Inferior Talent, Three Months of Cultivation! Able to Defeat a First-rate Martial Artist!?

In front of the Xiao Family Hall.

A fierce punch came rushing in.

The Third Elder was horrified and hurriedly raised both hands to block in front of him.

Bang!

A muffled sound rang out, and the Third Elder abruptly staggered back five steps.

Before he could steady himself, another gust of force swept toward him.

He suddenly looked up and saw that Xiao Huohuo had somehow already closed in!

A scarlet fist came crashing toward him without the slightest pattern.

Yet this sight made the Third Elder's scalp prickle. He continuously channeled the force in his body and, in his panic, hastily activated his footwork, barely managing to dodge.

Xiao Zhan and the other two standing on the White Marble steps stared in disbelief, their mouths agape.

"Is this really Huohuo?"

"This is actually real!"

The youth before them chased after his opponent with nimble movements. Whether in speed or the ferocity of his attacks, he surpassed the Third Elder by more than a notch.

The latter could only dodge in panic. Even when he tried to counterattack, his moves were easily neutralized.

The Third Elder was actually being beaten from start to finish!

Such an unbelievable scene was almost impossible to accept!

As Xiao Huohuo continued attacking, everyone could already see the foundation of his confidence.

It was formidable strength!

Neither Xiao Huohuo's footwork nor his techniques seemed to have any pattern. They were not some powerful martial art or secret technique. He was simply relying on the strength in his body—when strength prevailed, even a brick could fly—to force the Third Elder into a state where he could not fight back at all!

Amid the astonishment of the others, Xiao Huohuo suddenly leaped into the air and slammed a punch downward.

Seeing this, Elder Shan below could only immediately raise his energy to resist.

Smack!

Fist and palm collided!

The Third Elder's feet dug firmly into the ground. He actually dragged out a trail eight or nine meters long through the muddy earth before finally coming to a steady stop, demonstrating just how fierce that punch had been.

After this punch, Xiao Huohuo turned and landed, withdrawing his aura. He had stopped at just the right point.

Only then did the Third Elder's body relax wearily. He looked somewhat dejected, and the blood and energy throughout his body still trembled.

He looked at Xiao Huohuo as if he had never seen the youth before, then gasped in shock.

"Young Clan Leader, you are truly formidable!"

Perhaps to outsiders, it looked as though Xiao Huohuo had suppressed him single-handedly.

However, only he, the person who had exchanged blows with him, understood it most clearly.

Every move and stance Xiao Huohuo used appeared to lack any pattern, relying only on brute force and speed. Yet whenever their fists and palms met, a terrifying power would surge through his bones, making every successive exchange more difficult.

After Xiao Huohuo had calmed the energy within his body, he exhaled and said:

"Dad, Three Elders, this is the strength I gained after absorbing Nine Spiritual Energies."

The three men stood dazed like wooden carvings for a moment. Then their eyes shone brightly, and they burst into laughter!

"Hahaha, good, good, good! Truly wonderful!"

Xiao Zhan laughed and repeated "good" several times. He was filled with pride and felt as if he had grown younger in an instant.

He strode directly to Xiao Huohuo, looking him over again and again. The delight and excitement in his eyes continued unabated.

"Good! As expected of my son, Xiao Zhan. You actually possess the bearing to surpass a Grandmaster!"

Several Elders watching from the side darkened in the face. How was this Xiao Zhan becoming more and more shameless?

What did this have to do with him? It was clearly the immortal master's achievement!

Still, the Three Elders would not embarrass Xiao Zhan. Instead, they stepped forward together to offer their congratulations.

"The Clan Leader is right. This old man saw long ago that Huohuo was no creature confined to a pond."

"His earlier decline was merely because he had not encountered a good teacher."

The First Elder also let out a relieved snort.

"That Young Sect Master of the Misty Sect truly lacked discernment. At this rate, the victor will certainly be our Xiao Family's Young Clan Leader!"

The four men were overjoyed and immediately turned to look at Chu Feng.

They all understood that without Chu Feng, Xiao Huohuo would never have reached where he was today.

Chu Feng was the true flame that had allowed Xiao Huohuo to rise from the ashes!

Xiao Zhan's eyes grew slightly moist. He solemnly bowed and said:

"Xiao Zhan thanks the immortal master for saving Huohuo's life."

Although Xiao Zhan had never been good at expressing himself and had not said so directly before,

ever since the Three-Year Pact had been established, he had also been able to see Xiao Huohuo's despair and dejection.

All those emotions could not be soothed in the face of the fact that a man's dignity was about to be utterly crushed.

That humiliation had drawn Xiao Huohuo taut like a string, a string that could snap at any moment.

That was precisely why Xiao Zhan had indulged Xiao Huohuo so much, allowing him to run wild in search of some so-called Hermit Expert.

He simply had not expected that, atop this seemingly hopeless path to certain defeat, Xiao Huohuo would truly find the one and only way forward.

He had found this immortal master who could Turn Decay into Magic.

The Three Elders also bowed together.

"Many thanks, immortal master!"

Chu Feng already wore an indifferent expression, without the slightest ripple.

"There is no need to thank me."

"Huohuo is my disciple. Naturally, I will teach him well and never let him suffer the slightest grievance."

After learning of Chu Feng's identity and strength, Xiao Zhan and the other three invited Chu Feng to stay at the Xiao Family residence. Chu Feng naturally did not refuse.

In the blink of an eye, two months passed.

Inside one of the Xiao Family's side rooms.

A youth sat cross-legged on the bed.

As his breathing rose and fell steadily, a clear, ruddy radiance could be seen flowing back and forth across the youth's body.

From his limbs to his torso, one could see, upon closer inspection, a full ten Rosy Glows.

Indeed, after returning to the Xiao Family, Xiao Huohuo had once again stiffened his neck.

He had gritted his teeth and insisted on breaking through to ten strands of spiritual energy through Spirit Absorption into Body before attempting an qi refinement breakthrough.

Chu Feng had merely lectured him a couple of times before letting him do as he pleased.

No one knew whether returning to the Xiao Family had untied the knot in his heart, or whether he had gained the buff of the protagonist's territory, but Xiao Huohuo had truly broken through to the level of ten spiritual energies again within a month.

He spent another month fully integrating and mastering all ten spiritual energies.

Now, he was repeatedly charging toward the realm of the first level of qi refinement.

At last, Xiao Huohuo's skin became covered in sweat.

The ten spiritual energies simultaneously overflowed within his body, joining together behind him like a perfected sun and moon.

When the spiritual energies fused perfectly, the halo of spiritual energy suddenly burst forth with dazzling brilliance.

Suddenly, Xiao Huohuo opened his eyes.

Within his body, strands of spiritual energy naturally surged along the paths of his meridians like a flood. Before long, they connected together.

The ten strands of spiritual energy transformed into a single, more solid and refined aura.

This aura left Xiao Huohuo's nose and mouth clear and his entire body comfortable, as if it had revealed an exceedingly profound state.

His lips curled into a grin as he happily observed his body.

This indescribable comfort, the pure and gentle radiance faintly spilling from his skin, and the sudden surge in strength—

all marked his entry into the first level of qi refinement.

At last, he had crossed the first threshold of cultivation!

Xiao Huohuo clenched both fists in excitement, his eyes deep and bright.

"Master, I did it."

Although he was much slower than his master and those so-called cultivation geniuses, he had ultimately entered the first level of qi refinement with tenfold spiritual energy.

Only then would he not disgrace his master's name!