Night had completely swallowed the horseshoe-shaped valley in a thick blanket of darkness, save for the cool, silvery moonlight filtering through the mountain mist.
The roaring waterfall created a perpetual, soothing spray that danced over the dark waters of the lake. Sitting cross-legged on a smooth granite boulder along the shore, Li-Wen opened his eyes. The subtle golden glow deep within his pupils pierced through the gloom like two burning embers before slowly receding back into his dark, tranquil pupils.
Inside his body, the newly opened Sixth and Seventh Meridians pulsed in perfect, fluid harmony with the rest of his internal channels. His physical strength had reached an astonishing, unnatural level—his bones felt as dense as tempered iron, his skin possessed a faint, translucent luster, and his blood surged with the wild, purified vitality absorbed from the Armored River Python.
"Seven meridians fully opened at the late stages of Ki-Refine..." Li-Wen murmured, looking down at his pale palms in the moonlight. "Ordinary cultivators at this stage can barely project their Ki two inches beyond their fists. But with my immortal soul anchoring the Void Sovereign Technique, my compressed energy can already slice through heavy steel armor like paper."
He unslung the sturdy bamboo container from his back, laying out his supplies over a clean cloth spread across the stone.
Before him sat the rare spirit herbs harvested from the valley: three stalks of Iron-Skin Grass, glowing with a faint metallic green sheen, and the fifty-year-old Spirit-Ginseng, whose milky-white roots pulsed with pure, concentrated natural energy. Beside them were several small jade vials containing the liquidized spirit essence he had extracted from Old Man Chen's Hundred Herbs Hall before leaving Azure Mist City.
For an ordinary mortal alchemist, refining high-grade medicinal liquids required a heavy bronze cauldron, a stabilized array fire, and hours of tedious temperature control. A single mistake in heat management would incinerate the delicate medicinal properties into useless black ash.
However, Li-Wen did not possess an alchemical cauldron, nor did he need one.
"A true sovereign uses heaven and earth as his furnace, and his own divine Ki as the flame," Li-Wen whispered softly.
He raised his right hand, hovering his palm three inches over the pile of spirit herbs.
BZZZZZT!
A vibrant sphere of silver-blue Ki erupted from his palm, expanding until it completely suspended the herbs in mid-air. Li-Wen closed his eyes, activating his Divine Sense to perceive every microscopic fiber, cell, and drop of liquid inside the floating plants.
FLAME!
Instead of summoning physical fire, Li-Wen compressed his spiritual energy to such an extreme density that the friction of the Ki molecules generated intense, invisible heat. The air inside the translucent sphere began to warp and shimmer violently.
The Iron-Skin Grass wilted first, its tough, metallic outer leaves melting away into a clear, emerald-green dew drop. Next, the fifty-year-old Spirit-Ginseng dissolved, its milky-white roots turning into a viscous, glowing liquid that emitted a rich, medicinal aroma that filled the entire glade.
Li-Wen's forehead remained completely dry, his breathing calm and rhythmic. His control over the spiritual energy was so flawless that not a single drop of medicinal efficacy was lost to the wind.
"Merge!" Li-Wen commanded softly.
With a gentle flick of his wrist, the emerald-green dew and the milky-white ginseng liquid collided in mid-air.
BOOM!
A soft, golden flash flared inside the energy sphere as the volatile properties of the two herbs fused together under the crushing pressure of his silver Ki. The liquid condensed rapidly, transforming into a jade-like, translucent elixir that shimmered like liquid starlight.
The Foundation-Forging Liquid—Supreme Grade!
Without hesitation, Li-Wen opened his mouth and swallowed the warm, glowing elixir in a single draught.
RUMBLE—!
The moment the liquid touched his stomach, it erupted like a dormant volcano! An intense, burning wave of pure, concentrated energy flooded his internal organs, rushing into his bloodstream like liquid fire. The liquid worked rapidly, seeping deep into his marrow, coating his bones with an invisible protective layer, and violently expanding his internal meridians.
Li-Wen's eyes snapped open, glowing with blinding golden light. He didn't waste a single second. He immediately formed the meditation mudra of the Void Sovereign Technique, guiding the scorching energy through his body.
CRACK!
The Eighth Meridian along his left leg shattered its physical barrier!
CRACK-CRACK!
The Ninth Meridian—the final meridian required to achieve complete physical perfection in the Ki-Refine Realm—surged with unstoppable momentum! The blockage dissolved into fine dust, opening a smooth, unobstructed highway of energy from his crown down to his soles.
Ki-Refine Stage Nine—Peak Perfection!
HUMMM—!
A visible, golden shockwave erupted outward from Li-Wen's body, blasting away the surrounding water droplets and shattering the granite boulder beneath him into fine powder. His physical skin shimmered with a faint, translucent jade light—the unmistakable sign of the Jade-Bone Foundation, a legendary physical state that allowed a cultivator to withstand blades and fire without relying on external armor!
