Chapter 245 More Than One Big Breakthrough!

With the vital energy unleashed from the point of the sword and in a respectful manner, Austin moved the bones of the Great Sage Cloud into the grave he had just dug. He then buried the shell of this once powerful cultivator with sand and soil from the cave. A pile of mound was made to serve as his tomb.

To further show his respect for the dead, Austin stepped back and bowed to the heap for a few moments, before he turned his attention to the little silver ball on the bed.

'Could this be some kind of treasure?' he wondered. This might explain why the Great Sage Cloud kept it hidden under his body even during his final moments.

After hesitating for a while, Austin went up and took the ball in his hand, studying it carefully.

However, the very instant when his breath touched the ball, it suddenly started vibrating. A burst of silver light emanated from within. Austin narrowed his eyes in order to see through the dazzling light, and discovered some words hovering in the air.

"He who would help me rest in peace must uphold honesty and faith. All my life I have appreciated the honorable and despise the opposite. An honorarium is thus waiting for you." Austin read the words as the silver light kept illuminating the space.

"This silver ball is a crystallization of my lifetime's achievements. Take it as a reward and use it well."

Before Austin could even digest the words, the words slowly disappeared after lingering in the air for a few more seconds.

'What does he mean, the crystallization of what he has achieved? Does it have something to do with cultivation?'

Questions began erupting inside Austin's head like fireworks. He still stared blankly at the place where those words once rested after they were gone.

The next instant, instead of being enlightened with the words he just saw, Austin was struck by a refreshing wave of light. In his surprise, Austin saw the fist-sized silver ball shake more violently, and suddenly it exploded with a light but clear sound.

The light did not fade away, but the ball turned into a cloud of thick silver smoke that rushed towards Austin, surrounding him and eventually enveloping him.

The next thing he knew, a refined force surged rapidly through his entire body. He could feel that it was a high-quality vital energy force which enveloped him. In the blink of an eye, Austin was unable to move a single muscle.

Then, as Austin struggled to free himself, the silver smoke began to flow, and seeped in his body through his pores and acupoints.

At the same time, Austin felt that the vital energy quickly accumulated within him before it suddenly permeated into his energy meridians like a river rushing through. Austin started to breathe deeply while the vital energy flushed into him like the rivers pouring into the sea.

As the vital energy filled him, streams of it met and converged in his meridians. They formed a strong tidal current and began to open and enlarge his energy meridians as they pushed through.

This process was accompanied by the crackle of his body.

Austin was no stranger to the sound of body transformation, and he knew that t

ould.

What came next, however, was something even crazier.

To his astonishment, Austin had again sensed that another breakthrough was about to happen!

'How could this be?' Austin was half amazed, half pleasantly surprised now. If this was true, then he was going to reach the premium stage of Earth Realm just like that! ! ! !

This was no doubt a momentous occasion!

But Austin immediately tried to contain his excitement, for he knew very well that strong emotions could get in the way of cultivating. If a cultivator was too emotional during his refining, then bad things might happen when he tried to make a breakthrough. The worst case scenario was that one's cultivation base could become dangerously unstable, and he or she might end up with energy deviation, just like what happened to the Great Sage Cloud.

So it was critical for Austin to get a hold of himself and clear his mind during this critical stage. He was experienced enough to know that by now.

To get rid of all the negative emotions, Austin quickly took some time to regulate his breathing. Being a strong-willed cultivator, he was able to calm down and diminish the distracting thoughts in his mind right away.

In an instant, he had driven all worldly distractions and all of his internal demons away. He became so dedicated that he had forgotten all about the outside world and even himself. His sole attention was focused on directing the silver vital energy to run through his body, and to help him with the breakthrough.

Violet, on the other hand, felt ill at ease at that moment. But seeing that Austin was practicing steadily like a monk sitting in meditation, she dared not say a single word which might disturb him, however anxious she was.

Because she knew that this kind of opportunity was hard to come by, therefore Austin would definitely not give it up easily.

But she had every reason to feel worried. Those five powerful cultivators at the Mysterious Realm were at their heels, and could break in the cave any minute. The two of them were still in a precarious situation anyway.