Chapter 158: Breaking Through to the Peak of the Earth Realm

To his surprise, the mystery surrounding "his" parents actually involved wanderers—entities that Xiao Kaitian had previously researched, which were most likely beings originating from a higher dimension.

This made things quite interesting. What reasons could these people possibly have for interfering with a lower-dimensional world? Furthermore, looking at the facts, this phenomenon was not a mere coincidence; it meant that the entire dimensional universe was inherently unstable.

Xiao Kaitian tucked the documents gathered by Jiang Churan into his pocket. He could not allow her to continue her investigation any longer; otherwise, she would undoubtedly be in grave danger. Although he had assigned a white fox to secretly protect Jiang Churan, the creature was no match for a wanderer.

He could not help but recall the Tengu from the island nation that he had encountered back in Hong Kong. That entity must have been a wanderer as well, and Xiao Kaitian felt a twinge of regret for having killed him.

"Let's put an end to this matter here," Xiao Kaitian said, carefully weighing his words. He did not want to arouse any unnecessary suspicion from Jiang Churan, for she was a very clever girl. "How is Xiao Zhenglv reacting?"

Jiang Churan nodded. "Since you entered the Martial Arts Association, Xiao Zhenglv has been searching for martial artists to eliminate you. That is the bad news I mentioned. However, I noticed that Bai Kou is here too. Although that person is obnoxious, her strength is quite formidable."

"You must take care of yourself. The methods used in the martial arts world are simply beyond my ability to intervene or control."

"Additionally, the Su, Bian, and Qin families are also operating in the shadows. All three families possess solid foundations in martial arts, though the Su family is relatively weaker. Even so, you must remain cautious."

"Understood." A trace of warmth flickered in Xiao Kaitian's gaze as he looked at Jiang Churan. "I will handle the matters concerning the martial arts world. You don't need to worry."

Jiang Churan nodded. Honestly, she was glad that Xiao Kaitian had managed to reach this point. Brushing a stray lock of long hair behind her ear, she smiled with a tight-lipped expression, "There is some good news, though."

"After Mom and Dad passed away, Xiao Zhenglv took over the company under the pretext of your inaction. But now that your project, *Qingtang Tianxia*, is showing remarkable progress, quite a few of the company's veteran executives are starting to have misgivings about Xiao Zhenglv."

"That is the reason for his anxiety. I believe that once *Qingtang Tianxia* is fully established, the veterans are bound to cause an uproar. Your chances of reclaiming the Xiao Corporation will increase significantly."

"Xiao Zhenglv didn't seize the equity?" Xiao Kaitian was somewhat surprised. His "father" seemed to have made arrangements in advance, which likely meant he knew something was going to happen to him.

"No, but he took over the operational rights. In other words, his current status is merely acting on your behalf to manage the business affairs of the Xiao Corporation." Obtaining this information had cost Jiang Churan a considerable amount of time and effort. "You must realize that in the past, nobody would have acknowledged your takeover of the Xiao Corporation."

The shareholders were no fools, nor were they driven by sentimentality. If Xiao Kaitian had truly been a fool, no one would have supported him.

But things were different now. Xiao Kaitian was thriving with *Qingtang Tianxia*, and compared to Xiao Zhenglv, who lacked any real enterprise or decisiveness, the stark contrast was obvious.

The only reason the shareholders were still sitting on the fence was because the full value of *Qingtang Tianxia* had not yet been fully realized.

"You shouldn't blame them either. Although they were brought up by your father, human nature is just how it is." Jiang Churan adjusted her collar. "Being able to reach this point is already a very good outcome."

"The Xiao Corporation must be reclaimed. The things my father left behind are still in the corporation's headquarters," Xiao Kaitian analyzed calmly. "Perhaps this was the trigger for the incident. Sister, let this matter end here. Listen to me and stop investigating."

