Breakthrough

Murong Xue's spiritual energy glow slowly receded, and she appeared before everyone with radiant energy, her previous weakness from being poisoned completely gone.

"Congratulations to Big Sister Murong on her successful breakthrough!" Wang Beichen said with a grin. He had initially thought he'd have to step up after Murong was poisoned, but Zhu Dachang had successfully rescued her. With Murong's breakthrough as well, it was like a double celebration.

Murong Xue's red lips parted slightly, and her first words tumbled out as she spoke.

"It smells so good!"

Everyone was stunned. In a flash, Murong Xue appeared beside Zeng Fan, her eyes fixed on the snake meat in his hand, filled with longing.

"Does everyone become this ravenous after breaking through to the Spirit Gathering Realm?" Zeng Fan wondered, but seeing Murong Xue's gaze, he naturally wouldn't refuse. He sprinkled on some seasoning, and under the high heat of the grill, an even more intense aroma erupted.

"Be careful, it's hot," Zeng Fan said softly, smiling as he handed Murong Xue a piece.

Murong Xue gave Zeng Fan a sweet smile, then her hands surged with spiritual energy. Despite her hunger, she held the snake meat, chewing small bites. A bit of oil smudged her red lips, making them look even more lustrous.

After finishing a large piece of snake meat, the young woman patted her belly and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Seeing everyone staring at her, her face flushed slightly.

"I don't know what's going on either. After breaking through, I just feel incredibly hungry and want to eat constantly."

Zhu Dachang chuckled upon hearing this. "Junior Sister, there's no need to worry. This is normal after everyone breaks through. Upon reaching the Spirit Gathering Realm, our bodies are cleansed by spiritual energy again, making our physical bodies even stronger than in the Body Tempering Realm. The body consumes a lot of energy, naturally leading to hunger that needs to be relieved by eating."

Everyone suddenly understood. Yuan Jin sensed Murong Xue's aura and said with some surprise, "You just broke through, but I feel like your aura is already stronger than the Demonic Beast we just ate."

"That's because Junior Sister Murong isn't at Minor Accomplishment in the Spirit Gathering Realm. Her talent is truly astonishing. She directly broke through to Major Accomplishment in the Spirit Gathering Realm using the spiritual energy from the Demonic Crystal, skipping over two minor realms in one go. It's truly amazing!" Zhu Dachang exclaimed with emotion, finding such cultivation talent truly rare.

"Major Accomplishment in the Spirit Gathering Realm!" Zeng Fan also looked at Murong Xue in surprise. He had no doubts about Murong Xue's breakthrough, but he hadn't expected her to push through directly to Major Accomplishment in the Spirit Gathering Realm.

"It's all thanks to Senior Brother's Demonic Crystal that I had enough spiritual energy for continuous breakthroughs," Murong Xue said, bowing slightly to him. If Zhu Dachang hadn't produced the Demonic Crystal, even with the Spirit Stones Zeng Fan and the others had, they probably could have only barely broken through to the Spirit Gathering Realm.

"This is also because your own accumulation was sufficient; the Demonic Crystal was just the icing on the cake," Zhu Dachang said casually, waving his hand. As he spoke, a team of disciples appeared on the city wall – it was time for the rotation.

Zhu Dachang bid them farewell. As a disciple of the Spirit Gathering Realm, he was also responsible for the rescue mission and couldn't rest with Zeng Fan and the others.

After watching the massive figure slowly disappear into the distance on the city wall, Zeng Fan and the others descended.

Stepping onto the soft soil of the inner wall, Zeng Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief. The day's events had been a rollercoaster, and even with his resilient nature, he couldn't help but feel exhausted.

Scanning the area below the city wall, Zeng Fan's gaze grew heavy. Over the course of the day, many disciples from his batch who had gone up the wall were injured, some with missing limbs and severe wounds. Inquiring with other disciples, he learned that over a dozen disciples had already died that day. They exchanged glances, a sense of relief in their eyes. If Zhu Dachang hadn't arrived in time, Wang Beichen would at least have been seriously injured.

Next came rest and rotation. Since Murong Xue had broken through to the Spirit Gathering Realm, she would be going to the area where Spirit Gathering Realm cultivators intercepted Demonic Beasts. Only Yuan Jin, Zeng Fan, and Wang Beichen, along with Wang An, would remain to defend the city.

Three days later, under the scorching sun, a fierce battle was taking place on the walls of the Datong Dynasty.

Zeng Fan thrust his spear forcefully into the head of a Demonic Beast. With a pained roar, the beast's massive body crashed to the ground. A hint of excitement flickered in Zeng Fan's eyes. After several days of fighting, a bit of killing intent had accumulated on him. The Demonic Beast he had just killed was estimated to be at the Minor Accomplishment of Body Tempering Blood realm, and he had killed it across realms, proving his significant progress during this period.

In another battle zone, Wang Beichen and Yuan Jin were jointly fighting another Demonic Beast. Seeing their increasingly sharp attacks and the beast's increasingly flustered movements, Zeng Fan knew that this beast was on its death countdown.

"I now have twenty Demonic Beast corpses. If I can get a few more from Wang Beichen and Yuan Jin, I can exchange them for that Body Tempering Pill to break through," Zeng Fan mused inwardly. After Murong Xue left, the pressure on the three of them defending the city increased dramatically, and the frequency of Demonic Beast attacks also greatly intensified. However, this was a significant benefit for their training. Even Wang Beichen, the youngest, had developed a hint of ruthlessness.

