King of Ten Thousand Years

Several hundred meters outside the canyon.

Du Yuncheng and his two men stood frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded.

The ”Sleeping Beast,” a taboo creature in the nearby cities, had been awakened by Luo Tian. Yet not only did it fail to fly into a rage and attack as the rumors claimed, but it had even made way for him?

The scene defied their every comprehension.

”Dammit! How could this happen?”

Du Yuncheng’s face was ashen as he gritted his teeth.

A path that should have been certain death, yet Luo Tian had managed to pass through.

”Young Master, the stories about the Sleeping Beast’s terrifying cruelty are just rumors, after all. Otherwise, how could that brat have gotten past it so easily?”

The Du Family disciple at the Third Layer Peak spoke up.

Du Yuncheng considered this and felt it made some sense.

”You’re right. The Sleeping Beast is much more docile than we imagined.”

Du Yuncheng nodded.

Ordinarily, he would never have had such a thought, but seeing Luo Tian pass so effortlessly had shaken the creature’s fearsome image in their minds.

Du Yuncheng and his two men slowly approached the canyon, drawing near the Sleeping Beast.

The Sleeping Beast was fast asleep, drool dripping from its mouth, completely motionless.

”Hmph. With that oafish look, it doesn’t seem as terrifying as the rumors say.”

Du Yuncheng breathed a small sigh of relief.

Just as the three of them began to feel contemptuous...

The Sleeping Beast’s eyes snapped open. They were the size of lanterns, crimson-black and filled with a surging rage.

WHOOSH!

The Sleeping Beast opened its mouth wide and blew out a single breath. A fierce gale immediately erupted, toppling trees and forming a massive tornado.

”Not good! Retreat!”

The faces of Du Yuncheng and the others changed drastically.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The three of them shot backward, but it was too late.

A violent whirlwind howled toward them, sweeping the trio a dozen meters into the air before flinging them dozens of meters away.

THUD!

Du Qian, who was at the front, took the brunt of the attack. Despite his Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm Cultivation, he felt as if he’d been struck by a sledgehammer. He spat out a mouthful of blood as he crashed to the ground, heavily wounded.

The Du Family disciple at the Peak of Meridian Opening Third Stage had his arm broken in the fall, crippling him.

Du Yuncheng, being at the rear, only suffered minor injuries, but his face was pale.

This was only because they had been some distance away and the Sleeping Beast had merely blown a breath of air without giving chase. Otherwise, the three of them would have undoubtedly died!

”It’s too terrifying!”

Their faces were drained of color, and their voices trembled.

It had sent them flying with just a single breath.

The true power of this Sleeping Beast was simply unfathomable!

”Dammit, what the hell is going on?! Why could Luo Tian pass but we can’t?!”

Du Yuncheng scrambled to his feet, roaring in fury and frustration.

As the Young Master of the Du Family, he was always the one who enjoyed special privileges, trampling on commoners and the weak.

But now, the tables had turned. It was his turn to receive this ”unfair” treatment, and his heart seethed with resentment and indignation.

”Young Master, we should head back,”

Du Qian said, wiping away the blood. As the one with the highest Cultivation, he had suffered a serious internal injury.

At that moment, all three of them were injured to some degree. They didn’t dare approach the Sleeping Beast, and Black Demon Ridge was not a safe place, filled with many other unknown dangers.

”No! I will absolutely not let that brat go!”

Du Yuncheng hissed, his voice full of hatred. He then declared, ”We’ll pretend to leave and hide nearby. When that brat comes out, we’ll catch him completely off guard!”

Du Qian didn’t argue with Du Yuncheng. The three of them retreated some distance and concealed themselves in the shadows.

Du Yuncheng took out a Healing Pill and swallowed it to tend to his injuries.

...

Meanwhile, Luo Tian and Ning Xueyao passed through the canyon entrance without a hitch.

”So many Spiritual Materials.”

Luo Tian’s eyes lit up. Behind the Sleeping Beast, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was exceptionally dense, giving birth to numerous Spiritual Materials.

It was practically a treasure trove.

There was a lot of Spiritual Grass here, and all of it was older than what Luo Tian had previously obtained.

Although the Sleeping Beast was lethargic, it always chose to sleep in treasure-filled lands with abundant Spiritual Qi.

Besides Spiritual Grass, there were also a few Heavenly and Earthly Treasures close in quality to Primordial Spirit Fruit, which could advance one’s Cultivation in the Meridian Opening Realm.

’One hundred thousand catties of flesh and blood won’t be easy to get. If I were a bit stronger, I’d be more efficient. I’m sure Kun Ga won’t be too stingy,’

Luo Tian chuckled.

With that, he prepared to pick a stalk of Spirit Grass.

”Xiaotian, this is the Sleeping Beast’s territory. We probably shouldn’t take its things,”

Ning Xueyao said with some apprehension.

”Don’t worry, Xueyao.”

Luo Tian nonchalantly picked the Spiritual Materials.

According to the information from the Celestial Book, the Sleeping Beast preferred meat. The Spiritual Materials here were useful for those in the Meridian Opening Realm, but they weren’t valuable enough to catch the creature’s eye.

Sure enough, after Luo Tian picked the Spirit Grass, the Sleeping Beast had no reaction. It continued to sleep, and snores could even be heard.

