Chapter 7 - Breaking Through to Strength Refining

As Chen Fan positioned himself in the middle of the waterfall, he experienced an intense sensation as if his every bone was on the verge of shattering. The force generated by the crashing waterfall exceeded 3,000 jin, equivalent to the full-force attack of a third-level Qigong expert.

Fortunately, he had grown much tougher from the three days of training. Otherwise, that impact would have broken his spine.

A quarter of an hour later, Chen Fan felt much better, so he walked out of the pool, still struggling.

Looking at the torrential downpour resembling a silver water python, Chen Fan rolled his eyes and returned to the pool again.

With his primeval qi surging continuously, he forcefully resisted the impact of the water. Climbing onto the large stone, he assumed the lotus position and clenched his teeth, allowing the torrent to crash directly onto his body.

Boom!

Chen Fan trembled as his previously straight spine was instantly forced into a bend by the relentless force of the water.

That water dragon fell endlessly, and like a large hand, it exerted immense pressure on his back and prevented him from straightening up.

The intense pain kept assaulting him. Chen Fan gritted his teeth, enduring it all stubbornly, but he still couldn’t help but let out whimpers like a wild beast.

Time seemed to pass swiftly in this grueling ordeal.

Chen Fan gradually adapted to the impact of the water current.

Although he still felt the sharp pain in his back, he had grown somewhat numb to this suffering. He had become accustomed to it.

A whole day passed by in this manner, and as the early morning of the next day arrived...

Suddenly, the primeval qi in heaven and earth stirred and receded violently like the tide. Chen Fan was sitting directly under the waterfall in the center of that contraction. The primeval qi entered his skin and was completely devoured.

Boom!

Chen Fan shook violently as his skin shone like the stars. He felt a warm current spread from inside himself, enveloping his entire body soon.

A powerful aura erupted from Chen Fan, blocking the crashing waters by creating an air barrier.

The corner of Chen Fan’s lips lifted as he felt faint excitement.

After enduring three days of rigorous self-mutilation refinement and subjecting himself to the relentless battering of the waterfall, Chen Fan’s perseverance paid off as he successfully cultivated the first layer of the Myriad Elephants Divine Art—Strength Refining.

Chen Fan stood up slowly as a powerful force gathered inside him. The waterfall crashing onto him could no longer push him down, not even an inch.

Stepping into the first layer meant Chen Fan had taken his first step into Myriad Elephants Divine Art. He was now stronger and tougher, able to survive three full-force attacks from a fourth-level Qigong martial artist.

He stood there, allowing the waterfall to keep crashing onto him, remaining still like the stone beneath his feet.

He could now receive the attacks of a third-level Qigong martial artist without getting injured. He still might not be a match for late-stage or peak third-stage Qigong martial artists, but those at the third level definitely couldn’t injure him.

“The Myriad Elephants Divine Art is indeed extraordinary. I have just broken through to the first layer, and it has already increased my defense by this much. At Bone Tempering or Body Strengthening, wouldn’t I be able to move mountains and be invulnerable to weapons?”

Chen Fan's eyes gleamed with excitement as he leaped forward, covering a distance of three meters in a single bound. With another powerful leap, he reached the shore and struck his palm toward a large limestone there.

Boom!

The large limestone weighing 3,000 jin shattered. Chen Fan looked at his palm, muttering, “The first layer of Strength Refining increased my physical strength by 300 jin. Now, I can sweep through any martial artist under the fourth level of the Qigong realm!”

A sense of heroism surged in Chen Fan’s chest. He wanted to find someone with a third-level Qigong cultivation for a fight and test if he was as good as he thought.

Filled with confidence, he left the place in high spirits.

“Chen Fan,” a gentle voice called out from behind as he passed by a plaza.

Chen Fan looked back, and a smile appeared on his face.

A middle-aged man in his thirties stood behind Chen Fan. His looks were ordinary, but he had a unique air around him, and he was smiling at Chen Fan.

“Uncle Qin,” Chen Fan approached the man and greeted him respectfully.

This man was Qin Changkong, an elder of the outer sect. Chen Fan’s father and Elder Changkong were fellow disciples and close friends.

