Chapter 2

Boom!

Amidst the night sky, thick with dark clouds, a sudden flash of lightning and a thunderclap illuminated half of Luoyun Peak.

At the foot of a mountain hollow's stone wall, a faint figure of Li Chen could be seen sitting cross-legged, unmoving, as if he had already calmed his vital energies. A milky gray vortex slowly revolved above his head, continuously absorbing the surrounding elemental energy and, with his breathing, injecting it into his body's meridians.

However, a thin layer of gray mist continuously gathered around his left cheek, where a scar birthmark was located. A dark red blood glow flickered intermittently, as if something was about to burst out.

But it was enveloped by a layer of golden runes, preventing it from escaping.

Squawk!

A violent aura suddenly surged, and amidst the flickering blood glow, a shadow suddenly shot towards the sky, trembling and transforming into a vast, ethereal form, resembling a giant bird soaring through the thunder, obscuring the horizon.

The ethereal form, now free from its restraints, yearned for freedom, struggling fiercely to break through the nine heavens amidst the thunder.

It only lasted for a few breaths before a mournful cry echoed, and strange, large runes appeared around its body. It suddenly transformed into a streak of light, plummeting downward. As it fell, golden arcs of electricity crackled around it, and it remerged into the scar on Li Chen's face.

If there were any powerful individuals present, they would recognize that the ethereal form was strikingly similar to the legendary demonic beast, the Phoenix, but it was different, filled with a violent and murderous aura.

"Ugh!"

Li Chen, who had been sitting in meditation, suddenly raised his head and let out a roar, his face contorted with a grimace, and a foul smell permeated the air, with arcs of electricity flickering around him.

However, he did not notice the ethereal form's anomaly. Instead, his body was enveloped in crackling golden and blue arcs of electricity, which mirrored the lightning in the sky, lasting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before subsiding.

At this moment, Li Chen could sense in his mind that streams of energy had appeared within his meridians, the very symbol of a martial artist he had longed for years—internal energy!

As time passed, the mist began to gather slowly, and to Li Chen's great surprise, the amount of internal energy increased rapidly. After half an hour, it broke through to the first level of the Internal Energy Realm.

When another half hour passed, he clearly felt the fluctuations within his body, breaking through to the second level.

Without stopping, he continued to maintain his posture, striving to mobilize his internal energy to impact his meridians. The popping sounds continued, and after more than two hours, he broke through again, reaching the third level.

But the growth of internal energy did not stop. The demonic core within his body, which emitted a terrifying demonic aura that any low-level martial artist would fear, had no effect on him.

In fact, at this moment, Li Chen discovered that the physical strength he had honed for years had increased even further.

Perhaps it was the heavens' favor for this young man who had faced many hardships. By the time dawn broke, he had already reached the peak of the fourth level of the Internal Energy Realm, just one step away from the fifth level.

Compared to the Li Chen of before, he had truly ascended to a new level!

Clearly, the grade of the demonic core was even higher than he had anticipated.

He could distinctly feel that the physical strength he had honed through years of training with the failed elixir had undergone a transformation, increasing by more than a notch.

"Ha... Ha... Ha! Demonic core, demonic core, I must find a way to get more demonic cores!"

Li Chen, drenched in sweat, came to his senses, looking at his palms and laughing uncontrollably. It took about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea for him to recover from the shock.

"Leave this place!"

After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Li Chen stood up, moved his limbs, and heard a series of cracking sounds, feeling an indescribable comfort throughout his body.

He scanned the surroundings; the sky was just beginning to brighten. He quickly moved the two bodies to a pile of rocks and buried them. The remote location, with its numerous boulders, was an excellent place to hide bodies.

Tearing a piece of cloth, he wrapped the wet booklets and medicines, along with a few scattered items, and stuffed them into a crevice. Li Chen then fetched two buckets of well water and walked lightly towards the courtyard.

No one would believe that this fifteen-year-old boy had achieved a miracle that had never happened in the continent's history in just one night.

And this miracle occurred in a secluded mountain hollow.

Such a significant disturbance naturally caught the attention of many powerful individuals within the Xuan Yun Sect. However, they were suppressed by the overwhelming and violent aura and could not move.

When the terrifying aura dissipated, and the powerful individuals investigated, they could no longer find any trace.

...

"Hey, you're up pretty early!"

On the southern slope of Luoyun Peak, in a separate courtyard, Chen Songtai, a miscellaneous disciple serving He Kongming, disdainfully glanced at Li Chen, who was pouring water into a large vat on a platform, drenched in sweat.

"Master Chen, it's not early. Master He is going to start refining elixirs today!"

Li Chen shivered, scratching his head and subtly blocking the torn part of his shirt.

"Ha ha!"

Chen Songtai sneered and turned to leave the courtyard.

Yesterday, he had deliberately delayed by half a day, making it impossible for Li Chen to fill the water in time. However, he did not expect Li Chen to stay up all night to complete the task.

Although Li Chen's work allowed him more time to practice, for someone his age who had made little progress in martial arts, bullying others was his only pleasure, especially bullying someone who could never retaliate.

Watching him leave, Li Chen narrowed his eyes and quickly entered his room to change into clean clothes before rushing out.

Without stopping, he moved from a room adjacent to the main house, carrying boxes of auxiliary herbs. When he had prepared everything, a young man in blue, with a handsome face, entered the alchemy room. It was He Kongming, a talented inner disciple of the Xuan Yun Sect, who had claimed him from the third Miss Li.

"Out!"

He Kongming coldly glanced at Li Chen, walked to the table, and began selecting the herbs from the jade boxes that emitted a faint fragrance.

In front of him was a half-person-tall alchemy furnace, intricately carved with flowers, birds, fish, and insects, polished to a spotless shine, emitting rolling waves of heat.

This was He Kongming's alchemy room. Li Chen was only summoned to clean the room or to test the elixirs.

"Yes!"

Without a word, Li Chen respectfully bowed and left, closing the door behind him.

Standing in the courtyard, he looked up at the sky, clenching and unclenching his fists three times, his eyes, like stars, emitting a resolute and intimidating light.

His eyes twitched, as if he could hear the low grinding of his teeth.

He had seen too much disdain, indifference, and pity. He did not want to continue like this, whether for himself or for the sake of the old man who had served the Li family for three generations, dying in pain without medical treatment.

Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind and walked to an open space outside the courtyard. He assumed a stance, bent his waist, and began practicing a set of boxing techniques, moving as smoothly as flowing water.

The martial technique was called "Tiger Roar Fist," a mid-level human-grade martial technique that Li Chen's old master had learned. Although it was not of a high rank, it was characterized by a fierce and relentless momentum.

Roar! Roar!

His body moved with the wind, and a powerful aura emerged.

"This feeling is so strong!"

After several rounds of practice, Li Chen did not feel tired; instead, he felt stronger. This was due to the formation of his internal energy.

Internal energy not only enhanced his strength and defense but also alleviated fatigue and increased endurance. With his astonishing physical strength, the combination with internal energy made his attacks even more devastating.

Although he had never fought a martial artist, years of experience from being beaten by the third Miss Li told Li Chen that with his current strength, he would not be at a disadvantage against a fifth-level Internal Energy Realm martial artist.