Chapter 22: The Mark of Potential

Yuan Bo stood atop the mountain, safeguarding Qin Feiyang during his cultivation. The Master of the Martial Hall, Ma Hongmei, had returned to Iron Ox Town, yet took no further action. Iron Ox Town was surrounded by mountains on all sides, a hundred miles of barren wilderness; to find two people, especially two intent on hiding, was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Therefore, rather than waste their efforts searching, it was better to wait. They believed Qin Feiyang would show himself again, and it would not be long.

At noon, Qin Feiyang’s body trembled, and in an instant, his aura surged to the level of a Nine-Star Warrior! With a sudden movement, he leapt up and unleashed his full strength in a punch to the ground.

A tremendous boom echoed as the earth split open, revealing a huge crater. “The strength of nine bears!” Qin Feiyang was elated. Four days ago, he had been a cripple, incapable of even lifting a chicken. Now, after only four days, he possessed the might of nine bears—a force of four thousand five hundred jin! If word of such progress spread, it would surely astonish many.

Yet Qin Feiyang knew the reason for his rapid advancement: his foundation remained intact.

Yuan Bo smiled and said, “Feiyang, wait until you shatter the warrior’s limit before you celebrate.”

“Alright,” Qin Feiyang nodded, suppressing his excitement. Then he asked, “Yuan Bo, I’ve tried all the usual methods and none worked. Do you have any better ideas?”

Yuan Bo replied, “Breaking through the warrior’s limit is not as difficult as you think.”

Qin Feiyang’s eyes lit up. Could Yuan Bo really have a way?

“No matter if it’s a human or a fierce beast, aside from their inherent potential, there lies a hidden gate of potential within each. Even ordinary people possess it. The only difference is whether one can open this gate or not. From what I know, the gate of potential has ten levels—though if there are more beyond that, I cannot say. The warrior’s limit is merely the first level.”

Qin Feiyang nodded. He had read as much in the ancient tomes of the imperial capital.

“Has anyone ever opened the tenth level?” he asked.

“Yes. That was your ancestor, the founding emperor of the Great Qin Empire,” Yuan Bo replied.

“So it was him,” Qin Feiyang murmured. The one person he’d mentioned before, who broke the warrior’s limit, was indeed his ancestor. He didn’t know what his ancestor looked like or the extent of his strength, but the ancient texts described him as the greatest prodigy of his era, unmatched by any, who established a mighty empire ruling all lands. Yet for some unknown reason, once the empire was stable, his ancestor mysteriously vanished. His subordinates and descendants searched the continent, but there was never a trace, and he became an eternal enigma.

Qin Feiyang shook his head, clearing away the distracting thoughts. “Yuan Bo, how many levels have you opened?”

“I’ll keep that secret for now. You’ll find out one day,” Yuan Bo replied with a mysterious smile.

Qin Feiyang pursed his lips.

“The ten gates of potential—each is harder to open than the last. Most people, no matter how hard they push themselves, can only open one or two in a lifetime. Those who can open three or four are rare as phoenix feathers. As for five or more, not one exists in the entire Great Qin Empire,” Yuan Bo said with a smile.

“You’ve been talking for so long, but still haven’t gotten to the point,” Qin Feiyang grumbled impatiently, then cut straight to the chase, “So how exactly can I break open the gate of potential?”

“Come with me,” Yuan Bo said, waving his hand. At once, Qin Feiyang felt an overwhelming power envelop him. The world spun.

The next moment, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.

He looked around and discovered he was in a secret chamber, about ten yards square, with no visible entrance or exit despite searching for some time. Yet at the front of the room stood an altar, upon which rested a pitch-black iron box exuding an aura both ancient and mysterious.

“Yuan Bo, how did we get here?” Qin Feiyang asked, puzzled.

“We’ll talk about that later. I want you to see something first.” Yuan Bo led Qin Feiyang to the altar, gazing intently at the iron box. Qin Feiyang observed that Yuan Bo’s expression shifted rapidly—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness all flickered across his face.

“What is that?” Qin Feiyang frowned.

Yuan Bo suddenly said, “Feiyang, only you can open this box. Drop a bit of your blood onto it.”

“Only I can open it?” Qin Feiyang was surprised, a thousand questions surging in his mind, but he did not press further. He bit his finger, squeezed out a drop of blood, and let it fall onto the box.

