C17 He Broke Through Again

Hu Nao could only breathe through his mouth, absorbing the divine force to refine his breath. In contrast, Nan Xi could communicate with the divine force through every pore, drawing in the essence of the sun and moon for her own use. The disparity was immense. He wondered when he would achieve Spirit Speak. Hu Nao mulled over this as he remained vigilant, protecting Nan Xi.

As time slipped by, Nan Xi suddenly levitated, her beautiful eyes opening to gaze at Hu Nao nearby. "Young Master, I've made a breakthrough."

She remained cross-legged in midair, exuding a serene and transcendent aura.

"Is this Spirit Speak? It's incredible," Hu Nao exclaimed, deeply sensing Nan Xi's transformation. Her advancement into Spirit Speak had not only surged her power but also elevated the very essence of her life.

He gazed at her, feeling an uncontrollable sense of inferiority, like a beggar in the presence of a princess.

"Young Master?" Nan Xi floated down, noticing Hu Nao's distraction, and waved her delicate hand before his eyes.

"Ah?" Hu Nao snapped out of his reverie. Without a word, he sat down cross-legged, ready to attempt his own breakthrough. He needed to reach Spirit Speak soon; how else could he endure her addressing him as "Young Master"?

Nan Xi's smile was gentle.

Young Master is so naive. Do you really think strength is everything? That my feelings towards you would change after my breakthrough? Everything I have is because of you. How could I ever forget such kindness?

...

Hu Nao sat down and began to gnaw on the Sunroot. Nan Xi had already nibbled on the top part, leaving the rest for him. Watching Hu Nao put it in his mouth meant he was indirectly sharing a moment with her, causing the young lady to blush.

The Sunroot contained the purest fire energy, gentle and with an exquisite flavor. Each bite was fragrant and delicious. Hu Nao devoured it quickly, savoring the taste as he licked his lips.

He then closed his eyes, immersing himself in the practice of the "Dragon-Elephant Divine Might" technique.

Hu Nao's cultivation had reached the Sixth Heaven of Body Tempering, transforming his vital essence into energy. Every fine substance within his body, from flesh to bone, had become an energy stream, exuding a faint dark gold hue that was both understated and opulent.

Within the depths of this dark gold energy, two elephants and two divine dragons lurked. The dragons soared and the elephants bounded with such vigor that they seemed to challenge the very heavens.

As Hu Nao ingested the Sunroot, fiery red glimmers sparked to life, releasing dense spheres of fire attribute essence that radiated outward, causing his entire body to expand. His skin pulsed outward as if it were about to burst.

At this moment, Hu Nao was like a vessel on the verge of bursting from being overfilled. Anyone else would have perished from consuming such an immense amount of fire attribute energy. Fortunately, Hu Nao had fortified his body with the dark gold feather and had been transformed by the Nirvana Pill. Moreover, he practiced the Dragon-Elephant Divine Might, a skill that could unleash the utmost potential of his body, setting him apart from others.

In the Sixth Heaven of Body Tempering, training vital essence into energy, breath became the essence of life.

Hu Nao's breath was so powerful that it began to compress, taking on a liquid form. As it condensed, all impurities and toxins were expelled, leaving behind a substance of unparalleled concentration and purity.

Body Tempering is precisely this process: treating the body like steel, refining it through relentless forging, free of any flaws, to establish a robust foundation for the martial path ahead.

Hu Nao's body underwent a transformative purification, and his spirit followed suit, becoming pristine. Distracting thoughts, anxieties, resentments, and rage all vanished, leaving his mind as clear and luminous as a cloudless sky bathed in radiant sunlight.

With his mind purified, Hu Nao's mastery over his breath became even more adept, responding effortlessly to his will.

At a mere thought, his liquefied breath unfurled, enveloping his body like mist, coursing through his meridians. With another intent, his breath condensed once more into a liquid state, retracting its edge and becoming serene.

"Body Tempering Seventh Heaven, training energy to cultivate spirit—I've finally done it!" Hu Nao exclaimed in triumph. The fiery red glow within him had vanished, signaling that he had fully absorbed the fire attribute energy from the Sunroot. Simultaneously, the Two Dragons and Two Elephants lurking deep within him had evolved into Three Dragons and Three Elephants.

His breath and spirit had merged seamlessly, and he had even cultivated the strength of One Dragon and One Elephant.

This marked the transition from a Sixth Heaven Body Tempering cultivator to the Seventh Heaven.

As Hu Nao was about to explore the profound intricacies of training energy to cultivate spirit, Nan Xi, clutching the Wheel of Fate, cried out in alarm, "Young Master, this is terrible—the needle is pointing to disaster!"

Hu Nao's eyes snapped open, his gaze pensive. "Could it be that this cave is someone's home, and the owner has now returned?"

Nan Xi shared his concern, her complexion draining of color. "Young Master, we've slain the Fury-Clawed Lion and harvested the Sunroot! I fear the owner has come back. What are we to do?"

Glancing down at his blood-stained clothes, remnants of his fierce battle with the Fury-Clawed Lion, Hu Nao didn't want to leave any trace of his scent. He quickly stripped off his garments and tossed them into a pool of lava, then retrieved a fresh set from his storage bracelet.

