Chapter 26

One month later.

In the depths of the night, in the forest of the Southern Barbarian Mountains.

Chen Xi stood with a focused expression, his fist glowing with a faint white light as he punched a rock.

Bang!

The rock, as large as a millstone, shattered and scattered, falling to the ground. It was clear that each piece of the broken rock was the size of a dragon eye, uniformly shaped, and as smooth as pearls.

Chen Xi had now reached the first level of the Great Collapse Fist—shattering stones into pearls!

"Turns out, the force of collapse is like an inch, which is achieved by condensing the power accumulated through internal force, twisting, entwining, and kneading the muscles. The body is like a fully drawn bow, and the fist is like a taut arrow. The moment the force is released, it's called 'collapse'!"

Chen Xi muttered to himself and then resumed his stance, practicing each move meticulously.

In the past half month, his life was simple yet fulfilling. During the day, he explored culinary arts in the small black room, and at night, he followed Ji Yu to this forest to practice the Great Collapse Fist. He also practiced sitting meditation, body forging, and visualizing the Fuxi divine statue, making full use of every moment.

Under such intense training, Chen Xi's demeanor subtly changed. His brows were sharp and clear, like a precious sword, exuding a sharp and solemn aura. His muscles, now more defined and angular, gleamed with a jade-like luster, as if they contained boundless strength.

Bang, bang, bang...

His fists broke through the air, producing a deep and fierce sound. This was the result of the muscles' power reaching a certain intensity, causing the air to vibrate.

When this vibration reached a certain level, it would signify the second level of the Great Collapse Fist—shattering stones into powder. A single punch would turn the rock into dust, which would scatter with the wind.

Sweat trickled down his body, mingling with his heavy breathing and the roaring sound of his fists, echoing through the forest clearing for a long time.

Three hours later.

Chen Xi plopped onto the ground, exhausted, his muscles aching and weak, unwilling to move even a finger.

"Senior Ji Yu, I have now reached the eighth level of innate cultivation in both qi and body. When do you think I will reach the Purple Mansion realm?" Chen Xi turned his head to look at Ji Yu, who was lying in a rattan chair, and asked softly.

Ji Yu, as usual, was eating meat and drinking wine. He replied, "At least a year. Whether it's the divine and demonic body cultivation or the qi cultivation, opening the Purple Mansion is an extremely difficult hurdle. Your progress is already fast enough; you don't need to push yourself so hard."

Chen Xi sighed, "I have too many enemies. If I don't push myself, how can I become stronger?"

Ji Yu responded with an "Oh," and raised his wine gourd, asking, "Do you want another drink?"

Chen Xi shook his head, "No, the power in the wine is too terrifying. Even if I can use it, it makes me unable to practice the fist technique for a whole week. Moreover, the rapid increase in cultivation is not beneficial to my practice. It's better not to drink."

Indeed, this was true. Half a month ago, after drinking a few sips from the gourd, Chen Xi had broken through to the innate realm in body cultivation, but the aftereffects were significant. The surge in strength made it difficult for him to control his body, and to avoid a weak foundation, he spent another half month using the thick earth star and pure wood star to reforge his body. The process was arduous, leaving Chen Xi with lingering fear.

Ji Yu regretfully said, "Indeed, as you said, breaking through realms with external aids often leads to a weak foundation. In the future, when trying to reach higher realms, it's easy to suffer a mental breakdown. However, once you reach the Purple Mansion realm and lay a solid foundation, these issues won't be a problem."

The principle was simple, and Chen Xi understood it. Before opening the Purple Mansion, whether in the acquired or innate realms, everything was preparation for laying a solid foundation. A solid foundation allows one to progress further in cultivation. Using external aids to break through realms at this stage, though it can lead to rapid advancement, is clearly not worth it in the long run.

"Actually, the best way to enhance strength is through actual combat."

Ji Yu suddenly spoke, "The richness of combat experience plays a crucial role in battles. A strong person who has been tempered in life-and-death struggles can even challenge opponents of higher realms."

A high realm does not necessarily mean the ability to fully utilize that power.

Even the most exquisite martial techniques, without the tempering of blood and fire, are just showy moves.

Chen Xi deeply agreed.

"Engaging in combat with innate realm great beasts? I haven't seen any in these days."

