Leaving Qishan City, Luo Cheng quickened his pace and arrived at the Black Cloud Mountain Range two hours later.
From a distance, the Black Cloud Mountain Range resembled a massive black dragon coiled over the earth, its head and tail nowhere in sight, emanating an invisible aura of ferocity and menace.
Luo Cheng did not rush in recklessly, instead choosing to remain active in the peripheral areas.
Although he already possessed the cultivation of the Body Refining Sixth Layer, he was inexperienced in real combat. In such a dangerous terrain, caution was imperative; his plan was to temper himself in the outer regions first.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
The dense forest was stained with a thick stench of blood.
Luo Cheng stood beneath a large tree, surrounded by the corpses of five beasts.
Through three days of relentless battle, Luo Cheng's real combat experience had rapidly grown. From chaotic fumbling at the start to now facing the siege of multiple beasts, he could calmly deal lethal blows.
Additionally, his Heavy Mountain Fist Technique had progressed considerably, reaching the Great Achievement Realm. When his fists struck, the very air echoed with booming reverberations.
However, his cultivation showed no signs of breakthrough.
"Breaking through to the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer really isn't that easy,"
Luo Cheng shook his head, his gaze shifting toward the deeper, denser forest.
Within the depths of the Black Cloud Mountain Range, Demon Beasts roamed.
Demon Beasts contained Beast Souls within their bodies, capable of absorbing essence energy from Heaven and Earth to cultivate. Their power was far beyond ordinary beasts, and it was precisely them that Luo Cheng sought to challenge.
Sprinting through the dense forest, Luo Cheng soon ventured twenty to thirty miles inward, where the trees grew even taller, blotting out the sky and sun.
Roar!
Suddenly, an earth-shaking roar rang out.
Luo Cheng was already alert, his figure darting like an arrow.
Thud! Almost simultaneously, the ground trembled violently as a massive black shadow crashed down upon where Luo Cheng had just stood.
A jet-black giant wolf!
The wolf was two meters long and covered entirely in black scales that shimmered with a chilling gleam.
"A one-star intermediate Demon Beast—Black Scale Wolf!"
Luo Cheng immediately identified the beast.
One-star Demon Beasts corresponded to martial artists of the Body Tempering Realm, while one-star intermediate Demon Beasts had strength equal to a martial artist of the realm's middle stage.
Black Scale Wolves were relatively common one-star Demon Beasts within the Black Cloud Mountain Range. Their scales were as hard as wrought iron, and their temperament was ferocious!
Roar!
The Black Scale Wolf's eyes glowed red as it let out another roar, leaping forward once more.
"Good! You'll be the perfect opponent to test my skills!"
Without dodging or retreating, Luo Cheng charged forward and unleashed a fierce punch.
Heavy Mountain Fist Technique!
Bang!
The two figures collided violently. The Black Scale Wolf was jolted back four or five steps, while Luo Cheng was sent flying seven or eight meters away!
This wolf was in its prime, its strength nearly equivalent to the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer!
Crash!
Landing in disarray, a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of Luo Cheng's mouth, though his eyes lit up with excitement.
During the exchange, he felt a burning sensation surge within his body.
The effects of the Jade Body Tempering Pill within him had been ignited!
"Excellent! Let's continue!"
Luo Cheng activated his Martial Soul, and the Nine-colored Mysterious Egg appeared, as he attacked once again.
Bang, bang, bang...
Man and wolf clashed repeatedly.
Soon, Luo Cheng was covered in blood streaks, while the Black Scale Wolf fared no better; patches of its scales were shattered and its flesh torn!
The wolf, once fierce and brutal, now showed fear in its eyes, attempting to flee.
But Luo Cheng gave it no chance, pressing forward with the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique and forcing the Black Scale Wolf into defeat.
Bang!
Finally, Luo Cheng summoned all his strength and delivered a punch that exploded the wolf's skull, leaving it lying dead!
Huff...
Having slain the Black Scale Wolf, Luo Cheng collapsed onto the ground as well.
After such a grueling fight, he was utterly exhausted, his fists reduced to bloody, mangled flesh.