Jiang Churan gazed intently at Xiao Kaitian. She found it increasingly difficult to read him, a sensation that made her deeply uncomfortable. She felt as though the distance between them was growing wider by the moment. Turning her head away, she replied in a soft murmur, "Fine."

After concluding their conversation, Xiao Kaitian re-evaluated the situation. With more and more clues pointing toward a higher dimension, it seemed imperative that he participate in the scramble for the newly emerged spirit crystals.

Something was fundamentally wrong with this world—or rather, the entire universe. Yet, exactly what that problem was remained unclear to Xiao Kaitian. Still, he believed that as his investigation deepened step by step, the truth would eventually come to light.

It appeared that being "dropped" into this world and becoming Xiao Kaitian was no accident.

Regardless of all that, strengthening his own power right now was the most crucial priority.

He returned to his room, locked the door from the inside, and proceeded to check his current status. His combat power was currently at 488, two lights of the Divine Source were illuminated, and he had three pills on hand: the Meridian-Clearing Pill, the Energy-Enhancing Pill, and the Foundation-Nourishing Pill.

He had never used the Meridian-Clearing Pill, which was designed to enhance the aptitudes of low-level martial cultivators and was useless to him. However, the Energy-Enhancing Pill and the Foundation-Nourishing Pill were currently very suitable for his needs.

After a moment of thought, he attempted to connect with the Divine Source. The link between his true form and the Divine Source had grown considerably stronger. He tried to see if he could retrieve items from within the Divine Source, but after testing it, he found that it was still impossible.

It seemed his realm was still insufficient. He contemplated finding a cultivation technique from the Central Axis Universe World for Zhao Qixi. Just as one of the Divine Source stars flickered out, a cultivation technique squeezed its way out from the Divine Source and materialized right before his eyes.

Xiao Kaitian picked it up and took a look. It was merely a lowest-grade introductory cultivation technique called the *Stilled Water Art*—garbage of the highest order. However, for Zhao Qixi, it served as a suitable foundational mental cultivation method.

Forcibly materializing items from the Divine Source consumed the light of the Divine Source, leaving Xiao Kaitian with a lingering sense of loss, as the cost outweighed the gain. He might as well find a technique in this world and modify it into an advanced one. Besides, the *Stilled Water Art* belonged to the healing category and had no practical combat value.

Still, since it had already been materialized, he would use it for the time being. Zhao Qixi was in a sickly state, so overly domineering cultivation techniques were unsuitable for her.

He tossed the *Stilled Water Art* aside and began taking the pills. First came the Energy-Enhancing Pill. After swallowing it, he circulated his Divine Source to digest it, and energy immediately flooded into him. He smoothly broke through the peak of the Earth Realm, truly stepping into the Heaven Realm. His combat power surged to 538, and three more lights of the Divine Source were illuminated.

Next, he swallowed the Foundation-Nourishing Pill. This time, the sensation was much more intense. The connection between his true form and the Divine Source thickened significantly, resembling the shape of a straw.

He checked his combat power again and found it had reached around 618. The continuous surge of power placed a slight burden on his physical body, prompting him to quickly execute the Nine Cycles of the Divine Source to stabilize his physical condition.

This back-and-forth process took the better part of a day, and by the time the Divine Source permeated his limbs and bones, it was already late into the night.

Having stepped into the Heaven Realm, his Divine Source had become far more potent. The range he could control with his Divine Source now encompassed the entire villa.

He raised a finger, and the Divine Source surged outward, gradually condensing into a physical shape. This aligned with the martial arts of this world; once a martial artist reached the Grandmaster realm, they could also condense their vital energy into solid forms to use as lethal attack weapons.

The shape materialized depended on the purity of the vital energy and practical needs, with varying degrees of manifestation. In the case of Xiao Kaitian, his Divine Source could achieve a level of materialization that was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Of course, compared to a true weapon, a gap still remained, but Xiao Kaitian was already extremely satisfied with this result.

He could not help but harbor even greater anticipation for the upcoming spirit crystal incident.