Leaving the martial arts hall, Luo Feng intended to immediately head towards Purple Spirit Peak for training.
Halfway there, Luo Feng paused, his sharp gaze fixed ahead.
A young man and a young woman approached, walking side by side.
The young man wore the purple-trimmed white robe of an Inner Courtyard student. He had sharp, sword-like eyebrows and bright, star-like eyes. He carried a folding fan, lending him an air of dashing, if somewhat arrogant, charm.
Luo Feng recognized him: Duanmu Yu, who had entered the Inner Courtyard at fourteen and was hailed as its youngest genius.
The slender young woman walking beside Duanmu Yu was Lin XiaoXiao.
Lin XiaoXiao also took notice of Luo Feng. The smile at her lips vanished in an instant, and the light in her eyes became as cold and piercing as ice.
Although Lin Hui's life had been saved, he had become a cripple. Due to taking forbidden drugs during the duel, he had also been expelled from the academy!
Lin XiaoXiao naturally blamed Luo Feng for this.
As the three drew closer, Duanmu Yu abruptly stopped as he passed Luo Feng.
Glancing at Luo Feng, Duanmu Yu tapped his chin and said, "I recognize you. You're Luo Feng, the Silver Moon Class student who defeated Lin Hui on the stage that day with mid-stage Cultivation Power Realm strength."
Luo Feng, not knowing the other party's intent, remained silent.
Duanmu Yu held his folding fan, standing with his hands behind his back, and looked down at Luo Feng, saying, "You're quite impressive. You'll be following me from now on. I'll have someone send you ten thousand silvers later as resources for your training."
"Young Master!"
Lin XiaoXiao's almond eyes widened in surprise. She had not expected Duanmu Yu to take a liking to Luo Feng!
If Luo Feng truly pledged allegiance to Duanmu Yu, her plans for avenging Lin Hui would become much more difficult.
"What, do you have an opinion?" Duanmu Yu frowned, casting a glance at Lin XiaoXiao.
Lin XiaoXiao's gaze wavered. Duanmu Yu was known for being unyielding once he made a decision.
"How could Xiao Xiao dare to defy the Young Master's wishes?" Unwilling to offend Duanmu Yu over this, Lin XiaoXiao quickly shook her head, forcing a smile.
Standing aside, Luo Feng watched Lin XiaoXiao's sickening display of fawning over Duanmu Yu and sneered inwardly. This despicable woman!
Shifting his gaze, Luo Feng looked straight at Duanmu Yu and said calmly, "Young Master Duanmu, although I, Luo Feng, love money, I prefer earning it myself rather than receiving it from others. I'm afraid I can't enjoy this ten thousand silvers of yours."
Duanmu Yu's eyebrows shot up, his sharp gaze boring into Luo Feng. "Are you refusing me?"
"It would appear so." Luo Feng met his gaze unflinchingly, his own expression tranquil.
Duanmu Yu's eyes turned cold, and a frigid, intimidating aura emanated from him.
No one had ever dared to refuse him!
His gaze fell upon the Teng Dragon's Step manual in Luo Feng's hands, and a sneer touched his lips. "Teng Dragon's Step? Hmph. A piece of trash like you thinks you can cultivate the Teng Dragon's Step? It seems I misjudged you. You're just an ignorant fool who doesn't know what's good for him!"
Luo Feng's eyes narrowed.
Duanmu Yu shot Luo Feng a disdainful, arrogant look. "Not convinced? I'll tell you this: unless you kneel and kowtow to me three times, you can forget about ever entering the Inner Courtyard!"
Luo Feng's anger gave way to a cold laugh. He took a deep breath and looked defiantly at Duanmu Yu. "Then let me tell you something. Not only will I enter the Inner Courtyard within three months, but I will also master the Teng Dragon's Step that you couldn't!"
There was no longer any reason to stay here. With a cold sneer, Luo Feng strode away.
Duanmu Yu's expression darkened as he watched Luo Feng's retreating back, the folding fan in his hand groaning under his grip.
SNAP!
The fan suddenly broke, and Duanmu Yu sneered, "Good! Good! Good! I will wait for you for three months! Three months later, I will make you kneel like a dog begging me!"
Watching Duanmu Yu seethe, a flicker of light—and a hint of delight—passed through Lin XiaoXiao's beautiful eyes.
Lin XiaoXiao knew full well the extent of Duanmu Yu's influence. His uncle was an outer elder of the Sky Sword Pavilion, and even many Inner Courtyard students curried favor with him.
Moreover, Duanmu Yu himself was a cultivation prodigy. At only fifteen, he had already reached the fifth level of the Meridian Wheel, a mid-stage Iron Bone Realm expert!
