The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

That night, inside Lin Qian's room, the Nirvana Flame Bath was set up once again. However, this time, the liquid was a deep crimson, far more intense than before. The effects of this Nirvana Flame Bath were several times stronger than the previous ones, and the pain Lin Qian had to endure was also magnified many times over.

Stripping off his clothes, Lin Qian took a deep breath before stepping into the wooden tub, allowing the deep crimson liquid to engulf his entire body. As soon as his legs entered the tub, Lin Qian couldn't help but gasp in pain. The searing heat rushed through him, enveloping his body in intense agony.

Sitting in the tub, Lin Qian clenched his teeth, enduring the terrifying power of the medicine. If it weren't for his twelve cycles of Nirvana, which had made his body incredibly strong, he wouldn't have been able to withstand such a powerful infusion of medicinal energy. If Liu Ming, the strongest in physical prowess among the inner disciples, were to attempt this, he would likely explode from the overwhelming force.

Lin Qian closed his eyes, gradually getting accustomed to the continuous waves of pain. If he couldn't endure this level of suffering, how could he become strong enough to rescue his parents? As he calmed his mind amidst the pain, he began to circulate the Emperor's Art, a technique personally tailored for him by the Tian Gong Division.

As Lin Qian's cultivation technique activated, his aura began to rise, and his soul power started to accumulate once again.

Outside the room, Wei Wushuang stood silently in the courtyard, his gaze fixed on Lin Qian's room. His hands, clasped behind his back, were tightly clenched. He recalled the time on Prison Island when he, weakened and powerless due to his poison, encountered a terrified Lin Qian. That encounter forged a bond between them as master and disciple, and in that place where survival was a daily struggle, they relied on each other to stay alive.

Their bond was one forged in life-and-death situations. Moreover, Wei Wushuang owed his life to Lin Qian, who had saved him when he was on the brink of death.

"The breakthrough to the Nirvana Realm is fraught with danger, Lin Qian," Wei Wushuang muttered, his eyes fixed on the house. "Let me witness the miracle of breaking through the Nirvana Realm after twelve cycles of Nirvana."

As the night wore on, Lin Qian, sitting quietly in the tub, reached the ninth level of the Forming Realm once again. Unlike other soul martial artists, Lin Qian's dispersed soul power didn't go to waste after stimulating his soul core. Instead, every bit of it was fully utilized. Therefore, his foundation was incredibly solid, making it easy for him to restore his cultivation. With the help of such powerful medicinal energy, it was almost impossible for his progress not to be swift.

Reaching the ninth level of the Forming Realm marked the beginning of his breakthrough to the Nirvana Realm.

Lin Qian's body trembled as the soul power in his dantian, which swirled like a nebula, began to burn fiercely. His dantian felt as though it had turned into a sea of fire.

"Nirvana through flames!"

Lin Qian remained calm as he guided the burning soul power to flow throughout his body. The fiery soul power coursed through his meridians like serpents of flame, scorching his internal pathways. At the same time, the burning soul power gradually seeped into his flesh and bones.

In an instant, the Nirvana Flame Bath in the tub ignited, engulfing Lin Qian's entire body in flames. His hair was incinerated in the blaze, and the liquid in the tub evaporated rapidly, filling the room with a red mist.

As the soul power in his dantian continued to burn, it also began to transform his black and white soul cores, causing subtle yet profound changes.

"Not enough soul power?" Lin Qian suddenly felt the flames within him weaken, causing his heart to tighten with concern.

Breaking through to the Nirvana Realm required a process of rebirth through flames, where the burning of one's soul power would transform the entire body. This transformation was why soul martial artists could emerge from the Forming Realm and enter the Nirvana Realm with significantly enhanced abilities. Lin Qian's ability to contend with Nirvana Realm experts while still in the Forming Realm was already astonishing, and many dismissed it as mere exaggeration.

However, the process of Nirvana through flames required a sufficient amount of soul power to fuel the transformation. Lin Qian could feel that his current supply was far from enough.

Boom!

The wooden tub shattered under the force of his aura as the medicinal liquid had long since evaporated. Only the wooden planks beneath him remained intact. The Nirvana flames produced during the breakthrough only affected the person undergoing the transformation and any medicinal liquids present. Inanimate objects like the wooden planks remained untouched by the flames.

Lin Qian's eyes focused as a system interface appeared before him, showing an image of Zhuge Ming standing in front of a tactical screen within the Heavenly Crafting Division of the Hua Xia Empire.

The vast hall of the Heavenly Crafting Division was filled with the empire's most elite scholars, all standing before various tactical screens displaying intricate data. They continuously fed their analyses into the screens, which then processed the information.

Zhuge Ming stood at the center of the hall, overseeing the operation, surrounded by eight of the largest tactical screens. Seven of these screens displayed the most detailed data on Lin Qian's condition and the soul power infusion from Tianhen. Zhuge Ming's main screen showed Lin Qian's face.

"Your Majesty!" Zhuge Ming greeted respectfully, bowing deeply.

"The soul power required for the breakthrough after twelve cycles of Nirvana far exceeds our calculations. Increase the output from Tianhen," Lin Qian instructed immediately after Zhuge Ming's greeting.

Zhuge Ming was taken aback and quickly responded, "Your Majesty, if we increase the output, the pain might become unbearable. The intensity of the pain could exceed your current tolerance!"

"Increase the output. I can endure the pain, but I cannot tolerate failure," Lin Qian replied firmly. "I trust you, and I trust the Heavenly Crafting Division."

Zhuge Ming hesitated for a moment before smiling and bowing deeply. "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. We understand."

The screen in front of Zhuge Ming returned to displaying data as Lin Qian's image faded away.

"You all heard him," Zhuge Ming addressed the excited scholars around him.

"We heard!" they responded, their spirits lifted, their fists clenched with determination.

"Then let's give it our all, for His Majesty!" Zhuge Ming's expression turned serious as he focused on the tactical screen. "Increase the output of spiritual energy!"

Back in Lin Qian's room on Maoqing Mountain, his eyes widened as the overwhelming surge of soul power hit him. His teeth clenched so hard that he bit through them, his mouth filling with blood.

Boom!

Terrifying soul flames erupted from Lin Qian's body, engulfing his entire room in a blaze. Outside, Wei Wushuang watched in shock as the flames consumed the house.

"This kid..." Wei Wushuang muttered, utterly stunned by the display of power.