A miraculous scene unfolded. The blood merged with the iron box! Then, with a faint click, the box opened on its own.

A rich medicinal fragrance wafted out.

“Could it be some legendary elixir?” Qin Feiyang inhaled greedily, eyes fixed on the box’s opening.

Gradually, a pill came into view. Beside it lay a book bound in iron, but Qin Feiyang ignored the book, his gaze riveted on the pill itself.

It was the size of a fingertip, entirely blood-red, emitting a dazzling radiance. Above it, a blood-colored dragon of energy danced and coiled.

“Dragon-shaped pill aura! Only mythical elixirs of legend are said to produce such a phenomenon! Yuan Bo, is this truly a divine pill?” Qin Feiyang asked, hands clenched tightly, blood surging, mouth dry with excitement.

“Whether it’s a true divine pill, I cannot say,” Yuan Bo replied. “But I do know that if you take it, you will break through a warrior’s limit and open the first gate of potential. Of course, the process is painful—can you endure it?”

“I can!” Qin Feiyang answered without hesitation.

“Then let us begin,” Yuan Bo said, handing him the pill.

Qin Feiyang took a deep breath, seized the pill, and swallowed it in one gulp.

The pill melted instantly, transforming into streams of blood-colored energy that surged through his body.

“Ah—!” Instantly, Qin Feiyang collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony. He felt as if countless blades of energy were slicing through his flesh, ready to cut him to pieces.

Soon, blood seeped from every pore.

In moments, he was drenched, a man made of blood.

“Yuan Bo, you never said it would hurt this much! Ah—!” Qin Feiyang screamed, his features twisted in torment.

The pain was more intense than anything he had ever known—like a horde of insects gnawing at his flesh from within. In this moment, he truly tasted a suffering worse than death.

“If you cannot endure, you will die! If you can, you will be reborn!” Yuan Bo said solemnly, his face graver than ever before.

“I will not die! For five years I have suffered humiliation! Each time despair dragged me down into the abyss, but I never gave up! I have endured so much to reach this moment—how can I lose now? In the dictionary of Qin Feiyang, there is no word for defeat!” Qin Feiyang roared, sitting cross-legged. No matter how excruciating the pain, he gritted his teeth and bore it.

“Perseverance and fighting spirit—these are the qualities of a true strongman. Feiyang, you already possess them. If you can maintain this mindset, your future will be extraordinary,” Yuan Bo murmured, a smile appearing on his face.

Yet at that moment, Qin Feiyang’s life hung by a thread. The agony assailed every nerve in his body. He had reached his limit.

His consciousness was being devoured by darkness, and he was powerless to resist. Death crept ever closer.

Qin Feiyang felt with chilling clarity that he now stood at the very gates of the underworld. One step further, and he would fall into hell.

Suddenly, a muffled thunderclap resounded within him, as if a bolt of lightning exploded inside his body. At once, Qin Feiyang felt the pain ease, his awareness rapidly pulling back from the edge of darkness.

He could sense, indistinctly, that some transformation was overtaking his body and spirit.

“Did I succeed?” Qin Feiyang wondered anxiously.

“Yes, you succeeded,” Yuan Bo’s voice echoed in his mind.

Qin Feiyang exhaled in relief. When the pain had completely faded, he got to his feet and stretched—there was not the slightest ache!

“How do you feel?” Yuan Bo asked, smiling.

“I felt like I’d nearly reported to the underworld,” Qin Feiyang replied, still shaken.

“I meant, do you sense anything different?” Yuan Bo clarified.

Qin Feiyang nodded. “Yes, but it’s hard to explain. It’s a subtle feeling, and my whole body feels inexplicably comfortable.”

“That’s as it should be,” Yuan Bo replied. “Your entire body, even your blood, has undergone a transformation. Look at your chest.”

Qin Feiyang quickly removed his shirt and wiped the blood from his chest. A white mark appeared—a shape like a door, fused with his skin and impossible to rub away.

“The mark of potential!” Qin Feiyang’s eyes shone with excitement. Gazing at it, he knew for certain that he had indeed broken through the warrior’s limit. This was the mark of having opened the first gate of potential. From now on, his cultivation speed would be twice that of others.

In other words, what would take others two days of training, he could achieve in one.