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After completing the upgrade of his heart meridian, Asher shifted his focus to his lung meridians.

With a quick glance, he assessed the state of his shields; they were almost depleted, and his mana reserves were empty. He had to stabilize it again. 

'I sure as hell don't want any interruption when I upgrade my meridians.' Asher thought after he examined the shields. 

Without hesitation, he tapped into the raw energy of the Aether, bypassing the need for mana. 

As the rush of power surged through him, Asher couldn't help but feel exhilarated. Using Aether to create new shields would help him stabilize his meridians for extended periods. And the effortlessness was totally different than when he used mana.

"I'm going to push for cracking the meridian," Asher said as he opened his eyes.

"Finally! What took you so long?" Xinyue asked with a hint of impatience. 

Asher chuckled at Xinyue's enthusiasm. "Sorry for the delay. Just wanted to make sure I was fully prepared,"

"Well, you've got this," she said, "Just don't take any unnecessary risk."

"Yeah, no risk..." Asher replied with a wry smile, though inwardly, he knew that the delay had been caused by him taking a risk.

After entering his inner realm, Asher sensed the amount of Aether left: seventy percent. It was still a substantial amount, and he felt reassured by the reserve of energy at his disposal. 

With careful control and precise manipulation, he believed it should be enough to achieve his goal. In fact, there might even be some leftover.

After taking ten percent of it, he revised the technique he got in the Cultivation Memory Capsule and circulated it as the technique suggested.

Ten percent was quite a large amount, and he could feel its potent energy. The Aether soon gathered at the center of his meridian as it slowly converted to raw energy. 

The surge of energy pulsed at the center of Asher's meridian, each moment amplifying the force behind the circulation. 

What had begun as a gentle stream now surged like a mighty flood, gathering strength with every passing moment.

Asher maintained the technique for several minutes, the Aether within him depleting gradually as he followed the technique. 

As Asher began to prepare to break the meridian barrier, he noticed a faint flicker, barely discernible at first. It danced on the edge of his vision as he had expected.

Breaking open a barrier required technique, not just brute force. 

The barrier was hidden deep within, carefully concealed to protect it from any stray energy that might seek to breach its defenses. Only concentrated effort can result in success.

If the meridian barrier was not hidden, the barrier would strengthen itself with time from any stray energy.

Frowning in concentration, he focused all his attention on the flicker, willing it to grow stronger. With each energy circulation in the specific pattern, the flickering became more pronounced.

Asher continued to circulate the energy, and he reached a point where he sensed his speed had peaked. Determined, he steeled himself for the impending collision.

The energy surged forth, crashing against the meridian barrier with incredible force. While most cultivators would need to condense their Qi to breach such a barrier, Aether, already processed by the system, required no such densification.

Asher was taken aback as the barrier resisted, showing only minor cracks under the onslaught. In his surprise, he lost control of the wave, and half of the energy dissipated before he could redirect it back to the center, maintaining the circulation in a continuous loop.

'Shit, that was a large amount of Aether yet it formed a mere handful of cracks.'

Frowning, he observed as the cracks began to mend themselves, a sign that the barrier would grow stronger with each attempt.

As Asher pondered the situation, he realized that overcoming meridians became increasingly difficult with each failure. That's the reason many prepare every resource before initiating it.

With a grimace, he turned his attention back to the cracks and the swirling energy in the center.

Even with half the energy being dispersed, it was still substantial.

After more contemplation, Asher discovered the root of the problem: the barrier had evolved along with his meridian. 

The Heavenly Lightning, River Formation, and Aether that had mixed to refine his first meridian had imbued it with unparalleled strength. 

Yet, now he questioned whether he could overcome the barrier itself. 'Did I just shoot myself in the foot?'

The major problem is that the quantity of Aether he required also increased exponentially.

'Shit. This is sure some lousy luck.' A surge of nervousness coursed through Asher as he contemplated the dwindling reservoir of Aether at his disposal. 

