Chapter 4

Although he did not want to sleep, Zhou Heng still forced himself to rest. He was currently in a critical period of growth.

He slept until dawn, got up, hastily ate breakfast, and then began to deduce and ponder the nine sword techniques in his mind.

He did not aim too high, focusing his efforts solely on the first sword technique.

This was a gradual process. To practice the second sword technique, one must first master the first. It was impossible to skip steps, a conclusion he had drawn after observing the nine sword techniques in his mind countless times.

From morning until late at night, Zhou Heng was engrossed in the first sword technique, constantly refining its subtleties. Each time he performed it, he gained new insights, becoming more and more in harmony with heaven and earth, and in tune with nature.

Despite this, he still could not fully execute the first sword technique.

When the moon was high in the sky, Zhou Heng stopped studying the sword techniques and sat cross-legged to practice the Fiery Sun Technique.

Buzz!

At midnight, the black broken sword began to vibrate on schedule, releasing a large amount of free energy. Zhou Heng naturally did not hesitate, absorbing the energy like a whale, and after half an hour, he had absorbed it all, significantly enhancing his cultivation.

"At this rate, it will only take five to six days for me to reach the peak of the first level of Body Tempering!" Zhou Heng could not hide his joy.

Although he knew nothing about the black broken sword, it did not prevent him from making inferences. For the past ten years, the black broken sword had been absorbing the true essence he cultivated, as if forging a key.

When enough true essence had accumulated, the key was forged, unlocking the black broken sword's special abilities, transmitting to him the nine mysterious sword techniques, and providing him with a large amount of free energy every day.

The past ten years were an incredibly long testing period. If he had become disheartened and given up, he would never have reached this point!

Fortunately, he persisted. Otherwise, he would have been a useless person all his life.

As the saying goes, "Plum blossoms bloom after enduring the bitter cold." After ten years of hiding and enduring, Zhou Heng had cultivated immense patience and an unshakable will.

He was indeed ten years behind others, but as long as the black broken sword continued to function effectively, he could catch up in just four months! After that, his path of cultivation would be much broader than others!

"In three months, it will be the year-end celebration. I wonder how many people are waiting to see me fail and be removed from the family register!"

"Over the years, my image as a waste of space has been deeply ingrained. Who has ever given me a second glance?"

"I have thought countless times about standing tall before everyone one day, slapping them in the face with reality. Now, the opportunity has finally come!"

"The year-end celebration will be the time for me to make a stunning debut!"

"Continue to study the mysterious sword techniques!"

Another three days passed, and the black broken sword did not disappoint. Every midnight, it released a large amount of free energy, allowing Zhou Heng to smoothly advance to the peak of the first level of Body Tempering.

Next, he needed to break through to the next minor realm. Without overcoming this hurdle, his cultivation could not progress further.

Relatively speaking, such a breakthrough was easy. It was still in the Skin Tempering stage, and with enough strength, he could break through in one go, with no significant difficulty. However, breaking through to a major realm was very difficult, and the hurdle of the Flesh Tempering stage was enough to make most martial artists despair.

In just an hour, Zhou Heng felt a lightness in his body, indicating that he had advanced to the second level of Body Tempering.

"Was it that easy?"

"Although minor realms are easy to break through, this was a bit too easy, right?"

After breaking through, Zhou Heng did not feel an increase in strength. This was normal, as breaking through a realm only gave him the space to continue improving. The benefits would gradually manifest through the accumulation of cultivation, not immediately.

He named the nine mysterious sword techniques "Nine Heavens Sword Techniques." Although he spent most of his time practicing the first sword technique every day, he still could not even mimic it!

The Nine Heavens Sword Techniques could not be seen by outsiders, so Zhou Heng no longer went to the square. He stayed in his courtyard, practicing with a wooden sword like a madman.

The younger generation of the Zhou family believed he had given up his desperate struggle, knowing he could not reach the Flesh Tempering stage by the end of the year, and they mocked him.

Zhou Heng did not care about others' opinions. He remained silent, waiting for the day he would emerge like a butterfly from its cocoon.

Ten days later, he advanced to the late stage of the second level of Body Tempering. In just two or three more days, he would reach the peak and break through to the third level of Body Tempering! More importantly, he had finally made a breakthrough in the first technique of the Nine Heavens Sword Techniques, able to勉强施展出半招。

Zhou Heng had no sparring partner and could not determine the power of this half technique. He also could not randomly find someone in the Zhou family to spar with, so he could only practice alone.

