Chapter 54

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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In the vast, nameless mountains, a handsome young man, completely naked, sat cross-legged under a waterfall at the foot of the mountain, allowing the waterfall to rinse over him. His body remained as still as a mountain, standing firm. If one approached closely, they would notice that the young man's breathing was heavy yet long, and the white vapor he exhaled resembled a dragon or a tiger, exuding immense power. His chest rose and fell like a bellows, and the surging demonic essence within him flowed ceaselessly like the Yangtze River. Layers of black impurities were expelled from his body, making him feel as if his insides had been cleansed. This repeated cleansing made his tendons and meridians more unobstructed, and his internal organs cleaner, thus rejuvenating his vitality.

Through his battle with Wang Chong, Lu Shaoyou realized that his body was still not strong enough. A precious weapon's sharpness could easily tear his flesh. What about a more powerful spirit weapon? This thought made Lu Shaoyou's heart race.

Lu Shaoyou suddenly opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, now I will break through to the tenth level of the Qi Cultivation stage!" As he spoke, he raised his hands, and the spirit medicines in his storage ring flew out one by one. These were the medicines he had collected in the Life and Death Gate but had not fully turned over, so they had remained in his storage ring. Now, as Lu Shaoyou was about to break through to the tenth level of Qi Cultivation, there was no need to keep these spirit medicines and natural treasures. A surge of powerful mana ignited within Lu Shaoyou's body, and the ancient nameless scripture inside him hummed. His skin, muscles, and tendons all resonated like thunder. Lu Shaoyou deeply understood that he had only defeated Wang Chong by relying on powerful combat techniques, and he was still overly dependent on them. However, strength was the foundation. Without sufficient strength, even the strongest combat techniques were just a joke. In the face of absolute strength, all techniques were mere illusions.

Cultivation is divided into seven realms: Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, Transcending the Mundane, Divine Abilities, Nirvana, Demigod, and Immortality. Lu Shaoyou was currently in the Qi Cultivation stage, the most crucial phase for laying a solid foundation. As he cultivated, his demonic essence would continuously accumulate, and when it reached a certain level, it would undergo a qualitative change, transforming into innate essence. When this process succeeded, it would be time for Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, each of the twelve levels of Qi Cultivation was a process of tempering the physical body. Each time the demonic essence permeated his entire body, it would cause a fundamental change from the inside out, from his bones to his muscles and even every cell. Lu Shaoyou was currently undergoing this process.

A series of dull explosions echoed within Lu Shaoyou's body, like the rumbling of drums. His demonic essence surged, and a mysterious phenomenon reappeared, though still ethereal. However, it was slightly more real than the first time, with the previously extremely vague and floating images of immortals and Buddhas becoming a bit clearer. Although Lu Shaoyou was shocked by why this phenomenon occurred whenever his cultivation advanced, it seemed to cause no harm to him.

Lu Shaoyou's expression was solemn and dignified. The *Kunpeng Swallowing* technique within him activated, and streams of essence were absorbed like a dragon swallowing and a tiger devouring. Lu Shaoyou, like a famished man, voraciously devoured the surrounding essence. He roared in his heart, "Not enough! Not enough! I need more essence from heaven and earth!" The divine pig, watching from the side, couldn't help but shake his head. This Lu Shaoyou was truly a little freak; even in ancient times, few people had such an astonishing essence absorption rate during the Qi Cultivation stage!

"Let all the spirit medicines and natural treasures burn!" Lu Shaoyou roared, and his strength surged wildly. All his power concentrated at a single point, like a drill, and fiercely pierced the Baihui acupoint.

*Boom—*

Lu Shaoyou felt a tremendous explosion within his body. His demonic essence surged wildly, and his physical strength broke through, increasing several times over, directly reaching the strength of three thousand dragon horses! This was just his pure physical strength. If he added the enhancement from demonic essence combat techniques, his strength would reach an even higher level!

It's worth noting that ordinary Foundation Establishment level four cultivators only had about two thousand five hundred to two thousand six hundred dragon horse strength!

