I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

Yuan City, C6 District, on the helipad atop a building, the Dragon Core Fighter slowly descended.

As the hatch opened, Xue Jing, dragging his suitcase, stepped out with Miao Miao squatting on his shoulder, the cat's tail flicking irritably, apparently still quite vexed.

Ning Yuantai followed him off the plane and walked up to Xue Jing's side.

"Yuantai, you can just drop me off here, you must be busy yourself,"

said Xue Jing.

Ning Yuantai shook his head and said cheerfully, "I can't do that, just now I called the higher-ups, and upon hearing it's your first time in the Inner Ring, our commander of Cease-Blades told me to put aside everything and act as your guide..."

"Besides, she also had Cease-Blades members here in Yuan City bring a gift for you, saying it will arrive shortly."

Xue Jing paused for a moment and then nodded, "Then please pass on my thanks to the commander for her consideration."

Ning Yuantai winked and teased, "Xue, aren't you considering joining 'Cease-Blades' officially? You might not know, so let me tell you, our commander of Cease-Blades is a real beauty."

As he said this, he glanced around nervously, his voice much lower, "She's just a bit on the older side, but you can't tell by looking at her..."

Xue Jing was observing the urban scenery around him. Yuan City was different from what he had imagined. In terms of architecture alone, although it was clearly much more developed than Qingcheng, it didn't have that futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic. At least all buildings were still grounded, none floated in the sky.

The biggest difference from Qingcheng and Maple City, the Outer Ring cities, was the more fanciful lighting and the holographic image advertisements floating around the high-rises.

Xue Jing smiled and asked, "This 'bit on the older side' you mentioned, how old exactly are we talking about?"

Ning Yuantai thought for a moment and whispered, "The captain of the ninth squad of Cease-Blades I belong to once mentioned it to me."

"He's been with Cease-Blades for almost thirty years... since he started, the commander has been this same beauty, looking exactly as she does now, without any change."

Xue Jing pondered and said, "In this day and age, there are quite a few ways to keep one's appearance youthful."

Ning Yuantai nodded and murmured, "There are, but our commander, it's not just her appearance that's youthful. Her physical condition, and even her spirit, are just as youthful as her appearance."

"She's a practitioner of Old Martial Arts. There are rumors that she has undergone the Breakthrough more than three times, and not just any Breakthrough, but the 'Ultimate Breakthrough' like that Extreme Martial King..."

Xue Jing was taken aback, "Can you Breakthrough multiple times? And what is the Ultimate Breakthrough?"

It then dawned on Ning Yuantai that Xue, having grown up in the Outer Ring and only been in contact with The Sixth Agency for less than three months, didn't understand many of the more secretive pieces of knowledge.

"'Leaping Through the Dragon Gate, burying the old self, approaching the Celestial Being Limit, with Consciousness leading the change...' You've heard this saying, right?"

Seizing the rare opportunity to show off in front of Xue Jing, Ning Yuantai perked up, his expression animated as he explained.

"'Leaping Through the Dragon Gate, burying the old self' means breaking through the limits of the physical body, reshaping and enhancing one's genes, and putting to rest the former physical form."

"'Approaching the Celestial Being Limit, with Consciousness leading the change' means breaking through the limits of the Spirit. The so-called 'Celestial Being Limit' refers to the boundary between human consciousness and reality. With the Spirit, one meddles with their individual reality, twisting the limitations placed upon mortals."

"For a Breakthrough, neither can be neglected. Only with a robust physical form can one cultivate a strong spirit, and only with a strong spirit can one influence reality, enabling a body at its limit to push beyond and grow stronger."

"After a Breakthrough, the strong will free themselves from the stalemate in power they faced before the Breakthrough and enter an explosion period of rapid strength increase... So, have you ever wondered, what would happen if those who have broken through also reach their limit?"

Xue Jing nodded and said, "So that's how it is, a Breakthrough warrior, after reaching their limit, must continue to overcome it in order to grow stronger."

Ning Yuantai continued, "Exactly... The current human theoretical consensus is that the limit can be broken nine times."

"In our Zhuxia, it is called 'Nine Leaps of the Dragon Gate, Nine Turns of a Celestial Being'."

"Those who complete Nine Leaps at the Dragon Gate undergo Physical Sanctification, and those who make Nine Turns of a Celestial Being accomplish Consciousness Ascending to Godhood."

"It is said that once a person reaches these two realms, they will ascend to become a true 'god'..."

"However, just like theoretically, the probability of the universe ending in the next second is not zero but infinitely small, so is the possibility of reaching this state. It's possible, but the probability is infinitely small."

Ning Yuantai shrugged his shoulders.

"The information on that Extreme Martial King is too secretive, and I don't know to what extent he has reached, but he most likely hasn't broken the limit nine times."

"Not to mention others, even those top Martial Artists who have received the Eternal Title have not broken the limit more than six times."

"Each Breakthrough is tens or even hundreds of times more difficult than the last. According to those top Martial Artists' lectures, after the third time, talent, perseverance, mentality, resources, and the like become less important. Whether you can continue to Breakthrough is basically down to 'luck'."

Lost in thought, Xue Jing nodded and smiled, "That's good, I've always been pretty lucky."

Ning Yuantai flattered, "With your talent, breaking the limit three or four times is like child's play, isn't it? Add a bit of luck, and snagging an Eternal Title would be a breeze…"

Xue Jing was a bit bemused, "...You're really laying it on thick."

Ning Yuantai sighed, "This is entirely based on a rational analysis of the existing data; how could it be called flattery?"

Xue Jing walked to the edge of the roof and looked down at the building below, a wide road beneath his gaze.

Contrary to his expectations, there weren't any floating cars or motorcycles; the vehicles used by Inner Ring People, although styles Xue Jing had never seen and with very sleek designs, still ran on wheels.

The pedestrians' fashion seemed quite normal, and although it was obvious that many were fitted with Alien Implants, their aesthetic sense wasn't very different from Outer Ring People's.

Xue Jing nodded.

The cyberpunk vibe of the Sky Pirates he had encountered earlier had led to some misconceptions.

"Then what is 'Ultimate Breakthrough'?"

He asked.

Ning Yuantai thought for a moment and said, "I practice Neo Martial Arts, and the methods of Breakthrough aren't quite the same as Old Martial Arts, so I don't know much about 'Ultimate Breakthrough'."

"All I know is that there seems to be a 'standard' and surpassing that 'standard' is considered ultimate. Then, breaking the limit at that point is an Ultimate Breakthrough."

"This is a concept that came up after the appearance of the Extreme Martial King, said to be incredibly difficult, only an area true geniuses dare to touch."

...

(Went to a friend's house to help move stuff. It seems I haven't exercised in too long; when I got back and used my hand, it wouldn't stop shaking, so I couldn't write much. Now I have to go out and find a professional shop to massage my hand...)