"""
"Boom!"
In the forest, a man and a wolf collided fiercely, the ferocious force stirring up countless fallen leaves.
The two figures simultaneously staggered backward.
"As expected of the king among one-star Demon Beasts!"
Luo Cheng rubbed his numbed right hand, his eyes burning with fighting intent.
This Iron Thorns Wolf, its strength was undoubtedly superior to Qi Ting's, and would be the perfect opponent to help him break through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer!
"Shattering Mountains!"
Luo Cheng launched an attack of his own accord.
Bang bang bang bang…
Man and wolf clashed endlessly amidst the forest, the massive trees around them snapping one after another under the impact.
As the battle raged on, blood began to flow from the corner of Luo Cheng's mouth, a scorching pain spreading throughout his body.
At that moment, the blood coursing through Luo Cheng's veins grew increasingly hot, as if something was about to erupt from within!
"It's coming!"
After another clash, Luo Cheng suddenly felt his entire bloodstream boiling, surging through his body like vast rivers!
The exhaustion from the intense fight vanished in an instant, replaced by an overwhelming sense of unending power!
Under intense pressure, Luo Cheng finally stepped across the final threshold, advancing to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer!
"I've finally broken through!"
Luo Cheng's heart swelled with joy.
"Roar!"
The Iron Thorns Wolf, seeing Luo Cheng stunned in place, had a flash of bloodthirst in its eyes and pounced with lightning speed, aiming its claw at Luo Cheng's head.
Luo Cheng's gaze sharpened in an instant—he sidestepped the attack and delivered a heavy punch to the Iron Thorns Wolf's right paw.
"Bang!"
Accompanied by a clear sound of bones cracking, the Iron Thorns Wolf's massive body was sent flying backward.
"Move Mountains and Rivers!"
Luo Cheng seized the opportunity, rushing forward to unleash the third technique of the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique.
With a sharp "bang," blood splattered as the Iron Thorns Wolf, caught off guard, had its head split open by the punch, its eyes widened in shock.
Even in death, it couldn't understand how this human before it had suddenly become so powerful!
"So this is the Body Tempering Ninth Layer! What strength!"
Luo Cheng gazed at the Iron Thorns Wolf's lifeless body with a sense of awe.
It's fortunate that during the confrontation at the Green Jade Gambling Hall, Qi Ting hadn't used her full strength; otherwise, he might not have even been able to withstand one blow.
Of course, that was in the past.
Now that he'd broken through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer, if he were to face Qi Ting again, he was confident he could defeat her within ten moves!
Walking to the Iron Thorns Wolf's corpse, Luo Cheng began to absorb its Beast Soul.
"Hum!"
As an invisible suction force took hold, the Iron Thorns Wolf's Beast Soul was extracted and entered Luo Cheng's body. The abundant Essence Qi caused his face to flush slightly.
Moving to the side of an ancient tree, Luo Cheng casually threw a punch.
With a loud "bang," the old tree trembled violently, massive cracks spreading outward.
"The power in this punch is almost 500 pounds!"
Luo Cheng was visibly shocked.
Typically, when a martial artist breaks into the Ninth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm, their punch power is only around 450 pounds, with further growth proving extremely difficult.
Yet Luo Cheng, having just broken through, already possessed nearly 500 pounds of punching power. Were word of this to spread, it would undoubtedly astonish countless people!
"It must be due to my absorption of the Beast Soul. Perhaps I can aim for the Body Tempering Extreme Realm!"
Luo Cheng's eyes sparkled with excitement.
The so-called Body Tempering Extreme Realm referred to achieving over 500 pounds of force in the Body Tempering Realm!
Don't underestimate this slight increase—in the Ninth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm, every increment in power becomes incredibly challenging.
Throughout Qishan City, Luo Cheng had never heard of anyone managing to reach the Extreme Realm within the Body Tempering stage!
Achieving the Body Tempering Extreme Realm would mean an all-around enhancement of a martial artist's abilities, allowing them to take on ten competitors at the same level simultaneously—and it would also pave the way for a smoother transition to the Transcendence Realm in the future!
"Looks like I need to hunt more Demon Beasts!"
After retrieving the most valuable materials from the Iron Thorns Wolf, Luo Cheng wasted no time plunging deeper into the forest.
