[Host killed a Giant Tiger Beast: Qi Force +150, Martial Energy +30, Agility +40.]
[Host killed the Nine Sun Mountain Deer, Rock-Skinned Snake, and Skull-Horned Sheep: Blood Energy +80, Beast Battle Experience +60, Sword Qi +60, Sword Intent +50, Speed +60.]
[Host learned Divine Step, Overlord Spear, Tranquil Heart Mantra, and Heaven-Splitting Sword. In the midst of life-and-death crises, mastered a total of 15 techniques: Technique Talent +300, Sword Qi +200, Sword Intent +200, and acquired Sword Heart – Clear Heart Sword.]
[Clear Heart Sword: When engaging in sword combat, upon entering the Dao, it enhances your Sword Qi and Sword Intent, allowing you to forget yourself and completely immerse in your Sword Domain for the duration of one incense stick (consumes no spiritual energy or stamina).]
In the courtyard, Xu Ming, with his eyes closed, was digesting the spiritual energy boost from his recent dual cultivation session with Mo Zhuer.
Soon after, as the system’s voice rang out, Xu Ming felt a warm current flow through his body, bringing immense comfort.
Xu Ming could clearly feel that his spiritual energy, martial true qi, and various aspects of his cultivation had advanced by a level. He even sensed that his Sea Observation Realm was on the verge of breaking through.
However, Xu Ming ultimately restrained himself.
Breaking through from the Sea Observation Realm to the Dragon Gate Realm was no simple matter. A cultivator needed to face their first heavenly tribulation.
The quality of the tribulation in the Sea Observation Realm would, to a certain extent, determine the quality of one’s Dragon Gate Realm. And the quality of the Dragon Gate Realm would greatly impact one’s future path.
Moreover, who knew if this tribulation would turn out to be another bizarre one? Xu Ming had to be fully prepared.
He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.
Images of the dual cultivation session with Mo Zhuer an hour earlier involuntarily surfaced in Xu Ming’s mind.
Xu Ming had to admit that Mo Zhuer was indeed a born enchantress. Although she was the only one he had ever had such deep interaction with, leaving him with no basis for comparison, Xu Ming felt that there couldn’t be many women in this world who could bring a man such immense satisfaction as she did.
“I can’t let this happen again!”
Shaking his head, Xu Ming murmured to himself.
He was sinking deeper and deeper into her allure.
The Great Path of Hehuan dual cultivation method was becoming increasingly tempting to him. If this continued, Xu Ming genuinely feared he might become controlled by Mo Zhuer—or worse, reach a point where he couldn’t live without her.
In other words, he might develop an addiction.
For now, Xu Ming decided it would be best to avoid Mo Zhuer. If they did accidentally come into contact again, he might try using the Tranquil Heart Mantra, which Zhou Wanfeng had taught him.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Ming stood up and headed out of the courtyard.
He had already spent two days at Sanshi Peak. By now, they shouldn’t be too worried about him.
It was a good time to check on how the two of them were getting along.
Plus, he needed to share what he had experienced with Wu Yanhan and prepare her for what was to come.
At the same time, in Wu Yanhan’s courtyard, she and Shen Shengsheng were having a meal together.
Watching Shen Shengsheng bury herself in her food, Wu Yanhan had just begun to realize over the past two days how much Shen Shengsheng could eat.
Despite her petite stomach and slender figure, Shen Shengsheng’s appetite was nearly double that of Xu Ming’s.
“After we finish eating, let’s practice Slow Fist for a while. It’ll help with digestion,” Wu Yanhan said to Shen Shengsheng.
When Xu Ming had first entrusted Shen Shengsheng to her, Wu Yanhan genuinely had no idea how to handle this little girl.
Unexpectedly, Shen Shengsheng had been practicing punches alongside her.
Punch training was grueling work, and Wu Yanhan didn’t think Shen Shengsheng could stick with it. She assumed the girl was only tagging along out of curiosity, and once that wore off, she’d give up.
But to Wu Yanhan’s surprise, Shen Shengsheng had persevered over the past two days without a single complaint.
Not only that, Wu Yanhan noticed Shen Shengsheng had a natural talent for martial arts. She truly was an exceptional prospect for training.
Especially with her magical beast bloodline, which made her blood energy naturally dominant and her strength extraordinary. Practicing punches significantly boosted her martial energy.
Because of her magical beast lineage, Shen Shengsheng didn’t even need to cultivate like others. Her lifespan was likely to exceed a thousand years. If her bloodline was strong enough, living tens of thousands of years wasn’t out of the question.
“A long enough lifespan, perfectly suited for practicing powerful martial techniques. Could it be that this is what a martial artist should truly be like?”
A strange thought crossed Wu Yanhan’s mind, but she quickly shook her head and chuckled, finding it a little amusing.
Shen Shengsheng was just an exception, after all. In this world, all sorts of extraordinary beings existed. It was only natural to encounter the unusual.
The path of cultivation had countless variations. Who was to say that martial artists had only one way forward?
Everyone had their own martial path. The martial path of humanity wasn’t a dead end—it could always find a way forward.
Meanwhile, Shen Shengsheng, sitting nearby, sped up her eating upon hearing about the training. After shoving the last bite into her mouth, she jumped off her little chair, cheeks puffed out as she chewed, a single grain of rice stuck at the corner of her mouth.
“All done?” Wu Yanhan asked.
Shen Shengsheng nodded vigorously, swallowing her food with a loud gulp. “All done!”
“In such a rush to practice punches, huh?” Wu Yanhan smiled faintly.
“Punch training!” Shen Shengsheng nodded again, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her elder sister figure. She thought Wu Yanhan’s smile was truly beautiful, even though she rarely smiled and had never smiled at Brother Xu.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
With such an eager student, how could Wu Yanhan, as the “master,” slack off?
“Today, I’ll teach you a technique called Formation-Breaking Fist. When you face cultivators, you’ll often encounter all kinds of formations. That’s where this technique comes in handy. Watch closely—I’ll demonstrate it first.”
Wu Yanhan steadied her stance, planting her feet firmly and raising her fists into position.
As she threw a punch, the protective formation of the courtyard trembled visibly.
Shen Shengsheng watched intently, her bright eyes sparkling as she began mimicking the movements.
Just as Xu Ming reached the edge of a small hill not far from Wu Yanhan’s courtyard, he felt the force of the punches carried by the wind.
Walking to the top of the hill, Xu Ming saw the scene of one tall figure and one small figure practicing punches in the courtyard.
He took a step forward but stopped, instead sitting down on a nearby rock. His gaze softened as he simply sat there, quietly watching.