Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System

The purple light inheritance Li Yun had obtained in the tomb’s Inheritance Hall turned out to be a 7th tier secret art known as Hundred Layer Shield.

This secret art was entirely defensive in nature.

By circulating one’s qi through a unique method, a cultivator could condense shields of pure energy around their body. The number of shields created determined the level of protection one could achieve.

According to the records of the technique, if someone managed to form a full hundred shields and stack them layer upon layer, the resulting defense would become astonishingly powerful. Once all hundred barriers merged together, they could withstand nearly any attack within the user’s realm.

It was an absurdly strong secret art.

However, such power naturally came with a price.

Hundred Layer Shield possessed one obvious and crippling flaw.

To condense even a single shield, an ordinary cultivator would need to consume nearly all of their qi. Under such conditions, how could anyone possibly create a second shield, let alone ten, fifty, or a full hundred?

Because of this, despite being a 7th tier secret art, Hundred Layer Shield had remained neglected for years. Its theory was magnificent, but in practical use it was nearly impossible for normal martial artists.

Li Yun’s eyes gleamed when he understood this point.

“My Chaos Qi is different.”

He spoke softly to himself.

“It is vast, endless in nature, and recovers at a terrifying speed. If anyone can fully cultivate this secret art, it should be me.”

A smile slowly formed on his face.

Only now did he realize how fortunate he had been when he obtained the purple inheritance light in the hall. What he had first considered simple good luck was actually an enormous opportunity perfectly suited to him.

“This Hundred Layer Shield was practically waiting for someone like me.”

With that thought, Li Yun immediately entered another period of secluded cultivation.

He devoted himself to mastering the secret art.

The seclusion lasted two full months.

He did not spend every moment only on Hundred Layer Shield. While comprehending the shield technique, he also continued tempering his body through the Ninefold Origin Flesh Scripture.

Under constant refinement, his physical body advanced once more.

The scripture broke through into the fourth stage, Titan Flesh.

The moment he entered this stage, a tremendous transformation occurred within his body. His muscles became denser, his skin tougher, and every strand of flesh carried a terrifying durability.

Li Yun could feel that his body had become like forged divine metal.

Each movement of his limbs contained explosive power, while his flesh itself possessed monstrous defensive strength.

After testing his body, Li Yun came to a bold conclusion.

At his current level, he doubted anyone within the Essence Qi Realm could seriously injure him through brute force alone.

The fourth stage of Titan Flesh had raised his survivability to a completely new level.

Even with such a powerful body, Li Yun still did not dare to cultivate the World Bearing Devil Suppressing Physique to the 4th stage.

The current 3rd stage was already placing an enormous burden on him.

At this stage, his body carried a weight one thousand times greater than its natural state. Such an increase sounded simple in theory, but in practice it was terrifying.

The mental strain alone was severe.

Li Yun had to maintain constant qi control at all times just to move normally. Walking, lifting an arm, adjusting his breathing, or making the slightest motion all required careful regulation. If his concentration slipped for even a moment, the terrifying weight of his body would immediately affect every action.

The physical burden was equally intense.

Even though his flesh had become far stronger after reaching Titan Flesh, carrying a body with one thousand times its original mass still created tremendous pressure on his muscles, bones, organs, and meridians. Every moment spent under that condition was a form of cultivation, but it was also a form of torment.

Li Yun judged the matter calmly.

Unless his strength reached the upper limits of the Essence Qi Realm, or perhaps approached the Mortal Core Realm, he would not possess the mental control or physical foundation required to safely attempt the 4th stage of the World Bearing Devil Suppressing Physique.

Trying to force a breakthrough now would be reckless.

Because of this, he decisively set the technique aside for the time being.

Instead of wasting effort there, Li Yun used the remaining period of seclusion to deepen his understanding of the martial intents he had already comprehended.

This choice brought excellent results.

His Sword Intent advanced first.

Thanks to the profound sword aura and accumulated comprehension contained within the sword token, his Sword Intent rose to 50% source mastery.

The increase was not merely numerical. Once his sword intent crossed that threshold, it became sharper, purer, and more domineering than before. Every movement of his blade now carried far greater killing power.

His Wind Intent and Flame Intent also improved steadily.

Both of them finally caught up to his Lightning Intent, each reaching 40% source mastery.

Wind became faster and more elusive.

Flame became fiercer and more destructive.

Lightning remained violent and explosive as always.

As for his cultivation realm, it remained at the 4th level of the Qi Sea Realm.

Every valuable resource he possessed had already been consumed when he broke through from the 2nd level to the 4th level. Without pills, spirit herbs, stones, or treasures to support rapid growth, relying on cultivation arts alone would make progress far slower.

Yet Li Yun was not worried in the slightest.

He knew that resources could always be found again.

What mattered was that his foundation had become stronger, his body tougher, and his martial intents sharper.

With his current strength, obtaining more resources in the future would only become easier.

“Let me see if I have enough EXP to raise my comprehension.”

Li Yun murmured to himself as he opened his status panel.

—-

[Name: Li Yun]

– Cultivation: [4th level of Qi Sea Realm]

– Physique: [Primal Chaos Body]

– Eye: [Nine Tribulations Divine Eye (Left)]

– Spirit Soul: [Blue Soul]

– Comprehension: [5th Tier]

– Experience: [43700]

—-

[Spirit Soul]

– Experience Required to Level Up: 30000

– Upgrade: Indigo

—-

[Comprehension]

– Experience Required to Level Up: 15000

– Requirement: Indigo Spirit Soul

– Upgrade: 6th Tier

—-

Li Yun studied the panel carefully before letting out a slow breath.

“In total, I need 45000 EXP, and I only have around 43700.”

A trace of regret appeared on his face. He was short by only a few thousand EXP. After coming so close, the gap felt especially frustrating.

As he looked at the numbers, another realization surfaced in his mind.

The EXP required to advance both his Spirit Soul and Comprehension was doubling with every tier.

That meant future breakthroughs would become increasingly difficult. Each improvement would demand far greater accumulation than the last.

However, Li Yun did not remain discouraged for long. He quickly regained his calm and began calculating his next steps.

“Still, it should not be a problem.”

He spoke softly while closing the status panel.

“The Tea Ceremony is approaching, and with the level of geniuses gathering there, opportunities will naturally follow. I should be able to earn enough EXP there.”

His eyes narrowed slightly with anticipation.

“If all goes well, I can raise my Spirit Soul to Indigo and push my Comprehension into the 6th Tier before the Hidden Dragon Tournament begins.”

The moment that thought settled, Li Yun’s mood improved.

To others, the Tea Ceremony was a gathering of young elites.

To him, it was also a chance to harvest experience, sharpen his strength, and prepare for the coming Hidden Dragon Tournament.