The following days saw Luo Cheng hunting Demon Beasts in the Black Cloud Mountain Range, constantly absorbing Beast Souls.
Seven or eight days passed like this.
Within this time, Luo Cheng had absorbed the Beast Souls of over twenty one-star advanced Demon Beasts, pushing himself to the edge of mental exhaustion each day.
Yet despite absorbing so many Beast Souls, he showed no signs of advancing to the Body Tempering Extreme Realm.
Although Luo Cheng was just shy of reaching the target, no matter how much effort he exerted, he simply couldn't take that final step.
It was only now that Luo Cheng realized why so few people attempted to break into the Body Tempering Extreme Realm.
Even with his unique ability to absorb Beast Souls for cultivation, his progress was painstakingly slow—how much harder must it be for others!
Clearly, this path wasn't worth the effort.
Though unable to achieve the Body Tempering Extreme Realm, Luo Cheng hadn't gained nothing.
Throughout countless battles, his mastery of the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique had finally reached Perfection Realm.
At Perfection, the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique displayed unparalleled power—now Luo Cheng could easily defeat an Iron Thorns Wolf!
Additionally, Luo Cheng unexpectedly stumbled upon a two-star spiritual herb, the Iron Magnolia, which he refined into three elixir pills.
The pills derived from the Iron Magnolia didn't match the body-strengthening capabilities of Vermilion Crystal Fruit but possessed detoxifying and calming effects—a lifesaver during a fight with a poisonous one-star advanced Demon Beast.
On the tenth day in the Black Cloud Mountain Range!
Luo Cheng had just absorbed the Beast Soul of another one-star advanced Demon Beast, his expression tinged with regret.
There were still no signs of breaking through to the Body Tempering Extreme Realm; his power remained stuck at just over 490 pounds, refusing to budge past the crucial threshold!
"The Body Tempering Extreme Realm really isn't easy to achieve."
Luo Cheng understood that relying on Martial Soul absorption alone would no longer lead him to the Extreme Realm.
His current strength had reached a bottleneck.
Before the Hunting Festival, he wouldn't attempt to break into the Transcendence Realm.
His mastery of the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique was already complete, but progressing further to Human Martial Integration—reaching the Transformation Realm—wasn't merely a matter of effort; it required opportunity.
With the Demon Beast materials carefully stowed away, Luo Cheng stood upright, his gaze fixed deeper into the Black Cloud Mountain Range.
Staying here to train further would be meaningless.
He was contemplating whether to return or press on.
Moving deeper would mean stepping into the central area of the Black Cloud Mountain Range, where it was highly likely to encounter two-star Demon Beasts.
Two-star Demon Beasts were equivalent to the power of Transcendence Realm warriors!
"Be cautious, and retreat if nothing turns up!"
Luo Cheng resolved to advance further.
This trip to the Black Cloud Mountain Range wasn't just about cultivating; his primary goal was to find a four-star spiritual herb for his grandfather. Going back empty-handed would be unacceptable to Luo Cheng.
...
Amid the vast and towering mountains, ancient trees stretched skyward, swamps and poisonous mists dotted the landscape, and the occasional unknown beast roar shattered the silence.
A solitary figure cautiously moved through the forest, halting occasionally to observe his surroundings warily.
The figure was Luo Cheng.
He had already spent two days in the central area of the Black Cloud Mountain Range.
Over these two days, his luck hadn't been too bad, as he'd discovered another two-star spiritual herb, the Purple Star Fruit.
Yet there was still no sign of the four-star spiritual herb he sought.
"Do I need to venture even deeper…"
As the idea crossed his mind, Luo Cheng dismissed it outright.
He knew his current strength would allow him to escape from low-level two-star Demon Beasts, but encountering more powerful beasts would leave him with no chance to flee!
He was here to search for medicine, not to court death.
"One more day."
Luo Cheng shook his head, deciding he would search for another day and abandon the hunt if nothing was found.
Suddenly!
"Roar!"
With a terrifying howl, the formerly calm forest erupted as a fierce gale swept through, sending tree branches and leaves flailing.
Luo Cheng's expression shifted drastically: "Not good, it's a two-star Demon Beast!"
"""