Chapter 16: Breakthrough

In the days that followed, Du Fei did not venture out again. After instructing Xiao Ai to take care of herself, he began his cultivation journey. Starting from the second day, he entered the back mountain of the Du family to practice diligently.

There were only two months left until the clan competition, and without achieving significant results in cultivation, it would be impossible to succeed. Under the pressure from Du Qing, Du Fei understood even more clearly that if he were to lose in the clan competition, he would likely lose everything he had now!

And this was a result he absolutely could not accept!

Beneath the waterfall in the back mountain, Du Fei stood bare-chested, his body slowly moving through a series of movements. Whether it was sweeping his legs or punching, each action appeared gentle, yet each strike carried a forceful power.

Combining gentleness and forcefulness, achieving this level at the ninth stage of Body Tempering was probably only possible for Du Fei.

After performing a set of Soft Fist as a warm-up, Du Fei carefully took out the crystal bottle from his chest, dripped a drop of the medicinal liquid, and then carefully hid the bottle again. He then slowly swallowed the drop of medicinal liquid.

With the experience from the first time, this time Du Fei was not as impulsive. As he slowly swallowed the medicinal liquid, his body also slowly moved through the Soft Fist.

Indeed, although the bone-chilling cold still surged from his dantian, because of the foundation laid by the Soft Fist, the cold sensation was somewhat milder. Although it was cold, it made Du Fei feel somewhat refreshed.

With this feeling, Du Fei swiftly performed the Soft Fist, the cold aura in the wind continuously freezing the surrounding mist.

The frozen mist, guided by Du Fei's Soft Fist, rotated in a strange pattern for a moment before falling to the ground.

Subtly, it seemed that Du Fei's Soft Fist already carried a gentle internal force. Although this internal force was not as obvious as true qi, it was indeed present.

However, even Du Fei himself did not notice this peculiar internal force, let alone anyone else... "Huff, huff, huff..."

This time, Du Fei did not know how long it took, but he finally completed the last set of Soft Fist, and the cold aura emanating from his dantian had completely dissipated.

Du Fei's skin became even more supple, and as he moved slightly, the sound of his bones cracking echoed continuously.

This feeling of complete refreshment was something Du Fei had never experienced before in his cultivation.

Slightly stunned, Du Fei seemed to think of something, and his right hand suddenly clenched into a fist, which he then struck a rock in front of him.

With his action, the rock instantly shattered into powder.

"Bone-cracking rock, fifth stage of Body Tempering?" Du Fei's face showed surprise, but then his surprise turned to elation, "No... it's the sixth stage of Body Tempering!"

Du Fei was somewhat incredulous that he could advance to the sixth stage of Body Tempering so quickly.

After hesitating for a moment, Du Fei took a deep breath and slowly performed the Soft Fist again.

This time, the power in each strike of the Soft Fist was several times stronger than before, and even as he struck, the sound of tearing air could be faintly heard. Only then did Du Fei believe that he had truly reached the sixth stage of Body Tempering.

"This Soft Fist is indeed peculiar. Although I am only at the sixth stage of Body Tempering, if we don't consider the internal force, each of my punches probably has the power of the seventh stage! Even if I stop here, I have the confidence to stand up to Du Qing. However..."

Thinking to this point, Du Fei's movements slowly stopped, and he frowned slightly.

The seventh stage of Body Tempering, compared to the first six stages, is considered the first threshold in martial cultivation for a reason. First, the appearance of true qi means that cultivation is no longer just about strengthening the body, but also involves internal cultivation. Second, true qi is the foundation of martial cultivation, and only with true qi can one begin to cultivate martial techniques.

Although the martial techniques cultivators can learn below the Martial Artist level are basic, even these basic techniques can double one's strength.

In other words, even if I can match Du Qing at the seventh stage of Body Tempering because of the Soft Fist, if he uses martial techniques, I will likely be defeated.

Moreover, if I have made progress in these three months, how can Du Qing not have made progress?

After all, who among those who reach the seventh stage of Body Tempering is a simple person?

"Even at the sixth stage of Body Tempering, I cannot be complacent! One and a half months! No, one month, I must advance to the seventh stage of Body Tempering! The remaining time will be spent cultivating martial techniques!"

With this resolve, Du Fei gave a slight cold laugh and his gaze fell on the crystal bottle.

He then gritted his teeth and poured two drops of the medicinal liquid from the bottle, swallowing them.

Time flowed like water, fleeting.

In the blink of an eye, a month had swiftly passed.

In front of the waterfall in the back mountain of the Du family, a figure was still slowly performing the Body Tempering Fist.

At this moment, Du Fei's eyes were slightly closed, his breathing natural. With each punch, the mist he generated increased, and his Body Tempering Fist seemed to move more naturally with the mist.

Although Du Fei's appearance had not changed much over these two months, both his skin and bones had undergone significant changes. Internally, it was not obvious, but his slightly yellowish skin seemed to contain boundless force.

Being able to reach this level in two months is something very few people can achieve.

Achieving this, although the Body Tempering medicinal liquid played a role, the greater reason was Du Fei's early efforts. Although he could not cultivate successfully, he had laid a solid foundation for himself. Combined with his daily diligent practice, his rapid progress was understandable.

After completing a set of Soft Fist, Du Fei took a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, a cold aura flashed in his dark eyes, almost freezing the surrounding air.

Fortunately, it was only for a moment, and Du Fei quickly returned to his normal expression. He gently clenched his fist, carefully experiencing the gentle force contained in his knuckles.

After cultivating for so long, Du Fei had experienced the peculiar internal force that occasionally appeared when he performed the Soft Fist.

Although this internal force was rare, Du Fei believed that if he could understand and grasp it, advancing to the seventh stage of Body Tempering would be a natural progression.

During this month, Du Fei had several times tried to grasp this internal force, but he always failed to understand it. However, today, he felt he had a faint understanding of it.

"Force, when emitted from the body, is always forceful, no matter how gentle... But what if the force comes from the dantian?"

This was something Du Fei had never tried before. Today, he took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

As he closed his eyes, for the first time, he clearly felt the thin essence energy of heaven and earth flowing through his meridians and gathering in his lower dantian. This time, unlike any previous vague sensations, the thin essence energy did not dissipate but became increasingly concentrated over time.

At the same time, the residual power of the Body Tempering medicinal liquid in Du Fei's meridians was also activated. After flowing through his meridians for a moment, it quickly flowed into his lower dantian.

As the cold medicinal power flowed in, a gas mass in his lower dantian slowly formed. When it reached the size of a fist, it began to rotate slowly.

At first, the rotation was very stiff, but as time passed, it became smoother. At a certain moment, the thin gas vortex seemed to stabilize... "Is this... a true qi vortex?"

A thought flashed through Du Fei's mind, and he quickly exhaled. This time, the true qi vortex in his dantian did not disappear but remained, and even as Du Fei slowly stopped his Soft Fist, he could still feel the presence of the qi.

Slightly opening his eyes, Du Fei did not rush to verify anything but slowly resumed his stance and performed a set of Soft Fist, flowing smoothly.

As he moved, large black sweat droplets quickly emerged from his pores, and even a faint white mist rose from his head... "Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack... Boom..."

With the last movement, a series of crisp bone-cracking sounds echoed, and then Du Fei struck a palm against the giant rock in front of him. Instantly, a clear palm print appeared on the rock, but the rock did not shatter... Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Du Fei's lips.

"Finally, I have advanced to the seventh stage of Body Tempering..."

Closing his eyes again and sensing the true qi vortex in his dantian for a moment, Du Fei murmured to himself. At this moment, a strong sense of confidence surged within him!