"Tiejun, I really wasn't lying. I just broke through," Lu Feng repeated earnestly. He had no reason to hide it.
"No, that's impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Hong Tiejun shook his head, refusing to believe it no matter what.
It hadn't even been three months since high school graduation, and Lu Feng had gone all the way from Copper Skin Realm Perfection to Iron Bone Realm Perfection?
How was that possible?
The commotion at the Cultivation Room entrance soon attracted more people.
Even Hong Kun, the club owner, was alerted.
"What happened?"
Hong Kun walked over from a distance, and the crowd automatically parted to make way for him.
When Lu Feng saw him, he hurriedly spoke up. "Uncle Hong, I'm sorry. I accidentally broke the Cultivation Room's Tester. How much does it cost? I'm willing to pay the full price."
Made from special materials, the machine was quite expensive. Each one cost more than 300,000 Star Martial Coins.
But Hong Kun's attention was nowhere near that.
When Yang Qian told him Lu Feng had reached Iron Bone Realm Perfection, he too looked at the young man before him in disbelief.
In everyone's memory, Lu Feng had still been at the Sixth Level of Iron Bone Realm just over a month ago.
How much time had passed since then? He was already at Perfection?
How had this monster managed it?
At dusk, the setting sun turned the Skyfire Club's sign orange-red.
A black sedan sat quietly outside.
Hong Tiejun tossed the last piece of luggage into the trunk and slammed it shut. The dull thud sounded like an outpouring of his frustration.
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the three people who had come to see him off—his father, Hong Kun; Yang Qian; and Lu Feng, whose presence made his chest feel tight.
"Dad, I'm leaving." Hong Tiejun's voice was stiff. "I'll be at Martial University for four years. If I don't make something of myself, I won't set foot in this house again."
Seeing the stubborn fire in his son's eyes, Hong Kun patted him on the shoulder. "The path of martial arts is long. There's no need to compete over who gets ahead for a little while."
Hong Tiejun acted as if he hadn't heard. His gaze passed over his father and fixed firmly on Lu Feng.
He had worked hard to temper his body for over two months, giving it everything he had just to barely cross the threshold into Iron Bone Realm.
But this guy had shattered all his pride with one casual punch.
This was no longer a gap. It was a blatant, unreasonable crushing defeat.
"Lu Feng, just you wait," he swore to himself.
Four years! Just four years! When I come back from Military Academy, I'll definitely surpass you!
The engine roared, and the sedan sped away, carrying a young man's stubborn resolve and every vow he'd made.
Lu Feng turned to Hong Kun. "Uncle Hong, are you really not going to tell Tiejun about the Expedition?"
Hong Kun shook his head. "There's no need. Knowing would only distract him. It's better if he can put all his energy into cultivation now."
He smiled and continued, "Come to think of it, I should thank you for giving him this setback. If he won't come home for four years, then I can follow the military on the Expedition without worry."
Yang Qian couldn't help chiming in. "I was wondering why you were cultivating so fast. You're almost catching up to our generation. At this rate, I'm starting to worry you'll surpass me one day."
"If Minister Xie learns about your talent, he'll probably go to even greater lengths to recruit you into the military."
Just then, another young man ran out of the club.
He rushed over, panting. "Tiejun's gone!"
Shen Yu looked down the street, now completely empty.
It was already well past the end of the workday. He'd been lying in a cultivation pod in the Cultivation Room, tempering his body.
Ever since Lu Feng's progress had spurred him on, Shen Yu had invested all his savings in cultivation.
He'd been tempering his body with the time he'd bought.
Over this period, his cultivation had advanced from the Sixth to the Eighth Level of Copper Skin Realm. At least the money hadn't gone to waste.
"Fatty!" Hong Kun reached out and gave Shen Yu a hearty slap on the shoulder. "Starting tomorrow, you can use the club's Cultivation Room whenever you want. You won't have to pay extra."
"Huh?"
Fatty Shen didn't understand at first. Once he was sure he'd heard right, his eyes lit up. "Really, Uncle Hong?"
"Of course! I'm the boss, so I make the rules."
"That's great! Thank you, Uncle Hong!"
"Fatty!" Lu Feng suddenly stepped forward. "Make sure you keep cultivating. If I come back and find you slacking off, I'll beat you up."
"What do you mean, when you come back? Where are you going?"
Apart from the club's core members, no one knew about the Skyfire Club's Expedition plan.
Lu Feng didn't explain. He turned and walked out of the club.
Hong Kun called after him, "You're heading to the Military Region for training the day after tomorrow. Go home and say a proper goodbye to your family!"
"Got it, Uncle Hong!"
"Wait! What are you all talking about?"
Shen Yu was full of questions, but nobody answered him. One by one, they turned and went their separate ways.
After leaving the club, Lu Feng didn't go straight home. Instead, he returned to the Beast Fighting Arena.
This might be his last time coming here before the Expedition.
He planned to Absorb Energy again and see whether he could break through the first barrier in his meridians and advance to the Meridian Condensing Realm.
However, the military had kept him under surveillance the entire time.
He had come to the Beast Fighting Arena almost every night lately, but since he hadn't manipulated any more matches like before, Xie An hadn't questioned him.
The Beast Fighting Arena hadn't noticed anything.
As usual, he bought the cheapest admission ticket and took a seat in the outermost section.
The first match was still a battle between two Tier 2 Exotic Beasts.
By now, he understood why he couldn't Absorb Energy from Tier 2 Exotic Beasts.
Just like Human Warriors, Tier 1 and Tier 2 Exotic Beasts had only surpassed ordinary beasts in physical strength. Their bodies didn't contain true Cosmic Energy.
Only Exotic Beasts of Tier 3 or higher could sense and absorb Cosmic Energy, channeling it into their meridians to gain even greater strength.
Starting with the second match, whenever a Tier 3 Exotic Beast entered the arena, Lu Feng immediately Absorbed Energy.
But each time, he carefully controlled how much he took, absorbing only about a third of each beast's energy to avoid robbing them of their fighting ability.
Only after seven or eight matches had passed was the Mark in his chest finally filled.
He closed his eyes and began guiding the energy into his meridians, repeatedly striking the blocked passage.
After reaching Iron Bone Realm Perfection, Lu Feng had discovered that he no longer needed a cultivation device to draw upon the energy in the Mark.
Perhaps this was a change brought about by the complete tempering of his body.
As the energy in the Mark surged like a tide, once, twice, three times...
It repeatedly battered the first barrier in his meridians. Lu Feng could clearly feel it beginning to loosen, tiny cracks appearing in its surface.
"There's hope!"
He immediately focused all his energy, condensing it into a more concentrated, more penetrating torrent. Then he launched an unrelenting series of fierce strikes against the barrier!
"BOOM—!"
An invisible roar seemed to ring out in his mind.
The blocked passage shattered!
The energy he had accumulated for so long instantly found an outlet, rushing eagerly into a newly opened meridian.
Lu Feng felt as if a river had appeared inside his body—a river that could store energy.
The energy in that river was entirely under his control. With just a thought, he could draw upon it to attack, and its power was many times greater than when he'd been in Iron Bone Realm.
He slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light passing through them.
At last, he had successfully entered the Third Martial Realm: Meridian Condensing Realm!
Before you continue