Luo Feng refusing Duanmu Yu was simply him courting death!
「 」
Luo Feng left the academy, intending to head to the cliffs of Purple Spirit Peak to train. He had only taken a few steps when someone called his name from behind.
"Luo Feng! Hold on!"
Luo Feng turned around and saw a somewhat plump young man with a Longsword on his back.
"Li Yuan, what is it?" Luo Feng recognized him. Li Yuan was a fellow Silver Moon Class student who had only recently reached the third level of the Meridian Wheel. His strength ranked near the bottom of their class, but he and Luo Feng had gotten along reasonably well in the past.
Li Yuan, panting heavily, ran over and looked at Luo Feng with a somewhat admiring gaze.
They had once been of comparable strength. Now, Luo Feng had defeated Lin Hui—one of the top twenty students in their class—and his fame had soared. The difference between them was like heaven and earth.
Taking a deep breath, Li Yuan finally managed to gasp out, "Luo Feng, where were you yesterday?"
"I had something to take care of, so I went to Qingfeng Town."
Li Yuan's small eyes widened, his expression one of utter dismay. "You sure picked a fine time to disappear!"
Luo Feng frowned. "What is it? Spit it out, or I'm leaving."
Seeing Luo Feng genuinely about to leave, Li Yuan quickly grabbed his arm. "Of course, I came looking for you with good news! You know our class monitor, the beauty, right?"
"Bing Ruolan?"
Li Yuan nodded, a goofy, lovestruck grin spreading across his face. "Heh heh, yesterday I saw our beautiful class monitor standing outside your little courtyard all day! Looked like she was waiting for you."
Bing Ruolan was looking for me?
Luo Feng looked doubtful. "What does she want me for?"
"How would I know? I was just, uh, secretly watching from afar…" Li Yuan trailed off, realizing his slip, then quickly composed himself and said seriously, "Anyway, it was the first time I've ever seen our beautiful class monitor looking so anxious. She must have something urgent to discuss with you!"
"I understand." Luo Feng nodded and turned towards Purple Spirit Peak.
Li Yuan scrambled to block Luo Feng's path. "Luo Feng, you don't seem interested at all?"
"Why should I be interested? I don't have time now."
Li Yuan's jaw nearly dropped, his expression incredulous as he stamped his foot. "Heavens! That's Bing Ruolan! One of the Outer Courtyard's three great beauties, Bing Ruolan, the 'Jade Legs Fairy'! And you say you're not interested? That you don't have time?!"
Luo Feng, unwilling to get entangled further, simply walked away.
Watching Luo Feng depart, Li Yuan shook his head and stamped his foot in dismay. "You're letting a pearl be covered in dust! Don't you understand? Such a waste! Why doesn't an opportunity like this ever come to me, Li Yuan? The girls in our class won't even give me a second glance…"
Luo Feng paused and looked back. "Isn't it obvious? It's because your strength is too low!"
Li Yuan's body went stiff, speechless as he watched Luo Feng's retreating figure.
「 」
Luo Feng arrived at the cliff of Purple Spirit Peak and sat cross-legged, facing the vast sea of clouds.
He took out the sandalwood box containing the Tiger Power Tyrant Body Pills. The moment he opened it, a faint medicinal fragrance permeated the entire clifftop.
Inside the box, two thumb-sized pills lay.
The pills were crimson, their surfaces adorned with delicate, fiery cloud-like patterns that pulsed with a gentle spiritual light.
Luo Feng brought one close to his nose and inhaled.
RUMBLE!
A searing wave of energy surged into his lungs. The six opened Meridian Wheels in his body seemed to be drawn by the pill's power, radiating threads of heat.
Luo Feng's eyes lit up with delight as he gazed at the two Tiger Power Tyrant Body Pills in his hand. Such potent medicinal power! Truly worthy of a Spirit Pill refined from a Tyrant Cloud Tiger, a peak second-level Demon Beast.
One Tiger Power Tyrant Body Pill can sustain my cultivation for ten days! My current cultivation is stable at the mid-stage of the fourth level Cultivation Power Realm, and I'm already showing signs of a breakthrough. Consuming these two Tiger Power Tyrant Body Pills should allow me to break through to the Rigid-Soft Realm in one go! Then, I'll be able to open the Meridian Wheels in my lungs, nourishing my entire body and tempering my flesh to the toughness of copper. I can't even imagine how much my strength will increase!
Luo Feng's eyes were full of anticipation as he immediately swallowed one of the Tiger Power Tyrant Body Pills.
ROAR!
