Chapter 240: Will Of The Strong (II)

Time flowed by slowly.

The saber intent above Heavenly Blade Peak grew ever more terrifying, and faintly, one could see a vast phantom blade suspended over the mountain. More and more martial artists arrived, climbing the slopes while enduring the crushing weight of the saber intent.

Meanwhile, Lin Zheyu was hidden deep within the forest, absorbed in his cultivation.

Chirp, chirp.

Little Black eagerly gathered firewood into a pile. Beside it, Lin Zheyu sat with his eyes shut, his face contorted in pain. A vast, mysterious energy within his body drew out the medicinal power from the wooden basin, refining and strengthening his blood qi power. At the same time, his physique was being tempered by that same energy, growing stronger with every breath. After several breaths, he slowly opened his eyes, bloodshot and fierce.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Huff.

He exhaled a long, turbid breath and shook his head, emerging from the lingering waves of agony.

I've finally broken through to the seventh transformation of blood qi. The power boost isn't much, though. I guess the seventh and eighth transformations are stages of quiet accumulation. Only at the ninth will it fully erupt,

Lin Zheyu thought, sensing the surging might of his blood qi.

It had been over two days since his last breakthrough to the sixth transformation. He had spent 7 units of Origin Force to trigger another qualitative change, stepping into the seventh transformation of blood qi.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 48]

[Skills: Boiling Blood Secret Art (Perfection), Forbidden Reversal Method (Perfection), Primordial Origin Technique {Modified} (Perfection), Golden Goose Technique (Tenth Stage: 100%), Spirit-Wondrous Movement Technique (Fifth Stage: 100%)]

He glanced at the figures in his consciousness; 48 units of Origin Force remained. In recent days, he had been using Origin Force continuously to enhance himself, leaving his spirit in a state of constant fatigue and far from its peak. For that reason, he hadn't attempted to push for more Origin Force. Still, 48 units would be enough to advance him to the Dragon Transformation. What he lacked now was silver and medicinal herbs.

"I need to find a way to earn money. Without it, even with enough Origin Force, I won't be able to keep advancing," Lin Zheyu murmured to himself.

His blood qi had only recovered to about 80%. Clearly, the few sets of herbs he had brought with him weren't enough to fully support the breakthrough to the seventh transformation. Fortunately, the deficit wasn't severe, and it merely prevented him from reaching his peak rather than depleting his blood qi altogether.

***

Chirp, chirp.

Little Black prepared the firewood, holding flint stones in its paws and mimicking Lin Zheyu's movements as it lit the fire, hopping about excitedly. Then, happily tearing off a chunk of beast meat, it began to roast it over the flames. The creature's motivation for food was unmatched. By now, it no longer needed Lin Zheyu to sprinkle chili powder for it. It even gathered wild herbs and fruits, smearing their juices on the meat to improve the flavor. Its cleverness left Lin Zheyu in awe.

"If I leave Little Black to live freely in the forest one day, without me forcing it to train, I bet it'll live a happy life," Lin Zheyu said with a faint smile as he watched the carefree creature.

The thought of letting Little Black return to the wild arose in his heart. Its rare species made it a target of greed, after all. He could no longer use it to hunt and earn money without exposing it to danger. Keeping it by his side was not in its best interest. Releasing it back into the forest would definitely be the kindest choice, but not yet.

Lin Zheyu had no plans to leave so soon. From the Toxicology Codex, he had learned much about poisons and medicinal substances. Some tracking agents, if not treated carefully, could linger on the body for several days, some even as long as a week. During his battle to rescue Little Black, many of those powders had clung to him. The Tang Family warrior he fought had also scattered tracking powder during combat.

It was highly possible that Lin Zheyu still carried traces of the Tang Family's unique tracking powder. Over the past few days in the forest, he had followed the methods described in the Toxicology Codex to cleanse them as thoroughly as possible, but he could not be completely certain.

