C19 Mystic Ascension Second Level

After the Tyrant Beast departed, Chu Feng found himself staring at the corpse of the Fire Serpent lying beside him, utterly baffled as to why the creature would commit such an act. What was the Rune of Power, exactly? Why had the Tyrant Beast slain the Fire Serpent and left its body for him after laying eyes on the Rune?

Chu Feng was deeply perplexed by this mystery. Even in his previous life, the true nature of the Rune of Power had eluded him; his own master had been unable to explain it. His master had merely instructed him to safeguard the Rune and, should he encounter someone who resonated with it, to pass on both the Rune and its accompanying incantation.

Unexpectedly, Chu Feng, who had elicited no response from the Rune in his past life, found it reacting to him now. Pondering the enigma, he eventually shook his head in resignation. If the reason eluded him, then it was pointless to dwell on it. His attention then returned to the Fire Serpent's remains.

The Fire Serpent, having reached the third level of Mystic Ascension, left Chu Feng wondering whether the Rune of Power would still exert its influence. With the Rune in hand, he began to recite the incantation slowly.

As the words left his lips, the world around him transformed dramatically. Chu Feng felt a dizzying sensation, his body weightless, and his vision plunged into darkness. When his sight returned, he found himself in a completely foreign realm.

Stars twinkled all around, creating the illusion of being enveloped by the vast cosmos. Bright constellations shone in the distance, and a luminous star, radiating a soft white glow akin to translucent jade, materialized before him.

"What is this place?" Chu Feng murmured, his shock evident as he surveyed his surroundings.

In his previous life, Chu Feng had traveled extensively with his master, exploring the icy expanses of the northern border, the boundless ancient forests of the south, the barren Western Region of Arananas, and the tempestuous islands of the east. He had witnessed a myriad of landscapes, yet nothing compared to the astonishing vista before him now.

The experience was overwhelming, as if he had been transported into the heart of the boundless universe itself.

"Hu!"

At that moment, Chu Feng's vision abruptly went black, and he felt an oppressive weight on his chest. After taking a deep breath, he was startled to find that the previous scene had vanished entirely.

The verdant mountains and waters, the thick shrubbery in the distance, and the corpse of the Fire Serpent beside him were all that remained.

"What just happened?"

Chu Feng surveyed his surroundings but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Could I have entered some kind of trance?"

Chu Feng shook his head, unable to shake the feeling that what he had experienced was too vivid, as if he had been there in the flesh.

It left Chu Feng struggling to regain his composure.

"Mystic Ascension second level!"

In an instant, Chu Feng realized that his cultivation had reached the second level of the Mystic Ascension realm!

"It actually worked!"

Chu Feng was ecstatic. Despite not understanding the source of the Rune of Power's strength, he was thrilled by its effects.

The risk of battling War Beasts was high, with the ever-present danger of losing one's life, but the rapid advancement in his cultivation was exhilarating for Chu Feng.

After burying the Fire Serpent's remains as usual, Chu Feng, with his treasured sword in hand, made his way toward the forest's outskirts.

Chu Feng was puzzled as to why the Tyrant Beast, the Stone Ape, had spared him, but he felt it was wise to leave this eerie place sooner rather than later.

Shortly after Chu Feng's departure, a middle-aged man emerged from the edge of the forest's underbrush—it was the Stone Ape who had just left.

"This is fate. If he demands my life, I'm prepared to give it..."

The Stone Ape murmured softly while gazing at the burial site of the Fire Serpent.

Chu Feng hadn't anticipated that what should have taken two hours ended up consuming eight.

"Have these War Beasts lost their minds? No matter, I'll focus on the Rune of Power first..."

Chu Feng shook his head as he looked down at the Sky Scale Wolf's corpse at his feet.

For some reason, on his journey to the edge of the Aethelwood, Chu Feng kept encountering War Beasts. What puzzled him was that all the War Beasts he faced were around the third level of the Mystic Ascension.

Chu Feng hadn't encountered any War Beasts from the Eternal Green or World-Illuminating realms. What baffled him even more was that the War Beasts he did face hadn't fought him with their full strength...

"It looks like I won't be reaching the third level of Mystic Ascension anytime soon."

After refining the War Beast, Chu Feng mused aloud.

Despite having refined four War Beasts of the Mystic Ascension level, his cultivation had not increased.

But Chu Feng wasn't worried. He had only recently advanced to the second level of Mystic Ascension, and he was quite content with his progress.

Besides, cultivation should increase naturally.

It's like a cup of water: whether it overflows or is shaken out, the water is still released. But an overflow is preferable because the foundation remains intact. If the water is shaken out, even though it's released, the foundation is damaged.

Moreover, the Rune of Power was leveling up a bit too quickly. Although Chu Feng didn't notice anything amiss at the moment, he was still somewhat uneasy.

One step at a time.

After settling his affairs, Chu Feng finally reached the edge of Aethelwood. Gazing into the forest, he felt as if he had been living a dream.

"In a sect, I'd have access to cultivation resources and pills. Here in Ralens, the only way to rapidly enhance my strength and cultivation is through these means," Chu Feng pondered with a furrowed brow.

Ralens, despite its vast territory and population, seemed too feeble to Chu Feng.

So feeble that it didn't even compare to a royal family, with the strongest cultivation in the entire duchy being merely at the Dream-Seeking level.

"If I want to grow stronger quickly, joining a sect seems to be the way to go," Chu Feng murmured to himself.

Yet, with his current level of cultivation, Chu Feng believed that focusing on bolstering his own strength was paramount.

"I wonder how many times I can unleash the sword force of Tempest's Blade with my current level of cultivation…"

Chu Feng finished speaking, and the Shadow Power surged into his longsword. Instantly, the blade hummed, its surface crackling with lightning.

"Ha!"

With a loud cry, Chu Feng hoisted the longsword above his head and brought it down with a fierce sweep. In an instant, hundreds of phantom blades shot toward the ground nearby.

"Boom!"

A thunderous noise erupted, and the once flat ground was now shrouded in smoke and dust, revealing a massive crater before Chu Feng.

"Again!"

Chu Feng bellowed, directing his longsword towards a nearby cliff.

"Crash!"

A deafening blast followed, and a huge boulder on the cliff was obliterated, sending debris flying in all directions.

"It appears that wielding the sword force of Tempest's Blade requires an immense amount of Shadow Power. If I were a warrior of the Eternal Green level, I might be able to execute this technique effectively. But with my current level of cultivation, I can only manage it twice," Chu Feng mused aloud.

Yet for Chu Feng to be able to invoke the sword force of an Eternal Green technique at his current Mystic Ascension level was nothing short of miraculous, a testament to his formidable elixir field.

Otherwise, not even the Chu Feng of his past life could have managed such a feat. The capacity of one's elixir field, after all, dictates the reserves of Shadow Power.

"Chu Lang, it's time you learned how to conduct yourself properly," Chu Feng remarked coolly, his eyes narrowing.

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