Nan Xi admired his calm in the face of danger, especially his quick thinking to change clothes, though she couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt.

In an instant, Hu Nao was at Nan Xi's side, his spirit and breath now in perfect harmony. With a mere thought, his breath flowed through his body, enhancing his Lightness Skill to speeds more than tenfold what they were before.

Seizing Nan Xi's hand, Hu Nao bolted for the cave's exit. "What to do? We make our escape, of course!"

"But..." Nan Xi faltered as she ran, weighed down by remorse.

It seemed wrong to flee after taking what belonged to someone else.

Hu Nao moved with the swiftness of the wind, reaching the cave's mouth in moments and darting toward the southern valley. Leaping distances of over thirty feet at a time, he was like a whirlwind. "Clearly, the cave's inhabitant has returned. But who's to say the Fury-Clawed Lion was his? Or the Sunroot? That's laughable. They were merely a spirit animal he tamed and a rare treasure he stumbled upon. He simply settled in the cave, stood guard, and drew on the fire attribute energy of the Spiritroot."

"Besides, the Fury-Clawed Lion was the one trying to kill us, so I had no choice but to kill it. The Sunroot tempted me, so I picked it. Then, we ate it because we believe in using everything to its fullest and never wasting. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that!"

At first, Nan Xi thought the reasoning was sound, but upon reflection, it seemed a bit like a stretch!

Escaping was the priority, and Hu Nao had no time to comfort Nan Xi further. Looking up, he spotted a group of Frostwing Tigers hunting in the woods ahead. With a flick of his wrist, his breath surged from his palm.

A dark gold wave of spiritual energy burst forth with tremendous force, sweeping toward the Frostwing Tigers.

The tigers panicked with a chorus of roars, scattering in all directions and leaving chaotic tracks on the snow-covered ground.

Next, Hu Nao grabbed Nan Xi and leaped toward the pond on the left side of the mountain path. They covered the distance of seven to eight meters in a blink, leaving no trace behind. Even as they plunged into the water, they did so without a splash.

The profound mysteries of the Seventh Heaven Body Tempering and training energy to cultivate spirit were slowly being revealed.

"Thank goodness for that stream, which created this pond. It's the perfect spot for us to hide and figure out who the real occupant of that cave is... Ah, forget it, the cave isn't theirs. I wonder who the actual resident is."

After speaking, Hu Nao pulled Nan Xi into the pond.

It wasn't long before someone followed them.

The pond water was crystal clear. Seeing Nan Xi's anxious face, Hu Nao took her delicate hand and wrote on it to reassure her, "Don't worry. The Frostwing Tigers are causing chaos, which will throw off anyone tracking us. We stayed because the most dangerous place is often the safest. That person would never guess that we didn't flee but instead hid right nearby."

Nan Xi had an epiphany, her face visibly brightening. She wrote back on Hu Nao's palm, "Young Master, you're incredibly clever."

To identify danger, act decisively, scatter a tiger herd, and confuse pursuers, only to stay put instead of fleeing... How could someone on their first training expedition possibly manage all that?

Hu Nao flashed a mischievous smile, about to scribble something more on Nan Xi's delicate hand when a thunderous roar shattered the calm: "Who is it? Who has slain my Fury-Clawed Lion and stolen my Sunroot?"

"That monster, he's an absolute monster! Not only did he slay my little madman, but he also dissected it, plundering all its precious treasures! When I discovered it, it was just a cub. I spent decades nurturing it, awakening its bloodline, and cultivating its intellect, only to have it reach this stage..." The voice seemed to belong to an elderly man, worn and raspy with age, breaking into sobs as he bellowed.

A younger voice chimed in: "Master Silversword, hold back your tears for now. Seven days ago, you approached me with a deal: help you achieve Spirit Speak, and in return, you'd serve me and gift me a Sunroot. Now that I've assisted you in reaching Spirit Speak, your Sunroot has mysteriously vanished. Is it truly missing, or..." It was unmistakably Qin Feng's voice.

In the midst of the pond, Hu Nao's heart skipped a beat, never anticipating an encounter with Qin Feng and the notorious Master Silversword in such a place.

Hu Nao recalled his father, Hu Bugui, speaking of Master Silversword's formidable swordsmanship. With a single flourish, he could unleash a hundred unstoppable strikes, earning him his moniker. Yet to many, he was known as the Sword Demon.

Rumored to be a martial fanatic, Master Silversword had no affiliation with any sect or school, living the life of a Wanderer without access to skills or pills. He resorted to thievery and pillage in pursuit of cultivation resources, committing heinous acts without remorse, and was once a wanted man across the major cities of the Northlands.

"It's beyond belief that Master Silversword was hiding in that cave, conspiring with Qin Feng. It's a good thing I vanquished the Fury-Clawed Lion and consumed the Sunroot. Otherwise, the lion would have become an enforcer against our Hu family, and the Sunroot would have bolstered Qin Feng's powers," Hu Nao reflected in silence.

At that moment, any trace of guilt had vanished from Nan Xi's heart. Her eyes sparkled like jewels in the water, gazing at Hu Nao with unabashed admiration, as if to say, "My lord, you've done splendidly!"