In pursuit of his breakthrough, Zeng Fan even challenged higher-level Demonic Beasts under pressure, seeking an opportunity, but he always felt something was missing.

During the rotation and rest below the city, he vaguely heard disciples discussing that the higher-ups were planning to organize a counter-offensive. They couldn't just passively wait for the Demonic Beasts to attack. If he didn't break through, his current cultivation was still too weak; entering the Demonic Beasts' territory could be life-threatening.

As Zeng Fan was lost in thought, a dying scream reached his ears. Turning his head, he saw that Wang Beichen and Yuan Jin had already finished off the Demonic Beast.

"The rotation should be arriving soon." It was time to exchange for the Body Tempering Pill. Seeing Yuan Jin and Wang Beichen approach, Zeng Fan said to Yuan Jin, "I'm still ten beasts short. Help me make up the difference."

"When the rotation arrives, I'll go with you to the quartermaster's office to exchange them," Yuan Jin nodded at Zeng Fan, some bright red Demonic Beast blood still on his body.

"Then I won't go. You two can go. I need to rest properly," Wang Beichen stretched, looking somewhat listless. Without Murong Xue, and after several days of high-intensity combat, Wang Beichen was also feeling the strain.

"Yuan Jin can accompany me. You get some rest and prepare for the upcoming counter-offensive," Zeng Fan nodded. Exchanging for a Body Tempering Pill wasn't something they all needed to do together.

Upon hearing about the counter-offensive, Wang Beichen's face fell, and he grumbled, "These Foundation Establishment cultivators really have nothing better to do. Repelling them should be enough; why counter-attack? Don't they think they have enough trouble already?"

Zeng Fan exchanged a look with Yuan Jin. Yuan Jin shrugged and said nothing. Only Wang Beichen could complain so brazenly about Foundation Establishment cultivators; they couldn't.

The rotation began. Zeng Fan and the others returned to below the inner wall. Wang Beichen and Wang An went ahead to their resting place, while Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin headed to the quartermaster's office.

The so-called quartermaster's office was essentially a large tent. A large banner stood at the entrance, bearing the words "Quartermaster's Office."

Many disciples were entering and exiting the quartermaster's office, with many wearing happy expressions, clearly having obtained what they wanted. Yuan Jin was chatting and laughing with Zeng Fan when he glanced towards the entrance of the quartermaster's office, and his expression suddenly turned cold.

Seeing Yuan Jin's unusual expression, Zeng Fan looked towards the entrance of the quartermaster's office, and his smile gradually froze. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. What a coincidence, a group of three, the very ones he had clashed with before, Zhou Bao and his two companions, were standing at the entrance of the quartermaster's office, arms crossed and sneering at them.

Zhou Bao and his two companions stood at the entrance of the quartermaster's office, not moving, just sneering at the two of them. The two sides stared coldly at each other, and the surrounding disciples also noticed the tension between them, turning their attention their way.

"Let's go, we'll go over," Yuan Jin sneered and strode towards the three. Zeng Fan followed closely behind. He wanted to see what Zhou Bao intended to do. Even if they fought now, he wasn't afraid.

Walking slowly up to Zhou Bao, Yuan Jin looked ahead and said coldly, "Good dogs don't block the path. You can't even be a proper dog!"

"What did you say?" Zhou Bao's sneer turned into rage, and spiritual energy began to surge around him.

"Want to fight?" Yuan Jin's spiritual energy also began to surge. After days of fighting, Yuan Jin was finding it hard to suppress his temper. The two were on the verge of a fight right there.

"Fighting is forbidden at the quartermaster's office. Violators will be executed on the spot," a cold voice echoed from somewhere, carrying a hint of killing intent.

Hearing this, both sides snorted. Zhou Bao led the other two away, turning his back to Yuan Jin and saying coldly, "Be careful during the counter-offensive. Don't die out there."

A flash of killing intent crossed Yuan Jin's eyes. Zeng Fan patted Yuan Jin's shoulder and said calmly.

"You're the ones who should be careful."

Hearing this, Zhou Bao's lips curved into a mocking arc, but he said no more, leading his two companions away.

Zeng Fan looked at Yuan Jin. Yuan Jin closed his eyes, his chest heaving rapidly. As time passed, Yuan Jin let out a light breath, finally calming down. However, Zeng Fan knew that if the opportunity arose, this calm would instantly turn into thunderous rage.

"I'm fine now. Let's go in," Yuan Jin nodded at Zeng Fan, having already suppressed his emotions, his face returning to a calm expression.

"There will be opportunities," Zeng Fan said softly to Yuan Jin.

They went to the quartermaster's office. Exchanging for the Body Tempering Pill went smoothly. The officer in charge of the exchange merely glanced curiously at Zeng Fan and the others. After verifying the quantity, he readily handed the Body Tempering Pill to Zeng Fan, as thirty Demonic Beast corpses were no easy feat for a Body Tempering Realm disciple.

Returning to their quarters, Zeng Fan sat cross-legged on the bed. He first meditated quietly for a while, and only when his mind and body were in the best possible state did he take out the Body Tempering Pill and swallow it in one gulp.

The breakthrough... had begun.