Chen Xi was taken aback. Fighting beasts was not the same as fighting humans; in fact, beasts often had a more formidable presence. A great beast that dominated a territory in the innate realm had risen through countless battles, with combat experience so seasoned that a single glance could make an opponent's scalp tingle, and they could only use half of their strength.

Ji Yu smiled and asked, "Would they dare to come close?" His casual tone revealed a sense of supreme confidence.

Chen Xi suddenly understood. He almost forgot that Ji Yu was a cave spirit that had lived for a million years, originally a qilin with black hooves and a single horn. If those beasts dared to come close, they would be asking for trouble!

Without further ado, once his strength was restored, Chen Xi tidied his clothes and headed deeper into the forest.

The forest was dark and quiet at night. After nearly an incense stick's time, Chen Xi encountered a beast with only initial acquired realm strength.

However, Chen Xi became more cautious. In such a dangerous place, ordinary innate realm cultivators wouldn't dare to enter, as a moment's carelessness could lead to a fatal ambush by a fierce and cunning beast.

As he went deeper, Chen Xi killed a few beasts, but they were too weak to interest him.

After advancing another ten miles, Chen Xi suddenly stopped, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"There's the sound of a fight!"

Chen Xi's divine soul was much stronger than that of other cultivators of the same realm, almost reaching the breaking point. This allowed him to detect movements that others couldn't.

At that moment, he used his divine soul to hear the faint sounds of a fight in the distance.

He didn't expect anyone to dare enter this deep forest at night. Following the sounds, Chen Xi quietly approached.

Ahead was a slightly open rocky area. Under the starlight, he could vaguely see figures moving, accompanied by terrifying roars.

When he was a hundred steps away from the rocky area, Chen Xi leaped onto a tree, hiding in the canopy, and observed from above.

In the center of the rocky area, a mess lay scattered. Two men and a woman were attacking a large beast with their weapons.

The beast resembled a tiger or leopard, over two zhang long, with silver fur, thick pillar-like limbs, a mouth full of sharp, saw-like fangs, and three-foot-long, knife-like claws.

This was an adult Silver Wind Leopard, with the strength of a fully acquired realm beast. Its claws were like knives, and it was incredibly fast, excelling in stealth attacks. Most frighteningly, its claws carried a potent poison. If not treated promptly, the victim's meridians would be completely burned, turning them into a cripple.

Chen Xi noticed the red leaf pattern on the sleeves of the two men and the woman. A name of a minor academy came to mind—Red Leaf Academy.

Red Leaf Academy was located in the academy district of Songyan City, with over three hundred disciples. It was adjacent to Tianxing Academy and ranked among the top ten academies in strength.

The most talked-about figure in Red Leaf Academy was its head, Ye Qiu, a dao cultivator who specialized in the dao of the blade. His unique Red Leaf Blade Technique was robust and profound, breaking through with simplicity. It was considered a high-grade martial technique. It was said that Ye Qiu's strength was so great that he could even challenge the first expert of the General's Mansion, Luo Chong.

The two men and the woman attacking the Silver Wind Leopard were not particularly strong, but their coordination was excellent. They seemed to have practiced a multi-person combined technique. Their three long blades rained down like a dense, impenetrable web, trapping the Silver Wind Leopard in a corner, leaving it to struggle and await its death.

"Looking for death!"

Seeing the Silver Wind Leopard trying to break through despite being injured, the young man in blue in the center roared and slashed three times, forcing the beast to retreat with his fierce blade energy.

The other man and woman took advantage of this moment to launch a fierce attack, their sharp blades raining down on the Silver Wind Leopard.

With the high, hard rocks behind it, the Silver Wind Leopard had nowhere to retreat. Just as it was about to be killed, Chen Xi, hiding in the tree, sensed something amiss.

Something was wrong!

The Silver Wind Leopard was too calm, even in such a dire situation. Its eyes remained calm and fierce, occasionally showing a hint of cold satisfaction.

There must be an ambush!

Chen Xi's divine soul was incredibly powerful. The moment he sensed something wrong, he noticed that over a dozen agile beast shadows were silently approaching from the shadows around the rocky area...

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Over a dozen roars intertwined, sounding like a battle cry in the thick night.