Nonetheless, it had all been worth it.
He could distinctly feel a significant improvement in his physique, moving a large step closer to the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer!
"Fortunately, my Heavy Mountain Fist Technique has reached the Great Achievement Realm. Otherwise, dealing with this Black Scale Wolf wouldn't have been easy."
Luo Cheng turned to the wolf's lifeless body.
Buzz!
As Luo Cheng's hand made contact with the wolf's corpse, an abrupt change occurred.
The Nine-colored Scale mark on his palm emitted an invisible suction force!
Under this force, a wolf-shaped shadow emerged from the Black Scale Wolf's corpse.
Within the shadow, a star shone brilliantly. As soon as it appeared, it was instantly consumed by the Nine-colored Scale mark.
In that moment, Luo Cheng felt an immense surge of energy flowing into his body, directly entering his Martial Soul.
In a daze, amid the boundless starlit void of the Nine-colored Mysterious Egg, a single star seemed to flicker briefly!
"This is..."
Luo Cheng's eyes widened in disbelief.
The Nine-colored Scale could absorb Beast Souls from corpses?!
Did his Martial Soul possess the ability to grow by devouring Beast Souls?!
Even someone as composed as Luo Cheng couldn't help but feel waves of shock in his heart at that moment.
Before, he had no idea how to nurture his Martial Soul; now, things seemed far simpler!
As long as he absorbed enough Beast Souls, his Martial Soul would undoubtedly grow stronger!
At this moment, the cultivating capability of his Martial Soul already surpassed even Advanced Martial Souls or Spirit Martial Souls!
When the day comes that it fully matures, how terrifying would it be?
Thinking of this, Luo Cheng's heart filled with fervor.
"Wait, my cultivation!"
Suddenly, Luo Cheng realized that his cultivation had already advanced to the Body Tempering Realm Seventh Layer!
Not only that, but the wounds on his mangled fists had mostly healed!
This bizarre transformation left Luo Cheng in stunned silence.
In mere moments, not only had he broken through in cultivation, but his injuries were nearly healed!
It was simply unimaginable!
After a good while, Luo Cheng snapped out of his daze, staring at the Nine-colored Scale mark on his palm with newfound understanding.
The Nine-colored Scale could absorb Beast Souls, which were the concentrated essence of the Demon Beast's spirit, qi, and vitality. During the devouring process, his Martial Soul benefitted him directly, thereby allowing him to recover from injuries and breakthrough in cultivation within such a short period!
"My Martial Soul can grow by devouring Beast Souls, and this process also aids my cultivation. With enough Beast Souls, my cultivation speed could surpass that of any prodigy!"
Luo Cheng was ecstatic.
Since swearing to challenge the Ji Family within ten years, he had always carried immense pressure in his heart.
The Martial Soul's extraordinary abilities now gave him unmatched confidence!
"It seems that I need to hunt more Demon Beasts from now on!"
Thinking about the rapid cultivation progress from earlier, Luo Cheng couldn't sit still and immediately sprang back into action, dashing into the dense forest.
In the following days, Luo Cheng actively hunted Demon Beasts within the Black Cloud Mountain Range.
Within just four days, he had slain nearly twenty Demon Beasts.
Among them, most were one-star intermediate Demon Beasts, and there was even one whose strength rivaled the Body Tempering Realm Eighth Layer—a one-star advanced Demon Beast!
Upon devouring the Beast Souls of these Demon Beasts, Luo Cheng clearly noticed his Martial Soul absorbing Heaven and Earth Essence Energy at an accelerated rate.
Furthermore, his cultivation rose remarkably during those four days, nearing the brink of the Body Tempering Realm Eighth Layer!
At full strength, Luo Cheng could now unleash a punch with a force of nearly four hundred pounds!
During these days, Luo Cheng also made another observation—each devouring of Beast Souls consumed a significant amount of his spirit.
Currently, he could only devour the Beast Souls of three one-star intermediate Demon Beasts before feeling dazed and lethargic.
However, Luo Cheng wasn't concerned.
Right now, he didn't have an abundance of Beast Souls to consume. As his cultivation advanced, he believed this limitation would eventually improve.