Chapter 9

"Only a month to wait, but during this month, I will strive to advance my cultivation further." Meng Hao carefully placed the bronze mirror into his storage bag. He knew that the effects of the bronze mirror must not be revealed to outsiders, or he would surely be unable to keep it, and there would be a risk of being silenced.

He looked down at his body, which was covered in dirt. Previously, he had been too agitated to notice the dirt, but now that his emotions had calmed, he walked out of his cave and to the nearby river to wash it off.

When he returned to the cave, the sky was already light. Meng Hao took out the Qi Condensation Scroll and studied it carefully for a long time.

"Once I reach the second level of Qi Condensation, I can perform immortal techniques. At the fifth level, I can learn the Wind Walking Technique, which allows one to fly." Meng Hao closed his eyes, full of anticipation for the fifth level of Qi Condensation. After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes and raised his right hand, making a grasping motion.

At that moment, he immediately felt the temperature in the cave rise significantly, and even sparks appeared on his right hand. For Meng Hao, who still had the mindset of an ordinary person, this scene made him immediately excited. However, the change in his emotions caused the sparks to dissipate.

Meng Hao quickly calmed himself and tried to circulate his cultivation again. However, by noon, he had tried dozens of times, and only sparks appeared, making it difficult to condense. The spiritual energy in his body also dissipated completely.

"This Fire Snake Technique is quite difficult to perform." Meng Hao frowned, but his determined character did not let him give up. After recovering through breathing exercises, he tried again.

As night fell and the morning sun reappeared, Meng Hao continued to try for two days. However, repeated failures left him exhausted, and his spiritual energy dissipated and was replenished repeatedly. Despite this, his determination grew stronger.

"I won't believe I can't perform the Fire Snake Technique!" Meng Hao gritted his teeth, raised his right hand, and tapped his storage bag, immediately holding the demon core in his hand.

Meng Hao knew that if he swallowed this core, and if the mirror had its mysterious effects, and if he had enough spirit stones, he would lack a reference point.

"Can't worry about that. If it doesn't work, I'll just go back to the desolate mountains to find another demon beast." After some hesitation, Meng Hao decisively put the demon core in his mouth and closed his eyes to perform breathing exercises. The spiritual energy in his body erupted, surging through his entire body.

Time slowly passed, and by the afternoon, Meng Hao opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing in them. Although his cultivation was still at the second level of Qi Condensation, it had advanced significantly.

"Probably with three or five more, I should be able to reach the third level of Qi Condensation." Meng Hao felt a sense of regret but also realized that the higher the cultivation, the more difficult it became. His anticipation for the mysterious effects of the bronze mirror grew. He raised his right hand and made a grasping motion in the air.

With this motion, many sparks immediately appeared and condensed in Meng Hao's hand, forming a fire snake about the length of a finger, emitting intense heat. Meng Hao felt that nearly three-tenths of his spiritual energy was instantly drained.

His face was pale, but his eyes were bright, and a smile appeared on his lips. He leaped out of the cave and flicked his right hand, sending the fire snake flying into a large tree.

With a loud bang, the tree instantly caught fire and soon turned to ashes.

"I need to find an opportunity to show this to the little fatty and make him envious." Meng Hao felt a surge of confidence and laughed heartily.

Over the next half-month, Meng Hao spent most of his time in the desolate mountains searching for demon beasts and practicing the Fire Snake Technique. His dedication surpassed his previous studies, and gradually, he became more proficient, reducing the time needed to condense spiritual energy. However, it still took a few breaths to form the fire snake.

He also used the bronze mirror to secretly shine on people outside the sect, but the mirror showed no reaction. After several attempts, he realized that the mirror only worked on beasts with thick fur, though he felt a bit disappointed, understanding that he had been too hopeful.

However, during this half-month, Meng Hao did not encounter any more demon beasts in the desolate mountains, and his cultivation stagnated. Fortunately, each time he practiced the Fire Snake Technique and his cultivation dissipated, it would recover with a slight increase, though he could not do this in the desolate mountains and only dared to do so in his cave.

"Less than ten days until the day of the core release, I need to go deeper into the desolate mountains." On this day, Meng Hao made a decision and set out early in the morning, running quickly towards the desolate mountains he had not visited.

By nightfall, Meng Hao had not rested much, having crossed countless mountains. Finally, at the foot of a black mountain, he discovered a bear-like demon beast.

This battle, thanks to the Fire Snake Technique and the sharpness of the bronze mirror, the demon beast was burst nine times in succession, its body bleeding to death while its pitiful cries echoed.

After retrieving the inner core, just as Meng Hao was about to enter the black mountain, he suddenly felt his body hair stand on end. He saw five elephant-headed, tiger-bodied demon beasts not far ahead, coldly staring at him.

With the bronze mirror, dealing with one demon beast was easy, but five was beyond his capability. He gradually retreated, his right hand tightly gripping the bronze mirror.