Lin Zheyu planned to stay hidden for a few more days before heading out. As for the saber intent above Heavenly Blade Peak, he wasn't particularly concerned. That saber intent appeared every year around mid-June; even if he missed it this year, there would always be another chance next year. Regardless, he only had one life, so he had no intention of risking it just to comprehend saber intent.

"Little Black, you've eaten enough. Time to go explore the mountains with me. Maybe we'll find some treasure herbs along the way," Lin Zheyu said with a grin, patting Little Black on the head.

In the uninhabited depths of the mountains, dangers lurked everywhere. Ferocious beasts roamed freely, but so did rare treasure herbs. With luck, finding a single great herb could fetch 1,000 or even 10,000 taels of silver. It would be enough to fund his cultivation for a long while. Still, Lin Zheyu doubted his luck was that good. On the contrary, he considered himself rather unfortunate; otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten into so many troubles for no reason.

***

Time passed slowly, and before long, eight days had gone by.

Lin Zheyu and Little Black roamed through the mountains, hunting and exploring. He avoided the area where that earth-shaking beast roar had once sounded and chose a different route instead.

Along the way, he encountered numerous powerful beasts, with many that were far beyond his strength. Fortunately, his lightness and movement techniques were exceptional, allowing him to narrowly escape the jaws of death time and again.

Roar!

A thunderous roar echoed through the forest as a massive crocodile, its jaws lined with jagged fangs, lunged toward Lin Zheyu. Its tail, covered in spikes, swung with terrifying force.

Bang, bang, bang!

Lin Zheyu moved nimbly around the creature, his steps tracing the graceful rhythm of the Golden Goose Technique.

A domineering fist momentum surged from his body as he unleashed a barrage of Barbaric Ox Fist strikes. Each blow landed like a thunderous hammer, carrying the weight of five thousand kilograms. Even the crocodile's thick hide and flesh began to crack under the relentless assault.

A furious howl tore through the air. Sensing imminent death, the beast let out a roar and tried to flee. But Lin Zheyu's speed was astonishing. Though the crocodile's raw power rivaled his full-strength strikes without him using the Boiling Blood Secret Art, its speed and agility were lacking. Against Lin Zheyu's swift, precise attacks, it could only endure blow after blow, unable to counter or escape.

Hiss, chirp.

Little Black cheered excitedly from the side, waving its claws in imitation of Lin Zheyu's moves. It was its own crude version of the Barbaric Ox Claw, derived from the Barbaric Ox Fist. About half an hour later, the forest fell silent once more. The ground was torn apart, and Lin Zheyu stood beside the fallen beast, panting. The massive crocodile now lay in a heap of mangled flesh, barely clinging to life.

"Little Black, go gather some firewood," Lin Zheyu instructed.

Chirp!

At his words, Little Black chirped twice and darted off into the woods.

"It's been long enough out here. It's time to head back. All this time in the dangerous forest, and I haven't earned a single coin or gathered any Origin Force. What a loss," Lin Zheyu muttered under his breath.

Over the past eight days, he hadn't used Origin Force to enhance the Primordial Origin Technique {Modified}, so his essence, qi, and spirit had all recovered to their peak. Even so, he hadn't dared to push his limits to gain more Origin Force as the forest was far too dangerous for that. Without his heavy armor and with each breakthrough requiring four to five hours of stillness, the risk was too great. Moreover, he had left in a hurry and only brought a few bottles of restorative decoction. He had already used one, and the rest were not enough for emergencies.

Still, his efforts were not fruitless. After days of constant battle with ferocious beasts, his fist momentum had grown increasingly condensed. He cultivated the momentum of Dominance—'where I stand, none can oppose.' As long as he kept fighting and winning, forging an unbreakable conviction and the will of a true powerhouse, his momentum would soon reach advanced mastery.

Yet the path was difficult. So far, he had only had a vague idea of it. Despite countless battles, fighting above his level, and defeating stronger martial artists and beasts, Lin Zheyu still didn't fully understand what true invincible conviction or the will of the strong truly meant.

"With no mentor and no elder's guidance or experience to learn from, finding my own way is just too difficult," Lin Zheyu murmured, shaking his head.