The next day.
As soon as he got up in the morning, Zhao Tianchen told Fang Hong about the Sect Grand Competition.
"The Sect Grand Competition? I'll be fighting those Earth Realm disciples. Can I really do it?"
Fang Hong asked uncertainly.
To be honest, ever since Fang Hong had created the muscle section of the Body Refinement Method and cultivated it to perfection,
he had completely lost track of what level his strength was at.
His power simply defied all common sense by far too much.
Not to mention that yesterday, he had directly raised his realm from Bone Refinement Great Accomplishment to Organ Refinement Perfection.
His bodily functions had reached "perfection" at their current stage.
Although this breakthrough in realm had been huge, the increase in his vitality and blood had not actually been as great as the increase he had gained after cultivating the muscle section.
It had probably only risen seven or eight times.
Yes, only seven or eight times...
Though that sounded absurdly boastful, Fang Hong truly felt it was nothing special.
After all, when he had cultivated the muscle section before, his vitality and blood had increased by far more than seven or eight times.
When he had tested his strength back then, even he himself had been frightened by that terrifying power.
And now, he had broken through realms one after another, crossing a full three major realms.
Yet his vitality and blood had only increased seven or eight times in total.
Averaged out, each major realm had only raised his vitality and blood by around twice.
Looking at it that way, it really did seem rather ordinary.
Of course, that might have been because his vitality and blood had already been extremely powerful before.
That was why ordinary breakthroughs in realm appeared rather unimpressive afterward.
Even so, thanks to the powerful foundation of vitality and blood he had built before,
his strength had still improved greatly.
Thus, Fang Hong truly had no idea just how strong he was now.
But one thing was certain.
Ordinary Organ Refinement Realm cultivators were absolutely no match for him.
They probably could not even withstand a single exchange from him.
But one thing could be confirmed: his current strength was still nowhere near the Heaven Realm.
Because during the apprenticeship ceremony, he had sensed an overwhelmingly intense, almost tangible aura of deadly threat from the many martial uncles and martial elders who had come to witness it.
Even those True Disciples had given him an intensely dangerous feeling.
Yet that sense of danger had not been enough to make him despair.
If he truly fought for his life, he might not be able to defeat them, but he could certainly splash blood all over their faces.
But if he faced those Heaven Realm big shots,
that terrifyingly intense sense of danger forced him to lose even the will to resist.
It was the feeling that no matter how desperately he fought, he could not harm the other party in the slightest.
There was only despair.
Perhaps surrendering without a fight would mean suffering a little less.
And now, he was already at Organ Refinement Perfection, with his strength having risen several times over again.
The danger he sensed from those True Disciples should be greatly reduced.
He could probably fight them now.
As for whether he could win, he truly would not know without actually fighting.
After all, those people were True Disciples, individuals nurtured by the Star River Sect with vast amounts of resources.
No one knew what methods they possessed without having fought them.
So overall, Fang Hong estimated that his true strength had actually reached the Earth Realm level.
He should even be in the upper-middle tier of the Earth Realm.
But that was only his own feeling.
Feelings could sometimes deceive people.
For example, someone of ordinary strength might possess a divine weapon, yet still feel extremely dangerous to Fang Hong.
So his instincts could only provide himself with a vague point of reference.
Because he understood very clearly that true combat was never simply decided by superficial strength alone.
In a real battle, factors such as decisions, timing, methods, equipment, and more would all play a part.
"What? Are you scared?"
Seeing the uncertainty on Fang Hong's face, Zhao Tianchen smiled and asked.
At those words, Fang Hong's lips curled up, and he chuckled.
"I'm not scared. I just really don't know how strong I am right now."
"I definitely won't bring shame upon Master."
"But I'm afraid that if my luck is bad and I run into a stronger opponent too early, lose, and get eliminated, wouldn't that waste Master's good intentions?"
Fang Hong said with a shrug.
"Don't worry. Do you think your master wouldn't have thought of what you could think of?"
Zhao Tianchen stroked his white beard. "Your master has already taken care of it. The opponents you encounter then will not be too strong."
"It will ensure that you enter the top ten and qualify to enter the Star Pool."
"Huh?!"
Hearing this, Fang Hong's eyes immediately lit up.
Good heavens, they were going to rig the competition!
But it seemed the one benefiting from the rigging was himself...
Well, then it was fine.
As expected, having a big shot watching over you was the way to go.
Luckily, he had not pulled any of that playing-the-pig-to-eat-the-tiger nonsense back then.
Otherwise, he might have been the one getting rigged against now.
Even if he could resolve it when the time came, it would provoke many people and be a tremendous hassle.
How could it compare to now? With a few arrangements from Master, he could comfortably coast into the top ten.
And gain the chance to receive the Star Pool baptism that others could only dream of.
"However, while I can ensure that you enter the top ten, your performance cannot be too poor either. You must not give others something to talk about."
"Just so happens, since you entered my tutelage, I have yet to see what methods you possess."
"Today, your master will test you and see just how strong you truly are."
"I will restrain my strength to the middle level of the Earth Realm. You may attack without restraint."
Zhao Tianchen extended a hand and beckoned Fang Hong over.
At those words, Fang Hong raised a brow, and a glint of interest flashed through his eyes.
This should count as exchanging blows with a Heaven Realm big shot in advance, right?
Even if the other party restrained his power, his years of experience, insight, and countless methods were absolutely not something an ordinary Earth Realm cultivator could compare to.
"Alright. Then Master, be careful."
Fang Hong gave a warning, then held nothing back in the slightest, instantly stirring up all his vitality, blood, and inner force.
This was a Heaven Realm big shot!
If he did not go all out and strike with everything he had, what was the point of thinking of holding back?!
So Fang Hong immediately unleashed all his strength!
Glug, glug—
Gurgle, gurgle—
Buzz, buzz—
In an instant, the dull, booming sound of his heartbeat rang out like a giant hammer beating a drum.
The surging rush of blood sounded like a great river pouring forth, like rivers and streams flowing backward.
The sound of swelling, twisting muscles was like countless steel bars winding and crushing together, making one's teeth ache.
And amid those somewhat chaotic sounds, Fang Hong's body began to expand wildly.
Like a demon, like a devil!
Gulp—
Zhao Tianchen, watching the scene before him, was so stunned that his eyes went blank.
My dear mother.
You call this Organ Refinement Perfection?!
The hell, can this be Organ Refinement Perfection?!!!
"Hah!!"
And in the instant Zhao Tianchen was stunned, Fang Hong had already let out a thunderous roar.
Endless vitality and blood boiled, while terrifying inner force erupted like a detonating bomb.
A savage, terrifying giant claw descended from above.
"Earth Splitting Style!"
Bang—!
An incomparably explosive sonic boom instantly burst forth.
Boom!!
In the next moment, amid a deafening crash, Zhao Tianchen was sent flying backward.
"You rebellious disciple!!!"
Before you continue