Lin Feng's eyes widened as he flipped through the ancient manuals. His hands trembled slightly.
Each technique radiated a profound aura that seemed to resonate with his very soul.
"Cloud Palm, Dragon Fist, and Azure Sword Technique…" he muttered, awe in his voice.
"These are all Saint-grade martial skills!"
Just as he was about to close the book, he felt a rush of energy coursing through his body. His eyes snapped open, and his face lit up with disbelief.
"My cultivation… it jumped to the fifth-grade Mortal Realm? I actually advanced four grades at once!"
Overcome with excitement, he clenched his fists and felt immense power surging through his veins. The air around him trembled faintly.
"With this strength, I can easily face an eighth-grade Mortal Realm cultivator. Their strength caps at around two thousand jins—but my punch feels even heavier!"
He tightened his stance, drew a deep breath, and threw a punch.
Boom!
A gust of wind exploded outward, cracking the stone tiles beneath his feet.
"This strength… is real," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "Time to master these techniques."
---
Seven Days Later
Inside the old courtyard, Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes, a faint golden gleam flickering in them. His aura was calm and sharp—like a sword hidden in its sheath.
"I've mastered all three techniques… in just seven days," he whispered, astonished.
"Learning a martial skill is divided into five stages—Lesser, Greater, Mastery, Perfection, and Completion. And I've already reached Mastery. Not bad at all."
He stood up, the faint sound of cracking bones echoing through the courtyard as his body brimmed with energy.
"Let's test these techniques on real opponents. Time to hunt some demon beasts and gain battle experience."
---
As Lin Feng left the mansion, whispers followed him.
"Isn't that the Lin family's trash?"
"He's actually still alive?"
"Such a pity… he's handsome but talentless."
"Five years at the first-grade Mortal Realm—what a joke."
Lin Feng ignored them, walking calmly toward the forest.
"I'll show you all… at the clan assembly," he muttered under his breath.
After wandering deep into the forest for five hours, he frowned. Not a single beast had appeared—until a low growl echoed from nearby.
A pack of demon wolves emerged, feasting on a carcass. Their crimson eyes turned toward Lin Feng, hunger and bloodlust gleaming in their gaze.
"The Wolf King is about the seventh-grade Mortal Realm… and the weakest one here should be around the third grade," Lin Feng analyzed coolly.
The wolves lunged forward. Lin Feng channeled his inner qi into his arm.
"Dragon Fist!"
He thrust his fist forward, the air crackling as his punch connected.
Bang!
The lead wolf's head exploded into a mist of blood.
"So weak," he muttered coldly.
"Grrr!!"
The Wolf King howled in fury, slashing its massive claws toward him. Lin Feng twisted sideways, evading the blow, and countered with another strike.
"Dragon Fist!"
Boom!
Blood sprayed as the Wolf King was sent crashing into a tree, its massive body twitching once before falling lifeless.
Seeing their leader dead, the remaining wolves whimpered and tried to flee.
"Where do you think you're going?"
He extended his palm forward, qi gathering like a storm.
"Cloud Palm — Splitting the Cloud!"
A massive palm imprint smashed into the ground, leaving a smoking crater. A few wolves were obliterated instantly.
"What a pity—they ran fast," Lin Feng said with a smirk. He retrieved the Wolf King's inner core and sat cross-legged, circulating his qi.
Within an hour, the energy from the core flowed through his meridians like a tidal wave. He opened his eyes—sharp and clear.
"I've reached the peak of the fifth-grade Mortal Realm. A bit more and I'll break through to the sixth. Better consolidate my foundation first."
He then noticed a few human corpses scattered nearby. Looting through them, he found a storage ring.
"Hm? A storage ring?" Lin Feng murmured, scanning it with his divine sense.
His eyes widened. "A thousand Mortal spiritual pills… four hundred Xiantian spiritual pills… and this—'Golden Body Manual'? A body-refining martial art!"
He flipped through the pages, his expression turning serious.
"It says that once fully cultivated, the body becomes immortal? Incredible. I'll study it after I return."
He stored everything away and continued deeper into the forest.
---
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. Lin Feng halted, gripping his sword.
"Something's not right…"
The air trembled. With a hiss, a massive serpent—its scales glinting like black steel—shot from the bushes.
"Azure Sword Art — Shatter the Heavens!" Lin Feng shouted.
A dazzling white arc of sword light cleaved through the air, striking the snake's head. It roared in pain, its tail sweeping toward him.
Boom!
Lin Feng was forced back several steps, his boots digging into the soil.
"What a sturdy beast," he muttered, a grin spreading across his face. "Let's try that again."
"Azure Sword Art — Shatter the Heavens!"
Another blinding slash cut through the serpent's body, leaving a deep wound. Enraged, it lunged with jaws wide open, trying to swallow him whole.
Lin Feng gathered his qi, launching himself upward. "Die!"
He drove his sword straight through the top of its skull. The serpent convulsed, then fell still.
He exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow. "Finally. That was a tough one."
He pulled out the inner core, storing it away.
"Time to head back. These should fetch a good price."
---
Back at Fire Cloud City
After seven days of hunting, Lin Feng returned to the city, his robes stained but his expression calm.
At the Martial Pavilion, an attendant looked up lazily. "What do you want?"
"I'm here to sell inner cores," Lin Feng said, dropping a heavy bag on the counter.
The attendant's eyes widened as he inspected the contents. "T-this… there are twenty sixth-grade, ten fourth-grade, fifty fifth-grade, eighteen seventh-grade, and two eighth-grade cores! That's worth about two hundred and fifty thousand purple crystals!"
Lin Feng nodded. "I'll take it."
He collected his payment and left, heading to the market to buy new robes. His aura was much steadier now—his steps confident, his eyes sharper.
"There are only three days until the annual clan assembly," he said to himself. "I must reach the sixth-grade Mortal Realm before then."
He returned to his courtyard, swallowed a handful of spiritual pills, and sat cross-legged in meditation.
Hours later, a surge of energy erupted from his body. The ground trembled faintly as his aura climbed higher and higher.
He opened his eyes—calm, powerful, and resolute.
"I've broken through to the sixth-grade Mortal Realm," he said, smiling faintly.
"With my current strength, I can defeat a ninth-grade Mortal Realm cultivator… and even contend with a Xiantian expert."
He picked up the Golden Body Manual, his expression turning serious.
"Let's see what this technique is truly capable of."