Yinlei Valley

Whoosh!

Deep within the dense forest, a white figure fled in panic, constantly looking back. Only after escaping for several miles did they stop.

"Damn Lu Changsheng!"

Cheng Xue gritted her teeth.

"No matter what, I must get that precious cauldron!"

Thinking of the cauldron, her eyes were filled with greed.

But how could she snatch the precious cauldron from Lu Changsheng's hands?

Cheng Xue pondered for a moment, and a slight smile suddenly appeared at the corner of her mouth. With her looks and beauty, she only needed to employ a few tricks to make countless outer disciples act on her behalf.

At that time, even without her lifting a finger, snatching that precious cauldron would be a piece of cake.

Behind the mountain, in a secret cave.

Lu Changsheng pushed a large rock to seal the cave entrance. He scanned his surroundings with satisfaction.

Refining the Ink Sun Grass here should mean no one would disturb him.

With that thought, he immediately sat down on a large rock and took out the Ink Sun Grass from his embrace.

"I wonder how much improvement refining this Ink Sun Grass will bring?"

Lu Changsheng secretly anticipated.

He slowly closed his eyes, adjusting his state. When he had reached the optimal condition, he finally prepared to refine the Ink Sun Grass.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Changsheng swallowed the Ink Sun Grass without hesitation.

Boom!

Unexpectedly, the moment the Ink Sun Grass entered his abdomen, it erupted with a surge of scorching energy. This scorching and pure energy quickly flowed into every part of his body.

"Such pure energy!"

Lu Changsheng was secretly shocked.

Without a moment's delay, he immediately circulated the Heaven Swallowing Creation Art.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Within his dantian, the deep black hole erupted with suction. Instantly, the pure energy of the Ink Sun Grass was madly devoured by the black hole.

The energy of the Ink Sun Grass was of a scorching, supreme yang attribute. Therefore, while refining it, Lu Changsheng's entire body's skin turned red and hot.

His body seemed to be burning with flames, emitting heat.

And within his body, as the Heaven Swallowing Creation Art circulated, the power of the Ink Sun Grass was continuously drawn out, flowing through his meridians like a gentle stream.

However, the power contained within the Ink Sun Grass was truly immense. Lu Changsheng spent a full three hours refining it.

For those three hours, he remained motionless like a clay sculpture. The power within him became increasingly abundant, and his aura grew more profound.

It was only in the fourth hour that the power of the Ink Sun Grass was completely refined.

Boom!

A powerful aura suddenly erupted from within him, shaking the entire cave violently.

"Hoo..."

Lu Changsheng exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly opened his eyes. His flushed and hot skin gradually returned to normal.

"Third level of Core Condensation Realm!"

Lu Changsheng felt the abundant and full power within him and couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise. He hadn't expected that refining this Ink Sun Grass would actually allow him to advance by two minor realms!

He had directly broken through from the first level of the Core Condensation Realm to the third level!

Lu Changsheng clenched his fists, feeling as if he was filled with power.

It had to be said that the Heaven Swallowing Creation Art was truly useful. Normally, it would have taken him at least one to two days to refine the Ink Sun Grass.

However, with the help of the Heaven Swallowing Creation Art, it only took four hours!

The Heaven Swallowing Creation Art not only accelerated his absorption of spiritual energy but also improved the efficiency of his refinement.

"Although I've broken through several times in just a few days, the third level of the Core Condensation Realm is clearly not enough to make a splash in the Outer Sect Competition."

Lu Changsheng muttered to himself.

His goal was not to be an ordinary outer disciple.

Only by becoming an inner disciple could he obtain better resources!

However, to become an inner disciple, he had to participate in the Outer Sect Competition.

Only by achieving a high ranking in the Outer Sect Competition could one be promoted to an inner disciple of the Lingxiao Sect.

The third level of the Core Condensation Realm was clearly far from enough, but Lu Changsheng was not worried, as he possessed the Creation Devouring Heaven Cauldron and the Heaven Swallowing Creation Art!

With these two treasures, his breakthroughs were as simple as drinking water.

"Continue practical combat training!"

Lu Changsheng quickly got up. He planned to venture deeper into the back mountain and use the demonic beasts to improve his combat power.

With that, he pushed aside the large rock blocking the secret cave and continued into the dense jungle to find demonic beasts.

For the next seven full days, Lu Changsheng engaged in fierce battles with demonic beasts in the dense forests of the back mountain.

Every battle was a life-or-death trial for him!

During these seven days, he constantly sought out demonic beasts to fight, always battling until he was utterly exhausted. Through these intense fights, his practical combat experience greatly improved.

Roar!

Bang bang bang—

A deafening roar echoed from the dense forest. A massive beast was sent flying backward, snapping several giant trees before crashing heavily to the ground and perishing.

Not far away, Lu Changsheng remained in his punching stance.

"Hoo..."

Lu Changsheng gasped for breath, exhausted.

At this moment, faint scars could be seen all over his body, marks left from his battles with the demonic beasts.

However, his bronze skin was filled with power, and his entire being exuded a bloody aura.

"Heh heh..."

Lu Changsheng grinned.

After battling the Vajra Crocodile for a day and a night, he had finally managed to kill it. Through countless battles, Lu Changsheng was now filled with a dangerous aura.

His demeanor had also changed drastically; he was no longer the timid person he used to be.

His gaze was resolute, tinged with a hint of ferocity, like a ferocious beast in the forest, ready to bare its terrifying fangs at any moment.

Lu Changsheng didn't rest. Instead, he sought out more demonic beasts to fight.

Before long, he entered the deepest part of the back mountain's dense forest.

Boom!

Suddenly, thunderous roars came from ahead.

"Eh?"

Lu Changsheng looked up. To his surprise, he noticed an unusual area in the distance: a valley surrounded by several peaks.

Strangely, the sky above this valley was covered by thunderclouds.

Dense thunderclouds continuously unleashed lightning bolts, filling the surrounding miles with wild power.

Driven by curiosity, Lu Changsheng rushed towards the valley.

"Yinlei Valley"

After a while, Lu Changsheng neared the edge of the valley. An ancient stone tablet appeared before him, bearing the words "Yinlei Valley."

The stone tablet also had a red mark, symbolizing a dangerous area that should not be entered.

The back mountain of Lingxiao Sect had some extremely dangerous areas, and to prevent disciples from entering them, warning markers were usually placed.

"Someone!"

Just then, Lu Changsheng suddenly heard a sound approaching from a distance, as if someone was heading towards Yinlei Valley.

After a moment of thought, Lu Changsheng swiftly climbed a tree, concealing himself amidst the branches and leaves