"I need at least another half a month to fully execute this technique!" Zhou Heng shook his head. It took him a whole month to initially master just one technique. Was he too stupid, or were the Nine Heavens Sword Techniques too profound?

"I can't find someone in the family to spar with, so I'll go to the Pingtian Mountains to practice on wild beasts! Only real life-and-death battles can improve my use of the sword techniques! This is experience, something no one can teach!"

"But I must wait until I reach the Flesh Tempering stage, otherwise it would be too dangerous!"

"Settle down!"

Zhou Heng stopped thinking about these things and focused on practicing the sword techniques. His cultivation progressed very smoothly, requiring only half an hour each day to refine the free energy released by the black broken sword.

If others knew he could achieve in half an hour what it took others a month of hard practice, they would be envious to the point of red eyes!

After ten years of enduring white eyes, Zhou Heng finally reaped a heavy harvest.

Two more days passed, and he reached the peak of the second level of Body Tempering. In just over an hour, he broke through again, entering the third level of Body Tempering.

In total, it took him only nineteen days!

This speed was astonishing!

Zhou Heng did not become overly proud. Although his cultivation was advancing rapidly, his starting point was too low. The third level of Body Tempering was nothing to be proud of.

According to the Zhou family rules, those who did not reach the Flesh Tempering stage by the age of eighteen would be removed from the family register. This showed that Zhou Heng's cultivation was still pitifully low, far from meeting the minimum requirement.

In the blink of an eye, the sweltering heat of September had passed, and the cool, crisp air of October was halfway through. Zhou Heng's cultivation continued to advance rapidly, reaching the peak of the third level of Body Tempering, facing his first major challenge.

Breaking through a major realm!

Zhou Heng originally thought this would take at least ten days, or even longer, as his incredibly talented father had taken nine days. However, he unexpectedly broke through in just half a day!

He was stunned for a while before accepting this fact. Reflecting on it, he realized there was a reason.

It was because he had been constantly studying the Nine Heavens Sword Techniques for the past month. Even a small insight made him feel as if he had grasped the most profound truths of the world, making everything before him seem without mystery.

The black sword was undoubtedly a supreme treasure!

In the path of martial arts, the first difficulty lies in the accumulation of true essence. However, this is more about time than difficulty. Theoretically, as long as one is willing to spend the time, they can always reach the peak of a certain realm—except for Zhou Heng's special case where his true essence was being consumed.

The second difficulty is breaking through a major realm, which is truly the most critical part!

The accumulation of true essence only requires time, but breaking through a major realm requires insight. Without insight, one will be stuck in the same place for life!

In this sense, insight is more important than diligence!

Therefore, those who reach the peak in the path of martial arts are mostly geniuses, with only a few diligent individuals reaching the peak due to great fortune. Otherwise, no amount of diligence would help.

The black sword solved both of these problems!

The hardships and委屈 he endured for the past ten years were not in vain!

It was time to go to the Pingtian Mountains!

A martial artist who does not undergo actual combat can only remain at the level of theoretical knowledge. In a life-and-death battle, they might not even be able to use one-tenth of their strength before dying under the enemy's blade.

True strength is not trained but fought for!

Zhou Heng packed his belongings, slung an iron sword over his back, and quietly left the Zhou family, exiting the town of Yuanshi and entering the vast, dense forests of the Pingtian Mountains.

When was the last time he left Yuanshi Town?

Zhou Heng recalled that it was when he was very young, and his father had taken him into the Pingtian Mountains to hunt demon beasts. After he developed his "inability to cultivate," Zhou Dinghai began searching the world for medicinal herbs for him and had no time to accompany him.

Where is my father now? Zhou Heng felt a strong longing for his father.

The Pingtian Mountains were vast, and Zhou Heng did not know exactly how large they were. He only knew that the mountains were home to countless wild beasts and demon beasts!

Demon beasts are wild beasts that can naturally cultivate. They enhance themselves by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon or by hunting each other. The energy in their flesh far exceeds that of ordinary wild beasts, making them a great supplement for martial artists.

However, demon beasts are also extremely dangerous. Just as humans are no match for tigers, martial artists of the same realm are no match for demon beasts. Zhou Heng had to reach the Flesh Tempering stage before entering the Pingtian Mountains to avoid encountering demon beasts, which he could not resist.

Half a day later, he was deep in the forest, surrounded by the sounds of tigers roaring and apes howling, filled with a primitive atmosphere.

"Roar—" A loud roar, and a huge black bear suddenly lunged out of the bushes, clawing at Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng's face lit up with excitement. With a clang, his sword was drawn, and the first technique of the Nine Heavens Sword Techniques flowed out.