Cultivation Daddy

Chapter 194: Chapter 93: Instant Breakthrough Miracle (2)

Boom! The first breakthrough pressure erupted.

Outside, Li Cheng took half a step back from the pressure. Li Yujian raised his hand and activated the stabilizing formation. Silver lines lit up across the chamber door.

At almost the same time, Lin Ruoqing’s chamber also surged.

Her breakthrough was different from Cao Wen’s.

Cao Wen’s breakthrough was heavy, like a stone gate being pushed open.

The spiritual energy he had accumulated over years of frustrating stagnation suddenly began to surge like a breached dam straight into his meridians.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

A muffled shockwave of pure spiritual pressure rippled outward from the chamber, striking the protective barrier and causing the runes to flare. Down on the main floors, cultivators dining all turned their heads upward in disbelief.

"Did you feel that?" a cultivator whispered, his eyes wide. "That... that’s the unmistakable sign of a breakthrough to the Soul Palace Realm!"

Before anyone could fully recover from the shock, a second shockwave echoed from the other chamber where the young merchant woman was. White-gold spiritual energy rippled through the air on the fifth floor. Two successful breakthroughs, back-to-back, achieved in mere minutes through a bowl of food.

The dining hall erupted into an instantaneous uproar.

"It’s real! It actually worked!"

"Two breakthroughs straight to the Soul Palace Realm in less than half an hour!"

"Owner Li wasn’t exaggerating. This is a divine miracle!"

Panic and frenzied excitement tore through the crowd. Dozens of cultivators slammed their hands onto their tables, channeling their spiritual energy into the jade menu plates with desperation.

"Give me an Instant Breakthrough! I want one right now!"

"Order! I’m paying double, no triple!"

Upstairs, Li Yujian looked down at the jade registration board, his calm face showing a rare sign of surprise as orders flooded in simultaneously. He tapped the board, his voice carrying clearly across the upper levels: "Attention. The Instant Breakthrough is limited. Following the first two servings..." He paused, checking the remaining inventory tally: "...there is only one portion remaining in stock today."

The entire tavern went dead silent for a moment before chaos broke out again.

"Only one left?!"

"I asked first! My spiritual sense hit the plate before yours!"

"Open your blind eyes, old man, I’ve been stuck at the peak of Spiritual Sea for five years! I need that dish more than anyone here!"

"What do you know, boy? This old man has been stuck at the late stage of Spiritual Sea for twelve years. Please let me have this dish."

"I can pay more; do you want to compete with me?"

Right at that moment, Li Jain’s voice sounded: "The price will not change. The Spiritual Tavern does not auction prepared food; we have a fixed price."

The guess nodded secretly. This sentence actually made them feel at ease. If every rare dish turned into an auction, only the richest would eat anything good.

Four cultivators, each standing at the absolute peak of the Spiritual Sea realm, representing different rival factions, simultaneously slammed their hands onto the railing of the fourth-floor balcony. None of them was willing to back down.

The first was a muscular rogue cultivator wrapped in scarred leather armor, known across the western districts for his ruthless temper. The second was a rich young master clad in embroidered gold robes, gripping a jade-hilted broadsword. The third was a taciturn wandering swordsman whose eyes burned with an obsessive, desperate hunger for power, and the last was the old man in a gray robe who said he had been stuck for twelve years.

"I won’t give in!" the rogue cultivator growled, his voice vibrating with suppressed fury as he glared down at his rivals: "I’ve spent half my life scraping for spirit stones and risking death in beast realms. If anyone thinks they can snatch this breakthrough from me, step forward and try."

"Hah! A stray dog from the wilderness thinks he can claim a treasure of the Spiritual Tavern?" the aristocratic young master sneered, lifting his chin with arrogant disdain: "My family has the wealth to buy this entire street, and my talent dictates that I should be the one standing in the Soul Palace Realm today. Give in, or my family’s elders will hunt you down before sunset."

The wandering swordsman didn’t waste words. He simply rested his hand on the hilt of his weapon: "Talk is cheap. Let’s settle this outside."

"Fine, with this old man."

Bai Lian hurried over to Li Jain and asked: "Master, should we have Zhou Lifen stop them? If they wreck the hall, it won’t be worth it."