Lu Shaoyou stood up, glanced at the black, sticky substance on his body, and a foul smell wafted over. He quickly pinched his nose and jumped into the lake below the waterfall to wash himself.

After a short while, Lu Shaoyou emerged from the lake, feeling refreshed and invigorated. He changed into a black robe, and his entire appearance became even more graceful. He looked back at the waterfall with a lingering gaze and said to the divine pig, "Where should I go now?"

"Go to the Bloodthirsty Forest; it's more suitable for your cultivation level," the divine pig's voice echoed in Lu Shaoyou's mind, sounding extremely drowsy and speaking intermittently. "You should be about twenty kilometers ahead. There are various fierce beasts there, so you'll have to decide what to do."

Lu Shaoyou originally intended to find people for a life-and-death battle, but he reconsidered. A life-and-death battle was too early for him. Not only was his cultivation shallow, but such a battle would expose all his secrets. If a powerful demon suddenly got a wild idea and, disregarding his status as a disciple of the Flame Crow Clan, decided to kill him, it would be a great injustice. Moreover, if his secrets were exposed, the Flame Crow Clan might also take action against him. Considering all these factors, Lu Shaoyou decided to fight fierce beasts, which would allow him to temper himself in life-and-death situations without exposing his secrets.

"Boy, don't forget about the Purple Mansion Cloud Lotus!" the divine pig reminded him.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten," Lu Shaoyou nodded confidently. "I've already determined that the Purple Mansion Cloud Lotus should be in this area, and I should be able to find it when the time comes."

Lu Shaoyou took a light step forward, and his figure was already hundreds of meters away. He continued to flash and dash forward. For countless years, fierce beasts had dominated the vast wilderness. Unlike demons, who are the spirits of heaven and earth and can cultivate into human form, fierce beasts are formed from the malevolent energy of heaven and earth. They cannot cultivate or transform into human form but can enhance their strength through devouring and killing. Moreover, heaven greatly favors fierce beasts, and each one is born with strength several times greater than that of a peer at the same level! The weakest fierce beast must have the cultivation of a Great Completion Qi Cultivator, yet its combat power is comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment level three or four cultivator.

Additionally, the killing aura of fierce beasts is extremely intense, and a single glance can make your scalp tingle. Most people, once targeted by a fierce beast, choose to flee because in the presence of a fierce beast's malevolent aura, their strength can only be exerted to about 60%. Lu Shaoyou came here precisely for this reason, to find some low-level fierce beasts to cultivate. The Bloodthirsty Forest was a gathering place for mid- to low-level fierce beasts, and as long as Lu Shaoyou was cautious, there should be no problems.

In the afternoon, Lu Shaoyou finally arrived at the Bloodthirsty Forest. Indeed, he found some low-level fierce beasts here. Throughout history, ancient people divided fierce beasts into seven levels, each corresponding to a cultivation level. For example, a level one fierce beast is equivalent to a Great Completion Qi Cultivator, a level two fierce beast to a Great Completion Foundation Establishment cultivator, and so on. This is the terrifying aspect of fierce beasts: each time they advance a level, their strength becomes comparable to the peak of a peer at the same level, something that humans and demons cannot match!

Lu Shaoyou's entire body was tense, and he dared not make a sound as he walked quietly through the Bloodthirsty Forest. This was a place where ordinary Qi Cultivators would not dare to enter. Even someone as bold as Lu Shaoyou had to be cautious. He used all his senses, fully aware of his surroundings, and carefully identified the sources of any sounds. As he moved forward, he only encountered some level one fierce beasts, which made him relax a bit. After all, he was confident in dealing with these level one fierce beasts. However, these fierce beasts seemed to know that Lu Shaoyou was not easy to provoke and avoided him.

First update! Request for collection! Xiao Yao will make up for yesterday's update! There will be another update later, probably around four or five o'clock. Xiao Yao needs to buy a phone card first, so he will continue writing later. Please be patient!