At that moment, a roar that shook the desolate mountains echoed from the black mountain, forming a wave of energy that rolled out in all directions. Meng Hao's face changed, and without hesitation, he rapidly retreated, quickly leaving without stopping.

Fortunately, the five demon beasts did not pursue him, but instead disappeared into the mountains.

"That roar felt like when I heard Senior Disciple Shangguan's low voice. There must be many powerful demon beasts in the black mountain." Meng Hao glanced back at the black mountain as he ran, increasingly feeling the danger it posed.

The ten days passed quickly. With the black mountain as a boundary, Meng Hao crossed many mountains over these ten days but did not encounter any more demon beasts. He felt regretful and cherished the bear demon core in his storage bag even more, not swallowing it.

When the day of the core release arrived, the sound of the bell echoed, and Meng Hao left his cave and entered the outer sect. A month ago, his cultivation was at the first level of Qi Condensation, but now it was at the second level. Although he was still some distance from the third level, Meng Hao believed that if the bronze mirror's effects were real, his cultivation would advance rapidly in the future.

With a mix of hope and anxiety, Meng Hao stood on the square for the core release. Some of his fellow disciples looked at him, clearly recognizing him.

A month ago, Meng Hao's actions had caused a significant shock in the outer sect, but given his low cultivation, the shock had gradually faded.

This time, the core release was not overseen by Shangguan Xiu but by a middle-aged man. He distributed Spirit Condensation Pills and half a spirit stone, but no individual pills were released.

After placing the pills and spirit stone in his storage bag, as the light pillars around the square disappeared, Meng Hao quickly retreated without hesitation, scanning the surroundings. He immediately saw many fellow disciples being blocked by other cultivators, clearly unable to keep their pills and spirit stones.

Perhaps due to the lingering influence of Senior Disciple Xu, and because Meng Hao retreated quickly, only a few people glanced at him coldly, but no one demanded the spirit stones or pills.

Seeing this, Meng Hao did not relax. He knew that the name of Senior Disciple Xu could not protect him for long. If this was the case after just a month, he feared that after a few months, someone would target him.

"As long as the bronze mirror's effects are real, in a few months... let's see who will be the one to be robbed!" Meng Hao's eyes flashed, and he quickly hurried along.

Leaving the outer sect, Meng Hao was eager to test the effects of the bronze mirror and quickly headed towards his cave. However, just as he was not far from his cave, he suddenly paused, his eyes narrowing as they fell on a figure emerging from the forest ahead.

This person wore a green robe, looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, had a proud expression, and some facial hair. He stood there, coldly staring at Meng Hao. His cultivation was already at the third level of Qi Condensation, blocking Meng Hao's path.

"Senior Disciple Zhao." Meng Hao's face changed, and he took a few steps back, his right hand subtly making a grasping motion behind his back. He had seen this person before; most of the outer sect disciples knew Senior Disciple Zhao Wugang, who was ruthless and had killed several low-level disciples in the public area. He usually flattered those at the third level of Qi Condensation and above, while being extremely domineering towards those at the first and second levels, often attacking them over minor disagreements.

"Since you recognize me, there's no need for me to say more. Hand over the pills and spirit stones." Zhao Wugang said coldly. Others did not dare to approach Meng Hao, but Zhao Wugang, having been in the sect for many years, knew the ropes. He had secretly investigated and found that Senior Disciple Xu often went into seclusion and would not care much about the death of a low-level disciple.

"Senior Disciple Zhao, please be lenient. I just received the spirit stones and pills. Could you give me some more time?" Meng Hao hesitated, taking a few steps back. The other person's cultivation was a level higher, and Meng Hao had never fought anyone before, so he was nervous and pale.

"Calling yourself a scholar? Were you a talent before coming to the mountain? Come, recite a poem for me. If I'm happy, I might just break one of your legs today." Zhao Wugang laughed, his expression mocking.

"Senior Disciple Zhao... the sages say that if..." Meng Hao was extremely nervous and angry but had to hold back, trying to reason.

"Shut up. Not only will you hand over your spirit stones and pills, but your cave will also be shared with me from now on. In public, we are fellow disciples, but in the cave, you will be my servant. If you say no, I'll make you wish you were dead!" Zhao Wugang glared, his eyes flashing with killing intent as he stepped towards Meng Hao.

His cultivation had recently broken through to the third level, and he needed a large amount of spiritual energy to stabilize it. He had decided to take Meng Hao's cave, but he still feared Senior Disciple Xu, so he planned to make Meng Hao his servant. He believed Meng Hao would not dare to refuse, and over time, Xu would forget about him, allowing him to kill Meng Hao whenever he wanted. Even if he didn't kill him, keeping a cripple around to recite poems would make him seem very refined.

"This cave is Senior Disciple Xu's residence. I cannot take it. Please don't make things difficult for me, Senior Disciple Zhao." Meng Hao's right hand behind his back was filled with spiritual energy. He knew he was no match for Zhao Wugang, but the cave and the spirit stones were important. He was extremely reluctant to give them