Chapter 14 - Improving by Leaps and Bounds

“Ah... this feels good!”

Chen Fan shouted out loud, lying face up by the stream. Looking at the blue sky, he revealed a bright smile.

The ape had injured him heavily and almost killed him, but obtaining the Jade Lotus Flower made it all worth it.

He only wanted one thing now: Sleep. Sadly, that wasn't in the cards for him.

He had directly consumed the Jade Lotus Flower earlier to escape. Although it healed his injuries, Chen Fan felt like a fire was burning in his abdomen right now.

The Jade Lotus Flower’s remaining medical efficacy was all gathered there, and he had to refine it as soon as possible.

Pushing his fatigue aside, Chen Fan found an inconspicuous stone cave nearby and used a huge stone to block the entrance. He sat cross-legged inside and refined the Jade Lotus Flower’s enormous power.

He began cultivating the Heaven Seizing Art. Under Chen Fan’s guidance, the bulk of the flower's essence, burning like the hottest fire in his abdomen, traveled through his meridian, completing one full circulation.

The Jade Lotus Flower not only healed his external injuries but also his internal ones. His meridians became firmer, and his internal blood clots also cleared up.

Half an hour later, Chen Fan spat out two big mouthfuls of black-clotted blood.

An injury from before had caused him some internal bleeding. Now that he had spat out those blood clots, his breathing became much smoother, like all his pores had opened up.

At the same time, his primeval qi surged. As the Jade Lotus Flower’s essence was refined and returned to his dantian, the primeval qi inside rushed outwards like the tide, strengthening Chen Fan’s aura.

His strength was originally at 4,500 jin; now, it increased due to him strengthening his aura.

4,600 jin!

4,700 jin!

4,900 jin!

5,000 jin!

Soon, Chen Fan’s strength climbed to 5,000 jin, comparable to a newly advanced fifth-level Qigong martial artist.

Still, his martial arts aura was only at the middle stage of the fourth level of the Qigong realm. However, the momentum of this surge in his aura hadn’t weakened and only continued to grow stronger.

5,100 jin!

5,200 jin!

5,400 jin!

It was only when Chen Fan’s strength grew explosively to 5,500 jin that his aura gradually stabilized, finally stopping at the peak of the fourth level of the Qigong realm.

The primeval qi in Chen Fan’s dantian was now extremely robust, comparable to a sixth-level Qigong martial artist.

“Fortune is indeed hidden within crises. I risked my life for the Jade Lotus Flower; as a reward, I advanced to the peak of the fourth realm. My combat strength is now comparable to martial artists at the peak of the fifth level.”

Chen Fan realized that he wouldn’t have advanced so far had he not used a portion of the Jade Lotus Flower’s essence to heal his injuries.

Clenching his fist, he felt his power; it resembled an erupting volcano. A smile appeared at the corner of his lips, as he was much stronger than before now.

If he went all out, he could exert a force of 6,000 jin, not to mention his incredible defense. Even if he were to confront the Violent Ape head-on right now, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

“Hmph, just wait till I consolidate my cultivation. We will settle the score then, big guy!” said Chen Fan, snorting. He was in a good mood and bursting with confidence due to his recent strength increase.

Meanwhile, two figures appeared on the outskirts of the forest. One of them was Liao Fan, and the other was the teen who had discovered Chen Fan.

“Senior Brother Liao Fan, we’ll find a valley stream after passing through this forest. Chen Fan was there a few days ago. He had just advanced to the fourth level then,” Yan Zheng told Liao Fan.

A cold gleam flickered in Liao Fan's eyes. He emanated a chilling aura, and his very being seemed enveloped in a frigid, murderous intent. He firmly said, “The fifty primeval stones will be yours if we find that little bastard.”

Yan Zheng’s face lit up with happiness, and he blurted, “I’ll bring you there right now, Senior Brother Liao Fan. I left marks in the forest. We’ll arrive at the stream the quickest by following them.”

“Lead the way!”

Thus, the two traversed the woods under Yan Zheng’s lead.

They came across some demon beasts on their way, but Liao Fan was too strong for them. With a single swing of his precious sword, warm blood spurted in the air, slaying those foolish demon beasts.

An hour later, the two walked out of the forest.

Yan Zheng pointed at a huge limestone by the stream and said, “It’s right there, Senior Brother Liao Fan. Chen Fan, that fellow, was sitting right there when he advanced to the fourth level.”

“Search!”

Liao Fan shouted coldly, and they began searching around the valley stream.

Soon, his sharp senses picked up on the heaven and earth primeval qi gathering in a certain direction.

He narrowed his gaze, looking in that direction. It looked like a cave, but a massive boulder blocked its entrance.

A cold smile appeared on Liao Fan’s face, and he strode toward it.

“Come out, you little bastard!”

Liao Fan shouted coldly, standing three meters away from the cave entrance.

With a wave of his arm, his precious sword drew an arc in the air. A sharp sword light flashed and fell on the rock blocking the cave entrance.

Boom!

Following the loud explosion, the huge rock, weighing thousands of jin, was split into pieces, giving rise to a dust cloud.

Inside the cave, Chen Fan shook while consolidating his cultivation. He hadn’t expected someone to interrupt his secluded cultivation, affecting him a bit. He opened his eyes, and a cold glint flashed in them.

Interrupting someone during their cultivation was considered taboo among martial artists, as its consequences were unpredictable. At best, it could result in internal injuries, while at worst, it could disrupt the flow of qi, leading to qi deviation and potentially permanent disability.

Chen Fan’s pupils shrank when he heard that cold shout from outside. He knew the speaker—Liao Fan.

Walking out of the cave, Chen Fan saw Liao Fan holding a precious sword and Yan Zheng carrying a large bow on his back. The two were looking at him with cold smiles.

Liao Fan’s appearance was especially striking, as cold, murderous intent enveloped him.

“Who are you people?”

Chen Fan didn’t recognize Liao Fan, as he hadn’t seen him before. Also, Liao Feng had only told him that he had a brother named Liao Fan, but nothing about his physical features. Therefore, he wanted to confirm their identities.

“You have a lot of guts, kid. You dared to kill Senior Brother Liao Fan’s younger brother and are now asking who he is. Don’t you find it funny?” Yan Zheng laughed coldly before Liao Fan said anything.

Chen Fan’s expression grew stern, realizing that his guess was right. The person in front of him was, indeed, Liao Fan.

“You’re pretty smart, little bastard, running to Qingyang Mountain Range right after killing my little brother. You thought I wouldn’t be able to find you?”

Liao Fan looked at Chen Fan coldly, the murderous intent in his eyes almost palpable.

“Soon, I’ll have you experience the worst tortures in this world. You will beg for death! You will watch as demon beasts eat you, one bite at a time. You will hear your bones breaking!”

Liao Fan’s chilling voice rang out, sending shivers down Chen Fan’s spine.