After Chen Fan reached the age suitable for practicing martial arts, his father had sent him to the Spring Autumn Sect and asked Qin Changkong to keep an eye out for him.

Qin Changkong was the elder in charge of the Resources Hall and was responsible for allocating resources to the outer sect disciples every month.

Over the past three years, Qin Changkong had taken rather good care of Chen Fan. He would always allocate him primeval stones of a slightly higher quality and sometimes even gave him an extra primeval stone, treating him exceptionally well.

“Chen Fan, the Outer Sect Grand Competition is coming up in three months. No matter the final results, don’t feel discouraged, and don’t give up on cultivation. Here are some primeval stones I’ve saved up. Use them to cultivate properly, and try your best to break through to the Qi Gathering realm.”

Qin Changkong said seriously and sincerely as he took out a small cloth pouch from his bosom and handed it to Chen Fan.

He was well aware of Chen Fan’s situation. Chen Fan had been stuck at the peak of the Body Refinement realm for three years, failing to advance to the first level of the Qigong realm. Seeing as the Outer Sect Grand Competition was just three months away, and given Chen Fan’s circumstances, getting expelled from the Spring Autumn Sect was all but a foregone conclusion.

Concerned about Chen Fan's state of mind, Qin Changkong had planned to visit him at his residence today and offer words of encouragement. Unexpectedly, they ran into each other here. However, to his surprise, Chen Fan appeared anything but downcast. There was a noticeable absence of despondency in his demeanor.

Chen Fan looked at the small cloth pouch Qin Changkong held, and his nose turned slightly sour. Qin Changkong treated him the best, aside from his father, and didn’t ignore Chen Fan’s father's wishes when Chen Fan failed to advance.

Although Qin Changkong was an outer sect elder, the cultivation resources he received every month were also minimal. Those whose cultivation was in the Yuanfu realm, like Qin Changkong, required huge amounts of cultivation resources if they wanted to make the slightest breakthrough. Still, Qin Changkong had offered the primeval stones he’d saved up to Chen Fan, moving him deeply.

“Uncle Qin, your cultivation...”

“Take it.”

Qin Changkong smiled freely and pushed the small cloth pouch into Chen Fan’s bosom. “My cultivation is already in the Yuanfu realm. A few pieces of primeval stones won’t be beneficial to me. They will be a lot more useful to you.”

Chen Fan held onto the small cloth pouch tightly, raising his head with a firm gaze, and said, “Uncle Qin, I will definitely not let you down.”

He secretly decided to give Qin Changkong a surprise at the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

“Uncle Qin believes you, silly boy,” Qin Changkong patted Chen Fan’s shoulder and said a few more words of concern before leaving.

Chen Fan took the twelve primeval stones given to him by Qin Changkong and returned to his residence. However, the place seemed like a war zone, as if someone had ransacked the place. His blankets were on the ground, and his closet had been overturned.

Chen Fan’s eyes turned cold. Someone had barged into his place while he was out.

“Damn it. It must have been that scumbag, Liao Feng!” Chen Fan gritted his teeth.

After that lightning bolt had struck Chen Fan, he had faintly heard Liao Feng say he would come here to search for the primeval stones Chen Fan had saved up over the past three years. Liao Feng must have overturned the whole place into this state to look for the primeval stones.

“Don’t let me run into you, Liao Feng, or you’ll know what’s coming for you!”

Chen Fan growled and immediately left his room. He came to a corner of his courtyard wall and swiped away the dirt there with his hands. From there, he retrieved a wooden box buried underneath.

He had accumulated some primeval stones but didn’t keep them in his room. Instead, they were stored in a wooden box and buried in this inconspicuous corner of his courtyard.

If Liao Feng had really swiped away the primeval stones he had painstakingly saved up, Chen Fan wouldn’t have had anyone to cry to.

The wooden box was filled with primeval stones. These approximately seventy stones were his entire wealth.

“I couldn’t find the primeval stones even after overturning the whole place. It turns out this trash has hidden them under the corner of his courtyard wall!”

Suddenly, a voice filled with ridicule rang out from behind.