Li-Wen slowly exhaled a long breath of dark, toxic mist—the final impurities remaining in his physical vessel since birth. He stood up, his posture towering, his presence radiating an aura of absolute dominance that caused the nocturnal beasts in the surrounding woods to instantly fall silent in terror.
"Nine meridians fully opened," Li-Wen said, a sharp, cold smile curling his lips. "My physical foundation is complete. Now, even an Earth-Realm expert at the Fourth or Fifth Stage will be nothing more than an insect before my bare fists."
As dawn began to break over the Cloud-Piercing Mountains, painted in shades of gold and deep purple, Li-Wen packed his remaining supplies.
He didn't intend to return to Azure Mist City just yet. The outer perimeter of the mountains was merely a warm-up. To break through the mortal barrier and enter the Earth-Realm, he required a place where the environmental Ki was even more volatile—the deep, primeval core of the mountain range, known as the Demon-Beast Valley.
He leapt off the shattered granite bank, his body blurring into a grey shadow as he glided across the tree canopy with effortless speed. With nine meridians open, his light-body technique allowed him to cross fifty feet in a single stride, barely touching the tips of the leaves.
After traveling fifty miles deeper into the northern valley, the lush green forest gradually gave way to jagged, black volcanic crags. The trees here were withered, their leaves dark purple, and the air was thick with the suffocating smell of sulfur and ancient blood.
Suddenly, Li-Wen came to a halt on a high cliff overlook.
His sharp ears picked up the violent clashing of steel weapons, accompanied by the desperate shouts of human voices and the thunderous, unnatural roar of a massive beast coming from the ravine below.
"Hold the perimeter! Don't let the beast break the defensive formation!"
"Miss Su is refining the Flaming Sun Lotus inside the cave! If this monster gets past us, all our efforts will be ruined!"
Li-Wen looked down into the narrow ravine.
A group of over twenty elite guards, wearing crimson leather armor adorned with the silver emblem of the Su Merchant Association—one of the three giant financial leagues of the Southern Province—were desperately battling a towering, three-headed monster.
It was a Third-Tier Spirit Beast—a Three-Headed Hell Hound, equivalent to a human cultivator at the Peak Earth-Realm!
The monster stood fifteen feet tall, its three heads snapping wildly as one breathed scorching fire, another spat toxic green acid, and the third snapped its razor-sharp jaws at the surrounding guards. Over a dozen guards already lay dead on the blood-soaked rocks, their armor melted or severed in half.
In the center of the defensive circle stood a young woman in elegant, fiery red robes. Her face was pale, sweat dripping from her forehead as she channeled her red Ki into a protective barrier, trying to buy time for her guards.
Li-Wen's eyes, however, ignored the bloody battle and locked onto the dark cave behind the young woman.
Deep within the cavern, glowing with an intense, crimson light, was a blooming, nine-petaled Flaming Sun Lotus—a rare Earth-Grade spirit treasure that possessed the power to directly forge an Earth-Realm spiritual core!
A cold, amused glint flashed in Li-Wen's golden eyes.
"What a fortunate coincidence," Li-Wen whispered, stepping off the edge of the high cliff and descending directly into the blood-soaked ravine like a falling star.
CRASH!
Li-Wen landed directly in the center of the chaotic battlefield, his boots crushing a volcanic boulder into fine gravel. The shockwave of his landing pushed back both the bloody guards and the surging heat waves emitted by the Three-Headed Hell Hound.
The remaining guards froze, their swords drawn, staring in shock at the light-grey-robed youth who had suddenly descended from a hundred-foot cliff without a scratch.
"Who are you?!" the captain of the Su guards barked, his face covered in blood and sweat. "Kid, get out of here! This is a Third-Tier Spirit Beast—it will tear you to shreds in a second!"
The young woman in red robes, Su Qing-Er, turned her head in surprise. Her eyes widened as she noticed that despite facing a terrifying, fifteen-foot demonic beast, the youth's expression was unnaturally calm—his dark pupils carrying an ancient, terrifying depth.
ROAR!
The Three-Headed Hell Hound felt insulted by the intrusion of another human insect. Its middle head roared violently, opening its massive jaws to spout a torrent of dark crimson flames directly toward Li-Wen!
"Look out!" Su Qing-Er screamed, extending her hand to deploy her defensive barrier.
However, Li-Wen didn't dodge, nor did he ask for help.
He stood his ground, slowly extending his right hand into the air. The nine silver meridians along his spine flared like celestial constellations. The Jade-Bone Foundation beneath his skin gleamed with a faint, translucent radiance.
BZZZZT!
A barrier of pure, compressed silver Ki formed in front of his palm.
