The banquet ended, and Luo Cheng was preparing to return to his cultivation when Luo Hong followed him.
"Father."
"Cheng'er, you gave me quite the surprise today,"
A rare smile appeared on Luo Hong's usually solemn face.
Luo Cheng grinned; it had been a long time since he had seen his father smile.
Luo Hong asked, "You started practicing the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique not long ago, right?"
Luo Cheng nodded. "About half a month, I think."
"Half a month..."
Luo Hong took a deep breath.
In half a month, Luo Cheng had cultivated the three-star martial art to the Great Achievement Realm!
This level of comprehension was far beyond what Luo Hong had achieved in his youth.
Cultivation could be enhanced with spiritual medicine, but martial arts required personal understanding and practice.
"Could it be..."
Luo Hong's gaze flickered, and he quickly said, "Cheng'er, release your Martial Soul and let me take a look."
Luo Cheng nodded and immediately unleashed his Martial Soul.
Buzz!
A radiant light burst forth. A giant egg, two feet tall and exuding nine-colored mysterious light, appeared behind Luo Cheng, slowly spiraling.
Luo Hong observed it closely, his brows gradually furrowing, and ultimately, he let out a long sigh.
Luo Cheng's progress was astonishingly rapid, and his comprehension level was exceedingly high. Luo Hong began to wonder whether there had been a mistake in the past, whether Luo Cheng's awakened Martial Soul was not the wasted Martial Soul rated below one-star.
However, no matter how thoroughly he examined it, the results remained unchanged.
"Father..."
Luo Cheng hesitated, seeing the disappointment in his father's expression, debating whether to reveal the truth.
Yet, just as the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down.
His Martial Soul contained infinite stars! It could devour Beast Souls and others' Martial Souls to grow! The nine-colored scale could even refine spiritual medicine!
Any one of these abilities was earth-shattering!
Furthermore, Luo Cheng had asked Luo Hong before about the nine-colored scale.
Luo Hong only knew that it was a keepsake specifically left behind by his mother. Beyond that, he knew nothing.
His mother hadn't told his father about the nine-colored scale, which must have been part of her calculated decision.
Luo Cheng decided to keep this secret until he saw his mother, to avoid complicating matters unnecessarily.
"What's wrong, Cheng'er?"
Luo Hong noticed Luo Cheng's hesitation and couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing."
Luo Cheng changed the topic. "Father, if we had a four-star Spirit Pill, could it heal your injuries?"
"It would be difficult..."
Luo Hong shook his head helplessly, though a faint warmth filled his heart. He patted Luo Cheng's shoulder and said:
"Don't dwell on this matter. What you must focus on now is cultivating diligently and preparing for the Hunting Festival! This concerns the fate of our entire family!"
"Rest assured, Father, I won't let you down."
Luo Cheng smiled and nodded.
Seeing the determination in Luo Cheng's eyes, Luo Hong sighed internally, his gaze tinged with worry.
The Body Tempering Realm could still be rapidly enhanced through consuming spiritual pills.
But as cultivation progressed, Martial Souls would become increasingly crucial.
He feared that Luo Cheng's quick improvement due to spiritual pills might lead to stagnation in the future, which could be a devastating blow.
"If only the Martial Soul could be successfully nurtured, then perhaps..."
Luo Hong resolved to find a way to nurture Luo Cheng's Martial Soul, no matter the cost.
The two walked for a while, chatting briefly about cultivation, before Luo Cheng bid farewell to his father and returned to his small courtyard.
"Qi Ting has already broken through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer. I've heard that Lin Yun of the Lin Family is even stronger than Qi Ting..."
"To surpass them, I must not only rapidly achieve the Body Tempering Ninth Layer but also push the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique to the Perfection Realm!"
Luo Cheng's goal was clear: to defeat the Qi Family and Lin Family at this Hunting Festival and secure first place for his family!
To accomplish this, he had to outshine everyone!
"Cultivation!"
Luo Cheng strode into the Practice Field and immediately summoned his Martial Soul to begin refining the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique.
In the days that followed, Luo Cheng stayed within his courtyard, training tirelessly.
During this time, he consumed two pill capsules refined from Vermilion Crystal Fruit.
The medicinal effects of these pill capsules were potent, though their duration paled compared to the Jade Body Tempering Pill, sustaining Luo Cheng's cultivation for only three days each.
Each pill capsule was worth over two hundred thousand silver taels, yet it only supported cultivation for three days.
No one in Qishan City dared to squander resources at the Body Tempering Realm like this!
Luo Cheng didn't care.
His experiences over the years led him to deeply understand that this was a world where the strong ruled supreme. Strength was the only thing that mattered!
With the assistance of the pill capsules and his own diligence, Luo Cheng progressed rapidly!
By the time the effects of the third pill capsule were fully exhausted, Luo Cheng was only one step away from breaking through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer!
Additionally, his relentless practice of the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique had yielded remarkable results.
Now, when Luo Cheng performed the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique, it was seamless and effortless!
These signs indicated the fist technique was nearing the Perfection Realm!
"Still too slow!"
In just ten days, such advancement was astounding, unlikely to be believed if spread around.
However, Luo Cheng found his pace unsatisfactory.
There were only fifteen days left until the Hunting Festival, and the pill capsules refined from Vermilion Crystal Fruit had run out. With his current strength, facing Qi Ting and Lin Yun from the Lin Family was far from guaranteed.
"Looks like I'll have to make another trip to the Black Cloud Mountain Range..."
Recalling the rapid improvement from devouring Beast Souls, Luo Cheng felt an eagerness he could barely suppress.
After notifying Luo Hong, Luo Cheng immediately set out.
The Black Cloud Mountain Range.
Within the expanse of rugged deep mountains, hazy mist lingered among the towering trees that completely blocked out the blazing midday sun.
This was the edge of the Black Cloud Mountain Range's depths!
After entering the range, Luo Cheng ventured deeper, encountering and dispatching only two or three low-level, one-star Demon Beasts along the way.
This time, Luo Cheng's target was clear: one-star Advanced Demon Beasts!
At present, only one-star Advanced Demon Beasts could provide him with genuine combat pressure.
Crunch!
Stepping on dried leaves, Luo Cheng's gaze abruptly sharpened, fixing on something ahead.
Awoo!
A terrifying howl echoed, and the mist ahead suddenly surged, as if swept by a whirling wind.
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
As the whirlwind rapidly approached, Luo Cheng finally caught sight of the figure.
A Demon Wolf, nearly three meters tall!
The Demon Wolf's entire body was pitch-black, with a row of black bone spikes resembling thorns growing along its back, gleaming sharply in the light.
"An Iron Thorns Wolf, a one-star Advanced Demon Beast! Perfect for training!"
Spotting the charging Iron Thorns Wolf, Luo Cheng's eyes lit up.
If someone knew what Luo Cheng was thinking, they'd surely call him insane!
It was common knowledge that Demon Beasts had robust physiques and were significantly stronger than Martial Artists of the same level. The Iron Thorns Wolf was one of the top-tier beasts among one-star Advanced Demon Beasts, equivalent to a Body Tempering Realm Ninth Layer Martial Artist and notoriously challenging to deal with.
Ordinary Body Tempering Realm Eighth Layer Martial Artists would think of escape first upon encountering an Iron Thorns Wolf!
Roar!
Seeing Luo Cheng, the Iron Thorns Wolf let out a thunderous howl and launched an attack, rushing at him ferociously.
"Come on!"
Luo Cheng's eyes sparkled like lightning. He stepped forward, utilizing the opening stance of the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique, and confronted the beast head-on.