Just moments ago, it had seemed plentiful, but now it appeared woefully inadequate.

Taking a deep breath, Asher steeled himself and resolved to press on. With no other option but to try, he focused his efforts once more.

The potency of Aether pulsed through Asher's veins, its power, unlike anything he had ever experienced. He couldn't imagine Xinyue parting with something so precious without a guarantee of success. 

Grateful for his innate affinity with Aether, Asher knew he was fortunate; without it, he'd be forced to rely on mana, a resource that paled in comparison in terms of potency. 

He would require a shit ton of it just to form a crack.

With determination burning in his veins, Asher circulated the Energy wave once more, infusing it with a greater quantity of Aether than before. 

Only a minuscule fraction remained unused as he channeled the rest into the technique. 

Slowly but steadily, the wave regained its former strength and surged beyond, growing in intensity until it resembled a tsunami of raw energy.

Yet, even the technique itself strained under the weight of such immense power, never designed to accommodate such quantities. With each successive wave, Asher pushed it to its very limits.

After circling for an eternity, he sensed no surge of new strength. 

With a grunt, he propelled the wave forward, hurling the energy at the barrier. 

But despair washed over him as soon as he shifted his focus towards it.

The cracks that had once offered a glimmer of hope had now sealed shut, the barrier growing impenetrable again. Stronger than before. 

He hesitated, feeling the weight of defeat settling in as the newly healed barrier seemed more potent. 

But before despair could entirely consume him, a surge of determination ignited as his soul seemed to take control. Ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. A half-formed idea began to take shape.

Time seemed to stretch as his soul asserted its dominance. 

He instinctively invoked the Heavenly River Formation, his mind racing to map out the most efficient path for energy flow within his meridians. 

Though the Formation Technique wasn't explicitly designed for meridian breaking. It harbored components that could enhance energy efficiency within the channels.

Soon, information began to come, and with each deliberate step, Asher adjusted his course, honing in on the optimal area. Time was of the essence now as they hurtled towards collision. 

Asher clenched his metaphorical teeth, hoping fervently that their impact would be enough to shatter the barrier.

Adjusting the direction repeatedly, he soon entered the optimal area. 

There was no more time as the energy wave collided with the barrier, a web of cracks spidered across its surface, the first signs of vulnerability. 

Undeterred, Asher maintained the pressure, unleashing the tsunami of energy on it. 

'Shit, what the hell is that,' he muttered under his breath, frustration creeping in. According to the technique, the meridian barrier should have yielded. 

But as Asher surveyed the scene, he realized the outcome was uncertain.

The cracks began to widen, a promising development, but Asher sensed it would be fifty-fifty.

As Asher pondered his options, he felt the weight of his decision pressing down on him. He had been holding onto the last shreds of Aether, cherishing them like precious gems, reluctant to let go. But now, faced with the looming barrier and the situation's urgency, he knew he had no choice.

After consideration, he decided to expend the last remnants of Aether. He planned to use it to sustain his [ Meridian Sensing ] skill and sense the barrier breaking in real time, but he saw no other choice.

Without wasting time, he summoned every ounce of his soul's strength and directed it towards the cracks in the barrier. 

Instead of brute force, he wielded his energy precisely, cutting the barrier like he did with heavenly lightning.

A sense of anticipation surged when he felt the barrier yielded, and cracks increased. However, before he could witness the breaking, a sudden force ejected him from the inner realm as no more energy was present to sustain the [ Merdian Sensing ] skill. 

Blinking rapidly, he found himself staring into the astonished faces of Xinyue and Elder Su right in front of him. But his focus quickly shifted to what was happening. 

The mana in the surroundings was directly being absorbed by him. Without the need for any technique, it flowed directly into him.

He could feel it concentrating in the heart meridian. As the influx of mana reached its peak, a new system screen materialized before his eyes,

 

First Meridian Broken!!

Mana Capacity Increasing

Mana: 12... 42... 70... 

 

 

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