy cores inside her, each providing her with a steady stream of power.

“Did I… break through?”

she asked, somewhat uncertain.

Her cultivation was still at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

Yet she could feel that she was more than twice as strong as before.

“No,” Chen Ping shook his head.

“This is only the first step. Opening the acupoints consolidates your foundation. The real breakthrough lies in the second step.”

He paused, looking at Lin Xiaoyu, and said solemnly:

“The second step is a life-and-death battle. Under extreme pressure, you must integrate the energy stored in your body, shatter the Heavenly Dao barrier, and break through the limits of the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

“This step will be even more dangerous than the last.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Xiaoyu stood up.

“I am ready.”

Chen Ping looked at her, a flash of approval in his eyes.

“No rush. Take a look at this first.”

He pointed around them.

Lin Xiaoyu followed his gaze, and then she froze.

The mountain of resources:

Spirit stones, pills, spiritual herbs, spiritual materials…

Seventy percent of it had been consumed.

Only about thirty percent remained, scattered across the formation, their luster dim.

“This… this…”

Lin Xiaoyu opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

She knew she would consume a lot of resources.

But she had not expected it to be this much.

That was ten million high-grade spirit stones, plus countless pills and spiritual materials!

Just like that… gone?

“It’s normal,” Chen Ping said calmly.

“Opening the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Acupoints inherently requires a massive amount of resources.

“For you to still have thirty percent left from such a small amount is already quite a saving.”

Lin Xiaoyu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked,

“Master, for the second step… do we still need resources?”

Chen Ping shook his head.

“No. The second step requires a life-and-death battle, not resources.”

He paused, looking at Lin Xiaoyu.

“So, what you need to do next is fight me.”

“Until death.”