Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System

Li Family Courtyard.

Patriarch Li Jinyun and the gathered elders could not remain entirely at ease.

The man Li Jinyun had dispatched to the City Lord’s Mansion to gather news had still not returned.

Although Bai Futian’s earlier visit had carried no trace of hostility, his attitude even seemed polite, the uncertainty gnawed at them.

They weren’t worried that City Lord Bai Xueqin would personally harm Li Yun. What truly troubled them was the possibility of politics: what if the Wang family had struck some sort of hidden deal with the City Lord? If so, Bai Xueqin summoning Li Yun might spell danger, not safety.

Just as the atmosphere grew heavy with unease, Bai Futian himself returned to the Li Family, bringing a message from the City Lord.

“What?”

“The City Lord… wants Li Yun’s help?”

“Li Yun will be staying in the City Lord’s Mansion for the time being? He won’t be returning home?”

The entire hall fell into stunned silence.

Even Li Jinyun, who was rarely shaken, blinked in surprise.

The City Lord of Azure Wind City, a Xiantian Realm powerhouse who rarely involved herself in family matters, wanted the help of a sixteen-year-old youth?

What exactly was going on?

Still, the tension slowly eased from their faces. At least this meant no immediate danger loomed over Li Yun. If Bai Xueqin truly intended harm, she wouldn’t have sent Bai Futian back to openly deliver such a message.

“Third Elder, are you finally at ease now?” Li Jinyun asked with a faint smile, turning toward Li Zhen, who had been pacing restlessly just moments ago.

“Hehe, worried? Who, me?” Li Zhen gave a sheepish laugh and waved his hand. “I’ll be heading back to rest. Patriarch, I’ll take my leave first.”

He cupped his hands in farewell and strode out. One by one, the other elders also excused themselves, leaving the patriarch’s courtyard quieter than before.

—

City Lord’s Mansion – Guest Room.

The chamber prepared for Li Yun was not ostentatious, yet its elegance was undeniable. Every detail was refined, the carved wooden furniture, the polished jade utensils, and the subtle fragrance in the air.

The arrangement was simple, yet dignified, exuding a restrained grandeur that was fitting for the residence of Azure Wind City’s ruler.

At this moment, Li Yun sat cross-legged on the bed of his guest chamber, his breathing steady and calm. His gaze, however, was fixed with intense focus on the emerald-green jade bottle resting in his palm.

Inside that delicate bottle was spirit liquid, an unimaginably precious treasure in the eyes of cultivators.

“Come on then,” Li Yun murmured, eyes glinting with anticipation. “They say spirit liquid grants immense benefits even to Xiantian Realm cultivators. If that’s true, then what kind of transformation will I, still only in the Body Tempering Realm, experience after taking it?”

He forced himself to clear away stray thoughts and gently pulled open the bottle. Strangely, no fragrance drifted out. Spirit liquid, it seemed, was without scent.

Frowning, Li Yun peered into the mouth of the bottle.

“Hmm? Empty?”

His brows knitted tighter. At first glance, it seemed as though not a drop of liquid was inside.

“What’s going on? The City Lord wouldn’t deceive me… would she? Did she give me the wrong bottle?” He shook it lightly in his hand.

A faint ripple answered him.

Li Yun’s eyes brightened. “Ah, not empty after all.”

There was liquid, just far too little to see clearly at first. What rested inside was no colorful elixir, but a single bead of clear, viscous liquid, no bigger than a teardrop.

“One drop?” Li Yun’s expression darkened. “The City Lord is this stingy? She called this a bottle of spirit liquid?”

His disappointment was obvious, but he quickly forced it away with a sigh. “Forget it. Let’s see what even a single drop can do.”

Tilting the bottle to his lips, he swallowed the lone drop of spirit liquid.

The result was instantaneous.

“Boom!”

A scorching wave erupted through his body, as though he had swallowed a fragment of the sun. His insides burned with searing heat; his face flushed crimson as if he had stepped into a blazing furnace.

