Body Tempering Realm, Eighth Heaven

"I implore the Immortal Master to see the truth; my Zhao family truly did not intend to conceal anything."

"We were genuinely unaware that a high-level demonic beast was lurking within the spirit fields."

"How could such a high-level beast come to wreak havoc in my spirit fields?"

Zhao Bing was utterly baffled.

However, Shen Mo understood clearly in his heart that the reason the Double-Headed Silver-Patterned Python had been attracted there was, in all likelihood, because of that strange purple Vermilion Fruit.

Judging by the attitude of the Zhao family members, they did not seem to be aware of the existence of that strange Vermilion Fruit.

Zhao Bing led his son, Zhao Jiachang, forward to offer a sincere apology: "It was my Zhao family's negligence that nearly harmed the Immortal Master; I beg for the Immortal Master's understanding."

Shen Mo did not speak, merely watching the father and son of the Zhao family in silence.

What he wanted was not an apology.

It was compensation.

"As for the Immortal Master's losses, my Zhao family is willing to do our utmost to bear them," Zhao Bing gritted his teeth and said. "The ten Vermilion Fruits previously promised to the Immortal Master can be doubled."

He knew well that mere words of apology would not suffice.

He had to bring out the real goods to demonstrate his sincerity.

"Immortal Master, what do you think?"

"Very well." Shen Mo nodded slightly, choosing to accept.

Ten Vermilion Fruits were worth roughly fifteen low-grade Spirit Stones in the marketplace.

Although this was still insufficient to cover the loss of his two talismans, it was, at the very least, a sign of the Zhao family's sincerity, and it would help him recoup most of his losses.

Night shrouded the sky.

Inside a guest room of the Zhao residence, Shen Mo sat cross-legged, entering a state of meditation.

He had originally intended to depart tonight, but Zhao Bing had insisted that it was too late and urged him to stay the night, returning to the sect tomorrow.

After a moment's thought, Shen Mo agreed.

He could tell that the old family head was extremely reluctant to see him leave while the crisis in the spirit fields remained unresolved.

After all, once he left, the Zhao family would be even more helpless against the demonic snakes occupying their fields.

During their earlier apology, the subtext in the words of the Zhao father and son was clearly a hope that Shen Mo, an Immortal Master from a superior sect, would see the matter through to the end.

Ideally, he would send word to his sect, calling upon friends and allies to come together and thoroughly resolve the spirit field crisis for the Zhao family.

At the very least, he could offer some advice or ideas to prevent the spirit fields from falling into ruin.

Shen Mo felt no such obligation.

The remuneration he had taken was for slaying minor demons; dealing with a Double-Headed Silver-Patterned Python was a different price entirely.

Of course, even if the Zhao family head were truly willing to pay more, he would not take the bait.

For no other reason than that his strength was insufficient.

"This trip out has not been smooth, yet there have still been gains!"

After the day's practical combat experience, Shen Mo felt that the bottleneck of his cultivation realm, which had previously been solid, showed signs of loosening.

"It seems Chen Mengze was right; only by venturing out for training and engaging in real-life combat can one better find the opportunity for a breakthrough!"

He flipped his palm and retrieved a plump, rounded red fruit from his Qiankun Pouch.

A Vermilion Fruit.

"Since my realm is loosening, I shall use this Vermilion Fruit to see if I can knock open the door to advancement!"

With that thought, he swallowed the fruit.

The spiritual nectar of the fruit juice flowed slowly over the tip of his tongue, making Shen Mo's mouth water.

He had to admit, the taste of this Vermilion Fruit was quite excellent, refreshing and pleasant.

It was far better than the Vitality Strengthening Powder he usually had to choke down.

[You have consumed a Vermilion Fruit and circulated the Heaven Origin Technique. The medicinal power of the Vermilion Fruit gradually spreads through your body. After being digested by the Heaven Origin Technique, your cultivation has increased.]

Half an hour later, he opened his eyes again and saw this prompt pop up.

"The medicinal power of a single Vermilion Fruit is far from enough for what I need to break through!"

Shen Mo shook his head. Although he had fully refined the energy of the Vermilion Fruit over the past half hour, he could sense that he was still some distance away from the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Subsequently, he took two more Vermilion Fruits from his Qiankun Pouch.

"Gulp!"

These two Vermilion Fruits were also quickly swallowed by Shen Mo one after the other, stimulating their medicinal power to increase his cultivation.

[You swallowed a Vermilion Fruit and began circulating the Heaven Origin Technique. The medicinal power of the Vermilion Fruit gradually rippled through your body, and after being digested by the Heaven Origin Technique, your cultivation base increased.]

Another hour passed, and by now, Shen Mo's aura had increased significantly compared to before.

Yet, it was still not enough.

"Two more."

Following the same method, Shen Mo took out two more Vermilion Fruits from his storage bag and swallowed them.

Under normal circumstances, he would never consume so many spiritual herbs in such a short period.

Because this act did more harm than good; not only would much of the medicinal power be wasted before it could be absorbed, but it would also lead to an unstable foundation.

But at this moment, he was at a critical stage where his cultivation was about to break through.

If he could not strike while the iron was hot and reach the Eighth Layer tonight, he did not know how long he would have to wait to find another opportunity for a breakthrough.

"Body Tempering Realm, Eighth Layer, break through!"

The vast ocean of spiritual power within his body surged, continuously battering against the barrier of his realm.

Like great waves crashing against the shore, it was endless and relentless.

"It's done."

He did not know how much time had passed, but Shen Mo's entire body shuddered as his muscles, bones, and blood underwent another sublimation.

A faint sense of joy welled up in his heart.

"One step closer to the Qi Gathering Realm!"

He clenched his fists tightly, feeling his strength surge as if he could shatter a mountain with a single punch.

This made him want to rush to the Zhao Family's spiritual fields and kill the Double-Headed Silver-Patterned Python that had forced him to flee in such a sorry state earlier that day.

As soon as this thought arose, Shen Mo immediately suppressed it.

"An illusion, just an illusion."

He muttered to himself, calming his restless thoughts.

When a cultivator first breaks through, the massive surge in power often brings a feeling of ultimate sublimation.

It was inevitable that some inflated thoughts would arise.

But this feeling was merely an illusion, not reality.

Even though Shen Mo had broken through to the Eighth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm, he still lacked the power to fight back against a Double-Headed Silver-Patterned Python that had one foot in the Second Order.

"However, even if I lack the ability to hunt that demon python..."

"My combat power among those of the same level is still quite formidable."

Shen Mo changed his train of thought and opened his attribute status to take a look.

His Supreme Clarity Sword Technique, bolstered by the experience gained from slaying demons throughout the day, was now infinitely close to breaking through to the "Proficient" stage.

And the Heaven Origin Technique had also made great progress, nearing the level of "Mastery."

The combat power bonus brought by his deep comprehension of these two foundational techniques and martial arts could not be underestimated.

In addition, he had mastered the movement technique Thunderbolt Quickstep, and with the bonus from the special destiny [Strong as an Ox], Shen Mo estimated that his true combat power would not fall behind a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of the Body Tempering Realm.

"Right, I gained Destiny Points when I killed the demon in the spiritual field!"

He suddenly remembered something and opened his balance of Destiny Points to check.

[Destiny Points: 5]

"Five points!"

Seeing this number, a faint smile appeared on Shen Mo's face: "This is much faster than relying on the accumulation of dull daily cultivation!"

He had originally worried that as his various foundational destinies improved, the Destiny Points required for each future upgrade would increase exponentially, and his slow rate of accumulation would drag down his cultivation.

It seemed now that this worry was unnecessary.

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