BOOM!
The torrent of dark crimson flames slammed violently against Li-Wen's barrier. The heat was intense enough to melt stone, yet the silver energy wall didn't tremble by an inch! The fiery blast split in two, washing harmlessly around Li-Wen's sides, leaving him completely unscathed.
The entire ravine fell into dead silence. The guards gasped, their jaws dropping in utter disbelief.
"A-Absorbed... He blocked a Third-Tier beast's flame breath with his bare hand?!"
The Three-Headed Hell Hound's six eyes bulged in confusion and fury. Its left head spat a jet of emerald green acid, while its right head lunged forward, intending to bite Li-Wen in half with its razor-sharp teeth.
"You have three heads, but not a single grain of intelligence," Li-Wen said coldly.
SWOOSH!
Li-Wen's figure vanished from the spot, leaving behind a fading grey phantom.
Before the hound's jaws could snap shut, Li-Wen reappeared directly above the beast's central head. His body rotated mid-air, gathering the entire kinetic momentum of his downward drop into his right heel.
Void Sovereign Technique: Heaven-Crushing Heel!
BOOM!
Li-Wen's heel slammed directly onto the central head of the Hell Hound with the force of a falling meteor!
CRACK!
The creature's massive skull shattered instantly. Brain matter, blood, and bone fragments erupted outward as the middle head was smashed flat against the volcanic rocks. The sheer force of the impact drove the beast's heavy, fifteen-foot body knee-deep into the solid stone floor!
"AWOOOOO!"
The remaining two heads shrieked in unimaginable agony. The Hell Hound thrashed violently, its heavy tail whipping around to crush the attacker.
Li-Wen landed gracefully on the creature's back. Without giving it a second to recover, he formed his fingers into a spear-sign, coating his hand in a three-inch blade of razor-sharp silver Ki.
SWISH! SWISH!
With two fluid, lightning-fast strikes, Li-Wen drove his fingers through the necks of the remaining two heads, severing their major spirit arteries in a fraction of a second.
THUD!
The massive Three-Headed Hell Hound twitched once, then collapsed into a pool of its own dark, smoking blood—completely dead.
Li-Wen casually stepped off the carcass, flicking a single drop of blood off his sleeve. He reached into the beast's shattered central skull, effortlessly pulling out a glowing, crimson orb—a Third-Tier Beast Core pulsing with dense, fiery spirit energy.
"Not a bad harvest," Li-Wen noted, tucking the beast core into his robes.
The surviving guards of the Su Merchant Association stood rooted to the spot, their swords trembling in their hands. They looked at the massive corpse of the beast that had slaughtered half their squad, then at the calm, light-grey-robed youth who had slain it in less than thirty seconds.
Su Qing-Er swallowed hard, stepping forward with a mixture of reverence, caution, and deep gratitude. She bowed deeply toward Li-Wen, her voice trembling slightly.
"Young Hero... I am Su Qing-Er of the Su Merchant Association. Thank you for saving our lives. If not for your miraculous intervention, my guards and I would have perished here today."
Li-Wen turned his head, his golden pupils meeting her gaze with cool indifference.
"I didn't come to save your lives," Li-Wen said, his voice smooth and cold. "I came for the beast core... and the Flaming Sun Lotus inside that cave."
Su Qing-Er's expression stiffened. The captain of the guards took a hesitant step forward, clutching his sword. "Young Master... that lotus was discovered by our association first! We lost fifteen men holding this ravine—"
"Silence!" Su Qing-Er snapped at her captain, before turning back to Li-Wen with a polite, nervous smile.
She was a clever merchant's daughter. She knew that a youth who could obliterate a Third-Tier beast with his bare hands could wipe out her remaining guards in a heartbeat if he wished. Standing against him was pure suicide.
"Young Hero speaks the truth," Su Qing-Er said gracefully. "In the martial world, treasures belong to the strong. Without your intervention, the lotus would have fallen into the monster's mouth anyway. It is rightfully yours."
Li-Wen gave a small, approving nod. "You are sensible."
Without waiting for further conversation, Li-Wen turned and walked straight into the dark, red-glowing cavern.
Deep inside the cave, sitting in a natural pool of liquid magma, was the Flaming Sun Lotus. Its nine crimson petals shimmered like burning rubies, radiating a rich, dense heat that filled the entire chamber.
Li-Wen stood beside the magma pool, looking at the glowing spirit treasure.
"With this Flaming Sun Lotus, combined with the Third-Tier Beast Core..." Li-Wen's golden pupils flared with divine light. "I can construct the Solar-Core Array and break directly into the Earth-Realm!"
He sat down cross-legged right beside the magma pool, closing his eyes as he prepared to enter the most crucial breakthrough of his current incarnation.
See you in next chapter.....