“What terrifying spiritual power!” His mind reeled, but he didn’t dare hesitate.

He immediately circulated the Crimson Flame Scripture to the 8th layer. Red flames of internal energy surged through his meridians, straining against the wild, destructive force of the spirit liquid.

“Damn! Even with the Crimson Flame Scripture running at 5th layer, it’s still rampaging!” He clenched his teeth and focused, refusing to let the energy run wild.

The liquid’s spiritual power was quickly absorbed, refined, and converted into pure internal energy. At the same time, his meridians stretched and widened, each pulse of energy tempering them like molten steel reshaping iron.

“So strong… too strong!” Li Yun’s heart pounded in exhilaration. He could feel his internal energy swelling, strengthening with every breath.

It was no wonder even Xiantian experts would fight to the death for Mist Spirit Pools. A single drop of spirit liquid was already this frightening.

The Body Tempering Realm existed to prepare the body, to forge the vessel strong enough to hold Qi once the dantian opened. The stronger the vessel, the more Qi it could endure and store. And right now, the spirit liquid wasn’t just boosting his energy, it was remaking him from the inside out, tempering his meridians with overwhelming force.

“Bang!”

A muffled sound echoed from within his body as a barrier shattered. His aura surged upward. In that instant, Li Yun had broken through, stepping into the 2nd level of the Body Tempering Realm.

The raging tide of energy finally began to settle, flowing calmly through his body.

“One drop… just one drop raised me a full level?” Li Yun’s eyes gleamed with astonishment, then narrowed with burning excitement.

“If a single drop can do this… what will happen when I enter the Mist Spirit Pool itself?”

Just the thought made his blood surge with expectation.

What Li Yun didn’t know was that this single drop of spirit liquid was once been a countless bottles of spirit liquid. It was city lord herself who refined those spirit liquid further removing all the impurities from them to produce one single drop of spirit liquid.

This was to make sure one could easily and effortlessly refined the drop of spirit liquid. If she hadn’t done that, Li Yun would have taken days to refine a few bottles of such spirit liquid.

The next few days, Li Yun continued cultivating his Crimson Flame Scripture silently.

Before long, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning, a knock came at his door.

“Young Master Li Yun!” The familiar voice of Bai Futian, the captain of the City Lord’s guards, sounded from outside.

Li Yun, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes. In a flash, his body moved. He stepped across the room and pulled open the door to see Bai Futian waiting.

“Young Master Li Yun, the City Lord has asked me to inform you. It’s time to depart,” Bai Futian said with a polite smile.

“I don’t need to prepare anything. Where is the City Lord?” Li Yun asked calmly, his eyes steady.

“Please, follow me.” Bai Futian bowed slightly, then stepped aside to lead the way.

When they reached the front courtyard of the City Lord’s Mansion, a grand carriage was already waiting. It gleamed faintly with spiritual light, its frame reinforced with inscribed runes. At its front stood two magnificent beasts, Cloud-Soaring Horses.

The sight made Li Yun pause for a moment.

The border between Azure Wind City and Water Cloud City was still extremely far. Without such a carriage, even skilled cultivators would need half a month on foot to reach the Mist Spirit Pool. But with Cloud-Soaring Horses pulling the vehicle, the journey could be cut down to mere days.

These spirit beasts were extraordinary, renowned for their speed and endurance, with flowing manes that shimmered like clouds drifting in the sky. They were rare treasures. Even in Azure Wind City’s City Lord’s Mansion, there were only a few of them.

Li Yun recognized them at a glance. The Li Family had raised two such beasts, but they had never been used to pull a carriage. For him, this would be his first time riding a Cloud-Soaring Carriage, and despite himself, a flicker of excitement stirred in his chest.

“Young Master Li Yun, please wait here a moment. The City Lord and the others will arrive shortly,” Bai Futian said warmly.

“Alright,” Li Yun nodded.

As they stood waiting, the sound of footsteps echoed through the courtyard. From behind a grand archway, figures began to emerge.

Naturally, Li Yun’s gaze shifted in that direction.