Chapter 22

Three years passed in a hurry.

Yitian had grown into a young man, the childishness gone, replaced by a refined and steady demeanor.

During these three years, Yitian's cultivation had advanced to the peak of the fifth stage. This speed was not particularly fast. Yifeng, Yishan, and the others had also advanced to the peak of the fourth stage, becoming mid-stage warriors.

Their cultivation speed was among the best in the tribe.

Apart from them, the descendants of the tribal elders, such as Yikuang and Yihong, had also reached the mid-stage, with some even achieving the fifth stage.

Although their cultivation techniques might be slightly inferior to Yitian and the others, the resources they possessed were incomparable, so the gap in their cultivation was not significant.

However, after they turned eighteen, it would take them two to three years, or even five to six years, to advance to the next stage.

During these three years, although Yitian's cultivation did not progress much, his strength had increased significantly compared to three years ago. The comprehensive enhancement of his strength made his combat power extremely formidable.

A year ago, Yitian had entered the mountains and hunted a ferocious beast.

After several years of studying the Stacking Waves secret technique, he finally comprehended the twelfth level, allowing his arrows to reach twelve times the speed of sound within a hundred feet, making it almost impossible for even high-stage warriors to dodge.

Of course, with Yitian's current fifth-stage true qi, he could only勉强施展出第十一、十二重叠浪秘法，威力无法完全发挥。

On this day, Yitian, Yifeng, Yishan, and Yili came to a valley on the outskirts of the Fulong Mountains.

At this moment, Yishan was skinning and gutting a Starfire Fox, and the campfire was already burning brightly. Soon, he began to roast large pieces of Starfire Fox meat over the fire.

Yishan occasionally sprinkled various seasonings on the meat, and the sizzling aroma spread far and wide. The dripping fat fell onto the charcoal, sending up puffs of white smoke.

Deep in the valley was a deep pool.

Yitian was currently soaking in the pool, relaxing his body.

As for Yifeng and Yili, they were weaving through the fruit trees in the valley, picking kiwis, dragon fruits, and four-season plums. Soon, they emerged with a large bag full of fruit.

When Yitian saw Yifeng and the others return, he immediately got out of the pool, put on his clothes, and returned to the campfire.

"Brother Tian, you really know how to enjoy yourself. We've been busy all day, and you've been soaking in the pool. That's the difference!" Yifeng complained as soon as he returned.

Yishan remained silent, focusing on roasting the meat.

Only Yili spoke up, saying, "Who made Brother Tian so powerful? He killed the Starfire Fox with one arrow, and we didn't even have to lift a finger. We're stuck doing the hard work."

Yitian replied, "Who made you want to eat the ferocious beast's meat but lack the strength to hunt it? I reluctantly took action, so naturally, you have to do the preparations."

After a bit of playful banter, they started fighting over the roasted meat.

Before long, the hundreds of pounds of Starfire Fox meat were divided among the four of them.

"This place is really nice!"

Yitian and the others lay on a grassy area, feeling extremely content.

This secluded, idyllic valley was discovered by Yitian during one of his Feather Flying Technique practice sessions.

The valley was not large, only about five miles in diameter, surrounded by cliffs over four hundred feet high, making it impossible for even fierce beasts to climb. The absence of fierce beasts made it a natural safe haven.

Thus, Yitian chose this valley as a regular resting place.

Over the past couple of years, they often came to this valley for extra meals, and scenes like today's had occurred more than once.

As their cultivation improved, their appetites increased significantly, and they could consume hundreds or even thousands of pounds of fierce beasts in a day.

To avoid surprising the tribe, they secretly entered the mountains each time to hunt extremely dangerous beasts, roasting and eating them in this small valley. Occasionally, hunting a ferocious beast was like a grand celebration, with an abundance of food.

"It's time to go back."

Yitian sat up from the ground and said to Yifeng and the others.

Yishan divided a large piece of Starfire Fox meat into four parts and said, "The energy from the Starfire Fox meat is good. We four couldn't finish it, so let's take the rest back for our families to enjoy."

Yitian took his share and said, "I'll go up first!"

In the next moment, Yitian stepped on the protrusions of the stone wall, his body seemingly weightless, and he floated upward rapidly, reaching twenty feet in the blink of an eye.

He moved as if walking on flat ground on the hundreds-of-feet-high cliff, continuously floating upward. In less than a dozen breaths, he was already standing above the valley.

Next, Yili, Yifeng, and Yishan followed, stepping on the protrusions of the stone wall, moving seven to eight feet with each step. It took them thirty breaths to reach the top.

Among them, Yili's Feather Flying Technique was the most advanced, followed by Yifeng, and lastly Yishan.

Seeing this, Yitian nodded to himself.

He chose this valley as a resting place or a place for feasts for another reason: the environment of the valley greatly helped their practice of the Feather Flying Technique.

The cliffs of the valley were over four hundred feet high, and falling from such a height would certainly be fatal.

However, after practicing the Feather Flying Technique, they could safely land in the valley by reducing their momentum two or three times on the stone wall.

Yitian had mastered the Feather Flying Technique to a divine level. The perfected human-grade Feather Flying Technique made him as light as a swallow, and he could land without any harm even if he jumped down.

On the way back.

Yifeng couldn't help but say, "Brother Tian, we're going to join the tribe's warrior team next year. This is too boring. It's better to be free like we are now, doing whatever we want!"

In the past, Yifeng had been full of anticipation for hunting in the mountains.

But now, with their strength greatly improved, they frequently entered the Fulong Mountains, enjoying freedom. Unlike hunting teams, which had to spend six to seven days in the mountains each time and were managed by leaders and captains, these constraints made him somewhat unwilling.

Hearing this, Yitian also hesitated.

Indeed, if they joined the tribe's warrior team, they would not only have to frequently hunt in the mountains but also protect the tribe or escort the tribe's merchant caravans into the city.

This would leave them with little time for cultivation.

This was also why most people's cultivation progressed slowly after they turned eighteen. One key reason was that most warriors had to spend a lot of time earning resources.

"Let's do this: we'll apply to the tribal chief and elders to form a four-person team, independent and autonomous. We'll submit a certain number of hunted animals to the tribe each month, and the rest of the time, we can use freely."

Yitian thought of this solution.

If the tribal chief and elders agreed, they would solve this major concern.

"The chief and elders are unlikely to agree," Yili thought.

Unless there was a special situation, the chief and elders would not agree to their proposal.

"We might have to make a bold move!" Yitian said to Yifeng and the others.

Hearing Yitian's words, Yifeng, Yishan, and Yili's bodies involuntarily trembled.

They understood Yitian's meaning.

This time, they would truly make a bold appearance, making the tribal leadership recognize their existence and importance.

In the past, at Yitian's urging, they had been very low-key, avoiding conflicts with Yihong and Yikuang. This time, they would officially appear before the entire tribe as mid-stage warriors at the age of seventeen.

After confirming this with Yitian, Yifeng and the others were all fired up, ready for a big fight.

Of course, Yitian also warned them not to reveal the news of the new advanced cultivation techniques he had taught them. They should insist that they were practicing the tribe's cultivation techniques, and their rapid progress was due to their exceptional talent, making it impossible for others to detect any differences in their techniques.

After all, the cultivation techniques optimized by Yitian were essentially the same as the original ones, just with a much faster cultivation speed.

With a unified message, Yitian and the others felt much more relaxed.