Lu Feng was still in shock when Fang Qing shouted to the Chasing Wind Squad members around her, "Focus your fire! Aim for the eyes on its heads!"
Tier 4 Exotic Beasts were similar to human Innate Realm Warriors. They had formed an Innate Qi Sea inside their bodies and could use its energy to protect themselves.
That made it difficult for the mechas' thermal beams to penetrate their defenses, while their eyes were often a common weakness among creatures like these.
The next second, all the Chasing Wind Squad members opened fire at once, targeting the eyes on the Giant Python's four heads.
But the power of a Leader-level Exotic Beast far exceeded their expectations.
Although Fang Qing was holding its tail down with all her might, it still twisted its massive body wildly, sweeping away every tree and plant within dozens of meters.
The violent thrashing made it difficult for the squad to aim precisely at its eyes.
At that moment, Lu Feng seized an opening and fixed his gaze on the Giant Python.
The instant their eyes met, the Tier 4 Exotic Beast suddenly stopped struggling.
At the same time, a surging wave of energy flooded into Lu Feng's body, and a searing pain pierced him.
He gripped the control sticks tightly. His muscles trembled from the agony as he forced out through clenched teeth, "Quick... do it!"
The squad members didn't let the fleeting opportunity slip by. Every weapon fired with pinpoint accuracy at the eyes on the Giant Python's four heads.
Dozens of blazing beams pierced their targets in an instant, blinding the Multi-headed Python.
The blinded Leader-level Exotic Beast went berserk, broke free of Lu Feng's control completely, and began attacking everything around it indiscriminately.
The Chasing Wind Squad was forced to keep retreating. Fang Qing had clearly reached her limit and could no longer hold the Giant Python down.
With one violent sweep of its tail, she was flung high into the air.
At the critical moment, a figure shot out from the distant woods, leaped dozens of meters into the air, and caught her safely.
It was Gao Zhan, the Chasing Wind Squad's captain.
"Another one?"
Lu Feng stared in shock.
He'd expected Gao Zhan to come to their aid, since he was only one or two kilometers away. But he hadn't expected him to leave his mecha and move on foot, just like Fang Qing.
"Get back in your mecha!"
Gao Zhan landed with Fang Qing in his arms, gave her a brief instruction, then charged straight at the rampaging Giant Python.
What shocked Lu Feng even more was that Hong Kun had also climbed out of his mecha nearby and was rushing at the Giant Python with bare fists.
"Uncle Hong!" he blurted out.
Could all Innate Realm Warriors really move freely through these woods, filled with poisonous miasma and an alien atmosphere?
In the distance, Gao Zhan charged in like a cannonball and punched the Giant Python dozens of meters away. He immediately closed in and pinned down its massive body.
Hong Kun arrived just after him and grabbed the snake's tail.
With the two of them holding it down, the Giant Python's struggles weakened considerably.
Gao Zhan quickly drew an Alloy Short Blade from his clothes and plunged it into the creature.
The sharp blade sliced through its tough flesh. He hacked at it dozens of times, until the Giant Python was drenched in blood and finally stopped struggling.
Gao Zhan stood up, dark purple blood dripping from his Alloy Short Blade.
The Chasing Wind Squad members gathered around.
"Captain, are you all right?" someone asked with concern.
Gao Zhan didn't answer right away. Instead, he went to the Giant Python's corpse and swiftly cut the fangs from its four heads with his blade.
"The teeth of a Leader-level Exotic Beast, combined with Tianlan Star's alloy technology, can be forged into weapons tougher than Blue Dai Alloy."
He put the fangs away. "We'll divide them equally among everyone when we get back."
### Everyone smiled at his words.
Gao Zhan then returned to his mecha.
At last, Lu Feng couldn't hold back his question and spoke over the squad channel:
"Captain, why can Fourth Realm Warriors like you operate outside your mechas in this alien environment?"
Wasn't that something only Grandmasters could do?
Before Gao Zhan could answer, Hong Kun explained, "Fourth Realm Warriors open an Innate Qi Sea and can cover their bodies with True Qi. That lets them move around in a vacuum or other harsh environments for a short time."
Fang Qing added, "That's right, but the state can't be maintained for long, and it greatly weakens your combat power. You're nowhere near as strong as a Grandmaster Expert. Just look at me right now, and you'll understand."
She had already returned to her mecha, and her voice sounded exhausted.
"There's something else I don't understand. Do Exotic Beasts gain intelligence like humans when they reach Tier 4?"
He thought of the Leader-level Giant Python they'd just fought. It had sensed the Chasing Wind Squad approaching, yet rather than retreat, it had led its Tier 2 and Tier 3 offspring into an attack. It had clearly been defending its territory.
"Yes," Gao Zhan replied firmly. "Once an Exotic Beast breaks through to Tier 4 and forms an Innate Qi Sea, it awakens its intelligence. Its wisdom is no less than a human's."
"Take the Drill Bull Lord we encountered on the Sudali Plain, and the dozens of Leader-level Exotic Beasts under its command. They were all quite intelligent."
"No wonder it sensed danger as soon as the Grandmasters showed up and immediately chose to run," Lu Feng said, suddenly understanding.
Unfortunately, the Drill Bull Lord hadn't escaped the combined pursuit of Zhang Zechuan and the other two Grandmasters. They had joined forces and killed it.
Speaking of realms, Gao Zhan suddenly seemed to remember something and asked:
"Lu Feng, I heard you reached Second Realm Perfection at such a young age?"
Everyone had always thought Lu Feng's cultivation had remained at the peak of the Iron Bone Realm.
Back at the Skyfire Club, he'd once punched the Tester so hard that it exploded.
Later, when he went to the Military Base for training, word of what he'd done had spread through the Chasing Wind Squad.
But no one knew that after the battle on the Sudali Plain, he had broken through the second blocked meridian in his body and successfully entered the Meridian Condensing Realm Second Layer.
Lu Feng didn't answer or reveal his true realm.
Perhaps it was simply his nature. He'd never liked showing off or drawing attention to himself.
The two times his cultivation had been exposed before had been pure accidents.
The squad continued south as they walked and talked.
With Lu Feng, a natural Beast Tamer, and his ability to sense nearby Exotic Beasts, the Chasing Wind Squad had swept through the area without encountering any major danger.
Lu Feng also soon replenished the energy in his Mark.
As they traveled, he had his mecha move on autopilot while channeling the energy in the Mark to keep forcing open his meridians.
But when he tried to break through the blockage in the third meridian, he found it was considerably more difficult.
By the time the Mark's energy ran out again, the blockage had loosened only slightly.
Lu Feng suddenly sent Hong Kun a private message over his Communicator: "Uncle Hong!"
Hong Kun paused, then replied, "What is it?"
"How can a Three Realm Martial Artist break through quickly?"
Hong Kun chuckled. "The Third Realm Warrior is the Meridian Condensing Realm. You have to open your meridians and gather Cosmic Energy to use as your own. The biggest obstacles to opening your meridians are the Ten Major Acupoints in the human body."
"These acupoints are naturally blocked, so you have to keep striking them with Cosmic Energy. Once they're all open, you'll reach Second Realm Perfection. After that, keep gathering energy until you form an Innate Qi Sea inside your body. Once the Qi Sea is formed, you'll officially enter the Fourth Realm of martial arts."
"It's a long process, so don't rush. Besides, aren't you only at Second Realm Perfection? Take your time."
Lu Feng suddenly understood!
So the acupoints were what blocked the meridians.
"Then which acupoints make up the Ten Major Acupoints?"
Before you continue