Realm Leap

"Mingde, what's the difference between women and men, and why do women get angry so easily?" Zhang Hupan asked with an innocent look on his face.

Oh heavens, spare me! Song Feng wailed inwardly, but on the surface, he still answered respectfully, "Grand Patriarch, women and men differ in many ways. These differences are reflected not only in their physiological structures, but also in their psychological structures..." Poor Song Feng analyzed the matter until his mouth went dry, taking a full hour.

After listening attentively, Zhang Hupan finally understood why that beautiful girl had been so angry when she beat him up that day. He secretly congratulated himself on his wisdom for having Song Feng teach him about such matters first. Otherwise, if he had rashly gone down the mountain, who knew whether he might have provoked the pursuit of the Women's Alliance Song Feng had mentioned? Feeling that he had gained a great deal, Zhang Hupan glanced at Song Feng, whose cultivation was pathetically low, and suddenly felt that Song Feng was actually incredibly knowledgeable. He had received so much instruction from him, so how could he have forgotten to help improve his cultivation? With that thought, Zhang Hupan beckoned to Song Feng, signaling him to come over. "Sit cross-legged, calm your mind, and sink your qi into your dantian!" Song Feng found Zhang Hupan's sudden change of subject extremely strange. However, even if he had racked his brains, he would never have guessed that the lecher Zhao Liya and the others had encountered was this plain-looking and utterly innocent Grand Patriarch right before him, nor that Zhang Hupan, having personally experienced what he had taught that day, had suddenly taken pity on him and decided to improve his cultivation! Although Song Feng could not understand the Grand Patriarch's thoughts, that did not hinder him from regarding the Grand Patriarch's will as supreme. He hurried respectfully to Zhang Hupan, sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and entered a state of cultivation.

Suddenly, Song Feng felt a surging force filled with the most righteous and awe-inspiring power between heaven and earth. It entered through his Baihui acupoint and smashed through every meridian in his body with unstoppable force. Even the Ren and Du meridians, which martial artists dreamed of opening, were swept through in an instant by that power like fallen leaves before an autumn wind. Then Song Feng felt as though he were bathing in a gentle spring breeze, his entire body immersed in a warm ocean of energy. The true qi that had once flowed through his body like a small stream now surged toward his dantian like the mighty Yangtze River.

When Song Feng awoke, he discovered that he had never felt so full of strength or so peaceful inside. The outside world had become incomparably clear, and no tiny sound could escape his ears. He even discovered that he could breathe internally through his body. No matter how foolish Song Feng was, he knew that he had reached the Innate Realm, the lifelong pursuit of every martial artist. A wave of wild joy surged through him, yet two streams of hot tears unknowingly flowed down his cheeks. With a thump, Song Feng fell to his knees and repeatedly knocked his head hard against the floor before Zhang Hupan. "Thank you, Grand Patriarch!"

"That's enough. Get up! You've worked hard these past few days as well. Before, your cultivation was simply too low, so you could barely use anything here. Now, you can be considered one of the immortals in the eyes of ordinary people. Take these pills, this immortal sword, and these magical artifacts. Practice whenever you have time. If there's anything you don't understand, go ask Qingmu. That's all for today!" With that, Zhang Hupan gently closed his eyes.

Only now did Song Feng truly understand how formidable this Grand Patriarch, who appeared so young, was. Just imagine—who could instantly turn an ordinary Postnatal Realm expert into an Innate Realm expert? What level of cultivation would that require? If Song Feng had once retained even the slightest trace of contempt in his heart, it had now transformed into an endless, surging reverence for Zhang Hupan. Song Feng bowed deeply and respectfully to Zhang Hupan, who sat meditating, then quietly withdrew.

When Song Feng reached the outside, he finally felt how powerful he had become. With a casual, gentle leap, he could jump dozens of zhang. Looking at the immortal sword in his hand, Song Feng knew that he could finally fly on a sword like his master, though he still did not know the incantation for sword flight!

When Qingmu saw Song Feng, the astonishment in his eyes made Song Feng feel as refreshed as if he had drunk iced bayberry juice on a scorching summer day! The fact that he could astonish his master meant that his cultivation must be extremely high. Unexpectedly, Qingmu's next words nearly sent Song Feng into shock from excitement: "Heavens! How unfair is Heaven! I painstakingly cultivated for more than a hundred years just to reach the mid-stage of Qi Guidance. If not for the Grand Patriarch's pills and guidance these past two days, who knows when I would have reached my current early-stage Qi Condensation! I never imagined that you brat would reach the same realm as your master in just a few days, rising from the Postnatal Realm to this level!"

If Song Feng had only vaguely sensed that he had become incredibly powerful—so powerful that he had hardly dared imagine it—he still had not dared compare himself with his master. After all, his master's realm had long been on the level of an immortal in his eyes. He had never imagined that his cultivation had now not only reached his master's level, but far surpassed the level he had previously known his master to possess. No matter how strong Song Feng's heart was, it could barely withstand such a powerful shock. In an instant, Zhang Hupan's position in his heart rose to an unreachable height.

Having just endured the overwhelming impact of immense joy, Song Feng next suffered the greatest blow of his life. Qingmu began a cruel plunder, and Song Feng finally understood why his master had once gone to such lengths to make him agree to let him choose any two items bestowed by the Grand Patriarch. At the time, Song Feng had been unable to understand how powerful the Grand Patriarch was, nor could he comprehend the value of the things the Grand Patriarch had bestowed. Now that he had just experienced such an enormous fortuitous encounter, Song Feng completely understood the Grand Patriarch's immense power. So how could the things he bestowed possibly be inferior goods? As he watched Qingmu gleefully select an immortal pill of the finest quality and richest spiritual energy, Song Feng's heart bled drop by drop. Then, when Qingmu's eyes lit up as he took the immortal sword containing boundless magical power, Song Feng felt a heart-rending pain. Seeing how miserable Song Feng looked, even someone as thick-skinned as Qingmu felt a little embarrassed and comforted him, "Mingde! Today, your master will teach you the Wudang Celestial Arts. From now on, you'll be able to learn sword flight and wield that earth-shaking power!"

Bullshit. Who cares! If he gave this pill and immortal sword—no, even just the pill—to Grand-Master Kuye, wouldn't he still be able to learn profound cultivation arts? However, Song Feng did not dare say that aloud. After all, without the master before him, he would not be who he was today. Poor Song Feng could only console himself with an A-Q mentality: "It's nothing more than a little bead and a piece of scrap iron. I'll just pity this old man before me. Besides, being able to exchange these things for an immortal cultivation art means I've made a huge profit!" (To be continued)