Li Jain shook his head calmly. "Let them be. As long as they don’t break the structural formations, a little competition builds character. Besides, the tavern rules state we don’t interfere in private disputes outside the seating area."

Realizing they couldn’t fight inside without incurring the wrath of the terrifying gatekeeper and the mysterious owner, the four contenders exchanged dark glances.

"An open space," the wandering swordsman rasped, his voice like grinding stones. "The empty training yard behind the back alley. Let’s settle this there."

"Agreed," the rogue cultivator laughed recklessly: "Whoever walks out standing gets the final bowl."

Soon, a large group of customers moved toward the side courtyard. Those who could not go activated spiritual viewing techniques from inside the tavern. Even some guests on the private floors opened their windows to watch. Li Jain did not stop them. As long as no one broke anything, it was fine.

A random, elderly spectator from the crowd, who had come merely to observe was nervously pushed forward to act as the judge.

"A-Alright," the old man stammered, wiping sweat from his forehead as he raised a trembling hand: "No lethal strikes to vital organs... and whoever is left conscious or standing wins the right to purchase the final dish. Are you ready?"

"Cut the chatter," the young master snapped, drawing his broadsword with a blinding flash of golden light: "Let’s finish this quickly."

Clang!

The match erupted instantly into a chaotic storm of spiritual energy. The rogue cultivator roared, his fists glowing with a dense, earthy brown aura as he lunged forward like a charging rhinoceros, aiming a devastating blow straight at the young master’s chest. The impact sent shockwaves of dust rippling across the courtyard, cracking the cobblestones beneath their feet.

The young master gritted his teeth, parrying the blow with his broadsword while simultaneously channeling a wave of razor-sharp sword Qi toward the cultivator.

"Mountain-Pressing Palm!" The gray-robed elder struck his palm toward the swordsman, a heavy force came crashing down.

The swordsman didn’t blink. His blade flashed from its scabbard with the speed of a falling star, intercepting the golden palm with a piercing metallic screech that set everyone’s teeth on edge.

For several minutes, the open space became a blur of colliding energy, and roaring shouts. The onlookers held their breath, watching the intense clash of four desperate cultivators fighting for the ultimate shortcut to power.

But a late-stage Spiritual Sea battle among evenly matched rivals is exhausting and brutal.

The rogue cultivator, relying purely on raw physical force and brute-force Qi, began to slow down as his internal reserves drained under the relentless pressure. Seizing an opening, the wandering swordsman executed a blinding, lightning-fast cross-slash that caught the rogue square across the shoulder, sending him crashing heavily into the dirt.

"Argh—!" The rogue spat a mouthful of blood, clutching his shoulder. He slumped against a broken stone pillar, gasping for air: "Damn it... I lost..."

That left three. The rich young master, the old man, and the wandering swordsman.

The young master was breathing heavily, his embroidered robes were stained with dust and sweat, and his golden broadsword was shaking in his grip. Across from him stood the old man.

"You’re good," the young master panted, glaring through narrowed eyes. "But my family technique has no equal!"

With a final, desperate roar, the young master poured every ounce of his remaining spiritual energy into his sword, unleashing a blinding crescent arc of golden light that tore through the air toward his opponent. The old man’s eyes narrowed, he increased the power in his golden palm which crushed the young master and kept him on the ground unable to move.

Unfortunately, the swordsman made his move at the same time, and the old man had no time to dodge.

Thud.

The swordsman’s blade stopped a mere inch from the old man’s throat, the cold steel sending a shiver straight down his spine.

The old man stared blankly at the tip of the blade, his chest heaving. He sighed: "It seems this old man’s chance has to wait...I lost."

The old judge blinked in astonishment, raising a shaky hand toward the victor. "T-The match is over! This young man with the sword is the winner!"

A collective gasp swept through the gathered crowd. The three losers, exhausted, and disappointed, had no choice left but to accept their fate, turning away with downcast eyes as they dragged themselves back to the Tavern.

The wandering swordsman wiped a streak of blood from his cheek. Without wasting a second, he hurried to the counter to pay for the instant breakthrough dish. He couldn’t hide his excitement as he paid for the dish, the others can only watch in envy. Even if they weren’t at the level, there’s someone in the family that needs it, unfortunately, they let such an opportunity pass them.

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