After that, Luo Tian grew bolder, picking all sorts of spirit grasses and exotic fruits.

’This should be about enough.’

Luo Tian didn’t dare to go too far, picking just enough to advance to the Third Layer of Meridian Opening in the future.

Soon, Luo Tian sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.

First, he consumed the Spiritual Qi Pill he had bought in Martial City, then he took some of the higher-quality spirit grasses and exotic fruits from this area.

WHOOSH!

A surging, hot current of Spiritual Qi rushed through Luo Tian’s body like a stampede of wild horses.

’Go!’

He mobilized his True Qi, guiding the hot current of Spiritual Qi into the second Qi Vein in his body.

When he had advanced to the Second Layer of Meridian Opening, his foundation was so profound that he had opened two-fifths of it in one go.

Afterward, in the Martial Arts Arena, Luo Tian had undergone intense tempering, consolidating and advancing his Cultivation by leaps and bounds.

Now, the True Qi within his second Qi Vein was repeatedly refined and compressed, constantly battering the obstructions within the vein.

Two-fifths... three-fifths... four-fifths.

Time passed.

Under the Medicinal Power of the Spiritual Qi Pill and several precious materials, his True Qi rapidly expanded, opening up a wider and longer space within the Qi Vein.

’Huh?’

While cultivating, Luo Tian discovered that after breaking through the first layer of the Creation Technique, his speed at guiding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had doubled or even tripled.

His cultivation efficiency and his ability to digest Medicinal Power had increased dramatically.

「Half a day later.」

BOOM!

Luo Tian’s second Qi Vein was opened to its absolute limit, and both the quality and quantity of his True Qi climbed to a new peak.

In that instant, Luo Tian’s Cultivation naturally broke through to the Peak of Second Layer of Meridian Opening!

He was pleasantly surprised to have broken through to the Peak of Second Layer so quickly, but it was also within his expectations.

After all, he possessed a Divine Vein, and the bonus to his cultivation speed from breaking through the first layer of the Creation Technique was becoming more and more apparent.

Furthermore, this cultivation session took place in the Sleeping Beast’s treasure land, with the supplementary effects of a Spiritual Qi Pill and other Spiritual Materials.

On top of that, the tempering in the Martial Arts Arena and the crisis of being hunted had also squeezed out his potential.

”Xiaotian, you broke through?”

Ning Xueyao’s pearly white teeth parted slightly in a look of pleasant surprise.

While Luo Tian was cultivating, she had been cultivating as well. This was, after all, a rare cultivation paradise.

However, Luo Tian’s cultivation speed was simply too fast. Since opening his Martial Vein, he was like a completely different person.

”I broke through, but it’s not enough...”

Luo Tian’s gaze was cold and distant as he looked toward the other side of the canyon, a plan forming in his mind.

After his Cultivation advanced to the Peak of Second Layer, he could feel a bottleneck that would be difficult to break through in a short amount of time.

If he relied on Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to force a breakthrough, it would lead to an unstable foundation.

Afterward, Luo Tian began practicing the powerful Martial Skill, the *Star Condensing Sword Point*.

Practicing a Martial Skill was, in itself, a way to familiarize oneself with and utilize True Qi, which in turn could nourish and promote one’s Cultivation.

CHI!

Luo Tian mobilized the True Qi in his body, condensing a pale blue blade of light on his middle finger that emitted a sharp, piercing whistle.

As he practiced, a brilliant display of sword lights, like a cluster of stars, bloomed one after another without end.

Along with the rise in his Cultivation and his breakthrough in the Creation Technique, his practice of the *Star Condensing Sword Point* became increasingly smooth.

「Another half a day passed.」

He reached the Perfection stage of the first layer of the *Star Condensing Sword Point*.

Luo Tian condensed a point of sword light on his fingertip that resembled a cold star. It was more solid now, exuding a frighteningly cold gleam.

’With my current strength, if I were to face Madman Xiao again, I could crush him with ease. Even against a Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening cultivator, I wouldn’t need to be afraid!’

Luo Tian assessed his power silently.

’But this level of strength is still not enough to face Du Yuncheng and his men. After all, they have someone at the Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm. It would be best if my strength could rise another level.’

And so, Luo Tian continued to train diligently.

「One day later.」

Luo Tian was still practicing the Martial Skill.

SHIING!

At a certain moment, the sword light condensed on his middle finger extended by an inch. It was bone-chillingly sharp, like a transparent blade.

”*Star Condensing Sword Point*, Second-Layer!”

Luo Tian was overjoyed.

When the *Star Condensing Sword Point* broke through to the Second-Layer, its Penetration Power was comparable to a Treasure Artifact. It was incomparably sharp; even cultivators at the Fourth or Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening wouldn’t dare to face its edge head-on.

CHI! CHI!

Waving his finger, Luo Tian’s Sword Pointing technique effortlessly pierced the surrounding giant trees and rocks.

After the *Star Condensing Sword Point* broke through to the Second-Layer,

Luo Tian’s strength reached a whole new level!

After all, according to the Secret Manuals, it was typically very difficult to master the Second-Layer without a Cultivation at the Fifth and Sixth Layers of Meridian Opening.