Chapter 2: Leaving the Mountain

After many days, Chu Zifeng had become familiar with every corner of the cave and even found a type of wild fruit to eat. After eating his fill each day, he would begin to practice the "Green Wood Emperor's Technique."

For some reason, when Chu Zifeng started practicing according to the method on the white jade stele, he immediately felt a tiny stream of energy flowing within his body. At first, Chu Zifeng did not pay much attention to it, but as his body grew stronger, to the point where he could lift a fifty-pound stone and do frog jumps in the cave, he could not help but wonder what was happening to his body. Although cultivation would strengthen his body, it should not have such a significant effect in just a few days.

"Could it be related to that milky white water and the small snake?"

Recalling the two poisons he was exposed to when he first arrived in the cave, and the subsequent cold and heat he experienced, Chu Zifeng realized that the milky white water and the fire-red snake had inadvertently helped him. The two poisons collided and eventually merged into one, forming a stream of energy within his body, which made his cultivation more efficient.

However, Chu Zifeng did not know what the milky white water was or what kind of snake the fire-red one was, or why their combination was beneficial to him.

Not wanting to waste time on things he couldn't understand, after another five days, with the help of the energy within his body, Chu Zifeng quickly entered the initial stage of the Body Refinement realm.

At this point, Chu Zifeng could lift a sixty-pound stone and do frog jumps between the pool and the stone room. However, he still needed to rest after jumping for about ten meters before continuing. This was his cultivation method, as recorded on the white jade stele.

On the fifteenth day, Chu Zifeng found some more words left by the Great Emperor Xuantian, and he finally understood that the milky white water he had drunk was actually called "Ice Water," which was not poisonous but could remove toxins from the body. However, it made the body numb when first consumed. The fire-red snake was called a "Fire Dragon Snake," a rare creature said to be a descendant of the dragon. Over countless years, it had lost most of its dragon-like characteristics except for the horn on its head. It was highly venomous, and a bite from it could kill even a great immortal. Fortunately, Chu Zifeng had drunk the Ice Water before being bitten by the Fire Dragon Snake. The Ice Water, which could detoxify, was absorbed by the Fire Dragon Snake from Chu Zifeng's blood, neutralizing its venom. The Ice Water and the Fire Dragon Snake's venom then combined to form a new kind of energy within Chu Zifeng's body, which helped him in his cultivation.

By the twentieth day, Chu Zifeng could lift an eighty-pound stone and jump much farther in the cave without feeling tired. His complexion was rosy, and the illness that had plagued him for years seemed to have been driven out of his body.

After a full month, Chu Zifeng's cultivation had reached the middle stage of the Body Refinement realm, and he had completed about half of the "Green Wood Emperor's Technique."

"Strange, the 'Green Wood Emperor's Technique' is the most powerful cultivation method of the Great Emperor Xuantian. It shouldn't be so easy to reach this level so quickly... Could it be that the Ice Water and the Fire Dragon Snake have doubled my cultivation speed, allowing me to complete half of the 'Green Wood Emperor's Technique' in such a short time?"

In fact, Chu Zifeng did not realize that he had already spent a month in the Xuantian Cave. In this place without sunlight, it was impossible to tell the time. He would sleep in front of the white jade stele when he felt he had cultivated enough, and then continue practicing when he woke up. This went on day after day, and a month had passed.

By the second month, Chu Zifeng's cultivation had reached the late stage of the Body Refinement realm, and he could lift a hundred-pound stone and do frog jumps in the cave without needing to rest.

Bang, bang, bang.

The sounds in the cave were from Chu Zifeng's cultivation. The method for Body Refinement involved using strength to strengthen the body. Since there was nothing else to practice with except rocks, over the past two months, Chu Zifeng had only increased the weight of the rocks and continued doing frog jumps.

Huff...

Bang...

When Chu Zifeng jumped from the stone room to the pool with a hundred-pound rock, he threw the rock toward the pool. The rock hit the cave wall with a loud bang, causing a slight tremor in the cave. The rock shattered into dozens of smaller pieces.

"Can't be, I've become so strong!"