The moment the pill settled in his stomach, Luo Feng felt an immense, scorching heat bloom within his abdomen, rampaging through him. His six opened Meridian Wheels blazed like miniature suns, radiating terrifying heat! Every muscle and fiber in his body trembled, and faint tiger roars seemed to echo from deep within him!
"Leopard Fist!" Luo Feng sprang from the ground like a ferocious tiger leaping off a cliff, a punch thrown straight! Tiger roars seemed to accompany his fist, and the very air on the cliff seemed to explode from the force of this one punch.
In the mountains, time flowed differently; in what felt like the blink of an eye, ten days passed.
BANG! BANG! BANG…
Beyond the cliff's edge, the sea of clouds still churned like a myriad of galloping warhorses. Atop the jagged, perilous precipice, Luo Feng, suffused with Yuan Qi, moved with nimble footwork, his fists a constant blur.
Amidst a flurry of fist shadows, sharp sonic booms, like summer thunderclaps, echoed incessantly, interspersed with guttural tiger roars!
Luo Feng moved like a fierce tiger on the verge of a great abyss, his entire being exuding an aura of unparalleled dominance, as if he alone reigned supreme under the heavens. Even the treacherous, cloud-piercing peak seemed to shrink before his presence!
After executing the three stances of the Tiger Roar Fist, Luo Feng abruptly froze. A brilliant light erupted from his half-lidded eyes, seeming to pierce the very air!
HISS… SSS…
His skin rippled like the surface of a drum, all four hundred and eighty million pores flaring open. Streams of qi jetted out, like countless tiny arrows, causing his white robe to billow out!
The Under-skin Forming Membrane! Fourth Level of the Meridian Wheel: Rigid-Soft Realm!
The sharp light in Luo Feng's eyes receded, replaced by a look of sheer delight.
Luo Feng initially thought that he would need at least half a month to break through to the Fourth Level of the Meridian Wheel. Surprisingly, he succeeded in just ten days, even smoother than he had imagined.
It seems I underestimated my own potential, Luo Feng thought with a self-satisfied smile.
An ordinary Martial Artist would typically need three to five months, or even longer, to advance from the mid-stage of the Cultivation Power Realm to the Rigid-Soft Realm.
Yet, he had broken through in a mere ten days!
Luo Feng was certain that not even Duanmu Yu could compare to him in this.
After all, he possessed eighteen Meridian Wheels—a constitution unique in all the world!
A glint in his eye, Luo Feng picked up a sharp-edged rock, gritted his teeth, let out a muffled grunt, and forcefully stabbed it at his own abdomen.
CRACK!
The rock shattered as if it had hit steel when it struck his skin, leaving not a single mark on his abdomen!
A gleam of joy appeared in Luo Feng's eyes.
Fourth Level of the Meridian Wheel, the Rigid-Soft Realm! Yuan Qi enters the lungs, condensing the flesh and forming a membrane beneath the skin. Both strength and constitution have improved immensely. If I reach the peak of the Rigid-Soft Realm, my skin will be like wood and stone, impervious to ordinary blades! Excellent!
Luo Feng let out a jubilant roar, his voice, brimming with energy, carried for several miles without dispersing.
I wonder how much my strength has increased now. Feeling the unending surge of strength within him, Luo Feng moved towards the adjacent cliff wall.
"Angry Tiger Coming Out of the Cave!"
Eyes flashing, Luo Feng let out a low growl and unleashed a savage punch, carrying a vicious wind.
BOOM!
The earth trembled and the mountain swayed. Luo Feng retracted his fist. A house-sized hole had appeared in the cliff face; the blasted rock had been pulverized into fine dust that scattered with the wind.
This punch must have packed over ten thousand pounds of force!
Luo Feng himself was startled by the might of his punch. Even a late-stage Rigid-Soft Realm Martial Artist typically possessed only six to seven thousand pounds of strength. He had directly surpassed ten thousand!
Luo Feng was stunned for a moment, then chuckled at his own assessment. A monster!
Pondering for a moment, Luo Feng guessed that his immense strength was due not only to his extraordinary talent of possessing eighteen Meridian Wheels but also largely to the effects of the Tiger Power Tyrant Body Pill.
The Tyrant Cloud Tiger was a peak Grade Two Demon Beast, its strength comparable to a Martial Artist at the sixth level of the Meridian Wheel. A single pounce from it could topple a small hill!
By consuming the Tiger Power Tyrant Body Pill, he had absorbed a sliver of the Tyrant Cloud Tiger's power, thus gaining such terrifying strength!
Luo Feng had cultivated for an entire day and was drenched in sweat, but he paid it no mind. He directly took out the Teng Dragon's Step manual.
It's time to start practicing the Teng Dragon's Step...