Chu Zifeng could hardly believe his eyes. His strength had grown so much that he could throw and shatter a hundred-pound rock. Was this still him?

Chu Zifeng did not realize that he was no longer the same person he was two months ago. Not only had he rid himself of the illness that had plagued him for eighteen years, but his strength had increased, and his physique had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Chu Zifeng was now 1.8 meters tall, with well-developed muscles and very fair skin, as smooth as a newborn baby's.

"Let's try the 'Green Wood Emperor's Technique' and see if there's any breakthrough."

Chu Zifeng circulated the powerful energy within his body. The energy began to flow, and he clenched his fists, leaped into the air, and performed several flips before landing in front of the cave wall. He then punched the wall with all his might, and two fists of white energy struck the wall.

Bang...

The cave shook again, and pieces of rock flew in all directions.

Chu Zifeng landed and looked at the wall he had just punched. Two deep holes appeared in the wall. He blinked in shock, "Did I do this? This is too powerful. I actually made two such deep holes in the wall. Could it be that I have completed the 'Green Wood Emperor's Technique'?"

The "Green Wood Emperor's Technique" was the most powerful cultivation method of the Great Emperor Xuantian, but its power was not fixed. It varied with the cultivator's level. The higher Chu Zifeng's cultivation, the more powerful the "Green Wood Emperor's Technique" would be.

Time flew by in the mountain, and it was already the third month that Chu Zifeng had spent in the cave.

On this day, Chu Zifeng sat cross-legged in front of the white jade stele and circulated his cultivation method. He felt an external energy enter his body through his crown and gather in his dantian. In less than a minute, the energy in his dantian spread to every acupoint in his body, continuously circulating and merging with the original energy within him, forming a new kind of energy, or qi. This qi was the legendary true qi.

Layers of true qi surrounded Chu Zifeng, and the small stones on the ground began to move. As his cultivation method accelerated, the stones gradually rose and began to revolve around him.

After an hour, Chu Zifeng gathered the true qi in his dantian again. He slowly opened his eyes and felt the true qi within him growing stronger. He stood up, lifted a two-hundred-pound rock, and with a swift movement, he leaped like an arrow, jumping on the cave wall with ease, as if it were a simple task.

"I've broken through. I've finally broken through the late stage of the Body Refinement realm and entered the Qi Cultivation realm. I can finally leave here and go home."

Without hesitation, Chu Zifeng had memorized everything on the white jade stele. Even without it, he could continue his cultivation. Now, he needed to leave as soon as possible and return to the outside world.

Chu Zifeng walked to the southern wall of the stone room and circulated his true qi again. With a bang, he struck the wall with both palms.

Squeak...

The wall he struck made a squeaking sound, and pieces of rock fell from the ceiling. A crack appeared in the wall, and a bright light shone through, illuminating Chu Zifeng's eyes.

Wanlong Mountain had not changed. The scorching sun still mercilessly shone on the land, and the water of the Wanlong Waterfall was as swift as ever.

After three months, when Chu Zifeng reappeared in Wanlong Mountain, he was standing on a large rock at the peak of a mountain. A stone door had appeared on the rock, which was the exit of the Xuantian Cave.

"I wasn't at the bottom of the mountain, but at the center of the entire mountain."

He closed the stone door, following the Great Emperor Xuantian's instructions to prevent anyone from discovering the Xuantian Cave.

Standing at the peak of the mountain, Chu Zifeng took a deep breath. His clothes were the same as they were three months ago, but they were now tattered, and his hair was messy, making him look like a wild man.

"Ha ha, I can finally go home."

Chu Zifeng moved swiftly, leaving a lingering image at the peak of the mountain. He rushed down the mountain like a rolling stone, not stopping for a moment and not following the path. Using the rocks and trees in the mountain, he leaped left and right, passing through a forest. In less than ten seconds, he reached a field at the foot of the mountain.

Eager to return home, Chu Zifeng did not stop after descending the mountain. He leaped again, landing only three times on the field before reaching a stone bridge. This bridge was called the "Return Home Bridge," the entrance to City Z. A sign made by China Mobile hung on the bridge, reading, "Welcome to City Z."

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End of Chapter 2